Predictions For Premier League Gameweek 29

It’s that time of the week again when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. I had a very bad week last week with no perfect predictions, three correct outcomes and seven incorrect outcomes which saw me drop to third place in my predictions league. Here’s a look at how the top five in that league stands.

Rank	Player	Res	Cls	Exa	Slm	Pts
1 -	Cole	52	96	96	22	266.0
2 1	Gooners	55	91.5	90	22	258.5
3 1	JamrockRover	44	117	72	20	253.0
4 -	nzbuddy	44	97.5	87	18	246.5
5 -	TeeBee	52	96	75	19	242.0

I didn’t have a good week with my fantasy team either and if it wasn’t for having Mohamed Salah as my captain it would have been a disaster. This is going to be another difficult week with four teams not playing due to the Carabao Cup Final and fielding 11 players will be a challenge for many players. There is always the option of using my free hit, but I think I will save that for FA Cup semi final weekend when up to eight teams might not be playing.

With Salah not playing this week I am tempted to sell him and bring in Bruno Fernandes, but I will bring Salah back in next week if I make that move. Otherwise I will have to sell the suspended Matheus Cunha, but I can’t see a striker who I want this week with Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ollie Watkins both idle.

Saturday March 15

Everton v West Ham United 

3pm GMT, Goodison Park, Liverpool 

Everton drew 1-1 away to Wolves last week and they now have 16 points to spare over the bottom three. They have taken eight points from their last four home games and they scored 11 goals in those games with only Villa drawing more games on their own patch. They are unbeaten in eight games and they scored 16 goals in those games with only the bottom three scoring less goals.

Beto is probably the best of the Everton players for fantasy managers at the moment as they have a very tough run of games coming up.

West Ham lost 1-0 at home to Newcastle last week and they’re behind Everton on goal difference going into this game. They have taken eight points from their last six away games, but only three other teams have scored less goals on their travels. They had won two games in a row before losing to Newcastle and they have every chance of taking all three points in their next two games.

Jarrod Bowen is the only West Ham player who should be of interest to fantasy managers at the moment.

I think this will be a close game and Everton will probably make home advantage tell.

Prediction: 2-1

Ipswich Town v Nottingham Forest 

3pm GMT, Portman Road, Ipswich 

Ipswich lost 1-0 away to Palace last week and they’re now six points from safety with 10 games left to play. They have lost their last four home games and they conceded 14 goals in those games with only Southampton scoring less and conceding more goals on their own ground. They have only taken two points from their last nine games and they conceded 23 goals in those games.

I can’t see any Ipswich players who can make a difference for fantasy managers at the moment.

Forest won 1-0 at home to City last week to hold on to third place and keep their top four chances firmly alive. They have lost their last three away games and they conceded 11 goals in those games, but four of their remaining games on the road are against teams in the bottom half of the table. They had only taken one point from their previous three games before beating City, but eight of their last 10 games are against teams in the bottom half of the table.

Chris Wood, Anthony Elanga and Morgan Gibbs-White are all good options for fantasy managers along with the Forest defenders and keeper.

I think Forest will have too much for Ipswich and should win a close game.

Prediction: 1-2

Manchester City v Brighton And Hove Albion 

3pm GMT, Etihad Stadium, Manchester 

City lost 1-0 away to Forest last week and that defeat saw them drop out of the top four. They lost their last home game after winning the previous three and six of their remaining 10 games are on their own patch. They have lost three of their last five games, but four of their next five games are against teams in the bottom half of the table.

Erling Haaland would seem to be the go to City player for fantasy managers at the moment with Josko Gvardiol worth considering too.

Brighton won 2-1 at home to Fulham last week and that win moved them within three points of the top four. They have only lost one of their last seven away games, but that was a 7-0 defeat against Forest with only three other teams scoring more goals on their travels. They have won their last four games and they scored 11 goals in those games with only one other team in the top half of the table conceding more goals.

Joao Pedro and Kaoru Mitoma are the Brighton players to have for fantasy managers at the moment.

I think Brighton will run City close, but the home team will take the three points.

Prediction: 2-1

Southampton v Wolverhampton Wanderers 

3pm GMT, St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton 

Southampton lost 3-1 away to Liverpool last week and they’re rooted to the foot of the table with games running out. They have lost their last eight home games and they conceded 29 goals in those games with no other team scoring less or conceding more goals on their own ground. They have lost 10 of their last 11 games with no other team scoring less or conceding more goals and relegation will be as good as guaranteed if they lose this game.

I can’t see any Southampton players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.

Wolves drew 1-1 at home to Everton last week and that point moved them six points above the relegation zone. They won their last away game after only taking one point from the previous four with only the bottom two conceding more goals on the road. They have taken seven points from their last five games and they play the three teams below them in their next six games which could see them garner enough points to guarantee their survival.

With Matheus Cunha suspended Jorgen Strand Larsen could be the Wolves player most likely to do well for fantasy managers.

I think Wolves will win a tight game and move well clear of the bottom three.

Prediction: 1-2

Bournemouth v Brentford 

5.30pm GMT, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth 

Bournemouth drew 2-2 away to Spurs last week, but they’re still only five points off the top four. They have lost their last two home games without scoring and no other team in the top half of the table has scored less goals on their own patch. They have only taken four points from their last five games after taking 25 points from the previous 11, but five of their next six games are against teams in the bottom half of the table.

Justin Kluivert, Antoine Semenyo, Milos Kerkez and Evanilson are all very good choices for fantasy managers at the moment.

Brentford lost 1-0 at home to Villa last week, but they’re still within four points of the top half of the table. They have won their last four away games and they scored 12 goals in those games and they have only conceded one goal in their last five games on their travels. They have a very tough run of games coming up with four of the top six to play in their next six games.

Both Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa can do very well for fantasy managers despite their difficult upcoming fixtures.

I think Bournemouth will get back to winning ways with a narrow victory in this game.

Prediction: 2-1

Sunday March 16

Arsenal v Chelsea 

1.30pm GMT, Emirates Stadium, London 

Arsenal drew 1-1 away to United last week and they’re now 15 points behind Liverpool at the top of the table with any chance of them gone at this stage. They lost their last home game after being unbeaten in the previous 12 with only Forest and Bournemouth conceding less goals on their own ground. They haven’t won in three games and no other team has conceded less goals, but only Everton have drawn more games.

Arsenal’s defenders and keeper are good choices for fantasy managers with a good run of games coming up.

Chelsea won 1-0 at home to Leicester last week and that win moved them back into the top four. They have only taken two points from their last six away games and they only scored three goals in those games. Four of their next five games after this one are against teams in the bottom half of the table and only Liverpool and Spurs have scored more goals.

Cole Palmer has been the go to Chelsea player for fantasy managers, but he hasn’t done much in his last seven games.

I think this will be another very close game with Arsenal probably winning it.

Prediction: 1-0

Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur 

1.30pm GMT, Craven Cottage, London 

Fulham lost 2-1 away to Brighton last week, but they managed to hold on to 10th place and they’re only seven points off the top four. They have only won once in their last seven home games and four of their last five games on their own patch are against big six teams. Their form has been up and down with four wins and four defeats in their last eight games and they have a very tough run of games coming up.

I’m not sure which Fulham players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment when none of them impressing too much and a tough run of games coming up.

Spurs came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at home to Bournemouth last week and they’re still eight points off the top half of the table with games running out. They have won their last two away games and they scored six goals in those two games with six of their last 10 games on their travels. They have only won three of their last 12 games, but only Liverpool have scored more goals.

Son Heung-Min, Brennan Johnson and James Maddison can all do very well for fantasy managers.

I think Fulham might just be strong enough at home to take the three points in this game. 

Prediction: 2-1

Leicester City v Manchester United 

7pm GMT, King Power Stadium, Leicester 

Leicester lost 1-0 away to Chelsea last week and they’re now six points from safety with 10 games left to play. They have lost their last six home games and they conceded 15 goals in those games without scoring any. They have lost 12 of their last 13 games with only Southampton scoring less and conceding more goals.

I can’t see any Leicester players who might make a difference for fantasy managers at the moment.

United drew 1-1 at home to Arsenal last week and they’re still eight points from the top half of the table. They have only won once in their last five away games with only Everton and Southampton scoring less goals on the road. They are unbeaten in three games, but their next three games after this one are all against teams in the top six.

Bruno Fernandes is the United player to have for fantasy managers.

I think United will be too good for Leicester and will win by at least a couple of goals.

Prediction: 1-3

That’s it for this week.

See you next week.

Predictions For Premier League Gameweek 28

It’s that time of the week when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. I had a very good week last week with three perfect predictions, five correct outcomes and two incorrect outcomes which saw me stay in second place in my predictions league. Here’s a look at how the top five in that league stands.

Rank	Player	Res	Cls	Exa	Slm	Pts
1 -	Cole	50	90	90	20	250.0
2 -	JamrockRover	42	115.5	72	20	249.5
3 -	Gooners	55	88.5	81	21	245.5
4 -	nzbuddy	41	91.5	84	16	232.5
5 1	TeeBee	52	90	72	18	232.0

I did fairly well with my fantasy team too as I moved up to my highest overall ranking of the season. Mohamed Salah managed something as my captain with Bryan Mbeumo, David Raya, Gabriel Magalhaes, Ola Aina and Ibrahima Konate all adding points along with Arnie Slot as my assistant manager. Salah will be my captain again this week with a home game against Southampton and Cole Palmer could be an option for the armband too as he plays at home to Leicester.

I need to make a few changes to my squad with four teams not playing next week as well as injuries and suspensions taking their toll. There is the option of using my free hit next week, but I will probably save it for the FA Cup semi final weekend. The most likely change for me this week is Milos Kerkez coming in for Lewis Hall or Omar Marmoush for Matheus Cunha.

Saturday March 8

Nottingham Forest v Manchester City

12.30pm GMT, City Ground, Nottingham

Forest drew 0-0 at home to Arsenal in their last game to stay in third place, but they’re only one point ahead of City going into this game. They have taken 17 points from their last seven home games with no other team conceding less goals on their own ground. They have only won once in their last five games and they conceded 11 goals in those games, but they have a good run of games after this one.

Chris Wood, Anthony Elanga and Morgan Gibbs-White are the Forest players to have at the moment for fantasy managers.

City won 1-0 away to Spurs last time out to close the gap on two of the three teams ahead of them. They have taken 10 points from their last five away games after only taking one point in the previous five. They have taken 19 points from their last nine games and they scored 25 goals in those games with only Liverpool scoring more goals.

Erling Haaland is the best of the City players for fantasy managers with Omar Marmoush worth considering too.

I think this will be a very close game with a draw being the most likely outcome.

Prediction: 1-1

Brighton And Hove Albion v Fulham 

3pm GMT, AMEX Stadium, Brighton 

Brighton won 2-1 at home to Bournemouth in their last game and they’re only four points behind fourth place.  They have won their last three home games after failing to win the previous five with only Villa drawing more games on their own patch. They have won their last three games and they scored nine goals in those games with only Everton drawing more games.

Kaoru Mitoma and Joao Pedro are the Brighton players who are looking good for fantasy managers at the moment.

Fulham won 2-1 away to Wolves last time out and they’re only one point behind Brighton going into this game. They have won their last three away games with only the top three taking more points on their travels. They have won four of their last six games, but they have a tough run of games coming up.

Antonee Robinson is the best bet in the Fulham team for fantasy managers.

With these two teams so fond of drawing games a draw would seem to be the most obvious result in this game.

Prediction: 1-1

Crystal Palace v Ipswich Town 

3pm GMT, Selhurst Park, London 

Palace won 4-1 at home to Villa in their last game to move up to 12th place in the table. They won their last home game after only taking one point from the previous three with only the bottom three scoring less goals on their own ground. They have only lost twice in their last 10 games and their next two opponents are both in the bottom three, but they don’t play next week.

With Jean-Philippe Mateta injured the Palace defenders and keeper are the probably the players to look at for fantasy managers.

Ipswich lost 3-2 away to 10 man United last time out and they’re five points from safety with 11 games left to play. They have only taken two points from their last five away games and they conceded 11 goals in those games. They have only taken one point from their last seven games and they conceded 22 goals in those games with only Southampton and Leicester conceding more goals.

Liam Delap is the only Ipswich player for fantasy managers to even consider.

I think Palace should be good enough at home to take the three points in this game.

Prediction: 2-1

Liverpool v Southampton 

3pm GMT, Anfield, Liverpool 

Liverpool won 2-0 at home to Newcastle in their last game to move 13 points clear at the top of the table and the league is as good as over already. They’re unbeaten in their last 11 home games with no other team taking more points or conceding less goals on their own patch. They’re unbeaten in 24 games with no other team scoring more goals and only Arsenal conceding less.

Mohamed Salah is an absolute must have for fantasy managers with all of their defenders and keeper great choices too along with Luis Diaz.

Southampton lost 4-0 away to Chelsea last time out to remain rooted to the foot of the table and it’s just a matter of when their relegation is confirmed at this stage. They have only taken five points from their 14 away games with no other team scoring less goals on their travels. They have only won once in their last 17 games with no other team scoring less or conceding more goals.

I can’t see any Southampton players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.

I can’t see anything other than a comprehensive Liverpool victory in this game.

Prediction: 4-0

Brentford v Aston Villa

5.30pm GMT, Gtech Community Stadium, London 

Brentford drew 1-1 at home to Brentford in their last game and they’re now four points off the top half of the table. They have only taken two points from their last six home games, but no other team has scored more goals on their own ground. They have taken 10 points from their last five games and they only conceded four goals in those games.

Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa are the Brentford players who can make a difference for fantasy managers.

Villa lost 4-1 away to Palace last time out to drop to 10th place, but they’re still only five points off the top four. They have only taken four points from their last nine away games with only four other teams taking less points on the road. They have only won once in their last seven games, but they drew four of them with no other team in the top half of the table conceding more goals.

Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers are the Villa players to have for fantasy managers.

I think Brentford will make home advantage count to take the three points against a Villa team who aren’t travelling well at the moment.

Prediction: 2-1

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton 

8pm GMT, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton 

Wolves lost 2-1 at home to Fulham in their last game, but they’re still five points above the bottom three. They have lost three of their last four home games, but five of their remaining six games on their own patch are against teams in the bottom half of the table. They have won two of their last four games after losing the previous four, but they could struggle for the next few games with Matheus Cunha suspended.

With Cunha suspended it’s difficult to see any other Wolves players who might do well for fantasy managers, but Jorgen Strand Larsen might be a possibility.

Everton drew 1-1 away to Brentford last time out and they are 10 points ahead of Wolves going into this game, but only one place above them. They have taken seven points from their last three away games, but no other team has scored less goals on their travels. They have taken 15 points and scored 15 goals in their last seven games, but only the bottom three have scored less goals.

The Everton defenders and keeper are looking good for fantasy managers at the moment with Beto an option too.

I think Everton’s resurgence will continue with a narrow win in this game.

Prediction: 1-2

Sunday March 9

Chelsea v Leicester City 

2pm GMT, Stamford Bridge, London 

Chelsea won 4-0 at home to Southampton in their last game and they’re only one point off the top four. They have won their last three home games and they scored nine goals in those games with five of their last six home games against teams in the bottom half of the table. They have only won three of their last 11 games, but only one of their next five opponents are in the top half of the table.

Cole Palmer is the best of the Chelsea players for fantasy managers.

Leicester lost 2-0 away to West Ham last time out and they’re five points from safety, but it’s hard to see how they can get even those five points before the end of the season on current form. They have lost seven of their last eight away games with no other team conceding more goals on the road. They have lost 11 of their last 12 games and they conceded 31 goals in those games with only Southampton scoring less and conceding more goals.

I can’t see any Leicester players to recommend to fantasy managers.

I can’t see anything other than a comfortable Chelsea victory in this game.

Prediction: 3-0

Tottenham Hotspur v Bournemouth 

2pm GMT, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London 

Spurs lost 1-0 at home to City in their last game and they’re still nine points off the top half of the table. They have only won once in their last nine home games and they conceded 21 goals in those games, but only Brentford have scored scored more goals on their own patch. They had won three games in a row before losing to City and only Liverpool have scored more goals.

Brennan Johnson, Son Heung-Min, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are the Spurs players who can all do well for fantasy managers.

Bournemouth lost 2-1 away to Brighton last time out, but they’re still within four points of fourth place. They lost their last away game after taking 17 points from the previous seven and only three other teams have taken more points on their travels. They have lost three of their last four games after being unbeaten in the previous 11 and six of their next seven games are against teams in the bottom half of the table.

Justin Kluivert, Antoine Semenyo and Milos Kerkez are the Bournemouth players to have for fantasy managers at the moment.

I think Bournemouth have enough to take the game to Spurs and manage a narrow victory.

Prediction: 1-2

Manchester United v Arsenal 

4.30pm GMT. Old Trafford, Manchester 

United won 3-2 at home to Ipswich in their last game despite playing with 10 men for much of the game, but they still need to make up nine points to move into the top half of the table. They have lost five of their last seven home games and their next two games on their own ground are against last season’s top two. They have only won four of their last 14 games and four of their next five games are against teams in the top six.

Bruno Fernandes is the United player who can make an impression for fantasy managers at the moment.

Arsenal drew 0-0 away to Forest last time out and their chances of winning the league are now gone. They are unbeaten in their last nine away games and they have kept clean sheets in their last three games on the road with only Palace conceding less goals away from home. They have only lost once in their last 17 games, but they have failed to score in their last two games and no other team has conceded less goals.

The Arsenal defenders and keeper are all good choices for fantasy managers with Ethan Nwaneri a possibility too.

I think Arsenal will be too strong for United and should take the three points in this game.

Prediction: 1-2

Monday March 10

West Ham United v Newcastle United 

8pm GMT, London Stadium, London 

West Ham won 2-0 at home to Leicester in their last game to move up to 15th place, but they’re still nine points off the top half of the table. They won their last home game after only winning one of the previous five and their next two games on their own patch are very difficult. They have won their last two games without conceding a goal after only winning two of the previous 10, but only four other teams have conceded more goals.

Jarrod Bowen is the West Ham player who can do really well for fantasy managers at the moment.

Newcastle lost 2-0 away to Liverpool last time out, but they are still only three points off fourth place. They lost their last two away games without scoring a goal, but they won the previous four and their next two games on their travels are against teams in the bottom six. They have lost four of their last six games while  conceding 16 goals in those games and they don’t play next week.

With Alexander Isak possibly injured and Anthony Gordon suspended Jacob Murphy is probably the Newcastle player most likely to perform for fantasy managers.

I don’t think there will be too much between these two teams and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the spoils shared.

Prediction: 1-1

That’s it for this week.

See you next week.

Predictions For Premier League Gameweek 27

It’s that time of the week again when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. I did fairly well last week with one perfect prediction, five correct outcomes and four incorrect outcomes which left me in second place in my predictions league. Here’s a look at how the top five in that league stands. 

Rank	Player	Res	Cls	Exa	Slm	Pts
1 -	Cole	49	82.5	90	19	240.5
2 -	JamrockRover	42	108	63	18	231.0
3 -	Gooners	53	84	72	19	228.0
4 1	nzbuddy	40	87	81	15	223.0
5 1	SammyW	43	91.5	69	16	219.5

I had another very good week with my fantasy team as it moved up to its highest overall rank of the season. Mohamed Salah was the star player as my captain yet again with Lewis Hall, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Chris Wood and Alexander Isak all getting points too along with Arnie Slot as my assistant manager. Salah will be my captain again this week, but Palmer might be a good choice too considering Chelsea play Southampton.

With four teams not playing in Gameweek 29 I have to try to hold on to my transfers so I will have three to use that week. This is the last week of my assistant manager chip and the 23 points I have got from Slot so far have been very welcome.

Tuesday February 25

Brighton And Hove Albion v Bournemouth 

7.30pm GMT, AMEX Stadium, Brighton 

Brighton won 4-0 away to Southampton at the weekend and that win moved them up to ninth place within four points of the top four. They won their last home game after failing to win the previous five and three of their next four games are on their own ground. They have won their last two games and they scored seven goals in those games while not conceding any.

Kaoru Mitoma is the Brighton player looking most likely to do well for fantasy managers with Joao Pedro a possibility too.

Bournemouth lost 1-0 at home to Wolves on Saturday after playing with 10 men for an hour, but they’re still only one point off fourth place. They have taken 17 points from their last seven away games and they scored 20 goals in those games with only Liverpool scoring more goals on the road. They have lost two of their last three games after going unbeaten in the previous 11 and only one of their next eight opponents are in the top half of the table.

Justin Kluivert, Antoine Semenyo , Milos Kerkez and Dango Ouattara are all good options for fantasy managers at the moment.

This looks like being a very close game with a draw the most likely outcome.

Prediction: 1-1

Crystal Palace v Aston Villa

7.30pm GMT, Selhurst Park, London 

Palace won 2-0 away to Fulham on Saturday, but they still have six points to make up if they want to catch the teams in the top half of the table. They have only won once in their last eight home games with only the bottom three scoring less goals on their own patch. They have only lost three of their last 15 games, but only Brighton and Everton have drawn more games.

Jean-Philippe Mateta is doing very well for fantasy managers at the moment with the Palace defenders and keeper good choices too.

Villa came from behind to win 2-1 at home to Chelsea at the weekend and that win moved them within two points of fourth place. They have only taken four points from their last eight away games and their next three games are all on their travels. They have only lost once in their last nine games, but they drew five of them and no other team in the top half of the table has conceded more goals.

Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers remain the best bets in the Villa team for fantasy managers while Marcus Rashford has done well in recent weeks too.

With Palace struggling at home and Villa struggling on the road the most likely scenario here is a share of the spoils.

Prediction: 1-1

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Fulham 

7.30pm GMT, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton 

Wolves won 1-0 away to high flying Bournemouth on Saturday to move five points clear of the relegation zone. They have taken six points from their last four home games and all of their remaining home games are against teams below the top eight. They have won two of their last three games and they kept clean sheets in those two wins, but only the bottom two have conceded more goals.

Matheus Cunha is the Wolves player who can make a difference for fantasy managers.

Fulham lost 2-0 at home to Palace at the weekend and they’re now only two points above the bottom half of the table despite being within five points of the top four. They have won three of their last four away games and three of their next four games are on the road. They had won three of their previous four games before losing to Palace and they have a very difficult run of games coming up after this one.

Antonee Robinson is probably the best of the Fulham players for fantasy managers.

I think Fulham’s away form might just be enough to see them win this game narrowly.

Prediction: 1-2

Chelsea v Southampton 

8.15pm GMT, Stamford Bridge, London 

Chelsea lost 2-1 away to Villa on Saturday, but they’re still only two points behind fourth place. They have only lost once in their last 11 home games, but their next five games on their own patch are all against teams in the bottom half of the table. They have only won twice in their last 10 games, but five of their next six games are against teams in the bottom half of the table.

Cole Palmer looks like a very good option for fantasy managers over the next few weeks despite his recent lack of returns.

Southampton lost 4-0 at home to Brighton at the weekend to remain rooted to the foot of the table with games running out quickly. They won their last away game after failing to win the previous 12 with only Everton scoring less goals on their travels. They have only taken five points from their last 16 games with no other team scoring less or conceding more goals.

I can’t see any Southampton players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.

I can’t see anything other than a comfortable Chelsea victory in this game.

Prediction: 4-0

Wednesday February 26

Brentford v Everton 

7.30pm GMT, Gtech Community Stadium, London 

Brentford won 4-0 away to Leicester on Friday night and they’re now only two points off the top half of the table. They have only taken one point from their last five home games and they conceded 11 goals in those games with no other team scoring more goals on their own ground. They have won three of their last four games, but their next four opponents after this game are all in the top half of the table.

Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa are the Brentford players who can do well for fantasy managers.

Everton led 2-0 at home to United on Saturday, but they had to settle for a 2-2 draw and they’re six points behind Brentford going into this game. They won their last two away games after only winning one of the previous 10 with no other team scoring less goals on the road. They have taken 14 points in their last six games and they scored 14 goals in those games with only the bottom three scoring less goals.

Beto is the Everton player who has looked the part in recent weeks for fantasy managers.

I don’t think there will be too much between these two teams with a draw being the most likely result.

Prediction: 1-1

Manchester United v Ipswich Town 

7.30pm GMT, Old Trafford, Manchester 

United came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 away to Everton on Saturday to leave them nine points off the top half of the table. They have lost five of their last six home games and they conceded 14 goals in those games with only four other teams losing more games on their own patch. They have only won three of their last 13 games and they failed to score in six of those games.

United players might not be doing too much for fantasy managers at the moment, but Bruno Fernandes might be the exception.

Ipswich lost 4-1 at home to Spurs at the weekend and they are now five points from safety with games running out. They have only taken two points from their last four away games with only two other teams taking less points on their travels. They have only taken two points from their last seven games and they conceded 21 goals in those games with only the two teams below them conceding more goals.

Liam Delap is the only Ipswich player who can do anything for fantasy managers.

I think United will get a badly needed home win in this game, but only by a slim margin.

Prediction: 2-1

Nottingham Forest v Arsenal 

7.30pm GMT, City Ground, Nottingham 

Forest lost 4-3 away to Newcastle on Sunday, but they held on to third place as the teams behind them are all struggling to find any form. They have taken 16 points and scored 15 goals in their last six home games, but their next two games on their own ground are against last season’s top two. They have lost three of their last four games and they conceded 11 goals in those three defeats.

Chris Wood, Anthony Elanga and Morgan Gibbs-White are the Forest players to watch for fantasy managers at the moment.

Arsenal lost 1-0 at home to West Ham on Saturday and that defeat put an end to their feint title hopes. They have taken 18 points from their last eight away games with only Palace conceding less goals on the road. They were unbeaten in 15 games before losing to West Ham with no other team conceding less goals.

The Arsenal defenders and keeper can all do very well for fantasy managers, but I’m not so sure of it in this game.

I think this will be a close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end all square.

Prediction: 1-1

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City 

7.30pm GMT, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London 

Spurs won 4-1 away to Ipswich on Saturday, but they still have six points to make up on the top half of the table. They won their last home game after failing to win the previous seven with only Brentford scoring more goals on their own patch. They have won their last three games after failing to win the previous seven with only Liverpool scoring more goals.

I suggested Brennan Johnson could do well for fantasy managers last week and he did just that with Son Heing-Min, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski good options too.

City lost 2-0 at home to Liverpool on Sunday, but they managed to hold on to their place in the top four on goal difference. They have only won twice in their last nine away games and their next two games are on their travels. They have lost two of their last three games and they conceded seven goals in those two defeats, but only Liverpool and Spurs have scored more goals.

If Erling Haaland is still injured then Phil Foden and Omar Marmoush are the City players most likely to do well for fantasy managers.

I think this will be a close game with City probably just managing to take the three points.

Prediction: 1-2

Liverpool v Newcastle 

8.15pm GMT, Anfield, Liverpool 

Liverpool won 2-0 away to City on Sunday to go 11 points clear at the top of the table and it looks like they have the title sewn up. They have taken 26 points from their last 10 home games with no other team taking more points or conceding less goals on their own ground. They are unbeaten in 27 games with no other team scoring more goals and only Arsenal conceding less.

Mohamed Salah is an absolute must have for fantasy managers with Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo and all of the Liverpool defenders and keeper looking very good too.

Newcastle held on to win 4-3 at home to Forest at the weekend and they’re now only outside the top four on goal difference. They lost their last away game after winning the previous four and this is probably their hardest away game of the season. They have lost three of their last five games after winning the previous six, but their next five games after this are against teams in the bottom half of the table.

Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Jacob Murphy are the Newcastle players to own for fantasy managers.

I think Liverpool will continue their march to an inevitable title with another win in this game.

Prediction: 3-1

Thursday February 27

West Ham United v Leicester City 

8pm GMT, London Stadium, London 

West Ham won 1-0 away to Arsenal on Saturday to remain two places above the bottom three, but they have 13 points to spare. They have lost three of their last four home games and they failed to score in each of those defeats, but they will fancy their chances in this game. The win against Arsenal was only their second win in eight games and only the four teams below them have conceded more goals.

Jarrod Bowen is the West Ham player who could do very well for fantasy managers over the next few weeks.

Leicester lost 4-0 at home to Brentford on Friday night and they’re now five points from safety with games running out. They have lost six of their last seven away games with no other team conceding more goals on their travels. They have lost 10 of their last 11 games and they failed to score in eight of those games with only Southampton conceding more goals.

I can’t see any Leicester players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.

I think West Ham will make it back to back wins in this game with a few goals to spare.

Prediction: 3-0

That’s it for this week.

See you next week.

Predictions For Premier League Gameweek 26

It’s that time of the week again when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. I had a very bad week last week with no perfect predictions, four correct outcomes and seven incorrect outcomes which left me in second place in my predictions league. Here’s a look at how the top five in that league stands.

Rank	Player	Res	Cls	Exa	Slm	Pts
1 -	Cole	46	82.5	87	19	234.5
2 -	JamrockRover	39	105	60	17	221.0
3 -	Gooners	49	82.5	69	18	218.5
4 -	SammyW	40	91.5	69	16	216.5
5 -	nzbuddy	36	85.5	78	14	213.5

My fantasy team did fairly well last week, but I lost a small amount of ground overall. Mohamed Salah yet again was the star player for me and proved to be the perfect captain. The other players to get points for me were David Raya, Gabriel Magalhaes, Chris Wood and Matheus Cunha with Arnie Slot getting some points too as I used my assistant manager chip.

Salah will be my captain again this week despite Liverpool travelling to City and I’ll probably look to bring Ethan Nwaneri in for the injured Amad Diallo. I could do with letting my transfers roll for a few weeks to build up a few so I can have a free mini wildcard, but my squad seems to need work every week at the moment. At least my choice of Slot as my assistant manager should give me a further boost over the next two weeks.

Friday February 21

Leicester City v Brentford 

8pm GMT, King Power Stadium, Leicester 

Leicester lost 2-0 at home to Arsenal last week to leave them in the bottom three and two points from safety. They have lost their last five home games without scoring and they conceded 11 goals in those games with only two other teams scoring less goals on their own ground. They have lost nine of their last 10 games and they failed to score in seven of those games with only Southampton scoring less and conceding more goals.

I can’t see any Leicester players to interest fantasy managers at the moment.

Brentford won 1-0 away to West Ham last week and that win kept them three points off the top half of the table. They have taken 10 points from their last four away games and they only conceded one goal in those games. They have taken 10 points and scored 10 goals in their last six games and they will fancy their chances against struggling Leicester.

Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa are the Brentford players who can do well for fantasy managers.

I think Brentford will win this game by at least a couple of goals.

Prediction: 1-3

Saturday February 22

Everton v Manchester United 

12.30pm GMT, Goodison Park, Liverpool 

Everton won 2-1 away to Palace last week and that win moved them up to 14th place in the table. They have taken seven points from their last three home games and they scored nine goals in those games, but they have some difficult games coming up on their own patch. They have taken 13 points from their last five games and they scored 12 goals in those games with their next four games all against teams in the bottom half of the table.

Beto is the attacking Everton player who fantasy managers should keep an eye on at the moment with their defenders and keeper good choices too.

United lost 1-0 away to Spurs last week to drop below Everton to 15th place in the table. They have only won two of their last 10 away games with only Everton and Southampton scoring less goals on the road. They have lost eight of their last 12 games and they failed to score in six of those games.

Bruno Fernandes is probably the only United player who might be of interest to fantasy managers at the moment.

I think Everton will continue their impressive run with a narrow victory in this game.

Prediction: 2-1

Arsenal v West Ham United 

3pm GMT, Emirates Stadium, London 

Arsenal won 2-0 away to Leicester last week and they are now eight points behind Liverpool at the top of the table, but they have a game in hand. They’re the only team still unbeaten at home with only Bournemouth conceding less goals on their own ground. They’re unbeaten in 15 games and they won 10 of them with no other team conceding less goals and only Liverpool and City scoring more.

Ethan Nwaneri and Leandro Trossard could do well for fantasy managers along with the Arsenal defenders and keeper.

West Ham lost 1-0 at home to Brentford last week and they’re only two points above the bottom three, but they won’t get drawn into a relegation battle. They have only won once in their last six away games and they conceded 11 goals in those games. They have lost five of their last seven games and they conceded 17 goals in those games with only the four teams below them conceding more goals.

Jarrod Bowen is the only West Ham player who looks like he could do well for fantasy managers.

I think Arsenal will continue their quest for the title with another victory in this game.

Prediction: 2-0

Bournemouth v Wolverhampton Wanderers 

3pm GMT, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth 

Bournemouth won 3-1 away to Southampton last week and that win left them one point below the top four. They lost their last home game after being unbeaten in the previous five with no other team conceding less goals on their own patch. They have only lost once in their last 13 games and none of their next nine opponents are in the top seven.

Justin Kluivert, Antoine Semenyo, Dango Ouattara and Milos Kerkez are all looking like very good options for fantasy managers at the moment.

Wolves lost 2-1 away to Liverpool last week, but they’re still two points above the relegation zone. They have lost their last three away games and they conceded eight goals in those games with only Leicester conceding more goals on their travels. They have lost five of their last six games and they conceded 12 goals in those games with only Southampton and Leicester conceding more goals.

Matheus Cunha is the Wolves player who can make a difference for fantasy managers at the moment.

I think Bournemouth will continue their chase for a top four place with a narrow victory in this game.

Prediction: 2-1

Fulham v Crystal Palace 

3pm GMT, Craven Cottage, London 

Fulham won 2-1 at home to Forest last week and that win moved them up to eighth place within five points of the top four. They have only won once in their last six home games, but they drew four of them and their next three home games after this one are all against big six teams. They have won three of their last four games after only winning twice in the previous 10 games and three of their next four games are against teams in the bottom half of the table.

Antonee Robinson is still the best bet in the Fulham team for fantasy managers with Raul Jiminez worth a shout too.

Palace lost 2-1 at home to Everton last week and that defeat saw them drop to 13th place. They have taken 18 points from their last eight away games and they kept clean sheets in five of those games with no other team conceding less goals on the road. They have lost two of their last three games after only losing once in the previous 11 and they have a pretty good run of games coming up.

Jean-Philippe Mateta is in great form at the moment for fantasy managers with the Palace defenders and keeper looking good too.

I think this will be a very close game with a draw the most likely outcome.

Prediction: 1-1

Ipswich Town v Tottenham Hotspur 

3pm GMT, Portman Road, Ipswich 

Ipswich drew 1-1 away to Villa last week to move above Leicester on goal difference, but they’re still in the relegation zone. They have lost their last three home games and they conceded 10 goals in those games with no other team scoring less goals on their own patch. They have only taken two points from their last six games and they conceded 17 goals in those games, but only Southampton have scored less goals.

Liam Delap is the only Ipswich player for fantasy managers to even consider.

Spurs won 1-0 at home to United last week and that victory moved them up to 12th place in the table. They won their last away game after losing the previous three with only three other teams conceding less goals on their travels. They have won their last two games after only taking one point from the previous seven with only three other teams scoring more goals.

With some of the Spurs attacking players on the way back from injury James Maddison, Brennan Johnson and Son Heung-Min can all do well for fantasy managers.

I think Spurs will make it three wins in a row for the first time this season by a narrow margin.

Prediction: 1-2

Southampton v Brighton And Hove Albion 

3pm GMT, St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton 

Southampton lost 3-1 at home to Bournemouth last week to leave themselves adrift at the bottom of the table. They have lost 10 of their 12 home games with no other team scoring less or conceding more goals on their own ground. They have only taken five points from their last 15 games with no other team scoring less or conceding more goals.

I can’t see any Southampton players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.

Brighton won 3-0 at home to Chelsea last week to keep themselves in the top half of the table. They were thrashed by Forest in their last away game, but they were unbeaten in their previous five games on the road. They had lost two games in a row before beating Chelsea and they have a tricky run of games coming up after this one.

Kaoru Mitoma is probably the only Brighton player showing enough consistency to interest fantasy managers.

I think Brighton should have more than enough to win this game comfortably.

Prediction: 0-3

Aston Villa v Chelsea 

5.30pm GMT, Villa Park, Birmingham 

Villa drew 1-1 at home to Ipswich and 2-2 at home to Liverpool last week to leave them five points off the top four, but they have played a game more than the teams above them. They’re unbeaten in 13 home games, but they drew seven of them with no other team drawing more games on their own patch. They haven’t won in five games, but they drew four of them with only Brighton drawing more games.

Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers are the Villa players to own for fantasy managers.

Chelsea lost 3-0 away to Brighton last week, but they’re still only one point off the top four. They have only taken two points from their last five away games and they only scored two goals in those games, but only Liverpool and Bournemouth have scored more goals on their travels. They have only won twice in their last nine games, but their next two games after this one are against the bottom two teams in the table.

Cole Palmer is the only Chelsea player of interest for fantasy managers, but even he hasn’t done so well in recent weeks.

I think Villa will make home advantage count to narrowly win this game.

Prediction: 2-1

Sunday February 23

Newcastle United v Nottingham Forest 

2pm GMT, St. James’s Park, Newcastle 

Newcastle lost 4-0 away to City last week, but they’re still only three points below the top four. They lost their last two home games after winning the previous three, but they have a good run of games coming up at home after this one. They have lost three of their last four games after winning the previous six and their next two games are against two of the current top three.

Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Jacob Murphy are the Newcastle players most likely to return points for fantasy managers.

Forest lost 2-1 away to Fulham last week, but they managed to hold on to third place. They lost their last two away games after winning the previous four and they conceded seven goals in those two defeats. They have taken 25 points from their last 11 games, but this is the first of three very tough games in a row.

Chris Wood, Anthony Elanga and Morgan Gibbs-White are the Forest players to own for fantasy managers at the moment, but it might be best to avoid their keeper and defenders for a few weeks.

I think Newcastle will get a badly needed win in this game to put them right back in the fight for a top four finish.

Prediction: 2-1

Manchester City v Liverpool 

4.30pm GMT, Etihad Stadium, Manchester 

City won 4-0 at home to Newcastle last week and that win moved them back into the top four. They have won their last three home games and they scored 11 goals in those games with only Brentford scoring more goals on their own patch. They have taken 15 points from their last eight games and they scored 23 goals in those games with only Liverpool scoring more goals.

Omar Marmoush might just be the City player to have for fantasy managers if Erling Haaland is injured with Phil Foden worth considering too.

Liverpool won 2-1 at home to Wolves and drew 2-2 away to Villa last week and those results saw them move eight points clear at the top of the table, but they have played an extra game. They have drawn their last two away games, but they’re the only team still unbeaten on their travels with no other team scoring more goals away from home. They are unbeaten in 22 games with no other team scoring more goals and only Arsenal conceding less.

Mohamed Salah is an absolute must have for fantasy managers with Cody Gakpo (if he’s fit to play), Luis Diaz and Trent Alexander-Arnold good options too.

I think Liverpool will be too strong for City and should take the three points by a narrow margin.

Prediction: 1-2

That’s it for this week.

See you next week.