Premier League Predictions, Week 29

© Micah Veldkamp, 2026

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Welcome back to the weekly predictions, Premier League fans! Happy Pi Day (almost)! Happy Selection Sunday (almost)! Happy Oscars Sunday (almost)! Happy St. Patrick's Day (almost)!

Yes, there's a lot on the horizon, not least of which is the return of the Premier League after a weekend away. My last predictions came out on the first day of this busy month, and a lot has changed in this busy month since you heard from me last! After a weekend away to focus on the FA Cup, and the first leg of the Round of 16 in the European competitions earlier this week, we're back to league action this weekend. Only 72 hours separated my previous two predictions pieces before this, as opposed to the fortnight that separated last to this. So if you can't remember from all the way back at the beginning of this month, I pity you, because last gameweek was perhaps the darkest for me personally. My favorite team lost, as did my favorite contender in the title race, the "European football" race, and the relegation battle, and my least favorite contender in each of those respective battles won.

If that weren't enough, my predictions also suffered, Arsenal's win over Brighton marking my only correct prediction of the week. I was able to scrap together a couple partial-credit opportunities for me, fortunately; I got the 2-1 scoreline in Newcastle-Manchester United correct, even if I missed the winner. And I was correct in my fear that Liverpool would drop points to last-place Wolves, even though the Reds lost a point and I a perfect "1-1 draw" prediction with a last-minute goal, a feat that has happened a startling number of times this season. It's enough to earn a 2/5 week overall, but that still drops me to a 73/125 clip on the season, which is far worse off than I was entering this calendar year.

But, after a brief vengeful return from the snow, the sun is back shining, and the matches are less than 12 hours away from kicking back off, so let's not waste any more time wallowing in doom and gloom! Here are your 5 for Week 29!

Chelsea vs. Newcastle United

There's no early kickoff this weekend, but the first matchup of Week 29 is a belter, between two of the wealthiest clubs in the league, neither quite having the season they expected. Chelsea's latest spending splurge and their Club World Cup triumph over the summer suggested this was a team built not just to compete in England, but in Europe; yet, they're in the thick of a battle for a Top 4 finish, and in the wake of a 3-goal capitulation at Paris on Wednesday, likely on their way out of the Champions League as well. Newcastle, conversely, are very much still alive in the Champions League, battling Spanish leaders Barcelona to an impressive draw the other day, but their league season has been a bit of a mess, recent win over Manchester United notwithstanding. Even with that result, the Magpies still sit in the bottom half of the table at 12th place. This is where Chelsea' Champions League disappointment actually helps them: both teams have to balance both competitions this week, but Newcastle have it all to play for in Europe but not England, and Chelsea essentially the other way around.

The Pick: Chelsea, 4-2

Arsenal vs. Everton

Arsenal's last 3 matches in all competitions have perfectly encapsulated their season: completely unimpressive, even uninspired performances...and yet, they press on. Just two days ago, they were heavily outplayed by underdogs Bayer Leverkusen, but managed to sneak out of Germany with a draw thanks to a last-minute penalty decision. Last weekend, they played perhaps the biggest underdogs in FA Cup history, vying for a quarterfinal spot with Mansfield Town, currently in 15th place in the 4th division... and needed to come from behind to win. And a few days prior to that? Being out-possessed, and outdueled, out-shot, out-hustled by Brighton...only to sneak out of the South Coast with a win, and with a wider margin at the top of the table than when they came in. So goes the title race this season for the Gunners; as everyone else flounders, they find a way to win. Sure, Everton can be tricky when you least expect it, and sure it's been a minute since Arsenal have looked the part of a true champion, but are you betting against it working out for them at this point? I'm sure not.

The Pick: Arsenal, 2-0

West Ham United vs. Manchester City

I've been confessing in this piece for a while now that I didn't know if Manchester City had it in them this season to make a real go at the title race, much as Arsenal were beckoning for them to do so, but even I didn't expect the City bobble to come at home against Nottingham Forest, of all teams. That was followed by an uninspired 3-0 blowout at the hands of Real Madrid in leg 1 of the Champions League this week, and all of a sudden, there's a very real chance of City ending the season trophyless for the second consecutive year. If Pep Guardiola and co. are going to avoid that fate, they will need to course-correct quickly, and now they need to do so on the road against a club who is seeing a bit of a resurgence. West Ham's chances of surviving relegation seemed close to dead in the water recently, but 2 straight wins-- and just 1 loss from their last 6 --has seen them work up to level on points with both Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur, who simply have a goal-differential advantage now. Nuno Espírito Santo's men have to smell blood int he water now, especially from North London. I will not be surprised at all if the Hammers give City hell and take home more surprising points; that said, like Chelsea, I think City's Champions League nightmare actually helps here. They will know the Premier League is a more feasible possibility from here than that competition. Drop this one, though, and you can probably kiss it goodbye...

The Pick: Man City, 3-2

Manchester United vs. Aston Villa

In a season where nobody seems to want to win the title, that dynamic seems to be extending to the top 4 race as well! Manchester United's winning streak under interim manager Michael Carrick finally ended a few weeks back, at the same time that Top 4 rival Chelsea were also dropping points. Then, last time out, as 3rd place Aston Villa above them were getting shellacked, and 5th place Liverpool behind them were getting stunned by last-place Wolves, United decided to suffer their first defeat under Carrick, falling to Newcastle and failing to extend their "lead" in the Top 4 race. Still, while form had been starting to trend back down under Carrick, the Devils have a ways to go before matching Sunday's opponents in terms of poor form. Less than a month ago, Unai Emery's Aston Villa were in the thick of a title race, with an opportunity to draw within 2 points of Arsenal with a win. Instead, they lost that match, and have only gained 5 points from their next 4 matches after that, and now find themselves all the way in 4th place, and with a real risk of not even qualifying for Champions League football next season. It seems crazy to say, but I still think their ceiling's higher than United's, and I'd certainly rather see them in Europe next season...but I fear their bad form is not behind them, and Old Trafford will be a tough place to try and turn it around.

The Pick: Man United, 3-1

Liverpool vs. Tottenham Hotspur

This is the fixture that officially won Liverpool the Premier League last season, and it probably hurts both teams to look back on the highlights that day 10 months ago and reminisce on all that has happened since. Yes, Tottenham got pasted in that match and proceeded to finish 17th in the league, but they also enjoyed their highest high not long after that crucial match with Liverpool, as they finally found European glory with a Europa League title less than a month later. This season has been, in a word, catastrophic; the bright start under new manager Thomas Frank turned out to be a false dawn, and new manager Igor Tudor has hardly fared better in his month on the job. Spurs are well and truly in the thick of a relegation battle, winning just two matches in the league since October, and their surprisingly bright play in the Champions League appears to be all for naught after their complete capitulation to Atlético Madrid on Tuesday. But their Sunday hosts won't be receiving them in much brighter spirits: the Reds' title defense never got off the ground this season, and every time it seems this team has turned a corner, a new bout of poor form and/or unwelcome results strikes. After a February that held gritty wins at Sunderland and Nottingham, and dominant wins over West Ham and Brighton (the latter in the FA Cup), March has seen Arne Slot's side lose at last-place Wolves in an ugly affair, and lose a Champions League match for the second time 1-0 at Galatasaray, in an even uglier affair. It seems unfathomable that Liverpool would fail to win against this Tottenham side at Anfield, and in truth, Slot has managed to get his guys to perform just about every time it seems the season has hit rock bottom. And yet....it seems just as unfathomable that Tottenham can lose 7 matches in a row, and even more unfathomable that they get relegated, and those are the stakes now. I think they will battle just hard enough to get a result that could represent their saving grace. Yes, I am genuinely predicting Liverpool dropping points to this Spurs team. No, it's not a "reverse karma" attempt. It's that dire for the Reds at the moment.

The Pick: Draw, 2-2