Premier League MD12 Predictions: Expect the big guns to get back on track | OneFootball

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Game of the Weekend

Man City v Tottenham - Saturday 17:30

After four straight defeats it's hard to have total confidence in Manchester City but it's fair to say that the international break came at a good time for Pep Guardiola and his men. They've had time to have a reset, a few more players are returning from injury, and of course, they club have been boosted by Guardiola agreeing to a contract extension.

If you didn't fully understand the meaning of the word Spursy then a glance at Tottenham's recent results explains it perfectly. Victories over Man City in the cup and Aston Villa in the Premier League are what Ange Postecoglou's men are capable of, but those wins were sandwiched by defeats to previously winless Crystal Palace and previously winless Ipswich. In a nutshell, Spurs are just incredibly inconsistent and very unpredictable.

With that in mind then, and not knowing which Tottenham side will show up, we've just got to assume that Man City will be somewhere near to their best, and if that's the case then they're very likely to take all three points.

Mike's prediction: Man City to Win

Remaining Fixtures

Leicester v Chelsea - Saturday 12:30

It's been a bit of a struggle for Leicester of late with a home defeat to Nottingham Forest being their last result in the league in front of their own fans. Chelsea on the other hand are doing okay, their only league defeats this term were to Man City and Liverpool, and with Cole Palmer set to play following his absence for England I can see the Blues recording a comfortable victory over the Foxes.

Mike's prediction: Chelsea to Win

Arsenal v Nottm Forest - Saturday 15:00

By the time this game kicks off it will be exactly seven weeks since Arsenal last won a Premier League game. That's pretty hard to believe. True, they've only played four games in that time but it has to be of concern, especially given that they also lost to Inter Milan in the Champions League.

But like Man City it feels like the international break came at a good time, and with Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka likely to have recovered from the 'injuries' that ruled them out of the England squad I can see Mikel Arteta's men getting back to winning ways, despite Forest enjoying a great season so far.

Mike's prediction: Arsenal to Win

Aston Villa v Crystal Palace - Saturday 15:00

Aston Villa are another team on a four-game losing run and like Man City they have a winnable home fixture to help them get back on track. Only two of those defeats were in the league however and they were at Tottenham and Liverpool, so perhaps we should ignore their current form.

At their best Unai Emery's men will have far too much for Palace, and given the visitors have a long injury list and only recorded one league win this term I can see another comfortable home win here.

Mike's prediction: Aston Villa to Win

Bournemouth v Brighton - Saturday 15:00

Bournemouth being around mid-table and Brighton being bang in contention for a top six finish is what we expect these days, they are just two sides that you can rely on to win x amount of games, stay out of trouble, and give their fans plenty of happy moments. It's hard to predict which set of fans will have the happier moments in this clash, it's easy to make a case for any of th three possible outcomes, so because the Draw price is the biggest of all three, I'll go for that.

Mike's prediction: Draw

Everton v Brentford - Saturday 15:00

This is another game that looks very tough to predict. The Toffees have lost just one of their last seven in the Premier League but four of those games have been draws, including finishing all level in their last two home games at Goodison Park.

Brentford have been the great entertainers so far this season; all of their last 11 games have resulted in both teams getting on the scoresheet, and their last five league games alone have averaged over five goals per match. I think a few sequences will be broken here however. First, the Bees can end their losing away run by avoiding defeat, and secondly I don't expect this to be a thriller. A low-scoring draw looks on the cards to me.

Mike's prediction: Draw

Fulham v Wolves - Saturday 15:00

After a very difficult start to the season Wolves now have a kind set of fixtures which commenced with a 2-0 win over Southampton just before the international break, but I dare say away to Fulham is probably one of the harder games they'll play in the next few weeks.

Fulham are seventh in the table after two consecutive wins, and depending on other results, a win here could take them third in the table, and a worse case scenario of just one point behind the team in third. It's been a great season so far for Marco Silva's men and I expect it to continue here.

Mike's prediction: Fulham to Win

Southampton v Liverpool - Sunday 14:00

An easy prediction here, it should be a comfortable win for top-of-the-table Liverpool. The Saints look a poor side to me, and it's no surprise to see them long odds-on for the drop. Their only win this season was a narrow victory over a poor Everton side, and they've already failed to win home games against the likes of Leicester, Ipswich and Nottingham Forest. Liverpool are in a different league to that trio of teams, and they should prove it here.

Mike's prediction: Liverpool to Win

Ipswich v Manchester United - Sunday 16:30

It's going to be fascinating to see how Manchester United get on in their first game for new boss Ruben Amorim. I have to say I've been massively impressed by the way he talks and conducts himself, and I've always held the opinion that a happy, likeable manager who talks well can have a huge impact on morale at a club, on players' attitudes, and how a team performs.

In other word, he's the opposite to Erik ten Hag who I've been saying for a long time simply didn't look happy at United and should have been sacked much earlier.

Already the signs are good for United. Players are posting on social media about how good training has been and how happy everyone seems to be. And Amorim himself just looks one cool customer, with an excellent managerial record so far may I add, who will turn the club's fortunes around. It will be a tough job, but I have more confidence in him than I did in a few previous managers that he's the man for the job.

But let's not forget about Ipswich. They got their first win of the season last time out with a magnificent 2-1 win at Tottenham, but if truth be told it's been on the cards. They've played well in so many games this term without getting their reward. I think the Tractor Boys have enough about them to avoid the drop, but for this game I just get the feeling that Amorim will have the Midas touch and United will be much improved.

Mike's prediction: Man United to Win

Newcastle v West Ham - Monday 20:00

I haven't been totally convinced by Newcastle this term but they've had some great results of late, beating Chelsea in the EFL Cup before wins over Arsenal and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League sent them into the international break on a high. The Hammers have won just two of their last 10 in all competitions, both on home soil, so I'm expecting a confident Magpies team to win this one and heap more pressure on Julen Lopetegui.