Premier League Round 2 Predictions!

Like many Superbru players, I was relatively happy with how Round One of the Premier League played out. I managed 8/10 correct outcomes over the opening weekend with two of those eight exact, so while I'm not really challenging Darren Thornton on the global leaderboard after his ridiculous round of seven exacts, I am pleased to have made a solid start which I hope to now build on.

Round Two looks a little more difficult with plenty of evenly balanced games falling on Saturday. At this early stage of the season I'm trying to keep things as safe as possible without picking too many upsets but you do of course still need to think hard about margins since exact scores are so crucial for big points! Here are this week's fixtures:

Cardiff City vs. Newcastle

This is a really difficult one first up as I'm really not sure Newcastle are the sure winners many expect them to be. Sure, Cardiff aren't very good, but Newcastle aren't great either and certainly aren't a team you can depend on winning any game even if they probably should. The Cardiff City Stadium should be well up for this and I expect the hosts to at least start well. I'm really tempted to go with 1-1 but for now I've gone for 1-2 simply because Newcastle play Chelsea and Man City after this so will hopefully realise they really need to win this game and find that extra gear. Prediction: 1-2

Everton vs. Southampton

Everton looked OK last week and will be delighted to have taken a point having had Jagielka sent off so early in the game. It will be fascinating to see how long Richarlison can retain the strong form he showed at Molineux and under Marco Silva I think there's every chance he and the Everton team can continue to perform well - especially from an attacking point of view. Southampton were one of just two teams to let me down last week as I thought they'd nick a home win over Burnley but if they can't win that despite the Clarets' hectic fixture schedule then I can't see them winning at Goodison. Prediction: 3-1

Leicester vs. Wolves

That Jagielka sending off for Everton also made it tricky to properly assess Wolves. They'll be disappointed not to have earned three points but this is another game where they have a chance given the pressure Claude Puel is already under at Leicester. I thought the Foxes were quite good at Old Trafford with Maddison and Pereira both looking like great additions but they need results and if they don't find one here they'll be panicking a little. I expect Wolves to make themselves more compact away from home but think they'll score too. As a result, my pick is for the points to be shared but I do see Leicester as the more likely winner. Prediction: 1-1

Tottenham vs. Fulham

The other team to let me down last week, Fulham learned a harsh lesson against Palace as they failed to create proper chances during their strong first half and paid the price in the second. This week, there'll be very few expecting them to win and I also can't see anything other than a Tottenham win despite the slight distraction of the mess surrounding their new stadium. Spurs picked up a good win at Newcastle last time out and will only get stronger as squad fitness improves. Prediction: 2-0

West Ham vs. Bournemouth

The Hammers need to step up this week after a poor display at Anfield, but not from a literal defensive point-of-view as their backline was already far too high up the pitch! You had to feel for their new (not particularly fast) centre half who was told to play such a high line against Sadio Mane and Mo Salah. I expect Pellegrini to hatch a far better plan for this game though and they should be competitive against Bournemouth at home. The Cherries looked good but weren't really tested last week and I think they can get something here just because it's hard to see West Ham suddenly being really strong. I still believe Pellegrini will have a good season but Hammers fans may have to wait a few weeks while the likes of Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson settle in. Prediction: 1-1

Chelsea vs. Arsenal

More tricky to call than it perhaps usually is between these two teams at Stamford Bridge as up until last season's 0-0 draw Chelsea had a strong winning run over the Gunners at home. Two new managers mean we can expect both sides to be slow out of the blocks and slightly unpredictable this season but I think you have to side with Chelsea for this one. The Blues have the better players and Arsenal did nothing to suggest there's a quick fix to the end of the Wenger era last week. Prediction: 2-1

Burnley vs. Watford

A massive well done to Burnley for progressing to the final qualifying round of the Europa League for a place in the group stage. Of course, that progression extends their difficult schedule of balancing a thin squad for both that competition and the Premier League and after being taken to extra time on Thursday night this could be a struggle. The Clarets look really short of goals after last week's 0-0 and their Europa League results while Watford still haven't scored away from home under Javi Gracia! I'm therefore obviously considering 0-0 but that seems too obvious and it's unlikely Burnley will have two goalless draws in a row? A draw still seems likely though. Prediction: 1-1

Manchester City vs. Huddersfield

For reasons I probably don't need to go through, I can only see a City win. This is a question of how many the hosts score and while it's almost impossible to feel confident either way, I'm going to move away from playing the safe pick of 2-0 and be a little ambitious in search of an exact. Prediction: 4-0

Brighton vs. Manchester United

This could well be a tough game for United but Brighton looked really off the pace at Vicarage Road last week. Chris Hughton has built a strong team and they seem to have signed some good players but again it will take time for them to adapt to the Premier League. I think Brighton may score but United should win this match and they are a bit of a 2-1 team. Prediction: 1-2

Crystal Palace vs. Liverpool

I very nearly went for a draw here but for now I've gone with Liverpool. Palace are a strong team at home and have beaten many top sides at Selhurst Park in recent seasons. Liverpool do need to be respected this season though after their performances last season and such a strong start to the campaign last week. The Reds seem to have a midfield that is closer to the standard of their front three now and that spells danger for the rest of the division. They are far better at Anfield than they are away though so I think this will be tight but I'm playing safe with the prediction that many brus will go with! Prediction: 1-2

Let me know what you think of these picks and what you've gone for personally in the comments section below. If you're keen to see extra news and insights, head to our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) where you can see extra content including the average Premier League picks taken from all the predictions made so far! Best of luck to all in Round Two.