Thursday, 7 February 2019

Predictions For Premier League Gameweek 26

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 one perfect prediction, six correct predictions and four incorrect predictions. It still leaves me chasing the leaders in my predictions league and here’s a look at how the top five in that league stands.

 Pos Player Week Total
 1 (4) mbbeth 145 1865
 2 (2) whitgooner 85 1845
 3 (1) GOONER COL  45 1830
 4 (3) David96 70 1795
 5 (7) Forty Celsius FC  105 1765


Saturday February 9

Fulham v Manchester United 

12.30pm GMT, Craven Cottage, London

Fulham lost 2-0 away to Palace last week and they’re still second last in the table with seven points to make up on the realative safety of 17th place. They have taken 11 points from their last seven home games, but no other team has conceded more goals at home. They have lost four of their last five games and no other team has conceded more goals with only Huddersfield losing more games.

Aleksandar Mitrovic has done quite well for fantasy managers in recent weeks and he could be worth a punt.

United won 1-0 away to Leicester last week to move above Arsenal into fifth place. They have won their last four away games and haven’t conceded a goal in their last three games on the road with only Spurs scoring more goals away from home. They have taken 22 points from their last eight games as they continue to put the memory of Jose Mourinho behind them.

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

I think United will be too strong for the league’s worst defence and should win with a couple of goals to spare.

Prediction: 1-3

Crystal Palace v West Ham United

3pm GMT, Selhurst Park, London

Palace won 2-0 at home to Fulham last week, but Cardiff’s win means they’re still only four points above the relegation zone. Only Huddersfield have taken less points and scored less goals at home, but only Liverpool and Chelsea have conceded less goals on their own patch. They have taken 14 points from their last nine games and they’re looking like they will continue to move away from the wrong end of the table.

Luka Milivojevic is the form Palace player for fantasy managers while Andros Townsend has done well recently too.

West Ham got a very good and well deserved 1-1 draw at home to Liverpool last week and they’re only one point off the top half of the table. They have lost their last three away games without scoring, but they had done quite well away from home before that run. They have only won once in their last six games and only six other teams have conceded more goals.

I can’t see any West Ham players to recommend to fantasy managers in this game considering their current away form.

I think Palace will continue to climb the table with a narrow victory in this game.

Prediction: 1-0

Huddersfield Town v Arsenal 

3pm GMT, John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield

Huddersfield were thrashed 5-0 away to Chelsea last week and it can’t be too long now before their relegation is confirmed. They have lost their last six home games and they failed to score in three of those games with no other team taking less points or scoring less goals at home. They have only taken one point in their last 12 games and they have failed to score in their last four with no other team losing more games or scoring less goals.

I can’t see any Huddersfield players to recommend to fantasy managers now or for the rest of the season.

Arsenal lost 3-1 away to City last week to drop below Chelsea and United into sixth place. They have only taken two points from their last six away games with only three other teams conceding more away goals. Only the top two teams have scored more goals, but they have only managed four clean sheets so far and they were all at home.

Pierre-Emireck Aubameyang is the Arsenal player to have for fantasy managers while Alexandre Lacazette hasn’t done too badly either.

Despite their poor away form Arsenal should still be able to win this game with a couple of goals to spare.

Prediction: 1-3

Liverpool v Bournemouth 

3pm GMT, Anfield, Liverpool

Liverpool could only draw 1-1 away to West Ham last week and they dropped to second place on goal difference behind City. They’re the only team still unbeaten at home with only City taking more points and scoring more goals at home and no other team conceding less. They have only taken eight points from their last five games though, but they have conceded less goals than any other team and only City have scored more.

Mohamed Salah is still the Liverpool player to have for fantasy managers despite failing to deliver in their last two games and Sadio Mane is on a good run at the moment too.

Bournemouth lost 2-0 away to struggling Cardiff last week, but they’re still just about in the top half of the table. They have lost their last seven away games and they conceded 20 goals in those games with only Fulham losing more game and conceding more goals on the road. They have lost 10 of their last 15 games with only the bottom four teams conceding more goals.

I can’t see any Bournemouth players to recommend in this game considering the opposition and their current away form.

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

Prediction: 3-0

Southampton v Cardiff City

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

Southampton drew 1-1 away to Burnley last week and they’re now only two points above the bottom three. Only Huddersfield have taken less points at home, but they have only lost twice in their last eight home games. They’re unbeaten in five games, but they have drawn more games than any other team. 

Nathan Redmond looks like the best of the Southampton players for fantasy managers at the moment with James Ward-Prowse and Jan Bednarek worth considering too.

Cardiff won 2-0 at home to Bournemouth last week to move within two points of 17th place. Only Fulham have taken less points away from home and no other team has scored less goals on their travels. The win against Bournemouth was only their second win in 10 games with only Huddersfield scoring less goals and only Fulham conceding more.

I can’t see any Cardiff players for fantasy managers to consider at the moment.

I think Southampton should continue their progress by taking the three points in this game.

Prediction: 2-0

Watford v Everton 

3pm GMT, Vicarage Road, Watford

Watford drew 0-0 away to Brighton last week and that point just about managed to keep them in the top half of the table. They have only won once in their last six home games, but they have won as many games as they have lost at home. They have only won once in their last seven games, but they did draw four of those games with only Southampton drawing more games.

Ben Foster has done very well for fantasy managers in recent weeks and Jose Holebas hasn’t done too badly either.

Everton lost 3-1 at home to Wolves last week and 2-0 at home to City in midweek, but they’re still in eighth place despite those defeats. They have lost half of their 12 away games, but they have won two of their last four on the road. They only taken 11 points from their last 13 games and the pressure on Marco Silva is really mounting.

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

I think this will be a very close game and I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended in a draw.

Prediction: 1-1

Brighton And Hove Albion v Burnley 

5.30pm GMT, AMEX Stadium, Brighton

Brighton drew 0-0 at home to Watford last week and they’re now only five points above the bottom three. They have only won once in their last five home games, but only six other teams have conceded less goals at home. They have only won once in their last 10 games and they failed to score in four of those games.

I don’t see any Brighton players making a real difference for fantasy managers at the moment, but Glenn Murray is usually a good bet at home.

Burnley got a last minute goal to draw 1-1 at home to Southampton last week, but they’ve only got two points to spare over the bottom three after Cardiff won their game. They have taken five points from their last three away games with only four other teams conceding more goals away from home. They’re unbeaten in six games and looking likely to climb further away from the bottom three.

Ashley Barnes has done pretty well for fantasy managers recently and he could be worth considering.

I think this will be a very close game, but Brighton’s home form might just be enough to see them through.

Prediction: 2-1

Sunday February 10

Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City

1.30pm GMT, Wembley Stadium, London

Spurs left it late at home to Newcastle last week, but their 1-0 win was enough to move them within five points of the two teams above them. They have lost four of their 12 home games, but only Liverpool and Chelsea have conceded less goals at home. They have won nine of their last 11 games and they’re the only team who haven’t drawn a game yet with only the two teams above them scoring more goals.

Heung-Min Son is the Spurs player to have for fantasy managers while Christian Eriksen is a pretty good option too.

Leicester lost 1-0 at home to United last week and they’re still in the bottom half of the table. They have taken more points away from home than they have at home with only the top five taking more points on the road. They have only won once in their last six games, but they seem to save their best performances for games against the top six.

None of the Leicester players have excelled for fantasy managers recently, but Jamie Vardy and Ricardo Pereira have done reasonably well at times.

I think Leicester have shown they are good enough to make life difficult for any of the top teams and they might just take a point off Spurs in this game.

Prediction: 1-1

Manchester City v Chelsea 

4pm GMT, Etihad Stadium, Manchester

City won 3-1 at home to Arsenal last week and 2-0 away to Everton in midweek to go to the top of the table on goal difference, but they have played a game more than Liverpool. No other team has taken more points or scored more goals at home. They have won six of their last seven games with no other team scoring more goals and only Liverpool conceding less.

Surely City will play their strongest team in this game which should mean Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and David Silva should all play and do pretty well for fantasy managers.

Chelsea strolled to a 5-0 win at home to Huddersfield last week to move back up to fourth place. They lost their last two away games without scoring after winning the previous three and only three other teams have conceded less goals away from home. They have only won four of their last eight games with only Liverpool and City conceding less goals.

Eden Hazard and Gonzalo Higuain both delivered for fantasy managers last week, but I’m not convinced this is the best game to opt for Chelsea players.

I think City should be too strong for Chelsea and will win this game by a couple of goals.

Prediction: 3-1

Monday February 11

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Newcastle United

8pm GMT, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton

Wolves won 3-1 away to Everton last week to give themselves a little breathing space in seventh place. They have won their last two home games and they scored seven goals in those two games after losing five of the previous seven and failing to score in four of those seven games. They have won four of their last six games and they scored 13 goals in those games.

Matt Doherty and Raul Jiminez are in great form for fantasy managers at the moment while Joao Moutinho and Diogo Jota are doing pretty well too.

Newcastle lost 1-0 away to Spurs last week and they’re now only two points above the dreaded bottom three. Only the bottom three teams have won less away games and scored less away goals, but only five other teams have conceded less goals on the road. They have won two of their last three games to stay out of the relegation zone, but only Huddersfield have scored less goals.

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

I think Wolves will continue their impressive run by taking the three points in this game.

Prediction: 2-0

That’s it for this week.

See you next week.

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