The Premier League features another round of exciting fixtures this weekend, and we’re approaching a particularly interesting portion of the season. With several teams featuring in European competitions, we may well witness a few upsets in the Premier League this month.Things have been heating up at both ends of the Premier League table. Manchester City and Arsenal have been the best teams in the competition so far, with the latter, in particular, proving their mettle against some of the league’s biggest names.
Liverpool have a massive game against Manchester City this weekend, and their Champions League performance comes as a massive boost. Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham are expected to win this weekend, and Liverpool cannot afford to drop points and fall further behind in the title race.
Leicester City and Nottingham Forest have had their struggles this season and have big games of their own this weekend. Here are my predictions for this weekend’s round of Premier League fixtures.
Brentford vs Brighton & Hove Albion
This is a big Premier League game for Brentford. They’re in one of those situations where they’re only a couple of bad results away from a serious slump. They have Chelsea at home on Wednesday and if they lose both these matches, you would start worrying for them.
Brentford were well beat by Arsenal and Newcastle. They failed to score against Bournemouth, who barely ever keep a clean sheet. Brentford are dangerously close to the relegation zone at the moment, and I’m backing Brighton to win this game.
Prediction: Brentford 1-2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Leicester City vs Crystal Palace
I was quite shocked with Leicester’s Premier League result last week – it was a poor result against Bournemouth. Crystal Palace, on the other hand, were not great in the first half against Leeds but managed to get a result in the end.
This is a big match for Brendan Rodgers, but I wouldn’t even talk about sacking him. You sack him at your own peril. I don’t have a clue who they can replace him with.
I thought Leicester would defeat Bournemouth last week and would kick on after that. I worry for them a little. This game’s a hard one to call, and I can’t see anything but goals this weekend.
Prediction: Leicester City 2-2 Crystal Palace
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Nottingham Forest
I was at Stamford Bridge to watch Wolves play against Chelsea in the Premier League the other day, and I’m a bit worried about what I saw. Wolves played a lot of good football, but they didn’t go anywhere with it. Every time Chelsea had a go, Wolves were so open.When Diego Costa does get match-fit, I think Wolves will do well. I don’t think they’ll go down this season, but they’ll need to sort a few things out. They’re decent going forward, but they’re poor at the back.Nottingham Forest are starting to show a little bit of what they’re capable of. I still think they’re going to get it right with Steve Cooper – the new contract nips speculation in the bud. Wolves have been a better team going forward, however, and should be able to win this game.Prediction: Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 Nottingham Forest
Fulham vs Bournemouth
This should be a really good game. Fulham have a bit of a brick wall, and Bournemouth are going the other way at the moment. If Bournemouth win, they’re virtually halfway to Premier League survival already.
If Fulham lose this match, you start to think they’re on a slippery slope. If they get a result, they’re back on again. I lot depends on whether Aleksandar Mitrovic is fit – I can’t tell you who’s going to win without that information. But I do think Mitrovic will play, so I’m backing Fulham to win this Premier League game.
Prediction: Fulham 2-1 Bournemouth
Tottenham Hotspur vs Everton
Tottenham are starting to click under Antonio Conte. They did well to stay where they are without Son Heung-Min. Now that he’s started to play regularly, I think they’ll do well. They haven’t played too well so far and they’re third in the Premier League – there’s nothing too wrong with that.
Teams like Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur need to keep their focus on the top four. Two big teams are going to miss out this season, and you don’t want to be one of them. They need to keep on ticking away and reassess after the World Cup. Tottenham have stepped up this month and should be able to win this Premier League game.
Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Everton
Southampton vs West Ham United
