Ten KEY questions for Matchweek 2's fixtures

Football writer Alex Keble analyses where the Matchweek 2 fixtures could be won and lost, including:

- Can Crystal Palace capitalise upon Man City's new midfield?

- Can Iraola's Liverpool break down Forest's low block?

- Will 'complete' Palmer star again when Chelsea host Brighton?

- Can Savio and Marmoush inspire Spurs improvement against Newcastle?

- Can Arsenal end their Villa Park hoodoo against Emery's new-look side?

- Will Man Utd bounce back from opening day defeat against Ipswich?

- Is Coventry v Hull an early six-pointer?

- Is Leeds v Brentford a battle of the Premier League's dark horses?

- Is Sunderland v Fulham a 'must not lose' game for both sides?

- Can Everton continue strong start against Bournemouth?

Can Crystal Palace capitalise upon Man City's new midfield?

A quartet of players - Bernardo Silva, Rodri, Nico Gonzalez, and Tijjani Reijnders - together occupied 76 per cent of the three midfield starting spots in Manchester City’s 2025/26 Premier League campaign.

All four players have departed this summer, with Elliot Anderson and 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi signed to help create an entirely fresh central midfield for new Man City manager Enzo Maresca.

That is quite the overhaul, and a transition that is likely going to take time to gel, potentially giving the Crystal Palace midfield – led by Adam Wharton – a chance to begin Pierre Sage’s tenure at Selhurst Park with a major scalp.

Palace, despite losing 2-0 at Everton, and despite winning just two of their last 22 Premier League games against Man City (D5 L15), may feel unusually optimistic about a positive result against the Citizens.

Can Iraola's Liverpool break down Forest's low block?

Nottingham Forest beat Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League last season. And the season before that.

It’s a bad omen for Andoni Iraola’s side, who needed a very late penalty to rescue a point at Newcastle United in a game that was so end-to-end it suggested pundits were right to predict Iraola will need time for his unique tactics to settle.

Iraola failed to win any of his first nine Premier League games as AFC Bournemouth manager. It goes without saying he needs a much faster start at Liverpool.

The visit of Forest is a very different kind of test to last weekend – and arguably a bigger one.

Forest will be happy to sit back and defend, gifting Liverpool most of the possession, as they did in each of the last two seasons. They held just 26 per cent of the ball in a 3-0 win at Anfield last season and 31 per cent in a 1-0 success on the same ground the year before.

Traditionally Iraola likes his team to press high and play in the transition, or in other words, pinch the the ball in the other half and move at speed through a wide-open pitch. When hogging possession for long periods, and needing to break down the other team, Bournemouth struggled.

Last season Iraola’s Bournemouth won only four of their 19 Premier League games when holding more than 50 per cent possession (21 per cent win rate), and nine of the 19 when they held less than 50 per cent (47 per cent win rate).

Bournemouth's possession share v win rate 25/26

Possession share Record Win rate Over 50% P19 W4 D11 L4 21% Under 50% P19 W9 D7 L3 47%

How will Iraola cope with managing a team expected to dominate the ball? We will find out on Saturday.

Will 'complete' Palmer star again when Chelsea host Brighton?

Cole Palmer was outstanding against Fulham on Monday night, not just assisting the opener and scoring the winner but playing with a swagger we haven’t seen for quite some time. It was a complete No 10 performance aided by Xabi Alonso’s setup and the close support of new signing Morgan Rogers.

Watch: Palmer's complete performance v Fulham

“Over the summer I rested, I recharged and, yeah, I'm ready and I'm hungry,” Palmer told Sky Sports after the game. He certainly looked re-energised.

Palmer, whose assist at Fulham means he has already equalled his tally for the whole of the last Premier League season, will anticipate picking up where he left off this weekend: only against Wolverhampton Wanderers (five goals, three assists) does Palmer have more Premier League goal involvements than against Brighton & Hove Albion (five goals, zero assists).

And he might need to be at his best given that Brighton have won their last three Premier League games against Chelsea, scoring three times on each occasion.

There should be goals at both ends, then. Brighton recorded more high turnovers (19) than any side in Matchweek 1, while Chelsea took part in an open 3-2 victory against Fulham that had all the hallmarks of a team still getting to know each other, with open spaces and shots galore.

If this is indeed the game of the weekend, Palmer will no doubt play his part.

Palmer's attacking influence v Fulham

Can Savio and Marmoush inspire Spurs improvement against Newcastle

There is huge optimism at Tottenham Hotspur that a summer rebuild can spark a new era under Roberto De Zerbi and see Spurs shoot back up the table.

Some of that hope was checked last weekend in a 3-0 defeat at Brentford, after which De Zerbi said “we are not a team yet,” arguing that injuries and fitness concerns following the World Cup meant time was needed for the squad to gel.

Thankfully for Spurs, the cavalry have arrived.

Savio and Omar Marmoush have joined from Man City and their double arrival should reinvigorate a Spurs attack that mustered only nine shots on goal and an Expected Goals (xG) of 0.57 at the Gtech Community Stadium last Saturday.

Brentford v Spurs xG timeline

Savio made an instant impact in north London, getting himself on the scoresheet on his debut in a 5-1 victory over Charlton in the EFL Cup on Wednesday.

Newcastle, however, have a revitalised attack of their own. Anthony Elanga’s goal against Liverpool means he has already bettered his goalscoring tally from last season, while Yoane Wissa also looked sharper than in 2025/26.

Two rejuvenated attacks should produce a very entertaining game. De Zerbi will need his new forwards if Spurs are to come out on top – and avoid two defeats from two.

Can Arsenal end their Villa Park hoodoo against Emery's new-look side?

Arsenal might be grateful to be playing Aston Villa – often their bogey team - so early in the Premier League season.

Villa’s recent August record has been poor - they have failed to score in five of their last six Premier League games in August - and this season they are adapting to a major squad overhaul, with a host of new signings to replace summer departures Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne, and Ezri Konsa.

To illustrate the scale of the upheaval, only five of the players who started Villa’s UEFA Europa League final victory in May were selected for the opening 4-0 defeat at Brighton.

Villa have won four of their seven home matches against Arsenal since their return to the Premier League in 2019, and the most recent, a 2-1 win in December, was courtesy of an aggressive front-footed approach from Unai Emery, whose 87th-minute attacking change, bringing on playmaker Emiliano Buendia for right-back Matty Cash, was rewarded with Buendia’s injury-time winner.

This time, with so many new signings, Villa may be a little more cautious, whereas Arsenal will move in the other direction. They look newly bold and creative, no longer dealing with the immense pressure of chasing a first title in two decades.

That psychological shift – at both clubs – could end Arsenal’s hoodoo at Villa Park.

Will Man Utd bounce back from opening day defeat against Ipswich?

Michael Carrick was philosophical after Manchester United’s shock 2-0 defeat at newly-promoted Hull City last weekend.

“I’m talking to you quite calmly, but I’m not exactly calm inside,” he said after the game. “The result’s the result. We got beat, we’re hurt and it’s not a nice feeling. It doesn’t mean it’s going to change the whole direction of how we’re going as a team or as a football club.”

The message to keep calm and carry on captures the quiet revolution under Carrick, who won more points during his 17 Premier League matches in charge last season than anyone else. It’s a calm that United need to carry into their first home match of the season against Ipswich Town.

Man Utd have only twice lost their first two matches of a Premier League season. Once in 1992/93 (prompting Alan Hansen’s infamous line “you’ll never win anything with kids,” only for United to lift the title that season) and again in 2022/23, under Erik ten Hag.

Making it a third time doesn’t bear thinking about, and neither does Carrick’s record against promoted clubs: one point from three matches so far and 0.33 points per game, compared with 2.47 points per game against non-promoted teams (P17 W13 D3 L1).

Carrick's Man Utd record v promoted and non-promoted sides

Man Utd under Carrick Record Points-per-game v promoted clubs P3 W0 D1 L2 0.33 v non-promoted clubs P17 W13 D3 L1 2.47

Carrick’s message of calm makes a lot of sense, then. Man Utd simply have to put the Hull defeat behind them.

Is Coventry v Hull an early six-pointer?

We tend not to talk about six-pointers until nearer the end of the season, when, understandably, matches between clubs with similar ambitions feel more loaded with significance.

But the truth is that August match-ups matter just as much at the season’s end, and if Coventry City and Hull are embroiled in a relegation battle - as newly-promoted clubs often are - Saturday’s head-to-head should be viewed in that context.

And it’s a six-pointer that comes at an intriguing time for both clubs.

Coventry face a tough start to the campaign, with the visit of Hull sandwiched between a 3-0 defeat at Arsenal and next weekend’s visit to Man City. Lose this, and Frank Lampard’s side face the very real prospect of three defeats from three to kick off their first Premier League campaign since 2001.

For Hull, a trip to the midlands represents a big chance to build on their magnificent 2-0 victory against Man Utd and bolster their hopes of retaining their Premier League status. After all, they’ve lost only one of their last nine league encounters against Coventry.

Whatever the score, the first-ever top-flight meeting between Coventry and Hull – which, incidentally, is the 942nd different fixture to be played in the Premier League – might hold significant meaning come May.

Is Leeds v Brentford a battle of the Premier League's dark horses?

Excitement is building around both Leeds United and Brentford, where stability feels like a major advantage in a campaign defined by change; nine Premier League clubs appointed new managers over the summer.

Leeds, entering their fourth year under Daniel Farke, began with a 1-0 win at Forest to continue their excellent form this calendar year. Since the start of December 2025, only five teams have won more points in the Premier League than the 39 of Leeds.

Meanwhile Brentford, who beat Spurs 3-0 at home, are looking to win their opening two league matches in a season for the first time since 2006/07 in League One.

Supporters will be feeling confident that the Bees can do just that. Keith Andrews’ side were unlucky not to qualify for Europe last season, missing out on goal difference, but those free midweeks – and the continuation of Andrews' project – promise another impressive campaign.

Is Sunderland v Fulham a 'must not lose' game for both sides?

There is no reason for Sunderland or Fulham supporters to worry. In fact, with the former about to embark on their first European adventure this century and the latter regenerating into a young squad with ex-Real Madrid players on board, fans are rightly excited.

But some pundits are a little more cautious. Sunderland may face second-season syndrome, especially with all those extra Europa League games, while Fulham’s youthful inexperience post-Marco Silva makes them a bit of an unknown quantity.

That’s why this is a "must not lose" game for both clubs. Sunderland’s 2-1 defeat at Ipswich on the opening weekend was a shock to the system, and although Fulham came close against Chelsea they, too, will be keen to avoid nil points after two rounds.

Can Everton continue strong start against Bournemouth?

Everton made an excellent start to the season, discarding the form that ended 2025/26 (no wins from the final seven) by beating Palace in an all-action performance: they applied 102 high intensity pressures in the final third in the 2-0 victory, the third-most across Matchweek 1.

This Saturday they attempt to start a Premier League campaign with back-to-back victories for the first time since 2020/21, when James Rodriguez got off to a flyer under Carlo Ancelotti.

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