Crystal Palace VS Brentford
Crystal Palace host Brentford in an exciting 7.30pm Kick-off. Crystal Palace will have mixed feelings coming into this game after their game with Manchester City. They would have been delighted with the effort they put in but to lose a 2-goal lead is always going to be frustrating no matter who you play. They still sit 12th in the table whilst Brentford are a point ahead of them in 10th. Brentford drew 1-1 at home to Everton in a game they probably should have won given the chances they created. In head-to-head meetings, both of their competitive matchups ended up in goalless draws. Crystal Palace have been pretty good in front of goal and that has definitely been helped by Eberechi Eze. He has been superb so far this season and Palace fans will hope it continues all season. Zaha being out injured is a loss, but they will have to get on with it. As for Brentford, they are 4th place in goals scored this season whilst Goalkeeper David Raya is ranked 2nd place in saves per match so far in the Premier League. Hopefully, there should be some goals in this game for once.
Prediction: 2-1
Fulham VS Brighton
Fulham come into this game after suffering their first league defeat of the season last weekend away to Arsenal. Fulham will still be pretty happy with their start of the season, and they sit 11th place with 5 points. As for Brighton, they got another good result when they beat Leeds 1-0 and they sit 4th in the table with 10 points. In head-to-head meetings since 2014, Brighton have won 5 games, Fulham have won 4 and there have been 3 draws. Their last two meetings have both ended in 0-0 draws which seems to be a recurring theme for tonight’s games. The last time that Brighton got a victory against Fulham was back in the 2017 in the Championship. Fulham will have belief that they can win the game and Aleksandar Mitrovic is always a threat. Brighton, on the other hand, have been excellent in defence and this shows with only 1 goal conceded so far. They are also unbeaten in their last 6 away games, but they do struggle in week games. In their 7-week games last season, they didn’t win any and lost 4 of them. Best game tonight in my opinion.
Prediction: 1-1
Southampton VS Chelsea
Southampton sit 13th in the table after losing 1-0 at home to Manchester United, whilst Chelsea sits 6th after a positive bounce back win at home to Leicester. In head-to-head meeting since 2013, Chelsea have won 57% of their games whilst Southampton have only won 13% of their matchups. Southampton’s last victory against Chelsea came on boxing day back in 2019 at Stamford Bridge. Southampton have struggled defensively this season which could be a problem for them. Luckily though, Chelsea haven’t been particularly amazing in front of goal but will be very confident that they can get the victory tonight.
Prediction: 0-3
Leeds VS Everton
5th place Leeds host 18th place Everton tonight at Elland Road. Despite both teams ending the season in the same way, they have both started very differently this year. Leeds come into the game after their first defeat of the season away to Brighton whilst Everton conceded late on to draw away from home against Brentford. In their recent Premier League meetings, Everton have won 2 games, Leeds have won 1 and there has been 1 draw. These teams are both suffering with injuries which is probably hurting them, certainly in Everton’s case. A win tonight for Leeds would keep up their great start to the season and they have a good chance as they are unbeaten in their last 6 home games. As for Everton, they need to start picking up points fast and a big issue for them has been their goal scoring as they’ve only managed 3 goals. Losing Dominic Calvert-Lewin doesn’t help that though. Neal Maupay could potentially make his debut for the Toffees after arriving from Brighton.
Prediction: 2-0
Bournemouth VS Wolves
A battle between two of the bottom teams in the league takes place as Bournemouth host Wolves at the Vitality Stadium. Bournemouth sit just above the relegation zone in 17th place after a 9-0 defeat away to Liverpool. Over their last 3 league games, they have on aggregate, lost 16-0 and this has seen Scott Parker get the sack. As for Wolves, they did alright against Newcastle, but they made mistakes and could have lost because of them. They need to get a result tomorrow as otherwise Bruno Lage could be joining Scott Parker in the near future. In head-to-head meetings, Wolves have won 50% of their games whilst Bournemouth have won 33% of them. Bournemouth have actually never beaten Wolves in the Premier League so that is something they will be aiming to change. Raul Jimenez tends to play well against the Cherries, he has scored in every match he has played against them. For Bournemouth, they will attempt to build some confidence back into the team after a tough couple of days, weeks even. Wolves also need to get a win here as otherwise you’d question when the first victory is even going to come. Both teams struggle to score goals which could mean the game is quite dull.
Prediction: 0-1
Arsenal VS Aston Villa
Two teams with very differing seasons so far. Arsenal have been excellent; they sit top of the table as the only team with an 100% record. Fulham proved a tougher test for Mikel Arteta’s men, but they still got the result which is all that matters in the end. Aston Villa, on the other hand, sit 15th in the table with just 1 win and 3 losses. Their loss to West Ham was a poor one when you consider that this was a weaker West Ham side than seasons’ prior. They have played each other 20 times since the 2010/11 season and Arsenal have won 14 of them compared to Villa’s five. Villa’s last win at the Emirates came in 2020 where they dismantled the Gunners in a 3-0 thrashing. I would be surprised if that result happens again tomorrow though. Arsenal are the third highest scorers this season and have the second-best defence. They have also won every game this season and that includes preseason. They will be aiming for 5 in a row that’s for sure. Aston Villa have struggled, and I don’t see it changing tomorrow night. They haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last 7 games which isn’t great and it’s getting to a point where Steven Gerrard’s job isn’t that safe.
Prediction: 3-1
Manchester City VS Nottingham Forest
Manchester City host Nottingham Forest in a potentially high scoring encounter. Man City have started the season well and will hope that Erling Haaland can continue his great form after the Norwegian striker scored a hattrick on the weekend to get City the 3 points. Notts Forest lost 2-0 at home to Spurs on Sunday and will be nervous about this game but will be glad to be back playing the top teams. City and Forest haven’t played each other since 2009 so this will be a new matchup for some fans. City are level with Liverpool for the most goals so far this season in the Premier League and you can understand why when they have Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva putting the ball into Erling Haaland. They will hope for a big result. As for Forest, they have struggled to score so far this season, but they have been pretty decent defensively. Dean Henderson has averaged the most saves per match so far in the Premier League and he will probably be very busy tomorrow. This could be a tough watch for the Forest fans.
Prediction: 3-0
West Ham VS Tottenham
The second London derby of the week comes as West Ham United host Tottenham Hotspur. West Ham got a very important first victory away to Aston Villa, but it may be even more important to try and keep it up. It will be a tough ask though as they face a Tottenham side who are sitting in third place and are in a really good run of form. Since the 2010/11 season, Spurs have won 46% of their matchups whilst West Ham have won 38%. West Ham have won the last 2 meetings at the London Stadium. West Ham are yet to score at home and have lost both of those game 2-0. They will really be hoping that they can avoid that result this time and get some more points on the board. Spurs have been really good so far this season and they come into this game unbeaten in their last 10 away games. They will certainly be hoping that that stretches to 11.
Prediction: 0-2
Liverpool VS Newcastle
Liverpool host Newcastle in what is arguably the most exciting matchup in gameweek 5. Liverpool sits in 9th place after their 9-0 decimation of Bournemouth whilst Newcastle come in after a hard-fought draw at the Molineux. Since the 2010/11 season, Liverpool have won 55% of their meetings compared to Newcastle’s 18%. Newcastle haven’t actually beaten Liverpool since the end of 2015 where Georginio Wijnaldum scored against his future club. Liverpool have scored the most goals so far this season and will look to build on their 9-0 win with another victory. As for Newcastle, they haven’t lost in 7 games, but it will be very tough for them, especially when they don’t have Callum Wilson, Allan Saint-Maximin and Bruno Guimaraes due to injury. Should be a good game though
Prediction: 3-1
Leicester VS Manchester United
The only Thursday Night matchup sees Leicester City host Manchester United at the King Power Stadium. Leicester City sit bottom of the table on just 1 point after another defeat, this time away to Chelsea. Manchester United are doing what Leicester wish they were doing which is moving up the table. United have won their last two games and now sit 8th in the table because of it. In head-to-head meetings, Man United have won 9 games compared to Leicester’s 4. There have also been 5 draws. Leicester have won the last two meetings between the two sides at the King Power so that should give the Foxes some confidence. Leicester are ranked 17th in shots on target per match yet are ranked 7th in goals per game which is pretty impressive. Leicester needs to get a result as being winless after 5 games isn’t going to give them a great chance of securing European football come the end of the season. A win for United however, would be a massive boost to the team and already a massive improvement on how they started the season. A loss would be very disappointing, however.
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