Predictions For Premier League Gameweek Four

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

Rank	Player	Res	Cls	Exa	Slm	Pts
1 -	JamrockRover	0	16.5	15	2	33.5
2 1	solo97	3	16.5	9	3	31.5
3 1	Sam	1	19.5	6	3	29.5
4 2	Rutland Gooner	0	15	12	2	29.0
5 1	Richard Landsberg	3	10.5	9	1	23.5

My choice of Mohamed Salah as my captain paid off again last week and my team climbed a little in the rankings too. I think Salah still looks like the best choice this week with a home game against Bournemouth despite Liverpool looking for their first win. Gabriel Martinelli, Ivan Toney and Gabriel Jesus all did well for me again this week along with new boy James Maddison while keeping Marcus Rashford paid off.

I think I’ll be looking to bring Rodrigo in this week as his impressive start to the season continues with Aleksandar Mitrovic on his way into my team pretty soon too. Both Pascal Gross and Wilfried Zaha are fairly impressive at the moment while Brighton’s defensive options don’t look too bad either.

Saturday August 27

Southampton v Manchester United 

12.30pm BST, St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton 

Southampton came back from 1-0 down to win 2-1 away to Leicester last week and register their first win of the season. It was their home form which kept them up last season and they will probably be depending on it to do so again this season. They have a tough couple of games this week, but their fixtures improve after those games.

Che Adams did very well for fantasy managers last week and James Ward-Prowse showed why he’s still the best choice in the Southampton team.

United got their first points of the season with a 2-1 win at home to Liverpool last week and that win lifted them off the foot of the table. They haven’t won an away game in a long time and that run started at the end of the best unbeaten away run ever in the Premier League. The win against Liverpool showed what they are capable of and it’s a case of whether they can continue to perform so well going forward.

Marcus Rashford showed against Liverpool that he might just be able to offer some value for fantasy managers.

I think this will be a close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see United take the three points.

Prediction: 2-3

Brentford v Everton 

3pm BST, Brentford Community Stadium, London 

Brentford lost 3-2 away to Fulham last week, but they will see this game as an ideal opportunity to bounce back quickly. Only the bottom two lost more home games last season, but they showed in their last home game against United that they can challenge any team on their own ground. They only play one team who finished in the top half of the table in their next seven games which could see them build up a nice buffer against relegation.

Ivan Toney has been in very good form for fantasy managers while Josh Dasilva and Bryan Mbeumo haven’t done too badly either.

Everton got a late goal to draw 1-1 at home to Forest last week and claim their first point of the season. No other team took less points away from home last season and two away games in a week could be tough for them. If they’re going to avoid the issues they had last season they need to get more points on the board very quickly.

I still can’t see any Everton players who can make a real difference for fantasy managers.

I think this will be another close game with Brentford piling more pressure on Frank Lampard with a narrow victory.

Prediction: 2-1

Brighton And Hove Albion v Leeds United 

3pm BST, AMEX Stadium, Brighton 

Brighton won 2-0 away to West Ham last week and they’re only two points behind Arsenal at the top of the table. Their home results stopped them from challenging for a European spot last season and they will want to improve on it this season. No other team has conceded less goals so far and they have a very good run of games coming up.

Pascal Gross, Leandro Trossard and Danny Welbeck are all looking good for fantasy managers along with all of Brighton’s defenders and keeper.

Leeds got a fantastic 3-0 win at home to Chelsea last week and like Brighton they’re only two points off the top of the table going into this game. They took more points away from home than they did at home last season, but they will need to be at their very best to get anything from this game. They have started the season really well for a team who sold their best two players and they have a good run of games after this one.

Rodrigo is in great form for fantasy managers at the moment while Jack Harrison is doing pretty well too.

I don’t think there will be too much between these two teams, but the chances are Brighton will win.

Prediction: 2-1

Chelsea v Leicester City 

3pm BST, Stamford Bridge, London 

Chelsea lost 3-0 away to Leeds last week and they’re five points behind the pacesetters already. They won less than half of their home games last season and they will have to improve on that this season if they’re going to challenge City and Liverpool. The loss to Leeds last week was a big blow, but they have a good run of games coming up which should give us an idea of where they are.

The way Chelsea have defended in their last two games it’s difficult to recommend any of their defenders to fantasy managers and their attacking players haven’t done much to write home about either.

Leicester lost 2-1 at home to Southampton last week after leading 1-0 and they’re only one point and one place off the foot of the table. They conceded four goals in their first away game and their next three away games are all very difficult. They need to turn things around quickly or their hopes of holding on to the players looking to leave this month could fade quickly.

Despite Leicester’s position in the table James Maddison is still a very good choice for fantasy managers.

I think Chelsea will get a much needed win in this game and leave Leicester in the bottom three.

Prediction: 2-1

Liverpool v Bournemouth 

3pm BST, Anfield, Liverpool 

Liverpool lost 2-1 away to United last week and they find themselves seven points off the top of the table without a win to their name. They were the only team unbeaten at home last season and no other team took more points on their own patch. They’re playing catch up already, but they won’t get a better chance to get their first win of the season.

Despite Liverpool’s recent results Mohamed Salah is a very good choice for fantasy managers while Luis Diaz, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson will surely come good too.

Bournemouth lost 3-0 away to Arsenal last week and they were probably lucky it wasn’t more. They lost their first away game 4-0 against City and it doesn’t get any easier for them in this game despite Liverpool’s poor start to the season. They have conceded seven goals in their last two games and this could be another hard afternoon for them, but their fixtures improve after this one.

I can’t see any Bournemouth players to interest fantasy managers at the moment.

I think Liverpool will be too strong for Bournemouth and should get their first three points of the season with ease.

Prediction: 4-0

Manchester City v Crystal Palace 

3pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester 

City came back from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 away to Newcastle last week which leaves them two points behind Arsenal at the top of the table. They won their first home game 4-0, but Palace will offer a tougher test than Bournemouth. They have a very good run of games to start the season and they will be expected to be at the top of the table pretty soon.

Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland look very good for fantasy managers at the moment while Ilkay Gundogan and all of the City defenders and keeper are good choices too.

Palace won 3-1 at home to Villa last week and their draw against Liverpool the previous week will give them some hope in this game. Only Brighton drew more games away from home last season, but they will do well to get anything from this game. They have had a very tough start to the season with games against three of last season’s top six in their first four games.

Wilfried Zaha looks like he could be a very good option for fantasy managers with Eberechi Eze worth considering too.

I think Palace will give City a tough game, but the chances are City will take the three points.

Prediction: 3-1

Arsenal v Fulham 

5.30pm BST, Emirates Stadium, London 

Arsenal won 3-0 away to Bournemouth last week and they’re the only team not to drop any points yet. Only the top two took more points at home last season and they will want to keep their momentum going at home to a newly promoted team. No other team has scored more goals so far as their run of good fixtures to start their season continues.

Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli are very good choices for fantasy managers at the moment with Arsenal’s defenders and keeper looking good too.

Fulham won 3-2 at home to Brentford last week to get their first win of the season, but they did draw their other two games. They drew their first away game 0-0 against Wolves and they missed a penalty in that game, but they have two away games in a row starting with this one. They’re still unbeaten and they look like making a better go of life in the top flight this time.

Aleksandar Mitrovic is doing very well for fantasy managers at the moment and he’s still available at a good price while Andreas Pereira offers good value too.

I think Arsenal will continue their good start to the season with their fourth win out of four in this game.

Prediction: 3-1

Sunday August 28

Aston Villa v West Ham United 

2pm BST, Villa Park, Birmingham 

Villa lost 3-1 away to Palace last week, but they will fancy their chances against a team who had to play a European game in midweek and are at the foot of the table. They won their first home game against Everton, but West Ham should prove to be a tougher test. They have a hard run of games coming up and they could find themselves very close to the foot of the table very soon.

Ollie Watkins is the in form Villa player for fantasy managers while Leon Bailey brought in some points at a very good price last week.

West Ham lost 2-0 at home to Brighton last week to leave them at the foot of the table without a point to their name. They had a fairly good record away from home last season and almost all of their next few away games are winnable for them. They need to get some points on the board ahead of games against Spurs and Chelsea or they could be stuck to the foot of the table for a long time.

I keep saying Jarrod Bowen is the West Ham player to have for fantasy managers and hopefully he will prove me right very soon.

I don’t think there will be too much between these two teams and the chances are the points will be shared.

Prediction: 1-1

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Newcastle United 

2pm BST, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton 

Wolves lost 1-0 away to Spurs last week and they’re one of five teams without a win so far. Only the bottom two lost more home games last season and they struggled for goals on their own ground too. They have only taken one point and scored one goal in their first three games and they struggled to score goals last season too.

Wolves players aren’t looking too good for fantasy managers at the moment, but that could change in the next few weeks.

Newcastle draw 3-3 at home to City last week and they’re still unbeaten with five points from their first three games. Only three other teams lost more away games last season, but the draw they got at Brighton showed they might be a lot better in defence this season. They have started this campaign pretty well and they will want to push on now with the addition of Alexander Isak to their squad this week.

Callum Wilson is looking good for fantasy managers at the moment while Kieran Trippier, Nick Pope, Fabian Schar and Allan Saint-Maximin are all good options too.

I think their inability to score goals will cost Wolves in this game with Newcastle taking the three points.

Prediction: 1-2

Nottingham Forest v Tottenham Hotspur 

4.30pm BST, City Ground, Nottingham 

Forest conceded a late goal to draw 1-1 away to Everton last week and they will have their work cut out to get anything from this game. They were very good at home in the Championship and cup games last season, but they were probably a little lucky to win their first home game against West Ham. With the amount of players they have brought in it’s difficult to know where their season will go, but they are giving themselves every chance of beating the drop.

With so many players coming into their squad it’s not easy to see which Forest players to recommend to fantasy managers.

Spurs won 1-0 at home to Wolves last week and they’re only two points off the top of the table. Only three other teams took more points away from home last season and they have two away games this week. They face two of the promoted teams in their next three games and that gives them a great chance to move closer to the top of the table.

Harry Kane, Son Heung-Min and Dejan Kulusevski are the Spurs players to have for fantasy managers with Ivan Perisic a good option too.

I think Forest will make this a very difficult game for Spurs and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the points shared.

Prediction: 1-1

That’s it for this week.

See you next week.