Predictions For Premier League Gameweek Four

It's that time of the week again when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. I didn't do too badly last week with six correct outcomes and four incorrect which moved me up to third in my predictions league as you can see from the table below. It's not too late to join in and the details of how to do so are at the end of this post.

POS	Player Name	Badges	This Week	PTS
1 (2)	Wayne Hubbard		+30	160
1 (1)	Rutland Gooner		+15	160
3 (4)	Michael Sheehy		+60	105
4 (5)	goonerdhanesh		+80	80
5 (3)	Malcs		+15	65

Saturday August 29

Newcastle United v Arsenal

12.45pm BST, St. James's Park, Newcastle 

Newcastle worked hard to get a good point away to United last week and have only lost once in their first three games. They haven't won any of those games though and the pressure will be on them until they get their first win of the season. It won't be easy for them at home to a team who are expected to challenge for the title, but Arsenal haven't had the best start by their standards either.

I'm not sure which Newcastle players might do well for fantasy managers, but Papiss Cisse usually does well when he gets to play and Tim Krul is getting to make plenty of saves at the moment.

Arsenal have had real problems scoring at home, but they have won their only away game so far. They will hope for Newcastle to have a go at them which might give Arsenal the space they crave in the attacking third. If they are going to keep pace with the leaders this is a game they have to win.

At the moment none of the Arsenal players are doing particularly well for fantasy managers, but players like Santi Cazorla, Petr Cech, Alexis Sanchez, Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil will all do well in the long run.

I think Arsenal will get the space they want away from home and win by a couple of goals. 

Prediction: 1-3

Aston Villa v Sunderland 

3pm BST, Villa Park, Birmingham 

Villa were beaten for the second game in a row last week and still look like they will struggle at the wrong end of the table this season. They struggled to score goals last season and nothing I have seen so far makes me think that has changed. A home game against the team with the worst defensive record so far could be just what they need at this stage. 

I still can't see any Villa players setting the fantasy world alight, but Micah Richards has the potential to do well for them.

Sunderland got their first point when they came from behind to draw at home to Swansea last week. They have conceded more goals than any other team so far, but at least they are scoring goals. If they can get something from this game it might just give them the belief they need to kickstart their season.

Jermaine Defoe looks like the one Sunderland player who might make an impression for fantasy managers.

I think this will be a very close game and an important one for two struggling teams and it might just end in a draw.

Prediction: 1-1

Bournemouth v Leicester City

3pm BST, Dean Court, Bournemouth 

Bournemouth got their first ever Premier League points in a 4-3 win away to West Ham last week. They had failed to score in their first two games, but looked a lot more like the team who won the Championship last season against West Ham. It will still be a struggle for them to stay up, but that win will boost their confidence and they have every chance of getting another three points in this game.

Callum Wilson got a hat trick last week and could be a good buy for fantasy managers if Bournemouth can continue to impress like they did in that game.

Leicester got a good point at home to Spurs last week and are sitting pretty in second place with seven points from three games. Claudio Ranieri seems to have continued on the good work of Nigel Pearson from late last season and only City have scored more goals than Leicester. They have every chance of getting another three points in this game and continuing their great start to the season.

Riyad Mahrez seems to be a must have player for fantasy managers at the moment with Marc Albrighton just behind him.

I think this will be another very tight game and it might just end in a draw too.

Prediction: 2-2

Chelsea v Crystal Palace

3pm BST, Stamford Bridge, London 

Chelsea got their first win away to West Brom last week, but the game was hardly without incident yet again as they got their second red card of the season. Their seemingly watertight defence has looked very vulnerable with only Sunderland conceding more goals so far. They will want to get their first home win of the season, but Palace won't make it easy for them.

Chelsea defenders still look like they should be avoided even if Cesar Azpilicueta keeps getting fantasy points while Diego Costa is improving and should be followed by Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard with Pedro worth considering too. 

Palace got their second win of the season at home to Villa last week. Their only defeat so far was at home to Arsenal the previous week and they have a very good record away from home under Alan Pardew. They will have to be at their best to get anything from this game, but they away record under Pardew suggests they will give it a go.

Yohan Cabaye still looks like the best fantasy choice in the Palace team and Wilfried Zaha could to well too.

I think Chelsea will have their work cut out to get the three points, but they will just manage to do so.

Prediction: 2-1

Liverpool v West Ham United

3pm BST, Anfield, Liverpool 

Liverpool got a good point away to Arsenal on Monday and are still unbeaten with seven points from their first three games. They haven't conceded a goal either, but they have struggled to score goals. A home game against a team who have lost their last two games surely offers them a chance to get a few goals and another win too.

Liverpool's defenders look pretty good for fantasy managers at the moment while Christian Benteke and Phillippe Coutinho might not be bad options either.

West Ham had such a good start to their season with a win at Arsenal, but it has gone rapidly downhill since then. They lost their last two games at home to teams they can't afford to lose to and need to get a win to get back on track. A trip to a Liveroool team growing in confidence is hardly the ideal game for them at this stage, but they will approach it like they approached the Arsenal game and hope for a similar outcome.

Dimitri Payet looks like a good prospect for fantasy managers while Cheikhou Kouyate has had a very good start to the season too.

I can't see anything other than a Liverpool win in this game and they might even score more than one goal too.

Prediction: 2-0

Manchester City v Watford

3pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester 

City have won their first three games in good fashion and haven't conceded a goal in the process. They are the highest scorers in those first three games and look determined to put in a much stronger title challenge than they did last season. They have a very good home record over the last few seasons and will be strong favourites to make it four wins in a row.

City players are performing very well for fantasy managers at the moment with all of their defensive players worth having while Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Yaya Toure and Raheem Sterling are very good buys too.

Watford are still unbeaten after three games, but they haven't registered their first win either as they have drawn all of their games. They weren't involved in a single scoreless draw last season in the Championship, but they have drawn their last two games 0-0. They will have their work cut out to get anything from this game and the chances are they will suffer their first defeat of the season.

Watford's defenders have done very well in recent weeks, but this might not be the best week for fantasy managers to have them.

Despite their best efforts I don't think Watford have much chance of getting anything from this game and will almost certainly lose.

Prediction: 3-0

Stoke City v West Bromwich Albion

3pm BST, Brittannia Stadium, Stoke

Stoke lost their opening game at home to Liverpool, but they did well to take a point from each of their next two games away to Spurs and Norwich. They are always a hard team to beat at home and they will want to get their first home win of the season as soon as possible. A home game against the bottom club offers them the perfect opportunity to do just that.

Mame Biram Diouf has done well so far for fantasy managers and Xherdan Shaqiri looks like he might just be a good buy too.

West Brom have had a tough start to their season with defeats at home to both City and Chelsea leaving them at the foot of the table. They ran Chelsea close last week and got their first goals of the season too so the signs are at least encouraging for them. A trip to Stoke is never easy and West Brom need to get something from it, but they will do well not to lose.

Boaz Myhill looks like he could be the best of the West Brom players for the moment at least.

I think Stoke should be good enough at home to win this game by the odd goal.

Prediction: 2-1

Tottenham Hotspur v Everton

5.30pm BST, White Hart Lane, London

Spurs have only taken two points from their first three games and need to get their first win under their belts. Their only defeat came on the opening day away to United, but their home form wasn't the best last season and they need to perform better at home this season. They won't find it easy at home to Everton, but they need to get that first win at home in particular.

At the moment Nacer Chadli has been the best of the Spurs players for fantasy managers, but surely Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen (although he is injured this week) will come good too.

Everton were beaten at home by City last week, but they put up a good show at least. They have started better this season than they did last season and they need to do a lot better after a very disappointing 11th place finish. A trip to Spurs is never easy, but their 3-0 win at Southampton in their only away game so far will certainly help their confidence.

Ross Barkley, Romelu Lukaku and Arouna Kone have all done very well for fantasy managers so far and look like they could continue to do so too.

I think this will be another game which could go either way and will probably end in a score draw.

Prediction: 2-2

Sunday August 30

Southampton v Norwich City

1.30pm BST, St. Mary's Stadium, Southampton 

Southampton haven't had a good start to their season and have only two points from three games where they were expected to take more points. They exited the Europa League in midweek too and need to get their season up and running. A home game against a newly promoted team should give them a good chance to get the first win they need.

None of the Southampton players have excelled for fantasy managers so far, but Graziano Pelle, Sadio Mane and maybe Cedrric Soares are all worth considering.

Norwich have started best of the three promoted teams and have played some good football to get four points in their first three games. I didn't think their chances of staying up were good before the season started, but they look a lot better right now. A trip to a Southampton team who have not clicked so far offers them the opportunity to add to their points tally.

Nathan Redmond and Wes Hoolohan have both done very well for fantasy managers so far and are available at a good price too.

I think this is another game which could go either way and it could easily end in a draw too.

Prediction: 1-1

Swansea City v Manchester United 

4pm BST, Liberty Stadium, Swansea

Swansea have had a good start to their season with five points from three games and they're still unbeaten. They proved to be a handful for any team last season and it looks like nothing has changed for this season. They did the double over United last season and will feel they have every chance of winning this game.

Bafetimbi Gomis has had a good start for fantasy managers and looks like a good bet as does Andre Ayew.

United are unbeaten in their first three games and haven't conceded a goal either, but they have struggled to score goals. They did manage to score them in their Champions League qualifiers though and they need to find some of that attacking flair in the league. This will probably be their toughest test in the league so far and a good test of how good they are.

Now that he has eventually managed to score Wayne Rooney might be worth considering for fantasy managers, but the United defenders and goalkeeper still look the best bets.

I think this will be yet another very close game and a draw is probably the most likely outcome.

Prediction: 1-1

As usual this season my fantasy league is up and running again and it's open to all comers with a €50 prize (out of my pocket) to the winner. You can join up by using the league code 48497-14043 after you have set your team up here and good luck to all who play. There were over 1,000 teams in my league last season and there's already more than that signed up for this season.

I'm also running my Predictions League again this season and it's very enjoyable even if there's no cash prize for the winner. The code for my league is FD757-ARR after you have signed up here and of course both games are completely free to play. 

That's it for this week.

See you next week.