Premier League Predictions, Week 7

Welcome back to the weekly predictions, Premier League fans! Once again we had the welcome respite of Champions League football to tide us over from last weekend, and though we'll have a long time away after this weekend, we'll be able to keep ourselves occupied with international football!

Well, last time out, my slow and steadily declining performance came to an unsurprising but disappointingly rapid head. In a weekend full of upsets, I nearly went O-fer', miscalculating Manchester City's strength against Chelsea, and failing to pick the plucky upstarts of Aston Villa, Brentford and...Arsenal. A late Neal Maupay goal on Monday salvaged a draw for Brighton, and also saved me from going completely winless on the week. Still, a 1/5 outing is absolutely nothing to write home about, especially because it drops my previously respectable season total to 15/25.

But, the matches are less than 12 hours away from kicking back off, so let's not waste time wallowing. Here are your 5 for Week 7!

Manchester United vs. Everton

Lost amidst the furor of an already-thrilling Top 4 race is the fact that Everton, under new manager Rafa Benitez, is right behind them keeping a not-so-distant pace. So the first matchup of the weekend is a sneaky good one: 4 vs. 5. Manchester United is, even with Ronaldo and Varane in the fold, seemingly the same as they have been for the last number of years: inconsistent and unpredictable. Just when it seemed they were hitting their premier League stride, they go and lose to Aston Villa at home. Then in the midweek, just as it appeared they were sliding to a 2nd consecutive Champions League loss, a last-gasp goal from CR7 saw them secure a come-from-behind victory against Villarreal. All this to say, who knows what will happen tomorrow? I don’t think there’s any result that would surprise me. But the combination of United being unreliable and Everton being actually decent makes me think points will be split at Old Trafford.

The Pick: Draw, 1-1

Chelsea vs. Southampton

For the first time this season, and arguably for the first time under Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea are in a little bit of a rut. Such a promising offseason and ensuing start to this season all of a sudden came crashing (at least partially) down to Earth in the last 6 days, as the Blues followed their disappointing loss at home to Manchester City with a relatively toothless loss at Juventus in the Champions League. That two close losses constitutes a “rut” speaks more for how good Chelsea have been under Tuchel than anything else, but still, they will be particularly hungry for a good showing this weekend. Thankfully for them, Southampton’s surprise result at City notwithstanding, Chelsea’s bizarrely bad performance against religious names/nicknames notwithstanding, they should be well-equipped to get this W against the Saints.

The Pick: Chelsea, 3-0

Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Arsenal

To their fans, Arsenal must be the incarnation of this GIF. They’ve definitely had many false starts before, but there’s no denying how much better the Gunners have been since the last international break. There’s also no denying how impressive Brighton’s start to the season has been. Their 13 points from 18 is bested thus far by Liverpool only. Still, though the Gulls’ progress under Graham Potter is undeniable, we’ve yet to see them against a legit big team. I know, I know, insert joke about Arsenal not being a big team. But still, the talent is there, and Mikel Arteta and co. seem to be figuring out the right pieces to play. Fool that I am, I’m choosing to believe in Arsenal’s turnaround.

The Pick: Arsenal, 1-0

West Ham vs. Brentford

Almost immediately after suffering last-minute heartbreak against Manchester United two weekends ago, West Ham got revenge by eliminating them from the League Cup at Old Trafford, then followed up that victory with a road win at Leeds, and just earlier today, a Europa League triumph against Rapid Wien. The Hammers have quietly continued on from their great finish to the 2020-21 season; that close loss to United is the sole blemish on their record just far. Another team with just one loss to date? Newcomers Brentford. That was the case for them coming into last weekend, and despite playing the league leaders, it remains the case. 2019-20 champions Liverpool were probably the better side in Brentford Community Stadium on Saturday, but the Bees were pests from start to finish, and their attack and press clearly rattled the almost-always reliable Liverpool back 5, right up to the final whistle. The 3-3 draw was arguably one of the club's biggest results in modern history, but it was no fluke; these boys can play. So, it's a clash on Sunday morning of two overlooked, sneaky good teams with a clear identity and potent attack. I want to pick Brentford in recognition of the delightfully attractive football they play, but something tells me West Ham, who have been doing it longer and have them at home, will come out on top this time.

The Pick: West Ham, 2-1

Liverpool vs. Manchester City

Was there any doubt which fixture would get top billing this weekend? Liverpool and Manchester City get the last matchup before the two-week hiatus, and the recent level of success alone for these two clubs, the last two Premier League winners, would have made this must-see television. But the results of last weekend have made this even more unmissable. Nobody would ever dare write Manchester City off until it's officially over; they're far too good and, well, rich for them to ever be truly dead. But there were many, myself included that were ready to write City off as title favorites coming into last weekend, after a sputtering start saw a loss to Tottenham and draw with Southampton, and facing what looked to be a likely loss at Chelsea. Instead, Pep Guardiola and his boys completely flipped the script, not only notching a 1-0 upset at Stamford Bridge but looking completely dominant in doing so, avenging May's Champions League Final defeat and giving Thomas Tuchel his first loss to a Big Six club since arriving in Chelsea. Mere hours later, Liverpool twice lost their lead and settled for a draw at massive underdogs Brentford, meaning on a day that could have seen the Reds 6 points clear of Manchester City, they instead sit just 1 point ahead. In the era of Pep and Klopp, arguably two of the best managers in modern football history, every Liverpool-City matchup (well, except perhaps for the one played in COVID times immediately after Liverpool secured the trophy) has been a fascinating tactical matchup. Last year, City caught a Liverpool in poor form and effectively exploited their weakness en route to notching their first win at Anfield since 2003. The previous year, early in the season, Liverpool's heavy metal football and a raucous Anfield completely overwhelmed the visitors, sending Liverpool to a 3-1 victory and officially establishing the eventual champions as the clear frontrunners. 2018-19 saw two vastly different matchups; the first, at Anfield, an intentionally pedestrian affair, wherein City absorbed any Liverpool threat with a deep-laying back line and ground out an important 0-0 draw. The second, in Manchester in early 2019, was a much more fluid, open match, and was an enthralling showdown between two of the best teams in the entire world. City would eventually win that one 2-1, and months later that result would prove to be the difference in one of the greatest title races in English football history. Neutral fans everywhere will be hoping for the kind of play we saw in that match. But knowing what kind of voice the Liverpool crowd will be in, and seeing how effective Tuchel's stallball has been against Klopp, I feel we may see the same sort of stale draw we saw from these teams in fall of 2018.

The Pick: Draw, 0-0