Premier League Predictions, Week 26

Welcome back to the weekly predictions, Premier League fans! It was a banner week for English teams in European competition, as 5 of the 6 playing in the Champions League and Europa League won their fixtures. And now the focus returns back to domestic affairs tomorrow through Monday.

It was not exactly a banner week for my predictions. After my brief time in the sun, I slipped back into .500 form last week, accurately forecasting the Manchester City and Leicester City victories, as well as the West Ham-Tottenham scoreline, albeit with the wrong winner. It was a slow start that doomed me, though, underestimating Southampton and Everton en route to 2.5/5 n the week. That brings my season total to a quite unseemly 52/110.

But, the matches are less than 12 hours away from starting back up, so let's not waste any more time pointing out my flaws. Here are your 5 for Week 26!

Manchester City vs. West Ham United

For the 2nd time in the last 3 weeks, the weekend kicks off with a showdown between top 4 teams. And just like the Leicester-Liverpool clash, it's a matchup between a top-tier stalwart and a new kid on the block. Unlike the aforementioned, though, this has less promise to be a particularly even-matched affair. West Ham has been a remarkable surprise success this season, finding themselves in Champions League contention with just 13 matches of the season left, and often winning in style. But Manchester City, winners of 19 straight in all competitions, are a runaway train that can't be stopped at the moment.

The Pick: Manchester City, 3-0

Leicester City vs. Arsenal

I've often bemoaned Leicester City's lack of consistency this season, so it's time for me to give the Foxes some credit in that regard: last weekend's road win at Aston Villa marked two straight weeks in which it would have been perfectly reasonable to expect Leicester to drop points, and yet they walked away with 6 from 2 matches. They're now tied for 2nd place, and considering fellow 2nd-place team Manchester United doesn't exactly have a walkover on their hands (see below), a win over Arsenal could give them possession of the runner-up spot outright. Arsenal's turnaround in form has long been anticipated and lauded by this blog; yes, they have lost 3 of their last 4, but the last two performances-- a dominant win over Leeds and a genuinely competitive loss to Manchester City --as well as their Europa League triumphs still constitute an uptick in form in my eyes. Still, Leicester always seems to always have Arsenal's number, and as dangerous as it may be to say this, I'm a believer in the Foxes' form at the moment.

The Pick: Leicester City, 3-2

Chelsea vs. Manchester United

A matchup of two clubs of stature such as this will almost always get top billing, but this weekend it actually is deservedly the main course. And perhaps surprisingly so; I think it's safe to say that coming into this season, expectations weren't particularly high of either club relative to their vaunted history. But here we are, in Matchweek 26, with Manchester United in 2nd place and a suddenly resurgent Chelsea side in a not-so-distant 5th place. The Blues have yet to lose under Thomas Tuchel, and though they will be thoroughly unsatisfied with their listless draw against Southampton last Saturday, their midweek Champions League win over La Liga leaders Atlético Madrid will certainly have cleansed their palettes. United have been the better team throughout this season, but Chelsea has the higher ceiling, and their turnaround under Tuchel is marked. It's hard for me to see them dropping this one.

The Pick: Chelsea, 2-1

Sheffield United vs. Liverpool

Liverpool's rapid downturn in form has been well documented. As has their rotten injury luck. As have the various bizarre VAR decisions that have maimed them. And now, unfortunately, personal tragedy is in the mix, with Alisson joining Jürgen Klopp in losing a parent. It feels like absolutely everything that could go against the Reds this season has. And surely that has to change at some point. And surely a road match (the only context Liverpool has won in over the last 2.5 months) against the worst team is when that will change. But I just can't bring myself to predict it to happen. I've seen 4 straight weeks of Liverpool failing to meet expectations, and now they meet a team fighting for survival and likely fired up for this one. I'm calling the upset here.

The Pick: Sheffield United, 1-0

Everton vs. Southampton

Everton's Merseyside Derby win last weekend was a momentous emotional victory, but it also had significant Premier League ramifications. The Toffees are now level with their fellow Liverpudlians on points with a game in hand, and are well within striking distance of the Top 4. Just as they mark their return to form, they come up against a side who have desperately searching for that themselves. Southampton's draw vs. Chelsea proved to be nothing more than a brief distraction from their absolutely rotten form, as they turned right around and dropped a 2-4 decision at Leeds three days later. That's 1 point from the last 21 available for the Saints, and though they have enough firepower to spring an upset in this one (as proven by their 2-0 win vs. Everton in October), the safer bet is against them.

The Pick: Everton, 3-1