Premier League Predictions GW7

Game week 7 kicks off on Friday night with Bournemouth facing Fulham at 8PM (GMT). We'll then see Tottenham Hotspur travel to Leeds United in the 12:30PM kick off slot on Saturday. There'll be just two 3PM kick offs with Arsenal hosting West Ham and Manchester United welcoming Sunderland. Chelsea versus Liverpool will be the late kick off at 5:30PM. On Sunday we'll see four 2PM kick offs. Aston Villa will face Burnley, Everton will match up against Crystal Palace, Newcastle will take on Nottingham Forest and Wolves will face off against Brighton. To conclude the weekend, we'll witness Brentford up against Manchester City.

Bournemouth vs Fulham

We haven't seen many friday night fixtures this season, but Bournemouth will now partake in two out of the three. Unfortunately the record for Bournemouth is one loss in one friday night game, admittedly that was against Liverpool and at Anfield so it's excusable. But, Bournemouth learned from that opening day defeat and haven't lost since. They're sixth in the league. Fulham were experiencing some sort of revival of their own, but a crushing 3-1 defeat to Leeds last time out will leave them feeling a little blue. Marco Silva will need to react, but Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth are a hard team to overcome.

As we know, Bournemouth's strengths lie in their attack, Antoine Semenyo has continued his wonderful form from last season. 6 goals/assists in the six games for him makes him absolutely crucial for Iraola. This is where Marco Silva will need to mould his team. If they're going to have any hope of winning, they'll have to keep Semenyo quiet. Fulham have struggled for goals this season, but Bournemouth have been a little bit leaky with their new look defence. It'll be a very tactical battle, but one which Bournemouth should win.

Predicted Score: Bournemouth 2-0 Fulham

Notable absentees:

Bournemouth: Adam Smith, Lewis Cook, Enes Unal.

Fulham: Kenny Tete, Rodrigo Muniz.

Leeds United vs Tottenham Hotspur

I feel like these two teams have flipped form in the last few weeks. Spurs started the season on fire with victories against Burnley and Manchester City, but since that City game it's been one win in four. Two draws in a row have unnerved the fans, especially as they had to rescue a point at home to bottom placed Wolves. Their midweek endeavours haven't exactly brought encouragement as they once again had to rescue a point against Bodo/Glimt away from home. Leeds, on the other hand, have enjoyed much better form. They've produced two draws against tough opposition in Bournemouth and Newcastle, but claimed a victory against Wolves. The only loss they've experienced in their last four was against Fulham and that was purely down to a freak of nature own goal.

As much as I think Thomas Frank is a good fit for Spurs, I do think they're slightly underperforming. Looking at the results they've had recently and the statistics it's not looking positive at all. Leeds at home seem like a real force to be reckoned with and I can absolutely see Spurs struggling to break them down. The home crowd will be fierce and Thomas Frank can't let his men hide from responsibility.

Predicted Score: Leeds United 2-2 Spurs

Notable absentees:

Leeds: Lucas Perri, Wilfried Gnoto.

Spurs: Kota Takai, Dejan Kulusevski, Radu Dragusin, James Maddison, Yves Bissouma, Dominic Solanke, Randal Kolo Muani.

Arsenal vs West Ham

Arsenal showed their title credentials last time out after coming from behind to beat Newcastle United. It may not seem like much if you're an outsider looking in, but those who know, know how big of a result that is. The confidence and momentum you can gain from finally getting the better of a side you've notoriously struggled against, will be astronomical. This places the Gunners in 2nd place and only two points behind Liverpool. West Ham are at the other end of the spectrum, they're 2nd bottom with only three points separating them and Wolves at the foot. However, with a new manager in position, we could see a revamped Hammers side. They grew into the game against Everton that saw them earn a point.

Mikel Arteta will need to keep the pressure on Liverpool so they cannot afford to slip up. Every point matters, even at this stage, so Arsenal will be hoping to dispatch West Ham. I do think West Ham can get at Arsenal if they adopt similar tactics to that of Olympiacos. Get the ball into the box as often as you can and make sure your big striker is ready to battle. However, I think it's the back line of the West Ham team that'll struggle to keep up. They've conceded the most goals in the Premier League so far and they're up against a side that have scored the second highest amount of goals in the league. If Arteta's men are clinical, it could be disastrous for West Ham. Having said that, West Ham will take confidence from the fact that they've beaten Arsenal two seasons in a row at the Emirates, clearly a favourite hunting ground of theirs.

Predicted Score: Arsenal 4-0 West Ham

Notable absentees:

Arsenal: Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Noni Madueke, Piero Hincapie, Gabriel.

West Ham: Tomas Soucek, Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Manchester United vs Sunderland

A statement that no Manchester United fan would've thought they'd make at the start of the season, but I truly believe they're envious of Sunderland and how well they're playing. They're languishing down in 14th with only two wins to their name. Ruben Amorim and his men can't seem to get it right despite not playing badly, statistically they're doing quite well. But, the only statistic that matters is the final result and they haven't enjoyed many positive final results. Flip the coin and you get Sunderland who are reaching dizzying heights. 5th in the league and are absolutely deserving of that spot. They boast one of the best defensive records in the league and have lost just once in six games, most recently a very impressive 1-0 win away to Nottingham Forest.

It'll either click for United or it won't, but you do get the feeling that something has got to give. They consistently test the opposition with numerous chances, but just can't seem to get the ball over the line when required to. My head is split between believing United will come good and will beat Sunderland comfortably, but I can also see Sunderland sneaking a win and creating a world of pain for Amorim.

Predicted Score: Manchester United 2-1 Sunderland

Notable absentees:

Manchester United: Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, Noussair Mazraoui.

Sunderland: Reinildo, Ajibola Alese, Dennis Cirkin, Leo Hjelde, Habib Diarra, Romaine Mundle.

Chelsea vs Liverpool

Both of these sides have been on the receiving end of some disappointing results in the last couple of games. Chelsea more so, but they did get some respite midweek against Benfica in which they won 1-0. Liverpool were struck by a late blow in their last Premier League game, but also succumbed to a loss midweek against Galatasaray. Arne Slot will be expecting a reaction from his side as they enter a rather difficult run of games, in fact the next five fixtures have been rated as the hardest in the league. Chelsea will be looking to register a win for the first time, in the league, since they beat Fulham.

Chelsea's defence has been stripped apart in their recent fixtures. Whether it's through suspension or injuries, but they're having to dig very deep into their reserves in order to field a competent back four. This should be something that is on Slot's mind as he knows his side can be extremely potent in attack. Hugo Ekitike was substituted against Galatasaray with an injury, but it doesn't look to be severe so they could still boast him as an option. Otherwise it'll be up to Alexander Isak to deliver the goods, who hasn't done it in the league with Liverpool yet. I think the combination of a blitzed defence and no Cole Palmer will be too much for Chelsea to gain even so much as a point in this one.

Predicted Score: Chelsea 1-3 Liverpool

Notable absentees:

Chelsea: Levi Colwill, Dario Essugo, Cole Palmer, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevor Chalobah, Andrey Santos, Liam Delap.

Liverpool: Alisson, Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni, Stefan Bajcetic.

Aston Villa vs Burnley

The battle of the clarets, but it's a relegation zone battle which will frustrate Unai Emery the most. Villa did pick up a good win against Fulham last weekend and that will certainly boost morale, in addition to this, they've been on form in the Europa League. Two wins from two against decent opponents in Bologna and Feyenoord. Burnley are now in the kind of form we expected from them at the start of the season. They're clinging to the victory against Sunderland as the only reason they're not at the foot of the table, but the tide will have to turn soon or trouble will follow them throughout the season. Manchester City crashed five on their heads last weekend and Scott Parker will need to eradicate any kind of bad feelings in the squad in order to progress.

I think Aston Villa are beginning to show why they've finished in the top half of the Premier League for the last few seasons. Emery needed a response from his squad and he's getting it. Parker needs to demand the same from his squad, but I just don't think they'll be able to prevent Villa from earning more points in their ascension.

Predicted Score: Aston Villa 3-1 Burnley

Notable absentees:

Astona Villa: Amadou Onana, Jadon Sancho, Ross Barkley, Tyrone Mings, Youri Tielemans.

Burnley: Connor Roberts, Jordan Beyer, Zeki Amdouni.

Everton vs Crystal Palace

Everton's early season form has stuttered, but thankfully for David Moyes, hasn't completely stopped. Two draws and a loss since their last victory will be concerning, but they'll be looking to right a few wrongs against Palace. However, the South London side look like an impenetrable force and claimed another huge scalp last weekend as they beat Liverpool 2-1. Palace are also the only unbeaten team remaining in the league and won't expect to give up that accolade against Everton. Oliver Glasner has created a monster and it'll be up to David Moyes and his men to find a way to slay this beast.

As I mentioned earlier, I watched the Everton vs West Ham game and was impressed with the Merseyside club. But, only in the first half. They looked slick on the ball and created a number of openings, but that form dwindled in the second and West Ham took advantage. Everton will have to avoid a second half capitulation, especially against an in-form Palace team. The Toffee's do have the quality to cause problems, but I don't think it's enough to dispatch Palace.

Predicted Score: Everton 1-1 Palace

Notable absentees:

Everton: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Jarrad Branthwaite, Merlin Rohl.

Palace: Caleb Kporha, Chadi Riad, Cheick Doucoure, Will Hughes.

Newcastle vs Nottingham Forest

Two clubs that are separated by Aston Villa in the league. The Geordie's haven't lived up to their lofty ambitions this season, much like the team they share space with. Newcastle suffered another heart-breaking last minute loss last time out. Arsenal and Liverpool both used the full capacity of stoppage time in order to beat Newcastle at St James Park. Eddie Howe will have to conduct an investigation as to why his side can't withstand pressure late on, but they'll be hopeful to have the game wrapped up prior to that. Forest and Ange Postecogolou have not been a good match so far. The Australian hasn't won a game with his new club yet, in any competition. It's been an awful start and I don't think this is what the hierarchy at Forest expected when they sacked Nuno Espirito Santo.

Newcastle have saved their form for every competition other than the Premier League, which shows that they have the talent, but just need to translate that into the league. This is where I think Eddie Howe will be licking his lips as he can definitely envisage his side putting a few past Forest. I think Ange will have to wait for a win, but it'll be interesting to see if he lasts that long.

Predicted Score: Newcastle 2-0 Forest

Notable absentees:

Newcastle: Valentino Livramento, Jacob Ramsey, Yoane Wissa.

Forest: Douglas Luiz, Ola Aina, Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Wolves vs Brighton

Wolves were so close to getting that first win of the season against an unlikely opponent in Tottenham Hotspur. However, a late goal confirmed that Wolves would go six game weeks without a win. Brighton have been about as middle as you can get, everything perfectly balanced. Good games, bad games and everything in between. They sit 10th, 9 goals scored, 9 goals conceded with two wins, two draws and two defeats. It's kind of satisfying looking at them on the table. Personal enjoyment to one side, Brighton have showed up against the big sides, but struggled against the lesser opponents.

Wolves need a win on the board and fast and they have an opportunity at home to do just that. If they can push Spurs all the way then they can push Brighton too. But, if they're going to win then they'll need to add goals and fix their leaky defence. Do I think they'll do that this weekend? I don't think so.

Predicted Score: Wolves 1-1 Brighton

Notable absentees:

Wolves: Enso Gonzalez.

Brighton: Joel Veltman, Karou Mitoma, Adam Webster, Jack Hinshelwood, Solly March.

Brentford vs Manchester City

Brentford beat the red side of Manchester last weekend, so they'll be hoping to replicate that against the sky blue side. However, that objective will be a lot harder to obtain. You get the feeling that Pep Guardiola is slowly getting his side back to the kind of form you'd come to expect from them over the years. Erling Haaland is scoring for fun and we're seeing a return to form for players like Phil Foden. While their league results have been patchy, beating Burnley 5-1 will certainly be a statement to the league that they're to mount a title challenge. However, Monaco exposed some of the frailties left in the City squad that I'm sure Pep will address.

Brentford were good value for their win against Manchester United, but they were a missed penalty from Bruno Fernandes away from giving up a two goal lead. That'll be a warning for Keith Andrews should they take the lead against City. While I do think Brentford will trouble the City defence, I believe that Pep will find a way to overcome this battle and continue their march up the table.

Predicted Score: Brentford 1-3 Manchester City

Notable absentees:

Brentford: Gustavo Gomes.

Manchester City: Abdukodir Khusanov, Rayan Ait Nouri, Rayan Cherki.

That's it for my predictions, as always take the notable absentee section with a pinch of salt as it's just the current information I've got at hand. Enjoy!

Comparing my predictions from last weekend:

Brentford 2-2 Manchester United - Incorrect result

Chelsea 2-1 Brighton - Incorrect result

Palace 1-1 Liverpool - Incorrect result

Leeds 1-2 Bournemouth - Incorrect result

City 4-0 Burnley - Correct result!

Forest 2-0 Sunderland - Incorrect result

Spurs 3-0 Wolves - Incorrect result

Aston Villa 2-2 Fulham - Incorrect result

Newcastle 1-1 Arsenal - Incorrect result

Everton 3-1 West Ham - Incorrect result

1/10 correct result

0/10 correct score

9/10 incorrect result