The It's that time of the week again when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. I did reasonably well last week with five correct predictions and five incorrect which wasn't too bad considering some of the results. Those predictions kept me on top of my predictions league as you can see from the table below.
| Badges | This Week | PTS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (1) |   Michael Sheehy |   4 | +50 | 755 | |
| 2 (2) |  Rutland Gooner | 2 | +40 | 620 | |
| 3 (3) |   Karl-Yngve Lund | 2 | -5 | 515 | |
| 4 (4) | sensisoccerworld | 1 | 0 | 460 | |
| 5 (5) | Wayne Hubbard | | +20 | 430 | |
Saturday October 29
12.30pm BST, Stadium of Light, Sunderland
Sunderland lost to a last minute goal away to West Ham last week and they're firmly rooted to the foot of the table without a win to their name. No other team has taken less points at home than Sunderland and only Hull have conceded more goals at home. They have only taken two points from their opening nine games and they failed to score in five of those games.
Jermain Defoe is the only Sunderland player fantasy managers should even consider.
Arsenal could only draw 0-0 at home to Boro last week to put an end to their run of six successive wins. They have taken 10 points from their four away games and they have the best defensive record on the road. They haven't been beaten since their opening game with 20 points from those eight games.
Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and the Arsenal defenders are all doing very well for fantasy managers.
I think Arsenal should be too strong for Sunderland and should win by a couple of goals.
Prediction: 0-2
Manchester United v Burnley
3pm BST, Old Trafford, Manchester
United were soundly thrashed by Chelsea last week and they're now six points behind the pacesetters. They haven't exactly excelled at home so far with only two wins and four goals in their four home games. They haven't won in their last three league games and they failed to score in their last two, but the EFL Cup win against City in midweek might just do their confidence some good.
United players haven't exactly set the fantasy world alight recently, but they could do alright in this game.
Burnley had a very good win at home to Everton last week and their home form is keeping them clear of the drop zone. They are one of two teams who have lost all of their away games and they're the lowest scorers away from home with only one goal in their three games. They have failed to score in four of their nine games and they won't be looking forward to a trip to United.
Burnley defenders have done quite well for fantasy managers, but only when they're playing at home.
I think United should get back to winning ways with a few goals to spare in this game.
Prediction: 3-0
Middlesbrough v Bournemouth
3pm BST, Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough
Boro got a very good point away to Arsenal last week and will hope to build on that result. They're one of only three teams without a home win and no other team has scored less goals at home. They haven't won in their last seven games and they have failed to score in the last two.
Boro players haven't exactly set the fantasy world alight, but more performances like last week could see their defenders making an impression.
Bournemouth got a very good point at home to Spurs last week and they came close to taking all three points. They haven't won away from home yet and only two other teams have scored less goals on their travels. They have taken eight points from their last four games and kept clean sheets in two of those games.
Bournemouth defenders have done well for fantasy managers, but usually in their home games.
I can see this being a very close game and a draw is probably the most likely outcome.
Prediction: 1-1
Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City
3pm BST, White Hart Lane, London
Spurs could only draw away to Bournemouth last week, but they're still only one point off the top of the table. They have taken 10 points from their four home games and they have conceded less goals at home than any other team even if they have only scored five goals in those four games. They're the only unbeaten team in the league and have kept a clean sheet in five of their nine away games.
Dele Alli is the best attacking option in the Spurs team at the moment while their defenders are doing very well for fantasy managers too.
Leicester got a very good and very important win at home to Palace last week, but they're still a long way behind the league leaders. They have lost all four of their away games and have conceded more away goals than any other team. If they're going to improve their league position they need to start taking some points on the road, but this might not be the best game to try to start.
Leicester are yet another team who's defenders are doing very well at home, but they are probably best avoided at the moment.
Leicester might just make a game of it, but I think Spurs will take the three points.
Prediction: 2-0
Watford v Hull City
3pm BST, Vicarage Road, Watford
Watford got a 0-0 draw away to Swansea last week to keep themselves in the top half of the table. They have only won once in their four home games and only four other teams have conceded more goals at home. They have taken 11 points from their last six games and kept a clean sheet in their last two.
Jose Holebas has been in sparkling form recently for fantasy managers while Etienne Capoue hasn't done much in recent weeks after a great start to the season.
Hull lost at home to Stoke last week and they're sliding quickly to the wrong end of the table. They have taken more points away from home than they have at home with only Leicester conceding more goals on their travels. They have lost their last five games and conceded 19 goals in the process.
Robert Snodgrass started the season well for fantasy managers, but I can't see any Hull players to recommend at the moment.
I think Watford should have more than enough to win this game.
Prediction: 3-1
West Bromwich Albion v Manchester City
3pm BST, The Hawthorns, Birmingham
West Brom lost away to Liverpool last week and it doesn't get any easier this week with a game against City. They have taken as many points at home as they have away from home and they are again becoming the draw kings of the Premier League. The defeat at Liverpool was their first one in five games, but they haven't kept a clean sheet in their last six games.
Nacer Chadli has been very good for fantasy managers while Gareth McAuley always chips in with the odd goal from defence.
City could only draw at home to Southampton last week, but they're still on top of the league even if it is only on goal difference. They have won three of their four away games and no other team has scored more goals away from home. They haven't won in their last three league games and six in all competitions and they have only managed one clean sheet in their opening nine games.
Sergio Aguero has been a huge disappointment recently for fantasy managers while Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem Sterling are still pretty good bets.
Despite their recent poor run I still think City will just about edge this game.
Prediction: 1-2
Crystal Palace v Liverpool
5.30pm BST, Selhurst Park, London
Palace lost away to Leicester last week and they face a pretty tough task at home to high flying Liverpool this week. They have taken more points on the road than they have at home and they have struggled to score at home with only five goals in four games. After a run of three wins in a row they only managed one point in their last three games and they haven't managed a clean sheet in the league yet this season.
Christian Benteke started off very well for fantasy managers when he joined Palace and he might just have a point to prove in this game even if the goals have dried up in the last couple of games.
Liverpool only beat West Brom by one goal last week, but they could easily have won by a lot more. They have taken 10 points from their five away games and no other team has scored more goals away from home. They have taken 17 points in their last seven games, but they have only managed one clean sheet in their nine games.
Phillippe Coutinho, Roberto Frimino, Sadio Mane and Adam Lallana are all doing very well for fantasy managers, but which one to choose is the problem.
I think Palace will give Liverpool a real scare and this game might just end in a draw.
Prediction: 2-2
Sunday October 30
Everton v West Ham United
1.30pm GMT, Goodison Park, Liverpool
Everton lost to a very late goal away to Burnley last week and their good start to the season has quickly faded. They're still unbeaten at home with only Leicester and Spurs conceding less goals on their own patch. They have only taken two points in their last four games and haven't managed a clean sheet in their last five.
Romelu Lukaku has been the best fantasy option in the Everton team while Yannick Bolasie has done quite well too.
West Ham left it very late last week, but a late goal got them the three points against Sunderland and moved them three points clear of the relegation zone. They have lost three of their four away games with only two other teams conceding more goals on their travels. They have kept a clean sheet in their last two games, but still only Hull have conceded more goals than them.
Dimitri Payet is still a very good option for fantasy managers while other West Ham players have faltered a little in recent weeks.
I think this will be another very close game and it might just end in a draw too.
Prediction: 1-1
Southampton v Chelsea
4pm GMT, St. Mary's Stadium, Swansea
Southampton got a very good point away to City last week and they face another very tough opponent this week. They are unbeaten at home so far and only two other teams have conceded less goals at home. After a slow start to the season they have taken 11 points in their last five games and kept clean sheets in three of those games.
Charlie Austin, Nathan Redmond and Dusan Tadic are all doing very well for fantasy managers and the Southampton defenders aren't doing too badly either.
Chelsea thrashed United 4-0 last week and their change in formation seems to be working a treat for them. They have only lost once in their four away games, but they have conceded as many goals as they have scored away from home. Since losing to Arsenal they have won their last three games without conceding a goal and they scored nine goals in those games.
Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and maybe even Victor Moses are all very good fantasy options and the Chelsea defenders have excelled in recent weeks.
I'm really not too sure how this game is going to go which probably means I should opt for a draw.
Prediction: 1-1
Monday October 31
Stoke City v Swansea City
8pm GMT, Bet 365 Stadium, Stoke
Stoke won their second game in a row last week away to Hull and moved out of the bottom three. They got their first home win in their last home game and only two teams have scored less goals at home with only one team conceding more at home. After a bad start to the season they have won their last two games and kept a clean sheet in both games too.
Stoke's defenders are starting to look good for fantasy managers while Marco Arnautovic still looks like the best option even if Xhedran Shaqiri did very well last week.
Swansea drew 0-0 at home to Watford last week and they need to find a way to start winning games again. They have lost three of their four away games, but they have the best defensive record away from home among the bottom eight clubs. They have not won since beating Burnley in the first week of the season, but at least they managed their first clean sheet since that game last week.
Even if Swansea are struggling Gylfi Siggurdsen is still a good choice for fantasy managers, but Leroy Fer seems to have slipped from favour despite his good start to the season.
I think Stoke's resurgence will continue with another win in this game.
Prediction: 2-0
That's it for this week.
See you next week.
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