Ime Ekpon

Manchester City is now eight points behind Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table and will be desperate to get all the points in this game to close the gap between them and the top spot.

Leeds did well before the break, but they are still in the relegation battle and cannot begin with a loss if they are serious about ending this season very well.

The World Cup break afforded both clubs more than enough chance to rest and prepare for the restart and we expect them to give us a good game in this fixture.

City will know they simply cannot underestimate what Leeds can do, and their 3-2 home win against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup will help their confidence ahead of this fixture.

Erling Haaland scored in that win against Liverpool and he is now one player who teams struggle to stop having already scored 18 Premier League goals this season.

Leeds know he is a handful and it will be interesting to see if they can stop him from scoring against them in this game.

The best bet prediction for this game is Haaland anytime scorer. For similar predictions, click here.

Manchester United will be keen to restart the Premier League with a win when they take on Nottingham Forest in this game and it promises to be an exciting fixture to watch.

The first half of the season was tough for Forest, who have just gained promotion back to the league, but they stuck with Steve Cooper and even handed him a new deal to show their faith.

He had worked magic in the second division but signed too many players in the summer, which made it hard for his team to do well before the World Cup break.

However, they returned with a bang when they defeated Blackburn 4-1 in the Carabao Cup, which should give the confidence ahead of this visit to United for a crucial EPL game.

United endured an inconsistent first half to the season, but now that Cristiano Ronaldo is gone, the club will look to move on quickly and show he was not so important to them.

The Red Devils defeated Burnley in the Carabao Cup, but the visitors gave them a good game and the result could be different if they allow Forest too much freedom in this game.

The best bet prediction for this match is BTTS. For similar predictions, click here.

Chelsea was dismal before the World Cup break, and their fans will be keen to see their club return to form in this second half of the season.

The Blues struggled under Thomas Tuchel, and the German lost his job, but things did not change when Graham Potter was named their manager as his replacement. Instead, it seemed to get worse.

The Englishman is managing his first big club and needs time to understand what it means to be the boss at the highest level, which means he was probably the happiest manager during the WC break.

He would have used that time to know his players better and also get them prepared for the return of league football in a pre-season style, having not had one with them before now.

Bournemouth has done very well in recent weeks, and they will be tricky opponents for the Blues to face, which could make life hard for them, even though this game is played at home.

Chelsea has lost all their last four games in all competitions, while Bournemouth has lost only one and won two of their last three.

The best bet prediction for this game is BTTS. For similar predictions, click here.

Unai Emery has had a long break to work on his Aston Villa team, and he will now want to beat Liverpool as proof he is prepared to correct the mistakes he made at Arsenal as a manager.

The Spaniard’s spell in London was unsuccessful, and he wasn’t given enough time to get the Gunners back inside the top four, but he proved at Villarreal afterwards that he is a good manager able to make a difference even at a small club.

Liverpool was inconsistent in the first half of the season as injury rocked their squad and made it hard for them to field their preferred team in matches.

This second half of the season would be an important one for them as well as the Reds look to get back to form and win as many matches as possible.

Beating Villa will only be the start, but it will boost their confidence ahead of more important matches, but a win at Villa Park against an Emery team will go a long way to show they are prepared to do better in this second half.

Arsenal will look to continue their fine run of form in the first half of the season when they host West Ham in this Premier League game following the return of club football.

The Gunners were unbeatable in the first half of the season as they looked to get as many points as possible and now hold a five-point lead at the top of the league table.

Mikel Arteta’s men face a Hammers side whose first-half form was very inconsistent and will be desperate to start the second with a win, even though that will be very difficult.

Arsenal won both matches in the Dubai Super Cup against AC Milan and Lyon, but Juventus beat them in their only friendly at the Emirates, and that will serve as an important warning to them.

However, Friendly matches hardly tell the true story of any team and fans will expect them to get back to form and continue their winning spree at the Emirates.

The best bet prediction for this game is Over 1.5 goals. For similar predictions, click here.