SATURDAY:
LEEDS V BOURNEMOUTH
Leeds picked up a much needed and crucial win last time out against Liverpool which should no doubt give them a lot of confidence going into this game. Jesse Marsch must've been a relieved man at full time due to the pressure he was under and that result was massive for him as well as his team.
Bournemouth have lost their last three games going into this one which will be seen more as a reality check rather than a loss of form. Nobody saw them going on a run like they did a few weeks ago at the start of the season and they now need to get back to that form so they can keep themselves a good distance away from the relegation zone.
PREDICTION: 2-1
I think Leeds will win here because I can see them carry the confidence gained from their win over Liverpool into this one. Bournemouth will cause them the odd problem from set pieces but I still think Leeds will have enough to come away with the win here.
MAN CITY V FULHAM
Man City may again be without Erling Haaland for this one but they have done ok without him to be fair. They did miss him a bit against Leicester but in midweek Julian Avarez stepped up with a goal and an assist against Sevilla in the Champions League. Both games were won through the quality of other players.
City made a few changes against Sevilla in midweek and the players who were rested should be brought back in for this one. They did bring on some of the players they rested and I expect that they'll all start from the off in this game.
Fulham met City in the FA Cup last season losing the game 4-1 and I expect they'll go for a slightly more cautious approach here. I still think they'll try and give it a go like they did against Liverpool and Arsenal but given the quality that City possess, they might have to be a bit more cautious.
PREDICTION: 3-1
I'm backing another City win here even if Haaland is unavailable again. Their squad is blessed with quality in all areas and with the rested players from midweek coming back in, they should win this one without too many problems.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST V BRENTFORD
Nottingham Forest look like a team who don't know each other at the moment as Steve Cooper is still trying to find his best 11. It will take him time to find his best team but at this level you don't get that time because of how ruthless the Premier League is. A season of struggle lies ahead for them.
A draw and a win from their last two home games should give them some confidence here as this one is another home game. They did get battered by Arsenal last weekend but their recent results at home should still give them confidence here.
Brentford have been poor away from home this season and particularly defensively. They've let in 15 goals on the road this season with only Nottingham Forest and Leicester conceding more with 19. They certainly took heavy beating in their previous two away games losing 4-0 at Aston Villa and 5-1 at Newcastle.
PREDICTION: 1-1
I think Forest will get something here due to Brentford's poor form away from home. But I can only see them getting a point as they don't score a lot of goals. Brentford have been poor defensively on the road this season but I think they'll have enough in them to get a point.
WOLVES V BRIGHTON
Both of these sides have the same problem. Putting the ball in the back of the net. They may be at completely different ends of the table but they still have problems when it comes to scoring goals.
Wolves will be without a recognised striker for this game with Diego Costa suspended and their other options in Sasa Kalajdzic and Raul Jimenez both injured. This will no doubt be a massive blow for Wolves mainly because of their current struggles in front of goal which look set to continue in this game with no recognised centre forward.
Brighton finally got off the mark under Roberto De Zerbi with their impressive win over Chelsea last weekend where they were excellent from start to finish. They pressed Chelsea's defence very high as they forced them into mistakes and they took their chances when they came to them.
A result like that will give the Seagulls a lot of confidence going into this game and Roberto De Zerbi will no doubt feel relieved that he finally has that first win in charge. He'll now want his side to follow it up witho another win here.
PREDICTION: 0-3
I'm going for a Brighton win here because I can see them carry the confidence gained from their win over Chelsea into this game. With Wolves looking toothless in attack and having no recognised striker available to them, I can see the Seagulls punish their wastefulness in front of goal.
EVERTON V LEICESTER
Everton looked hopeless in attack against Fulham last weekend as they missed some good chances to win the game. They did enough defensively to come away with a point thanks to Jordan Pickford keeping them in the game but they'll still feel disappointed with the chances they didn't take.
Leicester have looked defensively solid since the September international break and it's helped them pick up some crucial results. They looked all over the place defensively at the start of the season but since then they've clearly toughened up and are looking more difficult to beat.
PREDICTION: 2-1
I can see this one be a close game as both sides are much improved defensively and have some good attacking players going forward. I'm going for an Everton here because they're at home and they have a strong record at home.
SUNDAY:
CHELSEA V ARSENAL
Chelsea have not looked at all convincing in recent games following some inconsistent results and performances. They did win in midweek against Dinamo Zagreb but their performance wasn't exactly brilliant much like their recent ones.
Graham Potter has picked up a few wins against Arsenal during his managerial career beating them three times at Brighton and once with Ostersunds. This will give Chelsea some belief that they can win this one knowing that they have a manager who has experience of beating Arsenal.
Arsenal will be glad that Bukayo Saka will be available for this game with the injury he picked up against Nottingham Forest not as bad as some people feared. Saka is arguably Arsenal's most important player having carried the team for the last couple of seasons and they'll certainly need him in a game like this one.
The Gunners have won this fixture for the last couple of seasons and Mikel Arteta himself has a reasonably good record against Chelsea. This will give them a lot of confidence going into this game as will their recent form.
PREDICTION: 0-2
I fancy Arsenal to win this one because they're in better form have much more belief going into these kind of games than they used to. With Chelsea not being exactly convincing at the moment, I think the Gunners will make the most of that.
ASTON VILLA V MAN UNITED
Aston Villa will have Unai Emery in charge for the first time here and it will be interesting to see what kind of performance his side put in. They'll need to respond after getting hammered by Newcastle last weekend and also a number of their players will want to impress the new manager early on in an attempt to keep their place in the team.
Man United are looking more settled team than they were at the start of the season for which Erik Ten Hag deserves a lot of credit for. But I do feel that some people have gone slightly over the top in saying that they're definitely going to finish in the top four.
They do have a chance of finishing there with the quality they have but they're yet to find some consistent form. If they can find that consistency we're yet to see from them and produce it when it matters most, then we can rate their top four chances.
PREDICTION: 0-2
I think United will win this one because they're in better form and will have enough quality to win the game. Villa will hopefully respond with it being their first game under Unai Emery but United should still have enough to win the game.
SOUTHAMPTON V NEWCASTLE
Southampton were a completely different team in the second half of their defeat to Crystal Palace as they had more chances and asked Palace more questions than they did in the first half. But Saints were unable to take them and it wasn't the first time that has happened.
The Saints have had quite a few games this season where they've had a lot of chances but haven't been able to take them. This is because they're lacking an out and out goal scorer who can take those chances on a regular basis and it is why they're in the position they find themselves in.
Newcastle are flying at the moment and you simply have to praise the job Eddie Howe has done since he's been there. He's built a side who are strong in all areas of the field and has also made the majority of his players better with Miguel Almiron and Joelinton being prime examples.
The Magpies were excellent last time out against Aston Villa like they were in the games that came before that. Callum Wilson boosted his hopes of an England recall with a double in that game and he has a great chance of making that World Cup squad if he stays fit and in form.
PREDICTION: 0-3
I'm backing Newcastle to win this one because of the form they're in and the quality they have. They've shown many times recently that they can beat anyone on their day and I can see them show why here.
WEST HAM V CRYSTAL PALACE
West Ham were unlucky not to come away with anything against Man United last weekend as they had a lot of chances which they were unable to take. David De Gea was excellent on the day but the Hammers will still feel disappointed that they didn't get anything due to the high standards they've set themselves in recent seasons.
The Hammers don't have a great record when it comes to facing Palace at home as they've won this fixture just twice in the last six seasons. Their last two results in this fixture have been draws and they'll want to go one extra this time round.
Crystal Palace are yet to win away from home this season like so many other clubs which is quite surprising. They haven't really done enough to win some of their away game particularly their recent ones against Leicester and Everton where they didn't offer enough going forward.
PREDICTION: 1-1
This one should be a close game as both sides look reasonably well matched on paper. With West Ham not having a good record in this fixture and Palace struggling away from home, I can only see this being a draw. But a score draw.
TOTTENHAM V LIVERPOOL
Both sides go into this one off the back of crucial wins in Europe with Spurs' victory over Marseille arguably being more important than Liverpool's win over Napoli.
Spurs in recent games have started poorly only to play better in the second half and get the result. They were second best for the majority of the first half against Marseille in midweek with the French side causing them many problems. But they did show some urgency in the second half where they turned the game around and won.
They were dealt a major blow in that game as they lost Heung Min Son to a head injury. He hasn't been at his best this season but losing a player of Son's quality for a game like this is still a massive blow because you need your best players available to win these kind of games.
Liverpool are much better in Europe than they are in the league and it's hard to see why. They looked more secure at the back against Napoli than they did last weekend against Leeds and they now have to follow that win up here so they can find some much needed consistency.
The reds are still without a win away from home this season but they might fancy themselves to finally get one here as Spurs will be without Son. But given their inconsistent form this season, it may not be that simple.
PREDICTION: 1-1
Whoever wins this will probably start the game better as both of them have been criticized for making slow starts. But I don't see that happening here as I'm going for a share of the points. Spurs may be without Son but they do have players who can get the odd goal whilst Liverpool can't carry good performances in Europe into the Premier League.
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