It’s that time of the season again when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. I had a good season with my predictions last season, but a late drop in form saw me finish in second place in my predictions league. I’ll be hoping to go one better this season.
I had a very good season with my fantasy team too as I finished inside the top 25,000 out of well over 11 million players. I hope to do even better this time out and getting off to a good start can be of enormous benefit towards that goal. I’ll be going with a few of the old reliables again this season as well as a few cut price options to make sure I can have as many premium assets in my squad as possible.
The extra bench boost, triple captain and free hit chips that need to be used before the turn of the year could be very interesting and I will have to think a lot about how and when to use them. I had considered bench boosting in week one to get a good start to the season, but I can’t be sure of who will start for certain just yet so I’ll hold off on it for the moment. I will be going with Mohamed Salah as my captain though and hoping he does as well for me as he did last season.
Friday August 15
Liverpool v Bournemouth
8pm BST, Anfield, Liverpool
Liverpool will be looking to defend the title that they won last season and they have invested heavily to strengthen an already very strong squad. It was their strength at home which proved decisive last season and they will be looking to get off to a good start at home this season too.
Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo, Hugo Ekitike and the Liverpool defenders and keeper are all looking like very good options for fantasy managers.
Bournemouth have sold most of their defence from last season and it could take them a while to gel together this season. They did very well to finish in the top half of the table last season and that will probably be their goal again this season.
Antoine Semenyo, Justin Kluivert (if he’s fit to play) and Evanilson can all do well for fantasy managers.
I can’t see anything other than a Liverpool victory in this game.
Prediction: 3-1
Saturday August 16
Aston Villa v Newcastle United
12.30pm BST, Villa Park, Birmingham
Villa just missed out on the Champions League places last season and they will be looking to go one better this season. They have a good run of fixtures to start the season which should make their players very attractive to fantasy managers.
Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers (if he’s fit to play) are the Villa players to have for fantasy managers with Ezri Konsa and Ian Maatsen good value options in defence too.
Newcastle have had a very bad transfer window so far and they could yet lose Alexander Isak if he gets his way. They qualified for the Champions League ahead of Villa on goal difference last season, but they could struggle to reach those heights if Isak departs.
With Isak looking like an exile for the moment at least Anthony Elanga could be the Newcastle player to watch for fantasy managers.
I think Villa will get the better of what looks like being a close game.
Prediction: 2-1
Brighton And Hove Albion V Fulham
3pm BST, AMEX Stadium, Brighton
Brighton had a pretty good season last season when they managed to finish in eighth place, but matching that will probably be the best they can hope for this time. The loss of Joao Pedro could hit them badly and it doesn’t look like they have replaced him yet, but you never know with Brighton’s fantastic recruitment policy.
Danny Welbeck could be the player to profit from Joao Pedro’s sale with Kaoru Mitoma and Maxim de Cuyper worth considering for fantasy managers too.
Fulham finished on top of the bottom half of the table last season and it doesn’t look like they have done much to build on that squad so far. They have some difficult games to start the season and they will want to get something on the board in this game before facing United and Chelsea.
I’m not sure there are any Fulham players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment, but that could change over the next few weeks.
I think Brighton will get their season off to a good start with a reasonably comfortable victory in this game.
Prediction: 3-1
Tottenham Hotspur v Burnley
3pm BST, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Spurs made up for an extremely disappointing league campaign last season by winning the Europa League which qualified them for the Champions League. They parted ways with their manager despite that win and they are still trying to build a stronger squad with the season upon them.
Mohammed Kudus and Dominic Solanke could be the best of the Spurs players for fantasy managers while their defence is offering some value too as they have a fairly good run of games to start the season.
Burnley came second in the Championship last season and they conceded very few goals in the process, but the Premier League is a much tougher proposition. If they are going to have any chance of staying up they will need to build on that strong defence, but scoring goals could be a real problem for them.
Martin Dubravka and Maxine Esteve could offer some real value to fantasy managers if they’re willing to take a risk on Burnley’s defensive assets.
I think Spurs should get their season off to a good start by winning this game with at least a couple of goals to spare.
Prediction: 2-0
Sunderland v West Ham United
3pm BST, Stadium of Light, Sunderland
Sunderland managed a surprise victory in the play-off final to win promotion, but holding on to that position will be a huge task for them. They have invested heavily in their squad, but whether those players will have enough to make them competitive is a difficult question to answer at the moment.
Marc Guiu is the Sunderland player to have for fantasy managers at the moment even if it’s just as a reasonably priced option to sit on the bench.
West Ham had a very disappointing season last time out and Graham Potter will have to work some magic to improve on that this season. The transfer window is still open and they probably need to avail of it quickly after losing Mohammed Kudus to Spurs.
Jarrod Bowen is the one dependable asset in the West Ham team for fantasy managers while Aaron Wan-Bissaka is very popular too given his price and performance under Potter last season while El Hadji Malick Diouf could be one to watch.
I think West Ham should have enough in Bowen to take the three points in this game.
Prediction: 1-2
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester City
5.30pm BST, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton
Wolves only finished two places above the relegation zone last season, but they still comfortably avoided the drop. They will be hoping to do a lot better this season, but the loss of Matheus Cunha is a real blow for them.
With Cunha gone Jorgen Strand Larsen might just be the Wolves player to have for fantasy managers.
City failed to defend their title last season, but at least a strong finish to the season saw them finish in the top four. They have invested heavily in their squad since the turn of the year and expectations will be high for them to regain the title.
Erling Haaland is the City player to have for fantasy managers with Josko Gvardiol, Rayan AIT-Nouri, Omar Marmoush and Tijjani Reijnders good choices too.
I think City will get their season off to a good start by taking all the points in this game.
Prediction: 1-3
Sunday August 17
Chelsea v Crystal Palace
2pm BST, Stamford Bridge, London
Chelsea managed to qualify for the Champions League last season and they then went on to win the Club World Cup. They will be hoping to make a genuine challenge for the title this season, but their players could suffer from having such a small break during the summer.
Joao Pedro seems to be the popular choice for fantasy managers in the Chelsea team with Cole Palmer plus all of their defenders and keeper good options too.
Palace might not have finished in the top half of the table last season, but they managed to win the FA Cup to make it a season to remember. They will hope to do better in the league this season, but they will need to hold on to their best players if that’s going to happen.
Jean-Philippe Mateta, Eberechi Eze, Ismaila Sarr and Daniel Munoz all look like good picks for fantasy managers.
I think Palace will make Chelsea work very hard and I think they will manage to take a point from them.
Prediction: 2-2
Nottingham Forest v Brentford
2pm BST, City Ground, Nottingham
Forest were so close to qualifying for the Champions League last season, but they failed right at the end and they could find it difficult to match that performance this season. It’s not going to be easy for them to match that performance, but they have at least managed to hold on to most of last season’s squad.
Chris Woods, Morgan Gibbs-White and all of the Forest defenders and keeper can do very well for fantasy managers.
Brentford managed to finish in the top half of the table last season, but they have lost their top scorer and manager since then. They could struggle to finish that high this season, but I still think they’re too good to get caught up at the wrong end of the table.
Caoimhin Kelleher and Yoane Wissa (if he isn’t sold) are the Brentford players to have for fantasy managers with Thiago a possibility too.
I think this will be a close game with Forest probably making home advantage count.
Prediction: 2-1
Manchester United v Arsenal
4.30pm BST, Old Trafford, Manchester
United had an incredibly disappointing season last season and losing the Europa League final only made it worse. They have bought a lot of new attacking players, but they have a long way to go to make themselves contenders for a top four place.
Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo and Benjamin Sesko all have the ability to do well for fantasy managers if United can play well.
Arsenal finished second for the third time in a row last season and the pressure has to be on them to go one better this time out. They are another club to have invested heavily in new players and they will need those players to gel quickly if they are going to challenge Liverpool.
Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyokeres and all of the Arsenal defenders and keeper are very good options for fantasy managers.
I think United will make things difficult, but the chances are Arsenal will win this game.
Prediction: 1-2
Monday August 18
Leeds United v Everton
8pm BST, Elland Road, Leeds
Leeds won promotion from the Championship last season and their only goal will be to retain their Premier League status this season. They probably need to get something from this game because their next two games are a lot more difficult.
I’m not sure there are any Leeds players to recommend to fantasy managers just yet, but that could change as the season progresses.
Everton spent a long time fighting relegation last season, but they eventually managed to finish in 13th place. With a new stadium to play in they will be hoping to improve on that and hopefully finish in the top half of the table.
Iliman Ndiaye and James Tarkowski are the Everton players most likely to perform for fantasy managers.
I think this will be a very close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the spoils shared.
Prediction: 1-1
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
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