Premier League Tips: Back Arsenal to defeat Brentford and stay top this weekend

The Premier League resumes this weekend, with the leaders and the champions among the teams in action. Greg Lea gives his top tips for selected games on Saturday and Sunday.

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester City

Kick-off: 12.30pm Saturday

Manchester City will go top of the Premier League table, at least temporarily, with a victory at Molineux. Pep Guardiola’s side were not at their best against Borussia Dortmund in midweek, but a pair of brilliant goals from John Stones and Erling Haaland got them over the line. Even when City are not playing particularly well, they have numerous players capable of producing moments of magic.

No team in the division has scored fewer goals than Wolves, who could hand a debut to new signing Diego Costa in the early kick-of on Saturday. The former Chelsea striker has barely played in 2022, though, so Wolves will need to give him time to bed in. The hosts will struggle to halt City – I anticipate a comfortable away win in this one.

Selection: Man City half-time/full-time @ 1.98

Newcastle United v Bournemouth

Kick-off: 3pm Saturday

Newcastle are without a win since the opening weekend of the season, and Eddie Howe will have earmarked this match as one his team should get three points from. However, his former club have improved under the caretaker management of Gary O’Neil, who guided Bournemouth to a 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest a fortnight ago.

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O’Neil has had plenty of time to work with his players on the training pitch since that win at the City Ground, so Bournemouth could make life difficult for Newcastle. However, Alexander Isak has looked sharp since his move to St James’ Park and I fancy his chances of finding the back of the net.

Selection: Alexander Isak to score anytime @ 1.97

Brentford v Arsenal

Kick-off: 12pm Sunday

Arsenal have had plenty of time to recover from their last Premier League encounter, a 3-1 defeat by Manchester United at the start of the month. The Gunners played pretty well at Old Trafford and will have taken positives from their performance, but it is nevertheless important that they bounce back this weekend.

Brentford memorably won this fixture on the opening weekend of last season, and they will be a tough nut to crack in front of their own fans. But Arsenal have come on leaps and bounds since the start of 2021/22, and they now have the blend of attacking quality and defensive resilience to emerge victorious at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Selection: Arsenal to win @ 1.89

Everton v West Ham United

Kick-off: 2.15pm Sunday

Everton have been hard to beat so far this term, but they are one of only two Premier League teams without a win so far. West Ham’s participation in the Europa Conference League means they have contested two fixtures since Everton were last in action, which could give Frank Lampard’s men an advantage on Sunday.

The Hammers have a deeper squad than last season, though, and David Moyes might shuffle his pack for the trip to Goodison Park. Everton are the second-lowest scorers in the league, while West Ham are joint-lowest alongside Wolves, so this could be a slow burner.

Selection: 0-0 at half-time @ 2.72

Recommended trades

Wolves v Man City: Man City half-time/full-time @ 1.98
Newcastle v Bournemouth: Alexander Isak to score anytime @ 1.97
Brentford v Arsenal: Arsenal to win @ 1.89
Everton v West Ham: 0-0 at half-time @ 2.72