Premier League Predictions, Week 20

Happy 2019, all! Yes, it's true, though we are approaching the end of January, this is the first PL Prediction Blog of the calendar year. Blame the strange Premier League and FA Cup scheduling, but mostly blame me for not publishing a piece last week. I don't have an excuse, other than getting carried away by time with friends and missing my own deadlines. My poor performance carried over to some of the big clubs, evidently: Liverpool barely scrapped to an ugly win, Tottenham lost at home to Manchester United, and Arsenal were unseated by West Ham. Sorry, lads.

In happier news, in my last outing, I had arguably my best week yet, going 4.5 for 5. I did not see the Wolves upset of Tottenham coming, but did predict that scoreline dead on. That deserves at least .25 credit, right? I'm also giving myself an additional .25 for swapping the Liverpool-Arsenal and Manchester City-Southampton scorelines, because that's just a neat happenstance, and it was definitely not total coincidence. That brings my record to a marginally better 55.5 for 76. Now, the first match is less than 12 hours away from starting back, so let's not waste any time boasting. Here are your 5 for Week 20!

Wolverhampton vs. Leicester City

Nobody in the Premier League have had quite the topsy-turvy weeks that these two have had. Wolves, whose exciting style and punchy play have made them a blog favorite, defeated then-2nd place Tottenham in late December, then followed that up by a home capitulation to Crystal Palace. They then turned around and beat Liverpool in the F.A. Cup, only to get smacked in the League by Manchester City in a disastrous 3-0 loss. Leicester beat that same Man City team around the time Wolves were offing Tottenham, but followed that up by losing at home to Cardiff. Two days later, they got a good result by upsetting Everton, but since then, they've lost at home to bottom-feeders Southampton and gotten eliminated in the F.A. Cup by League Two side Newport County. So, who wins this matchup of exciting, erratic mid-table teams? When in doubt, go with the home team, I guess.

The Pick: Wolves, 3-2

Manchester United vs. Brighton

It's hard to overstate how impressive Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's start is at Manchester United. The interim manager has won his first 6 matches with his old club, 5 of them coming in the Premier League. Sure, it hasn't exactly been death row. Sure, they were outplayed for most of the Tottenham match. Still, 6-0 is 6-0, and a win at Wembley is no joke. United were 10th place when Solskjaer took over, and now are tied for 5th. So, can the good run continue this Saturday against Brighton? It will not be easy. Not only are the Gulls coming off a terrific defensive performance vs. Liverpool, they already beat the Red Devils once this season. I think the combination of United's form and the home crowd will be too much for them to pull the stunner twice, but this is one to keep an eye on.

The Pick: Manchester United, 2-0

Liverpool vs. Crystal Palace

Despite people (including this loyal fan) spending much of the season predicting Liverpool's inevitable collapse, the Reds are still holding on to a notable 4-point lead early in the 2nd half of this season. No matter what happens this weekend, they'll still be the #1 team, but of course, there's a world of difference between a 4-point margin and a 1 or 2-point margin, and Liverpool can ill afford to overlook Crystal Palace. On top of Palace's historical tendency to trip up Liverpool at the worst times and the fact that the Eagles are just a couple weeks removed from stunning Manchester City on the road, the Reds' form in the new year has been concerning: their first League loss to Manchester City, an F.A. Cup loss to Wolves, and an ugly 1-0 win over Brighton. I do think Liverpool pulls out another tightly contested one at Anfield, but I won't be surprised if their patchwork back line concedes only the 2nd league goal at home to a speedy opponent.

The Pick: Liverpool, 2-1

Arsenal vs. Chelsea

If the second derby between the London rivals is anywhere near as entertaining as their 1st, we're in for a treat. All the way back in Week 2, Chelsea took an early 2-0 lead, only for Arsenal to equalize before halftime. The host Blues ended up with all 3 points, though, thanks to an 81st-minute Marcos Alonso winner. At the time, it seemed like a great showdown between two good-not-great teams, and ironically, that's exactly what this one is shaping up to be. Chelsea sits 6 points ahead of Arsenal in 4th place, but both have stumbled upon poor form of late, with the former winning just 2 of their last 4, and the latter just 1 of their last 4. In what is probably a must-win (for Arsenal especially) for Top 4 hopes, I expect the Gunners to rally behind a home crowd and produce an equally thrilling victory. Given the teams' styles of play and propensity for defensive lapses, this could be must-watch television.

The Pick: Arsenal, 4-2

Fulham vs. Tottenham

Remember when Tottenham were 2nd in the league and Liverpool's most immediate threat for the title? Yeah, so do they. That was a matter of 3 weeks ago, but since then they've lost 2 at home, the stunner to Wolves and the must-win-match to Man United. Now Spurs sit in a distant 3rd place, closer to 6th than to 1st. To make matters worse, they've lost star Harry Kane to injury until at least March. All of this screams 'team in a tailspin,' but they've been offered a lifeline by being scheduled to play the second-to-last placed team. Still, regardless of who they're playing, I can't feel good about the way things are trending for Tottenham, and Fulham is better and more talented than their point total shows.

The Pick: Draw, 1-1

Premier League Predictions, Week 20

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