Premier League Predictions, Week 26
Welcome back to the weekly predictions, Premier League fans! Remember me? Probably not. After all, it's been THREE WHOLE DAYS since you heard from me last!!!
Okay, yes, this is a radically quick turnaround. But, as you will see, it's necessary! While most of this next gameweek's action will again be coming on the weekend, fixture rescheduling madness has given us a couple midweek matches, and they feature some of the heaviest hitters in the league.
This past weekend did a number on my very good season to date. I at least accurately forecasted Arsenal's comfortable win over Burnley, but not only did I miss all else, I missed by a country mile on just about everything else. Not only did Tottenham not beat Wolves, they lost to them at home. Not only did Liverpool not settle for a draw at Brentford, they won by 3 goals. Not only did Manchester City not win by 3 goals, they settled for a draw. The only other pick I was somewhat close on was my boldest of all, that Luton Town would snag a point off of Manchester United, but sadly the Hatters came up one goal short of that. So, my very-bad 1/5 weekend dropped my season total back down to a less-sterling 60.5/95.
Now, the matches are less than 24 hours from kicking back off, so let's not waste any more time faffing about. Here are your 5 for Week 26!
Manchester City vs. Brentford
While this week begins Week 26 for every other team, tomorrow afternoon reigning champions Manchester City and Brentford play a Week 18 match! Yes, just two weeks after their first clash of the season, these two will finally play their December fixture that had to be rescheduled due to City's involvement in the Club World Cup. Brentford have had a difficult stretch, facing Tottenham, City, and Liverpool all in the last 3 weeks already. The Bees are currently 5 points above the drop zone, which means it's not time to panic yet, but it is time to start winning some matches to feel a little more comfortable. Unfortunately, I think asking them to win points from a road trip to a fully healthy Man City who just dropped points on Saturday is a prettttty difficult ask.
The Pick: Man City, 4-1
Liverpool vs. Luton Town
On Wednesday, league leaders Liverpool (who, thanks to City's draw on Saturday, will enter Wednesday as league leaders regardless of how tomorrow's match plays out) play their Week 26 match ahead of schedule, thanks to their involvement in Sunday's League Cup Final. Why they're playing their match in the midweek while their Final opponent Chelsea just had their clash rescheduled altogether? I'd tell you my guess, but fans of rival clubs would accuse me of being a conspiracy theorist. Anyway, the resilient Reds continued to bounce back well from the Arsenal loss with a dominant win at Brentford, even amidst further injuries to multiple starters. A spirited Luton side, who held Liverpool to an ugly draw back in October, could very well trouble their decimated, on-little-rest hosts again. But it's much harder for me to see the Hatters stealing points from the hallowed Anfield ground when their opponents' focus is on winning a title.
The Pick: Liverpool, 2-0
Aston Villa vs. Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa and Tottenham continue to play their game of "4th place ping-pong"; as Tottenham stumbled at home to Wolves, Villa won on the road at Fulham and once again leapfrogged back ahead of the North Londoners into the Top 4. With Tottenham out of action due to their rescheduled Chelsea match, the Villains have a chance to momentarily build out their cushion in 4th. I'm seriously tempted to predict Aston Villa to drop this match, given their trend of following up important wins with disappointing results. But, while Saturday's win vs. West Ham was an unexpected, massive win for Nottingham Forest, the Reds are still in fairly dire straits overall; I have a hard time feeling confident backing them in just about any matchup.
The Pick: Aston Villa, 2-1
Bournemouth vs. Manchester City
Manchester City play again on Saturday after tomorrow's showdown with Brentford, finally allowing the champions to get back on level terms with their rivals in terms of matches played. In that regard, we should have a clearer picture of the title race by the end of this coming weekend. But in truth, the only real change in the title race would come if City were to drop points in either or-- gasp-- both matches this week. And with all due respect to two red "B" teams that are lovable underdogs that play an attractive brand of football... I just don't see Brentford or Bournemouth doing it. The latter may make things a little more difficult for a City team on the road playing their third match in 7 days, but even if they do, I imagine the walls can only hold until the 65th minute or so.
The Pick: Man City, 3-1
Arsenal vs. Newcastle United
Newcastle has been an enigma this season, and their run in the calendar year of 2024 pretty perfectly sums it up. On the one hand, their sole losses this year in all competitions have been to the two best teams in the league, and they won at then-3rd placed Aston Villa; on the other hand, they have settled for 5 points from 9 against three of the worst teams in the league in the last few weekends, and conceded 8 goals in those matches. I think they are who they are at this point: a high-ceiling, frustratingly inconsistent side who certainly possess the talent to steal vital points off of Arsenal, but likely lack the discipline to do it. If the current iteration of Arsenal, who have won five straight matches by an average of a 4-goal margin, is who they truly are at this point? It's going to be a long time before I predict a Gunners loss again.
The Pick: Arsenal, 3-0
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