It’s that time of the week again when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. I managed one perfect prediction, four correct outcomes and five incorrect outcomes last week which wasn’t fantastic, but it moved me up one place to fourth in my predictions league. Here’s a look at how the top five in that league stands.
Pos. Player Res Cls Exa Slm Pts
- andy 5 40.5 27 5 77.5
- Always a Gooner 7 33 30 4 75
- Cole 11 24 33 5 73
- JamrockRover 13 27 24 7 71
- Orlando Pirates 15 33 15 7 70
I had a pretty good week with my fantasy team last week as I moved up to my highest overall position so far this season which is still just outside the top 1% of teams. Erling Haaland excelled as my captain yet again with David Raya, Trevoh Chalobah, Gabriel Magalhaes, Marc Guehi, Antoine Semenyo and Igor Thiago adding points to make it a good week. I can’t see any other choice for captain at the moment than Haaland and it looks like he will be keeping the armband for a long time.
I eventually made the decision to sell Mohamed Salah last week as his return didn’t justify his price and with three other free transfers I had the bones of a mini wildcard. The players I brought in didn’t set the world alight, but I think I have a stronger team going forward. I will probably bring Bukayo Saka in for Tijjani Reijnders this week as Reijnders isn’t doing enough on a consistent basis despite his very good price.
Friday October 24
Leeds United v West Ham United
8pm BST, Elland Road, Leeds
Leeds lost 2-0 away to Burnley last week and that defeat saw them drop to 16th in the table. They haven’t won in their last three home games with only West Ham and Forest scoring less goals on their own ground. They have only won once in their last seven games with only the bottom three scoring less goals.
I’m not sure there are any Leeds players doing enough to interest fantasy managers at the moment.
West Ham lost 2-0 at home to Brentford last week and they’re only two points and one place off the bottom of the table. All of their points so far have come away from home and their next two games on the road are against newly promoted teams starting with this one. They have only taken one point from their last five games and they conceded 10 goals in those games with no other team conceding more goals and only Forest and Wolves scoring less.
Despite West Ham’s position in the table Jarrod Bowen still looks like a good choice for fantasy managers.
I think Leeds will make home advantage count and win this game by a couple of goals.
Prediction: 2-0
Saturday October 25
Chelsea v Sunderland
3pm BST, Stamford Bridge, London
Chelsea won 3-0 away to Forest last week and that win moved them up to fifth in the table. They have only won two of their four home games, but their next two games on their own patch are very favourable ones. They have won their last two games after failing to win the previous three with only City scoring more goals.
Chelsea’s defenders and keeper are all looking good for fantasy managers at the moment along with Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.
Sunderland won 2-0 at home to Wolves last week and they’re only behind Chelsea on goal difference going into this game. They have taken four points from their four away games, but they only scored one goal in those games with no other team scoring less goals on their travels. They have only lost once in their last six games, but no other team in the top half of the table has scored less goals with only Arsenal conceding less.
Sunderland’s defenders and keeper are very good options for fantasy managers in home games in particular with Granit Xhaka a consideration too.
I think Chelsea should be good enough at home to take the three points in this game.
Prediction: 2-0
Newcastle United v Fulham
3pm BST, St. James’s Park, Newcastle
Newcastle lost 2-1 away to Brighton last week and they’re still in the bottom half of the table. They have lost two of their four home games, but they were against last season’s top two. They have only won once in their last four games with only the bottom three scoring less goals.
Nick Woltemade is the Newcastle player to have for fantasy managers with their defenders and keeper good options too.
Fulham lost 1-0 at home to Arsenal last week and they’re one point and one place behind Newcastle going into this game. They have only taken one point away from home with only Burnley taking less points and conceding more goals on the road. They have lost their last three games and they conceded seven goals in those games.
I’m not sure there are any Fulham players doing enough to interest fantasy managers at the moment.
I think Newcastle will bounce back with a narrow victory in this game.
Prediction: 2-0
Manchester United v Brighton And Hove Albion
5.30pm BST, Old Trafford, Manchester
United won 2-1 away to Liverpool last week and they’re now only three points off second place. They have won their last three home games and they scored seven goals in those games. They have won three of their last four games, but no other team in the top half of the table has conceded more goals.
Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo are the United players to look at for fantasy managers while Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko are possibilities too.
Brighton won 2-1 at home to Newcastle last week and that win moved them into the top half of the table. They have taken four points from their last two away games after losing the previous two. They have taken eight points from their last four games and they scored eight goals in those games.
Yankuba Minteh and Danny Welbeck are the Brighton players looking good for fantasy managers at the moment.
This isn’t an easy game to call and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the spoils shared.
Prediction: 1-1
Brentford v Liverpool
8pm BST, Gtech Community Stadium, London
Brentford won 2-0 away to West Ham last week and that win moved them up to 13th place and well clear of the relegation zone. They have taken seven points from their four home games and they have had some very tough home games to start their season. They have won two of their last three games to climb the table, but their next three games are all very difficult.
Igor Thiago is the best of the Brentford players for fantasy managers.
Liverpool lost 2-1 at home to United last week and that defeat meant they dropped to third place. They have lost their last two away games, but they have a good run of games on the road coming up with the exception of City in a couple of weeks. They have lost their last three games after winning the previous five with only three other teams scoring more goals.
Cody Gakpo is probably the player offering most value to fantasy managers in the Liverpool team.
I think Liverpool will get a much needed win in this game, but it will be close.
Prediction: 1-2
Sunday October 26
Arsenal v Crystal Palace
2pm GMT, Emirates Stadium, London
Arsenal won 1-0 away to Fulham last week to extend their lead at the top of the table to three points. They have taken 10 points from their four home games with no other team taking more points or scoring more goals on their own patch. They have kept clean sheets in five of their eight games with no other team conceding less goals and only City and Chelsea scoring more.
Arsenal’s defenders and keeper are great choices for fantasy managers with Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice worth considering too.
Palace came back from 2-0 down to draw 3-3 at home to Bournemouth last week which left them in ninth place. Their only defeat so far came away from home, but only two other teams have taken more points on their travels. They have drawn four of their eight games with no other team drawing more games.
Palace’s defenders are all doing well for fantasy managers along with Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta.
This looks like being a very close game and the chances are Arsenal will take the three points.
Prediction: 2-1
Aston Villa v Manchester City
2pm GMT, Villa Park, Birmingham
Villa won 2-1 away to Spurs last week and they’re only outside the top half of the table on goal difference. They have won their last two home games and they scored five goals in those two games after failing to score in their first two games on their own ground. They have won their last three games after failing to win in the previous five, but this is the first of two very tough games in a row.
Morgan Rogers has found form in the last few weeks and he’s probably the best of the bunch in the Villa team for fantasy managers.
City won 2-0 at home to Everton last week and that victory moved them up to second place. They won their last away game after failing to win the previous two with only Arsenal and Newcastle conceding less goals on the road. They have taken 13 points from their last five games and they scored 12 goals in those games while keeping three clean sheets.
Erling Haaland is an absolute must have for fantasy managers while their defenders and keeper are looking good in recent weeks too.
I think City will have too much firepower for Villa and should win narrowly.
Prediction: 1-2
Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest
2pm GMT, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
Bournemouth led 2-0 away to Palace last week, but they had to settle for a 3-3 draw to leave them in fourth place. They’re one of six teams still unbeaten at home with only Arsenal conceding less goals on their own patch. They’re unbeaten in seven games, but they have drawn three of their last four with only three other teams scoring more goals.
Antoine Semenyo is another must have for fantasy managers with Marcos Senesi a very good choice too and Krupp.jr worth considering at a great price.
Forest lost 3-0 at home to Chelsea last week and that defeat saw them drop into the relegation zone and part ways with their second manager of the season. They have only taken two points from their four away games with only Wolves and Newcastle scoring less goals on their travels. They have only taken two points from their last seven games with no other team scoring less goals and only West Ham and Wolves conceding more.
I can’t see any Forest players doing enough at the moment to interest fantasy managers.
I think Bournemouth’s impressive run will continue with another three points in this game.
Prediction: 2-0
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Burnley
2pm GMT, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton
Wolves lost 2-0 away to Sunderland last week to remain rooted to the foot of the table without a win to their name. They have only taken one point from their four home games with only West Ham taking less points and conceding more goals on their own ground. They’re the only team without a win with only West Ham conceding more goals and no other team scoring less.
I can’t see any Wolves players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.
Burnley won 2-0 at home to Leeds last week to move themselves out of the bottom three. They’re the only team without a point away from home with no other conceding more goals on the road. Their home results are keeping them afloat at the moment, but they will hope to get something away to one of the three teams below them in the table.
Despite Burnley’s low position both Jaidon Anthony and Josh Cullen are doing very well for fantasy managers at a great price.
I think Wolves might just be able to get their first win of the season in a very tight game.
Prediction: 2-1
Everton v Tottenham Hotspur
4.30pm GMT, Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool
Everton lost 2-0 away to City last week and that defeat saw them drop into the bottom half of the table. They’re one of six teams still unbeaten at home with only Arsenal conceding less goals on their own patch. They have only won once in their last five games and they won’t find it easy to take three points in this game either.
Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Grealish are both doing very well for fantasy managers while Jordan Pickford and James Tarkowski do pretty well in home games.
Spurs lost 2-1 at home to Villa last week to leave them five points off the top of the table. They’re the only team still unbeaten away from home with no other team taking more points on their travels and only Chelsea scoring more goals. They have only won once in their last four games and they face three of the other big six teams in their next three games after this one.
Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha are the Spurs players who can do the best for fantasy managers.
This isn’t an easy game to predict, but I think it will most likely end in a draw.
Prediction: 1-1
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
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