Thursday 17 January 2019

Predictions For Premier League Gameweek 23

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 well last week with five correct predictions and five incorrect predictions which meant I didn’t make up any ground on the leaders in my predictions league. Here’s a look at how the top five in that league stands.

 Pos Player Week Total
 1(1) whitgooner 55 1645
 2 (3) Forty Celsius FC.   55 1610
 3 (2) David96 25 1585
 4 (5) L’OM 65 1580
 4 (4) ArssenaL14 60 1580


Saturday January 19

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Leicester City

12.30pm GMT, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton 

Wolves lost 3-0 away to City last week after getting a man sent off early on and that defeat saw them drop into the bottom half of the table. They have lost more games than they have won at home and they have lost five of the last seven at home and they failed to score in four of those games. They have only won once in their last five games and they failed to score in three of those games.

Matt Doherty and Raul Jiminez are the best of the Wolves players for fantasy managers, but their star has faded in recent weeks.

Leicester lost 2-1 at home to struggling Southampton last week and they dropped below Watford into eighth place. They have only lost once in their last six away games and they kept clean sheets in three of those games with only four other teams conceding less goals away from home. They have found goals hard to come by and they’re the lowest scorers in the top half of the table.

Ricardo Pereira is the Leicester player most likely to be of interest to fantasy managers.

This is a tough game to call and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end with the spoils shared.

Prediction: 1-1

Bournemouth v West Ham United 

3pm GMT, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth 

Bournemouth lost 2-0 away to Everton last week and they’re now only nine points above the bottom three. They have only lost one of their last four home games and only six other teams have scored more goals at home. They have lost nine of their last 12 games with only Fulham and Burnley conceding more goals.

Ryan Fraser is still impressing for fantasy managers despite Bournemouth’s slide while David Brooks has looked good recently too.

West Ham had a very good 1-0 win at home to Arsenal last week and they’re only one point off seventh place. They have won three of their last four away games and only six teams have conceded less goals on the road. They have taken 19 points from their last nine games, but they have only kept three clean sheets in their 22 games so far.

Felipe Anderson has been the best option for fantasy managers in the West Ham team, but his output has fallen off in recent weeks.

I think this will be a close game, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see West Ham sneak the three points.

Prediction: 1-2

Liverpool v Crystal Palace 

3pm GMT, Anfield, Liverpool 

Liverpool won 1-0 away to Brighton last week to keep their four point lead at the top of the table. They’re the only team unbeaten at home and no other team has conceded less goals at home with only City scoring more. They have won 10 of their last 11 games with only City scoring more goals and no other team conceding less.

Mohamed Salah is a must have for fantasy managers while every team should have at least one Liverpool defender in it too.

Palace led at home to Watford last week, but they ended up losing 2-1 and they’re only four points above the relegation zone. They have taken more points and scored more goals away from home than they have at home and they won their last two away games. They have taken 10 points from their last six games and they kept clean sheets in three of those games with only Newcastle and Cardiff scoring less goals.

Luka Milivojevic has regained some of last season’s form for fantasy managers in the last few weeks and he’s certainly worth considering.

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

Prediction: 2-0

Manchester United v Brighton And Hove Albion 

3pm GMT, Old Trafford, Manchester 

United won 1-0 away to Spurs last week to move level on points with fifth placed Arsenal and they’re now only six points off the top four. They have won their last three home games and they scored 11 goals in those games, but they have only kept one clean sheet in their 10 home games. They have won their last five games and they scored 15 goals in those games.

Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford are the United players to have for fantasy managers at the moment.

Brighton lost 1-0 at home to Liverpool last week, but they still have eight points to spare over the bottom three. Only Fulham and Bournemouth have lost more away games with only three teams scoring less away goals. They have only won once in their last seven games and they have only kept one clean sheet in their last 12 games.

I can’t see any Brighton players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment and definitely not in this game.

On current form it’s hard to see anything other than a comprehensive United victory in this game.

Prediction: 3-1

Newcastle United v Cardiff City 

3pm GMT, St. James’s Park, Newcastle 

Newcastle lost 2-1 away to Chelsea last week and that defeat saw them drop into the bottom three. Only Huddersfield have taken less points at home with only Huddersfield and Palace scoring less goals on their own patch. They haven’t won in five games and they failed to score in three of those games with only Huddersfield scoring less goals.

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

Cardiff drew 0-0 at home to Huddersfield last week and that point was enough to keep them out of the bottom three. Only Fulham have taken less points away from home and no other team has scored less away goals, but they did keep clean sheets in their last two away games. They have only lost once in their last four games and they kept clean sheets in three of those games.

Neil Etheridge is doing very well for fantasy managers at the moment and he’s available at a good price too.

This is a big game for two teams looking to survive in the Premier League and I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t manage a goal between them.

Prediction: 0-0

Southampton v Everton 

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

Southampton got a very good 2-1 win away to Leicester last week and that win moved them one point clear of the relegation zone. They have only won once in their 10 home games and no other team has drawn more games at home. They have drawn more games than any other team and they have taken 10 points from their last six games.

Nathan Redmond looks like the Southampton player who might make a difference for fantasy managers at the moment.

Everton got a much needed 2-0 win at home to Bournemouth last week and that win moved them back into the top half of the table. They have only won two of their 10 away games and they have lost four of the last six. They have only won twice in their last nine games and they failed to score in two of their last three games.

Lucas Digne has been in excellent form for fantasy managers in recent weeks and he’s still available at a good price.

I think Southampton’s revival will continue with a narrow victory in this game.

Prediction: 2-1

Watford v Burnley 

3pm GMT, Vicarage Road, Watford 

Watford came from behind to win 2-1 at Palace last week and that win moved them up to seventh place. They have only won once in their last five home games and they have only kept one clean sheet in their last 10 on their own ground. They have only lost once in their last seven games, but they have only kept one clean sheet in their last 12 games and no other team in the top half of the table has conceded more goals.

Roberto Pereyra is still the Watford player most likely to make a difference for fantasy managers while Gerard Deulofeu might be worth considering too.

Burnley came from behind to win 2-1 at home to Fulham last week thanks to two own goals and that win moved them three points clear of the relegation zone. Only Fulham and Bournemouth have lost more away games than Burnley, but they did win their last away game at Huddersfield. They have won their last three games after losing six of the previous seven with only Fulham conceding more goals.

Ashley Barnes hasn’t done too badly recently for fantasy managers, but it’s probably not a good idea to select Burnley’s players.

Despite their recent upturn in results I think Burnley will lose this game, but it will be close.

Prediction: 2-1

Arsenal v Chelsea 

5.30pm GMT, Emirates Stadium, London 

Arsenal lost 1-0 away to West Ham last week and they’re now six points off the top four and only ahead of United on goal difference. Only the top two have taken more home points and scored more home goals with only Liverpool and Chelsea conceding less goals at home. They have lost three of their last six games and no other team in the top half of the table has conceded more goals, but only the top two teams have scored more.

Pierre-Emireck Aubameyang is still the Arsenal player to have for fantasy managers, but they do have two very tough games in the next few weeks.

Chelsea just about managed a 2-1 win at home to Newcastle last week and they’re now only one point behind third placed Spurs. They have won their last three away games with only Liverpool and City conceding less goals away from home. They have taken 16 points from their last seven games and only Liverpool have conceded less goals so far.

David Luiz has been the Chelsea to have for fantasy managers in recent weeks with Eden Hazard always of interest too.

This is a huge game for Arsenal in particular and I think they might just have enough at home to take the three points.

Prediction: 2-1

Sunday January 20

Huddersfield Town v Manchester City

1.30pm GMT, John Smith’s Stadium, Huddersfield 

Huddersfield put an end to an awful run of results by getting a 0-0 draw at Cardiff last week, but they’re still firmly rooted to the foot of the table. No other team has last more games or scored less goals at home and they have lost the last four games on their own ground. They did draw their last game, but it was their first point in nine games and they have scored less goals and lost more games than any other team.

I can’t see any Huddersfield players to recommend to fantasy managers, but maybe that will change with a new manager at the helm.

City won 3-0 at home to Wolves last week to stay four points behind Liverpool at the top of the table. They have lost two of their last three away games, but no other team has conceded less goals on the road. They have won their last three games after losing three of the previous four and no other team has scored more goals with only Liverpool conceding less.

It’s not easy to predict which City players will play from week to week, but when they do play Sergio Aguero, Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva are all very much worth having for fantasy managers.

I think City should take the three points in this game without ever having to over exert themselves.

Prediction: 0-3

Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur

4pm GMT, Craven Cottage, London 

Fulham led away to Burnley last week, but they ended up losing 2-1 and they’re now five points away from the safety of seventeenth place. They have taken 12 of their 14 points at home, but only Cardiff and Burnley have conceded more goals on their own patch. They have only won once in their last nine games and no other team has conceded more goals.

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

Spurs lost 1-0 at home to United last week and they’re now nine points off the top of the table while Chelsea are only a point behind them. They have taken more points and scored more goals away from home than any other team. They have lost two of their last three games after winning eight of the previous nine and only the two teams above them have scored more goals.

With Harry Kane injured and Heung-Min Son on international duty it looks like fantasy managers will have to look to Christian Eriksen or Dele Alli if they want a return from Spurs players.

I think Spurs will bounce back from last week’s defeat by winning this game with at least a couple of goals to spare.

Prediction: 1-3

That’s it for this week.

See you next week.

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