Gameweek 5 2026/27 preview: what the fifth round decides
By Arasi Rex · Updated 10 August 2026 · 8 min read
Gameweek 5 of the 2026/27 Premier League season runs from Friday 18 September to Sunday 20 September 2026, and the fixture that matters most is not the one the schedule has dressed for the occasion. Fulham v Man Utd closes the round on Sunday at 16:30 with third place on the road, yet the round's real six-pointer is Leeds v Crystal Palace, the only fixture on the card that pairs two clubs from last season's bottom five. Leeds finished 14th on 47 points, Palace 15th on 45, two points apart and both within eight of the 39-point survival line that sent West Ham down. They meet in the Saturday 15:00 block where nobody will call it a six-pointer, and the winner banks three points against a direct rival in the mini-league that decides who goes down.
Gameweek 5 2026/27 fixtures: the full round
The round spreads across three days: one Friday night game, seven on Saturday and two on Sunday. Here is the full fixture list.
| Date | Kickoff (BST) | Fixture |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 18 Sep | 20:00 | Brentford v Chelsea |
| Sat 19 Sep | 12:30 | Spurs v Aston Villa |
| Sat 19 Sep | 15:00 | Everton v Ipswich Town |
| Sat 19 Sep | 15:00 | Leeds v Crystal Palace |
| Sat 19 Sep | 15:00 | Man City v Sunderland |
| Sat 19 Sep | 15:00 | Newcastle v Hull City |
| Sat 19 Sep | 15:00 | Brighton v Arsenal |
| Sat 19 Sep | 17:30 | Nott'm Forest v Coventry City |
| Sun 20 Sep | 14:00 | Bournemouth v Liverpool |
| Sun 20 Sep | 16:30 | Fulham v Man Utd |
The season runs 33 weekend rounds and 5 midweek rounds from 21 August 2026 to 30 May 2027, and the Friday night opener has told its own story across the opening rounds. Round one began with the champions at home, Arsenal against Coventry City. Round two opened with the runners-up away, Crystal Palace against Man City. Round three handed the slot to a promoted side, Ipswich Town against Liverpool. There was no Friday game in round four, and now round five serves up Brentford against Chelsea: the first opener this season with neither champions, runners-up nor a promoted club involved. The billing has drifted from the top of the table to its exact middle, which is a statement in itself. Our Gameweek 4 preview covered the round that broke the Friday night pattern.
Leeds v Crystal Palace: the round's real six-pointer
Leeds finished 14th on 47 points with 11 wins, 14 draws and 13 defeats, and no club drew more matches last season apart from Bournemouth with 18. Crystal Palace finished 15th on 45 with 11 wins, 12 draws and 15 defeats. Two points separate them, and the line they are both measuring themselves against is the 39 that sent West Ham down: Leeds finished eight above it, Palace six.
That is why this is the round's six-pointer and not the Sunday showpiece. Every other fixture in Gameweek 5 features at least one club from last season's top half or a promoted side. Leeds v Palace features neither, which makes it the only meeting of two bottom-five clubs on the card. They spent last season in the same fight, they finished one place and two points apart, and the loser hands a direct rival three points in the mini-league that decides who goes down. This is not a game that settles the title. It decides which of two clubs that nearly got dragged into the relegation fight last season gets to put distance on the other.
Fulham v Man Utd: the showpiece with a losing record
The round's headline is Fulham against Man Utd, the traditional Sunday closing slot with third place at Craven Cottage. The numbers make it stranger than the billing. Fulham finished 11th on 52 points with 15 wins and 16 defeats, the highest-placed club in the division with more defeats than wins. United finished third on 71 but conceded 50 goals, the most of any top-four club. Both clubs reached their positions the same way: United's season was built on out-scoring a defence that leaked 50, and Fulham won 15 games while losing 16, a record that reads like a coin toss rather than a plan.
The promoted clubs get their winnable week
The opening rounds handed the promoted clubs the fixture list from hell. Coventry City, back in the top flight after 25 years, have faced the champions and the runners-up. Hull City have faced the third- and fourth-placed clubs. Ipswich Town have faced a top-seven side and then United and Liverpool. Gameweek 5 is the first round this season where all three meet sides from last season's bottom half: Coventry travel to Nott'm Forest, 16th on 44; Hull go to Newcastle, 12th on 49; Ipswich travel to Everton, 13th on 49.
These are the fixtures the promoted clubs were promoted to win, and the sharpest of the three is at the City Ground. Forest finished 16th with 44 points, five above the survival line, and lost 16 games; no club hosting a promoted side this round finished closer to the drop. A promoted club taking points off Forest directly cuts into the cushion of an incumbent who nearly went down, which is what makes this meeting the quietest important game on the card. Our guide to the promoted clubs in 2026/27 explains how the trio came up.
The engine room of the round
Between the six-pointer and the showpiece sits the traffic that decides where the table bulges. Spurs, 17th on 41, host Aston Villa, 4th on 65, a 24-point gap between the club closest to the survival line and the club that took fourth. Man City host Sunderland, the division's 77-goal top scorers against the side that finished 7th on 54. Brighton, 8th on 53, host the champions Arsenal, whose 27 goals conceded were the fewest in the division, and Bournemouth host Liverpool with three points between 6th and 5th, the gap that decides the European places. The Friday night opener is the quietest headline of all: Brentford and Chelsea sit one point apart on 53 and 52, both with 14 wins, and the showpiece slot has gone to two mid-table clubs for the first time this season.
FPL and the Gameweek 5 deadline
The round opens on Friday night, so the FPL deadline lands before the 20:00 BST kickoff of Brentford v Chelsea, and any transfer made after that game starts counts for Gameweek 6, not this one. The season's chip rules are unchanged: the first chip set must be used before the gameweek 19 deadline of 13:30 GMT on Saturday 2 January 2027 and cannot be carried over, while up to five free transfers can be rolled forward.
What Gameweek 5 really decides
Nobody settles the title in September, and Gameweek 5 is the round where the table starts to take a shape you can argue with. Leeds v Palace decides which bottom-five club has the momentum in the survival mini-league, and Forest v Coventry decides whether the promoted clubs can take points off the incumbents who nearly went down. The Friday night opener tells you whether two of the most similar clubs in the division can separate themselves, and Fulham v Man Utd tells you how far a 19-point gap has grown. The game that decides the most, though, is the one that will not be on anyone's watchlist. Gameweek 5 belongs to the 15:00 kickoffs.
Key takeaways
- Gameweek 5 runs Friday 18 September to Sunday 20 September 2026, opening with Brentford v Chelsea at 20:00 BST and closing with Fulham v Man Utd at 16:30 BST.
- Leeds v Crystal Palace is the round's real six-pointer: the only meeting of two of last season's bottom five, with Leeds 14th on 47 and Palace 15th on 45, two points apart.
- Fulham finished 11th with 15 wins and 16 defeats, the highest-placed club in the division with a losing record, while Man Utd conceded 50, the most of any top-four club.
- Gameweek 5 is the first round where all three promoted clubs face last season's bottom half: Coventry at Forest, Hull at Newcastle, Ipswich at Everton.
- The FPL Gameweek 5 deadline falls before Friday night's 20:00 BST kickoff, with the season's chip and free transfer rules unchanged.
FAQ
When is Gameweek 5 of the 2026/27 Premier League season?
From Friday 18 September to Sunday 20 September 2026, opening with Brentford v Chelsea at 20:00 BST and closing with Fulham v Man Utd at 16:30 BST.
Which Gameweek 5 fixture should I watch?
Leeds v Crystal Palace. It is the only meeting of two of last season's bottom five, with the clubs two points apart and both within eight of the 39-point survival line. For the billing, Fulham v Man Utd on Sunday at 16:30.
Who do the promoted clubs play in Gameweek 5?
Coventry City travel to Nott'm Forest, Hull City travel to Newcastle, and Ipswich Town travel to Everton. It is the first round this season where all three promoted clubs face sides from last season's bottom half.
When is the FPL Gameweek 5 deadline?
Before the 20:00 BST kickoff on Friday 18 September, since Brentford v Chelsea opens the round. Transfers made after that kickoff count for Gameweek 6.