Premier League Predictions, Week 34 and extras

Welcome back to our predictions, Premier League fans! That's right, I'm already back! The league matches are coming thick and heavy now, with two matches a week for many clubs from here until the rest of the season. This is the natural result of clubs having too many reasons to get matches postponed: Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, death of royals, etc. But on the plus side, I'll always welcome more football, and this week we get a mega-sized prediction piece, as makeup matches from Week 28 will be played on Wednesday and Thursday.

My fun-sized prediction piece this past midweek resulted in one of my best outings all year, though. My bold prediction that Newcastle would falter on the road at Everton aged poorly (I ignored the time-old advice to never count on the Toffees to do anything right), but I got the other three matches from Tuesday-Thursday right, and more than that, nailed the scoreline of Tottenham and Manchester United's thrilling draw yesterday! That was good enough for a 3.5/4 mark, which brings my season total to a slightly more palatable 59.5/113. The comeback is on!

But, the games are less than 12 hours away from kicking back off, so no time for chirping. Here are your 7 for Week 34 + Week 28 Redux!

Manchester United vs. Aston Villa

After Aston Villa's winning streak finally came to an end over the weekend at Brentford, a Tyrone Mings winner got them right back to winning ways against Fulham, and brought their unbeaten streak up to 10 matches. Chances are still slim that the Villains crash the Top 4 party, but the fact that they can even be in the conversation given where they were at Christmas is a testament to their resilience and turnaround under Unai Emery. And they could take a serious step towards a shock Champions League berth with an upset of Manchester United tomorrow morning. United may have salvaged a point in their Thursday collapse at Tottenham, but the two points they lost could be crucial as a competitive race from 3rd place to 8th comes down the stretch. The Red Devils are at home, and with 3 wins out of their last 5, are in far from poor form, but it's hard not to see Villa coming away with at least something, given their own form at the moment.

The Pick: Draw, 1-1

Fulham vs. Manchester City

Near the end of Manchester City's demolition of Arsenal on Wednesday, I told the poor Gunners I watched the match with that while this season has been far from City's best under Pep Guardiola, this current iteration of Man City may be the most dangerous one yet. Manchester City since late February has been on another level completely, winning 13 straight in all competitions, and not just winning; the majority of those 13 matches have been utter dismantlings. With City now essentially in the driver's seat for the Premier League title (they remain two points behind Arsenal, but with two matches in hand), it's hard to see this train stopping any time soon. That said, I do think Fulham will represent City's tightest contest in some time. I'm always wary of the short turnaround after a big win, let alone when it's a road match, let aloner when the opponent is a plucky overachiever who's hovered in the Top 10 all season long.

The Pick: Man City, 2-1

Newcastle United vs. Southampton

Newcastle fans are conditioned to expect heartbreak and disappointment at the tail-end of a season, but it sure seems like this iteration of their club are destined to finish in the Top 4. After a brief blip in February, they have won 7 of their last 8 matches, the one aberration coming on the road at red-hot Aston Villa, and over half of those wins have been by 3 goals or more. Southampton, meanwhile, seem relegation-bound, having sat in last place more than any other club this calendar year. The Toons have dropped decisions at surprising times this season, and the Saints have snuck up and snatched points at surprising times, too, but let's not overthink this one. This could get out of hand fast.

The Pick: Newcastle, 6-2

Liverpool vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Liverpool and Tottenham has become a can't-miss fixture in the Jürgen Klopp era. Their matchups, more often than not won by Liverpool, have nevertheless consistently produced instant classics, regardless of the two clubs' forms and standings in the Premier League table. This weekend, there will probably be less anticipation around the rematch of the 2019 Champions League final than usual, but high stakes remain, given that it's essentially a Top 4 elimination match. Both sides face an uphill battle (one that will require one or both of Newcastle and Manchester United to drop a couple decisions) for the top 4 anyhow, but that probably becomes completely moot if they don't win this match first. It's hard not to like Liverpool more here. Frustrating a season as it has been for them, they have still been incredibly hard to beat at fortress Anfield, and the second half of their clash with Arsenal through Wednesday's road win at West Ham has arguably been their brightest stretch of the season. That said, as a Red, I can't shake the shock draw at Anfield late last season that for all intents and purposes ended our title chase, nor how we needed a last-minute own goal at the same point in the 2018-19 season, with virtually identical stakes. I also can't help but feel that Tottenham's wild second-half rally on Thursday marks somewhat of a turning point under second caretaker manager Ryan Mason, one that indicates these Spurs refuse to give up their chase just yet.

The Pick: Draw, 1-1

Arsenal vs. Chelsea

Arsenal fans' gloom and fear about how this unexpectedly wonderful season was finishing up came to a head on Wednesday, when the wheels came off completely in a likely league-deciding clash at Manchester City. Be it a seriously young squad, the immense pressure of holding the lead in a tight title race, the injury to William Saliba, or all the above, Arsenal have simply not looked the same team this month. Brilliant starts at Liverpool and West Ham both ended in harmful 2-2 draws in consecutive matches, then came last weekend's stunning (and thrilling) draw with last-placed Southampton, followed by, finally, the City debacle (only their fourth loss of the season). Take it from a Liverpool fan: sitting around and hoping Man City drop points is not a fun position to be in, but hopefully the focus can instead turn to finishing this marvelous season strongly, and clinching their first Champions League berth in seven years. And while I have certainly been guilty now numerous times of prematurely forecasting Arsenal's turnaround, I feel confident it's finally coming on Tuesday. A home matchup against a historical rival in currently hapless (as in, 'sole goal scored in April was on a deflected shot in a loss' hapless) form, with the pressure of league favorites off their shoulders, is just what the doctor ordered.

The Pick: Arsenal, 2-0

Manchester City vs. West Ham United

I'll spare you time: I'm not predicting Manchester City dropping points any time soon. That said, I am very curious to see how they perform in their two matches this week. I discussed above the unique challenge Fulham present for Man City; this fixture, which will again be a quick turnaround after the previous one, also presents a challenge in the form of their opponent being a sneaky talented foe who is still fighting to remain out of the relegation zone. Don't believe me? Just look at last season, when West Ham tripped up City on the road in the penultimate match of the season, which set up the remarkably dramatic final day. Still, like I said- until I see otherwise, I'm going to assume the Cityzens win matches. I think that's a fair assumption.

The Pick: Man City, 3-1

Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Manchester United

The seemingly never-ending stretch of Premier League matches that began today and run into late next week culminates with a rematch of last Sunday's FA Cup semifinal, wherein Manchester United, who was outplayed on the whole, eliminated the Gulls in penalties. Brighton's Top 4 dreams have probably fizzled out, but European football in some capacity is still very much in play, especially with the likelihood that both the League Cup and FA Cup winners will have qualified for the Champions League anyhow. Points are at a premium in said Top 4 race, which is why United are likely kicking themselves for blowing their 2-0 lead at Tottenham this week. Ten Hag's men will be eyeing their next two tricky matches as opportunities to right the ship, which is why it feels exceedingly risky to predict Manchester United dropping points in both of their upcoming matches, having seen them just do so on Thursday. And it very well may blow up in my face. But I don't know; I've been a believer in Brighton all season, and though they've had bouts of inconsistency (see: their ping-pong form the entire month of April), the combination of their steamrolling of Wolverhampton this morning, their home-field advantage, and the revenge angle from that FA Cup semifinal makes me think they'll be fired up to win this one.

The Pick: Brighton, 2-1