Brentford vs. Bournemouth
Let’s give Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola some credit. Their recent results have been nothing short of staggering. Despite early-season struggles against relegation candidates Southampton and Leicester, losing both games 1-0, they now have made a remarkable turnaround. They are unbeaten in their last three games, recording victories against titans Manchester City and Arsenal, and drawing 1-1 against a high-flying Aston Villa. Iraola led the Cherries to their highest-ever league finish last season, and so far looks good on improving even more.
Brentford, meanwhile, are looking to return to winning ways after losing to Fulham 2-1 last weekend. Winger Bryan Mbuemo has been on fire for the Bees so far this season, scoring eight goals and being tied for second-highest goalscorer in the Premier League. The momentum is all with Bournemouth right now, however.
Result Prediction: Brentford 1-2 Bournemouth
Crystal Palace vs. Fulham
Crystal Palace are in danger of relegation, but there are signs that they are beginning to claw their way out — one scrappy result at a time. Last weekend, a 2-2 result against Wolverhampton on top of a win at home vs. Tottenham proved that things may be beginning to turn around at Selhurst Park. They will be facing a Fulham side who have had an encouraging start to the season, despite hiccups against Everton and Aston Villa. American Antonee Robinson, who has been in fantastic form for Fulham, will be a major threat running down the left wing.
Result Prediction: Crystal Palace 1-1 Fulham
West Ham United vs. Everton
14th place West Ham take on 16th place Everton. Both teams lost last weekend, so they will be eager to make amends. West Ham have won the last two in a row at the London Stadium, although they have not kept a clean sheet in the last fourteen games at home. Manager Julen Lopetegui may be in trouble if the Hammers produce another lackluster performance. He has spent 150 million pounds on transfers and patience may finally be running out for the Spanish gaffer.
Everton started the season badly. They have started to rebound, but took another step back last weekend losing 1-0 to a dismal Southampton side. The Toffees have lost their last three games in London with an aggregate scoreline of 12-1, showing that they struggle immensely in the capital.
Result Prediction: West Ham 1-1 Everton
Wolverhampton vs. Southampton
The respective 19th and 20th-place sides face off in a bottom-of-the-barrel matchup that will be major in the relegation battle this season. Wolves have drawn the last two games, but still have not managed to record a single win all season. They have tried their best every single match to get a win, playing excellent football at times. It is the worst start to a Premier League season for any team in nearly thirty years, although they have been extremely unlucky.
Southampton meanwhile snapped their record of 22 games without a win, defeating Everton 1-0 last weekend. Although that will surely buoy them, we can see Wolves finally recording their first win of the season here.
Result Prediction: Wolverhampton 1-0 Southampton
Brighton vs. Manchester City
Is it panic stations at Manchester City? Two defeats in a row (three if you count the 4-1 Champions League loss on Wednesday) against Bournemouth and Tottenham will not do much to calm the nerves at the Etihad. They are desperately missing their Ballon d’Or winner Rodri who is out for the season, and Kevin de Bruyne is in a race to be fit in time for this game. Despite that, they are currently 2nd in the table and are tipped by many pundits to win the league this season.
Brighton is coming off two straight losses against Liverpool — 3-2 EFL Cup midweek and then 2-1 last weekend in the Premier League. In Brighton’s last 14 Premier League games against Manchester City, they have not kept a single clean sheet. Having said that, they are unbeaten at home this season and their 31-year-old manager Fabian Hürzeler has impressed at the South Coast club, propelling them into the conversation for Europe qualification.
The Amex Stadium will be rocking, as the crowd knows that City are vulnerable and they can do against them what they failed to do versus Liverpool.
Result Prediction: Brighton 2-2 Manchester City
Liverpool vs. Aston Villa
Suddenly, it seems Liverpool have become the title favorites in a season that pundits had written off for them as a transition season. Arne Slot has done wonders at Anfield so far, sitting 1st in the Premier League and already endearing himself to the Kop faithful. The Dutchman has deviated from former manager Jurgen Klopp’s ‘heavy metal’ style of football and has introduced a more structured defensive balance while still being effective in offense, and it has worked wonders so far.
Despite a strong start to the season, there are signs that Aston Villa is struggling with the pace of handling both the Champions League and Premier League. They got hammered against Tottenham 4-1 last weekend and lost to a relegation-favorite Crystal Palace the weekend before that. Unai Emery is now tasked with returning to winning ways, and going away to Anfield will hardly help his case.
Result Prediction: Liverpool 3-1 Aston Villa
Manchester United vs. Leicester City
This will be the final game for Manchester United interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy, who to be fair, has done quite a decent job in his short stint as manager. They drew 1-1 against Chelsea and were unlucky not to win. Ruben Amorim will take over the job on November 22nd following the international break, and it is rumored that he will be in attendance at the stadium. Van Nistelrooy already played against Leicester City this season, a 5-2 win in the EFL Cup where they played free-flowing attacking football. There is little reason to believe it will be much different this time.
Result Prediction: Manchester United 3-0 Leicester City
Nottingham Forest vs. Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest has become the standout team of the season. They are on a three-game win streak and are third in the Premier League table, six points off the top. Striker Chris Wood, who will be playing against his former team, has been on fire scoring 8 goals and being the second-highest scorer in the league so far. Astonishingly, only four points are separating Nottingham Forest in 3rd and Newcastle United in 11th, showing just how tight the race is competing for European spots.
Result Prediction: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Newcastle United
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Ipswich
Manager Ange Postecoglou has got this Spurs team clicking, although defensively they remain susceptible. They are 7th in the table while being the highest scorers in the league. They scored four goals against Aston Villa last weekend. Brennan Johnson, Dom Solanke, Dejan Kulusevski, and James Maddison have been spearheading their excellent attack. Meanwhile, Ipswich have not won a game all season and look likely to drop straight back down to the Championship unless they can turn around their fortunes.
Result Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Ipswich
Chelsea vs. Arsenal
The London Derby is the final game of this match week, saving the best for last. Chelsea have conceded a goal in each of their last six home games, although they have looked much better this season, especially thanks to the likes of Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo. Manager Enzo Maresca also has the unique advantage of having a large squad of talented players, whereas Arsenal’s starting XI is quite static. This will allow Chelsea a more dynamic tactical setup against Arsenal.
Arsenal are on somewhat of an unusual winless streak. They lost 2-0 to Bournemouth two weekends ago, drew 2-2 to Liverpool, then lost 1-0 to Newcastle last weekend. Their misery was further compounded in the Champions League in midweek, where they lost 1-0 to Inter at the San Siro and somehow managed to not score a goal despite their superior xG, shots, and possession.
The pressure is off Chelsea here. Arsenal are expected to challenge for the league title this season, and currently sitting in 5th place. If they don’t get a positive result, the Arsenal fans may start getting anxious and questions may be asked. Chelsea have fewer expectations this season other than a challenge for a Champions League spot.
Result Prediction: Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal
