Premier League (Restart) Predictions, Week 36 (Kinda)
© Micah Veldkamp, 2019
Welcome back to your Premier League predictions! In just about every piece since the restart, I've referenced how little turnover there is from week to week, given the madly compressed schedule. That said, this week was particularly remarkable, as there literally has not been a day without matches since my last piece, and there have only been two such days in the last three weeks. Given how work life sadly does not stop for #allsoccer #allthetime, I understand you don't have much time to read before delving back into the matches, so I've once again kept my previews to one sentence per match.
Monday's decision (*cough* FARCE *cough*) by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn Manchester City's European competition ban has made an already-tight Top 4 battle even more dramatic, with three sides within a point of each other vying for two open spots. This week's slate features matchups between teams fighting for survival in the league vs. teams fighting for a Champions League-qualifying spot, a battle royale between two sides on the cusp of relegation, and a sitting champion chasing the daunting task of breaking the all-time Premier League points record.
Speaking of epic battles, my yearlong quest to better myself in the area of predictions goes on, but took a serious hit last week, with one of my most brutal outings in some time. The tone for my picks was set when Saturday saw a one-two punch of Burnley drawing with Liverpool and Sheffield United blowing out Chelsea. The only face-saving I could muster from there was accurately predicting Man City's comfortable win over Brighton (not much of a stretch, that), and accurately predicting the Arsenal-Tottenham scoreline, albeit with the wrong winner. This resulted in a less-than-glowing 1.5/5 on the week.
The week brings my season total to a count of 78.5/130. But no time for rueing lost potential, the matches are going on and on! Here are your 5 for Week 36:
Manchester City vs. Bournemouth
Relegation-threatened Bournemouth vs. defending champions Man City will depend on which version of each team shows up, but I’m going with the trend of the season.
The Pick: Manchester City, 3-0
Arsenal vs. Liverpool
The last few fixtures between these two at Emirates Stadium have been 0-0, 3-3, and 1-1; given Liverpool's unpredictable form and Arsenal's mostly better play, why not a 2-2 this time?
The Pick: Draw, 2-2
Leicester City vs. Sheffield United
Leicester can’t get out of their own way when it comes to sealing their place in the Champions League— that’s a troubling trend for a side entering a brutal three-match stretch to close the season.
The Pick: Draw, 1-1
Crystal Palace vs. Manchester United
Coming off a surprise draw— and in need of a W —Man U’s soaring attack will pull them through once again.
The Pick: Manchester United, 3-1
West Ham vs. Watford
In a de facto Premier League Survival Final, the home team gets a tough, and desperately-needed, 3 points.
The Pick: West Ham, 1-0