The international break is over, and the Premier League is back. Matchday 8 starts on Saturday with Nottingham Forest taking on Chelsea and Crystal Palace playing Bournemouth in a battle of two surprise top-four challengers. On Sunday, Manchester United head to Anfield to play Liverpool in the biggest matchup of the weekend.
Let’s get ready for these fixtures and the rest of the weekend’s action with our Premier League Matchday 8 picks and predictions.
Nottingham Forest vs. Chelsea
The City Ground, 12:30pm BST (7:30am ET), Saturday, October 18
Matchday 8 kicks off with arguably the most lopsided match of the weekend. Nottingham Forest have yet to win a match since Ange Postecoglou took over in September (0W, 2D, 5L). The Reds lost three matches in a row before the international break.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are on a two-match winning streak after beating Benfica in the Champions League and upsetting Liverpool on Matchday 7. The Blues have also scored in nine consecutive matches. Forest have yet to keep a clean sheet this season.
Based on form, it’s hard to give Forest any chance of winning this match. Additionally, Chelsea have not lost at The City Ground since Forest were promoted back to the PL in 2022.
Nottingham Forest vs. Chelsea Prediction: 0-2
Brighton vs. Newcastle
American Express Stadium, 3:00pm BST (10:00am ET), Saturday, October 18
Brighton and Newcastle have both started the 2025/26 season with mixed results. The Seagulls have dropped points to Wolves, Fulham, Everton, and Bournemouth. They also blew a two-goal lead against Spurs. On the other hand, Fabian Hurzeler’s side are in a good place in the Carabao Cup and have beaten Manchester City.
Newcastle are level on points with Brighton and are in 11th place in the table. They won only one of their first six league games. The biggest reason for this slump has been their form away from home. The Magpies have not won an away match this season.
Historically, a trip to Brighton has been an especially hard match for Newcastle, which doesn’t bode well for their chances this weekend. Eddie Howe’s team have never beaten the Seagulls at the Amex in the PL. On the other hand, Newcastle have allowed the fewest expected goals against (xGA) away from home this season. This should be a low-scoring, cagey game.
Brighton vs. Newcastle Prediction: 1-1
Burnley vs. Leeds
Turf Moor, 3:00pm BST (10:00am ET), Saturday, October 18
Both Burnley and Leeds have done well to avoid being in last place through seven games. That said, the cracks are starting to show for both of these sides.
Burnley dropped into the relegation zone on Matchday 6 and lost their fifth game in six matches on Matchday 7 with a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa. Leeds’s form has also dipped. On Matchday 7, the club suffered their first defeat of the season at home in a 2-1 loss to Tottenham.
Given the context, this match could be huge for both teams’ chances of staying up this season. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that this match ends up being a major spectacle. Just one goal was scored in the two matches between these teams last season. Also, Burnley have created the fewest xG at home in the PL this season. Leeds have created the fewest away xG.
Burnley vs. Leeds Prediction: 0-0
Crystal Palace vs. Bournemouth
Selhurst Park, 3:00pm BST (10:00am ET), Saturday, October 18
Crystal Palace’s 19-game unbeaten streak may be over after their 2-1 loss to Everton, but the Eagles are still flying. Oliver Glasner’s side are in sixth place, and are just one win away from jumping into second.
Bournemouth are an even bigger surprise this season. The Cherries sit in fourth place, two points ahead of Palace. They have lost just onePremier League game this season, led by Antoine Semenyo’s strong start. As good as Andoni Iraola’s team have been, Palace have a good chance of picking up all three points here.
Palace have the second-most xG in PL this season (12.9).According to FotMob, they have also taken the most shots on target (51) and created the most big chances (26). Bournemouth have allowed 0.11 goals per shot, which is in the bottom half of the league (per Fbref). If Palace create chances against Bournemouth like they have against other teams this season, they should win on Saturday.
Crystal Palace vs. Bournemouth Prediction: 2-1
Manchester City vs. Everton
Etihad Stadium, 3:00pm BST (10:00am ET), Saturday, October 18
Before the international break, Manchester City scraped out a 1-0 win at Brentford. Everton, meanwhile, picked up all three points at home against Palace thanks to a 93rd-minute goal from Jack Grealish. Those two results set the tone for how this weekend’s match could go.
City have been incredibly inconsistent so far this season, and are playing far more conservatively than we’ve ever seen them — they created just 0.85 xG against Brentford. Everton have been the model of consistency. The Toffees are eighth in the league and have been competitive in every match this season.
The advanced numbers don’t really back up Everton’s start so far though, and they’ve been much worse away from home. David Moyes’s team have allowed the fifth-most xGA and have won only one of their four away games this season. It could be tricky, but City should win this match.
Manchester City vs. Everton Prediction: 2-1
Sunderland vs. Wolves
Stadium of Light, 3:00pm BST (10:00am ET), Saturday, October 18
We’ve put Wolves at the bottom of ourPremier League power rankings almost every week this season, and for good reason. They are the only team in the PL without a win, and are conceding two goals per match, while scoring just 0.70. They’ve also created the fewest big chances in the league, according to FotMob.
With all this being said, there are some signs of life at the Molineux. Wolves are undefeated in their last three matches, and managed to outplay Brighton for most of their 1-1 draw before the international break.
For Sunderland, things are going about as well as can be expected. The Black Cats are ninth and seven points clear of the relegation zone. The Stadium of Light has been their secret weapon this season, so they need to win this match. They should get the job done, but if not, it might be time to start talking about a relegation battle for Sunderland again.
Sunderland vs. Wolves Prediction: 2-0
Fulham vs. Arsenal
Craven Cottage, 5:30pm BST (12:30pm ET), Saturday, October 18
Fulham have been one of the toughest teams to play away from home over the last few seasons. Arsenal knows this better than anyone. The Gunners drew Fulham 1-1 at Craven Cottage last season and suffered a 2-1 defeat the season prior. However, this Fulham team seems a lot weaker than those sides were. This Arsenal team is also a lot better.
Marco Silva’s Fulham have lost two straight matches. Their only wins this season have come against relegation candidates (Leeds and Brentford). The Cottagers have also conceded the ninth-most corners in the league this season (35). This isn’t horrible by any means, but it’s not a good record to have when you’re about to play a team like Arsenal, who score one set-piece goal per game.
Fulham vs. Arsenal Prediction: 0-2
Tottenham vs. Aston Villa
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, 2:00pm BST (9:00am ET), Sunday, October 19
The international break could not have come at a worse time for Unai Emery. His Aston Villa team had finally shaken off their poor early-season form and were starting to look like the old Villa. They had won four straight matches and scored multiple goals in three of them.
Tottenham, meanwhile, were probably grateful for the international break. After starting the season flying, the club settled back into the pattern we saw last season under Postecoglou. They have drawn three of their last five matches, including a 1-1 draw with Wolves and a dramatic 2-2 draw with Bodo/Glimt.
Spurs won this fixture 4-1 last season, but it remains to be seen whether Thomas Frank can get them to that level again this year. His Brentford teams only managed to beat Emery’s Villa once in four matches. Until Tottenham can find some consistency, it’s hard not to pick Aston Villa to get at least a draw here.
Tottenham vs. Aston Villa Prediction: 2-2
Liverpool vs. Manchester United
Anfield, 4:30pm BST (11:30am ET), Sunday, October 19
We might disagree about whether it deserves to be, but Liverpool versus Manchester United is the biggest match of the weekend. Will it live up to the hype? Probably not.
United have yet to win a match away from home this season, most recently losing 3-1 away at Brentford and 3-0 at the Etihad against Man City. While Liverpool have lost three straight matches for the first time since 2023, their firepower should be enough to dominate United here. History backs this up too. Arne Slot’s team have scored two goals or more in four straight matches against the Red Devils.
Liverpool vs. Manchester United Prediction: 3-1
West Ham vs. Brentford
London Stadium, 8:00pm BST (3:00pm ET), Monday, October 20
Matchday 8 ends with a relegation six-pointer between two London clubs. West Ham currently sit in 19th place with four points. A win here would see them draw level with Brentford, who are in 16th place on seven points.
Besides their places in the table, these teams are almost identical statistically. They’ve struggled to create chances and allow the opposition to create too many. West Ham and Brentford rank 19th and 18th in shots allowed and are both in the bottom four for goals allowed.
However, Brentford are a much more cohesive team than West Ham are right now. They’ve also managed to score more goals this season than the Hammers. A draw is probably the safe pick here, but we think Brentford’s style and form will win out.
West Ham vs. Brentford Prediction: 2-1
Cody Aceveda
Cody Aceveda is a freelance writer based in Porto, Portugal. He has written for The Trivela Effect since February 2023. Cody is a fan of the Brighton, Portland Timbers, Portland Thorns, and Rayo Vallecano. He is also an experienced iGaming writer with over two years experience writing about sports betting and the sports betting industry for a variety of outlets.