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It's a massive weekend in the Premier League. The bottom six are all playing each other, and after what happened in recent weeks, Arsenal are in desperate need of an away win at Newcastle United. Some people say there are a lot of games still left to play, but it makes me laugh! If Arsenal don't win the next game, they are out of the title race.
There's also a few other big games that are basically like cup finals for the teams involved. Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa will have huge importance in the race for top four, while Ipswich Town vs Leicester City is massive in terms of the fight to avoid relegation.
Before we get into all that, I wanted to share my thoughts on the 2024 Ballon d'Or and the controversy around Rodri winning it. People often get it mixed up and believe that football is all about dribbling and rainbow flicks. Vinicius Jr won LaLiga, where Barcelona is the only serious contender and the Champions League - a competition in which Manchester City dominated Real Madrid despite being knocked out.
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Brazil did not win Copa America. If you play for Brazil, you've got to be able to beat Argentina and achieve that in my opinion. You look at Rodri and he won the Euros with Spain and became player of the tournament in the process. I think Rodri deserves it and I'm pleased that he won. Vinicius won't be missed like Rodri when he's injured. I watched Real Madrid against Barcelona in El Clasico the other day, they are the games when you top players turn up and Vinicius did not do that! Don't get me wrong, he's a good player but Rodri fully deserves it.
Now let's dive straight into my predictions for Premier League gameweek 10.
Newcastle United vs Arsenal
This is a huge game for Arsenal. It's one where you look at and think, 'Arsenal must win this one'. Liverpool face Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend and they already beat them in the Carabao Cup in midweek, so we're expecting the same result again. You also expect Manchester City to beat Bournemouth so Arsenal cannot afford to slip up.
Arsenal are sitting back too much in games now. I know they have key players missing out due to injuries, but they should've attacked more against Liverpool last weekend. Even if a draw is still a fair result for them, Arsenal weren't as free-flowing as they were before and that's a problem. The old Arsenal were entertaining, now they're just sitting back and counter-attacking. If you do that every week in this league, you will get found out soon.
I hope this change in strategy is only due to the players they are missing at the moment. After the trip to Newcastle, they face Chelsea away from home. These two games are crucial for the Gunners, they must find a way to win both!
Newcastle beat Chelsea during the cup game in midweek, but I doubt they can back it up with another win on Saturday. Alexander Isak seems to have returned to form and Anthony Gordon is always a threat with his pace. But I feel they are too open at the back and good teams can always pick them apart. When they have all their players in good form, Newcastle are a proper team but that isn't the case at the moment. Arsenal win for me in this one!
Prediction: Newcastle United 1-2 Arsenal
Liverpool vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Liverpool are going along nicely now. They had a brilliant result in the cup against Brighton and I think they win again this weekend. Last week against Arsenal, I thought they produced a top performance to come from behind and get a draw.
I look at Brighton and they are one of them teams - if they are hot, they're really hot but if not, they struggle. This is a difficult game for Liverpool but I still expect them to show the quality and get the three points.
I'm not sure if Kostas Tsimikas has now replaced Andy Robertson as the first choice left-back at Liverpool. Robertson struggled against Arsenal, but the fact is that Bukayo Saka can do that any defender in this league! Maybe Arne Slot going back to Robertson for the cup game against Brighton was for him to get some confidence. If Tsimikas gets into the starting XI this weekend, then that could be a sign of things to come.
Liverpool have a lot of selection headaches. It's not a bad problem to have, so I'm sure Slot will handle it well. It's difficult to pick between Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones in midfield for the game against Brighton. I would personally go with Szoboszlai but Jones was terrific against Chelsea and Slot may decide to pick him. Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz also scored goals during the cup game. Despite the fact that Gakpo is playing well, I feel Diaz offers just a little more on the left with his pace and I'd pick him as part of the front three here.
Prediction: Liverpool 3-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Ipswich Town vs Leicester City
Ipswich Town were 2-0 up against Brentford last weekend, but went 3-2 down, before making it 3-3 with four minutes left to play, and still ended up losing! It worries me when I think when teams like Ipswich and Southampton are actually going to win their first game. If Ipswich lose this game, they go eight points behind Leicester and that would be 10 games without a win. That's a mountain to climb!
This is a cup final for Ipswich. And I have a feeling they'll win this game. Leicester also lost last weekend against Nottingham Forest and that would've dented their confidence. Forest are the prime example of how teams can improve if they avoid getting relegated. If you do that, the gulf between clubs in the Championship and you gets bigger.
You look at Crystal Palace and they've just had two important wins, they're not getting relegated now. Everton have been there before and survived. The next team after Leicester on the table is Manchester United, they won't get relegated for sure. So this is a game both Ipswich and Leicester cannot afford to lose if they want to survive.
Prediction: Ipswich Town 2-1 Leicester City
Bournemouth vs Manchester City
Bournemouth are decent at home, so this is a difficult game for Manchester City. Even though they are not playing at their best, City are winning games at the moment. They lost to Tottenham in the league cup during midweek but played a team with so many changes and it shows where their priorities lie this season. Champions League, Premier League, that's what they want.
They are definitely missing the creativity of Kevin De Bruyne. The absence of Rodri has also affected them since he allowed them to get higher up the pitch very quickly. With all due respect to Mateo Kovacic, he's more of a ball-carrier rather than a quick passer like Rodri and that has taken its toll on the team.
You don't get extra points for winning 5-0 or 6-0, so it's fine for now since they are getting the results. I expect that to continue again this weekend.
Prediction: Bournemouth 0-2 Manchester City
Southampton vs Everton
Everton will know exactly how Southampton will want to play against them. The Saints will take a million chances by trying to play out from the back and Sean Dyche will have a plan ready. Someone should tell Southampton that this kind of stuff only works on PlayStation!
Everton are now five games unbeaten and are enjoying a bit of a good run. They will squeeze Southampton and it will only be a matter of time before Everton get the ball and score in my opinion. If Southampton and Ipswich don't win this weekend, that's 20 league games between them without a win. These teams are definitely in trouble.
Prediction: Southampton 2-1 Everton
Nottingham Forest vs West Ham United
Nottingham Forest are flying at the moment, but they're a much better team away from home. You've got to play West Ham at the right time if you need to win. They clicked the other day against Manchester United. You could say they were lucky, but they deserved to win in the end.
If Forest win this game, they could move a lot closer to safety. They're already on 16 points and with how things have gone this season, 30 points might just be enough for teams to ensure they stay in the division.
I have a feeling West Ham are still not firing on all cylinders at the moment and that's why I'm backing Forest to win this game.
Prediction: Nottingham Forest 2-1 West Ham United
Wolves vs Crystal Palace
If you look at Wolves last weekend, that draw with Brighton did paper over the cracks. This is a must-win game for Wolves and I'm backing them to get their first three points of the season against Crystal Palace.
Like I said before, the bottom six are all in action against each other and none of them can afford to lose this weekend. If the likes of Leicester, Everton and Palace win, the other three teams would be cut adrift in the race to avoid relegation.
Oliver Glasner's men come into this game on the back of two important wins against Tottenham and Aston Villa. However, I just think they'll come up short against Wolves.
Prediction: Wolves 1-0 Crystal Palace
Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa
I thought it was a really bad result for Aston Villa when they lost to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup during midweek. I know they play in the Champions League and compete well in the Premier League, but they should also look to win the cup.
That exit would have definitely been disappointing for Villa. I'm still going to back them to beat Tottenham though. Villa's high line could face problems against Spurs, but I just can't see them not scoring in this game. It's going to be a big blow for Tottenham in their attempt to qualify for the Champions League if they lose this game.
Villa can open up an eight-point gap over Spurs if they win and that may well be curtains for the north Londoners' hopes about finishing fourth. I just think Villa have a bit more in them than Tottenham and fully expect them to win here.
Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Aston Villa
Manchester United vs Chelsea
It's true that Manchester United were not lucky during the defeat to West Ham. But this is Manchester United we're talking about, you can't keep living on excuses like that. They were all over the place, lost the game and are in the bottom half. So the decision to sack Erik ten Hag was justified, no point waiting around!
I think Chelsea will win this game. I only say that because they'll play out from the back and the only way they can get beat is if teams get the ball from them high up the pitch by closing them down. I don't think United will do that up front, they're just lazy. So I have a feeling that Chelsea can play through them and win the game.
Chelsea rested many of their players during the Carabao Cup defeat to Newcastle, but I didn't understand their decision to keep Cole Palmer on the bench. If you don't want to play him, why are you taking him all the way to Newcastle for the game? Just allow him to rest at home instead of asking him to take the long trip and sit on the bench all night.
Chelsea should start Pedro Neto over Jadon Sancho in this game. Neto has pace and he can really hurt United. Sancho has this tendency to slow the game down a bit. Neto will be really useful when Chelsea beat United's press and play through them.
United went and won 5-2 against Leicester in their cup game. I'm thinking if Ten Hag was still there, Chelsea would be huge favorites in this game. But with Ruud van Nistelrooy in charge now, there will be a change for sure. They still look at bit disjointed though, not what you expect from a proper team. The problem is that United don't have enough time to work on these things and beat Chelsea this weekend.
I was in Portugal last year and they speak very highly of Ruben Amorim. He's a good manager, but what he's done there in Portugal, it's a three-team league at the end of the day. This will be a completely different challenge. Now they're talking of bringing Viktor Gyokeres in. This is what does my head in, honestly. He was playing for Coventry a while ago and no one wanted him. Now he goes to a lesser league, does well and suddenly you have to pay £40-50 million extra for him! Imagine if he was still at Coventry and United wanted him? Everybody will be losing their minds.
Prediction: Manchester United 1-3 Chelsea
Fulham vs Brentford
Big local derby this one. Brentford had a really weird game last time around when they beat Ipswich 4-3 late on. Even in the Carabao Cup during midweek, they had to go through penalties to win against Sheffield Wednesday. I'm backing Fulham to win this game.
Fulham are a decent team, even though they had a slip up against Aston Villa recently. Brentford are letting in goals even though they score. All their matches are filled with drama and entertainment. I just think Fulham are more solid and can secure a good result this weekend.
Prediction: Fulham 2-1 Brentford
