Premier League: Most anticipated upcoming matches

Following the October international break, the Premier League will return, and here we take a look at some of the most eye catching and high profile matches to come in the top flight of English Football.

The October international break is now upon us, with the 2025/26 Premier League season taking a break whilst international matches take centre stage this week. Clubs are set to resume their respective English Top Flight league campaigns on Saturday, 18th October.

We are still very early in the current domestic league season, but every match will be crucial in deciding the respective fates of all twenty sides participating in the Premier League this term. Several top teams—including Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Spurs are currently battling it out for the title.

Crystal Palace and Bournemouth have both enjoyed an excellent start and are surprise contenders for UEFA Champions League qualification.

Meanwhile, the likes of Everton, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Brighton, and Aston Villa will all see themselves as contenders for European Football this season and potentially push for a top-four finish. Newly promoted Sunderland are also currently in the midst of this battle following their superb start following promotion last season.

At the opposite end of the table, Wolves, West Ham, and Burnley will be looking to lift themselves out of the relegation zone when they return to action, while Nottingham Forest, Brentford, and Leeds are all looking over their shoulders.

Now, we will be taking a look at some of the biggest matches to come over the next few weeks.

Crystal Palace vs. Bournemouth (Selhurst Park – Saturday 18^th October, 15:00 KO)

We will start with two sides who many onlookers will probably not have expected to be sitting as high as they both are at this point in the Premier League season – Crystal Palace and Bournemouth. The Eagles and the Cherries are sat in 6^th and 4^th place respectively as of the time of writing, with both currently in contention for UEFA Champions League football.

The game will be played at Selhurst Park on Saturday 18^th October in a 15:00 kick-off.

Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth team will retain their place in the top four for at least another week with a victory against Oliver Glasner’s South London side at Selhurst Park. Palace will be able to leapfrog their South Coast counterparts should they emerge victorious in this crucial early season contest at their historic home.

Defensively, the Cherries have a remarkable recent record against these opponents, having kept a clean sheet in all their last five competitive encounters with their counterparts from the English Capital.

Overall, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth have played against each other in a competitive game on as many as 81 occasions in all competitions so far, as of the time of writing. It is the latter who has the superior record of 32 victories, which is only slightly superior to Palace’s current record of 28 wins against the Cherries.

Liverpool vs. Manchester United (Anfield – Sunday 19^th October, 16:30 KO)

Next up is one of the most iconic and historic football fixtures not only in English Football, but also for football fans across the globe as well. Arne Slot’s Liverpool are set to welcome Ruben Amorim and his Manchester United side for what is a very high profile and crucial game in the Premier League at the Reds’ historic Anfield.

The game will be played on the afternoon of Sunday 19^th October in what is going to be a 16:30 kick-off on Merseyside.

As of the time of writing, Liverpool remain amongst the leading contenders to lift this season’s title, which would be their second in as many seasons.

The Reds find themselves in second place with 15 points to their name. They are just one point behind leaders Arsenal, and they know that victory in this game would not only give them bragging rights, it would also see them leapfrog the Gunners if they are not victorious in their game against Fulham.

As for United, victory for them would be a statement result for Amorim and his team, and it would also potentially see them climb as high as 5^th place in the table should other results also go their way in the next round of matches in the Premier League.

Remarkably, Liverpool have only lost one of their last 14 Premier League games against Manchester United between 16^th December 2018 and 5^th January 2025.

United’s most recent league win in this fixture was on 22^nd August 2022 at Old Trafford in what was a 2 – 1 home triumph for the Red Devils, who scored thanks to the likes of Jadon Sancho (16’) and Marcus Rashford (53’).

Overall, Liverpool and Manchester United have met on a grand total of 244 occasions in all competitions, and it is United who currently have the superior record of 91 victories, compared with 82 for the Reds so far.

Wolves vs. Burnley (Molineux – Sunday 26^th October, 14:00 KO)

We now move on to a key fixture in the battle to remain in the Premier League, with Wolves set to host Burnley at the historic Molineux on Sunday 26^th October, and the game will be getting underway at 14:00 that afternoon.

Vitor Pereira’s side will know that beating the Clarets could be a pivotal result for their season and it would give them a boost in their efforts to finish above the bottom three once all 38 games have been played in the Premier League.

Victory would also provide fresh momentum for both sides as the Old Gold looks to retain their place in the top flight, whilst Scott Parker’s Clarets are bidding to become one of the few newly promoted sides to avoid relegation in the season immediately following promotion in recent times.

What may aid Wolves in this game is Burnley’s recent poor away record in the Premier League, with the Lancashire outfit last securing a win away from home in the top flight back on 20^th April 2024 against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. It was a 4 – 1 victory thanks to the goals of Jacob Bruun Larsen (38’), Lorenz Assignon (40’), Lyle Foster (58’), and Johann Berg Gudmundsson (71’).

That was one of just three wins away from Turf Moor in the entirety of their 2023/24 Premier League campaign.

The last time that Wolves and Burnley met in a Premier League game was on 2^nd April 2024 at Turf Moor in a 1 – 1 draw, with Jacob Bruun Larsen (37’) giving the hosts the lead before the visitors equalised through Rayan Ait-Nouri in first half stoppage time (45+3’).

Wolves did beat the Clarets at Molineux the last time a league game was played between them at their historic home. It was a 5^th December 2023 in a 1 – 0 victory that was secured thanks to a winning goal from Hwang Hee-Chan in the latter stages of the first half (42’).

Overall, these two sides have met competitively in fixtures in all competitions on as many as 140 occasions, and it is Wolves who do currently have the superior record of 68 victories compared with Burnley’s current record of 41 wins. There have been a total of 31 draws between the Old Gold and the Clarets to date, as of the time of writing.

Spurs vs. Chelsea (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – Saturday 1^st November, 17:30 KO)

This fixture is one that catches the eye every season. A London derby is set to take place between Thomas Frank’s Spurs and Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea, with the local rivals set to go toe to toe for points and bragging rights on Saturday 1^st November.

The game is being played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with kick-off taking place at 17:30 that afternoon.

Both of these clubs will see themselves as having an excellent chance of securing UEFA Champions League football this season, and whoever comes away victorious will increase their chances of doing so. Momentum is also always important for any team in the Premier League, and Tottenham and Chelsea will both need it in order to secure a place in the top four by the time that the season ends in May 2026.

Chelsea know that going into this game, they are the side that has beaten Spurs the most times of any club in Premier League history, whilst they have also scored more goals against these opponents since 1992 than against any other side.

They got a particularly memorable victory against Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in November 2023 when they won 4 – 3, scoring through Jadon Sancho (17’), Cole Palmer (61’ – Penalty, 84’ – Penalty), and Enzo Fernandez (73’). Dominic Solanke (5’), Dejan Kulusevski (11’), and Son Heung-Min (90+6’) scored for Spurs that day.

The last time that Tottenham were able to beat the Blues in a top flight fixture was back on 26^th February 2023 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in what was a 2 – 0 triumph thanks to the goals of Oliver Skipp (46’) and Harry Kane (82’).

Spurs did get a famous win against the Blues in April 2018 when they triumphed 3 – 1 at Stamford Bridge following goals from the likes of Christian Eriksen (45+1’) and Dele Alli (62’, 66’). This was their first win at this stadium for 28 years, which was a 2 – 1 win in February 1990.

Honourable Mentions

Below are other fixtures of significance that are set to be played in the Premier League in the coming weeks.

·         Brighton vs. Newcastle United (Amex Stadium – Sunday 18^th October, 15:00 KO)

·         Burnley vs. Leeds United (Turf Moor – Sunday 18^th October, 15:00 KO)

·         Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace (Emirates Stadium – Sunday 26^th October, 14:00 KO)

·         Everton vs. Spurs (Hill Dickinson Stadium – Sunday 26^th October, 16:30 KO)

·         Liverpool vs. Aston Villa (Anfield – Saturday 1^st November, 20:00 KO)

·         Manchester City vs. Bournemouth (Etihad Stadium – Sunday 2^nd November, 16:30 KO)

Excitement is building ahead the return of the Premier League following the October international break, with some of the biggest matches in English Football over the horizon.

A number of clubs will also soon be resuming their European campaigns, with the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Aston Villa all looking to win the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League respectively come the end of the 2025/26 season.

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