Premier League Matchweek 7: City Chase Seventh Win

Manchester City can make it seven wins from seven when they host Ipswich Town on Saturday, on a Premier League weekend headlined by the Roses derby between Leeds United and Manchester United at Elland Road and champions Arsenal's trip to Nottingham Forest.

City on the brink of history

City have won all six of their league matches so far this season, and a seventh would put them in rare company. Only two sides have opened a Premier League campaign with seven straight victories — Chelsea in 2005/06 and Liverpool in 2019/20 — according to the Matchweek 7 preview reported by IANS.

Victory would also be a personal landmark for Enzo Maresca, who could become the first manager to win his first seven league games in charge of a club. The numbers point one way: City beat Ipswich home and away by a combined 10-1 the last time the sides met in the league in 2024/25, and Erling Haaland scored four times across those two games. The Norwegian also has a formidable record against promoted sides.

City do, however, arrive off a bruising European night, having lost at home to Paris Saint-Germain in midweek. How Maresca rotates after that defeat is the one real question over an otherwise routine-looking assignment.

Leeds eye a derby statement

Sunday's meeting at Elland Road carries a weight that goes beyond three points. Leeds start the weekend above Manchester United in the table — the first time they have done so going into this fixture since September 2002, as talkSPORT noted in its preview — and a home win would open a six-point gap over their oldest rivals.

Leeds are unbeaten in their last seven home league matches, while United have taken only six points from six games, their lowest return at this stage since 1986/87. The paradox of United's season is that the underlying numbers are not all bleak: they have produced the most shots and the most touches in the opposition box in the division, yet they still have not kept a clean sheet.

For Michael Carrick, whose position has dominated the week's debate ahead of the trip to Leeds, this is the kind of fixture that either buys time or removes it altogether. Elland Road will not be in a forgiving mood.

Arsenal's City Ground test

Champions Arsenal travel to Nottingham Forest on Sunday evening knowing the City Ground has frustrated them before: the last two league meetings there finished goalless, and Forest have beaten Arsenal only once in their last 11 league encounters.

Forest will lean on Morgan Gibbs-White, who has created 17 chances this season — among the highest totals in the division — to unsettle an Arsenal side that cannot afford to lose ground on a City team threatening to disappear over the horizon.

The rest of the weekend

Saturday opens with Everton hosting Chelsea at 12:30, followed by Brentford against Liverpool, Fulham against Hull City and Newcastle United against Aston Villa in the evening game. On Sunday, Bournemouth face Sunderland and Brighton host Crystal Palace in the M23 derby, before Tottenham Hotspur, still searching for form near the bottom, close the weekend at home to Coventry City on Monday night.

So what does Matchweek 7 change?

If City win again and Arsenal slip at Forest, the title race risks becoming a procession before October is out — and the pressure on the chasing pack becomes about survival in the race, not winning it. At the other end of the story, a Leeds win on Sunday would leave United marooned in the bottom half with the Carrick debate turning into a decision, while a United win would be the result their manager has been promising the numbers point towards.

Beyond the Final Whistle: This is the weekend the table starts telling the truth. City's perfect start is either the start of a runaway title or the high point before reality bites — and at Elland Road, two clubs moving in opposite directions meet in a game that could define both their seasons. Our verdict: City make it seven, and Carrick faces his toughest week yet.

Can Leeds beat United at Elland Road for a famous derby win, or will United finally turn their shots into points? Tell us your Matchweek 7 predictions in the comments.