Premier League Predictor: Round 33 Picks
Round 32 of the Premier League predictor proved to be pretty tough and I only managed the average of 4/10 correct picks, though the fact two of them were exact meant I did OK overall - I'd like to thank Everton for their 2-1 win over Leicester!
In Round 33, things are set to be pretty tricky again in my opinion, with 5 quite straightforward picks (on paper!) and 5 more difficult ones. Here are my thoughts. As always, feel free to leave your own in the comments!
Best of luck to you all with your picks!
In Round 33, things are set to be pretty tricky again in my opinion, with 5 quite straightforward picks (on paper!) and 5 more difficult ones. Here are my thoughts. As always, feel free to leave your own in the comments!
Norwich vs. Brighton
Norwich look dead and buried really whereas Brighton have been impressive since the restart. Yes, they were outplayed by United last time out but United look a really strong side at the moment and there's no shame in that. The Seagulls should have enough to win this, particularly as Norwich like to give away a free goal or 2 in each game anyway. Prediction: Norwich 0-2 BrightonLeicester vs. Crystal Palace
A far more tricky pick. Leicester really do look unrecognisable from their first half of the season selves at the moment. They're still fine on the ball in terms of knocking it about fairly well and they aren't awful defensively but they seem to have just lost all of their attacking momentum. They have to find a way to get Vardy back scoring if they're to stand a chance of staying in the top four, perhaps Rodgers will look at changing shape so that he can play off either Perez or Iheanacho up top? I think a pair of strikers might work for them so will wait to see the teams before making a concrete pick. I can see Palace getting a point if Rodgers goes with the same formation but I'm predicting that he'll mix it up. Prediction: Leicester 2-1 Crystal PalaceManchester United vs. Bournemouth
This game couldn't look more one-sided on paper. United are absolutely flying and Bournemouth just conceded 4 goals at home against Newcastle. I'd be stunned if this ends in anything other than a United win. I'm going for a big margin but there's a chance Solskjaer rests the likes of Bruno and Rashford which might make it a little closer. Prediction: Manchester United 4-0 BournemouthWolves vs. Arsenal
The top four race is going to be fascinating this month and Wolves are right in it. They're in better defensive form than every team in Europe and have a massive threat up top in Jimenez. Arsenal are rebuilding some confidence and might end the hosts' run of clean sheets but I'd be surprised to see them win. Wolves have had a long time to prepare for this and I think they're a fair bit stronger than the Gunners. Prediction: Wolves 2-1 ArsenalChelsea vs. Watford
Chelsea's loss at West Ham was doubly disappointing for Watford because not only have West Ham moved ahead of the Hornets in the relegation fight but it also makes Chelsea far more likely to beat them in my opinion. Lampard was understandably fuming after the result and will surely demand a response from his team here. Clearly, the Blues are hugely suspect at set pieces but Watford have looked very poor in their last two games and aren't exactly prolific from corners and free-kicks. It would be a big surprise to see them re-create the big upset West Ham caused. Prediction: Chelsea 3-0 WatfordBurnley vs. Sheffield United
A tricky pick. Are Sheffield United back after their win over Tottenham? I think it was more a case of Spurs reacting badly to the VAR call on Lucas Moura so the Blades still have to get a result here to convince me that they're recapturing their pre-covid form. Despite such a small squad, Dyche continues to grind out results with Burnley and I think they can win here with Sheffield Utd missing Fleck and Lundstram. Prediction: Burnley 1-0 Sheffield UnitedNewcastle vs. West Ham
I'm still trying to work out how Newcastle are suddenly quite good! Saint-Maximin is of course a great player and the team are playing with great confidence and even some freedom since they aren't involved in a relegation battle for once. There's no reason why they can't continue their strong form here but it's really hard to tell whether this will be the West Ham that beat Chelsea or the terrible side we usually see in claret and blue. I'm honestly not sure what to go for but feel a home win is safest. Prediction: Newcastle 2-1 West HamLiverpool vs. Aston Villa
It feels very harsh to criticise Liverpool after what they've achieved over the past two seasons but I do think they should feel quite embarrassed about the manner of their hammering at the Etihad. Rather than following up their guard of honour with a champions performance against their rivals, they were dominated after the first goal went in and can't really hide behind the 'it doesn't matter anymore' excuse with Klopp rightly angry at full-time. Expect a response here against a far weaker opponent. Villa will head to Anfield and park the bus but that doesn't work against this team. Prediction: Liverpool 3-0 Aston VillaSouthampton vs. Manchester City
Of course it doesn't come close to making up for the title loss, but City will have enjoyed that win over Liverpool and should win this game too. I like Southampton and think they're becoming a really good team under Hasenhuttl that can compete in this fixture, but City should edge it. It's exciting to see how many direct goal contributions Phil Foden is making since the restart and he's evidence of just how strong City's entire squad is (or at least the attacking half of it!). Prediction: Southampton 1-3 Manchester CityTottenham vs. Everton
People are already jumping on the fact that Tottenham have made a mistake by hiring Mourinho, and that's an understandable take, but I don't think you can really judge him until we see how next season goes. That said, as his recent press conferences have shown, there is still potential for a lot of damage to be done before that. Everton are a tidy side and will definitely give Spurs a game. Though Tottenham have more options than they did before lockdown, I still think the fact that Mourinho will have to keep picking certain players will mean the issues they have remain quite consistent so I'm going for a draw. Prediction: Tottenham 1-1 EvertonBest of luck to you all with your picks!
I also doubt Palace can score at Leicester. But what do I know? I've dropped from about 1250th to 2750th since the restart! Last round we had 5 Home wins & 5 away wins and NO draws and 3 games picked by about 30% so I should have got 1 of them on average? Not helped by switching Everton win vs Leic to a draw and City 2-1 to LIv 1-2. Pah!