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 no perfect predictions, three correct outcomes and seven incorrect outcomes which saw me stay in 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. Murray1886 46 130.5 108 21 305.5
2. Gooners 50 123 114 18 305
3. Sam 42 129 108 20 299
4. SeniorBurger 44 135 99 19 297
5. Cole 52 121.5 96 22 291.5
I had a reasonably good week with my fantasy team too, but it could have been better as I lost a little ground overall to drop just outside the top 100 thousand places out of more than 13 million players. My choice of Bruno Fernandes paid off to a degree and the other players to score points for me were David Raya, Gabriel Magahlaes, Adrien Truffet, Rayan and Joao Pedro. With two games this week I will definitely be opting for Erling Haaland as my captain and hopefully it will pay off.
I have a couple of transfers to use and some money in the bank so I’m probably looking to bring Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyokeres in for my two Chelsea players (Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro). I’m tempted to bring in some Palace players as they play twice also, but I’m not sure how they will perform with their European final coming up.
Saturday May 9
Liverpool v Chelsea
12.30pm BST, Anfield, Liverpool
Liverpool lost 3-2 away to United last week to leave them in fourth place and that’s probably as high as they can finish now. They have taken 10 points from their last four home games and they scored 11 goals in those games. They had won three games in a row before losing to United, but their last three games are all against teams just below them in the table.
Virgil van Dijk is probably the best bet in the Liverpool team for fantasy managers at the moment.
Chelsea lost 3-1 at home to Forest last week and they’re now only above the bottom half of the table on goal difference. They have lost three of their last four away games and they conceded nine goals in those games, but only City have scored more goals on the road. They have lost their last six games and they conceded 14 goals in those games while only scoring one with only one other team in the top half of the table conceding more goals.
Despite their awful form Joao Pedro is still worth considering for fantasy managers.
I think Liverpool will confirm a top four finish by taking the three points in this game.
Prediction: 3-1
Brighton And Hove Albion v Wolverhampton Wanderers
3pm BST, AMEX Stadium, Brighton
Brighton lost 3-1 away to Newcastle last week, but they’re still only two points off sixth place. They have won three of their last four home games and they scored seven goals in those games, but this is possibly their easiest game on their own patch this season. They had taken 13 points from five games before losing to Newcastle with only the top two conceding less goals.
Bart Verbuggen, Jan Paul van Hecke, Danny Welbeck, Jack Hinshelwood and Pascsal Gross are all very good options for fantasy managers for this week in particular.
Wolves drew 1-1 at home to Sunderland last week and they could still manage to move up to second last in the table if they can get a win in their remaining three games. They’re the only team who haven’t won an away game with no other team scoring less goals on their travels. They have only taken two points from their last five games and they conceded 11 goals in those games with no other team scoring less goals and only Burnley conceding more.
I can’t see any Wolves players to recommend to fantasy managers.
I can’t see anything other than a comprehensive Brighton victory in this game.
Prediction: 3-0
Fulham v Bournemouth
3pm, BST, Craven Cottage, London
Fulham lost 3-0 away to Arsenal last week and that defeat dropped them back into the bottom half of the table on goal difference. They have won three of their last four home games with only the top five taking more points on their own ground. They have only won two of their last seven games and they have failed to score in five of those games.
The Fulham players haven’t done an awful lot in recent weeks for fantasy managers.
Bournemouth won 3-0 at home to Palace last week and that win kept them in sixth place. They’re unbeaten in their last eight away games, but only Burnley have conceded more goals on the road. They are unbeaten in 15 games, but they drew eight of them with no other team drawing more games and only the top two losing less.
All of Bournemouth’s defenders and keeper are good choices for fantasy managers along with Junior Krupi and Rayan.
I think this will be a very close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the points shared.
Prediction: 1-1
Sunderland v Manchester United
3pm BST, Stadium of Light, Sunderland
Sunderland drew 1-1 away to Wolves last week and they’re still only one point off the top half of the table. They have lost four of their last five home games with only four other teams scoring less goals on their own patch. They have only taken one point from their last three games and they conceded 10 goals in those games with only three other teams scoring less goals.
Granit Xhaka, Nordi Mukiele and Enzo Le Fee are all worth considering for fantasy managers.
United won 3-2 at home to Liverpool last week and that win has put them in prime position to finish in third place. They have only lost one of their last eight away games and two of their remaining three games are on their travels. They have won their last three games after only winning once in the previous four with only the top two scoring more goals.
Bruno Fernandes is an absolute must have for fantasy managers with Matheus Cunha looking pretty good too.
I think this will be another close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end in a draw.
Prediction: 1-1
Manchester City v Brentford
5.30pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City scored a last minute goal to draw 3-3 away to Everton last week which leaves them five points behind Arsenal at the top of the table, but they still have a game in hand. They are unbeaten in their last 15 home games with only Arsenal scoring more and conceding less goals on their own ground. They are unbeaten in 12 games and they scored 24 goals in those games with no other team scoring more goals and only Arsenal conceding less.
With two games this week Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo and Nico O’Reilly are great options for fantasy managers.
Brentford won 3-0 at home to West Ham last week and that win moved them up to seventh place and even closer to European qualification. They lost their last away game after being unbeaten in the previous five, but only three other teams have lost more games on the road. They have only lost one of their last eight games, but they drew five of them and they still have to play two of the top four starting with this game.
Igor Thiago is the standout Brentford player for fantasy managers, but they have a tough run of games to end their season.
I think City will get the win they need to keep the pressure on Arsenal at the top of the table.
Prediction: 3-1
Sunday May 10
Burnley v Aston Villa
2pm BST, Turf Moor, Burnley
Burnley lost 3-1 away to Leeds last week to remain one place off the foot of the table and their relegation is already confirmed. They haven’t won in their last 13 home games with no other team scoring less goals on their own patch. They have only taken two points from their last nine games and they conceded 20 goals in those games with no other team conceding more goals.
I can’t see any Burnley players who can make a difference for fantasy managers.
Villa lost 2-1 at home to Spurs last week, but they’re still looking very good to finish in the top five. They have only taken two points from their last five away games, but this is one of their easiest away games of the season. They have only won twice in their last nine games and they have two very difficult games after this one.
Morgan Rogers might be an option for fantasy managers, but their schedule is looking very tough.
I think Villa will just about manage to take all the points in this game.
Prediction: 1-2
Crystal Palace v Everton
2pm BST, Selhurst Park, London
Palace lost 3-0 away to Bournemouth last week and they’re still not technically safe from relegation, but they have a European final to play in a few weeks. They have taken eight points from their last four home games, but only three other teams have won less games on their own ground and only one other team has scored less goals. They have lost their last two games and they conceded six goals in those games with only the bottom two scoring less goals.
With a European final on the horizon it’s not easy to be sure of which Palace players will play for fantasy managers even though they have two games this week.
Everton conceded a last minute goal to draw 3-3 at home to City last week and that was enough to keep them in the top half of the table on goal difference. They have only taken one point from their last three away games after taking 14 from the previous six with only three other teams taking more points on the road and only Arsenal conceding less goals. They have only taken two points from their last four games and they conceded nine goals in those games, but their remaining three games are all against teams in the bottom half of the table.
Kiernon Dewsbury-Hall, Iliman Ndiaye, James Garner and James Tarkowski can all do very well for fantasy managers.
I think Everton will take advantage of a tired Palace team to take all the points in this game.
Prediction: 1-2
Nottingham Forest v Newcastle United
2pm BST, City Ground, Nottingham
Forest won 3-1 away to Chelsea last week to put themselves in a very good position to avoid the drop. They won their last home game after failing to win the previous eight with only two other teams scoring less goals on their own patch. They have taken 15 points from their last seven games and they scored 18 goals in those games, but only four other teams have scored less goals.
Morgan Gibbs-White (if he’s fit to play), Elliot Anderson and Neco Williams are the best of the Forest players for fantasy managers.
Newcastle won 3-1 at home to Brighton last week to just about leave the door open for European qualification. They have lost three of their last four away games with only three other teams losing more games on their travels and only two other teams scoring less goals. They had lost four games in a row before beating Brighton and their opponents in their last three games are all in the bottom half of the table.
Bruno Guimaraes is the Newcastle player who can perform the best for fantasy managers.
I think this will be a close game with the spoils most likely being shared.
Prediction: 1-1
West Ham United v Arsenal
4.30pm BST, London Stadium, London
West Ham lost 3-0 away to Brentford last week and that defeat saw them drop back into the relegation zone. They are unbeaten in their last six home games with three wins and three draws, but only Wolves and Spurs have conceded more goals on their own ground. They had only lost one of their previous six games before losing to Brentford, but only the two relegated teams have conceded more goals.
Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville are the West Ham players to possibly watch for fantasy managers.
Arsenal won 3-0 at home to Fulham last week to move five points clear at the top of the table, but City still have a game in hand. They lost their last away game after being unbeaten in the previous eight with no other team conceding less goals on the road and only City and Chelsea scoring more. They have won their last game after losing the previous two with only City scoring more goals and no other team conceding less.
Arsenal’s defenders and keeper are very good options for fantasy managers with Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyokeres worth considering too.
I think Arsenal will move closer to the title and pile more pressure on West Ham with a narrow victory in this game.
Prediction: 1-2
Monday May 11
Tottenham Hotspur v Leeds United
8pm BST, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Spurs won 2-1 away to Villa last week and those three points were enough to lift them out of the bottom three. They have only taken three points from their last nine home games with no other team taking less points on their own patch and only Wolves conceding more goals. They have won their last two games after failing to win the previous 15, but they have some difficult games to finish their season.
I’m not sure there are any Spurs players doing enough at the moment to interest fantasy managers.
Leeds won 3-1 at home to Burnley last week and the they’re almost certainly going to avoid relegation now. They’re unbeaten in their last six away games, but they drew five of them with no other team drawing more games on their travels, but only the two relegated teams taking less points. They have taken 10 points and scored 10 goals in their last four games and two of their last three games are against teams below them in the table.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the Leeds player most likely to do well for fantasy managers over the last three games.
I think this will be a very close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see both teams take a point.
Prediction: 1-1
Wednesday May 13
Manchester City v Crystal Palace
8pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester
City play their second home game of the week and both games are absolute must win games for them if they’re going to keep their title hopes alive. They have a fantastic record at home since losing their opening game on their own ground this season and three of their remaining four games are at home. If they’re going to have a chance of catching Arsenal they will have to win all of those home games.
The City players I mentioned already can all do really well for fantasy managers this week.
Palace play their second game of the week too and maybe they will have recovered from their European exploits by the time this game comes around. They have lost three of their last four away games and they conceded nine goals in those games, but they have taken more points on their travels than they have at home. The chances are Palace will be safe before they play this game and it could make things a little easier for City.
If Palace are going to play their better players this week then Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Philippe-Mateta could be good choices for fantasy managers, but it’s just not guaranteed.
I think City will win this game with a couple of goals to spare.
Prediction: 3-1
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
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