Premier League Predictions, Week 5

Welcome back to the weekly predictions, Premier League fans! The group stages of the Champions League and Europa League is here, so if you're reading this, chances are you're not starved for soccer at the moment. The action never stops, and now attention turns back to domestic football.

Last week was a mixed bag for my predictions. I completely whiffed on Crystal Palace's upset of Tottenham, and underestimated how clinical Liverpool would be vs. Leeds. But, not only did I predict both Manchester teams' victories (to no surprise), I nailed the scoreline in Chelsea's 3-0 win over Aston Villa. All in all, it was enough to get me 3.5/5 on the week, which is by no means bad, but still dropped me to 11/15 on the season.

Now, the matches are less than 24 hours away from kicking back off, so let's not waste time crying over spilled milk. Here are your 5 for Week 5!

Manchester City vs. Southampton

These two teams have something in common: both lost their season opener, and haven't lost since. The bad news for Southampton is that where Manchester City have won their last 3, the Saints have tied their last 3. The WORSE news for Southampton? Since struggling to find their shooting boots in their opener, City have 17 goals in their last 4 matches. This could-- and likely will --get ugly.

The Pick: Manchester City, 5-1

Liverpool vs. Crystal Palace

These two played two thrillers (across two seasons) in the calendar year of 2019, but since then, the last three matchups have gone the way of Liverpool by an aggregate score of 13-0. Will it be another romp for the Reds, or is it time for the pendulum to swing back to a more competitive match? Crystal Palace is coming off a stunning 3-0 victory over Tottenham, and do hold the honor of being the last team to win a Premier League match at Anfield with fans present, all the way back in April 2017. But Liverpool, if not back to their pre-pandemic best, at least seem to have maintained their form from the end of last season, where they finished on a 10-match unbeaten run. Fittingly, I think we'll see a match that plays out very similarly to their season finale in May, where Liverpool struggles a bit to put pesky Palace away, but ultimately sees it out in front of the Kop.

The Pick: Liverpool, 2-0

Aston Villa vs. Everton

Don't look now, but for the 2nd straight year, Everton is atop the table 4 weeks into the season. Sure, this time it's in a four-way tie, and the Toffees haven't beaten anyone of note, but still, it's a bit bizarre how little fanfare their quick start has gotten, considering the media wouldn't stop talking about their early impressive play in the 2020-21 season. Can they keep up the good mojo against a fellow "early season darling" from last year? Like Everton, Aston Villa were all the rage in the first half of last season, before falling apart a bit after the holidays. Unlike Everton, that uneven form has carried over to the start of this season, with just 4 points out of 12 thus far. I don't think it's a stretch to say Everton are the superior side at this point, but Villa are solid and well-managed enough to secure at least a draw at home.

The Pick: Draw, 1-1

West Ham United vs. Manchester United

West Ham, having narrowly missed out on a surprise Top 4 qualification last season, are quietly off to a solid start this year as well, unbeaten in their first 4 matches. They have dropped off a bit in their last two matches though, both draws, from the team that blitzed Newcastle and Leicester City out of the gates in the first two weeks. Manchester United, meanwhile, have shown signs of being the same unpredictable team they were last season, with blowout victories against Leeds and Newcastle sandwiched around an unimpressive draw vs. Southampton and an unimpressive near-draw vs. Wolves (to say nothing of Tuesday's capitulation at Young Boys). Given that unpredictability, it's not a stretch at all to say West Ham is capable of taking at least a point from this match. But I think United, as the kids say, "know the assignment"; it's early in the season, but they know points will be at a premium all season, and have the talent to get this done against their former manager. This has "late Greenwood winner" written all over it.

The Pick: Manchester United, 2-1

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Chelsea

Tottenham's perfect season came crashing down in a fiery inferno with last weekend's 3-0 capitulation at Selhurst Park. It's a reality check for Spurs, who arguably overachieved out of the gates under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo, but considering all three of Crystal Palace's goals came after Japhet Tanganga's red card reduced Tottenham to 10 men, I think we can chalk it up as an outlier. Before that match, Spurs had won four matches out of four without conceding a single goal. And speaking of stodgy defenses: title co-favorites and London rivals Chelsea have conceded just once this entire season, and that was to Liverpool on a Mohamed Salah penalty kick. There's no question goals will be at a premium in this clash of contenders, and though the Blues clearly look the side more likely to get them on paper, I think Spurs will have enough in the tank to gut out a draw at home.

The Pick: Draw, 0-0