It’s that time of the week when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. I didn’t have the best week last week with one perfect prediction, three correct outcomes and three incorrect outcomes and I dropped one place in my predictions league as I forgot to register my forecasts in time. Here’s a look at how the top five in that league stands.
Pos Player Res Cls Exa Slm Pts
1. Murray1886 44 127.5 108 21 300.5
2. Gooners 48 120 114 18 300
3. SeniorBurger 42 132 99 19 292
4. Sam 41 126 105 20 292
5. Cole 50 117 93 21 281
I had a reasonable week with my fantasy team, but I lost a very small amount of ground overall despite using my free hit chip. I still have my triple captain chip left and the chances are I will use it next week when both City and Palace play twice. Erling Haaland is looking like the most obvious candidate for the armband next week, but I’ll be sticking with the ever dependable Bruno Fernandes this week.
My choice of Fernandes as my captain last week paid off to a degree with David Raya, Gabriel Magahlaes and Jarrod Bowen doing well too. I’m back to my pre free hit squad this week and I will have to think hard about what to do with two free transfers to use if necessary. I think Gabriel has to come back in and I probably need to make a change in midfield too, but I’m not quite sure who to buy.
Friday May 1
Leeds United v Burnley
8pm BST, Elland Road, Leeds
Leeds didn’t play last week because of their FA Cup semi final, but they drew 2-2 away to Bournemouth the previous week and that has left them six points above the relegation zone with only four games left to play. They have taken four points and conceded no goals in their last two home games and this game is a great chance to gain another three points. They are unbeaten in five games and they kept clean sheets in three of them with only one other team in the bottom half of the table scoring more goals.
Leeds defenders and keeper could do well for fantasy managers in this game along with Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Burnley lost 1-0 at home to City in their last game and that defeat sealed their relegation. They have lost their last three away games and they conceded nine goals in those games with no other team conceding more goals on the road. They have only taken two points from their last eight games and they conceded 17 goals in those games with no other team conceding more goals and only Wolves scoring less.
I can’t see any Burnley players to recommend to fantasy managers.
I think Leeds will take the three points that will probably guarantee their safety in this game.
Prediction: 2-0
Saturday May 2
Brentford v West Ham United
3pm BST, Gtech Community Stadium, London
Brentford lost 2-1 away to United last week, but they’re still only two points off sixth place. They have only taken four points from their last six home games and their last two games on their own patch are both against teams in the bottom half of the table. They haven’t won in six games, but they drew five of them with only one other team in the top half of the table conceding more goals.
Igor Thiago remains the Brentford player to have for fantasy managers.
West Ham scored a last minute goal to win 2-1 at home to Everton last week and that win kept them two points above the bottom three. They have taken 10 points from their last seven away games with only four other teams scoring less goals on their travels. They have taken seven points from their last three games, but only the two relegated teams have conceded more goals.
Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville are the West Ham players who can do well for fantasy managers.
I don’t think there will be too much between these two teams with a draw being the most likely outcome.
Prediction: 1-1
Newcastle United v Brighton And Hove Albion
3pm BST, St. James’s Park, Newcastle
Newcastle lost 1-0 away to Arsenal last week and they’re now as close to the relegation zone as they are to the top six. They have lost five of their last six home games, but only four other teams have scored more goals on their own ground. They have lost their last four games, but two of their last four games are against teams below them in the table.
With Bruno Guimaraes fit again he is probably the best of the Newcastle players for fantasy managers.
Brighton won 3-0 at home to Chelsea in their last game and that win moved them up to sixth place with just four games left to play. They have taken 10 points from their last four away games and they kept clean sheets in three of those games. They have taken 19 points from their last eight games and they scored 14 goals in those games with three of their last four games against teams in the bottom seven.
Danny Welbeck and Pascal Gross could be the Brighton players to perform for fantasy managers with Jan Paul van Hecke and Bart Verbruggen possibilities too.
I think this will be another very close game and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the spoils shared.
Prediction: 1-1
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Sunderland
3pm BST, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton
Wolves lost 1-0 at home to Spurs last week to remain rooted to the foot of the table with their relegation already confirmed. They lost their last home game after taking seven points from the previous three with no other team conceding more goals on their own patch. They have lost their last three games without scoring with no other team scoring less goals and only Burnley conceding more.
I can’t see any Wolves players to recommend to fantasy managers.
Sunderland lost 5-0 at home to Forest last week, but they are still in the hunt for European football. They lost their last away game after taking seven points in the previous three with only Wolves scoring less goals on their travels. They have lost their last two games and they conceded nine goals in those games with only the two relegated teams scoring less goals.
Enzo Le Fee and Granit Xhaka are the Sunderland players to consider for fantasy managers.
I think Sunderland will bounce back from their thrashing last week to take all three points in this game.
Prediction: 1-2
Arsenal v Fulham
5.30pm BST, Emirates Stadium, London
Arsenal just about managed a 1-0 win at home to Newcastle last week to go back to the top of the table and they have the chance to go six points clear in this game as City don’t play until Monday. They have won four of their last five home games with only City scoring more goals on their own ground and no other team conceding less. They had lost two games in a row before beating Newcastle with no other team conceding less goals and only City scoring more.
Arsenal’s defenders and keeper can all do very well for fantasy managers.
Fulham won 1-0 at home to Villa last week to move back into the top half of the table and within two points of sixth place. They have only won once in their last eight away games with only the two relegated teams losing more games on the road. They have taken 14 points from their last eight games with only one other team in the top half of the table conceding more goals.
Harry Wilson is the Fulham player most likely to make a difference for fantasy managers.
I think Arsenal will get the win they need, but it won’t be easy for them.
Prediction: 2-1
Sunday May 3
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace
2pm BST, Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth
Bournemouth drew 2-2 at home to Leeds in their last game to leave them one point and one place off the top six. They have drawn their last five home games with only two other teams in the top half of the table conceding more goals on their own patch. They are unbeaten in 14 games, but they drew eight of them with no other team drawing more games.
Krupi Junior, Marcos Senesi, Adrien Truffet and Rayan are the Bournemouth players to own for fantasy managers.
Palace lost 3-1 away to Liverpool last week, but their slim hopes of qualifying for Europe through the league are still alive and they are also in the semi finals of the Conference League. They have only won twice in their last eight away games with no other team drawing less games on their travels. They had taken eight points from four games before losing to Liverpool and they still have to play the top two before the season ends.
With Europe on their minds I’m not sure if any of the Palace players will do well for fantasy managers this week.
I think Bournemouth will take advantage of Palace’s thoughts being elsewhere to take all the points in this game.
Prediction: 2-1
Manchester United v Liverpool
3.30pm BST, Old Trafford, Manchester
United held on to win 2-1 at home to Brentford last week and that win kept them in third place. They have only lost one of their last 11 home games with only the top two scoring more goals on their own ground. They have won their last two games after only winning once in the previous four and this is the toughest game they have left to play.
Bruno Fernandes is an absolute must have for fantasy managers with Casemiro a good option too.
Liverpool won 3-1 at home to Palace last week to move up to fourth place and they will move ahead of United if they win this game. They won their last away game after losing the previous three and they have conceded more goals than they have scored on the road. They have won their last three games and they scored seven goals in those games, but they have a tough run of games to finish their season.
Alexander Isak might just be worth a punt for fantasy managers along with Florian Wirtz, but Virgil van Dijk remains the best bet in the Liverpool team for fantasy managers.
I can’t see there being too much between these two teams and a share of the spoils is probably the most likely outcome.
Prediction: 2-2
Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur
7pm BST, Villa Park, Birmingham
Villa lost 1-0 away to Fulham last week and that defeat saw them drop to fifth place. They have taken 10 points and scored nine goals in their last five home games with only three other teams conceding less goals on their own patch. They have lost four of their last seven games and they conceded 14 goals in those games.
Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins are still the best choices in the Villa team for fantasy managers.
Spurs won 1-0 away to Wolves last week, but that win wasn’t enough to take them out of the bottom three. They hadn’t won in seven away games before beating Wolves, but only six other teams have taken more points on their travels. The win against Wolves was their first win in 16 games and they have some difficult games left to play.
I’m still not sure there are any Spurs players doing enough to interest fantasy managers.
This is another difficult game to call, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it end all square.
Prediction: 1-1
Monday May 4
Chelsea v Nottingham Forest
3pm BST, Stamford Bridge, London
Chelsea lost 3-0 away to Brighton in their last game and that defeat saw them drop to eighth place and cost them yet another manager. They have only taken two points from their last five home games and they failed to score in the last three, but their last two games on their own ground are both against teams in the bottom five. They have lost their last five games without scoring and they conceded 11 goals in those games.
Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer are probably the Chelsea players most likely to perform for fantasy managers while Pedro Neto should be a consideration too.
Forest won 5-0 away to Sunderland last week to keep themselves five points clear of the relegation zone with just four games left to play. They have taken seven points from their last three away games and they scored 10 goals in those games with no other team in the bottom half of the table scoring more goals on the road. They have taken 12 points and scored 15 goals in their last six games, but they have a very tough run of games to finish their season.
Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson and Neco Williams are the Forest players to watch for fantasy managers.
I think Chelsea will manage a much needed win as Forest’s minds might well be on their European commitments.
Prediction: 2-1
Everton v Manchester City
8pm BST, Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool
Everton lost 2-1 away to West Ham last week and that defeat saw them drop back into the bottom half of the table, but they’re still only three points off sixth place. They lost their last home game after winning the previous two and they have taken more points away from home than on their own patch. They have only taken one point from their last three games after taking nine in the previous four and their last three games after this one are against teams in the bottom half of the table.
James Tarkowski, James Garner, Kiernon Dewsbury-Hall and Iliman Ndiaye are all worth considering for fantasy managers.
City won 1-0 away to Burnley in their last game which temporarily moved them back to the top of the table on goals scored. They have taken 14 points and scored 10 goals in their last six away games with only Chelsea scoring more goals on their travels and only Arsenal conceding less. They have taken 27 points from their last 11 games with no other team scoring more goals and only Arsenal conceding less.
Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki and Nico O’Reilly are the best of the City players for fantasy managers at the moment.
I think Everton will make a game of it, but City will take the three points.
Prediction: 1-2
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.
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