⛅️ Friday Forecast: Pep vs Big Sam, L for Lampard, can Arsenal cling on? | OneFootball

The 2022/23 Premier League season will all be over in exactly 23 days, so let’s enjoy it while it lasts.

It’s time for some weekend predictions.

💪 Game of the weekend

Newcastle v Arsenal

If Arsenal’s title dream was already hanging by a thread, a big pair of scissors could snip it into oblivion on Sunday.

St James’ Park was the ground on which the Gunners’ top four hopes came to an end just under a year ago and while Mikel Arteta’s side have improved immensely over the last 12 months, the same could undoubtedly be said of Newcastle.

Eddie Howe’s side approach this weekend’s clash having won eight of their last nine matches, with 26 goals scored over the course of that run. Another victory this weekend wouldn’t quite guarantee a top four finish, but it would move them a huge step closer to welcoming Champions League football to Tyneside next season.

But while a defeat would put another major dent in Arsenal’s title hopes, a win could be just the tonic they’ll need to keep them hanging onto Manchester City’s coattails until the bitter end of the season.

Every game is a final now, and this one should be a cracker.

📊 Fun fact: Newcastle haven’t beaten Arsenal in consecutive home games since winning three in a row between 1993/94 and 1995/96.

🔮 Our prediction: Newcastle 3-1 Arsenal

😨 Potential upset

Bournemouth v Chelsea

What a horrendous season it has been for Chelsea.

Three managers, roughly £600m spent on players, 14 Premier League defeats (including four in a row since Frank Lampard’s return as interim manager) and just 39 points makes for embarrassing reading.

And Blues fans shouldn’t be expecting their situation to improve this weekend, when they travel to face a Bournemouth side just behind them in the table and almost officially safe from relegation.

Gary O’Neil should be a contender for Manager of the Season for the job he’s done since taking over from Scott Parker at the end of August. The Cherries head into this weekend on a three-match winning run and the 1.2 points-per-game they’ve picked up under O’Neil means one more victory from their four remaining games should ensure survival.

When comparing the two squads on paper, Saturday’s game at the Vitality Stadium should be a huge mismatch, yet Chelsea look so rudderless at the moment that it’s difficult to imagine them ending their horrible run of form in this one.

And if they don’t, those very minor relegation fears could begin to grow into something more serious.

📊 Fun fact: The last time Chelsea failed to win away at any of the three promoted sides in a season was 2012/13.

🔮 Our prediction: Bournemouth 2-1 Chelsea

👍 Big favourites

Manchester City v Leeds

“Far too many people think I’m old and antiquated. But nobody is ahead of me in football terms — not Klopp, not Pep, not Arteta. I’m not saying I’m better than them — but I’m as good as them.”

Those were the bullish words of new Leeds boss Sam Allardyce after he arrived at Elland Road on Wednesday tasked with steering the club away from relegation in their four remaining games of the season.

And Big Sam will get a great opportunity to prove himself right when he comes up against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

The Premier League champions now need a maximum of 11 points from their remaining five matches to effectively guarantee a fifth title in six seasons due to their superior goal difference over Arsenal. In Wednesday’s win over West Ham they netted the 1000th goal of the Guardiola era, with Erling Haaland also breaking the Premier League goalscoring record with his 35th league strike of his debut campaign in England.

It’s difficult to imagine the league leaders not picking up another three points on Saturday, but Allardyce will be instructing his team to keep it tight, mark Haaland closely and try to do some damage on the break.

“We start with an easy one on Saturday,” joked the 68-year-old in his press conference.

“It can’t get any easier than Manchester City away, can it?”

📊 Fun fact: City have won their last three Premier League games against Leeds by an aggregate score of 14-1.

🔮 Our prediction: Manchester City 2-0 Leeds

🤔 Too close to call

Nottingham Forest v Southampton

“Boring” is a word which definitely could not be used to describe this Premier League season, especially when it comes to the relegation battle.

As we head into the final four matches, 50% of the league could still mathematically find themselves in the Championship next season if they aren’t careful, and it should make for a fascinating few weeks (unless, of course, you support any of those 10 clubs).

On Monday night we have a huge relegation six-pointer coming our way from the City Ground featuring two sides who are rapidly running out of opportunities to claw themselves out of the drop zone.

Nottingham Forest gave themselves something to cling to with their recent victory over Brighton, only for a defeat away at Brentford to knock them back down to 18th.

While the only point Southampton have picked up in their last six matches was that shock 3-3 draw away at Arsenal a fortnight ago.

A win for Forest here would likely move them out of the relegation zone and effectively (but not quite officially) relegate Saints, while a win for Rubén Sellés’s side wouldn’t even move them off the bottom but would give them a fighting chance of survival.

This encounter is arguably the biggest fixture of the Premier League matchday, and lots of other clubs will be watching with interest.

📊 Fun fact: Forest’s only away win of the season so far came at Southampton. If they win on Monday, it will be their first Premier League double since they beat Tottenham home and away in 1996/97.

🔮 Our prediction: Nottingham Forest 2-1 Southampton

🔥 Your Fantasy Football captain should be …

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)

Haaland’s exploits and Liverpool’s patchy form means much of the usual buzz and chatter around Salah has largely been absent this season.

And while the Egyptian hasn’t hit his typical heights this term, he has quietly found some form in front of goal in recent weeks, with seven goals in his last eight matches taking his tally to 18 in the Premier League in 2022/23.

Reds boss Jürgen Klopp revealed after Salah netted a penalty against Fulham on Wednesday night that the striker had specifically asked to remain on spot-kick duty after missing one against Arsenal last month.

It sounds like Salah has a point to prove, and we fancy him to continue his scoring streak against Brentford at Anfield this weekend. He’s netted in each of his last eight appearances at home.

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