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The Premier League features another round of midweek games this week, and the games are coming thick and fast as we approach the end of the 2023-24 season. We have a particularly intriguing title race on our hands this season, with Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City battling it out in the Premier League.
Arsenal and Manchester City played out a pretty poor game yesterday. I was a bit worried about Arsenal, but they got a big point. If City win their next two games, however, they go above Arsenal. This title race is going to change every other day.
We also have a relegation battle on our hands this season. In the last 30 matches played out by the bottom five of the Premier League, these teams have managed to win only one match between them. Any victory for any of these teams now is massive.
Here is a look at my predictions for this week's round of Premier League matches.
Newcastle United vs Everton
Newcastle came back from 3-1 down last week to secure a 4-3 victory. Everton seemed like they would knick a point against Bournemouth but they scored an own goal with only a minute left on the clock. Everton could be all right this season.
Newcastle are going to be good to watch from now on. They're not getting into the top four this season, and they'll need their fans to stay happy. They're going to bombard teams and play entertaining football, and we'll see more Newcastle games like the one against West Ham.
Anthony Gordon's done really well for Newcastle. I didn't really see it working out at the start, to be honest, but he's been very good - fair play to Eddie Howe for his vision. Gordon might not make it to the Euros, but he's not far off from being an England regular.
Newcastle will have a go in their last eight league games, and these matches should be enjoyable. I'm backing Newcastle to secure a comfortable victory this week.
Prediction: Newcastle United 3-1 Everton
Nottingham Forest vs Fulham
There were times on Saturday when I thought Nottingham Forest were down, but they managed to pull off a draw. They've now got a home game against Fulham, and they could potentially go three points clear of Luton. If they win this football match, I think they'll be all right.
Fulham bounced back from a 3-1 deficit against Sheffield United. If you're Fulham's manager or owner you'd be asking Rodrigo Muniz why he wasn't able to pull off these heroics before they bought Armando Broja. Muniz got his opportunity because of Jimenez's injury. They wouldn't have brought Broja in if they thought Muniz was good enough, but he's been unbelievable so far.
Nottingham Forest should have won their game over the weekend, but they picked up a valuable point. The two teams could play out a draw in this fixture.
Prediction: Nottingham Forest 2-2 Fulham
Burnley vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
I dread to think of how many goals Chelsea could have scored against Burnley the other day - it was chaos. Burnley got two goals with a man down, however, and they hung in there to win a well-earned point.
Wolves have got too many injuries at the moment, and they're bang out of luck. They weren't the better team in their loss against Coventry. Before the three injuries they've suffered over the past month, they were a very good team.
Burnley could be only one point behind Luton if they win this game, and they have matches coming up against Everton and Sheffield. Things would change in the relegation battle, wouldn't they? Wolves are struggling at the moment, and I'm going to back Burnley to win this game.
Prediction: Burnley 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace
You'd like to think there would be a lot of goals in this game. Bournemouth are completely and utterly safe, and Crystal Palace are also eight points clear of the relegation zone at the moment. There's nothing to lose for either team.
Bournemouth can go out and play the way they want to - they're at home, they're not getting into Europe. and they're not getting relegated. The shackles are off. They could've been trigger-happy during their bad run, but they stuck with their manager and it's paid off - fair play to them. I'm backing Bournemouth to win this game.
Prediction: Bournemouth 2-1 Crystal Palace
West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham were 3-1 up against Newcastle, and they took off Michail Antonio. He was their focal point, and they asked Newcastle to have a go. The substitution gave Newcastle the license to bomb forward, because they weren't going to get hurt on the counter.
Tottenham are becoming a bag of rebels. They were excellent against Villa before they got slaughtered by Fulham, and they stumbled over the line against Luton. They could win or lose this game by a 3-0 margin, and you wouldn't flinch either way. They're getting back to the Tottenham of old - their inconsistency could hurt them.
Kalvin Phillips could've stayed and Man City, and he would've gone to the Euros. I don't see him at the tournament at all now, with Mainoo coming through as well. He's gone out on loan and he isn't able to get a game - I do feel sorry for him.
This is one of the biggest games of West Ham's season, and the fans will back them this week. West Ham are playing at home and could pull off a victory this week.
Prediction: West Ham United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Brentford vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Brentford's performance against Manchester United was the best I've seen from them in a long time. They're a dangerous team and absolutely dominated Man United.
Ivan Toney is a hundred times better off with Bryan Mbeumo in the team. When he isn't there, teams can squeeze Toney. When Mbeumo plays, he makes runs and allows Toney to work in the pockets. If Brentford played like they did last week consistently, they'd be fighting for a place in Europe.
Brighton are one of those teams where you don't know what you're going to get. They're drifting away now, and their season's starting to fizzle away. They could end up in the bottom half of the league table. Brentford have the upper hand going into this game.
Prediction: Brentford 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Arsenal vs Luton Town
If Arsenal turn up with the right attitude this week, they win this game. The focus was on the defensive unit last week against Manchester City, and they were outstanding. It's a massive feat to play 90 minutes against City and make sure that they don't look like they can score. I've never seen that against a Pep Guardiola side.
Arsenal were outstanding, and they're going to be a big worry to anyone in the Champions League. If you can go to Man City and defend like that, you're going to do well in European knockout games.
Arsenal need to rely on their forwards this week. At this stage of the season, goal difference is going to make a massive difference. Arsenal need to win this game by as many goals as they can, because it could come down to goal difference in the title race this season.
This game isn't a cup final for Luton. It's one of those games where they can rest everybody and then go all out against Bournemouth next week. I don't see the point in playing your best team and spending loads of energy on this game. They can take their chances at home against Bournemouth.
Luton can cause problems in this fixture, but Arsenal are not Tottenham - they have been very consistent. I don't see anything but an Arsenal win in this game.
Prediction: Arsenal 4-0 Luton Town
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
Manchester City have reached that stage of the season where they've got to win this game. They're three points behind in the title race with a worse goal difference. If they draw this game, it's going to be very difficult for them.
Manchester City are chasing two teams down, and Liverpool and Arsenal have fixtures that they'll probably win this week. It's just another football match eaten away, and it adds up in the end.
This is a hard game, and City have got some injuries. Stones and Walker are two of their best players and without them, City can't attack like they're used to. It's unusual for them not to have the best goal difference.
Aston Villa got a good result against Wolves, and this is a big game for them as well. Villa have got good fixtures after this match, and they'll hope that Tottenham drop points this week.
Man City are not blowing teams away anymore. They're not finishing games as quickly, and it's taking a toll on their players. I might be wrong, but I don't see how they can win the league from here. I'm going to go with Manchester City to win this game, but they won't win it by a big margin.
Prediction: Manchester City 1-0 Aston Villa
Liverpool vs Sheffield United
Liverpool are relentless, and they just keep going. They were 1-0 down against Brighton, and not once did I think they weren't going to win. They didn't seem like they were in trouble at all.
The Premier League is Liverpool's bread and butter this season. If they rest players and don't turn up this week, they could lose this game. They're better off winning the game and then taking players off instead of bringing them on to win games with 30 minutes left.
Liverpool have players like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota coming back from injuries, and they'll be fresh. They have a couple of hard games coming up, but I'm backing them to get this game out of the way.
Prediction: Liverpool 3-0 Sheffield United
Chelsea vs Manchester United
Manchester United are a million miles away from the likes of Liverpool at the moment. Liverpool have kids playing at times, and United are still so far behind them. Their performance against Brentford was very worrying, and they're going to have to make a decision at the end of the season. Are they going to give Ten Hag another chance? I'm not sure.
It's very difficult to predict this game. It's not even a big game, is it? This used to be a mouthwatering fixture. Now, one of these teams got ripped to shreds by Brentford, and the other wasn't able to dominate a ten-man Burnley side.
This is a manager's game, if I'm being honest. Neither team would want to lose this football match. If Ten Hag loses this game and suffers another defeat against Liverpool next week, he'll be under massive pressure.
Chelsea have the home advantage, but they're not really dominant. It'll be a big worry if they don't beat Man United, because Chelsea fans will remember what Brentford did to United. This won't be an easy encounter, but Chelsea should be able to win this game.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Manchester United
