Premier League Predictions, Week 23

© Micah Veldkamp, 2026

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Welcome back to the weekly predictions, Premier League fans! I hope you're bunkering down for this winter storm we're apparently gonna be pelted by this weekend here in the States (unless you're on the West Coast, in which case...enjoy your beach sunrises, I guess 🙄). It's a good thing we have Premier League action to tide us over while we're holed up!

This week saw the return of Champions League and Europa League action too, but in case you can't remember all the way back to last weekend before the European matches...well, my form has officially reached crisis mode. If my predictions were the equivalent of managing a club, I would be on the hot seat right now, no question. To be fair, I did express real hesitancy to predict Manchester City beating their crosstown rivals, but I was too cowardly to go all the way and predict a Manchester United victory, which of course happened. Elsewhere, Chelsea defeated Brentford rather than drawing, and Arsenal and Aston Villa somewhat shockingly dropped points to Nottingham Forest and Everton, respectively. In the final cruel twist, my only correct prediction was my beloved Liverpool settling for a frustrating draw (their 4th in a row) with Burnley. My dismal 1/5 week drops my season total to 54/85, and my clip for the calendar year to 3.5/13. Ruh roh.

But, the matches are less than 12 hours from kicking off, so let's not waste any more putting off our New Year's Resolutions! Here are your 5 for Week 23!

Manchester City vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers

It feels like mere days ago that people were predicting that Manchester City would again ascend to the title this season, and Wolverhampton would finish with the worst season in Premier League history. And to be fair, both are still possible! But the fates of each team look a lot less a sure thing than they did, after recent results. Despite a positive end to 2025 and exciting business in the January transfer window, City have been completely unable to get off the ground in 2026, their shock loss to rivals Man United marking 4 matches without a win. Wolves, meanwhile, suddenly haven't LOST in 4 matches! The bottom-dwellers built on strong performances in narrow losses to Arsenal and Liverpool, notching a draw with Manchester United and their first win of the season over West Ham, followed by two more draws. There's a long way to go yet for Rob Edwards' men to get out of the danger zone, but at long last, there are signs of real progress. I do think this is still a little too tall a mountain for Wolves to climb, especially given that City absolutely need a win here to remain in any title discussion...but I won't be surprised if this is a whole lot less routine than most probably assume it will be.

The Pick: Man City, 3-1

Bournemouth vs. Liverpool

That the Burnley match elicited boos from the Anfield crowd and renewed fervor from the "Slot Out" camp isn't all too surprising; for a team on a now 13-match unbeaten run, the results have still failed to impress, and a home draw against a newly promoted team likely to get relegated back down is a poor result no matter how you slice it. That said, the irony is, Liverpool's play itself in that one was much, much better; they dominated proceedings and had they simply been more clinical in front of goal (and/or had their player of the season simply converted his first-half penalty), it would have been an easy 3 points for them, and their midweek romp at Marseilles in the Champions League is further cause for optimism in this team's form. That said, Bournemouth is an opponent known for punching above their weight, and even though they rarely defeat the Reds, they've been consistent in their ability to put a scare in much better Liverpool teams than this one over the years. It's been a rough couple months for Andoni Iraola's squad after such a bright start to the season, and they could use a huge result like a win here. If there's going to be a winner in this one, it will be Liverpool, but I've got a sneaking suspicion the Cherries will be up for prolonging the champions' search for their first league win of the year.

The Pick: Draw, 1-1

Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea

The distance between these two teams is slightly smaller (6 points vs. 9) than that of Liverpool and Bournemouth, but otherwise this is a very similar matchup to the one above. Chelsea began the season with title hopes, but have instead undergone a turbulent season, with positive results few and far between these last couple months, and their hosts Crystal Palace have fallen off considerably after being one of the surprise successes in the first half of the season. Like Bournemouth, Palace are still capable of beating anyone on their day as long as they continue to employ one of the best managers in the league. But it's a month and a half now without a win for the Eagles, and that was before they lost captain and stalwart Marc Guehi to Manchester City. Meanwhile, it's far too soon to declare Chelsea back, but a win over a tricky team in new manager Liam Rosenior's first match was a very promising sign, and I think the new manager bounce might just continue for them.

The Pick: Chelsea, 2-1

Newcastle United vs. Aston Villa

This Sunday morning slate is sneaky good, and this match is a perfect example. Who knows how many eyeballs will be on North England on Sunday, but those whose are very well might watch the most entertaining match of the whole weekend. Newcastle have had a wildly up-and-down season, but finally were finding their footing, working their way up to 6th place before the disappointing draw with Wolves last week. Aston Villa's 8-match winning streak vaulted them all the way up into the title race, but 4 points from 12 in 2026 has them on the verge of exiting right back out of that discussion. This is one of those matches that genuinely could go either way, with two talented and high-ceiling teams that are prone to unexpected results. But between the recent form of the two sides, and how much formidable the Magpies have been at home in raucous St. James' Park, I've got a feeling this will be a big day for Newcastle.

The Pick: Newcastle, 3-0

Arsenal vs. Manchester United

The final-- and biggest --match of the weekend features the two biggest non-Liverpool names in English football, and the return of an opening weekend fixture. In that August season opener at Old Trafford, Manchester United arguably spent most of the match on the front foot, but couldn't convert any of their chances, ultimately falling 0-1 to Arsenal, whose sole goal came off a corner kick in which their opponents had a legitimate shout for a foul that was uncalled. In other words, a perfect preview for how this season would play out! I mentioned last week that United had actually been playing better than the tenor of their coverage and fans would suggest, and they finally got a big result to match that fact, a win over hated rivals City. It was a win that, ironically, helped their next opponents, Arsenal; the Gunners settled for a goalless draw for the second week running, it hurt them not at all, as each of the other Top 4 teams dropped points as well. Still, even if they're sitting pretty for now, Mikel Arteta will be desperate to quickly get back to winning ways before doubt starts to creep in his side and their fans' minds. I think the Red Devils might be intent on causing the league leaders all sorts of trouble again, especially if they're still aggrieved from that Week 1 outcome. But at a certain point, Arsenal will be back to winning ways, and I think at home in a high-stakes clash will be that certain point.

The Pick: Arsenal, 2-0