Premier League Predictions, Week 8

© Micah Veldkamp, 2025

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Welcome back to the weekly predictions, Premier League fans! Each international break this season is a mixed bag: on the one hand, we're getting closer and closer to the 2026 World Cup. On the other hand, each hiatus from the Premier League feels longer and longer (especially when you haven't seen your team win a match in nearly a month...sigh....). But I am delighted to share that we are, frankly, SO back this weekend.

Speaking of being SO back, did you even remember that last time out I secured my best result of the season thus far? Did you even think about that for one minute? Well, I did. Were it not for Jack Grealish's stoppage time winner, I would have gotten all 5 results and 3 of the 5 with perfect scoreline. Alas, I had to settle for 4 and 2 respectively, as that goal changed a 1-1 draw to a 2-1 win for Everton. Elsewhere, though, the expected Manchester United and Arsenal wins came to fruition, and my weekend was bookended with perfect predictions: Tottenham 2-1 over Leeds to start the weekend, and Chelsea 2-1 over Liverpool (le sigh) to round out the slate.

That rare 5-burger improves me to 15.5/30 on the year thus far, a drastic improvement from the sub-.500 numbers I entered

But, the matches are less than 12 hours from being SO back, so let's not waste any more time celebrating too early. Here are your 5 for Week 8!

Crystal Palace vs. Bournemouth

This could sneakily be one of the best matches this weekend, as it's a showdown of the season's biggest upstarts: Bournemouth is currently crashing the Top 4 party while Crystal Palace was the longest holdout unbeaten this season. Palace finally got in the L column just before the international break with a late collapse at Everton, but Bournemouth carried on their unbeaten streak from every match since the season opener at Liverpool. Despite only recently suffering their first loss, the Eagles have certainly have shown more cracks in the armor, to the point where I don't feel very good about picking them as winners in this one, but I do think they will be inspired to play much better in their return from the break, and should be enough to share points.

The Pick: Draw, 2-2

Manchester City vs. Everton

Don't look now, but these two are separated by a mere two points in the table, which I'm not sure fans of either side saw coming at this mid-October benchmark. Manchester City, in an attempt to bounce back from a disappointing prior season, started poorly once again, but have started to come into their own, winning a third straight match before the break. Everton, meanwhile, have sneakily been quite good, losing only twice to this point and only 1 of their last 6. I think the Moyes 2.0 Era could be a good thing for the blue side of Liverpool, but I do think hoping to continue their momentum in a visit to Pep Guardiola's City will be too tall a task.

The Pick: Man City, 2-0

Fulham vs. Arsenal

After being a top-club badgerer and European qualification contender in 2 of the last 3 seasons. Fulham has had a much more muted start to this year. Their home loss to Bournemouth before the break marked their second straight, and third in the last 5. Arsenal, meanwhile, with two straight wins and two straight Liverpool losses, have climbed to the top of the league, where their fans believe they deserved to have been since 2023. Fulham's still capable of punching above their weight and will have home support as they catch Arsenal off a bye week, so I think this could be a tough one for the Gunners. But these are two clubs going in opposite directions at the moment, and it's hard to overlook that.

The Pick: Arsenal, 1-0

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Aston Villa

Operation Thomas's Tottenham Turnaround is well underway, as new manager Thomas Frank has Spurs in 3rd place, having lost only one match thus far. Unai Emery's Aston Villa was badly in need of their own turnaround, after an unexpectedly dreadful start to this season, but the good news is that it may have begun. The Villains are on a four match unbeaten streak and before the break enjoyed back-to-back wins for the first time this season. I generally back Tottenham at this point, especially at home, but they still haven't cured the disease of unpredictable form, and I also believe the Villa trajectory is legit, so I'll go with all square in North London.

The Pick: Draw, 1-1

Liverpool vs. Manchester United

Coming into this season, Liverpool were favored to repeat as league champions, and Manchester United were expected to struggle to compete once again after their brutal 16th-place finish last season. Both predictions have somewhat borne out, but neither has proven totally true: Liverpool have struggled in form all season, and the results finally caught up to them with three consecutive losses (one in the Champions League), knocking them out of first place in the Premier League for the first time since November of last year. Meanwhile, Manchester United have already looked considerably more put together this season (a League Cup humiliation to Grimsby Town notwithstanding) than in recent seasons, even if the results have not always aligned with that. That said, there's still an undeniable quality gap between these teams, and Liverpool, playing in front of a home crowd, will be desperate for a turnaround win. The last-second Crystal Palace and Chelsea losses were frustrating for them, but not altogether surprising-- lose this one at home? The panic will start to creep in.

The Pick: Liverpool, 2-1