The halfway point is upon us.

It feels as though eons have elapsed since those opening weeks of the 2025–26 Premier League season. Tottenham Hotspur were scoring goals for fun, Bournemouth were sniffing around the division’s summit and Chelsea were revelling in life as world champions under Enzo Maresca.

One can only begin to imagine what will unfold over the 19 rounds of fixtures which still await.

Thanks to a quirky fixture computer, Gameweek 20 is not a repeat of any matches which have come before this season—the midweek round over the turn of the year were oddly a reverse of games from just three weeks before.

With that air of novelty wafting over the weekend, let’s take a look at how the last unique matchups of this domestic campaign may play out.

It was a chastening Tuesday night for these two managers. Both Unai Emery and Sean Dyche found themselves skewered by their former clubs, with Aston Villa eventually succumbing to a bitter 4–1 defeat against Arsenal while Nottingham Forest were downed 2–0 by Everton.

The pain for Forest and Dyche could keep on coming. Villa’s 11-match winning streak may have concluded but they had Arsenal on the ropes in the first half. Matty Cash and Boubacar Kamara will be back for suspension to help extend a staggering run of form at Villa Park which remains intact: Emery’s side have won their previous 10 home games.

Prediction: Aston Villa 3–1 Nottingham Forest

Both sides are in desperate need of a win. Neither club picked up three points in December and Burnley’s wait for victory stretches past Halloween. Scott Parker faces an uphill battle to stop that record getting any scarier.

Halfway through their Premier League return it’s been a baptism of fire for Burnley. Only rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers have taken fewer shots than the Clarets while not even the division’s basement dwellers can match Burnley for shots faced.

The infamously water-tight Championship rearguard has been repeatedly breached in the top flight. Brighton’s own inconsistencies could create an open contest but the Seagulls are clear favourites on the south coast.

Prediction: Brighton 4–3 Burnley

Despite going close with Manchester United in midweek, Wolverhampton Wanderers are still waiting for their first Premier League victory of the season. Spirited displays against Arsenal, Brentford and Liverpool laid the foundation for the battling point at Old Trafford and there is hope for even more success this weekend.

West Ham United already have the rare distinction of losing to Wolves this season. Graham Potter was still at the helm when Jørgen Strand Larsen scored twice in the final eight minutes of August’s Carabao Cup tie to down the Hammers, who now have former Wolves boss Nuno Espírito Santo at the helm.

The Portuguese coach is unbeaten in five previous meetings with his former employers, but none of those came with this wobbly West Ham team.

Prediction: Wolves 2–1 West Ham

Long before Bournemouth were ever a Premier League opponent for Arsenal, Andoni Iraola and Mikel Arteta found themselves on the same side of countless football pitches. The two former players for the prodigious Basque youth team Antiguoko Kirol Elkartea—which also included Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso and would later produce Arsenal’s Martín Zubimendi—were born in the same year just six miles apart.

The affection forged during years of shared coach journeys, training sessions and—more often than not—victories has survived four previous managerial head-to-heads. It’s two wins apiece in this Basque-flavoured battle, and even though Iraola won each contest last season, Arteta is expected to have the last laugh this weekend.

Prediction: Bournemouth 1–3 Arsenal

Ruben Amorim captured the difficulty of predicting Premier League fixtures with his preview of Sunday’s feisty derby between Manchester United and Leeds United. “You guys have the best league in the world, every game you see there is a lot of draws, you never understand what is going to happen at the end of that week.”

Another draw could be on the cards.

Leeds have been far more resilient since Daniel Farke’s formation shift against Manchester City and even had the luxury of resting Dominic Calvert-Lewin for Thursday’s deserved 0–0 draw with Liverpool. Another hard-earned point would be cherished at Elland Road.

Prediction: Leeds 1–1 Man Utd

Unusually, there are four Premier League fixtures scheduled for the 3 p.m. slot on Sunday afternoon. Those brave enough to select Everton’s clash with Brentford as their viewing choice must do so at their own risk.

These are the two clubs that rank 19th and 20th for average passes per possession sequence. They do not hold onto the ball long and when either do have it briefly under their control it is going in one direction: forward (or perhaps up).

Prediction: Everton 0–0 Brentford

Fulham and Liverpool have experienced the season in reverse. While Arne Slot’s defending Premier League champions had a seven-game winning start to the campaign abruptly followed by nine defeats in 12 matches, the Cottagers have steadily found their feet after a testing first few months.

During November’s international break, reports of Marco Silva’s imminent sacking were rife. Less than two months on and the Portuguese boss is three points away from a Champions League spot and being forced to downplay speculation over taking on the vacant Chelsea position.

Liverpool have enjoyed a return to form themselves and would be expected to earn a victory in the capital, yet Fulham do have a tendency to play their best football against loftier opponents.

Prediction: Fulham 1–2 Liverpool

In sharp contrast to Newcastle United—who cherish the home comforts of St James’s Park—Crystal Palace are a force to be reckoned with on the road. Only the north London pairing of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur boast a better points-per-game record on their travels this season than the Eagles.

Oliver Glasner’s side are primed for away days: comfortable defending in a set block before spearing forward in transition like an uncoiled spring. However, Palace have been lacking their familiar punch as of late. Sunday’s visitors are winless in six matches, a run which could be extended to seven by the end of the weekend.

Prediction: Newcastle 2–1 Crystal Palace

Sunderland have not yet finished having their fun. The squad may be decimated by AFCON departures—no fewer than six are at the competition—yet they remain a force to be reckoned with, as Manchester City find out in midweek.

Tottenham have largely forgotten what it feels like to have any fun during an underwhelming run of results good enough to keep Thomas Frank in a job but not much more. Should the Black Cats add another scalp to their collection this weekend, Frank’s safety may be called into question again.

Prediction: Tottenham 0–2 Sunderland

The most keenly anticipated fixture of the weekend is saved for its conclusion. The narrative arcs surrounding Chelsea’s trip to the Etihad are endless. How will the manager-less Blues respond, can Manchester City bounce back from the midweek draw with Sunderland, will Maresca turn up in the City dugout?

Goals have been a fixture of this matchup in recent years—the last seven have produced 22 between them—but Chelsea wins have been few and far between. In fact, the west London outfit have not gotten the better of City since the 2021 Champions League final. Calum McFarlane may struggle to end that wait in his role during the start of his interim spell.

Prediction: Man City 3–3 Chelsea

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