Premier League Predictions, Week 29

© Micah Veldkamp, 2025

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Welcome back to Premier League action, friends! The less said about the midweek European matches, the better-- I'M NOT BITTER -- and believe it or not, we only have one more Premier League weekend in March, so let's get to it!

It's been a pretty mediocre year for my predictions, and last you heard from me, I stayed very much on trend with a performance right down the middle. I failed to accurately predict Nottingham Forest's upset of Manchester City, or Brighton's exciting win over Fulham, nor even Manchester United's draw with Arsenal. However, I did correctly predict Chelsea's and Liverpool's wins over their relegation-bound opponents, and in the case of the latter, got their 3-1 scoreline dead on. That's a 2.5/5 week, which puts me at 59/115 on the year.

But, the matches for this week are 12 hours away from kicking back off, so let's not waste any more time being the patron saint of mediocre males. Here are your 5 for Week 29!

Ipswich Town vs. Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest's win over the struggling champions last week was a famous result for the famous outfit dreaming of a return to their glory days. Forest have a long way to go until Top 4 (or Top 5, as the case may be for Champions League qualification this year) status is confirmed but they have positioned themselves nicely with most of their most difficult matches behind them. Ipswich Town has fought valiantly this season, and punched above their weight more so than their fellow promotees/likely fellow relegated mates this season, but I think the writing is on the wall for them.

The Pick: Nottingham, 3-1

Manchester City vs. Brighton & Hove Albion

Manchester City's season feels awfully similar to their longtime title rivals Liverpool's season two years ago: it's not been universally bad, apart from one brutal stretch in the middle of the season, but every time you think they've turned a corner and righted the ship, they stumble yet again. The good news for City? Liverpool finished 5th place in that '22-23 season, which this year, might still be good enough for Champions League play next season, and the defending champions are still in the thick of the Top 5 race. They'll need to finish strong, though, starting with a tough matchup against an oft-bogey team who themselves are in the midst of the same race, just 1 point behind tomorrow's hosts. City are struggling and Brighton love to trip up a bigger side, but in a must-win for both teams, I can't see City losing against the same team twice this season, especially in front of a home crowd.

The Pick: Man City, 2-1

Fulham vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Even with their disappointing last-minute loss in Brighton last week, Fulham is still in the hunt for Champions League play next season, sitting just 9 points behind 3rd place. Their Sunday morning opponents have been some of the biggest enigmas in the league this season, though, meaning this match could yield just about any result. Tottenham's big Europa League win yesterday show they do have some fight and gumption in them yet, but they just aren't trustworthy enough for me to predict them to get a win on the road. Which probably means they will do so, to spite me.

The Pick: Fulham, 3-2

Arsenal vs. Chelsea

Nothing about Arsenal's performance in the listless draw against Manchester United, or their calm and even upbeat reaction afterward, suggested the Gunners truly feel like they are still in a title race, contrary to what their players and manager insist publicly. That said, despite all their injuries, and a trophied season seemingly slipping away, their Champions League performances of late have shown Arsenal's high ceiling and goalscoring ability still exist. This, their game in hand over Liverpool, is likely their last opportunity to make any inroads in the Reds' league lead, and as talented as Chelsea are, they just haven't displayed the consistency since the holiday season to make me think they can walk out of Emirates Stadium with a result.

The Pick: Arsenal, 2-1

*BONUS! League Cup Final Prediction:

Newcastle United vs. Liverpool

Yes, it's not often that I will include space for a non-Premier League match in the Premier League Predictions. But this cup final is the first trophy opportunity of the season, and features two historic Premier League rivals in tipping points of their respective season: league leaders and reigning League Cup champions Liverpool, who come into this match battered and bruised (physically and emotionally) after Tuesday's gutting Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain. And Newcastle United, officially the wealthiest club in the world, in the midst of a heated Top 4/5 race, and in search of their first League Cup trophy ever and first top-flight trophy in 70 years. These two have played each other twice this season, and the two matches could not have been more different from each other. Matchup # 1 in St. James' Park in December was a pulsating thriller, with Newcastle putting the league leaders on the back foot from the first whistle; yet, thanks to some Mo Salah brilliance, Liverpool nearly escaped with a win until a stoppage time miscue from their backup keeper allowed for a late equalizer. Just two weeks ago at Anfield, however, the hosts hit cruise control and dominated Newcastle in a comfortable 2-0 victory that inched Liverpool ever closer to the Premier League title.

I would caution against looking to either of those results as to how this one will go, though. Liverpool were coming off an enormous high of back-to-back huge wins in that December matchup, and likely were not adequately prepared for a high-intensity, raucous road environment in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. And the Newcastle team that rolled into Anfield a couple weeks ago was a shell of themselves, with many of their missing starters back in play for Sunday's final. It's been unwise to pick against Liverpool in any crucial matches this season, but PSG this week exposed some chinks in the armor for maybe the first time. They share some similarities, too, with Liverpool's Sunday opponents, who also have all sorts of motivation advantages: the revenge angle for the recent loss at Anfield, Liverpool winning this Cup last year, Newcastle losing on their last time in this Final just two years ago, and perhaps most significantly, this being the Magpies' only real hopes for a trophy this year. The motivational angle can be overblown when there's simply a gulf in quality, but, in a week in which Liverpool's morale was bruised and they lost some key players to injury, it might be enough this time around.

The Pick: Newcastle, 2-1