Welcome then, to a whole new ball game. For too many years an international break has dropped at this point of September, freezing the Premier League just as narratives were being set and excitement was rising. But not this year.Instead the September and October international breaks have been knocked together like some sort of kitchen extension, which means we can enjoy two more entire rounds of action before it all gets paused. And maybe get some answers to several questions that are already emerging from the 2026-27 mists.Can Manchester City and Arsenal maintain their perfect starts? Who will collect a point first, Fulham or Coventry? And will Hull ever concede a goal?The Athletic’s Gameweek 4 predictionsElias BurkeThinking (slightly) ahead is the name of the game in The Athletic’s prediction adventure and so far it’s young Wilfred, our seven-year-old phenom who is leading the way, ahead of you, dear readers, on account of his uncanny ability to spot away wins (which we are using as a tiebreaker).% Correct (out of 30 games)Correct Away WinsPoints last gameweekTotal pointsWilfred47%61542Reader picks47%31242TA experts40%31236The algorithm37%31233Wilfred picked five correct results last week, everyone else taking part picked four. All of which means the table is deliciously close heading into this weekend.Results from Gameweek 3 TA ExpertsThe AlgoReader PicksWilfredIpswich IPSLiverpool LIV draw LIV draw LIV Newcastle NEWBournemouth BOU draw NEW draw draw N. Forest NFOTottenham TOT draw draw NFO TOT Brighton BHALeeds LEE BHA BHA BHA BHA Fulham FULCrystal Palace CRY draw draw draw draw Man City MCICoventry COV MCI MCI MCI MCI Brentford BRESunderland SUN BRE BRE BRE BRE Hull HULAston Villa AVL AVL AVL draw draw Everton EVEMan United MUN MUN MUN MUN MUN Arsenal ARSChelsea CHE ARS ARS ARS ARS Our predictions game, if you’re new here, is this: each week, one of The Athletic’s rumoured experts, on rotation, will preview and predict the 10 Premier League games. By popular request, we will provide a predicted scoreline too.Our straight result predictions (home win, away win, draw) will go up against those of Wilfred, the algorithm and a weekly guest subscriber — and yours, if you make sure you visit our Pick ’Ems hub so you can pitch your predictions against ours.This week the reader taking part is Ade, a Forest fan from Nottingham.Subscriber’s match of the weekAston Villa vs Nottingham ForestAde says: “Lots of change at both clubs, with Forest adapting to Oliver Glasner’s system and Villa replacing key players. Villa’s slow start is offset by our horrendous recent record at Villa Park, including the painful end of our European dream. I expect Forest to travel well this season and take a point.”DRAWDuncan says: “A must-win game in matchweek four? Seems a bit much, but neither Villa nor Forest have been victorious in the league this season, with Unai Emery’s team yet to even score. Of course, last season Villa failed to score in their opening four matches and everything turned out just fine (and they looked OK in the Champions League in midweek), but how many times can they pull this trick off? As it stands, Villa have generated only 0.24 xG more than Thierno Barry this season. It’s a concern, and one Glasner — who has never lost to Emery in the Premier League — can take advantage of.”AWAY WIN0-1Emery vs Glasner (GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)Our expert’s other predictionsOur picks for Gameweek 4 TA ExpertsThe AlgoReader PicksWilfredLiverpool LIVFulham FUL LIV draw LIV LIV Chelsea CHEHull HUL CHE CHE CHE CHE Crystal Palace CRYIpswich IPS IPS draw CRY CRY Aston Villa AVLN. Forest NFO NFO NFO draw NFO Bournemouth BOUBrentford BRE draw BRE draw draw Tottenham TOTEverton EVE draw draw TOT draw Sunderland SUNArsenal ARS ARS ARS ARS ARS Coventry COVBrighton BHA BHA BHA BHA BHA Man United MUNMan City MCI draw draw MCI MCI Leeds LEENewcastle NEW LEE LEE draw LEE Bournemouth vs BrentfordDuncan says: “A year after Brentford made fools of us all and showed how a well-run club can replace a much-loved manager with relative ease, Bournemouth are attempting to do the same thing. Yes, Marco Rose’s side have been pegged back in all three of their games so far this season but they look direct and inventive. But then so do Brentford, third in the xG table and inevitably full of purposeful running. The vast majority of games between these sides have taken place in the third tier, but this is a bona fide top-flight Our League fixture that should produce goals.”DRAW2-2Chelsea vs Hull CityDuncan says: “Here we go then, the only Premier League team yet to concede a goal this season. Well done Xabi Alons… wait, sorry, it’s Hull City? Absolutely fair play to Sergej Jakirovic and his players for a superb start to life back in the Premier League. Of course, if they win at Stamford Bridge, they will be only one point behind Derby County’s record of 11 points from 2007-08, and with 34 matches remaining. But they won’t, because this new-look Chelsea are quite good and getting better as each training session under Alonso is ingested.”HOME WIN3-0Xabi Alonso takes on high-flying Hull (Adrian Dennis / AFP via Getty ImagesCrystal Palace vs Ipswich TownDuncan says: “If Palace’s season was stalling until their win at Fulham last weekend, Ipswich’s has been the reverse, with an opening-day win followed by two defeats. In fact the two sides have precisely the same record so far this season, separated in the table only by the alphabet, and no one wants to see that. More pertinently, these are two of the three sides who have leaked the most xG so far in 2026-27 and it’s one of those results that may well take on more significance later in the season. I have a faint suspicion former Brighton man Julio Enciso will finally make one of his many shots count and bag a late winner.”AWAY WIN1-2Liverpool vs FulhamDuncan says: “You’re Alvaro Arbeloa, you’re at Anfield, Liverpool have a Spanish manager. It’s the late 2000s, and everything is fine. But now it’s 2026 and while most of those qualifiers are the case once more, you fear for Arbeloa this weekend as he takes Fulham to face Andoni Iraola’s improving team. Alexander Isak is scoring goals, Cody Gakpo is assisting them, Bradley Barcola is ready to impact games and Florian Wirtz is harnessing cherry juice. Arbeloa only lost one Premier League game at Anfield as a Liverpool player (vs Manchester United in December 2007, quiz fans) but life there as a visiting manager is invariably a different story.”HOME WIN4-1Isak is scoring goals (Henry Nicholls / AFP via Getty Images)Tottenham Hotspur vs EvertonDuncan says: “This fixture saw Tottenham secure their Premier League status on the final day of last season, and despite all the transfer business the club subsequently embarked on, that first-half goal from Joao Palhinha remains the last competitive goal Spurs have scored. Everton’s window was less celebrated, but one of their new faces — Ainsley Maitland-Niles — scored superbly against Manchester United last weekend to maintain his side’s unbeaten start. On Saturday Maitland-Niles can become the first Everton player since Richarlison to score in his first two league appearances for the club. Richarlison, of course, is now at Spurs, but not in their Premier League squad. Lots of players vs fewer players. Only one outcome.”DRAW2-2Sunderland vs ArsenalDuncan says: “Wow, this football is not for me.” That was Robert Pires, sat on the bench at the Stadium of Light, waiting to make his debut for Arsenal in August 2000. And yes, sometimes football at Sunderland is not for everyone, as Mikel Arteta’s side sort of found out in this fixture last season, conceding late on to draw 2-2. But Arsenal have advanced since then, Sunderland maybe less so.”AWAY WIN1-2Coventry vs BrightonDuncan says: “If Coventry needed a reminder of how hard the step up to the Premier League was going to be then this weekend is the cherry on the cake. Frank Lampard’s side have already travelled to the Emirates and the Etihad, lost at home to a fellow promoted side and now face, checks notes, the club who have the most xG in the Premier League this season. Brighton can cause anyone problems and that very much includes their former goalkeeper Carl Rushworth.”AWAY WIN1-4Manchester United vs Manchester CityDuncan says: “Is this the hardest Premier League derby to call in the year 2026? Probably. You can make a convincing case for both sides; United are reliably good at Old Trafford under Michael Carrick and City have won only one of their last four games against their accessible-by-tram neighbours. But then again, Enzo Maresca’s side have won three out of three and dug out a solid away victory in the Champions League in midweek. Last season’s top assister versus last season’s top scorer. It’s going to be a draw isn’t it.”(Naomi Baker/Getty Images)DRAW2-2Leeds United vs NewcastleDuncan says: “Leeds topped The Athletic’s fabled Hope-o-meter before the season started, but I suspect if we re-ran the numbers right now Newcastle would be a little higher than the lowly 17th they occupied before the Matthias Jaissle era gathered some momentum. But Leeds may still be top, they look energetic, high-octane, full of beans — and under the Elland Road lights on Monday it could be a bit much, a bit soon for Jaissle’s new-look squad. Should be a great game, though.”HOME WIN3-2