It's that time of the week again when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. I didn't did too badly last week with two correct score lines, five correct outcomes and only three incorrect outcomes. It means I've moved up to third in my predictions league, but the league leader has now opened up a bit of a gap at the top.
Here's a look at how my Predictions League stands.
Pos Player Week Total
___ _____ ____ _____
1. antonius_ronny_s 190 450
2. RSun624 180 345
3. JamrockRover 115 320
4. iancampbell 80 290
5. nawa87 40 255
6. Meikku 110 245
7. Plasticninja 75 245
8. AFC_Ollie95 90 240
9. Rutland Gooner 115 230
10. BenAFCBeast -5 200
Saturday September 29
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Arsenal Vs. Chelsea
12.45pm BST, Emirates Stadium, London
Arsenal are still unbeaten this season and they got a very good point away to champions Manchester City last week. They look like they might really be in with a shout this season when the trophies are handed out. This is another really big test for them though as they entertain the current European champions.
Santi Cazorla continues to impress and he looks the Arsenal player most likely to do well for fantasy managers. Kirean Gibbs is doing pretty well too as Arsenal are showing some real defensive solidity.
Chelsea are top of the table with 13 points from five games, but this will be their biggest test so far. They spent a fortune on new players in the summer and it will take a while for the team to gel fully. It will be interesting to see how attack minded they will be against an Arsenal team that could give them real problems at the back.
Branislav Ivanovic and Ashley Cole are scoring loads of fantasy points at the moment and are worth considering. Eden Hazard looks a good bet too although he has had little return from the last few games.
I think Arsenal are good enough to cause Chelsea some real problems and take all three points.
Prediction: 2-1
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Everton Vs. Southampton
3pm BST, Goodison Park, Liverpool
Everton are flying high in the Premier League but they experienced an embarrassing defeat to Championship side Leeds United in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday night. They have shown themselves to be solid at the back again this season, but they seem to have more of a goal scoring threat too. They will see a home game against Southampton as an ideal chance to keep up the pressure at the right end of the table.
Leighton Baines, Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar are probably the three Everton players most likely to succeed for fantasy managers.
Southampton have had a very tough start to life back in the Premier League and it won't get any easier in this game. At least they managed their first points of the season by coming from behind to beat Aston Villa last week. They will do very well to get anything out of this game though.
Ricky Lambert still looks to be the best of the Southampton players for fantasy managers.
I think Everton will be too strong for Southampton and win by a few goals.
Prediction: 3-1
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Fulham Vs. Manchester City
3pm BST, Craven Cottage, London
Fulham are never an easy team to beat at home and they have won their two home games so far this season. They have been scoring freely too and they will fancy the opportunity to be the first team to beat City in the league this season.
Dimetar Berbatov looks capable of getting plenty of fantasy points at Fulham and Damien Duff just can't stop scoring at the moment.
City are still unbeaten in the league this season, but they haven't won away from home yet either. They will need to perform better on the road of they ate going to retain their title. Their inability to keep a clean sheet so far is surprising and must be a worry for them.
With City's defence faltering it looks like the best fantasy bets in their team are Yaya Toure, Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero.
I don't think Fulham will beat City but they might just hold them to another draw.
Prediction: 1-1
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Norwich City Vs. Liverpool
3pm BST, Carrow Road, Norwich
Norwich haven't won a game yet this season, but they are showing definite signs of improvement. They're above Liverpool in the table after three draws in their first five games and another draw in this game would be viewed as a positive result. They will have to start winning games though or it will be a long hard season for them.
I can't see any outstanding Norwich players at the moment, but John Ruddy and Robert Snodgrass are pretty cheap and get their fair share of points.
Liverpool are in the relegation zone with only two points to show from their opening five games. They just don't look good enough to challenge at the top, but right now they need to concentrate on climbing the table very quickly. They should be good enough to win this game, but their confidence must be suffering at the moment.
Liverpool players are best avoided until they find some form as they tend to be priced quite high.
I think Norwich might just have enough about them to get a draw and stay ahead of Liverpool in the table.
Prediction: 2-2
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Reading Vs. Newcastle United
3pm BST, Madejski Stadium, Reading
Reading find themselves rooted to the bottom of the table after losing their last three matches. They aren't finding it easy to score goals and they need to score some soon before they are in real trouble.
Reading players aren't looking very impressive for fantasy managers so far this season.
Newcastle have had a decent start to the season without really playing as well as they did last season. Both Fabricio Coloccini and Cheick Tiote should return to the team soon and help to strengthen them at the back. They will do well to match last season's fifth place finish, but they have enough good players to give it a real go.
Hatem Ben Arfa and Demba Ba are in great form at the moment and well worth considering for fantasy managers.
I think Newcastle will have too much attacking power for Reading and they will take all three points.
Prediction: 0-2
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Stoke City Vs. Swansea City
3pm BST, Brittinia Stadium, Stoke
Stoke haven't won a game yet this season, but their only defeat so far was away to Chelsea last week. They're never easy to beat at home and they will certainly see Swansea as potentially their first victory of the season.
Stoke are far from thrilling to watch but I suppose Ryan Shawcross and Peter Crouch are doing fairly well for fantasy managers so far this season.
Swansea had a good start to the season but the wheels have come off a little in their last two games. Their defence is struggling at the moment and they will have to sort it out or they could be in for a tough season.
Miguel Michu is still the Swansea player most likely to produce for fantasy managers with Wayne Routledge not a bad bet either.
I think Stoke's more agricultural style will win out in this game of contrasting styles.
Prediction: 2-1
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Sunderland Vs. Wigan Athletic
3pm BST, The Stadium of Light, Sunderland
Sunderland still haven't won a league game this season and their winless streak is now well over 10 games including last season. They seem to have found a proper goal scorer in Stephen Fletcher, but the rest of the team will need to do their bit too.
Fletcher has four goals in three league games since he joined Sunderland and he seems to be the best fantasy choice among their players.
Wigan have found themselves drifting towards the relegation zone yet again. Their only win so far was away to Southampton and they need to get some more points in the board very quickly, or they might have to pull off another "Houdini" at the end of the season.
Ali Al-Habsi is still probably the best fantasy bet among the Wigan players.
I think Sunderland will finally break their winless streak in a very close game.
Prediction: 2-1
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Manchester United Vs. Tottenham Hotspur
5.30pm BST, Old Trafford, Manchester
United are second in the league with four wins in a row since their opening day defeat to Everton. If Chelsea fail to beat Arsenal earlier in the day United will go top, but they just don't seem to be playing too well at the moment. If they can step up a gear they could have a real chance of winning the league.
Robin can Persie is the obvious choice for fantasy managers among the United players with Antonio Valencia and Shinji Kagawa as other possibilities too. Rafael Da Silva is currently racking up fantasy points as a defender and he must be considered also.
Spurs haven't beaten United in so long that I can't remember the last time they did. After a slow start to their season they have won their last two games against Reading and QPR, but this will be a much sterner test for them.
Jermaine Defoe is doing very well for Spurs at the moment and Gareth Bale is always a good fantasy performer.
I can't see Spurs getting anything other than their usual beating against United.
Prediction: 3-1
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Sunday September 30
Aston Villa Vs. West Bromwich Albion
4pm BST, The Hawthorns, Birmingham
Villa looked to have possibly turned a corner before they were beaten 4-1 at Southampton last week. They bounced back to win away to Manchester City in the Capital One Cup in midweek and they should be up for this local derby.
I suggested Ciaran Clarke as a possible fantasy choice last week and I will stick with that choice despite his red card and own goal on four league appearances so far this season.
Albion have had a great start to the season with only one defeat so far. They are in an unusual lofty position for them and a victory over local rivals Villa would be a great result for them. They have played very well so far and probably go into this game as favourites.
Ben Foster, Gareth McAuley, Liam Ridgewell and James Morrison are all performing really well at the moment and worth considering for fantasy managers.
I can see this being a feisty affair with the spoils shared in the end.
Prediction: 1-1
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Monday October 1
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Queens Park Rangers Vs. West Ham United
8pm BST, Loftus Road, London
Rangers have only taken two points in their opening five games and they find themselves in the relegation zone. They have only scored three goals in those games and they seem to be lacking creativity. If results don't improve very soon I can see Mark Hughes being under a lot of pressure.
With so few goals scored and so many conceded it's hard to see any Rangers players worth investing in for fantasy managers.
West Ham haven't exactly set the Premier League alight since their promotion, but they are the only newly promoted team holding their own. They have only lost once so far and they are proving to be hard to beat at home. They will fancy their chances against a Rangers team which must be lacking some confidence at this stage.
Kevin Nolan is by far the best fantasy bet among the West Ham players, but Winston Reid, James Collins and Jussi Jaaskelainen are all doing very well at the moment too.
I think this will be a very close game and it might just end in a draw.
Prediction: 1-1
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That's it for this week, but as always feel free to tell me where I may have gone right or wrong as the case might be.
See you next week.
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