FINALLY, the international break is behind us! The Premier League is back. We all know what that means. Yes, you got it! Andrew Corns is back again with his weekly predictions...
Fulham v. Manchester City
Andrew
Manchester City kick off the weekend’s fixtures with the chance to return to the summit of the Premier League and put pressure on Liverpool who host Tottenham on Sunday.
Fulham are 13 points from safety and close to being mathematically out of their fight for safety. This is one of the biggest mismatches of the season and given the form many of the City players are in, they will make quick work of the Cottagers.
My money is on Raheem Sterling to continue his superb run during the international break and cause havoc early and often.
Prediction: 3-0 City
Dan
For as much as I will hope this will be a good match, I don’t see how Fulham are going to be able to keep up with the pace that Man City has been flowing with.
City are just too good to drop points here. A good time to showcase some of the Fulham rentals and see if they can get value back out of them.
Prediction: 4-1 City
Crystal Palace v. Huddersfield Town
Andrew
If things look bleak for Fulham, imagine how Huddersfield supporters must feel. They are 16 points adrift from safety and could be officially relegated by next weekend.
Crystal Palace aren’t sitting as comfortably as they’d like this late in the season but have more than enough talent to flirt too much with disaster.
It wouldn’t shock me if Huddersfield come out swinging and go up by a goal before Crystal Palace impose their will on an inferior side and outmuscle them to a comfortable win.
Prediction: 3-1 Palace
Dan
I just wish for Huddersfield to enjoy their time for these last seven matches. For them to sneak out of relegation is near impossible at this point so it’s time to have fun and use these matches to focus attention on some of the players they feel should stay at the Premier level.
They might be able to get some good value for them. As for Crystal Palace, they should easily win this match and focus on what they have coming up.
Prediction: 3-1 Palace
Leicester City v. Bournemouth
Andrew
Three points separate these two sides as both are comfortably in mid-table with a decent chance to challenge for that coveted seventh-place finish.
Both managers will have their team set up to attack and that bodes well for every neutral looking for an open and exciting match.
Chances will be frequent, and the ball will end up in the back of the net quite a few times. It’s a coin flip for me. Without much to separate them, I take the easy way out and go with the draw.
Prediction: 2-2 Draw
Dan
It’s so late in the season and these are so evenly matched that I’m tempted to just call this a draw and move on, but somewhere deep inside me, I like the style that Bournemouth plays with.
Leicester on the other hand, also have been playing well together and deserve a win too, since Brendan Rodgers' appointment.
Prediction: 2-2 Draw
Manchester United v. Watford
Andrew
Some of the love around Ole Gunnar’s time in charge of Manchester United cooled off after they were outplayed and beaten by Arsenal in their last league match and Wolves in the FA Cup.
They’re still a talented bunch and while Watford have punched above their weight on more than one occasion this season, the atmosphere and noise at Old Trafford could prove too much.
Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Co. bombard Watford’s back line and open the scoring around the 20-minute mark.
From there, United can control possession and limit Watford’s chances as they secure the clean sheet and earn a big win in their battle to overtake Arsenal for fourth-place.
Prediction: 2-0 United
Dan
I like what Watford can do, but since United are at home, I would have given United the slight edge. But I just WANT Watford to win this one.
Prediction: 2-1 Watford
Burnley v. Wolverhampton
Andrew
It’s impossible to overstate just how impressive Wolves’ season has been and they’ll be hard pressed to match this level of success next season.
Burnley on the other hand, have endured a torrid season after their unprecedented seventh-place finish last year and could face relegation which none of their fans expected.
Turf Moor will be alive for this, knowing they need to work hard to inspire their club to see out a positive result against difficult opposition.
Wolves will be favourites based on form, but Burnley have significantly more on the line. That along with the home advantage allows them to manage a point in the end.
Prediction: 1-1 Draw
Dan
Burnley face a tough Wolves team who continue to impress me week after week even if their current stretch of league matches isn’t that great.
This will be one of the matches to keep an eye on, I expect a great back and forth.
Prediction: 3-1 Wolves
Brighton v. Southampton
Andrew
There’s a case to be made that this matchup has the most on the line over the weekend with both sides only a few points from the bottom three and a win offering a massive chance for cushion as points get harder to come by with the season winding down.
I honestly don’t see much difference between the two sides and will have to favour the team with the better manager (who are also at home).
Brighton squeeze out a narrow, tightly contested win in a match that will have supporters biting their nails until the final whistle.
Prediction: 2-1 Brighton
Dan
I feel like Southampton are still the better team in this one but playing at Turf Moor could be a tough one for the Saints. Brighton will look good in their kits and win this one.
Prediction: 3-1 Brighton
West Ham United v. Everton
Andrew
Another match this weekend between two mid-table teams that are essentially jockeying for position and looking to claim seventh.
Everton looked great in their last match, a win over floundering Chelsea, but their away form doesn’t give me much confidence they can duplicate that performance.
West Ham have proved a tough out matchup for clubs big and small this season and can explode offensively if given space.
This should be an enjoyable encounter between two evenly matched teams. I must give a slight edge to the Hammers who will have the home support behind them.
Prediction: 2-1 West Ham
Dan
West Ham and Everton are evenly matched up in this fixture, so I must give the edge to West Ham.
Two early goals from each team and them the Hammers will put one away in the final minutes.
Prediction: 2-1 West Ham
Cardiff City v. Chelsea
Andrew
Would it shock anyone if Chelsea were to drop more points in this one? I’m starting to sense that Blues supporters are coming to grips with their team’s weaknesses and the very realistic possibility they’ll finish outside the top four, lose key stars over the summer and again must be on the hunt for a new manager.
Cardiff have it all to play for in this one as they’re two points from safety and will be desperate to come away with a result.
Chelsea may be teetering on the edge of crisis still, but I think their quality proves too much for Cardiff to handle. It’ll be closer than some anticipate, but Chelsea earn a scrappy win.
Prediction: 2-1 Chelsea
Dan
A recurring theme today, but I can’t help it. Cardiff need the points and they need them bad, but they will have their hands full with Chelsea.
Chelsea haven’t looked the greatest at multiple time in the season, so can today be another slip up. I wish, but cannot predict it.
Prediction: 2-1 Chelsea
Liverpool v. Tottenham
Andrew
Easily the marquee fixture of the weekend with three points meaning so much to both sides. Liverpool can expect to enter Anfield on Sunday a point behind Manchester City making it imperative that they walk away with a win given City still have a crucial game in hand.
Tottenham have seen their domestic hopes unravel and what once looked like an outside shot at the Premier League has quickly turned into a nervy battle to stay in a Champions League place for next season.
If this match was played before the international break when Spurs were trending down and Liverpool were in sync, I’d have given the nod to the hosts.
Things tend to get tricky the weekend after an international break though and what has the makings of a pleasing 90 minutes of football on the eyes can expect to be disjointed with most players working to get back in a rhythm.
Intensity will be high for everyone on the pitch and the decibel level coming from the Kop will be at a fever pitch.
That atmosphere always has the potential to turn into anxiety though and if Liverpool fall behind and must chase the game, we could be in for a wild finish.
I see Spurs jumping out in front from some sort of fluky goal which draws Liverpool out and puts the visitors on their heels.
A Sadio Mane equaliser comes midway through the second-half and each team walks away slightly disappointed as they only come away with a point.
Prediction: 1-1 Draw
Dan
Tottenham, what is going on? A team that had such good form at the beginning of the season is starting to show fatigue.
Not having enough on your bench is really hurting them this season. If they really want to compete, they need to help themselves this summer and sign some talent. Liverpool will just be too much.
Prediction: 3-0 Liverpool
Arsenal v. Newcastle United
Andrew
Arsenal have been cruising in recent weeks and are in pole position to land the coveted fourth-place finish (maybe even climbing to third) given the relative ease of their remaining schedule.
Newcastle have done well this season in avoiding major concerns over relegation and have proven a difficult matchup against most stop six clubs.
Rafa Benitez will always have his side well drilled and in a strong defensive shape, but the problem is the number of weapons Arsenal have in attack and the myriad ways they can put the ball in the back of the net.
They’ll work hard to break the deadlock but find life easier once in front and get the victory.
Prediction: 2-0 Arsenal
Dan
Arsenal have only dropped points in one of their previous five matches, and that was to the Spurs.
I believe that will continue this weekend also. They just have too much for Newcastle to handle.
Prediction: 2-1 Arsenal
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