PREMIER LEAGUE PREDICTIONS: GAMEWEEK 13
- Andrew Corns
- Nov 23, 2018
- 4 min read
The return of the Premier League, finally! The international break is over and all 20 Premier League teams return to action this weekend. Andrew Corns is happy to be writing about football again, and he's back with his Premier League Predictions...
Watford v. Liverpool
Watford happily return home after two subpar away results though Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are not the side they want to see to turn things around.
Liverpool’s front three are still off the boil compared to last year but have done enough to earn most of the points and keep close to the Manchester City juggernaut.
Watford will test Alisson once or twice, but Liverpool’s improved defensive presence and overall attacking quality should see them get a goal before the half and add a second late in the game to seal the victory.
Expect another star performance from Xherdan Shaqiri who is becoming essential to Liverpool’s title challenge.
Prediction: 2-0 Liverpool
West Ham United v. Manchester City
Manchester City enter the weekend in sole position of first place in the league and are coming off a convincing derby win over rival, Manchester United.
They look almost unstoppable at this point with their talent level and depth in every position on the pitch.
The Hammers last match was a lacklustre draw at Huddersfield and it’ll be crucial that Manuel Pellegrini has his team motivated to get a result here against his former club.
All signs point to an inevitable City win, but I have a strange feeling West Ham catches them on the break once or twice and pulls off the shock result of earning a point.
Prediction: 2-2 Draw
Brighton v. Leicester City
Brighton have lost three in a row with last week’s defeat at Cardiff the most surprising of them.
They’ll be visited by a still grieving Leicester City team who will still be playing in honour of their fallen owner several weeks ago.
It’ll be a cagey affair and Leicester grab a very late game-tying goal to share the points.
Prediction: 1-1 Draw
Manchester United v. Crystal Palace
This Manchester United team still doesn’t make any sense to me.
They routinely underwhelm with their style of play and even though they’ve gotten victors over the likes of Bournemouth and Everton, it’s clear that they’re well off the pace of the top five clubs even if they’re only 4 points behind Arsenal.
Palace have endured a torturous schedule of late, running into Spurs, Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton.
Their schedule lightens up significantly after this game and though they’ll keep it respectable, United will show enough life to survive and claim another lacklustre win.
Prediction: 2-1 United
Fulham v. Southampton
Fulham come into the weekend dead last in the table, but have some renewed energy after the appointment of Claudio Ranieri.
This could prove a massive game in the fight for relegation with Southampton level on points with Cardiff in 16th/17th.
Giving Ranieri a full international break to work with his squad will do wonders and see Fulham earn their second victory of the year as they begin an arduous climb out of the danger zone.
Prediction: 2-1 Fulham
Everton v. Cardiff City
Cardiff have shown some signs of life with two wins in their last four matches. Both of those came at home though and their road record has left something to be desired.
They square off with an Everton side who have shown inconsistency but are still in the top half of the table and in a position to move closer to a European place if other results go their way.
They’ll prove too much for Cardiff and cruise to a routine clean sheet victory.
Prediction: 2-0 Everton
Tottenham v. Chelsea
The weekend’s marquee match pits the two London rivals against each other in a huge matchup with Champions League implications.
Chelsea need the points to continue being the foil in what feels like a two-horse raise for the title and Tottenham need the win to jump Chelsea and move into a more secure third place.
Matchups of this magnitude often fail to live up to expectations and I think this will be one of those games.
Chelsea will look to control the possession and tempo while Spurs will attempt to hold strong at the back and provide Harry Kane with the service to threaten Kepa. There’ll be several chances at both ends with a draw being the most likely scenario.
Prediction: 1-1 Draw
Bournemouth v. Arsenal
Spurs v. Chelsea will take top billing over the weekend, but my money is on this fixture offering the most entertainment from a neutral point of view.
Bournemouth’s free flowing style matches up perfectly with what Unai Emery has implemented in his first year in charge of Arsenal.
There won’t be a ton of defence on display and it’ll be a test of which midfield is able to dictate the pace better.
Bournemouth will score early and probably go up again later in the game giving the Gunners a scare, but Ozil and co. will produce a moment of magic near the end to see the game finish level.
Prediction: 2-2 Draw
Wolverhampton v. Huddersfield Town
Wolves have shown themselves to be a dangerous side and certainly one strong enough for a sustained run in the Premier League while Huddersfield continue to feel like they’re operating on borrowed time following last season’s miraculous survival.
They’re continually coached well and should give Wolves fits during stretches of the game.
The problem is it’s hard to see where Huddersfield score many goals and Wolves have shown a knack for finding ways to win when needed most.
They collect all three points albeit in a dogged manner.
Prediction: 1-0 Wolves
Burnley v. Newcastle United
Not many people would have predicted Burnley to be sitting below Newcastle in the table by this point in the year, but here we are.
Newcastle are coming off two impressive displays in beating Bournemouth and Watford while Burnley have far too often been a Jekyll/Hyde team with their defence being a shell of what it was last year.
Saying all of that, I don’t see Newcastle improving so much that they’re ready to win three in a row and Burnley’s home advantage will come into play as they grind out a win.
Prediction: 2-1 Burnley
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