Tuesday 14 July 2020

Predictions For Premier League Gameweek 36

It’s that time of the week again when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. I had a very bad week last week with only two correct outcomes and eight incorrect outcomes. It meant I lost one place in my predictions league and my chances of finishing in the top four in it are very slim. Here’s a look at how the top five in that league stands.

POSITIONPLAYER NAMETHIS WEEKPOINTS
 1 (1)GoonerLaw2215
 2 (2)Feel1905
 3 (3)Invader 671860
 4 (4)Mystical 1800
 5 (6)GoonerCol1625

Tuesday July 14

Chelsea v Norwich City

8.15pm BST, Stamford Bridge, London 

Chelsea lost 3-0 away to Sheffield United last week, but they just about hung on to third place. They have won their last four home games and they scored 11 goals in those games. They have taken 19 points from their last nine games and they probably need six points from their last three games to guarantee a top four finish.

Willian and Christian Pulisic are the Chelsea players who have done well for fantasy managers recently and they could do in this game too.

Norwich lost 2-1 away to Watford last week and that defeat was enough to finally confirm their relegation. They have only one win and six points away from home this season and no other team has taken less points on the road. They have lost their last seven games and they only scored one goal in those games with no other team scoring less or conceding more goals.

I can’t see any Norwich players who might interest fantasy managers for the rest of the season.

I can’t see anything other than a comfortable Chelsea win in this game.

Prediction: 3-0

Wednesday July 15

Burnley v Wolverhampton Wanderers 

6pm BST, Turf Moor, Burnley 

Burnley drew 1-1 away to Liverpool last week and they look almost certain to finish in the top half of the table. They are unbeaten in six home games and they kept clean sheets in three of those games. They have taken 26 points from their last 13 games and they kept clean sheets in eight of those games.

Nick Pope has been the outstanding Burnley player for fantasy managers this season and most of their defenders have done well recently too.

Wolves won 3-0 at home to Everton last week and that was enough to keep them in sixth place. The defeat against Sheffield United in their previous game was their first away defeat in six games with only four other teams taking more points on the road. They have eight clean sheets in their last 11 games and they’re looking very likely to qualify for European football again next season.

Raul Jiminez and Matt Doherty are still the best of the Wolves players to have for fantasy managers while all of their defenders and keeper have been pretty impressive too.

This looks like being a very close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end in a draw.

Prediction: 1-1

Manchester City v Bournemouth 

6pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester 

City won 5-0 away to Brighton last week and they’re certain to finish in second place, but they’re a long way behind Liverpool. They have won their last five home games and they scored 19 goals in those games while not conceding any. They have won five of their seven games since football returned and they scored 23 goals in those games with no other team scoring more goals.

It’s impossible to know which City players will play from one game to the next, but when they play Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden are all great options for fantasy managers.

Bournemouth came from behind to win 4-1 at home to Leicester last week and keep their slim hopes of staying up alive. They have lost their last eight away games and no other team has lost more games on their travels. The win against Leicester was their first win in 10 games and their hopes of taking enough points from their remaining fixtures to stay up are minimal.

I can’t see any Bournemouth players to recommend to fantasy managers in their remaining games.

I can’t see anything other than a comprehensive City win in this game.

Prediction: 4-0

Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur 

6pm BST, St. James’s Park, Newcastle 

Newcastle lost 2-1 away to Watford last week and with that defeat their chances of finishing in the top half of the table ended. They have only lost three of their 17 home games and only three other teams have conceded less goals at home. They have only won once in their last five games and they have two very tough games in their last three fixtures.

With the games Newcastle have left I’m not sure there are any of their players who might make a difference for fantasy managers.

Spurs came from behind to win 2-1 at home to Arsenal last week and that win just about kept their hopes of a top six finish alive. They have only won once in their last eight away games and they have only won three away games so far in their 17 games. They have taken 10 points from their last five games and they kept clean sheets in three of those games.

Heung-Min Son is probably the Spurs player most likely to perform for fantasy managers for the rest of the season.

I don’t think there will be too much in this game and a draw is probably the most likely outcome.

Prediction: 1-1

Arsenal v Liverpool 

8.15pm BST, Emirates Stadium, London 

Arsenal lost 2-1 away to Spurs last week after leading 1-0 and their hopes of qualifying for European football for next season are fading fast. They have taken 17 points from their last seven home games and they kept clean sheets in four of those games. They have only taken 10 points from their last seven games and they dropped eight points from winning positions in those games.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is still the Arsenal player most likely to be of interest to fantasy managers at the moment.

Liverpool drew 1-1 at home to Burnley last week and they can’t afford to drop any more points if they’re going to beat the record for the most points in a season. They won their last away game against Brighton, but that was their only away win in four games and no other team has taken more points or conceded less goals on the road. They have only won four of their last eight games which isn’t great by the incredible standards they have set this season.

More or less all of the Liverpool players are worth considering for fantasy managers even if their intensity has dropped off a little recently.

I think this will be a close game and my heart tells me Arsenal will win it no matter what my head says.

Prediction: 2-1

Thursday July 16

Everton v Aston Villa 

6pm BST, Goodison Park, Liverpool 

Everton lost 3-0 away to Wolves last week and their chances of finishing in the top half of the table are very slim now. They’re unbeaten in 10 home games, but they have struggled to score goals on their own patch. They have only won twice in their last nine games and only six other teams have conceded more goals.

Everton have a fairly good run of games to finish the season so Richarlison and Lucas Digne might be of interest to fantasy managers.

Villa won 2-0 at home to Palace last week to keep their slight chances of avoiding the drop alive. They have only taken two points from their last six away games with only Newcastle conceding more away goals. The win against Palace was their first win in 11 games and I can’t see them getting enough points in their last three games to stay up.

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

I think Everton should be strong enough to win this game and leave Villa on the brink of returning to the Championship.

Prediction:

Leicester City v Sheffield United 

6pm BST, King Power Stadium, Leicester 

Leicester lost 4-1 away to Bournemouth last week after leading 1-0, but they just about stayed in the top four on goal difference. They have only won three of their last nine home games, but only three other teams have conceded less goals at home. They have only won two of their last 11 games and they have a tough run of games to finish the season which could see them struggle to finish in the top four.

Jamie Vardy is the Leicester player most likely to do well for fantasy managers for the rest of the season.

United won 3-0 at home to Chelsea last week to keep their chances of a top six finish alive. They have only won once in their last eight away games and no other team has drawn more games on their travels. They have taken 10 points in their last four games and they kept clean sheets in two of them with only Liverpool conceding less goals.

United’s defenders and keeper have all done well for fantasy managers this season and it looks like that will continue in their last three games.

I don’t think we’ll see too many goals in this game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the spoils shared.

Predictions: 1-1

Crystal Palace v Manchester United 

8.15pm BST, Selhurst Park, London 

Palace lost 2-0 away to Villa last week as their season continues to peter out. They lost their last two home games and no other team has scored less goals at home. They have lost their last five games and they conceded 13 goals in those games while only scoring two with only Norwich scoring less goals.

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

United conceded a last minute goal to draw 2-2 at home to Southampton last week which meant they failed to move into the top four. They have taken 11 points from their last five away games and they kept clean sheets in three of those games. They’re unbeaten in 11 games and they kept clean sheets in seven of those games.

Almost all of the United players have done well for fantasy managers recently with Bruno Fernandes, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood the pick of them.

I think United will be too strong in attack for Palace and should take the three points with a couple of goals to spare.

Prediction: 0-2

Southampton v Brighton And Hove Albion 

8.15pm BST, St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton 

Southampton came from behind to draw 2-2 away to United last week, but the chances are they will finish in the bottom half of the table. They have lost four of their last six home games with only Norwich taking less points at home and only Palace scoring less goals at home. They’re unbeaten in four games, but only four other teams have conceded more goals and they have a good run of games to finish the season.

Danny Ings is still the Southampton player to have for fantasy managers with Stuart Armstrong doing well recently too.

Brighton lost 5-0 at home to City last week, but they’re almost certain not to go down at this stage. They have lost their last three home games and they conceded 11 goals in those games. They have only won twice in their last 15 games, but those wins were probably just enough to keep them up.

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

I think Southampton might just get the better of this game despite their poor home record.

Prediction: 2-1

Friday July 17

West Ham United v Watford 

8pm BST, London Stadium, London 

West Ham won 4-0 away to Norwich last week to ease their relegation worries and a win in this game would put an end to them. Only two other teams have taken less points and conceded more goals at home. They have taken seven points from their last four games and they play at home to two of the three teams below them in their last three games.

Michail Antonio has done really well in recent weeks for fantasy managers and he could do well in West Ham’s remaining fixtures too.

Watford came from behind to win 2-1 at home to Newcastle last week and that win eased their relegation worries too. They have lost their last four away games without scoring a goal and two of their last three games are away from home. They have won their last two games to move slightly away from trouble, but they might still need something from this game considering the two games they have after it.

I’m not so sure there are any Watford players to interest fantasy managers for the rest of the season.

I think this will be a close game with the winner guaranteeing their survival and West Ham are the more likely team to do so.

Prediction: 2-1

That’s it for this week.

See you next week.

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