Premier League Predictions, Week 7

Welcome back to the weekly predictions, Premier League fans! We've been eating good these last couple weeks with European matches to tide us over to the weekend. The dreaded international break sets in on Monday, but before then, we've got another weekend of Premier League action.

And I'm eager to get back to it, personally, because slowly but surely, I'm working my way back up to good predictions form. Sure, my weekend last time out started and ended with big misses: failing to predict a Newcastle draw with Manchester City, and expecting Manchester United to beat Tottenham instead of get trounced 3-0 at home. (Silly me, right?) But in the middle of that crap sandwich were accurate Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool win predictions. And though I didn't get any exact scorelines right, I did correctly predict that both London clubs would win by identical 2-goal scorelines (it was 4-2, not my predicted 3-1). I think that's worth half credit, right? I'm so glad you agree. My 3.5/5 week brings me up to 14.5/25 on the year thus far.

Now, the matches are less than 12 hours from kicking off, so let's not waste any more time fudging the numbers. Here are your 5 for Week 7!

Crystal Palace vs. Liverpool

It wasn’t pretty, but Liverpool got the job done on the road at Wolves last week, ascending to the top of the league in the process for the first time in the Arne Slot era. Their upcoming opponents Crystal Palace are still looking for their first win of the Premier League season, a somewhat shocking fact given how strong Oliver Glasner’s Eagles finished last season. You can bet your bottom dollar they will be going all out for this one, and that could spell trouble in the early window for Liverpool. The Reds already won an early away kickoff this season, and won a tricky one last week on a short turnaround, but I can’t shake the feeling that this has frustrating draw (or dare I say, even loss) written all over it.

The Pick: Draw, 1-1

Arsenal vs. Southampton

Arsenal came close to letting Man City “beat” them twice, something I personally assured would NOT happen, but two stoppage time goals lifted them to a 4-2 win over Leicester City, and kept the Gunners in the thick of the title race. This is perhaps the best team in the league hosting perhaps the worst… no need to overthink this one. Arsenal rolls.

The Pick: Arsenal, 4-0

Manchester City vs. Fulham

A dominant Champions League win in the midweek could not have come at a better time for Manchester City. Between a serious injury to key midfielder Rodri and a slew of draws, including last week at Newcastle, it had been pretty much nothing but bad news for them since the last international break. Tomorrow’s opponents Fulham are unbeaten since their season opener at Man United, but will have to go on the road to a hostile crowd and a team they don’t match up particularly well against. It’s been a while since City have looked their dominant, “in search of a 5th straight title” selves, but I think Fulham at home may be just what the doctor ordered for the champs to rediscover their form.

The Pick: Man City, 2-0

Chelsea vs. Nottingham Forest

Speaking of teams that haven’t lost since their opener in Manchester: Chelsea! The Blues lost at Man City on Day 1, but haven’t been topped since then, extending their 5-match unbeaten streak with a commanding win over Brighton last week. Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, has stumbled in form, failing to build on their huge win at Liverpool three weeks ago. I think the Chelsea turnaround is for real, and certainly don’t expect Nottingham to be the team to trip up their red-hot form.

The Pick: Chelsea, 3-1

Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Getting Cole Palmer’d last week sort of perfectly summed up the stretch Brighton have endured in September. After such a promising start, the Gulls have been left looking for their first win since August, finally succumbing to their first defeat in enormous fashion at Chelsea. Tottenham Hotspur, on the other hand, got a massive (and much-needed) win, dominating Man United even without the services of their two starting forwards and starting left-back. It could spell a real turnaround moment for the North London club. And yet? I still have trust issues with this Tottenham side. The Brighton slide is real, so much so that I can’t comfortably predict a win for them here, but I do think the high stakes at home + the need for a turnaround in form will drive the Gulls to at least a point against an inconsistent and injury-affected Spurs.

The Pick: Draw, 2-2