It’s that time of the week again when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. I got one perfect prediction, four correct outcomes and five correct outcomes last week which saw me drop to fifth place in my predictions league, but I’m no further behind first place than I was last week. Here’s a look at how the top five in that league stands.
Pos Player Res Cls Exa Slm Pts
- Cole 11 19.5 30 5 65.5
- andy 5 34.5 21 4 64.5
- Orlando Pirates 12 30 15 6 63
- Always a Gooner 6 27 27 3 63
- JamrockRover 11 24 21 6 62
I did fairly well with my fantasy team too, but I lost a little ground in the overall rankings to remain just outside the top 1%. My choice of Erling Haaland as my captain paid off again and he was ably assisted by David Raya, Gabriel Magahlaes, Antoine Semenyo and Jack Grealish. The chances are Haaland will be my captain again this week as it’s impossible to ignore the form he’s currently in.
I have 4 free transfers at my disposal this week and it looks like I will be parting ways with Mohamed Salah. I will use the funds from his sale to strengthen my team with players like Mark Guehi, Ismaila Sarr, Mohammed Kudus, Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyokeres all on my radar.
Saturday 18 October
Nottingham Forest v Chelsea
12.30pm BST, City Ground, Nottingham
Forest lost 2-0 away to Newcastle in their last game to leave them one place and one point above the relegation zone. They have lost their last two home games and they conceded four goals in those games with only the bottom two taking less points on their own ground. They have only taken two points from their last six games and only the three teams below them have conceded more goals.
I’m not sure there are any Forest players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment, but Chris Woods is a possibility.
Chelsea scored very late to win 2-1 at home to Liverpool last time out and that win left them five points off the top of the table in seventh place. They have only taken one point from their last two away games and they conceded four goals in those games, but only Spurs have scored more goals on the road. The win against Liverpool was their first win in four games with only City and Arsenal scoring more goals.
Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo are the best bets in the Chelsea team for fantasy managers with Joao Pedro and Trevoh Chalobah worth watching too.
I think Chelsea will put more pressure on Forest with a narrow victory in this game.
Prediction: 1-2
Brighton And Hove Albion v Newcastle United
3pm BST, AMEX Stadium, Brighton
Brighton drew 1-1 away to Wolves in their last game to leave them one point off the top half of the table. They are unbeaten in their three home games despite having some difficult games on their own patch to start the season, but their fixtures get easier after this one. They have yet to keep a clean sheet, but they have every chance of doing so against a Newcastle team who haven’t scored an away goal so far.
Yankuba Minteh is the Brighton player for fantasy managers to have at the moment.
Newcastle won 2-0 at home to Forest last time out and they’re only ahead of Brighton on goal difference going into this game. They have drawn their three away games by the same 0-0 score and they’re the only team not to score or concede away from home. They have taken seven points from their last four games after only taking two in their first three with only Arsenal conceding less goals, but only Forest and Wolves scoring less.
Newcastle’s defenders and keeper are all doing very well for fantasy managers at the moment as is Nick Woltemade.
I don’t think there will be too much between these two teams and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this game end in a draw.
Prediction: 1-1
Burnley v Leeds United
3pm BST, Turf Moor, Burnley
Burnley lost 2-1 away to Villa in their last game and that defeat meant they stayed in the bottom three. All of their four points so far have come at home, but only West Ham have scored less goals on their own ground. They have only taken one point from their last four games and they conceded 12 goals in those games with only West Ham conceding more goals.
If he’s fit to play Jaidon Anthony is in great form for fantasy managers and Josh Cullen isn’t doing too badly either.
Leeds lost 2-1 at home to Spurs last time out and they’re now only three places above the drop zone. They won their last away game after losing their first two on the road, but only three other teams have conceded more goals away from home. They have only won once in their last six games, but their next two games are against teams in the bottom three starting with this one.
Anton Stach and Joe Rodon can both do fairly well for fantasy managers at a very good price.
This is a huge game for both teams and the chances are the spoils will be shared.
Prediction: 1-1
Crystal Palace v Bournemouth
3pm BST, Selhurst Park, London
Palace conceded very late on to lose 2-1 away to Everton in their last game and so ended the last unbeaten start to the season. They are still unbeaten at home, but they have drawn two of their three games with only Arsenal conceding less goals on their own patch. They lost their first game against Everton, but no other team has drawn more games and only Arsenal have conceded less goals.
Ismaila Sarr, Daniel Munoz and Marc Guehi are all looking very good for fantasy managers at the moment.
Bournemouth came from behind to win 3-1 at home to Fulham last time out and that win moved them up to fourth place. They have taken four points from their last two away games and only lost away to Liverpool, but they have some tough games coming up on their travels. They are unbeaten in six games and they won four of them with only five other teams scoring more goals.
Antoine Semenyo and Marcos Senesi are the Bournemouth players to have for fantasy managers at the moment.
This is a tough game to call and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end in a draw.
Prediction: 1-1
Manchester City v Everton
3pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City won 1-0 away to Brentford in their last game and that win moved them up to fifth in the table. They have won their last two home games and they scored eight goals in those two games with only Arsenal scoring more goals on their own ground. They have taken 10 points from their last four games and no other team has scored more goals.
Erling Haaland is an absolute must have for fantasy managers with Josko Gvardiol and Tijjani Reijnders possibilities too.
Everton came from behind to win 2-1 at home to Palace last time out and that win moved them up to eighth place. They have lost two of their three away games and this will be one of their toughest road trips of the season. They hadn’t won in three games before beating Palace and their next two games are against teams in the top five starting with this one.
With Jack Grealish unable to play against his parent club Iliman Ndiaye and James Tarkowski are the Everton players to have for fantasy managers.
I think City will make home advantage pay to take all the points in this game.
Prediction: 2-0
Sunderland v Wolverhampton Wanderers
3pm BST, Stadium of Light, Sunderland
Sunderland lost 2-0 away to United in their last game, but they held on to their place in the top half of the table. They have taken seven points from their three home games with only Arsenal conceding less goals on their own pitch. They have only won once in their last four games and no other team in the top half of the table has scored less goals.
Granit Xhaka, Wilson Isidor, Omar Alderete and Robin Roefs can all do very well for fantasy managers at a good price.
Wolves conceded a late goal to draw 1-1 at home to Brighton in their last game to leave them at the foot of the table. They drew their last away game after losing the previous two with only Newcastle scoring less goals on their travels. They’re the only team without a win with no other team scoring less goals and only West Ham and Burnley conceding more.
I’m still not sure there are any Wolves players who can make a difference for fantasy managers.
I think Sunderland’s impressive start to the season will continue with another victory in this game.
Prediction: 2-1
Fulham v Arsenal
5.30pm BST, Craven Cottage, London
Fulham lost 3-1 away to Bournemouth in their last game and that defeat saw them drop to 14th place. They’re still unbeaten at home with seven of their eight points coming on their own ground and only Arsenal conceding less goals at home. They lost their last two games and they conceded six goals in those games, but they were both away from home.
I don’t think any of the Fulham players are showing enough consistency to interest fantasy managers.
Arsenal won 2-0 at home to West Ham last time out and that victory moved them to the top of the table. They have won two of their three away games with only Newcastle conceding less goals on the road. They have taken 10 points from their last four games with only City scoring more goals and no other team conceding less.
The Arsenal defenders and keeper are great choices for fantasy managers at the moment with Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka worth considering too.
I think Fulham will put it up to Arsenal, but the away team should take all the points.
Prediction: 1-2
Sunday 19 October
Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa
2pm BST, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Spurs won 2-1 away to Leeds in their last game and that win moved them up to third in the table. They have only taken four of their 14 points at home and they have some tough games coming up on their own patch. They are unbeaten in four games with only City and Arsenal scoring more goals and only Arsenal conceding less.
Mohammed Kudus is the best of the Spurs players for fantasy managers with their defenders and keeper looking good too.
Villa won 2-1 at home to Burnley last time out and that win moved them within one point of the top half of the table. They haven’t won away from home yet, but they drew two of their three games with only Newcastle scoring less and conceding less goals on their travels. They have won their last two games after failing to win the previous five with only Forest and Wolves scoring less goals.
I’m still not sure there are any Villa players doing enough to interest fantasy managers at the moment.
I don’t think there will be too much between these two teams and I wouldn’t be surprised if neither of them came out on top.
Prediction: 1-1
Liverpool v Manchester United
4.30pm BST, Anfield, Liverpool
Liverpool conceded a very late goal to lose 2-1 away to Chelsea in their last game and that defeat cost them their place at the top of the table. They’re the only team still with a 100% record at home and they have a very good run of games coming up on their own ground. They have lost their last two games after winning the previous five, but they have a very good run of fixtures coming up with only City and Arsenal scoring more goals.
Despite not being at his best so far this season Mohamed Salah is still a good option for fantasy managers with Cody Gakpo a consideration too.
United won 2-0 at home to Sunderland last time out and that win was enough to move them into the top half of the table. They have only taken one point away from home so far with only three other teams conceding more goals on the road. They have won as many games as they have lost and no other team in the top half of the table has conceded more goals.
Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko are the United players looking most likely to do well for fantasy managers at the moment.
I think Liverpool will be too good at home for United and should win by a couple of goals.
Prediction: 3-1
Monday 20 October
West Ham United v Brentford
8pm BST, London Stadium, London
West Ham lost 2-0 away to Arsenal last week to leave them one place above the bottom of the table. They’re the only team without a point at home with no other team scoring less goals on their own patch and only Wolves conceding more. They have only taken one point from their last four games with no other team conceding more goals and only Wolves and Forest scoring less.
Jarrod Bowen is the West Ham player to have for fantasy managers with El Hadji Malick Diouf a possibility too.
Brentford lost 1-0 at home to City last week and they’re only two points above the relegation zone. They’re one of two teams without a point away from home with only two other teams conceding more goals on their travels. They have lost three of their last five games with only the bottom three conceding more goals.
Igor Thiago is the Brentford player who can do well for fantasy managers.
I think West Ham might just be able to get a badly needed win in this game.
Prediction: 2-1
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
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