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 no perfect predictions, six correct outcomes and four incorrect outcomes which leaves me in fifth place in my predictions league. Here’s a look at how the top five in that league stands.
Pos: Player Res Cls Exa Slm Pts
1. Derek 3 4.5 3 1 11.5
2. TOPGUN 2 4.5 3 1 10.5
3. Poirot 3 6 0 1 10
4. Gunnerdapper 5 0 3 1 9
5. JamrockRover 2 6 0 1 9
I didn’t have a great start to the season with my fantasy team though as a few of my highly priced players failed to perform. Micky van de Ven, Trevoh Chalobah, Tijjani Reijnders and Mohamed Salah were the only players to prove their worth and I have some ground to make up already. It’s still early days though and I’m hoping to climb the rankings gradually over the next few weeks.
Salah was my captain last week and the chances are he will be again this week. I will probably hold off on making any transfers as I look to build them up and use them together next week or the week after.
Friday August 22
West Ham United v Chelsea
8pm BST, Stamford Bridge, London
West Ham lost 3-0 away to newly promoted Sunderland last week and they need to perform an awful lot better if they going to stay clear of the wrong end of the table. They will be looking to get something from their first home game of the season, but they won’t find Chelsea an easy opponent.
Jarrod Bowen is the best of the Chelsea players for fantasy managers while El Hadji Malick Diouf is worth considering too.
Chelsea could only draw 0-0 at home to Palace last week as it looked like their exertions at the Club World Cup have taken their toll. They have a good run of games to start their season though and they will feel confident of getting something from this game after West Ham’s result last week.
Chelsea’s defenders and keeper are all good choices for fantasy managers while Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro can do well too.
I think Chelsea might just have enough to narrowly win this game.
Prediction: 1-2
Saturday August 23
Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur
12.30pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City strolled to a 4-0 win away to Wolves last week to put them on top of the table early on, but they won’t find Spurs such a pushover. If they’re going to challenge for the title this season this is a game they need to win to show they are contenders.
Erling Haaland and Tijjani Reijnders are both looking like very good options for fantasy managers at the moment with the City defenders and keeper looking good too.
Spurs won 3-0 at home to newly promoted Burnley last week to get their season off to a very good start. This is a very tough game for them, but they have a great run of fixtures after it.
Mohammed Kudus looks like a good choice for fantasy managers with the Spurs defenders possibilities after this game too.
I think City should be strong enough at home to take the three points in this game.
Prediction: 3-1
Bournemouth v Wolverhampton Wanderers
3pm BST, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
Bournemouth conceded two late goals to lose 4-2 away to Liverpool last week and they will be hoping to fare a lot better in this game. They were strong defensively for most of last season, but their new look defence might take a while to gel.
Antoine Semenyo showed just how good he can be for fantasy managers against Liverpool last week and Evanilson is worth watching too.
Wolves lost 4-0 at home to City last week to leave at the foot of the table early on. They will be hoping to improve on that result quickly and they might have a chance of getting something from this game against that new look Bournemouth defence.
Jorgen Strand Larsen is the Wolves player of most interest to fantasy managers at the moment and there could be others to consider over the next few weeks.
I think Bournemouth showed enough against Liverpool last week to suggest they will win this game.
Prediction: 3-1
Brentford v Aston Villa
3pm BST, Gtech Community Stadium, London
Brentford lost 3-1 away to Forest last week and the signs post Thomas Frank aren’t too good for them early on. They could be about to lose Yoane Wissa after already losing Bryan Mbeumo and Cristian Norgaard which will put them on the back foot early on.
Igor Thiago looks like the Brentford player who could do well for fantasy managers.
Villa drew 0-0 at home to Newcastle last week and they were fairly lucky to get that point. They had a very good season last season, but fell just short of qualifying for the Champions League and maintaining that progress could prove difficult for them.
Despite not doing much last week Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers still look like good options for fantasy managers.
I think Villa will probably just about get the better of a very close game.
Prediction: 1-2
Burnley v Sunderland
3pm BST, Turf Moor, Burnley
Burnley lost 3-0 away to Spurs last week as they found their return to the top flight difficult. A game against one of the other newly promoted clubs might suit them better though and they will be anxious to take the three points.
I’m still not sure if there are any Burnley players to really interest fantasy managers, but they have a lot of cheap defenders and a cheap keeper too who could warm the bench of those looking for value.
Sunderland celebrated their return to the Premier League with a 3-0 win at home to West Ham last week. This game offers them the opportunity to make it two wins out of two and put some real space between them and the wrong end of the table.
Reinildo Mandava, Simon Adingra and Eliezer Mayenda could all potentially do a good job for fantasy managers at the right price.
After last week’s performance I think Sunderland are the more likely to take three very important points in this game.
Prediction: 1-2
Arsenal v Leeds United
5.30pm BST, Emirates Stadium, London
Arsenal won 1-0 away to United last week despite being far from their best. They should relish a game against a newly promoted team as their first home game of the season and it should give them the opportunity to show how good they can be.
Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyokeres, Declan Rice and the Arsenal defenders and keeper all look like very good choices for fantasy managers.
Leeds returned to the top flight in style last week with a 1-0 win at home to Everton. A trip to Arsenal will be a much tougher proposition for them though and anything they can get from this game would be a huge boost.
Joe Rodon could be a good cut price defender for fantasy managers to consider.
I can’t see anything other than an Arsenal victory in this game.
Prediction: 2-0
Sunday August 24
Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest
2pm BST, Selhurst Park, London
Palace drew 0-0 away to Chelsea last week and they would have won the game if VAR hadn’t ruled out Eberechi Eze’s free kick goal. Their biggest problem could be keeping the players they have with Eze and Marc Guehi both possibly moving before the window closes.
Jean-Philippe Mateta and Daniel Munoz are good options for fantasy managers along with Eze and Guehi.
Forest won 3-1 at home to Brentford last week to get their season off to a very good start. A trip to Palace will be a tougher challenge for them though and they conceded a lot of goals away from home late on last season.
Chris Wood showed last week that he can still perform for fantasy managers while Elliot Anderson and the Forest defenders are possibilities too.
I think Palace will make home advantage pay with a narrow victory in this game.
Prediction: 2-1
Everton v Brighton And Hove Albion
2pm BST, Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool
Everton lost 1-0 away to newly promoted Leeds last week and they had very little to offer in that game. Their first game in their new stadium should be a different proposition though and the atmosphere promises to be electric.
James Tarkowski, Iliman Ndiaye and Jordan Pickford could all be worth considering for fantasy managers.
Brighton conceded a goal right at the death to draw 1-1 at home to Fulham last week. They showed enough in that game to suggest they will do well this season, but they probably need to sign a striker soon.
Kaoru Mitoma and Georginio Rutter are both good options for fantasy managers while Maxim de Cuyper is a possibility too.
I think this will be a close game with a draw being the most likely outcome.
Prediction: 1-1
Fulham v Manchester United
4.30pm BST, Craven Cottage, London
Fulham scored a very late goal to rescue a point in a 1-1 draw away to Brighton last week. They will have to perform a lot better to get anything out of this game though.
Harry Wilson looks like he just might do well for fantasy managers and he’s available at a good price too.
United lost 1-0 at home to Arsenal last week, but they put in a very good performance at least. They need to turn that performance into points though and they have every chance to do so in this game.
Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha are both looking like they could do well for fantasy managers with Leny Yoro worth considering too.
I think Fulham will make United work hard and might just take a point off them.
Prediction: 1-1
Monday August 25
Newcastle United v Liverpool
8pm BST, St. James’s Park, Newcastle
Newcastle drew 0-0 away to Villa last week and they probably would have won if Alexander Isak hadn’t refused to play. Liverpool will offer them a much tougher test though and they could struggle without Isak again.
I’m not sure there are any Newcastle players to recommend to fantasy managers in this game, but their fixtures improve after this game which should make Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga good options along with whoever might be their striker at that point.
Liverpool scored two late goals to get their title defence off to a good start in a 4-2 win at home to Bournemouth last week. They have some defensive issues to sort out, but it looks like they will score plenty of goals and that total will only increase if they sign Isak.
Mohamed Salah is still the best choice in the Liverpool team for fantasy managers with Cody Gakpo and Hugo Ekitike very good options too.
I think Newcastle will make a game of it, but Liverpool’s strength up front will prove decisive.
Prediction: 1-2
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
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