Premier League Predictions, Week 6

Welcome back to the weekly predictions, Premier League fans! After a midweek full of both domestic and international cup play, Premier League action returns to us for the weekend.

And you know what else returned to us? My winning ways in these predictions!!! At least for a couple games, that is :( My weekend started so well, with a bullseye projection of a 3-1 Aston Villa win, and a near-bullseye in Liverpool's big win over Bournemouth. But between Fulham's upset of Newcastle, and Nottingham and Arsenal both somewhat surprisingly getting points off of Brighton and Manchester City, it all fell apart. Still, my ace out the gate got me a 2.5/5 score on the week, bringing me to 11/20, a slightly-higher percentage than last week.

Now, the matches are less than 12 hours from kicking off, so let's not waste any more time celebrating small wins. Here are your 5 for Week 6!

Newcastle United vs. Manchester City

In 2022-23, Newcastle's first season supplanting Manchester City as the wealthiest club in the league, they overachieved, finishing in the Top 4 and reaching the Champions League, but also provided one of the matches of that season in this very fixture. The Magpies' thrilling 3-all draw with the reigning champs seemed to suggest they were ready to go toe-to-toe with the best of the league, but they came crashing back to reality this year. They started this season well, and between two draws and the loss of Rodri to an ACL injury, it's been a rough week-plus for City, but they're the team to beat until proven otherwise, and I think Newcastle's loss at Fulham last week proved we still can't trust them consistently.

The Pick: Man City, 2-1

Chelsea vs. Brighton & Hove United

Despite the two's completely tonally different starts to the season, Chelsea has actually surpassed Brighton in the table, with 10 points from their last 12, compared to the latter's 6 from that same timeframe. The Blues' frustrating home draw vs. Crystal Palace just before the international break is their only match in September they haven't won. Brighton, meanwhile, are yet to lose this season, but after a tremendous start to the season, haven't really found a high gear, in two frustrating draws with Ipswich and Nottingham. Form can be temporary, and who knows if we can trust Chelsea on a consistent basis yet, but I don't think we can assume Brighton will bounce back. One draw against a poorer team could be a fluke. Two in a row is a trend. The loss is coming soon for the Gulls, and I think it may be tomorrow.

The Pick: Chelsea, 3-1

Arsenal vs. Leicester City

A last-minute concession off a corner kick was all that prevented a famous win for 10-man Arsenal at Manchester City. A road draw at the league favorites is still a very good result, but the nature of the draw is sure to have left a bitter taste in Arsenal's mouths. Leicester won't be an easy out-- they rarely are --but I expect the Gunners to bounce back well at home. They've exhibited a new mentality under Arteta in recent years, and I think are past the era where they would 'let City beat them twice' in this situation.

The Pick: Arsenal, 3-1

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Liverpool

After the shock home loss to Nottingham Forest, everyone was curious to see whether Liverpool had been exposed or if that would be a one-off. Well, if every match played since then is any indication, Arne Slot's Reds are for real, sandwiching 3-1 and 5-1 wins in the Champions League and League Cup around a 3-0 cruise vs. Bournemouth last weekend. Now, playing a bad team (Wolves are currently last in the league) on the road in the midst of a great stretch is the exact kind of scenario that's given Liverpool faithful nightmares in recent years. So far this season, though, while Liverpool have already failed the "first game back from the international break" test, they've aced the "potentially tricky road match" test with comfortable wins at Ipswich and Manchester United, as well as Milan, in the Champions League. I expect that trend to continue tomorrow.

The Pick: Liverpool, 3-1

Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur

This could be a survival match for both managers in the match; call it the "Avoid Being The First Big 6 Manager Sacking" Derby (pithier nickname pending)! Neither Manchester United nor Tottenham has had remotely the start to the season they desired, with the two clubs matching each other's 2 wins and 1 draw from their first 5 matches, and a home loss to their biggest rivals amongst their 2 losses. If Erik ten Hag's seat was hot coming into this season, it's positively scalding now, and I think it's safe to say Ange Postecoglou has just about used up all his goodwill at this point from Tottenham's shining start to last season. A win in this Sunday showdown could go a long way in both improving the respective managers' statuses, but also serving as a launching point for their team's turnaround. Who will take it? Truly, who knows. I think neither side is just very good at the moment, but both should at least be better than they are playing currently, and it still feels like at least one of them will come good at some point. But Man United have at least shown a proclivity for getting up in big games under ten Hag, and they're the home team, so I expect they might pull it out.

The Pick: Man United, 3-2