Brentford VS Brighton
Friday Night Football sees Brentford host Brighton and Hove Albion at the Brentford Community Stadium. Brentford got absolutely smashed by Newcastle last week (5-1) and sit 11th in the table after 1 point from their last 3 games. Brighton suffered their first defeat under De Zerbi last week at home to Tottenham (0-1) and have dropped down to 7th in the table. In their last 12 meetings, Brighton have won half of the encounters whilst Brentford have won a third. Brighton won both games between the sides last season by an aggregate score of 3-0. For Brentford, they are ranked 2nd in big chances created this season but are only the 6th highest average scorers. They need to get a result in this game because their form hasn’t been very good recently. As for Brighton, they have also managed to average the same amount of goals per game as Brentford (1.8) and are the 5th best team away from home in the league. A chance to bounce back for the Seagulls.
My Prediction: 1-1
Leicester City VS Crystal Palace
BT Sport returns to its normal Saturday lunch time Kickoff slot as Leicester City host Crystal Palace at the King Power Stadium. Leicester were incredibly disappointing last week. They looked like they had sorted themselves out when they thrashed Nottingham Forest (4-0) but a loss to Bournemouth sort of diminishes that. Forest’s point on Monday means Leicester come into the weekend back at the bottom of the table. Crystal Palace had a very different result than their opponents though as they came from behind to beat Leeds United. The win was their first in the league since August 20th and they have now moved up to 15th. In the last 22 meetings between the two sides, Leicester have managed 9 wins to Palace’s 8. Leicester have won all 3 of the previous meetings at the King Power and in fact, they are unbeaten against the Eagles in their last six meetings home and away. For Leicester, they are ranked 8th in GPG (1.7) but their defence has been woeful (24 goals conceded = worst in the league). They need to start picking up wins and this game creates an opportunity for them. As for Crystal Palace, they are yet to win away from home in the Premier League and they aren’t going to get many better chances than the one on Saturday. A win for Palace would put them in a pretty good place.
My Prediction: 1-2
Fulham VS Bournemouth
After a great start to the season, Fulham are starting to struggle. They have lost their last 2 games by an aggregate total of 7-2 and have dropped down to 9th as a result of it (that’s still pretty respectable). Since Bournemouth lost 9-0 at Anfield, the Cherries have pulled off a 5-match unbeaten streak and the win at home to Leicester would have just made the whole team feel even better than before. Bournemouth sit in a pretty amazing 8th place in the Premier League table. In their last 7 meetings, Bournemouth have won 3 times whilst Fulham have only won once. In their 2 meetings in the Championship last season, both games finished 1-1 and Dominik Solanke scored in both. For Fulham, this is a great opportunity to get back to winning ways, but they need to try and be better in the defensive side of the pitch; they have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 8 matches. As for Bournemouth, they are a team that most people expected to go down and most people predict will lose each week, but the Cherries love that. Keep betting against them and they’ll just prove you wrong.
My Prediction: 1-2
Wolves VS Nottingham Forest
18th plays 19th in a must win game at the Molineux. Wolves lost again last week, this time away to Chelsea whilst Nottingham Forest earnt themselves a point at home to Aston Villa. In their last 11 games, Wolves have won 5 times whilst Notts Forest have won 4 times. Wolves won in their most recent meeting last season in the Carabao Cup (0-4). For Wolves, we know that they can’t score goals, but a big worry now comes with their defence. They used to know that they could almost guarantee points by keeping clean sheets but that’s change recently; they’ve conceded 8 goals in 3 games. If Wolves don’t win, they’re in serious trouble. As for Nottingham Forest, they haven’t won in their last 6 games, and they’ve lost their last 2 away games by an aggregate score of 10-0. Despite all of this, this is arguably their best chance to win a game in a while.
My Prediction: 1-0
Tottenham VS Everton
Tottenham have had a much better week this time around. They went to Brighton and pulled out a very impressive win (0-1) before they beat Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Champions League (3-2). The win against Brighton means they sit 3rd in the table. Everton were on a 7-game unbeaten run in all competitions but that ended last Sunday night at home to Manchester United (1-2). The loss means Everton sit 12th in the table. In their last 25 meetings, Spurs have won 10, Everton have won 5 and there has been 10 draws. Tottenham smashed Everton 5-0 in this fixture last season. For Tottenham, they are ranked 4th in GPG (2.2) and have an 100% record at home this season. It’s a game that they will be very disappointed if they don’t take all 3 points. As for Everton, they’ve earnt 5 points in their last 3 away games in the league and would love to get that up to 6 and maybe even 8. A thing that doesn’t get mentioned is the fact that Everton actually have the joint best defensive record in the league which is pretty crazy.
My Prediction: 2-0
Aston Villa VS Chelsea
In their last game, Aston Villa went to Nottingham and took home a point. It’s not a terrible result but it isn’t something that they should or will be celebrating about. Villa currently sit 16th in the league table and seriously need to improve. Chelsea have looked really good under Graham Potter and after a comfortable 3-0 win at home to Wolves, they went to the San Siro and beat AC Milan by 2 goals to nil. Chelsea sit 4th in the table with a game in hand over the top 3. In the last 20 games between Aston Villa and Chelsea, the blues have won 65% of them whilst Villa have only won 15%. Villa’s last win over Chelsea came on the last day of the 2020/21 season. For Aston Villa, they are unbeaten in their last 4 games, but they are also the second lowest scorers which is a concern (7 from 9). As for Chelsea, they have picked up 13 points out of 15 under Graham Potter in all competitions and they should be making it 16. Also, they are ranked 10th in GPG (1.6).
My Prediction: 0-3
Leeds VS Arsenal
Leeds United have really struggled recently. Last week, they were ahead at Crystal Palace but ended up losing the game 2-1. They sit 14th in the table but a positive for the Leeds fans is the fact that they have a game in hand. Arsenal are still top of the Premier League after beating Liverpool 3-2 at home last week. It was a great result for them and they’ve since beat Bodo/Glimt in the UEFA Europa League. Leeds have failed to win any of their last 9 games against Arsenal whilst the Gunners have managed 7 victories. Their last win over Arsenal actually came all the way back in 2003. For Leeds, they haven’t won a single game in their last 5 matches, but they are also unbeaten in their last 8 home games. It would be a great result if they extended the unbeaten streak at home. As for Arsenal, they are the second highest scorers in the league, have the best away record in the league and have won all of their last 6 games in all competitions. A very, very good team.
My Prediction: 1-3
Manchester United VS Newcastle
In an incredibly exciting matchup, Manchester United host Newcastle United at Old Trafford. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 700th club goal last week which ended up giving Manchester United all 3 points at Everton and they just about got the win over Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League last night. United currently sit 5th in the table. After failing to win in 6 league games, Newcastle have reeled off 2 wins with an aggregate score of 9-2. The two wins mean Newcastle sit 6th in the Premier League. In their last 23 meetings, Manchester United have won 10 more times than Newcastle (14-4). Newcastle’s last win at Old Trafford came all the way back in 2013. For Man U, they have won 5 times in their last 6 Premier League games and are very close to finding themselves sitting in the UEFA Champions League places. They would definitely be disappointed if they lost this game. As for Newcastle, they are ranked 5th in GPG (1.9) and have the joint best defense in the league (9 goals conceded). Newcastle are showcasing how good they are and a win here would be one of their best yet under their new owners.
My Prediction: 2-2
Southampton VS West Ham
Southampton went to the Etihad last week knowing that it was going to be very tough and came out on the end of a 4-0 loss. Southampton are currently 17th, just 1 point ahead of the relegation zone. West Ham have had another good week. They beat Fulham 3-1 at home last week and they then beat Anderlecht last night (2-1). After a very tough start, they now find themselves in 13th place but they are definitely aiming to move higher up. In their last 23 meetings, West Ham have won 43% of them whilst the Saints have won 30%. In the last 3 league meetings at the St. Mary’s Stadium, there has only been 1 goal which doesn’t fill you with much hope for an exciting game this Sunday. For Southampton, they have lost their last 4 games and have only managed 1 goal. They also have the second worst home record in the entire league. As for West Ham, they have won all of their last 4 games (in all competitions) and they also have the 5th best defense in the league which is really good. This game is a great opportunity for West Ham to move higher up the table.
My Prediction: 0-2
Liverpool VS Manchester City
Liverpool suffered a loss away from home against Arsenal and that now means that this is potentially the biggest game that Liverpool will have all season. They come in with a bit of confidence though as they put 7 past Rangers at Ibrox last Wednesday. They currently sit 10th in the Premier League table. Manchester City pulled out another big win at home to Southampton last week (4-0) but failed to get a goal in a nil-nil draw in Copenhagen. They still sit second in the table. In their last 34 meetings, Liverpool have won 14 times whilst Manchester City have only won 8. Both of their league games last year finished 2 all. For Liverpool, they haven’t won a Premier League game since August and that needs to change this weekend if they want to stay in the Premier League title race. They have averaged 2.5 goals per game though so they can definitely score. As for Man City, they are the only unbeaten team left in the league and they have averaged 3.7 goals per game which is just ridiculous. A win for City will really showcase them as the team to beat but a draw isn’t a bad result.
Comments