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Premier League set to return after the international break Get your questions in to our reporters ahead of the Premier League's return by clicking the 'Get Involved' link at the top of this page to have your say Simon Stone reports there are doubts over the futures of Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire and Casemiro beyond the end of the season at Manchester United Nizaar Kinsella says the 'mood has changed' at Chelsea after back-to-back wins put the Blues to within five points of leaders Arsenal Alex Howell says Arsenal are 'different' this season and are 'built' to compete in four competitions as the Gunners prepare to travel to Fulham Ciaran Kelly says it's been a productive international break for Newcastle's players but the Magpies face a tricky trip to Brighton on Saturday News conferences coming up: Regis Le Bris (12: 30), Daniel Farke (13: 30) and Scott Parker (14: 00) - all times BST The league returns with under-pressure Ange Postecoglou's Nottingham Forest again Chelsea on Saturday; leaders Arsenal travel to Fulham before Liverpool aim to end their losing streak at home to Man Utd Written by Ben Ramsdale, Alex Brotherton & Millie Sian. Shamoon Hafez Football news reporter Manchester City will be aiming to maintain their unbeaten run across their next seven games in three competitions before the November international break. It was at the end of October when the wheels well and truly fell off for City last season, winning only one of 13 games and losing nine in the process. Boss Pep Guardiola has said his side need to be in the top four come the turn of the year so they can push on for a title tilt during the run-in and the next set of fixtures may well determine how the new look squad is shaping up and in which direction they are headed. Victories against Villarreal and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League will go a long way to sealing a top-eight spot in the group phase, while they also have a trip to Championship side Swansea in the Carabao Cup. But the Premier League is the bread and butter and City have four testing games facing Everton, Aston Villa, Bournemouth and a huge clash against Liverpool at Etihad Stadium on 9 November. Beating the Reds will provide confidence to City's youngsters that they can go on and achieve great things this season. Shamoon Hafez Football news reporter The chaos over the way at Manchester United, champions Liverpool's losing streak and Arsenal topping the table means Manchester City's performances have gone under the radar somewhat. But after a sticky start to the season, Pep Guardiola's side have been quietly ticking along quite nicely, now unbeaten in their last seven games in all competitions. Football is a simple game - score goals at one end and keep the ball out at the other and City have two world class players that are helping them do just that at the moment. Star striker Erling Haaland has made a blistering start to the campaign, netting an astonishing 21 goals in 12 games for club and country - he has only blanked in one match against Tottenham back in August. In goal, the towering Gianluigi Donnarumma has brought about a calming influence with his big-game experience and the Italian has kept three clean sheets in his first six games for City. Man City v Everton (Sat, 15: 00 BST) Erling Haaland's hat-trick against Israel marked the tenth game in a row that the forward has scored in. The 25-year-old is in scintillating form for both club and country - not that he's ever really in "bad" form. He and Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe have both scored 10 in a row for their respective teams and have only failed to score in one match in 2025-26. Erling Haaland continued his excellent start to the season with a hat-trick in Norway's 5-0 demolition of Israel. Victory kept Norway top of their group, three points ahead of Italy, and ended Israel's hopes of qualifying for the finals. The Manchester City striker sat out Norway's 1-1 draw with New Zealand in a friendly on Tuesday. His City team-mate, Oscar Bobb, drew criticism from Norway manager Stale Solbakken after that game, who said his performance was "lacking everything. " Ben Ramsdale BBC Sport At least City's forwards aren't in great form, eh Jack. .. Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say Here goes, a match against Man City and no Jack Grealish. Hopefully we'll still be able to compete with their forwards and cause a problem or two for their defence. I really hope Alcaraz is given a start, he was really impressive off the bench against Palace. Jack, Nelson Nottingham Forest v Chelsea (Sat, 12: 30 BST) Nick Mashiter BBC Sport football news reporter Saturday's visit of Chelsea appears crucial to Ange Postecoglou's future at Nottingham Forest. After seven winless games to open his reign, having replaced Nuno Espirito Santo last month, the pressure remains on the Australian. Sources close to the squad feel Postecoglou could get Chelsea and Thursday's Europa League visit of Porto but only if the result against the Blues on Saturday is positive and the fans do not turn. Ultimately, it will be the decision of owner Evangelos Marinakis who has been considering Sean Dyche as Postecoglou's replacement, just five weeks after appointing the former Tottenham boss. Should Forest supporters snap again, like they did after FC Midtjylland went 3-1 up in the Europa League last month - chanting 'you're getting sacked in the morning' towards their own manager - then a way back for the head coach would appear remote. Postecoglou has said he did not expect it to be love at first sight with the fans but, so far, it is a tense relationship and you sense some chocolates and a bunch of flowers are not going to repair things. Ben Ramsdale BBC Sport When I tell you there is zero structure to this live this
morning I mean it. It's very much all over the shop and is going to be shaped
by you guys and your
questions. If you ask loads about the Gunners, we'll steer a bit more
towards them. If you want to hear about the latest at Manchester United, we'll
swing that way for a bit. I'm just here to press buttons and tell bad jokes. So basically, need more of you to get involved so you get less of that. A few questions in the tank already so make sure you get
them in before we switch focus to this afternoon's news conferences. Click 'Get Involved' to do so. Nizaar Kinsella BBC Sport Chelsea reporter It is unclear whether Moises Caicedo's attacking output will continue at this level though. His three goals this season, from an expected goals (x G) of 0. 5, include two from outside the box, tying Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo for the league's highest total. Since the beginning of last season, Declan Rice has contributed the most offensively among midfielders, with more goals, assists and passes into the box, aided by his set-piece duties for Arsenal. Caicedo dominates defensively, while Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch balances defensive and attacking roles. Nizaar Kinsella BBC Sport Chelsea reporter The data clearly shows that Moises Caicedo belongs in the debate over the Premier League's top midfielders. No midfielder in Europe's top five leagues has made more tackles (28) or interceptions (18) this season than Caicedo. His 28 tackles represent 23% of Chelsea's overall challenges, the second-highest ratio by a player in a season on record since 2006-07. Only Burnley's Josh Cullen has recorded more defensive blocks among midfielders. Since last season, Caicedo has made more tackles (142) than any other player without being sent off or receiving a suspension for yellow card accumulation, showcasing his precise tackling. He makes more tackles and wins a higher percentage of duels (59%) than Arsenal's Declan Rice and Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch, who are both often considered among the league's best midfielders. Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say It's a quiet Thursday morning, isn't it? But the Premier League is almost back! It has been a long 11 days, so we've got our football reporters on hand today to answer all of your burning questions. Have you been mulling over anything during the international break? Is there anything going under the radar? Are there any players you would like more insight on? Let's do a little Q&A - get your questions in and we'll get the answers for you! Ciaran Kelly BBC Sport Newcastle United reporter Did the international break come at a bad time for Newcastle United? Newcastle had rediscovered some momentum after recording back-to-back
wins for the first time since April. Eddie
Howe’s side had previously struggled to find the back of the net, but defeated Nottingham Forest and Union Saint-Gilloise by an aggregate
scoreline of 6-0 before a host of key players jetted off to represent their
countries. That being said, this has been a productive
period for a number of the club’s senior internationals. Anthony Gordon impressed for England, Bruno Guimaraes
grabbed a couple of eye-catching assists for Brazil and Nick Woltemade opened his
account for Germany. The challenge faced by the trio, and others, is to quickly recover and take such
form into Saturday’s trip to Brighton. This has long been an awkward fixture for Newcastle, who
have never won at the Amex in the Premier League. The visitors cannot afford a sluggish start if they are to get something
from the south coast. Liverpool v Man Utd (Sun, 16: 30 BST) Simon Stone BBC Sport Manchester United reporter There has been a lot of talk about the futures of various Manchester United players over the past couple of weeks. I have been told skipper Bruno Fernandes has no interest in moving to the Saudi Pro-League at the end of the season. In an ideal world for Fernandes, United would qualify for the Champions League next term and he would stay where he is. However, if he does move, it will be to a major European league. Harry Maguire's contract expires in the summer. He is also keen to stay at Old Trafford and it is not beyond the realms of possibility he takes a pay cut to achieve that. Playing games is important for Maguire though, so it will be interesting to see how that works out. Casemiro's present contract also expires in the summer. It is debatable whether United will even consider offering him a new one - but if they do, it will be on vastly reduced terms. Ben Ramsdale BBC Sport Don't make a Partridge joke, don't make a Partridge joke, don't make a Partridge joke. .. . Liverpool v Man Utd (Sun, 16: 30 BST) That's the question on the lips of many as the Premier League season gets back under way. Despite sitting second in the league and just one point behind leaders Arsenal, the Reds have flattered to deceive during the first seven games of the campaign. The late show rescued them on multiple occasions in the first five matches but has come back to haunt them in the last two with both Crystal Palace and Chelsea scoring stoppage time winners to inflict defeat on Arne Slot's men. It could be that the break came at the perfect time for the champions as they look to reset and go again. And what better way to show you've turned a corner than a positive result against your fiercest rivals to really kick start your season. .. Nizaar Kinsella BBC Sport Chelsea reporter That last-ditch Estevao Willian goal at home to Liverpool at Stamford Bridge has changed the picture at Chelsea. Concerns had been growing about the club's form throughout September, to the extent that Chelsea gave their public backing to manager Enzo Maresca. However, back-to-back wins just before the October international break have brightened the mood, and the Blues are now just five points behind league leaders Arsenal. There is also a winnable run of October matches against Nottingham Forest, Ajax, Sunderland, and Wolves before a trip to Tottenham at the beginning of November. Supporters will also have loved seeing Maresca run 50 yards to celebrate with his players after that Estevao goal, to further build that relationship. Alex Howell BBC Sport Arsenal reporter Arsenal come back into this Premier League weekend at the top of the league and having only lost one of their opening ten games. The Gunners have only conceded three goals too and take on Fulham at Craven Cottage, a place they have found tricky to pick up points and they have not won there on their last to visits. However, this feels like a different type of Arsenal team and their squad is built to compete in all four competitions this season. Interestingly, Arsenal actually had one more point at this stage last season and were third in the table.
But the games between October and November international breaks is where last season's title challenge fell apart. They took two points from a possible 12 meaning Liverpool went into the next international window nine ahead. Arsenal's fixtures are more favourable this season after they had a tough start but it shows the match against Fulham is start of a crucial window. Here's a reminder of how the Premier League table looks for those of you that have forgotten during the excitement of the international break. Arsenal lead the way at the top after champions Liverpool suffered an uncharacteristic back-to-back defeats prior to the interval. Tottenham and Bournemouth make up the top four while Burnley, West Ham and Wolves sit in the bottom three. Hello! Happy day-before-Friday. The international break is over! I know you're all terribly sad about that but we have got all sorts coming your way today to keep you ticking over. Our football reporters are joining us to file analysis on their respective clubs throughout the day - we'll get the very latest on Ange Postecoglou, look ahead to some big matches this weekend, plus they will also be along for the ride to answer any questions you want to ask them. And of course, the Premier League being back means news conferences are back. Three of those to bring you this afternoon. Let's get it. Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.


