Monday 3 April 2017

Predictions For Premier League Gameweek 31

It's that time of the week again when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. The weekend didn't go too well for me with one perfect prediction, two correct predictions and seven incorrect. I've dropped back to third in my predictions league and yet again my chances of winning it are very slim as you can see from the table below.

BadgesThis WeekPTS
 1 (1)  Karl-Yngve Lund 4-51850
 2 (3)  Rutland Gooner 5+151650
 3 (2)  Michael Sheehy 6-301645
 4 (4)  Wayne Hubbard 1+401605



Tuesday April 4

Burnley v Stoke City

7.45pm BST, Turf Moor, Burnley

Burnley lost 2-0 at home to Spurs on Saturday and they're in danger of being dragged into the relegation fight if they don't get a few more points soon. They have won nine of their 15 home games and have by far the best home record of the teams in the bottom half of the table. They have only taken three points in their last five games and only the bottom three teams have scored less goals.

Burnley defenders have done well at home this season and could be worth a shot in this game at least.

Stoke lost 2-0 away to Leicester on Saturday, but they're still in the top half of the table. They have only won three of their 15 away games and have failed to score in the last four on the road. They have only won two of their last nine games and have failed to score in three of their last five.

I still can't see any Stoke players who might make a difference for fantasy managers.

I think this will be a close game with few goals and a draw is probably the most likely outcome.

Prediction: 1-1

Leicester City v Sunderland

7.45pm BST, King Power Stadium, Leicester

Leicester won 2-0 at home to Stoke on Saturday and have moved six points above the bottom three. They have won eight of their 15 home games, but they have won their last three at home and scored eight goals in the process. They have won their last four games and scored 11 goals in the process and they still have a Champions League quarter final to look forward to.

Both Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez are looking good for fantasy managers at the moment with Vardy in particular in good form.

Sunderland lost 1-0 away to Watford on Saturday and their chances of staying up are fading with each game. They have lost 11 of their 14 away games and have failed to score in three of their last four on the road. They have only taken six points from their last 12 games and they have failed to score in seven of their last eight games.

I can't see any Sunderland players to recommend to fantasy managers as it looks like relegation will finally catch up with them.

I think Leicester should have more than enough to get their fifth league win in a row in this game.

Prediction: 2-0

Watford v West Bromwich Albion

7.45pm BST, Vicarage Road, Watford

Watford won 1-0 at home to Sunderland on Saturday and they're only outside the top half of the table on goal difference. They have only lost five of their 15 home games, but they can't really find any consistency at home. They have only won once in their last five games, but only need two more wins to more or less secure another season in the top flight.

Troy Deeney has been the best of the Watford players for fantasy managers, but he didn't play against Sunderland on Saturday.

West Brom got a very good goalless draw away to United on Saturday to maintain their hold on eighth place in the table. They have only won three of their 15 away games with only four other teams scoring less goals away from home and only five other teams conceding less. Their last two results would suggest they have overcome a recent dip and they could be set to finish the season strongly.

West Brom's defenders might just be looking good again for fantasy managers with Gareth McAuley still the best of them.

I think this will be another very close game and the chances are it will end with the spoils shared.

Prediction: 1-1

Manchester United v Everton

8pm BST, Old Trafford, Manchester

United couldn't manage to get past a stubburn West Brom defence on Saturday and had to settle for a scoreless draw which kept them fifth in the table. They have only lost one of their 15 home games, but have drawn more games at home than any other team with only Spurs conceding less goals at home. They are unbeaten in 19 games, but they have drawn nine of those games and they have four clean sheets in their last six games.

United's defenders have been very good for fantasy managers recently and Zlatan Ibrahimovic should be raring to go now that he's back from suspension. 

Everton lost 3-1 at Liverpool on Saturday, but they're still only three points off fifth place. They have only won four of their 15 away games and have conceded five goals more than they have scored on the road. They have lost two of their last four games, but they are their only defeats in their last 13 games.

Romelu Lukaku is still the Everton player to have for fantasy managers while their defenders have done well recently too. 

I think Everton will make a game of it, but the return of Ibrahimovic might just be what United need to get the three points. 

Prediction: 2-1

Wednesday April 5

Arsenal v West Ham United

7.45pm BST, Emirates Stadium, London

Arsenal came from behind twice to get a 2-2 draw at home to City on Sunday which leaves them seven points outside the top four, but they do have a game in hand. They have only lost one of their last 13 home games, but they have scored less goals at home than they have on the road. They have only won once in their last six games while only Liverpool and Chelsea have scored more goals than Arsenal.

Alexis Sanchez is still the top scoring player for fantasy managers and a must have with two double game weeks to come before the season ends.

West Ham led at Hull on Saturday, but ended up losing 2-1 and that defeat has left them only six points above the bottom three. They have taken almost as many points away from home as they have at home and only three other teams have scored more goals away from home. They have lost their last four games and conceded 10 goals in those games while they haven't kept a clean sheet in nine games.

Andy Carroll is possibly the West Ham player to watch for fantasy managers at the moment with Manuel Lanzini and Michail Antonio (if he's fit) doing pretty well too.

I think Arsenal will get a much needed win in this game, but their chances of keeping a clean sheet are pretty slim.

Prediction: 3-1

Hull City v Middlesbrough

7.45pm BST, KCOM Stadium, Hull

Hull came from behind to beat West Ham 2-1 on Saturday and they're now only one point behind seventeenth placed Swansea. They have won six of their 15 home games and have taken 14 points from their last six games at home. They have taken 14 points in their last 10 games, but almost all of them were at home and three points are a must for them in this game.

Kamil Grosicki has done well since joining Hull in January and might be worth considering for fantasy managers.

Boro managed a 0-0 draw away to Swansea on Saturday, but they're five points away from safety with games running out quickly. They have only won once in 15 away games, but they have drawn seven of those games with only Hull scoring less goals away from home. 

I can't see any Boro players to recommend to fantasy managers right now as they look to be heading towards the Championship like Sunderland.

I think Hull's upturn in their home form should be enough to see them take the three points in this relegation six-pointer.

Prediction: 2-0

Southampton v Crystal Palace

7.45pm BST, St. Mary's Stadium, Southampton

Southampton drew 0-0 at home to Bournemouth on Sunday and they seem to be finding goals hard to come by when Manolo Gabbiadini isn't in the team. They have only won five of their 14 home games with only Boro scoring less goals at home, but only four other teams have conceded less goals at home. They have lost seven of their last 11 games and only four other teams have scored less goals.

If Gabbiadini is fit he's a good choice for fantasy managers with Ryan Bertrand and Nathan Redmond doing well recently too.

Palace came from behind to get a great 2-1 win away to league leaders Chelsea on Saturday to move four points above the bottom three. They have taken 18 points from their 15 away games and only four other teams have scored more goals away from home. They have won their last four games and kept clean sheets in three of those games.

Wilfried Zaha is looking like he could be a good fantasy purchase right now while Christian Benteke might finally return a few points too.

This is a tough game to call with Palace turning things around recently and I think it might just end all square.

Prediction: 1-1

Swansea City v Tottenham Hotspur

7.45pm BST, Liberty Stadium, Swansea

Swansea could only draw 0-0 at home to Boro on Sunday and they now only have one point to spare over the bottom three. They have taken 10 points from their last four home games, but no other team has conceded more goals at home. They have only taken one point from their last three games and they have conceded more goals than any other team.

Gylfi Sigurdsson is still the best fantasy choice in the Swansea team with Fernando Llorente worth considering if he's fit to play.

Spurs did enough to win 2-0 away to Burnley on Saturday and closed the gap to Chelsea to seven points. They have only lost three of their 14 away games, but only Boro have drawn more games away from home. They have taken 35 points from their last 14 games and no other team has conceded less goals.

Dele Alli is the outstanding Spurs player for fantasy managers right now with Christian Eriksen and all of their defenders worth having too.

I think Swansea's defensive frailties will cost them dearly and Spurs will take the three points.

Prediction: 1-2

Chelsea v Manchester City

8pm BST, Stamford Bridge, London

Chelsea lost at home to Palace on Saturday and saw their lead at the top of the table cut to seven points. Only Spurs have taken more points at home than Chelsea and only Liverpool have scored more goals at home than them. The defeat against Palace was only their second one in 23 league games, but they haven't kept a clean sheet in their last seven games.

Eden Hazard and Diego Costa are still the Chelsea players to have for fantasy managers while Cesc Fabregas does well when he plays.

City led twice at Arsenal on Sunday, but had to settle for a 2-2 draw and dropped back to fourth place. The draw at Arsenal was their first away draw of the season and they have won 10 of their 15 away games with no other team scoring more goals away from home. They are unbeaten in eight games, but they have drawn four of those games.

Sergio Aguero is doing quite well at the moment for fantasy managers while Leroy Sane, Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem Sterling are doing too badly either.

I think this is a game which could go either way and I think it might just end in a draw.

Prediction: 2-2

Liverpool v Bournemouth

8pm BST, Anfield, Liverpool

Liverpool beat Everton 3-1 on Saturday and moved above City into third place. Only the top two have taken more points at home than Liverpool and they have scored more goals at home than any other team. They have taken 10 points from their last four games and no other team has scored more goals.

If Sadio Mane is injured then Roberto Frimino is probably the best fantasy choice in the Liverpool team.

Bournemouth got a 0-0 draw at Southampton on Saturday and they're slowly but surely moving away from any hint of a relegation battle. They have only won two of their 15 away games with only Swansea and Hull conceding more goals away from home. They're unbeaten in four games with clean sheets in their last two, but only Swansea and Hull have conceded more goals.

Josh King has been in great form for fantasy managers recently and has to be a serious consideration.

I think Liverpool should be too good at home for Bournemouth and should strengthen their place in the top four with a win by a couple of goals at least.

Prediction: 3-1

That's it for this week.

See you next week.

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