WE’RE once again putting up a PlayStation 5 for the user who earns the most points in Score Predictor in Matchweek 8.
Sunday’s mouthwatering line-up of Brighton v Liverpool followed by Arsenal v Manchester City gets the juices following but there are three Saturday fixtures to predict first.
Let’s run through each match-up in chronological order.
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When it rains, it poursGetty
Manchester United v Brentford
Two teams in a rut are set to meet at Old Trafford on Saturday.
The Red Devils have lost six games in all competitions already this season while the Bees are without a win since August 19th.
It’s hard to justify a clean sheet prediction for the hosts given their injury-ravaged defence and the shaky form of Andre Onana between the sticks.
However, Mark Flekken at the opposite end hasn’t looked all that reliable either and the combination of Rasmus Hojlund and Bruno Fernandes packs a punch, even if some of those around them are out of sorts.
For all their problems, Erik ten Hag’s side have generally got the job done against bottom-half opposition this term so we’re inclined to back a unconvincing home win.
Our Prediction: 2-1 to Manchester United
AlamyHave Chelsea turned a corner?[/caption]
Burnley v Chelsea
Chelsea failed to score a single league goal in the month of September and their 2-0 win over Fulham on Monday night means they average just one goal per game in 2023/24.
However, while the Blues have been wasteful in the final third, only Man City boast a better defensive record at this stage.
Couple this stat with the fact Vincent Kompany’s side have mustered just five goals since promotion (two of them against Luton) and a clean sheet for the visitors feels likely.
Mauricio Pochettino has won 85.4% of his Prem games against newly-promoted clubs – the highest ratio of any manager to have overseen at least ten games.
We predicted a narrow 1-0 win for Chelsea last week and they outperformed our expectations by one goal so we’ll back them more confidently this time around.
Our Prediction: 2-0 to Chelsea
GettyEze is a big miss for Palace[/caption]
Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest
The Eagles are coming off the back of an impressive victory at Old Trafford but Eberechi Eze’s injury is a sizeable spanner in the works.
The skilful midfielder is expected to miss the next six weeks with a hamstring injury and while Palace are certainly not a one-man team, they are heavily reliant on their No10 to provide much of the creative inspiration.
Roy Hodgson’s side have scored seven goals and conceded the same amount in their seven fixtures while Forest have drawn 1-1 against Burnley and Brentford recently.
All signs point to one result.
Our Prediction: 1-1 draw
Brighton v Liverpool
A match-up that surely promises plenty of goals.
The Seagulls are still the league’s top scorers despite losing 6-1 to Aston Villa last time out.
For pure entertainment, Roberto De Zerbi’s men can’t be matched – they’ve outscored Man City but conceded the same number of goals as Luton.
As for the Reds, they also average over two goals scored per league fixture this season and if they can keep all eleven men on the pitch – something they’ve struggled with in recent weeks – fans at the Amex could be in for a thriller.
There’s no harm submitting a prediction now as it can be edited right up until 3pm on Saturday but it would be wise to review this match-up after the two clubs’ respective Europa League adventures this evening.
Our Prediction: 3-2 to Liverpool
Dream TeamStrap in![/caption]
Arsenal v Manchester City
A massive fixture in the context of the title race.
The Gunners are undefeated, something Pep Guardiola’s side can no longer claim, but they remain one point adrift of the treble winners in the table.
Arsenal got the better of City in the Community Shield but the recent history of this match-up is massively in favour of the Mancunians.
City won 14 of the last 16 meetings prior to this season’s curtain raiser, a run which includes a 3-1 win in North London back in February.
However, the visitors will be without the suspended Rodri and their record when the Spaniard is absent is notably below par.
Saying that, there’s a good chance the hosts won’t be able to call upon a star player of their own after Bukayo Saka limped off for a third game in a row in midweek.
A fascinating contest, one that is dividing Score Predictors users to a significant degree.
Excuse us while we take a seat on this fence…
Our Prediction: 1-1 draw
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