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Another round of Premier League matches has come and gone, and last weekend provided plenty of twists and turns as we near the halfway point. While Manchester City lost more ground in the title race, Wolverhampton Wanderers managed to escape the relegation zone and build more momentum. How will this weekend’s slate of fixtures further shape the narratives surrounding the season? In this article, we predict each result from the upcoming match 13 weekend of the 2024/25 Premier League.
Brighton Hove and Albion vs. Southampton
Southampton remain in 20th place after last weekend’s 3-2 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield. Despite being against the odds away to home against the first-place team, Southampton put up a respectable performance and may feel unlucky to come away with no points. Although manager Russell Martin has received criticism for their style of play, the Saints have shown the occasional promising sign, as evidenced by their quick counter-attack for their 2nd goal against Liverpool.
Crystal Palace vs. Newcastle United
Crystal Palace drew Aston Villa 2-2 last weekend which is a decent result for the side in danger of relegation. They also drew against Fulham the weekend before, and the Eagles now only have 1 defeat in their last four games — a sign of improvement for a side coming off a three-game losing streak. Newcastle United lost against West Ham and were quite poor on the night, losing 2-0 and only managing two shots on target from 24 total attempts with an xG of 1.64. Newcastle may look to respond after such an embarrassing defeat with a strong statement, and Crystal Palace simply don’t score enough goals to sustain themselves in the Premier League.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Bournemouth
It took a while, but Wolves finally managed to claw their way out of the relegation zone and into 17th place following their impressive 4-1 victory over Fulham last weekend. They are now unbeaten in their last four matches after a very poor start to the season, and they look like a revitalized side under Gary O’Neil.
Nottingham Forest vs. Ipswich Town
Nottingham Forest were flying this season and are sitting in 7th position, but have experienced two defeats in their last two matches against Arsenal and Newcastle United which would have undoubtedly been a blow to Nuno Espirito Santo’s momentum in the league. Still, there can be few complaints about how the season has gone so far, especially thanks to New Zealand striker Chris Wood.
Ipswich Town have picked up form themselves lately, although are still sitting in the relegation zone and still only have one win this season, which came against Tottenham Hotspur. They also drew against Manchester City and don’t concede many goals, so they will have plenty of reasons to feel buoyed about their recent momentum in their bid to stay up this season.
Brentford vs. Leicester City
Steve Cooper has been fired as manager of Leicester City after their loss against Chelsea — coincidentally against the same manager he replaced at Leicester — Enzo Maresca. Leicester have only won two games in their opening twelve games, quite a poor start by their own standards and perhaps indicative that Cooper was the wrong appointment in the first place. While Leicester have no long-term manager lined up (rumored to be Ruud van Nistelrooy), they are in danger of relegation as they only have 10 points — two off the relegation zone. Brentford is sitting in 11th and has had a respectable season so far, and have only lost two out of their last seven while playing some attractive attacking football, mostly thanks to winger Bryan Mbeumo.
West Ham vs. Arsenal
Julen Lopetegui will be delighted at his West Ham team’s win over Newcastle United, as they were playing some dire football at times. Look no further than the 0-0 draw against Everton, but West Ham looked almost a different team last weekend. They’re coming up against an Arsenal team that has had an indifferent season so far. The return of Martin Odegaard will surely buoy Mikel Arteta’s side, as their 3-0 win against Nottingham Forest last weekend broke a four-game winless run. Whether or not they sustain momentum from the win should be seen in their Champions League fixture against a good Sporting Lisbon side midweek.
Chelsea vs. Aston Villa
The early Sunday kickoff sees an intriguing match-up of Chelsea vs. Aston Villa. Chelsea have quietly been impressive this season, only losing twice in the league and sitting in 3rd place under Enzo Maresca. They beat Leicester City last weekend and drew against Arsenal the weekend prior. Chelsea’s long squad list allows them to rest and rotate players as they balance the Premier League with the Europa Conference League.
Tottenham vs. Fulham
Manchester United vs. Everton
New Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim’s first match in charge saw them draw to Ipswich Town last weekend, but this will be the first home Premier League match at Old Trafford for the Portuguese gaffer. Everton is coming into this match with one loss in their last seven and has shown signs of improvement, currently sitting in 15th place. The Blues may be more than happy to sit back and try to nullify Amorim’s playstyle to play for a draw, so this could be a tight affair. Everton doesn’t concede many goals — but they don’t score many either.
Liverpool vs. Manchester City
Pep Guardiola’s task of getting Manchester City back to winning ways will not be helped by the fact that the next game they play is away to the first-place team in the league. Missing Spanish midfielder Rodri seems to have really impacted the squad this season, as the vulnerability on the transition has been glaring without him. Liverpool’s Arne Slot will surely look to exploit this, on top of City’s weaknesses defensively. If Liverpool win, they will go 11 points clear of Manchester City — which is a massive gap even at this stage of the season. This fact is perhaps all the motivation Slot needs to inspire his side into a good performance.
