Premier League matchweek 8 preview: Villa vs Man City, Arsenal vs Everton, Chelsea vs Spurs – kick-off times and the table

Matchweek 8 of the 2026-27 Premier League began on Friday night with a 1-1 draw between Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest, and the other nine games are played on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October. Manchester City lead with seven wins from seven, Arsenal are three points behind, and Brighton have the best goal difference in the league. Note that the UK clocks go back on Sunday morning, so Sunday’s kick-offs are eight hours behind Beijing rather than seven.

Premier League table before the weekend

1 Manchester City 21 pts (7 played, +12). 2 Arsenal 18 (+6). 3 Brighton 16 (+18). 4 Chelsea 13 (+4). 5 Liverpool 12 (+1). 6 Brentford 10. 7 Leeds 10. 8 Everton 10. 9 Ipswich 10 (8 played). 10 Hull City 9. 11 Newcastle 8. 12 Aston Villa 8. 13 Manchester United 7. 14 Crystal Palace 7. 15 Bournemouth 6. 16-17 Tottenham and Nottingham Forest 6 (Forest have played 8). 18 Coventry 6. 19 Fulham 5. 20 Sunderland 4.

Friday: Ipswich 1-1 Nottingham Forest

Neco Williams gave Forest the lead in the 13th minute from Daniel Muñoz’s cross, and Julio Enciso equalised for Ipswich in the 41st minute after a misplaced back-pass. Forest were angry that Issa Diop was only booked after a VAR review of his challenge on James McAtee early in the second half. Oliver Glasner’s side had 17 shots to Ipswich’s seven and created 2.31 expected goals, but it is the same story as all season: they have scored six goals from 13.4 xG. The point lifts them out of the bottom three for now.

Saturday: Aston Villa vs Manchester City (12:30 UK, 19:30 Beijing)

Enzo Maresca’s City are the only perfect team in the league, with 19 goals from seven games, and they beat AEK Athens 5-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday thanks to Phil Foden’s hat-trick. Villa are a different side in Europe and at home: they have won all three Champions League games but sit 12th in the league with two wins. Villa have conceded 11 league goals already. A City win would move them six points clear, at least until Arsenal play.

Arsenal vs Everton (15:00 UK, 22:00 Beijing)

Arsenal won 1-0 at Nottingham Forest last weekend and then drew 2-2 at Bayern Munich, but the big news is Bukayo Saka. He went off after ten minutes in Munich with a thigh problem, had an MRI scan on Friday afternoon, and Mikel Arteta expects a clearer picture on Saturday. “They are not good signs,” Arteta said, adding that the club need “a few more scans and opinions from the specialists.” Eberechi Eze, who scored after replacing Saka in Munich, is the likely replacement.

David Moyes’s Everton arrive eighth on ten points, with only one league defeat all season, so this is not a straightforward home game. Arsenal share the best defensive record in the league with Brighton, five goals conceded in seven games.

Coventry vs Fulham (15:00 UK, 22:00 Beijing)

A meeting of two clubs in the bottom four. Frank Lampard’s promoted Coventry, back in the top flight after 25 years, lost to Tottenham last weekend; Fulham have won once all season.

Chelsea vs Tottenham (17:30 UK, 00:30 Sunday Beijing)

Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea are fourth and have scored 17 goals, the third most in the league. Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham finally won their first league game of the season last weekend, against Coventry, but are still in the bottom half. Chelsea have conceded 13, so Spurs will believe they can score.

Sunday: Liverpool vs Brighton (13:00 UK, 21:00 Beijing)

The pick of Sunday’s games. Brighton have scored 23 goals in seven games, the most in the league, and conceded only five. Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool are fifth and have drawn three of their seven league games, but they have won all three Champions League games, most recently a 4-3 comeback against Villarreal on Tuesday. A Brighton win would take them to 19 points, more than Arsenal had before the weekend.

The rest of Sunday

Crystal Palace vs Newcastle, Hull City vs Brentford and Manchester United vs Bournemouth also kick off at 13:00 UK (21:00 Beijing). Michael Carrick’s United are 13th and come into the game after a 4-1 defeat at Como in the Champions League. Sunderland vs Leeds closes the round at 15:30 UK (23:30 Beijing); Sunderland are bottom with four points and need a result against a Leeds side that has lost only once.

What to watch this weekend

Three storylines stand out. Can anyone take points off City, and is Villa Park the place to do it? How do Arsenal cope if Saka is out for weeks, with Everton, a trip to Liverpool on 1 November and three more games before the international break? And can Brighton, the league’s top scorers, prove they belong in the title conversation at Anfield? Follow every result and the live Premier League table in the SportPulses football section.