This is the last week before we enter the second international break of the 2018/19 season but there are some big matches to come with two rounds of domestic fixtures in the top flights of European Leagues as well as Match Day 2 of the Champions League and Europa League.
Managers will be beginning to feel the pressure as we enter the third month of the season when the domestic Leagues begin to take shape and they will recognise that the international break could be seen as a time when changes can be made if things have not gone as expected.
That is a fear for me at Manchester United with the continued fall out between Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho leading the headlines in the Premier League. It makes Saturday afternoon a huge game for Manchester United who open the Premier League weekend with a trip to the London Stadium against an improving West Ham United, while the big game of the week will take place in West London as two of the top three meet.
With that in mind, let's get on with the Weekend Football Picks.
West Ham United v Manchester United Pick: To say all is not well at Manchester United may be the biggest understatement of the year as the club lurch from one poor result to another. Surprisingly it has been the form at Old Trafford which has been letting them down, while the reality show drama between Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho is beginning to divide the supporters into two camps.
The majority of match going Reds are still very much behind the manager ahead of a player who has not found the consistency expected of him as he is involved in his third season since returning to Manchester.
However the toxic atmosphere is not going to aid the players and I do worry about where this season is going.
In saying that, Manchester United have performed better away from home where there seem to be more room for the team to operate in the counter attacking style preferred by the manager. With the home teams expected to get forward, Manchester United have scored at least twice in every away game they have played this season and have won their last 3.
West Ham United won't roll over for Manchester United after earning a goalless draw with Chelsea last weekend and then beating Macclesfield Town 8-0 in the League Cup. A key for the home team is getting Marko Arnautovic back, but they will have to be better defensively than they were last weekend when only poor finishing cost Chelsea the chance of taking away the three points.
The Hammers can play their part against a Manchester United team lacking some confidence at the moment, but I do like the visitors winning at the London Stadium. Manchester United have found their attacking moves a little easier to put together away from home and are creating chances in those games.
They will likely need to score at least twice to win here so backing Manchester United to win a game featuring two or more goals looks much more appealing than backing them to win at odds on quotes.
Arsenal v Watford Pick: A real rivalry has built up between Arsenal and Watford over the last couple of years mainly thanks to comments made by Troy Deeney when he accused the Arsenal players of 'lacking cojones'. He is sure to get a huge 'welcome' on Saturday afternoon as these teams meet in the Premier League at the Emirates Stadium.
Watford will make the short journey to Arsenal in confident mood after a very strong start to the new season, but they are also facing a team with more momentum having put together 6 straight wins in all competitions.
It has to be said that Arsenal have not always been convincing and last Sunday could have been a different story if Everton had taken the lead when creating some decent chances. The home side will have to be a lot better from the off to avoid giving Watford the chance to get a foothold into the game, although I do worry for The Hornets who have lost some key players to injury and suspension in defensive areas.
They have already allowed teams to create some good chances against them and this Arsenal team have scored at least twice in 4 straight games at the Emirates Stadium. With the attacking players Unai Emery can call upon I do think Arsenal are going to be a little too much for Watford to handle especially with the defensive injuries they have at the moment.
I wouldn't be surprised if Watford cause problems for Arsenal with the two up front different to what other teams will use against them. However I think Arsenal will create the chances that will help them win and cover the Asian Handicap in this Saturday afternoon fixture.
Everton v Fulham Pick: This looks like it could produce one of the better Premier League games of the weekend with both Everton and Fulham looking decent going forward, but defensively vulnerable.
The layers have picked up on that by shortening the price of seeing at least three goals shared out here, but I will keep goals in mind when it comes to the pick.
I am confused by some of the reports that the players at Everton are not completely on board with the Marco Silva training methods, but that does happen when the results have not been as strong as expected. The manager should be given time and the return of Richarlison is a boost for a team who could have earned more from the Emirates Stadium with a bit more fortune last Sunday.
Being back at home should be a big help for Everton who will be able to create chances against this Fulham team and I do give them a narrow edge to beat out their visitors.
You have to respect Fulham for the chances they create and against a defensively vulnerable Everton they should have successes. However Fulham will need to ride their luck somewhat to get a result here and I think the best way to go forward with a selection here is picking Everton to win a game featuring two or more goals.
Huddersfield Town v Tottenham Hotspur Pick: The last month has been tough for Tottenham Hotspur but the win at the Amex Stadium last Saturday is a huge boost for the confidence of the players. The losses to Watford and Inter Milan in previous games had been very unfortunate as Tottenham Hotspur led in both and should really have done enough to avoid defeat at the least, but I think they will be feeling much better after winning at Brighton.
They should be good enough to back that up with a win at out of form Huddersfield Town who are having a very difficult time at both ends of the field. Defensively they have not been good enough, but Huddersfield Town struggle for goals too and all together it is the perfect storm for relegation.
David Wagner won't have given up after six Premier League games have been played, but the poor form Huddersfield Town have displayed goes back to February. They won't be expected to get too much out of this one, but there may be an opportunity if Tottenham Hotspur are distracted.
Key players were rested in the penalty shoot out win over Watford in the League Cup, but Tottenham Hotspur have a huge Champions League game with Barcelona to come during the week. The pressure on that game has been intensified by losing to Inter Milan on Match Day 1 and a distracted Tottenham Hotspur could be punished by unexpectedly dropping points here.
Personally I think the back to back Premier League losses at Watford and at home to Liverpool would have focused Tottenham Hotspur and they won't want to lose more ground to the leaders before the end of September. They were very strong at Brighton and Huddersfield Town are not as good as Chris Hughton's men so I would expect Spurs to have too much for them here.
Tottenham Hotspur won both League games against Huddersfield Town by at least two goals last season. The Terriers have also taken two heavy losses to Manchester City and Chelsea this season and I will back Tottenham Hotspur on the Asian Handicap to win here.
Manchester City v Brighton Pick: The key for Manchester City this weekend is not overlooking the opponent in front of them and focusing on the big games with Hoffenheim and Liverpool coming up.
In reality a focused Manchester City should have far too much for Brighton and I expect they will come out strongly and ensure a comfortable win is produced.
The worry for Brighton has to be the way they have been defending with some big chances created against them and now facing an attacking team like Manchester City you would have to think those defensive issues will be magnified.
Manchester City may not have a 100% Premier League record, but they have been looking very good going forward and I expect they will win this by a comfortable margin on the day. The Asian Handicap is a big one, but Manchester City have looked like they could score three or more in this one and that will give them every chance of covering the number.
Brighton will look to be organised, but they have conceded far too many goals to open the 2018/19 season and I expect Manchester City to secure a big win.
Newcastle United v Leicester City Pick: It is something of a surprise to me that Newcastle United have been set as the favourites to win this fixture when you think of the form that the two teams have been in.
There was always a worry that Newcastle United would struggle for goals this season with the signings made in the forward areas, but the bigger concern for the fans has to be the defensive performances. The goalless draw at Selhurst Park might suggest a corner is being turned, but Newcastle United were very, very fortunate there and will have to be a lot better to beat Leicester City.
You can't ignore the fact that Leicester City have lost 5 of their last 6 away games in the Premier League.
However this is a team who have looked capable of creating chances on their travels and who have enjoyed coming to St James' Park in the last couple of visits. On both occasions Leicester City have scored three times and they are playing well enough to avoid defeat here.
Newcastle United have had a week to prepare for this game which will make it tougher for Leicester City, but I will back the away side with a start on the Asian Handicap.
Wolves v Southampton Pick: As well as Wolves have played this season I do think they are still finding their feet in the final third in the Premier League and that has seen them struggle to score the goals that their chances created would have expected to produce. At some point you would think they will put the composure together to find the right final ball or the right shot to start putting teams to the sword, but at the moment it makes the odds on quotes for a home look very short.
They are also facing a Southampton team who are well rested having seen their League Cup tie moved to next Tuesday. Add in Danny Ings' availability and Southampton could be a dangerous opponent this weekend.
Defensively they have had their issues and teams have created good chances against them which will encourage Wolves who like to get forward. It does make it hard to imagine the home team not scoring in this one, although Southampton have been very good on the counter attack away from home and have players in Ings and Charlie Austin who can score goals.
Picking a winner is thus a little more difficult and Southampton will likely play their part in a good football game.
I do think the layers are underestimating the chance of seeing at least three goals shared out with the way Wolves and Southampton have played at home/away respectively. Much will depend on whether the teams have the right shooting boots on for this one, but if they do I can see at least three goals shared out in a decent, entertaining fixture on Saturday.
Chelsea v Liverpool Pick: Two stronger than expected teams played in the League Cup Third Round tie between Chelsea and Liverpool on Wednesday and that may mean Chelsea have the slight mental edge going into this big Premier League game on Saturday afternoon.
However I don't think you can read too much into things as both teams will also make some key changes to this one.
Instead I do think you can take on board the style of play both clubs produced in the League Cup tie and expect to see more of the same on Saturday. Both Chelsea and Liverpool want to get forward and score goals and I think they do match up well with each other.
The amount of chances created in the League Cup tie may have been contributed by the defensive changes made by the two managers, but the attacking style of both teams should mean there are more to come in this one.
I am a little surprised to see Chelsea as the home underdog and I did consider backing The Blues with a start on the Asian Handicap. However that is a similar price to the one for at least three goals to be shared out here and that will be my selection from the fixture.
Cardiff City v Burnley Pick: This may not be the 'Super Sunday' fixture people would have signed up for despite the advertisement every week by the television companies, but it is a big one for both Cardiff City and Burnley.
Points in matches between these teams could be key in determining the bottom three places and both Neil Warnock and Sean Dyche will have circled it as a fixture their team can win.
Cardiff City might be in a poor run of results, but facing Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City in 3 straight Premier League games would be a tough run for any team to manage. They didn't perform too badly in the first couple of those games, but Cardiff City will have had some of the confidence knocked out of them by the amount of goals they have conceded.
However Cardiff City have shown in games against Newcastle United and Arsenal that they can get into good positions and Burnley have not played well away from home. It would not be a big surprise if Cardiff City were to score here, but I think the layers have underestimated the chances of seeing both teams score when you consider some of the chances Burnley have created in their recent matches too.
You can't deny Cardiff City can be vulnerable defensively and backing both teams to score in a tight fixture looks a price worth getting involved with.
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace Pick: The last game of the Premier League weekend comes from the Vitality Stadium on Monday evening and this could be a good one between Bournemouth and Crystal Palace.
The home team should make the running in the fixture and that should produce an open game. Bournemouth have been winning plenty of games and scoring goals for fun at the Vitality Stadium which is making up for some of the defensive issues they have continued to have under Eddie Howe.
The Cherries have won 5 of their last 6 home games in all competitions and they have scored at least twice in each of their 5 games played here in the 2018/19 season. However Bournemouth have also conceded at least two goals in 3 of their last 4 home games in all competitions which should encourage Crystal Palace who will be looking to strike on the counter attack.
I would be a little worried about the lack of goals Crystal Palace have produced in recent games, but the chances have been coming and I do think they can get involved in this one. Roy Hodgson's team have played well away from home so they could be dangerous for Bournemouth, but goals is my biggest expectation in this one.
Backing at least three to be scored between the teams on Monday Night Football looks the way to go with the 2-1 scoreline either way looking the most likely result. Another 2-2 can't be ruled out either having seen both Premier League games between these clubs end with that scoreline in the 2017/18 season so backing at least three goals to be shared out looks a decent way to approach this one.
MY PICKS: Manchester United & Over 1.5 Goals @ 2.20 Bet Fred (2 Units)
Arsenal - 1.25 Asian Handicap @ 2.10 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Everton & Over 1.5 Goals @ 1.95 Boyle Sports (2 Units)
Tottenham Hotspur - 1.25 Asian Handicap @ 2.10 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Manchester City - 2.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.85 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Leicester City + 0.25 Asian Handicap @ 1.72 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Wolves-Southampton Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.20 Betfair Sportsbook (2 Units)
Chelsea-Liverpool Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.66 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Cardiff City-Burnley Both Teams to Score @ 2.10 Bet Victor (2 Units)
Bournemouth-Crystal Palace Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.83 Betfair Sportsbook (2 Units)
September Update: 20-20, + 0.02 Units (80 Units Staked, + 0% Yield)
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