The Premier League returns after another midweek round of continental action involving nine English clubs, and Gameweek 8 arrives with little room for recovery. Several of the league’s biggest sides are back in action quickly, while a number of awkward fixtures could shape the standings before the weekend is over.

Friday’s opener at Portman Road looks finely balanced. Ipswich Town have collected nine points from seven matches and have taken two-thirds of that tally at home, with wins over Sunderland and Fulham lifting them to 10th. Nottingham Forest, however, arrive with their own issues, and goals have been difficult to come by for the Tricky Trees. A draw feels the likeliest outcome.

Aston Villa’s meeting with Man City is one of the standout fixtures on Saturday. Villa have won five of their last six, while City have maintained a perfect Premier League run, though their domestic record remains surrounded by uncertainty off the pitch. Even so, their form under Pep Guardiola has been efficient, and with Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden in encouraging touch, they are tipped to edge it.

Arsenal are expected to keep pace at the top with a home win over Everton. The Gunners remain defensively solid, even if their attack will be without Bukayo Saka, while Everton are likely to sit deep and counter through Thierno Barry, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish.

Chelsea’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur closes Saturday and the home side look strong favourites. Spurs have won only once at Stamford Bridge in 25 years, while Chelsea have scored 17 goals in seven matches under Xabi Alonso. João Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers have all been in form.

Elsewhere, Liverpool’s meeting with Brighton has the feel of a high-scoring draw, Man Utd are predicted to share the points with Bournemouth, and Sunderland’s test against Leeds United could be decided by fatigue after their trip to Poland.

Manchester City head into Saturday’s early Premier League fixture at Aston Villa with Erling Haaland confirmed as fully fit. Enzo Maresca said the striker is “100%” available, easing some of the uncertainty around a team still monitoring a few injury concerns.

Maresca said the status of Nico O’Reilly, Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovačić remains unresolved. “The injured players] can all be available or not in terms of still doubt,” Maresca revealed. “Yesterday, they were all improving, and we’ll see this afternoon.

“For sure, Erling is the only one 100% available.”

That is a timely boost for a forward who has made an immediate impact this season. Haaland has scored eight goals in seven Premier League appearances and is three clear of Alexander Isak and João Pedro at this stage of the campaign. A fourth Golden Boot, which would match Thierry Henry and Mohamed Salah, is already within reach.

City’s recent setback came with the news that winger Antoine Semenyo will miss two months through injury. His absence means Maresca has already had to shuffle his attacking options. In the AEK Athens match, Allan was used on the wing and 17-year-old Floyd Samba started in Haaland’s place, while Phil Foden produced the standout display with a hat-trick and an assist for Rayan Cherki.

Maresca described Cherki as “one of the best players in Europe” when he is at his best.

Villa now offer a sterner examination for a City side chasing an eighth straight win to begin the new Premier League season. Jérémy Doku is expected to come in on the wing against Unai Emery’s team, who will also be aware of the challenge of containing Haaland. Few sides, though, have a record against the Norway international as strong as Villa’s.

A fresh round of Premier League action arrives with Gameweek 7 beginning in Merseyside and ending in north London, and there should be no shortage of movement across the weekend’s fixtures.

Chelsea open the slate at Everton after a commanding 5-1 win over Bournemouth, a result Xabi Alonso described as a “complete performance” from his side. Jordan Henderson’s brace, along with goals from João Pedro and Morgan Rogers, has added to the sense that Chelsea are building momentum. Everton, though, have not lost in the league so far and remain difficult to beat at home, even if their recent record in this fixture favours the visitors only narrowly.

Liverpool travel to Brentford after a high-scoring midweek outing against LASK, while Manchester City will look to answer their own recent setback when Ipswich visit. Newcastle, meanwhile, face an Aston Villa side that appears to be settling after a mixed start, and Fulham meet Hull in a game that could be stubborn rather than open.

The south coast brings another notable contest as Bournemouth and Sunderland both come in after Thursday European wins. Brighton also return home after a convincing continental outing, although Crystal Palace’s strong league form means that match may be tighter than the table suggests.

Sunday’s headline fixture takes Leeds against Manchester United. United remain under scrutiny after a difficult start, and Elland Road is not the sort of venue that offers easy relief. Leeds have already shown enough resilience to suggest they can make life awkward again.

At the City Ground, Arsenal face a Nottingham Forest side that has made a habit of frustrating them on home soil. Forest have only one league win so far, but the numbers behind them suggest they are not far off a better return.

Tottenham close the round against Coventry, with the visitors arriving in confident mood after consecutive wins. Spurs are still searching for rhythm, but this looks like a chance to impose control if they can settle quickly.