Sunday, October 6, was the last time the English Premier League matches were played, but they will be returning this weekend. If you remember well, the last notable EPL included Aston Villa against Manchester United, which ended in a scoreless tie, continuing Erik ten Hag’s poor third-season record as the club’s manager. Chelsea’s match with Nottingham Forest ended 1-1, and Brighton secured a 3-2 victory over Tottenham, with the third goal coming from 33-year-old forward Danny Welbeck, a former Arsenal player.
But then, the EPL went on pause. The league has been stopped for a while to allow time for players to represent their nations in various competitions, such as the UEFA Nations League, CONCACAF Nations League, and the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 Qualifications, in preparation for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted in Canada, Mexico, and the USA.
As the top level of professional football in England, the Premier League was paused because many of its players feature in the national teams of countries like Wales, Uruguay, Brazil, Cameroon, France, Belgium, Italy, and Sweden, among others.
> Cameroon Football Team Beats Kenya by 4-1
Just to mention, Mikel Arteta, the manager of Premier League club Arsenal, said 11 of his players were called up for international duty. Bruno Guimarães of Newcastle United and Manchester City’s goalkeeper Ederson were in Brazil’s starting lineup against Peru today, and Andre Onana, Manchester United’s first-choice goalie, played every minute of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier that saw Cameroon beat Kenya 4-1 and 1-0 over two legs, played at home at the Japoma Stadium in Douala and away at the Mandela National Stadium.
Now, the EPL will be returning after the international break. Here are all the upcoming games for this weekend:
Premier League fixtures this weekend today
The Premier League will return with an exciting London derby at 2:30 PM as Tottenham Hotspur hosts West Ham United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the largest club stadium in London with a capacity of 62,850. Here are all the scheduled games:
Saturday 19th October
* Kick-offs are in East Africa Time
1. Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham United – 2:30 PM
2. Fulham vs Aston Villa – 5:00 PM
3. Ipswich Town vs Everton – 5:00 PM
4. Manchester United vs Brentford – 5:00 PM
5. Newcastle United vs Brighton & Hove Albion – 5:00 PM
6. Southampton vs Leicester City – 5:00 PM
7. AFC Bournemouth vs Arsenal – 7:30 PM
Sunday 20th October
8. Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester City – 4:00 PM
9. Liverpool vs Chelsea – 6:30 PM
In total, there are nine EPL matches to be played this weekend.
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