Premier League Predictions, Week 4

© Micah Veldkamp, 2025

---

Welcome back to the weekly predictions, Premier League fans! We've finally made it through the dark valley of international break, and are back to Premier League action this weekend. I know I'm not the only one that feels that the first international break of the season hits the hardest, so thank goodness we have that in the rear view, right?

And thank goodness we have my last outing in the rear view, as well. I hesitate to even remind you about it, as my hope would be that the long layoff caused you to forget about it altogether. But, while I came out of the gates with an accurate prediction that Chelsea would take the West London Derby over Fulham, it was all downhill from there: Tottenham, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Arsenal... all losers on their day rather than winners. So, a 1/5 week overall brought me down to 3/10 (yes, 30%!!) heading into this long layoff.

But, the matches are less than 12 hours from kicking back off, so let's not waste any more time saying "it's so over," lest we end up being "so back." Here are your 5 for Week 4!

Arsenal vs. Nottingham Forest

Just before the international break, title hopefuls Arsenal suffered their first setback with a loss at fellow title rivals Liverpool. A hard-fought 1-0 loss at Anfield (off a world-class goal, no less) is hardly a shameful result, but Gunner fans have had to sit through two weeks of disappointment over a fairly timid display in their first big test. Tomorrow's opponents Nottingham were hoping to build on their surprise Top 6 finish last year, but are off to a disappointing start, and now have sacked manager Nuno Espirito Santo in favor of Ange Postecoglou. The ex-Tottenham boss's stay away from the Premier League was a short one, as it turned out, and he would love a win in his first match back. But, while if anyone can instantly win over a locker room, it's him, a road win at an Arsenal side likely out for blood and eager to beat their old Tottenham rival is probably too tall an order.

The Pick: Arsenal, 3-0

West Ham United vs. Tottenham Hotspur

West Ham were a popular relegation pick this season, and through two games, to be quite honest, were very much looking the part. Int heir last match before the break, though, they got a huge result at Nottingham Forest which sent Santo packing, and may well have set the two clubs' trajectories in opposite directions. Unfortunately for the Hammers, the international break came right as they might have garnered some momentum, and in their first match back, they face a crosstown opponent who also are looking to bounce back from a shock loss. Tottenham's bright start got hampered by a home loss to Bournemouth two weeks ago, and they need to get back in the win column; while West Ham finally showed good fight, and thus this could be a close contest, I think Spurs have too clear a quality edge.

The Pick: Tottenham, 2-1

Brentford vs. Chelsea

It's now a month-- and after tomorrow, will have been 4 games --into the season, and Chelsea still haven't left the city of London, which could leave them with a rude awakening with their Champions League trip to Bayern Munich this week. This is another road match for the Blues, at least, and one that in past years could have been a really tricky one. This Brentford side already appear to be a far cry from their Thomas Frank heyday, though, and Chelsea looked to be rounding into form nicely heading into the break. This could be a long night for the Bees, I fear.

The Pick: Chelsea, 4-1

Burnley vs. Liverpool

It's not the attention-grabbing matchup of the weekend, but plenty of things make this an interesting Sunday morning showdown: Scott Parker managing against Liverpool for the first time since the 9-0 curbstomping that saw him sacked as Bournemouth manager. The potential debut of Alexander Isak, the biggest transfer window stroyline of 2025. The irresistible "upset fodder" of the undefeated league champs going on the road with an early kickoff coming off an international break. But at the end of the day, this is the team projected to finish last in the Premier League against the team projected to win it for a 2nd straight year. Both have shown early signs that neither of those is a foregone conclusion, to be fair, but not enough to sway me to believe this won't be a Liverpool win at Turf Moor.

The Pick: Liverpool, 2-1

Manchester City vs. Manchester United

Folks, it's being called the worst Manchester derby ever! I, for one, think it's far too early in the season for any such dramatic proclamations of doom, but there's no denying it's been a miserable start for two teams desperate to wash out the bad taste of their previous campaigns. The two have combined for 2 total wins in their first 6, and both were against relegation frontrunners in Wolverhampton and Burnley. The linked ESPN article finds more reason for optimism for Manchester United, citing their positive play and xG that simply have not yet translated into real goals. With regards to this matchup, though, I look at it differently: Man City and Man United have different definitions of disappointing seasons. Both might be off to bad starts, both might have something broken at the moment, but Pep Guardiola and City's ceiling is so much higher tat I can't see any result but another victory for the blue side of Manchester

The Pick: Man City, 3-1