Premier League Predictions, Week 9

© Micah Veldkamp, 2025

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Welcome back to the weekly predictions, Premier League fans! We've got more domestic league action for you this weekend after another fun tour through European competitions in the interim.

And as eager as I am to get back to watching soccer this weekend, I'm even more eager to get back to predicting these matches! After all, my red-hot form continued last weekend thanks to a blistering start out the gates. Not only were my first three predictions (wins for Arsenal and Manchester City, a draw in the Crystal Palace-Bournemouth match) all correct, in two of them, I got the scorelines completely right as well. Alas, much like my beloved Liverpool's season thus far, my strong start was immediately followed by a sharp dropoff, as I failed to predict Tottenham's surprising home loss to Aston Villa, and Liverpool's downright stunning home loss to Manchester United. I did get a third correct scoreline correct in the latter, at least though, salvaging a 4.5/5 week, and bringing my season tally up to a much more respectable 20/25.

But, the matches are already underway this weekend, and are less than 12 hours from kicking back off, so let's not waste any more time making prediction lemonade out of real-life result lemons. Here are your 5 for Week 9!

Chelsea vs. Sunderland

Sunderland’s surprisingly impressive start to season hit a snag right before the international break with a 2-0 loss to Manchester United, but the Black Cats got back to business in their first match back with a mirroring 2-0 victory over Wolves. Nobody, it seems, is unhappy about Sunderland’s early success in their return to the league but it has to be said, this promising start has mostly come against the more inferior competition in the top level. Tomorrow’s opponents Chelsea are infamously one of the richest clubs in the universe, and they have won four in a row in all competitions and have been downright dominant since the recent break. I think this one will just be too high a level disparity for Sunderland to overcome.

The Pick: Chelsea, 4-1

Brentford vs. Liverpool

Liverpool’s slide heading into the international break, as it turns out, was not merely down to a team running low on energy and in need of refocusing. The Reds returned from the break with a near-identical performance against Manchester United as their three previous losses, yielding a shocking third  consecutive league loss, and there’s no question this one hurt the most. Their 5-point lead from a month ago has rapidly turned into a 4-point deficit behind Arsenal now. Arne Slot’s men did get a palette-cleansing Champions League romp on Wednesday to avoid a historic fifth straight loss in all competitions, but the question is, was that 5-1 win over Frankfurt fool’s gold or a real turning point? I could see it going either way, but given how poor Frankfurt’s defense has been against all teams this season, plus how many times I was sold a dream of a turnaround in that cursed 22-23 season only for it to immediately yield a 1-0 upset loss, I’m gonna bank on this tricky matchup (against an opponent featuring several former Liverpool players) being a harsh reality check for the Reds.

The Pick: Brentford, 1-0

Bournemouth vs. Nottingham Forest

The Ange Postecoglou era at Nottingham Forest was over before it began, and now Forest, who had such a magical run last season, are onto their third manager before November. It’s another familiar face at the helm now in Sean Dyche, whose brand of “Brexit ball” might be a better representation of where Forest are tactically at the moment, and presents quite the fascinating contrast to Andoni Iraola’s lightning-quick, controlled counterattacking style at Bournemouth. His Cherries’ amazing form has continued, and he has them in a dead-even tie with Liverpool (their lone conquerors this season) for third place at the moment. I do have more faith in Dyche’s prospects at Nottingham than I did with Big Ange, but this is a tough first fixture to whet your whistle on.

The Pick: Bournemouth, 2-0

Aston Villa vs. Manchester City

Manchester City well and truly appear to be back, having bounced back from their mini-slump in August to rattle off 9 unbeaten in all comps since then, a stretch that includes an away draw at league leaders Arsenal. Aston Villa sneakily might be back too, though; Unai Emery’s men were able to build on the good momentum generated pre-international break to upset Tottenham in North London last week, marking a third straight win and a 5-match unbeaten streak sees them all the way back up to mid-table from the doldrums they had been languishing in for the first month. On form alone, this matchup feels a bit like an unstoppable force vs. an immovable object; I have to default to City’s higher ceiling, though, and believe they’ll have enough quality to pull out a win in Birmingham.

The Pick: Man City, 2-1

Arsenal vs. Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace didn’t completely bounce back from their “unbeaten season”-ending loss to Everton before the international break, but coming back last weekend from both 2-0 down and then 3-2 down in stoppage time against a very good Bournemouth team was an impressive result indeed. Unfortunately, their jobs won’t get easier now, with a trip to league leaders Arsenal on the line, where they’ll face their old star player Eberechi Eze quickly after his departure from Selhurt Park. Eze’s new team have hit a groove, no question; the Gunners are continuing to overpower all comers in the Premier League and Champions League both. Sometimes it’s an ugly 1-0 over Fulham, sometimes it’s a rousing 4-0 romp over Atlético Madrid, but being able to win both ways is a hallmark of a champion. I think Palace is legit good and will continue to trouble top teams this season… I just also think Arsenal is legit great, and under Arteta, play the exact soul-sucking style that can confound a press-forward team like Palace.

The Pick: Arsenal, 2-0