Published on 5 Nov 2022 1:12 am (UK Time)
We look at some of this week’s Premier League games, including Chelsea v Arsenal, Spurs v Liverpool, and Southampton v Newcastle.
This week’s Premier Leauge games
- Leeds v Bournemouth
- Man City v Fulham
- Nottingham Forest v Brentford
- Wolves v Brighton
- Everton v Leicester
- Chelsea v Arsenal
- Aston Villa v Man United
- Southampton v Newcastle
- West Ham v Crystal Palace
- Spurs v Liverpool
Wolves v Brighton
What a mistake by Diego Costa at the weekend against Brentford. In the 94th minute, he headbutts Ben Mee and receives a straight red. Wolves signed him specifically for his goalscoring ability, and now he faces a few games on the sidelines just when they need him to start firing.
They did well to draw 1-1 with a tricky Brentford side, especially away from home, but they need to start winning games before teams around them continue to pick up points. This season is going to be extremely hard for Wolves, you cannot win games without scoring goals. A big transfer window is coming up for Wolves in January, and they need to invest well, in the right areas of the pitch, if they have any chance of staying up.
Was anyone surprised by Brighton’s superb win against Chelsea last weekend? Graham Potter came back to his old stomping ground and got battered by Brighton, ending Chelsea’s unbeaten run under him. The two own goals did help Brighton to an impressive victory, but take no credit away from them, they blew Chelsea out of the water in the opening stages.
Brighton showed signs of their clinical touch returning that had evaded them in recent weeks. The issue for them is remaining consistent, they halted a Chelsea barrage at the start of the second half and expertly displayed their defensive capabilities. One issue that remains for Brighton is the non-scoring forwards, as soon as they start firing, Brighton could surprise a few people.
Brighton should be winning this against a poor Wolves side, especially with them missing Costa. If Brighton turn up as they did against Chelsea, there could be a few goals, but I expect Wolves to be a bit more resolute and resilient, making this a tight game.
Prediction: Wolves 1 – 2 Brighton
Chelsea v Arsenal
Could this be a game where people start to take Arsenal’s title challenge seriously? Or will Chelsea get back to winning ways against the Premier League leaders and London rivals?
What a mixed week for Chelsea. Humbled by Brighton, a massive 4-1 loss, their manager losing against his former club, and 2 own goals scored in the process.
They did secure the top spot in their Champions League group, recovering from an early setback from Dinamo Zagreb’s Petkovic. It is important that Chelsea get back to winning ways, to keep up the pace with the top 4, but what a difficult game to do so in.
Arsenal just keep going, don’t they? A convincing 5-0 win last week against a spirited Forest, who themselves beat Liverpool. These are the kinds of games Arsenal in the past would have struggled with, but they look beyond that now. They have now started to perform against the top 6 clubs, with wins over Liverpool and Spurs already this season.
Surprisingly Arteta did not choose to rotate his team massively against Zurich in midweek, which they won 1-0. Tired legs could feature here, Chelsea have an extra day’s rest due to playing in the Champions League instead, and the Thursday night games could start to take their toll on Arsenal.
This really could go either way. Chelsea need to step up after their loss last week and go back to basics. Arsenal come into the game in fine form, have shown they can perform against the top 6 clubs and are looking like genuine title contenders. If they can carry their form into this game, it could be a long 90 minutes for Chelsea.
Prediction: Chelsea 0 – 2 Arsenal
Aston Villa v Man United
Villa’s world came crashing down last week. After a brilliant 4-0 against Brentford, they got thumped 4-0 at St James’ Park by Newcastle. That means it’s 3 losses and 2 draws in their last 6 games. Villa are sitting precariously above the relegation zone by a single point, and desperately need to start picking up points. Emery will breathe some new life into this Villa squad, with some suggesting they could be surprise contenders for Europe next season.
Emery will first need to ensure that Villa stay solid at the back, with 10 goals conceded in their last 5 games, their problems are obvious. They looked at their creative best against Brentford, yet did not even muster a single shot on target in 90 minutes against Newcastle. Consistency will be key for Villa, and whilst their squad is strong enough to avoid relegation, they have a run of 4 tough games, starting with this clash against Man United.
Man United have certainly turned a corner with their performances and the Ten Hag effect is in full flow. 4 wins and 2 draws in their last 6 games. Their defence has vastly improved, with the absence of England hopeful Harry Maguire, conceding just one goal, away against Chelsea, in these 6 games. Ten Hag is certainly getting the most out of his attackers as well. Marcus Rashford doing well to seal his place in Southgate’s England starting XI, scoring the winning goal against West Ham, and getting on the scoresheet against Sheriff Tiraspol.
These are the kind of games United have slipped up in over the past few seasons and under various different managers. They cannot afford to be dropping points, as they sit just outside the top 4, with a game in hand.
This is the Premier League, and no game can be viewed as an easy game. However, I do not see United needing to get out of second gear to win this game. It should be a comfortable Sunday afternoon for the Red Devils, and I do not see Villa scoring past this organised defence.
Prediction: Aston Villa 0 – 2 Man United
Southampton v Newcastle
Just how far can this Newcastle team go this season? 5 wins and a draw from their last 6 games, 16 goals scored in those games, whilst only conceding 3, beating top 4 hopefuls Spurs in the process.
Callum Wilson is in fine form, and he will want to continue this with the World Cup coming even closer. Almiron is on fire, providing goals that were previously missing from his game. The whole team seems to be on another level at the moment, and they are playing some fantastic football.
Is a top 4 finish realistic for Newcastle this season? Or will they eventually drop off?
Southampton have been poor as of late. 1 win in their last 6, that coming away against Bournemouth. Aside from their 4-0 loss against Man City, however, the rest of their games have been relatively close. Their losses have only been by the solitary goal, as has their win. It is hard to predict how Southampton will do this season, currently sat in 17th. 3 points for them would be vital here.
I do not see this going Southampton’s way. Newcastle come into this game in good form, scoring goals, defending well, and in high spirits. Everything here points to a Newcastle win.
Prediction: Southampton 1 – 3 Newcastle
Spurs v Liverpool
This game could go in so many different directions. If Spurs turn up and Liverpool don’t, Liverpool will get walked all over, and succumb to another humiliating loss. If Liverpool turn up and Spurs don’t, it could be 4 or 5 to Liverpool. If both turn up, we could have a fascinating game of football on our hands.
Liverpool were again shocked last weekend by another relegation-threatened team, this time against Leeds. Taking no credit away, Leeds were nothing special, Liverpool were just that bad. Credit is due to Meslier, he made a string of wonderful saves in the second half to keep the scores level, and without his heroic performance, the scoreline could have been much different.
Liverpool won midweek, in the Champions League, a 2-0 win against Napoli. 2 late goals from Salah and Nunez handed Napoli their first defeat in all competitions this season, which highlights Liverpool’s lack of consistency this year. They turned up against Man City and Napoli when it mattered, yet lose against Forest and Leeds. They desperately need to bring their Champions League form into the Premier League, to try and close the gap on the top 4.
Spurs also showed their worst and best sides last weekend but in completely different circumstances. Spurs were losing 2-0 against Bournemouth, before turning it around in the second half, with Bentacur scoring a 92nd-minute winner. Spurs then confirmed their place in the last 16 of the Champions League, with yet another second-half turnaround, this time Hojbjerg scoring a 95th-minute winner against Marseille.
Spurs are showing the desire to win these games, especially in the latter stages, but they need to be more organised defensively if they are to progress further in the Champions League and cement their place in the top 4 of the Premier League.
Hopefully, both sides will come into this game in top form, all guns blazing, and if they do, we could have a Premier League classic on our hands.
Prediction: Spurs 1 – 2 Liverpool
Other Predictions
- Leeds 2 – 2 Bournemouth
- Man City 3 – 1 Fulham
- Nottingham Forest 0 – 0 Brentford
- Everton 1 – 1 Leicester
- West Ham 0 – 0 Crystal Palace
See how my predictions fared last week here: https://worldinsport.com/premier-league-gameweek-13-preview-sizzling-city/
