Premier League · Gameweek 3

Premier League Gameweek 3 Preview: Arsenal v Chelsea, Everton’s Crisis and the Early Table’s Big Lie

Football News · Updated 3 September 2026

Two gameweeks into the new season and the table is already telling some fibs — Hull City sit third. Gameweek 3 runs from Friday night through Sunday evening, and it’s built around one genuine title-race fixture, one club in visible disarray, and a handful of new managers still finding their feet. Here’s what we’re watching, with betting odds courtesy of bet365, one of the Premier League’s established betting partners.

Arsenal v Chelsea: The Only Unbeaten-v-Unbeaten Fixture of the Weekend

Every other fixture in gameweek 3 features at least one side with points already dropped. Not this one. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have opened with back-to-back clean sheets against Coventry and Aston Villa, continuing a defensive record that led the league in expected goals conceded last season — but they do it here without William Saliba, Christian Mosquera or Jurrien Timber, all sidelined. Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea travel unbeaten too, and have found the net in both recent meetings with Arsenal even when they’ve come away with nothing. It sets up as a genuine litmus test for both new-look sides, not just an early-season formality.

The Crisis Club: What’s Actually Happened at Everton

If Arsenal v Chelsea is the fixture with the profile, Everton v Manchester United on Sunday afternoon is the one with the story. Everton’s deadline day has been widely described as chaotic: Iliman Ndiaye and Beto both departed, and the only incoming business of note was Jack Grealish arriving on loan and Ainsley Maitland-Niles for a nominal fee. That leaves David Moyes with Thierno Barry as his only senior recognised striker heading into a run of fixtures, and reports over the weekend questioned whether Moyes will see the situation through. Michael Carrick’s Manchester United arrive unbeaten and building momentum quietly under the radar — timing that could hardly be worse for a home side already under pressure.

Manchester City Still Perfect Under Maresca

Manchester City have picked up exactly where last season left off, opening Enzo Maresca’s first full campaign with two wins from two. Newly promoted Coventry make the trip to the Etihad as some of the shortest-priced outsiders you’ll see all season, and City go into it as strong favourites to make it three from three.

New Managers, New Questions

Beyond the headline fixtures, gameweek 3 is really a story about the sheer scale of managerial change this summer — nine of the 20 clubs start the season with a new head coach, reportedly the biggest close-season reset of the Premier League era. Oliver Glasner’s Nottingham Forest host Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham on Saturday, while Andoni Iraola takes his rebuilding Liverpool to Ipswich on Friday night in the opening fixture of the round, still in the very early days of life after Arne Slot.

Gameweek 3 Match Odds

Odds correct at the time of writing and subject to change. Full markets available with bet365.

The Bottom Line

Arsenal v Chelsea will get the headlines, but Everton’s situation is the one worth watching all weekend — a club visibly short on options at exactly the wrong moment, hosting a Manchester United side quietly building form. With four teams still perfect after two rounds, gameweek 3 looks like the first real gut-check of the season.