Premier League Predictions, Week 35

Welcome back to your weekly predictions, Premier League fans! After more Midweek Madness (tm), featuring the last week of European competition until the final matches in each tournament, all sights will be set on domestic glory from here on out.

I too am setting my sights on glory as we head down the final stretch this season. If by glory, you mean "finishing above .500," that is. I took a big step towards that low bar this week, in which my prediction of Liverpool and Arsenal settling for costly draws was misplaced, but my projection that Manchester City and Burnley would score crucial wins were correct. Most importantly, I nailed my bold prediction that Everton would upset Chelsea with an outright win. Those latter three were enough to salvage a 3/5 week for me, bringing me to 69/135 on the year. Nice.

But! The matches are less than 12 hours away from kicking back off, so let's not waste any more time counting chickens before they've hatched. You'll notice I stopped hedging on the matchweek in the article title... although we're still not at a point where all teams are level on matches played-- and probably won't be until the very last week of action --every team in a title race, Top 4 race, and relegation battle (save only for Everton) have played 34 matches. So, for all intents and purposes, it is Week 35. Here are your 5 for Week 35!

Chelsea vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers

I mentioned in my last prediction piece that Chelsea weren't at the point yet where they need to start worrying about dropping out of the Top 4. After a shock (except to me!) loss to Everton last weekend, it might be around that time. Such is their goal differential lead over Arsenal that it probably would take the Blues losing multiple matches down the stretch to not qualify for next year's Champions League, but still, they can take nothing for granted. Complicating matters is the fact that their next opponent is a stodgy team who is fighting for a spot in European competition as well. Wolves, who have the misfortune of playing the Top 3 teams in the league in their final 4 matches, have a history of causing trouble against big opponents, and I think they'll do the same this weekend, but ultimately I expect Chelsea to grind out a much-needed win.

The Pick: Chelsea, 1-0

Liverpool vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Last weekend came and went with Liverpool and Manchester City both passing the test and coming up with a win in a potentially scary match. This weekend will bring forth serious banana peels for both teams again, though. In Liverpool's case, the tricky thing about this match is that their opponent is just good. Tottenham is easily the best opponent that either Liverpool or City have played or will play since their last matchup against each other, and to throw yet another wrinkle in things, Spurs are also in the heat of a photo-finish race to 4th place, making this close to a must-win for them as well. Antonio Conte's side also plays, as we saw in the thrilling 2-2 draw the first time these teams faced off this season, the exact kind of style that can exploit Liverpool's audacious high line. I can't fathom or even really see Liverpool losing this one at home, but there's just too many potential red flags for me to predict a straight-up win.

The Pick: Draw, 2-2

Arsenal vs. Leeds United

It's not just a big weekend at the top and bottom of the table, it's a big weekend for the North London teams in 4th and 5th place. Arsenal certainly in a more enviable position than their rivals, as they sit two points clear, and don't have to face Liverpool. But they have a tough test of their own, hosting a Leeds team that very well could be playing for their Premier League lives. If Everton notch another win this weekend, Leeds are officially in the drop zone, despite much improved play under manager Jesse Marsch. I think the Peacocks will give Arsenal a riotous time, and it wouldn't surprise me if they pulled off an upset win. But I think the Gunners are locked in for the home stretch now.

The Pick: Arsenal, 3-2

Manchester City vs. Newcastle United

Manchester City will face an entirely different challenge than title rivals Liverpool. On paper, Newcastle should present nowhere near the test that Tottenham might for Liverpool (and did for City, in their season sweep). But Sunday's match falls into more traditional 'trap game' territory: it's an opponent that is not good enough to draw the full attention of the media or City themselves, but in decent form, and good enough to get a result off of you if you're not totally locked in. And it should surprise nobody if the Citizens are not totally locked in, given how their Champions League exit transpired on Wednesday; they looked absolutely rattled at the end of that stunning loss. I don't actually think this will all add up to Newcastle taking points from them this weekend, but if I'm gonna go bold and say Liverpool take a draw at home, I feel like I need to do the same for Man City.

The Pick: Draw, 0-0

Aston Villa vs. Liverpool

Due to Liverpool reaching the final stage of every possible competition, a fact so unbelievable and delicious as a Liverpool fan that I'm going to bring up as much as possible, the Reds will be playing midweek and weekend matches the whole remainder of the season. This matchup with Aston Villa would have originally been played about a month ago, but was postponed due to the F.A. Cup semifinal tilt with Manchester City, so now they will face off on a Tuesday night in Birmingham. The quick turnaround for Liverpool after their high-stakes clash with Tottenham is a cause for concern, as is the fact that it's against an opponent who gave them all kinds of trouble back in December, and who employ a manager in Steven Gerrard that knows Liverpool as well as anyone. Still, Villa are probably safe from relegation and aren't particularly good at the moment, so I would be quite surprised if the Reds dropped this one, especially if they do in fact falter against Spurs over the weekend.

The Pick: Liverpool, 2-0