Crystal Palace’s upset over Liverpool has breathed life back into the 2025-26 English Premier League season, with now only five points separating first place from seventh place. Matchday 7’s slate is headlined by a huge clash between Liverpool and Chelsea, although there are still a number of other high-quality fixtures to look forward to.
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EPL 2025-26: Matchday 7 Preview & Betting Tips
Arsenal vs West Ham
Emirates Stadium, Sunday 5th October, 12:00am AEST
London rivals Arsenal and West Ham face off at the Emirates, with West Ham in desperate need of points, currently sitting in 19th place. Two late goals against Newcastle has kept Arsenal well and truly in the title race, with Gabriel Magalhaes’ stoppage time winner moving the Gunners to within two points of top spot. Mikel Arteta’s side reaped the rewards of playing more attacking football, winning the shot count 20-8 and recording 64% possession.
West Ham’s 1-1-4 start has been a product of being the worst defensive team in the league, conceding 14 goals through six games. Comparatively, Arsenal are the equal best defensive team in the Premier League, conceding only 3 goals and are also the second most prolific attacking side with 12 goals. Their balance at either end of the pitch has been a huge strength for the Gunners and will be a massive factor against a struggling West Ham outfit.
Arsenal have had the wood over West Ham in recent seasons, with 8 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses in their last twelve Premier League games against West Ham. Recent meetings have seen some blowout victories for the Gunners, with their last two wins over West Ham coming by scorelines of 5-2 and 6-0. With how poorly West Ham are going at the moment, this fixture looks set to be another one sided affair.
Arsenal -2
$2.60 (1 Unit)
Chelsea vs Liverpool
Stamford Bridge, Sunday 5th October, 3:30am AEDT
The blockbuster fixture of the weekend takes place on Sunday morning as league leaders Liverpool look to bounce back from their first loss of the season, when they take on Chelsea. The Reds have now fallen back to the, sitting only two points clear of second place and a loss this weekend would leave them vulnerable to losing top spot. Chelsea come into this clash in desperate need of a victory after dropping back to back games to fall to eighth place.
Chelsea fell apart late against Brighton, with Trevoh Chalobah’s red card proving costly as Chelsea conceded goals in the 77th, 92nd and 100th minute. Despite the loss last week, Liverpool did a lot right, having 20 shots on goal and 72% possession. They did get opened up on the counter though, with Crystal Palace having 16 shots from just 28% possession. The Reds will need to be cautious as the rest of the league will be looking at this blueprint as a way to beat Liverpool.
Liverpool’s attacking game is in excellent shape at the moment, ranking equal 2nd for goals scored (12) and 2nd for possession (58%). Liverpool’s work in their front half looms as the defining factor given Chelsea’s recent struggles in defence, having conceded 5 goals in their last two games. Liverpool have won two of their last three league games against Chelsea, and will punish their struggling defence with a bounce back performance.
Liverpool to Win
$2.25 (1.5 Units)
Newcastle vs Nottingham Forest
St James’ Park, Monday 6th October, 12:00am AEDT
Two sides who finished in the top seven last season have had horror starts to their ‘25/’26 campaigns, with Newcastle in 15th place and Nottingham Forest in 17th. Both sides have only recorded one win from their first six games and are in desperate need of a victory. Newcastle suffered a dramatic collapse last week, conceding goals in the 84th and 96th minute to lose 2-1 against Arsenal. After beginning the season with a win, Forest have suffered three losses and two draws from their following five games and are still yet to win a game under new manager Ange Postecoglou.
Nottingham Forest have had big issues at both ends of the pitch, scoring only 5 goals in six games, ranked 17th in the Premier League. In defence it isn’t much better, having conceded 10 goals through six games, the 6th most in the league. Newcastle’s defence has been excellent, allowing only 5 goals, ranked 5th in the league. In attack however it’s been a different story, scoring just 4 goals, the equal fewest in the Premier League. Can one of these struggling sides break the shackles this weekend?
It’s hard to see either team turning their attacking struggles around, and given what’s at stake in this game, expect Forest to drag this into a slow, defensive grind. With both clubs already combining for five draws from twelve games, things point toward another dour affair. This won’t be the most entertaining spectacle of the weekend from a viewing point, but there will certainly be plenty of intensity between the two sides who will be desperate not to lose.
