Predictions For Premier League Gameweek 35

It’s that time of the week again when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. I didn’t do too badly last week with six correct outcomes and five incorrect outcomes which left me still in seventh place in my predictions league. Here’s a look at how the top five in that league stands.

Rank	Player	Res	Cls	Exa	Slm	Pts
1 -	Richard Landsberg	52	160.5	102	33	347.5
2 -	RobbieZ	60	148.5	87	28	323.5
3 -	Sam	54	118.5	108	21	301.5
4 -	robbieg	55	132	84	26	297.0
5 -	nzbuddy	55	135	78	23	291.

My choice of Mohamed Salah as my fantasy captain last week worked out reasonably well and the chances are I’ll pick him again this week with Kevin de Bruyne as a very good option too. Despite not doing much recently I still think Phillippe Coutinho might perform well at home to Norwich with Villa surely bound to score a few goals at some stage. Fantasy managers also need to be aware of players playing extra games between now and the end of the season and they need to plan wisely for any chips they might have left.

Saturday April 30

Newcastle United v Liverpool 

12.30pm BST, St. James’s Park, Newcastle 

Newcastle won 3-0 away to Norwich last week and that win moved them up to ninth place in the table. They are unbeaten in eight home games and they have won the last six games on their own patch, but only three other teams have conceded more goals at home. They have won their last four games and they kept clean sheets in three of them, but they have three very tough games in a row starting with this one.

Bruno Guimaraes is the Newcastle player to have at the moment for fantasy managers.

Liverpool won 2-0 at home to Everton last week to stay one point behind City at the top of the table. They drew their last away game against City after winning the previous four with no other team scoring more goals on the road. They have taken 37 of the last 39 points available to them and they will probably have to win their last five games if they are going to have any chance of finishing ahead of City.

Mohamed Salah looks to be back to his best for fantasy managers while all of the Liverpool defenders and keeper are great choices too along with Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz.

I think Newcastle’s very good home run will come to an end with a narrow victory for Liverpool.

Prediction: 1-2

Aston Villa v Norwich City

3pm BST, Villa Park, Birmingham 

Villa drew 0-0 away to Leicester last week and they’re now only eight points above the bottom three, but they’re not in any danger of relegation. They have only won once in their last seven home games with only four other teams taking less points at home. They have only taken one point from their last five games and they failed to score in three of them.

I can’t see any Villa players to interest fantasy managers at the moment, but then again Phillippe Coutinho might just prosper against the bottom team.

Norwich lost 3-0 at home to Newcastle last week and they’re now 10 points from safety with five games left to play and they could even have their relegation confirmed this week. They have only taken one point from their last five away games with no other team scoring less goals and only Everton taking less points on their travels. They have only taken five points from their last 11 games with no other team scoring less or conceding more goals.

Despite their lowly position Teemu Pukki has done well recently for fantasy managers.

I think Villa will get a much needed win with a couple of goals to spare in this game.

Prediction: 2-0

Southampton v Crystal Palace 

3pm BST, St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton 

Southampton came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 away to Brighton last week and they’re still only two points off the top half of the table. They won their last home game after losing the previous three with only Palace drawing more games at home. They have taken four points from their last three games after only taking one in the previous five with only Brighton and Palace drawing more games.

I suggested James Ward-Prowse might do well for fantasy managers last week and he certainly lived up to expectations so he’s definitely the Southampton player to have.

Palace drew 0-0 at home to Leeds last week and they’re only two points behind Southampton going into this game. They have lost their last two away games with only three other teams winning less games away from home. They have only taken one point from their last three games and they failed to score in three of their last five, but no other team in the bottom half of the table has scored more goals.

Palace players haven’t exactly set the world alight recently for fantasy managers, but Wilfried Zaha and Conor Gallagher could do well over the next few weeks.

This looks like it could be a very close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end in a draw.

Prediction: 1-1

Watford v Burnley 

3pm BST, Vicarage Road, Watford 

Watford lost 5-1 away to City last week to leave them nine points from safety with five games left to play and defeat in this game would as good as relegate them. They have lost their last 10 home games with no other team taking less points or conceding more goals on their own ground. They have lost their last four games and they conceded 12 goals in those games with only Norwich and Leeds conceding more goals.

I can’t see any Watford players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.

Burnley won 1-0 at home to Wolves last week and that win was enough to move them out of the relegation zone. They have only taken two points from their last four away games with only Norwich scoring less goals on their travels. They have taken 10 points from their last five games and they could give themselves some breathing space with a win in this game.

Wout Weghorst is the Burnley player who looks most likely to make an impression for fantasy managers at the moment.

This is a huge game for two teams fighting for Premier League survival and I think Burnley will take the three points.

Prediction: 0-1

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Brighton And Hove Albion 

3pm BST, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton 

Wolves lost 1-0 away to Burnley last week and the best they can hope for now is sixth place if they can finish their season strongly. They have only won four of their last 10 home games with only four other teams scoring less goals on their own patch. They have lost three of their last four games and they failed to score in the last two with no other team in the top half of the table scoring less goals.

I’m not sure there are any Wolves players doing enough to interest fantasy managers at the moment.

Brighton drew 2-2 at home to Southampton last week and they’re now only one point off the top half of the table. They have won two of their last three away games and no other team has drawn more games on their travels. They have taken eight points from their last five games after losing the previous six and no other team has drawn more games.

Leandro Trossard is probably the best of the Brighton players for fantasy managers.

I can’t see too many goals being scored in this game and I think a scoreless draw might be the most likely outcome.

Prediction: 0-0

Leeds United v Manchester City 

5.30pm BST, Elland Road, Manchester 

Leeds drew 0-0 away to Palace last week and they’re still not far enough above the bottom three to forget about any relegation worries. They have taken four points from their last two home games after losing the previous four and only two other teams have conceded more goals at home. They have taken 11 points from their last five games, but their next three games are all very tough starting with this one.

Raphinha is the Leeds player most likely to make an impression for fantasy managers, but maybe not in this game.

City won 5-1 at home to Newcastle last week and that win was enough to keep them one point above Liverpool at the top of the table. They have taken 32 points from their last 12 away games with no other team taking more points or conceding less goals away from home. They have taken 17 points from their last seven games and no other team has conceded less goals, but they will probably have to win their last five games to retain their title. 

Kevin de Bruyne is the City player to have for fantasy managers with all of their defenders and keeper good choices too.

I can’t see anything other than a comfortable City win in this game.

Prediction: 1-3

Sunday May 1

Everton v Chelsea 

2pm BST, Goodison Park, Liverpool 

Everton lost 2-0 away to Liverpool last week and that defeat saw them drop into the relegation zone. They have taken seven points from their last three home games and they only conceded one goal in those games, but they will do well to get anything from this game. They have lost seven of their last 10 games and they have a huge job on their hands to avoid relegation.

I can’t see any Everton players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.

Chelsea won 1-0 at home to West Ham and drew 1-1 away to United last week and they will be as good as guaranteed third place if they win three of their last five games. They have taken 14 points from their last six away games with only City taking more points and only Liverpool scoring more goals goals on the road. They have only taken seven points from their last five games, but they have a very favourable run of games to end their season.

Mason Mount and Kai Havertz are the Chelsea players who can do the most for fantasy managers with all of their defenders and keeper worth considering too.

I think Chelsea will pile more pressure on Everton by taking the three points in this game.

Prediction: 1-2

Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City 

2pm BST, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London 

Spurs drew 0-0 away to Brentford last week and failing to win meant they dropped out of the top four. They lost their last home game after winning the previous three and they scored 13 goals in those three wins with only the top two scoring more goals at home. They have only taken one point from their last two games with no goals scored in those games and their two games after this one will probably decide where they finish this season.

Heung-Min Son, Harry Kane and Dejan Kulusevski are the Spurs players most likely to return points for fantasy managers.

Leicester drew 0-0 at home to Villa last week and that was enough to keep them in the top half of the table. They have only won once in their last 11 away games with only three other teams taking less points on their travels. They have only won once in their last five games, but they play the bottom three teams in their next three games after this one.

James Maddison is the pick of the Leicester players for fantasy managers while Jamie Vardy could be worth considering now that he’s back from injury.

I think this will be a close game with Spurs more than likely taking all three points.

Prediction: 2-1

West Ham United v Arsenal 

4.30pm BST, London Stadium, London 

West Ham lost 1-0 away to Chelsea last week and their Champions League hopes probably rest on their progress in the Europa League. They have taken 14 points from their last six home games with only four other teams taking more points on their own ground. They have only taken one point and scored one goal in their last three games as their European exertions have taken their toll.

I’m not sure there are any West Ham players to recommend to fantasy managers in this game as they could be resting them ahead of the second leg of their semi final.

Arsenal won 3-1 at home to United last week and that win was enough to move them into the top four. They won their last away game against Chelsea after losing the previous two and three of their last five games are on the road. They have won their last two games after losing the previous three and their crunch game comes away to Spurs next week.

If he’s fit to play Bukayo Saka is the Arsenal player who can make a difference for fantasy managers.

I think Arsenal should just about get the better of a West Ham team who might have their minds elsewhere.

Prediction: 1-2

Monday May 2

Manchester United v Brentford 

8pm BST, Old Trafford, Manchester 

United lost 3-1 away to Arsenal and drew 1-1 at home to Chelsea last week to leave their chances of a top four finish hanging by a thread. They are unbeaten in their last eight home games, but they drew four of them with only three other teams taking more points on their own patch. They have only won once in their last six games and Newcastle are the only team in the top half of the table to have conceded more goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the only United player who looks capable of returning points for fantasy managers at the moment.

Brentford drew 0-0 at home to Spurs last week and they’re only two points off the top half of the table. They have won three of their last four away games, but they will do well to get anything from this game. They have taken 16 points from their last seven games as they have achieved their goal for the season of avoiding relegation.

Ivan Toney remains the Brentford player most likely to make a difference for fantasy managers.

I think Brentford will give United a very tough game, but United will probably win narrowly.

Prediction: 2-1

That’s it for this week.

See you next week.