Premier League: Predicting the winners of every opening weekend fixture

Aston Villa host Nottingham Forest at Villa Park on Saturday 12 September 2026 in a Premier League meeting where both 2026/27 campaigns are still waiting for lift-off: Villa have one point from three league games and have yet to score, while Forest are one point better off but also winless, making this an early test of nerve as much as quality.

The recent form lines point to tension rather than rhythm, with Villa following a 0:0 draw at Hull and a 0:1 home defeat by Arsenal after the heavy 4:0 loss at Brighton, while Nottingham Forest banked a creditable 2:2 at Liverpool but were frustrated in a 0:1 home defeat by Leeds and a goalless draw with Tottenham.

Bournemouth will host Brentford at the Vitality Stadium on 12 September 2026 in a Premier League 2026/2027 season clash that pits two of the division's most closely matched sides against each other. The Cherries sit 15th in the early standings with two points from their opening three matches, while the Bees are unbeaten in fifth place with five points and a plus-three goal difference, making this fixture a genuine test of whether Bournemouth can kick-start their campaign against a Brentford side that has yet to lose this term.

Bournemouth's 2026/2027 squad under Andoni Iraola blends youth and experience, with Djordje Petrovic in goal, a back line featuring Adrien Truffert, Antonio Silva, Jack Hill and Adam Smith, a midfield duo of Alex Scott and Tyler Adams, and an attack led by Marcus Tavernier, Justin Kluivert, Rayan and Evanilson. The Cherries have shown resilience without converting draws into wins so far: they were pegged back late in a 2:2 thriller at St James' Park after leading 2-0, followed a 1:1 home draw against Everton, and pushed Manchester City hard in a narrow 2-1 defeat on the road.

Chelsea host Hull City at Stamford Bridge on 12 September 2026 in a Premier League fixture that arrives with contrasting momentum despite both sides beginning the new campaign positively. The Blues responded to early pressure under Xabi Alonso with an eventful 4-3 home win over Brighton, then won 2-0 against Luton in the Carabao Cup and 3-2 at Fulham, before falling 2-1 at Arsenal last weekend. That defeat should not disguise Chelsea's attacking fluency: João Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers have already linked well, while the confirmed 2026/27 squad gives Alonso depth through Reece James, Moisés Caicedo, Roméo Lavia, Pedro Neto, Jamie Gittens, Estêvão, Danny Welbeck, Emmanuel Emegha, Maxence Lacroix and Pep Chavarría.

Hull's Premier League return has been even more eye-catching because of the points collected rather than the glamour of the performance. The Tigers beat Manchester United 2-0, edged Coventry 1-0 away and then held Aston Villa to a disciplined 0-0, leaving them unbeaten with seven points from three matches. Sergej? no—Sergej is not in this squad story: the 2026/27 Hull group built for survival features Jack Butland and Konstantinos Tzolakis in goal, Lewie Coyle, Charlie Hughes, Semi Ajayi, John Egan, Nobel Mendy, Lucas Herrington, Matt Targett and Brooke Norton-Cuffy in defence, with Regan Slater, Hidemasa Morita, Óscar Zambrano, Lucas Gourna-Douath, Joe Gelhardt, Abdülkadir Ömür, Mohamed Belloumi, Mohamed-Ali Cho, Oli McBurnie and deadline additions such as Ilyas Ansah, Tim Iroegbunam, Christos Mouzakitis and Sorba Thomas providing Premier League experience and counter-attacking pace.

Crystal Palace host Ipswich Town at Selhurst Park on Saturday, 12 September 2026 in a Premier League 2026/27 fixture, with Palace’s latest form mixed but encouraging: after the 2-3 comeback win at Fulham, they were beaten 1-4 by Manchester City, leaving the home side eager to bounce back in front of their own supporters.

Ipswich arrive with confidence problems after a 0-2 home defeat by Liverpool and a 5-2 loss at Manchester United, results that underline both their ability to compete in spells and the defensive lapses they must clean up before visiting Selhurst Park.

Liverpool host Fulham at Anfield on Saturday 12 September 2026 (3:00pm BST) in a Premier League clash that pits the league's new-look Reds against a Cottagers side still searching for consistency under Álvaro Arbeloa. Liverpool, now led by head coach Andoni Iraola after his summer appointment, are unbeaten through their opening three league fixtures, grinding out a 2-2 draw at Newcastle courtesy of Dominik Szoboszlai's 99th-minute penalty, sharing another 2-2 stalemate with Nottingham Forest at Anfield, before finally claiming their first win of the campaign with a clinical 0-2 victory away at Ipswich Town, where summer signing Alexander Isak made the difference.

Fulham arrive on Merseyside in stark contrast form, sitting 19th in the early table after a difficult start to the 2026/27 season. The Cottagers fell to a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland where Wilson Isidor's 75th-minute strike proved decisive, and then suffered a painful late collapse at Craven Cottage, losing 2-3 to Crystal Palace after Ben Chilwell's second-debut winner, their defensive frailties exposed once again. Their only win of the campaign so far came in the EFL Cup, a 3-0 rout of AFC Wimbledon on 27 August, but Arbeloa's revamped squad — featuring summer arrivals César Palacios, Oscar Bobb, Josh King, Gonzalo García and Sander Berge alongside Bernd Leno, Joachim Andersen, Antonee Robinson and Alex Iwobi — has yet to translate that cup momentum into league points.

Sunderland host Arsenal at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, 12 September 2026 in a Premier League matchweek four clash that pits Régis Le Bris’s compact 2026/27 squad against Mikel Arteta’s defending champions. The Black Cats have made a respectable start with four points from three games: a late 2-1 defeat at Ipswich, a narrow 1-0 home win over Fulham, and a resilient 1-1 draw at Brentford. Arsenal arrive with a perfect 3-0-0 record and nine points, but this fixture has already shown it can become awkward for the favourites because Sunderland’s direct transitions through Nilson Angulo, Enzo Le Fée and Brian Brobbey are built to attack space rather than dominate possession.

Sunderland’s 2026/27 group blends retained core players with summer additions such as Thomas Meunier, Dayann Methalie, Jules Ahoka, Malick Fofana, Juan Riquelme Angulo and loan centre-back Kevin Danso, while Robin Roefs, Dan Ballard, Nordi Mukiele, Reinildo, Granit Xhaka, Noah Sadiki, Habib Diarra, Chris Rigg, Romaine Mundle, Wilson Isidor and Brobbey give Le Bris flexibility between a back three and a more aggressive 4-4-2. The main selection debate is at centre-forward: Brobbey offers a physical target against Gabriel Magalhães and Ezri Konsa, while Isidor’s impact from the bench against Fulham and Brentford argues for a role either from the start or as the planned second-wave striker. Habib Diarra’s thigh issue remains the clearest concern, and Sunderland will need Xhaka and Sadiki to make the middle of the pitch congested enough to stop Martin Ødegaard from dictating tempo.

Tottenham Hotspur welcome Everton to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 12 September 2026 for a Premier League 2026/27 fixture kicking off at 5:30pm. Spurs come into this clash off the back of a hard-fought 0-0 draw away to Nottingham Forest, while their previous home league outing ended in a 0-2 defeat to Newcastle United — results that have put early pressure on the Lilywhites to turn home advantage into points. Everton, meanwhile, remain unbeaten in the league this season after a thrilling 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Hill Dickinson Stadium, a game in which the Toffees twice came from behind to show real resilience under their manager.

The two squads for the 2026/27 season offer plenty of intrigue. Tottenham's roster blends exciting attacking talent such as Omar Marmoush, Mathys Tel, Richarlison, Dominic Solanke, Mohammed Kudus, Mykhailo Mudryk, Sávio and Xavi Simons with a revamped midfield featuring Sandro Tonali, Conor Gallagher and James Maddison, while Pedro Porro, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie and Andy Robertson anchor the defence in front of goalkeepers Antonín Kinský and Martin Dúbravka. Everton will look to Jordan Pickford in goal, a back line led by Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski, a creative midfield of Jack Grealish, Christian Nørgaard, Carlos Alcaraz and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and a forward line containing Brennan Johnson, Thierno Barry and Tyrique George. The visitors also showed their scoring touch in the EFL Cup with a 0-4 demolition of Preston North End, while Spurs responded to league disappointment by thrashing Charlton 5-1 in the same competition.

Coventry City host Brighton & Hove Albion at the Coventry Building Society Arena in a fascinating Premier League clash between two sides enjoying very different starts to the 2026/27 campaign. Frank Lampard's newly promoted Sky Blues, back in the top flight for the first time in 25 years after lifting the Championship title, have found life tough so far, falling to a narrow 1-0 defeat at champions Manchester City last time out following a frustrating 0-1 home loss to Hull City, though they did show their attacking potential in a 4-2 Carabao Cup win at Plymouth. Brighton, meanwhile, have been the Premier League's great entertainers under Fabian Hürzeler, following an opening-day rout with a 4-3 thriller at Stamford Bridge and a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Leeds at the Amex.

The 2026/27 squads tell a story of ambition on both sides. Coventry broke their transfer record three times in one window, spending over £120m on club-record signing Caleb Yirenkyi (£23.1m from Nordsjælland), goalkeeper Carl Rushworth (£22.5m, poached directly from Brighton), teenage sensation Sidiki Chérif (£20.5m from Fenerbahçe), Loum Tchaouna, Aurèle Amenda, Taiwo Awoniyi, Ethan Pinnock and the returning fan favourite Gustavo Hamer, with Ellis Simms and Haji Wright leading the line. Brighton counter with their own club-record investment in Luka Vušković, who scored his first English goal against Leeds, alongside a possession-hungry unit that has averaged over 73% of the ball in their opening fixtures — the highest on record for a side through two Premier League games.

The first Manchester Derby of the 2026/27 Premier League season arrives at Old Trafford on Sunday, 13 September 2026, with Manchester United hosting champions-elect Manchester City under the lights of English football's fiercest rivalry. Michael Carrick's United have been entertainingly unpredictable so far, opening with a shock defeat before roaring back to thrash Ipswich 5:2 at Old Trafford, only to then surrender a two-goal lead in a 2:2 draw at Everton in their most recent outing. City, meanwhile, have made a flawless start under new boss Enzo Maresca, and their midweek Champions League trip to Portugal ended in another controlled away victory over Porto 0:2, with Erling Haaland scoring both goals to reach 300 senior career strikes.

United's 2026/27 squad has taken shape around a new-look spine: Senne Lammens in goal behind Diogo Dalot, Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw, with Kobbie Mainoo and summer signing Youri Tielemans anchoring midfield behind Bryan Mbeumo, captain Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha, and Benjamin Sesko leading the line. Carrick will be without Amad Diallo and Carlos Baleba through injury for the derby, while City report a completely clean bill of health, with Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marc Guehi, Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez among the post-January 2026 recruits settled into a starting XI completed by Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden and Haaland.

Leeds United host Newcastle United at Elland Road on Monday 14 September 2026 in an England - Premier League Week 4 meeting between two sides still unbeaten in the league. Daniel Farke's Leeds have been compact rather than flashy, following a 1-1 draw at Brighton with home resilience against Brentford, but the midweek Carabao Cup trip to Chelsea ended in a 6-3 defeat that will concern Farke because of the space conceded in transition.

Newcastle arrive with a new managerial voice after Matthias Jaissle replaced Eddie Howe in August, and the early signs are encouraging: a 2-2 home draw with Bournemouth was followed by a statement 0-2 win at Tottenham, then Joe Willock's late strike settled a 0-1 Carabao Cup victory at Millwall. The Magpies' blend of direct running and set-piece pressure makes them dangerous even when they do not dominate possession.