It’s that time of the week again when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. I did fairly well last week with one perfect prediction, four correct outcomes and five incorrect outcomes which saw me stay on top of my predictions league. Here’s a look at how the top five in that league stands.
Rank Player Res Cls Exa Slm Pts
1-
JamrockRover
|57|139.5|102|26|324.5|
|21|
Gooners|66|123|102|26|317.0|
|31|
nzbuddy|51|123|120|22|316.0|
|42|
Cole|64|114|111|24|313.0|
|5-|
TeeBee
|61|120|105|23|309.0|
I didn’t do too badly with my fantasy team either and I just about held on to my extremely good overall rank. My decision to bring Jarrod Bowen in and make him my captain paid off and I got points from Josko Gvardiol, Bryan Mbeumo and Alexander Isak too, but too many of my players didn’t perform. My captaincy choice this week will probably be between Mohamed Salah, Mbuemo and Omar Marmoush unless I decide to bring someone else in.
The chances are I won’t make any transfers this week though to give me two to use next week or the week after. I have had a good return targeting players playing against the three relegated teams and there’s no reason that policy shouldn’t work over the last three weeks of the season. Hopefully I can move up even further in the rankings although I don’t think I can make it into the top 10,000 at this stage.
Saturday May 10
Fulham v Everton
3pm BST, Craven Cottage, London
Fulham lost 1-0 away to Villa last week and that defeat saw them drop into the bottom half of the table, but their European ambitions are still alive. They have only won three of their last 10 home games and this is probably the easiest game they have left. They have lost three of their last four games and they will probably need to win at least two of last three games to have any chance of finishing in the top eight.
Alex Iwobi and Ryan Sessegnon are the Fulham players most likely to do well for fantasy managers at the moment.
Everton drew 2-2 at home to Ipswich last week after leading 2-0 and that point was enough to move them up to 14th place. They have only lost two of their last seven away games, but no other team has scored less goals on the road. They have only won once in their last 10 games, but they drew six of them with no other team drawing more games.
Despite having a reasonable run of games left I can’t see any Everton players making a real impression for fantasy managers.
I think this will be a very close game with Fulham winning narrowly.
Prediction: 2-1
Ipswich Town v Brentford
3pm BST, Portman Road, Ipswich
Ipswich came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 away to Everton last week and that point kept them two places off the foot of the table. They have lost their last seven home games and they conceded 24 goals in those games with only Southampton taking less points, scoring less and conceding more goals on their own patch. They have only won once in their last 16 games with only the two teams below them scoring less goals and only Southampton conceding more.
I can’t see any Ipswich players to recommend to fantasy managers for the rest of the season.
Brentford won 4-3 at home to United last week and that win moved them up to ninth place with European football for next season a real possibility for them now. They have only lost once in their last nine away games and they scored 18 goals in those games while keeping clean sheets in five of them. They have won their last three games and they scored 10 goals in those games with only five other teams scoring more goals.
With a good run of games and something to play for Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa look like very good options for fantasy managers.
I think Brentford will continue to push for that European spot by taking the three points in this game.
Prediction: 1-3
Southampton v Manchester City
3pm BST, St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton
Southampton lost 2-0 away to Leicester last week to guarantee they will finish on the bottom of the table. They have only taken one point from their last 12 home games with no other team scoring less or conceding more goals on their own ground. They have only taken two points from their last 11 games with no other team scoring less or conceding more goals and they still need another point to attain more points than the worst ever return in the Premier League era.
I can’t see any Southampton players who can make a difference for fantasy managers.
City won 1-0 at home to Wolves last week to give themselves a very good chance to finish as high as second place. They have only won twice in their last five away games, but this should be their easiest game on the road this season. They have won their last four games and they scored 10 goals in those games with only Liverpool scoring more goals.
Omar Marmoush, Kevin de Bruyne and Josko Gvardiol are the City players to target for fantasy managers while the fit again Erling Haaland could be one to watch too.
I can’t see anything other than a comfortable City victory in this game.
Prediction: 0-4
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Brighton And Hove Albion
3pm BST, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton
Wolves lost 1-0 away to City last week to put an end to their winning streak, but they’re still in 13th place. They have won their last three home games and they scored eight goals in those games, but only four other teams have conceded more goals on their own patch. They had won six games in a row before losing to City, but only the bottom three have conceded more goals.
Matheus Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen (if he’s fit) are the Wolves players who can do well for fantasy managers.
Brighton drew 1-1 at home to Newcastle last week and their hopes of European football are still very much alive. They have only taken one point from their last three away games and they conceded eight goals in those games with no other team in the top half of the table conceding more goals on their travels. They have only won once in their last seven games and they conceded 16 goals in those games with no other team in the top half of the table conceding more goals.
If he’s fit to play Kaoru Mitoma is the best bet in the Brighton team for fantasy managers with Danny Welbeck worth considering too.
I think Wolves should just have enough at home to take all the points in this game.
Prediction: 2-1
Bournemouth v Aston Villa
5.30pm BST, Villa Park, Birmingham
Bournemouth came from behind to win 2-1 away to Arsenal last week and that win moved them up to eighth place and kept their European dream going. They have only won once in their last six home games and no other team in the top half of the table has scored less goals on their own ground. They are unbeaten in five games, but they drew three of them and they have two very tough games in a row starting with this one.
Antoine Semenyo, Justin Kluivert, Evanilson and Milos Kerkez are the Bournemouth players to choose for fantasy managers, but they do have two tough games in a row.
Villa won 1-0 at home to Fulham last week to keep their Champions League chances alive, but they probably need to win their last three games to fulfill that ambition. They lost their last away game after winning the previous three and they play two of their last three games on the road. They have won six of their last seven games and they scored 15 goals in those games.
Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Ollie Watkins are the Villa players to target for fantasy managers.
This is a game which could go either way and the chances are the spoils will be shared.
Prediction: 2-2
Sunday May 11
Newcastle United v Chelsea
12.00pm BST, St. James’s Park, Newcastle
Newcastle drew 1-1 away to Brighton last week to hold on to fourth place on goals scored from Chelsea. They have won their last five home games and they scored 18 goals in those games with only City and Liverpool scoring more goals on their own patch. They have taken 19 points from their last eight games and they scored 20 goals in those games with only Liverpool and City scoring more goals.
Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes are the Newcastle players to target for fantasy managers.
Chelsea won 3-1 at home to Liverpool last week and they’re only behind Newcastle on goals scored going into this game. They won their last away game after failing to win the previous eight and their last two games on their travels are both against other teams chasing a Champions League place. They have taken 14 points from their last six games and they kept clean sheets in three of them with only Arsenal and Liverpool conceding less goals.
Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson are the Chelsea players most likely to perform for fantasy managers for the rest of the season.
This is a huge game for both teams Champions League chances and I think it will go the way of the home team.
Prediction: 2-1
Manchester United v West Ham United
2.15pm BST, Old Trafford, Manchester
United lost 4-3 away to Brentford last week as they rested players ahead of the second leg of their Europa League semi final and they are now in 15th place. They have only taken two points from their last three home games and they only scored one goal in those games with only four other teams scoring less goals on their own ground. They have only taken two points from their last six games and this could be the last game they take any points from on current form.
I don’t think United players are a good option for fantasy managers as they look to prepare for the Europa League final.
West Ham drew 1-1 away to Spurs last week and they will move above United if they win this game. They have lost their last three away games with only the bottom three taking less points on the road. They haven’t won in their last eight games, but they can still finish as high as 13th if they can do well in their last three games.
Jarrod Bowen is the only West Ham player who can make a real impression for fantasy managers.
I think West Ham will have to settle for a point even if United don’t play their strongest team.
Prediction: 1-1
Nottingham Forest v Leicester City
2.15pm BST, City Ground, Nottingham
Forest drew 1-1 away to Palace last week and their chances of Champions League football next season are hanging by a thread. They have lost their last two home games without scoring, but no other team has conceded less goals on their own patch. They have only won once in their last five games and no other team in the top half of the table has scored less goals.
If Forest are going to finish the season strongly then Chris Wood and Anthony Elanga will be good options for fantasy managers, but I’m not sure that will happen.
Leicester won 2-0 at home to Southampton last week to put an end to a dreadful run of home results and make sure they won’t finish at the foot of the table. They have only taken one point from their last six away games and no other team has conceded more goals on their travels. They won their last game after only taking one point from their previous 11 with only Southampton scoring less and conceding more goals.
I can’t see any Leicester players who can return points for fantasy managers.
I think Forest will get the win they need to keep their Champions League dream alive.
Prediction: 3-0
Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace
2.15pm BST, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Spurs drew 1-1 at home to West Ham last week and that point saw them drop to 16th as their priorities lie elsewhere. They have only won once in their last four home games, but no other team in the bottom half of the table has scored more goals on their own ground. They have only won once in their last nine games, but no other team in the bottom half of the table has scored more goals.
With their Europa League final coming I’m not sure which Spurs players will play in this game so it’s difficult to recommend them to fantasy managers.
Palace drew 1-1 at home to Forest last week and their chances of finishing in the top half of the table are probably gone now. They have only taken two points from their last four away games and they conceded 13 goals in those games. They have only taken three points from their last five games after a very good run previous to that with only Everton drawing more games.
Eberechi Eze is the Palace player to have for fantasy managers with Jean-Philippe Mateta and Daniel Munoz possibilities too.
I think Palace will be able to take advantage of a Spurs team who have all of their eggs in the Europa League basket.
Prediction: 1-2
Liverpool v Arsenal
4.30pm BST, Anfield, Liverpool
Liverpool lost 3-1 away to Chelsea last week as they made a lot of changes to a team that had already secured the league title. They have won their last seven home games and they scored 19 goals in those games with only City scoring more goals on their own patch and no other team conceding less. They will want to finish the season on a high and will look for three wins with no other team scoring more goals and only Arsenal conceding less.
Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and the Liverpool defenders and keeper can all do well for fantasy managers in this game.
Arsenal lost 2-1 at home to Bournemouth last week after leading 1-0 and they are in real danger of losing their grip on second place. They are unbeaten in their last 13 away games with no other team conceding less goals on their travels and only Liverpool and Bournemouth scoring more. They have only won three of their last 10 games with only Everton drawing more games and no other team conceding less goals.
I’m not sure there are any Arsenal players who will do enough in this game to recommend them to fantasy managers.
I think this will be a close game which will probably go the way of the home team.
Prediction: 2-1
That’s it for this week.
See you next week.