Premier League Predictions, Week 10

Welcome back to the weekly predictions, Premier League fans! This week we again had domestic cup craziness to keep our soccer fix in the middle of the week. We've got this weekend and next in the Premier League sandwich around Champions League, so there will be no shortage of club football before our next international break!

Last time out, much like Brentford's season, I started out hot, but abruptly dropped off in form. The Bees were one of those teams that gave me a miss, failing to salvage the draw against Leicester I predicted. I also missed, er, dramatically on my Liverpool-Manchester United prediction as the Reds did not in fact play to a disappointing draw and instead ran riot in Old Trafford. But the good news is, prior to those two I had started a perfect 3/3 with my Chelsea, Manchester City and West Ham win predictions all correct! The week on the whole brought my average back up slightly from last week, to a 24.5/40.

But, the matches are less than 24 hours away from kicking back off, so let's not waste time wading in moral victories. Here are your 5 for Week 10!

Leicester City vs. Arsenal

Neither of these clubs is having the season they would have liked to nor thought they were capable of; that said, both sides are quietly on the up-and-up. Arsenal are unbeaten in all competitions since their disastrous three-game start to the season two months ago. Leicester, meanwhile, are riding a 7-match unbeaten streak in all competitions that includes wins over Manchester United, Brighton and Brentford. It makes for a compelling storyline on top of what is already usually a cracking fixture. Who sees their terrific run of form come to an end? Or, does anyone; do they share the spoils? Considering how solid both have been of late, I'm tempted to pick the latter, but the Foxes have consistently seemed to have Arsenal's number recently, and in front of a home crowd, I expect them to have enough to have it again tomorrow.

The Pick: Leicester, 2-1

Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace

For as much attention as Chelsea is getting for being the league leaders, and Liverpool is getting for, well, looking the part of title winners, it's easy to forget that Manchester City is right on their heels. After a choppy start to the season, City have started to play like the ridiculously good, ridiculously deep team they are, typified in a 4-1 dismantling of upstarts Brighton last week. Their last opponents' primary rivals, Crystal Palace, have been a bit of a bogey team for City in the past, which makes this one worth keeping one eye on, but given the quality of some of the sides the Blues have already dispatched of, it's hard to see this rather lackluster Eagles team giving them any trouble.

The Pick: Manchester City, 4-0

Newcastle United vs. Chelsea

Chelsea had one bad week in September, wherein they saw their first Premier League loss at the hands of Manchester City and their first Champions League loss at the hands of Juventus, but other than that, haven't lost yet this year. It's no surprise that their consistency, while perhaps not as flashy as Liverpool or City's peak performances, has seen the Blues go top of the league. If their 3 day-stretch of beating Malmo and Norwich City 4-0 and 7-0 doesn't strike fear into the hearts of Newcastle, it's only because the 19th-placed Magpies have already accepted and leaned into their relegation fate.

The Pick: Chelsea, 3-0

Liverpool vs. Brighton & Hove Albion

For all the hemming and hawing done by people (including yours truly) over the 'catastrophic' season Liverpool had, it's pretty remarkable to realize Liverpool's last competitive loss was on April 6th. Since that match, a 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals, the Reds have rattled off a 21-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, which has been good enough to see them miraculously finish in the Top 4 in the Premier League last season, nearly top the table thus far this season, top their Champions League group (the "Group of Death") thus far, and reach the quarterfinals of the League Cup. Yes, it's all sunshine for the Reds right now, but surely none of the 21 were nearly as sweet as their 5-0 demolition of archrivals Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend. Now, will Liverpool be able to keep their focus on the heels of that rout, and not overlook a very good Brighton team? The Gulls haven't won a match since September 19, and yet, thanks to their own great start to the year and the faffing-about of other talented teams, are still in a close 5th place. I think they will give Liverpool real trouble (they tend to that regardless of how good they are), but I do think Manchester City slicing them apart last week may have been a harbinger of their weakness against truly elite sides, which Liverpool certainly is at present.

The Pick: Liverpool, 3-1

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United

Manchester United's manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said in the wake of the Liverpool humiliation that it was the "darkest day" he had since being appointed boss, and confessed this was "rock bottom" for the Red Devils. What's interesting is the only match the shock rout by Liverpool drew comparisons to was last year's 1-6 capitulation to... Tottenham Hotspur. Although Solskjaer advised the Liverpool loss was "miles worse," it's not hard to imagine last year's Tottenham fixture also weighing on his and the team's mind as they prepare to try to bounce back from last week's drubbing. Many believe the die has been cast for Solskjaer's tenure at United, with reports surfacing that the team has turned on him, but I'm not ready to give up on them quite yet. They've been wildly up and down, but so have Tottenham, and the Red Devils have more talent at their disposal. Even IF they're not motivated to play well to save their coach's job (which I think they may be), they'll be motivated to redeem themselves in the eyes of their enraged fans.

The Pick: Manchester United, 2-0