Sportskeeda Premier League Predictor GW #22

It’s that time of the week again when you can pitch your predictions for the upcoming game week, calculate your score and compare yours against ours. The rules, as always, remain the same, +3 for a correct score, + 1 for a correct result, 0 for a wrong result.

Last week we managed 4 correct results with no perfect scores, a total of a dismal 4 points.

Game Week #22

Here are our predictions, what are yours? (all timings in IST )

Norwich

Chelsea

Prediction: 1 – 2 (21 Jan, 1815 hrs)

A trip to the Canaries is not proving easy for most teams, but Chelsea are managing to win matches despite not being best, and suddenly have pulled clear of Arsenal for the fourth spot for a while. A hard fought victory for the Blues will be a good way for Gary Cahill to make his Chelsea debut.

Everton

Blackburn

Prediction: 1 – 1 (21 Jan, 2030 hrs)

Matches like these are very difficult to predict, who would have thought Blackburn would have beaten Fulham 3-1 despite being 10 men down for an hour, and losing their best player. Yakubu is suspended for this match, and Goodwille has pretty big boots to fill, of a man who has scored 12 of Blackburn’s 32 goals this season. Everton on the other hand just don’t like scoring goals. Again for Kean’s sake, I hope Blackburn get something from this match.

Fulham

Newcastle

Prediction: 2 – 1 (21 Jan, 2030 hrs)

Fulham’s loss against 10 men Blackburn hut them badly, and they are pretty strong at Cavern Cottage, so this should be fun. Newcastle managed a win against the R’s last week, but they certainly are hindered by the absence of Tiote and Ba, and now their new 10 million signing, Cisse.

QPR

Wigan

Prediction: 2 – 1 (21 Jan, 2030 hrs)

God knows how much I love a typical 6 pointer relegation match. This is just that. Hughes lost his first match against the Magpies, but he certainly has to win this match at home against Wigan to justify the sacking of Warnock. Martinez’s boys obviously play for him, and are trying to prevent relegation yet again. The pick of the matches for me on Saturday.

Stoke City

West Brom

Prediction: 2 – 0 (21 Jan, 2030 hrs)

I have made my fondness for Stoke and Pulis very apparent in the past, so not repeating it. Hodgson’s boys should be safe at the end of the season, but this should be another routine win at the Britannia.

Sunderland

Swansea

Prediction: 2 – 0 (21 Jan, 2030 hrs)

Sunderland put up a strong performance in the loss against Chelsea last week, Swansea were simply magnificent in their win against the Gunners. They are suddenly a neutral’s favorite, a true delight to watch. The fact that they beat Arsenal at their own game, without parking the bus, makes it even better. However this trip might be a tough one, the marvelous Martin O’ Neill won’t make it any easier.

Wolves

Aston Villa

Prediction: 1 – 1 (21 Jan, 2030 hrs)

Two teams not in the best of form. I don’t see this match to be very interesting, though I would love to be proven wrong. Both managers would happily take a point each if offered before the match, and I will predict a mundane draw.

Bolton

Liverpool

Prediction: 0 – 2 (21 Jan, 2300 hrs)

Liverpool messed up against Stoke City yet again last week, and with every passing game week, top 4 is looking tougher for them. Bolton have been performing pretty dismal so far, and things will go worse without their ex star player, Cahill. Liverpool should easily win this one.

Man City

Tottenham

Prediction: 2 – 1 ( 22 Jan, 1900 hrs)

The first of the two matches on Blockbuster London vs Manchester Sunday. While the other match is expected to have an audience of 70 million worldwide, for a neutral, this should be the match to watch. City are on a slump of form, and their last good performance came in their 5-0 win against Norwich 6 weeks ago. Though the absence of their spine, Yaya, Kompany and Silva has certainly hurt them. They have been ousted from the FA Cup, and the Carling Cup seems like a long shot, though they are still 3 points clear at the top. Spurs have slowly but steadily made it a three horse race from a two horse race. Apart from a home draw against Wolves last week, their form has been phenomenal. This match will be a tactical battle between two good managers. Redknapp has to decide whether to allow Bale the free role again or restrict him on the left wing. Also whether he plays Defoe, Pavlyuchenko or both up front. Mancini has to decide his midfield in the absence of Yaya, and what role should Nasri be given, if he does start. De Jong and Milner might just be asked to hold the midfield. All in all, this match is a neutral’s delight, and the absence of both Adebayor and Kompany evens things a little bit more. A win for City will put an abrupt end to the Spurs title challenge, as 8 points to catch up is of course a little too much. A Spurs win, and we are looking forward to one of the most exciting title race in recent years.

Arsenal

Man Utd

Prediction: 2 – 2 (22 Jan, 2130 hrs)

Whatever this match turns out to be, it certainly won’t be a repeat of the reverse fixture. Both teams are considerably weakened, and Arsenal might again be without Vermaelen and Arteta, leaving glaring weaknesses in the defense and midfield which United will love to exploit. That said, United’s central midfield isn’t at their best either. I somehow get the feeling this match will not be a classic like many other fixtures between these teams, and a draw would be acceptable to both managers, though fans will disagree. Performances by star players like Persie and Rooney will have a lot to say. Of course both the benches will have two legends in the form of Henry and Scholes. So let’s stop analyzing, and sit back and look forward to a hopefully exciting match.

These are our predictions for GW 22, what are yours?

Edited by Staff Editor