It has been an exciting start to the Premier League this season, there has been the ultimate surprise package in Hull’s start, Arsenal and Manchester City maintain their perfect records so far while Spurs and Villa search for answers in their attacks.

Matchweek 5 is the final set of games ahead of the season’s first international break and I know what we’re all thinking… already?
Just as the season is heating up and the midweek games begin it is quite a disappointment to take a break so soon, but never mind that now this week still contains many interesting fixtures for me to predict and no doubt get very wrong.
Starting with…

Brentford vs Chelsea
On Friday night Brentford will host Chelsea where the unbeaten bees take on a freely scoring Chelsea side.

Brentford saw some action in midweek with a victory in the EFL Cup over Reading as they maintained their unbeaten start to the season – however their last three league games have all ended level which could be a worry for their fans if this continues.
Another thing to look out for is Brentford’s home record, having lost only three times at home since the start of last season is incredibly impressive.

Chelsea have made a clear identity under new boss Xabi Alonso with the attitude of ‘We’re going to score more than you’ which has made them a great watch so far this season with an average of over 4 goals involved in their games.
Their last game against Hull would’ve been a slight disappointment for the Blues, not only dropping two points but also the performance where Hull were arguably the better team.
Chelsea will be hopeful for the return of Moises Caicedo, who would shift the balance of this game as they have looked very vulnerable in midfield as of recent.

Brentford come into this game after their midweek outing in the cup and with their fast wingers who will be trying to exploit the wingbacks of Chelsea. Where Chelsea will be looking to improve on their draw last time out, and have the overwhelming attacking quality to cause problems.
If Caicedo isn’t back, and I’m running on the assumption he won’t be, I think the midfield battle will go the way of Brentford with new man Mamadou Sangare starring in the league so far.
I think this match will end with the points shared, yet another draw for Branford, with their home form being an impressive feat and something that I can’t overlook ahead of the game

ONE TO WATCH: MAMADOU SANGARE
PREDICTION: BRENTFORD 2-2 CHELSEA

Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa

The early kick off on Saturday sees two teams that have struggled so far this season.

In the midweek game at Anfield Spurs have looked better compared to some of their other games this season, admittedly against a fairly rotated Liverpool side.
Spurs did score their first goal against Premier League opposition, so progress is progress, and their attack did look slightly more fluid but lacked that clinical touch.
Both the home record and their record are not good readings for Spurs fans ahead of this weekend, winning only one of their past five games against Villa, losing the other four and winning just three home league games since the start of last season.

Aston Villa have also had a difficult start to their season as their new squad gels together.
They are yet to win in the league and have had difficulty scoring Premier League goals so far – just one in a loss to Nottingham Forest.
However their cup performances have shown some promise, one win in the Champions League and a win in midweek in the EFL Cup against Coventry did show some good attacking threat.

Both sides will be slightly more confident after their midweek games, despite different results, and will be trying to get their league campaign properly underway.
Tottenham’s midfield has been changing a lot already this season and with a knock to Sandro Tonali in midweek I think this is going to continue and with this I think Johan Manzambi will start to show his quality in a Villa shirt after his transfer this summer with the creative midfielder being a real threat on transition, with Spurs wanting to dominate the ball they could be caught out by the Swiss international.

ONE TO WATCH: JOHAN MANZAMBI
PREDICTION: TOTTENHAM 1-2 ASTON VILLA

Brighton vs Arsenal

In the 3pm kickoffs we see the reigning champions, still with their perfect record visit The Amex, where they will meet in form, freely scoring Brighton.

The Seagulls have scored more goals than any other Premier League side and have 16 in their last five games.
A great comeback win in their last game at Manchester United with another standout performance from Pascal Groß, the German is having a standout start to the season with five goal contributions already in only seven games, already surpassing his tally from last season.
Not only him but their Greek striker Charalampos Kostoulas, the teenager scoring in both of his past two appearances and his all round game looks to have improved over the summer break.

What is there to say about Arsenal so far this season?
Most of their wins this season have come reasonably comfortably this season, maybe aside from their visit to Sunderland last time in the Premier League but still managed to come out of this with a win where their quality as a side shone through.
The only criticism you could give them is that they haven’t been overly clinical, winning by just a one goal margin in half of their games so far.
With that being the biggest criticism of the season so far, you have to say its going very well for the Gunners

Both sides will come into this game in good form and with confidence, but while a lot has been said about Brighton’s goalscoring the same must be said about Arsenal’s defensive record – conceding only one goal in the league so far.
Martin Ødegaard’s uptake in form compared to last season, the captain being a great influence in almost all of their games already scoring more goals than last season and has been a welcome part of Arsenal’s season and I think he will have a big role to play in this game.
Brighton have had an impressive attack so far, but their defence can be opened up by those who have the quality as seen in the Chelsea game early this season where they conceded three times.

ONE TO WATCH: MARTIN ØDEGAARD
PREDICTION: BRIGHTON 1-2 ARSENAL

Everton vs Ipswich Town

Everton have had an unbeaten start to the season that they will be looking to continue this as they host an Ipswich town side with up and down results, but both sides find themselves on the same number of points.

Everton, who have been struggling on numbers this season but have still managed to look very solid and very pragmatic and have only conceded three goals so far this season.

Ipswich have had a very up and down return to the league; two last minute winners against Sunderland and Crystal Palace and then two very comfortable defeats at the hands of Manchester United and Liverpool it is safe to say that it is difficult to judge how good of a side they actually are.
The summer signings for Ipswich have started out well, Enciso has been a good creative outlet, Emersonn has chipped in with a few goal contributions and I like what Palacios adds to their midfield defensively, while being capable on the ball.

As mentioned before Everton’s small squad is something that will play a major factor in their season and with the midweek game played with only some rotation I think we could see a slightly fatigued side against an inconsistent Ipswich one.
Another key factor is that Everton have been harder to break down where the away side have thrived in more chaotic end to end games and because of this I think the Premier League newcomers will struggle in this fixture, it might not be the best watch but Everton will have enough to get this one done.

ONE TO WATCH: KIERNAN DEWSBURY-HALL
PREDICTION: EVERTON 1-0 IPSWICH TOWN

Newcastle United vs Hull City

Last match against Leeds was a real wake up call for Newcastle, a 4-1 defeat where they struggled to get a foot on the ball and were therefore beaten comprehensively, on top of this the Magpies have to face concerns over a growing injury list with seven first team players unavailable for the game on Saturday, a worrying number considering there isn’t any European games this year so you would assume less injuries in the squad.

Hull are well and truly living the dream in the Premier League: an unbeaten start, wins over Coventry and Manchester United while playing good football where all of their results have been earned.
What more could a Hull city fan be asking for right now? They are another team that has been very good defensively, conceding in only one game in the league this season and a lot of that has been down to the defensive acquisitions of Konstantinos Tzolakis and Nobel Mendy, the latter will miss this game due to a concussion.

I think Newcastle’s home form is something that will give them a lift in this game, losing only seven league games there since the start of last season but I think maybe a knock in confidence from their last game mixed in with the injuries they are carrying could lead to a difficult Saturday afternoon in the north for the home side.
Hull are again riding a high coming into this game and will be looking to carry on this momentum, their defensive solidity is something I can see the Magpies struggling with and with the way Newcastle play should lead to a lot of opportunities for the Tigers to create chances, with Newcastle conceding an average of 19 shots per game and keeping just four clean sheets since the start of the year I think Hull’s flying start will continue.

ONE TO WATCH: MOHAMED BELLOUMI
PREDICTION: NEWCASTLE UNITED 1-2 HULL CITY

Nottingham Forest vs Coventry City

Forest have taken five points from their last three games, backing up draws against Liverpool and Spurs with a win last week as Aston Villa.
Their season didn’t start the way they would’ve wanted – losing twice to Leeds in the space of three days but they have turned it around.
Morgan Gibbs-White’s continued good form is a part of this but the emergence from James McAtee in recent games is something I’m sure Forest fans are appreciative of, the former Manchester City man has been putting up some solid performances from midfield and although there hasn’t been any goal contributions yet, his all round game is certainly a welcome addition to the team.

Coventry on the other hand have really struggled on their return to the league. A nightmare start without any Premier League goals with their last league match being a 5-0 loss, and both of their away games in the league have been one sided defeats.
There was a small positive midweek with Victor Torp scoring their first goal against Premier League opposition with a free kick against Aston Villa in the cup.

A smaller story is former Forest favourite Taiwo Awoniyi will miss his return to the City Ground after receiving a red card last week.
I think this game will again be difficult viewing for any Coventry fans with the form of the home team’s midfield against theirs and although I think Forest will be missing some key defenders in Milenkovic, Cunha and Savona I still Don’t see Coventry causing them too much trouble.
Overall it will be a comfortable night in Nottingham for the home side and another disappointing trip back to Coventry for the away one

ONE TO WATCH: MORGAN GIBBS-WHITE
PREDICTION: NOTTINGHAM FOREST 3-0 COVENTRY CITY