George’s Predictions: Matchweek 29
Invenire Football Analyst George Crossfield is starting a new series: George’s predictions. George speaks exclusively to Invenire, telling us each week about his predictions for the upcoming Premier League fixtures.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal (Saturday 12:30)
Tottenham are in danger of losing their space in the top 4 now, because if they lose this match, which they might given their recent form, then Arsenal will be just one point behind them, and Manchester United will be 2 points behind them if they win against Southampton. If Spurs win then I think that they would have secured a top 4 finish, but if they lose then they will have to fight hard for that space. A draw would not be a good result for them: they need 3 points here in the North London derby.
Spurs need to pull themselves together. They need to break this run of bad form against Arsenal, and I can see them just edging this one.
George predicts: 2-1 to Tottenham
AFC Bournemouth vs Manchester City (Saturday 15:00)
I thought Manchester City played really well against West Ham on Wednesday, even if the scoreline said otherwise. Bournemouth’s defense was all over the place against Arsenal, and I can only see one result here.
The only reason I’m not predicting a bigger win for City is because Bournemouth are at home.
George predicts: 0-3 to Manchester City
Brighton and Hove Albion vs Huddersfield Town (Saturday 15:00)
This is a tough one to predict because it really could go any way. Huddersfield’s win against Wolves will have given them slight belief that they can escape the relegation zone. Brighton have been in absolutely dreadful form, not winning a single Premier League match this year. Despite their successes in the FA cup, they are in danger of being drawn into the relegation battle, and they need to win this.
This could go any way. Really tough call. I’m going with Brighton because of home advantage.
George predicts: 1-0 to Brighton and Hove Albion
Burnley vs Crystal Palace (Saturday 15:00)
Crystal Palace should have done better against Manchester United: they had chance after chance, but they weren’t able to convert against a team stricken with injuries. Burnley were in great form, but their performance against Newcastle didn’t show how well they were playing before. But I feel that they will bounce back and get all three points here.
George predicts: 2-0 to Burnley
Manchester United vs Southampton (Saturday 15:00)
United coped really well with their injury problems against Crystal Palace, and even though Southampton won against Fulham in midweek, I can’t see anything but a United victory, especially with the venue being Old Trafford.
George predicts: 3-0 to Manchester United
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Cardiff City (Saturday 15:00)
Wolves will be looking to bounce back from their shock defeat to Huddersfield, while Cardiff want to jump out of the relegation zone. I can’t see Cardiff taking anything from this. There should be no problems for Wolves at home, and I see them dispatching Cardiff very comfortably.
George predicts: 3-1 to Wolverhampton Wanderers
West Ham United vs Newcastle United (Saturday 17:30)
Newcastle are absolutely flying at the moment, only losing 3 matches this year, all of them against “big 6” opposition: against Spurs, Man United and Chelsea. West Ham did well to restrict Man City to 1-0 at the Etihad, but their overall performance was not great, and they should have created more chances rather than just sitting back and defending. Even with the Hammers’ home advantage, I think that Newcastle will win. But I wouldn’t be surprised if this ended level.
George predicts: 1-2 to Newcastle United
Watford vs Leicester City (Sunday 12:00)
Brendan Rodgers will be really pleased with his players for their performance against Brighton. For his first game in charge, he will look to play a counter-attacking style of football against Watford, who aren’t the best at defending those kind of attacks - we saw that when they played Liverpool. Especially with the result Watford got at Anfield, a Watford win is hard to imagine. So I’m going with Leicester on this one.
George predicts: 1-2 to Leicester City
Fulham vs Chelsea (Sunday 14:05)
Even with Fulham sacking Claudio Ranieri and introducing Scott Parker as a caretaker manager, I think that Chelsea winning this game is unavoidable, especially with Fulham losing their match against Southampton. Having won their midweek clash against Spurs, Chelsea will be brimming with confidence, and it is crucial that they do not slip up against smaller teams like Fulham so that they can get into a top 4 spot. For Fulham it is looking very bleak now, and their hope that they remain in the Premier league will be fading.
I can only go for a Chelsea win; the only question is by how much. Fulham’s defence is still in shambles: they are letting in goals for fun. So it’s 5-0 for me.
George predicts: 0-5 to Chelsea
Everton vs Liverpool (Sunday 16:15)
What a game this is. The pressure will be on Liverpool to win, since Manchester City will probably have won and be top of the league, and that might affect their performance. The pressure of the title race will affect how Liverpool play: if Liverpool drop points here, they’re in big trouble. They need a win. A win would be huge for them.
Everton are back on track following that 3-0 thrashing of Cardiff, and that will have given their players a big mental boost. The atmosphere at Goodison Park will help those Everton players to settle down and calm themselves, given that the Merseyside Derby is always such an important fixture to them.
But Liverpool have the confidence coming into this game: they were expected to find it hard against Watford, but instead, they dispatch them 5-0. That gives them a massive boost.
This is a really tough one to call, but I can’t see Everton winning this one. I think that Liverpool will hold firm defensively, keep a clean sheet, and edge past Everton in the Merseyside Derby.
George predicts: 0-1 to Liverpool
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