Premier League Round 22 Predictions!

Having got used to so many Premier League rounds taking place in quick succession over Christmas, the FA Cup third round weekend that has just passed has made it feel like ages since we last had some PL football. Now that I've looked back, my predictor performance in Round 21 is probably what has made it quite forgettable as like many others I struggled and managed just 4 correct picks out of 10.

Time to try and make up for that this weekend then, though as you can see in the fixture graphic below, Round 22 looks pretty solid and I don't feel too comfortable picking a winner in any of them aside from perhaps Manchester City on Monday! Here are my thoughts on each game, let me know yours in the comments.

West Ham vs. Arsenal

Having now released a statement to insist Marko Arnautovic must remain at the club and honour his contract following interest from China, West Ham have been forced to make this transfer rumour into something much bigger and they need to be careful that performance levels doesn't suffer as a result. All managers will find January tricky because of the window - Unai Emery being a prime example with Aaron Ramsey's move to Juventus all over the news - but I think it's Arsenal who are more likely to win this game. West Ham have suffered a couple of bad results in their last two and if you concede two at home against Brighton, you're likely to struggle vs. Arsenal even more. Seeing Samir Nasri back in the Premier League against his old team will be fun though. Prediction: West Ham 1-3 Arsenal

Brighton vs. Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp has put a lot of his eggs in the Premier League basket following that FA Cup exit and whilst that's a move that will prove very sensible if Liverpool go and win this title, it puts a lot of pressure on the Reds for what will be a tough game at Brighton. They're slightly fortunate that they're playing earlier than Manchester City this weekend but they should edge this regardless because of player quality alone. I don't see Fabinho slotting in at CB as much of a problem and they should create enough chances to win this match. Prediction: Brighton 0-2 Liverpool

Burnley vs. Fulham

Tricky one. A win here for Burnley would provide some breathing space between themselves and the drop zone and since this is at Turf Moor you have to consider them favourites. The Clarets are likely to exit the FA Cup soon having drawn City in the fourth round but Fulham's embarrassing home defeat against Oldham last weekend not only ended their Cup run before it began but will have done their confidence some harm going in to this one. I see a narrow Burnley win that could push Fulham towards even more new signings. Prediction: Burnley 2-1 Fulham

Cardiff vs. Huddersfield

Cardiff also put in a very sorry FA Cup showing as they lost at Gillingham but the Bluebirds now face the only Premier League side that arguably have a less talented squad than themselves in Huddersfield who everyone expected would lose to Bristol City last week. The Terriers look dead and buried this season and with Cardiff doing OK at home in this campaign, I'm backing them to pick up three points here. Prediction: Cardiff 1-0 Huddersfield

Crystal Palace vs. Watford

These two look pretty even on paper. I see Palace as slight favourites given their good recent results and home advantage but I'm going with a draw as Javi Gracia's side aren't easy to beat and always seem to find a goal or two despite their lack of a clear goalscorer. Palace are in better form but both of these sides will be keen to avoid losing, even if that means playing slightly cautiously late on. Prediction: Crystal Palace 1-1 Watford

Leicester vs. Southampton

It never feels safe picking Leicester because of their lack of consistency. They've beaten City at home recently, also won at Stamford Bridge and Goodison Park but then lose to Cardiff and Newport! They're a far better side than Southampton and I'm backing them to get back on track after that FA Cup humiliation but it's certainly not guaranteed. Southampton will feel they have a chance at three points here if they can frustrate the Foxes in the first hour before grabbing something late on. Prediction: Leicester 2-0 Southampton

Chelsea vs. Newcastle

Everyone's fully aware of Chelsea's lack of goals and the Blues are another team that have plenty of potential distractions in the transfer market as they look to hold on to Hudson-Odoi and replace Alvaro Morata. Newcastle will arrive at the Bridge and set up for a point and since Southampton and Leicester have both managed to do that successfully (3 points in Leicester's case!) recently, there's every chance this could be goalless. However, I just feel that there's understandably even more negativity than usual around Newcastle whenever there's a transfer window open and it's clear both Benitez and his team are lacking a bit of belief. I think Chelsea can find an all-important goal to win this game, but there's a lot of pressure on Eden Hazard to find it. Prediction: Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle

Everton vs. Bournemouth

It's logical to expect goals in this one. Neither team are especially good at defending, both will look to attack and both need a win. Bournemouth's form has been poor of late but they've still managed a better recent record than Everton, winning 2 of their last 8 rather than just 1. I'm really not sure on this one so lets go for a bold away win as things really don't seem to be clicking for Marco Silva just yet. The Cherries have responded to their poor run with some interesting early business in the transfer window which should raise confidence. Prediction: Everton 2-3 Bournemouth

Tottenham vs. Manchester United

This is a massive game and again, there should be goals. OGS faces his first proper test as United manager while Mauricio Pochettino will want to win this game as much for himself as his team given the widespread speculation surrounding his future. With the exception of the Wolves game, Tottenham have been in excellent form and I think they'll have too much for United.

Though Solskjaer has improved United considerably in an attacking sense due to the freedom he's given Pogba in particular, huge questions remain over their defence and Tottenham are likely to find those weaknesses. In my opinion, Spurs also proved in midweek against Chelsea that they can be resilient enough to limit the number of goals United will find in comparison to previous weeks. Manchester United are certainly dangerous here due to their sudden belief that a top four place is back on and their unusual underdog status but I see Tottenham coming through. Prediction: Tottenham 3-1 Manchester United

Manchester City vs. Wolves

Finally, we'll find out on Monday if Wolves can get yet another result in a big game when they visit the Etihad. This is of course a tricky game for City against the side that knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup last week but the hosts have been in such good form of late that I can only see them winning regardless of the Liverpool result on Saturday. There will be considerable pressure if the Reds win at Brighton but Guardiola and City have the experience to treat this game as they usually would anyway. Prediction: Manchester City 2-0 Wolves

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Best of luck to you all with your picks. Since I've been mentioning the FA Cup so much in this piece, I feel I should let you know that our game for the tournament is also now live! Just as it did last year, the predictor will begin with the Fourth Round fixtures so make sure you have all your pools set up in time for the weekend of the 26th: Click here to join Superbru's FA Cup predictor.