Premier League Predictions, Week 22

© Micah Veldkamp, 2026

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Welcome back to the weekly predictions, Premier League fans! Did you enjoy your 10-day respite from this piece? I hope so, because it's going to be a long time until you get a weekend off from me again!! Mwahahaha.

Yes, we took a weekend away for some mostly middling FA Cup action, but if you don't recall my performance from the first full week of January...well, good for you, really. It wasn't pretty. I started strong, with an accurate call of Crystal Palace and Aston Villa drawing, and what was looking like a dead-on 1-1 prediction int he Fulham-Chelsea match too! But then Fulham scored a late unexpected winner, Manchester City settled for a surprise draw against Brighton, and Arsenal and Liverpool fought to a scrappy goalless draw rather than a Gunners victory. That got me a nice 1/4 mark, dropping my season total to 53/80 (and my clip for the calendar year to 2.5/8...yikes).

But, the matches are less than 24 hours from kicking back off, so let's not waste any more time slumping. Here are your 5 for Week 22!

Manchester United vs. Manchester City

Even as it's been over a decade since Manchester United won (or even seriously pushed for) the league, just about every Manchester derby feels like a major occasion with big storylines, and this one is no different. Despite draws in each of their last 3 league matches, there is a lot of optimism coming from the Man City camp, as they celebrate a 9-1 win in the FA Cup, some major transfer window pickups, and Liverpool's draw keeping Arsenal in touching distance. The opposite is true of their crosstown rivals; United are in the midst of a season that has actually gone better than any since the COVID season thus far, but is still turbulent enough for the owners to see fit with dismissing manager Ruben Amorim with the side sitting in 7th place. I think this match will play out closer to the reality of these teams' form than it will the vibes from the respective fanbases-- i.e., I think Man United really will give this one a good go in front of a jumping Old Trafford. But I do think City have just too much quality in the very end to not come away with their first win of 2026.

The Pick: Man City, 2-1

Liverpool vs. Burnley

If some draws are losses and some draws are wins, as the conventional logic goes, Liverpool got their first 'win' of 2026 last time out, outplaying league leaders Arsenal in a tetchy 0-0 draw at the Emirates. In reality, however, the Reds-- while on a 9-match unbeaten streak, yes --are still searching for their first league victory of the calendar year, having now settled draws with Arsenal, Fulham and Leeds. Burnley is one of the weaker teams in the league, and on paper this should be one of Liverpool's easiest matchups of the season. And yet, as we saw both in the first matchup between these two, and their recent match at Anfield against last-place Wolves, things have not often been routine for Arne Slot's men this season. Given how much his team has struggled against teams in a low block this season, and the likelihood that Burnley will play this exact style, I expect more frustration on Merseyside.

The Pick: Draw, 0-0

Chelsea vs. Brentford

This West London derby features: one side that struggled a bit to find their footing at the start of the season, but have now rounded into excellent form, undefeated in their last 7 and just 2 points outside the Top 4; and another side who have had the occasional highlight, but now feel as if the wheels are coming off, winless in their last 6, down in 8th place (but closer to 14th than to 4th), and having just sacked their manager. If I told you before the season this was the case, I bet just about everyone would have incorrectly guessed which team was which. Yes, it's visitors Brentford-- preseason betting favorites for relegation --who come into tomorrow's matchup in red-hot form, and Chelsea who will be desperate to turn their fortune around under new manager Liam Rosenior. The Blues obviously have the talent advantage, still, and I do think the new manager bump could play a role, especially at home at Stamford Bridge. But Brentford's form and identity is so much better established at the moment that it still seems like the Bees will be good for at least a point in this one.

The Pick: Draw, 2-2

Nottingham Forest vs. Arsenal

A draw (and clean sheet) against the reigning champions is hardly a poor result, but there's no question everyone involved with Arsenal will have left their last match disappointed. Liverpool have played below their standard all year, are without numerous crucial players, and a win for Arsenal would have taken them a whopping 8 points clear. But, if the Gunners are going to reverse their fate and shed the "bottlers" label that plagues them, it has to start with picking themselves up after a frustrating result and immediately getting back on the path. This is a good opportunity for them to do so; this would have been one of the tougher fixtures last season, but the Nottingham side of this season is far cry from who they were up until about April 2025. Forest have done a good job to pull themselves away from the relegation zone, but there is still a chasm in quality between them and the league leaders, and I expect that will be on full display tomorrow.

The Pick: Arsenal, 3-0

Aston Villa vs. Everton

The lone Sunday match of this selection, Aston Villa stands to benefit from playing later than their Top 4 peers. The oft-forgotten third horse in the title race right now sits level on points with Manchester City, and 6 back from Arsenal, and they will know by kickoff whether they can make up any ground, or rather need a victory to keep the pace with the two titans. Everton have proven a tough out for many a top side this season, and I expect will confound Villa for a good bit of tomorrow, too. But the Liverpool side have also been far less reliable away from home, and I expect Unai Emery and a rocking Villa Park will have what it takes to keep his side in their unexpected title challenge.

The Pick: Aston Villa, 3-1