Premier League predictions – Gameweek 15: Can Liverpool spoil Everton’s party in last Goodison derby? | OneFootball

The 2024-25 Premier League season is building momentum and gameweek 15 brings a few more titanic clashes.

The standout fixture of the weekend is Everton and Liverpool locking horns in the last-ever Merseyside derby at Goodison Park — unless, of course, they are drawn together in the FA Cup. The Toffees will be desperate to give the Grand Old Lady the send-off it deserves, while the Reds will obviously be eager to leave their local rivals with the bitterest of tastes.

But there’s plenty more beyond that Saturday early kick-off, including title-chasing Arsenal travelling to Fulham and a blockbuster London derby between Tottenham and Chelsea on Sunday.

We’ve taken a look at all 10 matches from gameweek 15 and given our predicted scores. It should be a fun one!

Everton vs Liverpool

The weekend starts with one of the most important Merseyside derbies, perhaps ever. Everton fans will not be able to stomach the thought of losing their last battle with ‘them’ at Goodison Park. What’s more, the Toffees thrashed Wolves 4-0 in midweek and will see this as a great chance to signal to those around them that they’re not interested in another relegation battle.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have made a habit of raining on Everton’s parade over the years. However, they showed some rare signs of weakness in their 3-3 draw away at Newcastle United last time out. The Reds have failed to score in their last two Goodison derbies, while Jordan Pickford is second only to Andre Onana (6) for Premier League clean sheets this season (5).

All of that could combine to offer Goodison a tepid end to Merseyside derby duties. Everton fans will probably accept that, to be honest.

Aston Villa vs Southampton

Aston Villa finally got back on track in midweek, with their 3-1 victory against Brentford ending an eight-game winless run across all competitions. For Southampton, it couldn’t have gone much worse, losing 5-1 at home to Chelsea with Jack Stephens getting sent off for pulling Marc Cucrella’s hair, rooting them to the bottom of the table.

Villa have won four of their last five matches against Aston Villa to nil, while their only defeat during that time was a narrow 1-0 in November 2021. Southampton have the worst attack in the league and the second-worst defence and it’s really hard to see them improving either of those metrics against a Villa confident once again.

Brentford vs Newcastle

Brentford will be bruised from that defeat to Villa but they’re a totally different proposition at home. The Bees are the Premier League’s finest on their own turf this season, winning six and drawing one of their seven home games to pick up 19 points; even more than the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City. That’s in stark contrast to their away form, which has delivered a league-low single point.

Newcastle won’t quite know how to feel after their 3-3 draw with Liverpool, disappointed to throw away two leads but ecstatic to steal a late draw. The Magpies have taken four points from their last two away games but are winless in three and may not have enough to stop England’s home experts.

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City

Pep Guardiola went an unprecedented seven matches without seeing his side win, losing six times during that run. But there was no way he was letting that become eight and Nottingham Forest turned out to be their unfortunate punchbag, going down 3-0 at the Etihad. That said, Forest did create chances when the scores were still close and even Guardiola himself will know Man City are not out of the woods yet (no pun intended).

Although they’re 17th, Palace appear to have turned a corner, losing just one of their last seven matches across all competitions. The Eagles have also proven a pest for Man City in recent years, losing just three of their last six against the champions, which is a good record against Guardiola’s men.

Do we see Palace adding to that record? No. Man City may well pick up some steam now. But they won’t find it easy at Selhurst Park and will have to be patient.

Man United suffered their first defeat of the Ruben Amorim era on Wednesday, falling 2-0 away at Arsenal. The Red Devils were completely outplayed from start to finish but in all honesty, it’s going to take time to turn things around at Old Trafford.

As mentioned, Forest lost 3-0 at the Etihad on the same night, meaning they’ve now lost three of their last four and appear to be levelling out following a stunning start.

The Tricky Trees haven’t won at Old Trafford since 1994 and it’s hard to see that changing here. Keep an eye on Marcus Rashford, who has scored three goals in his first two Premier League games at Old Trafford under Amorim.

Fulham vs Arsenal

Fulham are enjoying an excellent run right now, losing just one of their last six matches. In their last two alone, they’ve taken four points from Spurs and Brighton, climbing all the way up to sixth, just four points adrift of the Champions League places. Make no mistake, Marco Silva’s men are in the European hunt and will make life very difficult for Arsenal on Sunday. However, the Gunners are back to their best following an Odegaard-less blip. They’ll get the job done.

Prediction: Fulham 1-2 Arsenal (11/2 with BetMGM)

Ipswich Town vs Bournemouth

This is probably one of the toughest games of the weekend to call.

Ipswich are 18th with just one win from 14 matches, but they’ve rarely been knocked out of a match and were on a three-game unbeaten run prior to back-to-back 1-0 defeats to Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace. Bournemouth, meanwhile, have won their last two matches, but their 4-2 victory at Molineux is just their second win on the road this season.

The likes of Evanilson and Justin Kluivert have been causing havoc for opponents recently and will provide a serious test of Ipswich’s defence, but  — helped by Liam Delap’s goals — the Tractor Boys have made a habit of grinding out results this season and even a draw would keep them in touch with those above them.

Leicester City vs Brighton

Ruud van Nistelrooy kicked off his Leicester tenure in style on Tuesday with a 3-1 win over West Ham United, only conceding in the final moments. That result just so happened to end a six-game winless run that included five defeats.

This might just be the right time to face Brighton as well, with the Seagulls winning just two of their last seven and losing 3-1 to Fulham last time out.

Leicester are unbeaten in 90 minutes in their last eight home matches against Brighton and Van Nistelrooy will be expecting more momentum to build here.

Tottenham vs Chelsea

Things got ugly for Ange Postecoglou after Tottenham’s defeat to Bournemouth, with the Australian involved in a back-and-forth with Spurs supporters. That defeat has increased the pressure on his job, while sinking Spurs even further down the Premier League table to 10th. Their 4-0 win over Manchester City at the Etihad feels like a long time ago now and represents their only win in their last six across all competitions.

With that in mind, it might feel like the worst possible time to face a Chelsea side sitting second, unbeaten in seven and enjoying a four-game winning streak with just two goals conceded.

However, Spurs have a funny habit of turning up in these big matches, only to leave supporters tearing their hair out the following week. Expect a reaction to the Bournemouth loss, especially at home in a London derby.

West Ham vs Wolves

If recent reports are to be believed, this might be a punch-out between two managers looking to get one another sacked. In reality, even if there is a winner here, they may only be holding off their dismissal by a week.

But recovery has to start somewhere. Both teams are shipping goals but both are also capable of scoring them, so this could get fun, with home advantage just seeing West Ham over the line.

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