Premier League Matchweek 5 Preview and Prediction

Matchday 5 will see eight matches crammed in on Saturday, and two more on Sunday, with the leading teams doubling up with their duties in European competitions.

West Ham host Chelsea in a big London derby to get the EPL weekend up and running, while Liverpool will hope to get back on track in the top flight with a home match against Bournemouth.

Crystal Palace will take on Man Utd in the Saturday early evening fixture after Erik ten Hag’s men earned a much-needed win over Southampton and smashed seven goals past Barnsley in the EFL Cup.

The game of the matchweek will take place on Sunday, as title rivals Man City and Arsenal battle at the Etihad Stadium.

Ahead of what looks set to be an entertaining group of Premier League fixtures, let’s check out our expert's match preview and predictions.

Manchester City vs Arsenal Prediction: Premier League Match Preview

Having won an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title last season, Manchester City have wasted no time in stealing a march on their rivals in 2024-25.

As the only team to register a perfect four wins from four matches, City already boast a two-point lead over their closest challengers, the identity of whom also comes as no surprise. Such has been City’s brilliance that amassing 173 points across the last two seasons has not been enough for Arsenal to end their long wait for a Premier League crown.

However, last week’s north London derby victory over Tottenham saw them display all the hallmarks of potential champions, keeping their fierce rivals at arm’s length in a composed performance as Gabriel Magalhães’ header made the difference.

But can the Gunners go one step further and do what they could not last season – win at the Etihad Stadium?

It is fair to say the last meeting between these rivals was not a classic, with Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta opting to start eight – yes, eight – recognised centre-backs between them as the teams played out a goalless draw at the Etihad Stadium in March.

Arteta will have Declan Rice available after he was suspended for last week’s win at Spurs, while Raheem Sterling could be involved against his former club, having arrived on loan from Chelsea.

Sterling (91), along with Sergio Agüero (184), is one of just two players with more Premier League goals for City than Erling Haaland (72). The Norwegian is still eyeing his 100th goal for City across all competitions, having been kept on 99 by Inter in their UEFA Champions League opener on Wednesday.

Haaland has nine goals in just four league outings this season, with eight of those coming in his last three – hat-tricks versus Ipswich Town and West Ham, and a double against Brentford. In Premier League history, only Luis Suárez has ever scored multiple goals in four straight appearances, netting one hat-trick and three braces in a tremendous run for Liverpool in December 2013.

Whatever happens in the headline fixture of Matchday 5, something has to give. City have won each of their last 13 Premier League matches, and there have only ever been six cases of a team winning 14 or more in a row.

City – and current boss Guardiola – are responsible for half of those instances, winning 18 straight in 2017, 15 in a row in 2019 and the same amount in 2021.

Arsenal, though, have not trailed at any stage in their last 11 away Premier League matches. They could become the first team in the competition’s history to go 12 straight away games without falling behind, with Aston Villa also enjoying an 11-game run back in 1998.

Manchester City vs Arsenal Head-to-Head

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Man City are unbeaten in their last nine Premier League home games against Arsenal (seven wins, two draws) since a 2-0 defeat in January 2015.

However, Arsenal earned four points against City in the Premier League last season, double the amount they had from their previous 15 such meetings with the Citizens (two draws, 13 losses).

The Gunners also kept a clean sheet in both Premier League meetings with City last term, having conceded at least once in their last 16 against the Citizens beforehand (40 goals in total).

Arsenal have won 99 of their 211 meetings with Manchester City in all competitions (47 draws, 65 defeats). They’ve only reached triple figures for victories against Everton (111), while it’s the most defeats the Citizens have suffered against an opponent in their history.

PREDICTION: Manchester City vs Arsenal: 1 DNB @1.33

West Ham United vs Chelsea: X2 @1.27

Liverpool vs Bournemouth: UNDER 4.5 @1.35

Tottenham Hotspur vs Brentford: OVER 2.5 @1.44