Premier League Predictions, Week 36

© Micah Veldkamp, 2026

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Welcome back to the weekly predictions, everyone! With all European semifinals played, we know the 6 teams playing in the Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League finals, and until then, the full attention will be on the final three weeks of league play.

It was all starting to look a bit dire for me, as my last several weeks of predictions consisted of me seemingly trying to outdo the previous one in incompetence. Fortunately, my fate turned around in a big way last time out. Unfortunately, it near-universally came at the expense of my rooting interests. Arsenal did in fact comfortably beat Fulham, my Liverpool did in fact lose again to Manchester United, and the two upsets I predicted (Tottenham over Aston Villa, Everton drawing Man City) both came true. The only match I missed on was yet another Chelsea loss, this time to Nottingham Forest, but even in that case, I got the 3-1 scoreline right. Between that and my two gutsy upset picks, that's a 5/5 week at long last!

That's enough to see me at 83.5/155 on the year, a little more comfortably above the .500 mark now. But, the matches are kicking back off, so no time for getting all my ducks in a row. Here are your 5 for Week 36!

Liverpool vs. Chelsea

This has been one of the more frustrating seasons for a Liverpool fan in recent memory, and a season sweep by rivals Manchester United was the cherry on top. Still, it could be worse; they could be Chelsea. It's hard to put into words just how big a tailspin Chelsea are in; even if the Club World Cup champions' title hopes looked slim by midseason, it wasn't all that long ago that they were in the thick of Champions League contention. But now, six straight losses and two managers later, they're looking at a very shot of missing out on European football altogether. It's desperate times now for caretaker manager Calum McFarlane and his squad. That desperation, and the defeatism around Liverpool Football Club at the moment, makes me tempted to predict that tomorrow is when they'll finally get the crucial points they've been in search of. But, in large part because I can't even stomach the idea of logging on to social media if Liverpool fail to beat this Chelsea team, I'm gonna predict the Reds get it done at Anfield and essentially wrap up their season.

The Pick: Liverpool, 2-1

Manchester City vs. Brentford

I hate to say "I told you so," but... okay, I usually love to say it, but in this case, the troll in me was sad to be right, as I was greatly enjoying what appeared to be another Arsenal collapse. But I did just feel that this City team didn't have the infallibility that so many past teams had, and at least one more stumble was coming. It's far from over for Pep Guardiola's squad, of course, and wrestling back a point with the virtual last kick of the game could prove to be vital, but they no longer control their own destiny. And it doesn't get any easier for them from here, either; tomorrow's visitors Brentford have proven to be a tough out for just about everyone this season anyway, but now there's the small matter of Champions League football being in play for them. Yes, really. Aston Villa's qualification for the Europa League final presents a potential outcome that-- in the event of Villa winning that tournament and finishing 5th place in the league, where they currently sit --the 6th placed team could qualify for the prestigious tournament. The team sitting 1 point out of 6th place? That's right, little ol' Brentford. You can bet your ass that the Bees will be giving everything to wrestle a point (and ideally all 3) from this fixture, which means City cannot afford a mental lapse like the 20 minutes or so on Monday that cost them against Everton. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they drop points again, but I do have a harder time seeing them do that in successive matches, especially with a home crowd behind them this time.

The Pick: Man City, 3-2

West Ham United vs. Arsenal

It's not often (rarely ever, in fact) that I'm jealous of Arsenal fans, but I don't know if a single fanbase had a better last week than the Gunners faithful did. First, on Saturday, their team got their most dominant and cohesive win in some time, opening up their points AND goal differential advantage atop the table. Two days after that, their title rivals City drop 2 unexpected points, putting Arsenal back in control of the league. The next day, Arsenal secure a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid to qualify for their first Champions League final in 20 years. All of a sudden, the season that seemed to be collapsing before them is back in full force, with a very real chance at the two biggest trophies imaginable. There's work left to do in these last few weeks though, and a trip to relegation-threatened West Ham won't be easy. The Hammers had worked so hard to get out of the Bottom 3, but with one single slip-up to Brentford and Tottenham's unexpected victory over Aston Villa, find themselves back in the relegation zone. It's still just a matter of a point for them, so any sort of result against Arsenal would not only cause chaos in the title race, but make a real impact in the relegation battle as well. This will be a can't-miss match. Last year, as Liverpool were on the precipice of clinching their title, they endured a "more difficult than anticipated" challenge from West Ham, conceding a late equalizer before immediately snatching a winner back to stay on the path to their title charge. I would not be surprised if Arsenal's match plays out very similarly tomorrow.

The Pick: Arsenal, 2-1

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Leeds United

Whereas Monday Night Football last week held enormous ramifications for the title race, this week it will feature a relegation battle royale, between two teams who have spent time in the danger zone this season, and despite a three-match unbeaten streak by both, have not yet clinched safety. Leeds can do so with a win in this one, though, and in fact probably even a draw would do unless West Ham does indeed stun Arsenal. Tottenham are much less on sure footing, but (again, with the assumption that West Ham does not beat Arsenal) could take on giant step out of the woods in this one. Leeds have not only had the better season, they've truly been the better team in the calendar year 2026, proving a cut above several other 'bottom-half' sides, and nearly reaching an FA Cup Final. That said, I still believe Spurs are going to survive under Roberto De Zerbi, and I think the Peacocks are well-positioned enough that a level of complacency that Tottenham can't afford to have will set in.

The Pick: Tottenham, 2-0

Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace

Next Wednesday, a few days before Manchester City take on Chelsea in the FA Cup, the title contenders will finally play their match in hand against Crystal Palace. 3 points for Arsenal and anything butBOLD 3 points for City on Saturday would mean that the four-time champions this decade are still playing from behind, and the extent to which that is the case will certainly have a bearing on this match. But one thing's certain: you would expect Palace to have very little motivation to be much of a nuisance in this one. The Londoners are safe from relegation, have no chance of reaching Europe through their league positioning, and most importantly, just qualified for the Europa Conference League final. You'd expect 100% of their focus at this point would be on their first-ever European final, while City's on their penultimate chance at home to challenge for another league trophy.

The Pick: Man City, 2-0