After a fair few drab matches of late in both the Premier League and European competitions, will game week 5 offer a bit more excitement?
It certainly has the potential to do so with the stand out fixture this weekend between title rivals Man City and Arsenal. The Gunners have come under some criticism for their style of play of late but I doubt they'll care much if they can get a result at the Ethiad.
In some ways, Arsenal's tough run of fixtures, particularly away from home, in the opening 6 weeks of the season might actually have benefitted them in developing a style of play different from that which we've seen in the last couple of years. The question for FPL fans and particularly those who own Arsenal attacking assets, is will they be able to spring out of their low block tactics once this run of fixtures is over?
City themselves faced an Inter Milan side on Wednesday that gave them a fairly good dress rehearsal of what to expect on Sunday from another well organised defence. That being said, Pep was obviously disappointed with his sides inability to move the ball as quickly as he'd have liked in order to break down Inter. Every side has an off-day, it's unusual for this City side to have 2 in a row...
The early Saturday kick-off sees West Ham host Chelsea. The Hammers have lost both their home games so far this season meaning that new boss Lopetegui could come under some early pressure from the fans at the London Stadium who are never shy in venting their frustrations. For their part, Chelsea too have not had a great home record for some time but are 2 from 2 on the road so far this season.
The pick of the 3 O'Clock kick-offs is surely Villa vs Wolves in the Midlands derby. Villa marked their return to the top level of European football for the first time in 4 decades with a comfortable win in Switzerland. Watkins (FWD) continued the trend of coming-off in the 2nd half and required an ice-pack on his ankle but is expected to be fit. Bailey (MID) was on the bench for the game against Young Boys and could return to action in this one. For their part, Wolves rested a number of key players as they exited the League Cup in midweek. It's been a tough start to the season for them but a result here would certainly change the mood.
Is it too early in the season to be using the term '6-pointers'? Perhaps, but there are certainly a couple of massive fixtures this weekend involving clubs who are highly likely to be in the bottom third of the league in 6 months time.
Everton travel to Leicester with both clubs looking for a first win of the season. Toffees fans will be angered by the fact that their hosts managed to escape a points deduction for breaching FFP rules this season on a technicality but then again there's not much to be happy about as an Everton supporter at the moment. The club were knocked out of the EFL Cup at home by Southampton in midweek with supporters venting their frustration at the substitution of centre-forward Beto (FWD) for veteran full-back Young (DEF). Sean Dyche's side might enjoy being on the road this weekend...
Elsewhere, newly promoted Ipswich and Southampton go head-to-head also looking for their first wins of the campaign. The Tractor Boys won both matches against The Saints in last season's Championship and after a couple of difficult fixtures against elite opposition, they've more than held their own with draws against Fulham and Brighton. Southampton rested 10 players for their triumph at Everton in the cup. In general build-up play they were very good for half an hour against United last weekend but really lacked a cutting edge up front which given their available resources, doesn't look easy to remedy.
The remaining 2 matches at 3pm see Spurs and Liverpool both looking to bounce back from 1-0 home defeats last weekend with another home match in GW5. It won't however be an easy task!
Brentford (as they always seem to do) put up a good fight against City last weekend. The Bees have lost the excellent Wissa (FWD) up front but that might open up an opportunity for Carvalho (MID) who was very influential in midweek against Leyton Orient. At £4.8 million, he could be a great differential to consider if he becomes a regular starter. Like, Brentford, Spurs also went behind against lower league opposition in the cup and Big Ange needs a big performance in this one with Spurs carrying their poor form from the end of last season into the start of this.
As for Liverpool, Arne Slot continues to tweak the side he inherited rather than making wholesale changes. However, it'll be interesting to see if rotation does now come into the equation following his team's comeback in Milan. Fun fact, Liverpool have a 100% record at the San Siro which is some achievement!. They don't quite have a 100% record in home games against Bournemouth but it's not far off with 9 wins and a draw against the Cherries at Anfield.
The later kick-off on Saturday sees 2 sides who have given uneven performances so far this season go head to head. United's win at Southampton takes a bit of pressure off but it always feels like they are just one poor performance away from Ten Hag and his squad being broadly criticised. After such a good end to last season, Palace are struggling to get going this year. There are mitigating circumstances for Oliver Glasner's team but another defeat in this one, in front of what will be a boisterous Selhurst Park, might get fans a little nervous.
The final game of the weekend sees Brighton take on Forest with both sides having enjoyed an excellent start to season. In fact, if other results go their way then one (if not both) of these sides could find themselves in the top 4. It's still very early doors but the thought of Nottingham Forest representing English clubs in Europe is one that should warm the hearts of all true football supporters especially as we mark the 20 year anniversary of the death of Brian Clough.
One thing to watch out for more generally this weekend is the potential for illness to disrupt player availability. Everton (because of course nothing can go right for them) have had a few players off sick this week and on a personal level, a lot of people I know seem to be unwell to varying degrees. In FPL terms that means that having some depth on your bench is a real must for GW5.
