Leicester City vs Chelsea
Odds: Leicester – 15/4 Draw – 11/4 Chelsea – 3/4
My Prediction:
I can see Chelsea dropping points here. Leicester have been good at creating big chances at home and with Chelsea being less potent in front of goal as of late with no Lukaku and Werner there’s a decent chance this game can be a draw. Leicester have been hard to predict this season but the return of Barnes will improve things plenty going forward and though Tielemans being out will be a big miss for them, I expect them to be more consistent now and that can start by getting a result in this one.
Leicester 1-1 Chelsea
Aston Villa vs Brighton
Odds: Villa – 29/20 Draw – 23/10 Brighton – 19/10
My Prediction:
Predicting first games for new managers can always be interesting but I can see Gerrard being the sort of manager who’ll give his team an immediate bounce through sheer force of personality. I like Villa to win this one since Brighton are nursing a few injuries and will be missing Sanchez in goal. Villa have the stronger squad of the 2 teams and the international break should give them some time to recuperate and work out what has been going wrong with performances.
Villa 2-0 Brighton
Burnley vs Crystal Palace
Odds: Burnley – 9/5 Draw – 11/5 Palace – 8/5
My Prediction:
Both teams are in pretty good form but I give the edge to Palace here. They’re a more talented squad and I believe they have the better manager of the sides. Vieira has made them more solid at the back in the last few games and with Gallagher and Zaha playing to a very high level, they’re a team to ride with until there’s an obvious collapse in form. Burnley have also improved as of late due to the emergence of Cornet and put in a gritty performance to get a draw against Chelsea but it felt more like a fortunate than deserved result and they may struggle in this one.
Burnley 0-2 Crystal Palace
Newcastle United vs Brentford
Odds: Newcastle – 13/8 Draw – 12/5 Brentford – 17/10
My Prediction:
This could be a mistake since the money is coming for Newcastle but Brentford look like good value here and I’d be surprised if they lost. They’ve been superior in the attacking and defensive side of things and only some poor finishing has stopped them from being in the top half at this point of the season. They’ve had time to recoup after 2 dreadful results and they normally have good gameplans away from home. Even though Eddie Howe should eventually improve Newcastle, it feels like he may have to start by playing a more defensive style of football and by trying to make them hard to beat but I’m concerned they lack the personnel right now for that style of football so until there’s a marked improvement, I’ll have to side with them to lose this one.
Newcastle 1-2 Brentford
Norwich City vs Southampton
Odds: Norwich – 13/5 Draw – 5/2 Southampton – 21/20
My Prediction:
Southampton are way too short a price here since I can’t see them scoring more than once and I’m going to take this game to be a 1-1 draw. Dean Smith is more Premier League savvy than Farke was and should provide a short term improvement though I still expect Norwich to go down in the long run. Southampton have clearly improved at the back as of late with back to back clean sheets but they’ve still given up 8 goals in their 5 away games and with Norwich being pretty solid at home when it comes to creating chances, they should be able to score at least once here and get a result.
Norwich 1-1 Southampton
Watford vs Manchester United
Odds: Watford – 11/2 Draw – 15/4 United – 9/20
My Prediction:
Watford have managed to be competitive in recent games barring the loss to Liverpool and I can see them getting a result here. United have been poor for a while and offered 0 resistance against Man City, they feel like they’re stuck in a limbo where they should be good enough for top 4 but are also a mile behind Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City. If you look deeper into the stats, United are only playing at the level of a mid table team right now and are only this short a price due to the names they have in their squad rather than performance. Watford having improved at the back under Ranieri can get a 1-1 draw out of this and maybe even win this game outright.
Watford 1-1 Man United
Wolves vs West Ham
Odds: Wolves – 2/1 Draw – 23/10 West Ham – 7/5
My Prediction:
This game has the potential to be higher scoring and it’s tough not to side with West Ham at the moment, they’ve been excellent away from home and they deserve to be where they are in the table. Wolves have lost their defensive solidity they were renowned for this season and though they’re capable of scoring, that sort of approach may leave them vulnerable against the top sides in the league with this game being an example. West Ham can squeeze through a good game with their edge in talent.
Wolves 2-3 West Ham
Liverpool vs Arsenal
Odds: Liverpool – 9/20 Draw – 15/4 Arsenal – 11/2
My Prediction:
Liverpool are clearly more talented than Arsenal but I can see them struggling here. They have a long injury list and their last 2 Premier League performances have been dreadful, especially at the back. Arsenal have built their team around being solid and physical at the back and if they can keep Liverpool down to 2 or less goals, they’ll fancy themselves to get a result here. They have Smith-Rowe and Saka in excellent form and this looks like a good opportunity for them to nick a result in a game they would normally expect to lose. I can see this being another high scoring sort of game and a 2-2 draw is the way to go for me.
Liverpool 2-2 Arsenal
Man City vs Everton
Odds: Man City – 1/7 Draw – 7/1 Everton – 18/1
My Prediction:
Everton are still heavily injured and I can’t see them being too competitive here. Man City were excellent in the Manchester derby and though they are vulnerable to the occasional wobble, Everton just lack the personnel right now to take advantage of it. This should be a very comfortable win for Man City and the sort of game that could be over by half time.
Man City 3-0 Everton
Tottenham vs Leeds United
Odds: Spurs – 7/10 Draw – 16/5 Leeds – 7/2
My Prediction:
There’s actually not too much between these sides on current form. If Bamford were fit I’d pick Leeds to win this game outright. I’m not convinced Conte has given this Spurs side an immediate bounce and I’m guessing they’re shortening since Kane looks like he’s back to form but he’s shown glimpses once or twice this season and then proceeded to have poor games after them. Leeds are making themselves tough to beat again and always look a threat when Raphinha is on the field. They can get a point here and an outright win would not be a surprise.
Spurs 1-1 Leeds
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