It’s that time of the week again when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. I didn’t have a good week last week with just one perfect prediction, three correct outcomes and six incorrect outcomes which saw me drop to eighth 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. andy 12 63 42 9 126
2. SeniorBurger 15 54 45 9 123
3. Murray1886 17 52.5 42 9 120.5
4. Derek 20 54 36 10 120
5. Gooners 17 46.5 48 7 118.5
I did reasonably well with my fantasy team as I made up some of the ground I lost last week. Erling Haaland didn’t perform as my captain for the second week in a row, but Trevoh Chalobah, Bukayo Saka, Igor Thiago and Nick Woltemade were the players who did their part.
I will probably persist with Haaland as my captain, but I plan to use my two free transfers to bring in an Arsenal defender and a cheap midfielder to sit on my bench. I currently have 3 players heading to the African Cup of Nations in a few weeks so I need to work out a strategy to replace them all.
Tuesday December 2
Bournemouth v Everton
7.30pm GMT, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
Bournemouth led 2-0 away to Sunderland on Saturday, but they ended up losing 3-2 which saw them drop into the bottom half of the table on goal difference. They’re one of four teams still unbeaten at home with only Arsenal and Fulham conceding 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 the bottom four conceding more goals.
Antoine Semenyo remains the best bet in the Bournemouth team for fantasy managers, but he hasn’t done anything in his last four games.
Everton lost 4-1 at home to Newcastle on Saturday and they’re one point and three places below Bournemouth going into this game. They have taken four points from their last two away games after losing three of the previous four, but only four other teams have scored less goals on the road. They had won two games in a row before losing to Newcastle, but they have some tough games coming up and only three other teams have scored less goals.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is the in form Everton player for fantasy managers while Iliman Ndiaye, James Tarkowski and Jordan Pickford are possibilities too.
I think Bournemouth will be strong enough at home to take the three points in this game.
Prediction: 2-1
Fulham v Manchester City
7.30pm GMT, Craven Cottage, London
Fulham won 2-1 away to Spurs on Sunday to move themselves a lot closer to the top half of the table than the relegation zone. They have taken 13 points from their six home games with only Arsenal conceding less goals on their own patch. They have won three of their last four games, but only four other teams have scored less goals.
I’m not sure there are any Fulham players to interest fantasy managers, but Joachim Andersen and Ryan Sessegnon are worth considering.
City scored late to win 3-2 at home to Leeds on Saturday and that win moved them into second place five points behind Arsenal. They have only won two of their six away games, but they have a good run of games on their travels coming up. They have won six of their last eight games with no other team scoring more goals.
Erling Haaland is the stand out City player for fantasy managers with Phil Foden, Nico O’Reilly and Josko Gvardiol good options too.
I think this will be a very close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the points shared.
Prediction: 1-1
Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur
8.15pm GMT, St. James’s Park, Newcastle
Newcastle won 4-1 away to Everton on Saturday and that win moved them within one point of the top half of the table. They have won their last three home games and three of their next four games are on their own ground. They have won their last two games after losing three of the previous four.
Nick Woltemade and Bruno Guimaraes are the Newcastle players who can do well for fantasy managers.
Spurs lost 2-1 at home to Fulham on Sunday and that defeat saw them drop into the bottom half of the table. They have won four of their six away games with only Arsenal taking more points on the road and only Chelsea scoring more goals. They have only taken one point from their last four games and they conceded nine goals in those games with no other team in the bottom half of the table scoring more goals.
Mohammed Kudus is the Spurs player who should be of most interest to fantasy managers.
I think Newcastle will be good enough at home to take the three points in this game.
Prediction: 2-1
Wednesday December 3
Arsenal v Brentford
7.30pm GMT, Emirates Stadium, London
Arsenal came from behind to draw 1-1 away to 10 man Chelsea on Sunday which saw their lead at the top of the table cut to five points. They’re one of four teams still unbeaten at home with no other team conceding less goals on their own patch. They’re unbeaten in 10 games with no other team conceding less goals and only City scoring more.
Arsenal’s defenders and keeper are very good choices for fantasy managers along with Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka.
Brentford won 3-1 at home to Burnley on Saturday and that win moved them into the top half of the table on goal difference. They have lost five of their six away games and this is one of their hardest away games of the season. They have won five of their last eight games with no other team in the top half of the table conceding more goals.
Igor Thiago is in great form for fantasy managers with Dango Ouattara doing well recently too.
I think Arsenal will keep their impressive home form going with another win in this game.
Prediction: 3-1
Brighton And Hove Albion v Aston Villa
7.30pm GMT, AMEX Stadium, Brighton
Brighton won 2-0 away to Forest on Sunday and that win moved them up to fifth place. They’re one of four teams still unbeaten at home with 14 points from six games and three of their next four games are on their own ground. They have taken 10 points from their last four games, but this game will be a real test for them.
Yankuba Minteh and Danny Welbeck both look like they can do very well for fantasy managers.
Villa won 1-0 at home to Wolves on Sunday to move within six points of Arsenal at the top of the table. They have won two of their last three away games, but only two other teams have scored less goals on the road. They have won seven of their last eight games, but no other team in the top half of the table has scored less goals while only Arsenal have conceded less.
Villa’s defenders and keeper have been impressive recently for fantasy managers with Morgan Rogers a possibility too.
This is a difficult game to call and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end in a draw.
Prediction: 1-1
Burnley v Crystal Palace
7.30pm GMT, Turf Moor, Burnley
Burnley lost 3-1 away to Brentford on Saturday to remain one place above the foot of the table, but they’re still only one point from safety. They have lost their last two home games without scoring with no other team scoring less goals on their own patch. They have lost their last four games and they conceded 10 goals in those games with only Wolves scoring more goals.
Josh Cullen is the Burnley player who can do well for fantasy managers at a good price.
Palace lost 2-1 at home to United on Sunday after taking the lead, but they still held on to their place in the top half of the table. Only three other teams have taken more points away from home and they have the best defensive record on their travels too. They have only won twice in their last seven games with only Arsenal conceding less goals.
Palace’s defenders and Jean-Philippe Mateta can all do a decent job for fantasy managers.
I don’t think there will be too much between these two teams, but Palace should take the three points.
Prediction: 1-2
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Nottingham Forest
7.30pm GMT, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton
Wolves lost 1-0 away to Villa on Sunday to remain rooted to the foot of the table. They’re the only team without a home win with only Burnley scoring less goals on their own ground and only West Ham conceding more. They’re the only team without a win with no other team scoring less or conceding more goals.
I can’t see any Wolves players to recommend to fantasy managers.
Forest lost 2-0 at home to Brighton on Sunday and they’re still only one point above the relegation zone. They won their last away game after only taking two points from the previous five with only two other teams scoring less goals on the road. They had won two games in a row before losing to Brighton, but only Wolves have scored less goals.
Morgan Gibbs-White is the Forest player to have at the moment for fantasy managers.
I think Forest will bounce back from their defeat on Sunday to take the three points in this game.
Prediction: 1-2
Leeds United v Chelsea
8.15pm GMT, Elland Road, Leeds
Leeds conceded a very late goal to lose 3-2 away to City on Saturday and that defeat meant they remained in the bottom three. They have lost their last four away games and they conceded 11 goals in those games with only Burnley conceding more goals on their travels. They have lost six of their last seven games with only Wolves scoring less goals.
I can’t see any Leeds players who can make a difference for fantasy managers at the moment.
Chelsea drew 1-1 at home to Arsenal on Sunday despite playing most of the game with 10 men and they dropped one place to third as a result of that draw. They have won four of their six away games with only Arsenal taking more points on the road and no other team scoring more goals. They have taken 16 points from their last seven games with only the two teams above them scoring more goals.
Trevoh Chalobah, Enzo Fernandez and Pedro Neto are the Chelsea players looking most likely to do well for fantasy managers at the moment.
I think Chelsea will get the better of Leeds in a close game.
Prediction: 1-2
Liverpool v Sunderland
8.15pm GMT, Anfield, Liverpool
Liverpool won 2-0 away to West Ham on Sunday to move back into the top half of the table. They have lost two of their last three home games, but they have a very good run of games on their own ground coming up. They have lost six of their last eight games, but they’re still only three points off the top four.
Cody Gakpo looks like he’s the best value in the Liverpool team for fantasy managers at the moment.
Sunderland came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at home to Bournemouth on Saturday leaving them two places and one point ahead of Liverpool going into this game. They have lost two of their last three away games with only Wolves scoring less goals on the road. Their win against Bournemouth was their first win in four games, but they have two very difficult games in a row starting with this one.
Granit Xhaka is the Sunderland player who can perform for fantasy managers at the right price.
I think Liverpool will make it back to back wins in this game with a couple of goals to spare.
Prediction: 3-1
Thursday December 4
Manchester United v West Ham United
8pm GMT, Old Trafford, Manchester
United came from behind to win 2-1 away to Palace on Sunday and that win moved them up to seventh place. They had won four home games in a row before losing their last home game against Everton and they will want to put that right in this game. They have taken 14 points from their last seven games, but no other team in the top half of the table has conceded more goals.
Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes are the United players to have for fantasy managers.
West Ham lost 2-0 at home to Liverpool on Sunday and they’re only above the relegation zone on goals scored. They have only taken two points from their last four away games and their next three games on their travels are all very difficult. They had taken seven points from three games before losing to Liverpool, but only Wolves have conceded more goals.
Jarrod Bowen is the best of the West Ham players for fantasy managers.
I think United will make it back to back wins in a close game.
Prediction: 2-1
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
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