As Aston Villa never seems to win at Liverpool, we won't dock Unai Emery's troops too much for last weekend's 2-0 loss at Anfield. The form chart has been mostly superb in the last month-plus as Villa has rallied from the drop zone all of the way to the 12th slot. The last home match was a 1-0 win over Man City (which continues to have problems at Villa Park), while Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers look about ready to post a breakthrough. Bournemouth deserves ample credit for its high place in the table, but not having a look at Man City last week suggests it might be too soon to keep trading punches with the bigger boys. Play Aston Villa on Money Line .

That Fulham is back in the win column deserves an asterisk* because it was only struggling Wolves that threw a lifeline last weekend. For the most part, the past month has been very frustrating for Fulham, whose goal-scoring has waned. That's a recurring problem for Everton, too, but David Moyes and his boys are back at the new Hill Dickinson, where they've lost just once this season (vs Spurs in last home match). Frontliners like Beto are getting quality service from the wings courtesy Jack Grealish and others...it's about time Everton starts to convert those potential assists into goals. Jordan Pickford in goal ought to keep Fulham at bay long enough for Everton to at least find one goal. Play Everton on ML

Let's call it a contrarian recommendation because there is not much other reason to back West Ham these days. We did see it elsewhere in the Prem this weekend, however, as a moribund Nottingham Forest finally drew a line in the sand and Man United was fortunate to come out with a draw at City Ground on Saturday. Nuno has looked befuddled trying to get the Hammers in gear but does have Jarrod Bowen, and gets a Newcastle side that hasn't won yet in four EPL road tries this term and has Champions League duty upcoming at midweek vs. Athletic Bilbao. This might be where the Hammers can get a result. Play West Ham on Spread

They might have the wrong team favored at Anfield as Aston Villa enters on the heels of five straight EPL wins including last weekend's 1-0 over Man City, the fourth straight year Pep Guardiola has left Villa Park winless. Everything is clicking for Unai Emery's side that only needed Matty Cash's goal in the 19th minute to see off City last week. On the other hand, it's gone completely pear-shaped for Liverpool, loser of four straight in the Prem, and Arne Slot wondering how he can reconfigure a lineup that is finding out how much it misses Trent Alexander-Arnold at the back, and how Florian Wirtz doesn't do enough off of the ball. The absence of GK Allison hurt, too. Play Villa on Spread

This looks a golden chance for Spurs to get another result on the road with the short trip couth In London. Chelsea looks ripe to be taken, as Enzo Maresca is still searching for reliable frontline production that he has yet to get from key offseason add Liam Delap, who misses Saturday on red card suspension. Thomas Frank seems to have things much more settled at Spurs, who have been succeeding in a more pragmatic, non-Ange Postecoglu style, also unbeaten (four wins and a draw) in their EPL road travels this term, which makes us think the spread is a very proper recommendation as Spurs look poised to get a result. Play Spurs on Spread

Things look like they are finally coming together for Ruben Amorim and his Man United, now with three wins on the spin. Bryan Mbuemo has emerged as the most useful offseason addition and already on four goals (including a brace last weekend vs. Brighton) while proving a livewire on the pitch, while the other new add of note, Mattheus Cunha, also scored last weekend vs. Brighton. Meanwhile, the appointment of Sean Dyche looks a stab in the dark for Forest, which is playing like a side that wants to be relegated after the implosions of the Nuno and Ange Postecoglu regimes within 40 days of one another. Play Man United on Money Line

We don't want to mention Ange Postecoglu too much as Thomas Frank continues to settle at Spurs, but a few observers in London are noticing some parallels to Ange's first Tottenham side in 2023, that broke fast from the gate before cooling down...and never again really heating up. No reason to panic yet for Spurs, but losing late to Aston Villa and forced to leave it late to salvage a point vs both Wolves and Brighton in the last three at home might be reasons for concern, confirmed further by the nil-nil at Monaco in a drab Champions League fixture last Wednesday. Meanwhile, note Everton is making a fortress of its new Hill Dickinson Stadium, unbeaten in five at home. Play Everton on Money Line

Pep Guardiola has warned of the difficulty of this trip to Villa Park for his Man City side, which lost this fixture a year ago. Pep also knows that no EPL side is playing better the past month than Unai Emery's Villa, which was on an eight-match unbeaten run overall (and still unbeaten six straight in the Prem) before slipping on the road in the Europa League at midweek in the Netherlands. Still, Villa showed in its fightback vs. Spurs last weekend that it has an extra gear, with Morgan Rogers back on the scoresheet in North London, and Ollie Watkins due for an eruption soon after getting many quality looks at the goal in recent efforts. Play Aston Villa on Spread

We're going to need a bit more convincing before assuming all is well again with Man United. Now on consecutive wins for the first time under Ruben Amorim, suddenly there is hope for a return to Europe, but a win over promoted Sunderland and another, albeit impressive, against a Liverpool side in the midst of its longest slump in two years is hardly a buy signal. Especially as it was just a few weeks ago that the locals were asking for Amorim's head on a platter after losing at home to Brentford. Brighton is functional and has a magician in veteran Danny Welbeck (a brace last week vs Newcastle) to help the Seagulls get a result. Play Brighton & Hove Albion on Spread

More intrigue here than it seemed a few weeks ago, all because Liverpool enters on a 3-match skid that has dropped it from the lead in the EPL. After being the toast of Merseyside last year, Arne Slot now hearing it from the supporters, wondering why Mo Salah isn't scoring goals as usual, and why ballyhooed new add Florian Wirtz isn't scoring at all. It should be noted, however, that Liverpool also hasn't been at Anfield for the losing streak, and how much trust can we have in Man U? A win over Sunderland is no indicator all is well, and remember, Ruben Amorim has yet to win back-to-back games since arriving from Sporting Lisbon last November. Play Liverpool on Spread

Things looking better for Villa than a few weeks ago when Unai Emery was still looking for his team to score a win. That's all changed lately, however, as the Villans have won two straight in the Prem as well as now 2-0 in the Europa League during an overall four-match uptick. It's also seven straight without a loss in all competitions, and Emery is surely soon to get some goals from sorts like Morgan Rogers, whose confidence is buoyed by recent appearances for Thomas Tuchel's England. Meanwhile, Spurs have been living dangerously as they've flown very close to the flame, leaving it very late to snatch a point both at home vs. Wolves and at Bodo Glimt in the UCL. Play Villa on Spread

Every once in a while we agree with Barry Glendenning from the Football Weekly podcast, such as this week suggesting we might have been overrating Sunderland a bit, and expecting the Black Cats to get a result at Old Trafford in their last outing. Though offseason adds like Granit Xhaka have helped and enhanced chances to stay up, this is still a promoted side, and the price is steep vs. win-hungry Wolves. For what it's worth, Glendenning also tipped Wolves to finally notch a win; goodness knows they've come close in recent weeks, victimized by late equalizers from Spurs and Brighton their last two EPL matches, and actually on a 3-match unbeaten run if including the Carabao Cup win over Everton. Play Wolves on ML

This isn't going well for Ange Postecoglu at Forest, where after just seven games in charge there is already talk of another managerial change at City Ground. Evangelos Marinakis running off Nuno for personal reasons, as well as adding Edu in a key personnel role, undermined the main reason for the Forest resurgence...Nuno. Whatever. To the present, and Ange hasn't been able to unlock Chris Wood, though we're not sure Chelsea is about to storm the gates on Saturday, either, with Cole Palmer out and Enzo Maresca on a one-game suspension on the bench. Play Forest-Chelsea Under

There are some reasons to be cautious here with Chelsea, among them the absence of Cole Palmer, and manager Enzo Maresca serving a one-game suspension from the bench. But whatever Chelsea's issues, they pail in comparison to what is unfolding at Forest, where the Ange Postecoglu appointment has already gone-pear shaped, and fans at the City Ground now legitimately worried about a relegation fight, while still not sure why Nuno had to be dismissed in the first place. Also, what has happened to Chris Wood? Not good from any angle with Forest. Last note Ange...he's only won one of his last seventeen EPL games, counting his later days with Spurs. Play Chelsea on Money Line

Wolves thought they had that elusive first win of the season last week only for Spurs and Palhinha to snatch back the equalizer at the death of the match. That's now six without a win for Wolverhampton and where the natives are getting a bit restless. A draw, however, is better than a loss, and merely getting a result might do wonders for Wolves and their psyche, and temember that the same Vitor Pereira steered Wolves well clear of danger when appointed before the halfway mark last season. It was only the Carabao Cup, but beating Everton provided a boost, and it looked like Santiago Bueno's 54th-minute strike was going to be enough to overcome Spurs last week. Play Wolves on Spread