Another international break is behind us as we return to the big time with an action-packed Premier League weekend to look forward to. Not only that but the Champions League returns next week too and I am buzzing to get stuck into what should be an exciting few days as club football returns! The top 4 in the Premier League table is looking very much like what you would expect come the end of the season with Chelsea, Liverpool, City and United battling it out in what looks like being the most exciting title race in years. Elsewhere, Brighton and Brentford have made exceptional starts to the season and are playing some lovely football under their top-quality coaches. Arsenal look to have turned a corner and are now 4 unbeaten in the league after a truly woeful start to the season. The bottom 3 consists of Norwich, Burnley and Newcastle which isn’t overly surprising. Very interested to see what happens at Newcastle though following their well publicised takeover which makes them comfortably the richest football club in the world. Would not be surprised to see £200m+ spent in January in a desperate attempt to improve the playing squad. As ever, I have put together a few hints and tips you should know regarding the televised games this weekend that should help you with your own bets as well as my prediction on how I expect the game to go, hope you enjoy!

Watford v Liverpool

The weekend starts at Vicarage Road for the early KO between Watford and Liverpool in a very important fixture for both sides. Watford will once again have a new manager on the touchline following the controversial sacking of Xisco Munoz as head coach. The Spaniard won promotion with the Hornets last season but was sacked after just 10 months in charge. Former Leicester and Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri has been handed the job and it is good to see the Italian back in England and his entertaining personality will be welcomed. As for Liverpool, well they are right in the mix aren’t they? The thrilling 2-2 draw with Man City prior to the break leaves them 2nd in the league and they are now the only remaining unbeaten team in the English top-flight.

Always difficult to predict how things will go when there is a new manager on the touchline as is the case with Watford. Ranieri has had almost two weeks to work with his new players and employ his tactics and with Liverpool likely missing a number of key players I think they will find it harder than most will maybe think in this one. However, with Salah in the form he is in and with Liverpool looking very strong this season I would still expect them to have enough to get the three points here. 2-1 Liverpool win is my prediction.

Watford Predicted 11: Foster; Cathcart, Troost-Ekong, Kabasele, Rose; Sissoko, Kucka; Sarr, Cleverley, Dennis; King

Liverpool Predicted 11: Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Keita, Milner; Salah, Firmino, Mane

Leicester City v Manchester United

The standout of the 3pm fixtures probably is the game taking place at the King Power Stadium between Leicester and Man United. Leicester bottled the top 4 last season as they lost 3 of their last 5 league games to eventually finish a point behind 4th placed Chelsea as they missed out on Champions League football. They did win the FA Cup however and I was expecting very big things from the Foxes this season but as of yet that hasn’t really materialised. United sit 4th and there are signs they could have a good season but inconsistent results and performances continue to cost them.

Both sides are missing key players at the back so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a high scoring match as a result. Vardy is sure to cause problems and CR7 will be raring to go having started as sub against Everton last time out. United are fantastic on their travels though and are now 29 league matches unbeaten on the road. I fancy them to have too much for Leicester and seal a high-scoring win, 3-2 United.

Leicester Predicted 11: Schmeichel; Pereira, Soyuncu, Vestergaard, Bertrand; Soumare, Tielemans; Perez, Maddison, Barnes; Vardy

Man United Predicted 11: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Bailly, Lindelof, Shaw; Pogba, McTominay; Greenwood, Fernandes, Sancho; Ronaldo

Brentford v Chelsea

Given it has been 74 years since Brentford last played in the English top-flight, it is fair to say they have certainly settled in well to the Premier League. The performance and manner of the 2-0 home win over Arsenal on the opening day sent a message to the rest of the league that they mean business. Away wins at Wolves and West Ham and a draw at home to Liverpool show they can compete with some of the best sides in the division and they certainly won’t be overawed by the visit of West London rivals, Chelsea. The visitors are top of the pile after a fine start to the season but in recent weeks prior to the break there were signs that the wheels were starting to come off slightly. A trip to Brentford will most definitely provide a test and I expect this to be a very interesting encounter.

Now, Brentford have proven what a difficult side they are to beat and I fancy them to get a result against Chelsea who showed signs of slowing down prior to the international break. The likely absence of Rudiger along with Thiago Silva is sure to hurt them somewhat and it’ll be up to some more fringe players to fill the void. An entertaining score draw is the most likely outcome for me in this one, 1-1.

Brentford Predicted 11: Raya; Jorgensen, Jansson, Pinnock; Canos, Jensen, Norgaard, Onyeka, Henry; Mbeumo, Toney

Chelsea Predicted 11: Mendy; Chalobah, Christensen, Azpilicueta, Alonso Jorginho, Kante, Chilwell; Mount, Werner, Havertz

Everton v West Ham

Interesting tie at Goodison Park to kick us off on Sunday afternoon as West Ham make the trip to Merseyside to take on the Toffees. I must admit, I didn’t hold out much hope for Everton and their chances this season given their summer business but so far Rafa and his squad have overachieved and sit 5th in the table prior to the weekend's fixtures kicking off. As for West Ham, well they look a quality side but will be very disappointed in the manner in which they lost to Brentford prior to the international break. Both sides are likely to compete for a top 7 finish come the end of the season and this game will give us a good indication of where both sides are currently at.

The outcome of this game for me depends on the Everton lineup. Should the likes of DCL and Richarlison return then I would certainly fancy them to get a result. However if they miss out then they are lacking a little in forward areas and West Ham have the quality to punish them. All things considered, I fancy another entertaining score draw in this one. 2-2

Everton Predicted 11: Pickford; Godfrey, Holgate, Keane, Digne; Townsend, Doucoure, Allan, Richarlison; Gray, Rondon

West Ham Predicted 11: Fabianski; Fredericks, Zouma, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Soucek, Rice; Bowen, Benrahma, Fornals; Antonio

Newcastle v Spurs

Whether you agree with the takeover or not, you can’t really begrudge Newcastle fans for being excited about the recent takeover. They have been suffering under Mike Ashley for a number of years and now as the richest club in the world are likely to experience exciting times ahead. Steve Bruce will inevitably be moved on and it will be interesting who is brought in as a replacement with many high-profile names reportedly in the running. Whoever takes the job they are guaranteed to have a massive transfer budget come January and expect plenty of massive names to come to St James Park over the coming years. As for Spurs, well they stopped the rot with a decent home win against Aston Villa prior to the international break. They sit 8th at the time of writing and from the outside looking in at least it doesn’t look particularly happy camp. The fans don’t seem to be convinced by Nuno as manager and their best player in Harry Kane doesn’t look like he wants to be there. It will be interesting to see how they get on over the next couple of weeks.

St James Park is likely to be buzzing as the Toon Army celebrate the takeover in the terraces creating an electric atmosphere. Spurs could struggle to deal with it and should Wilson return I could see them causing a depleted Spurs backline plenty of problems. Maybe a slightly bold call but I quite fancy Newcastle to get an unlikely win here, the feel-good factor is back and I fancy them to earn their first win of the season against a fragile Tottenham Hotspur. 2-1 Newcastle

Newcastle Predicted 11: Darlow; Ritchie, Clark, Fernandez, Manquillo; S. Longstaff; Murphy, Willock, Hayden, Saint-Maximin; Wilson

Spurs Predicted 11: Lloris; Tanganga, Rodon, Dier, Reguilon; Hojbjerg, Skipp; Lucas Moura, Ndombele, Son; Kane