Premier League Round 9 Predictions!

It feels like ages ago now, but Round 8 of the Premier League went OK for me at Superbru as I managed 6/10 correct outcomes to beat the average and earn some green arrows. A more entertaining international break than usual included some notable results such as France's UEFA Nations League win over Germany and England's win in Spain but it's always good to have club football back (especially when there's Champions League this week too!).

Don't forget that by simply making your own Premier League picks you'll be in with a chance of winning up to £50,000 in our Exact Score Challenge this season. Even in the tricky Round 8 we had a prize winner with 5 exacts so it's always worth a go!

Without further ado, here are the fixtures for Round 9 along with my pick for each of them. As always, feel free to agree, disagree and debate them with me in the comments.

Chelsea vs. Manchester United

We're straight in with the monster game of the weekend as these two meet first up at Stamford Bridge in the early Saturday kick-off. Form, head-to-head records and squads all suggest this should be a home win and you'd be brave not to pick Chelsea. I expect Mourinho to try and shut this game down but is his defence really capable? The performance against Newcastle was ugly and even the incredible comeback appeared to come from desperation and no team structure at all rather than tactics.

Chelsea are playing very well and will create chances against this Manchester United team. I think the Blues can score early too which will open things up and I think there may be more goals than people believe as a result. If United do lose this game as many expect, there's going to be an incredible amount of pressure across their upcoming Champions League ties with Juventus. Prediction: Chelsea 3-1 Manchester United

Bournemouth vs. Southampton

Bournemouth look good, especially at home. They're scoring a lot of goals at the Vitality as well which is bad news for Southampton who are struggling to find the net (despite creating chances) and didn't defend well against Chelsea before the international break. Provided the break hasn't harmed Bournemouth's momentum too much, I can only see a win for the Cherries here. This is a critical period for Southampton as they have two good home fixtures coming up before the November Internationals but I don't expect them to win this away. Prediction: Bournemouth 2-0 Southampton

Cardiff vs. Fulham

Not an easy pick. This is probably the most winnable game Cardiff could ask for at home other than perhaps Huddersfield as they look to break their duck for the season. Fulham are conceding way too many goals so it's hard to back them for a clean sheet but it's also very difficult to back Cardiff to win a game! In order to avoid doing both of those things, I'm going for a 1-1 draw. Cardiff are likely to score but Fulham are the better team and it's only the absence of Tom Cairney and Joe Bryan that makes me doubt whether they have enough to win. Prediction: Cardiff 1-1 Fulham

Manchester City vs. Burnley

I'm picking City for obvious reasons but I'm not sure the margin will be too high as Burnley have started to look more like themselves in recent weeks and City have a very tough Champions League game in Ukraine on Wednesday. At Turf Moor there'd be half a chance for Burnley but not at the Etihad on a Saturday at 3pm. Prediction: Manchester City 2-0 Burnley

Newcastle vs. Brighton

They let me down in Round 7 and may well do so again but I've found myself backing Newcastle for a first win of the season again! That 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford will have been very hard to take but Rafa Benitez will need to get his team motivated by the two goals they did score ahead of a winnable game at St James' Park. If they do fail to win here I think you have to really worry for them. Brighton will be fine this season but don't need a win as much as Newcastle do which is why I've gone with the hosts - the Seagulls have a great run of fixtures between now and December though so I expect them to pick up plenty of points in the coming weeks. Prediction: Newcastle 2-1 Brighton

West Ham vs. Tottenham

This is arguably one of my braver picks of the round but I'm going for a draw. Tottenham have a tricky few weeks coming up starting with this game, a crucial game in Eindhoven early on Wednesday evening and then City at home next week. With that schedule in mind, I just wonder whether Spurs will match the sheer energy and passion West Ham will come out with. This is one of those derbies that matters more to one team than the other and that's not a criticism of West Ham - it should actually work in their favour. I nearly picked them to win this but have gone for a draw. A win for Tottenham would be a really impressive result. Prediction: West Ham 1-1 Tottenham

Wolves vs. Watford

Watford have dropped pretty significantly since their incredible start to the season and the international break definitely came at a good time for them after being battered 4-0 at home. I've gone for Wolves here as most will because they've looked strong all season and play the kind of good football that should prevent them from experiencing the minor slump Watford have had. They've also been very good at the back so far so I'm calling a clean sheet. Prediction: Wolves 2-0 Watford

Huddersfield vs. Liverpool

After a nightmare run of games before the break, Liverpool now have a very kind week coming up and this should be routine. Huddersfield haven't even scored at home so far this season and I think they'll struggle to do so on Saturday as well. This is a great chance for Liverpool's front three to find some form (if fit) as Salah especially has been wasteful so far in this campaign. Prediction: Huddersfield 0-3 Liverpool

Everton vs. Crystal Palace

I've grown a little afraid of picking Marco Silva's Everton as they do seem to be a little hit and miss but after back-to-back wins before the break it seems sensible to pick them against Palace who are very short of goals. Hodgson should have his team organised and I think they can find a goal as Everton aren't good at the back but the Toffees are the better side. Prediction: Everton 2-1 Crystal Palace

Arsenal vs. Leicester

Finally, Monday night sees Arsenal host Leicester and they have a ridiculously good record against the Foxes at home. After six wins on the bounce (and that's just in the league) it would be crazy not to pick them here. They look as though they have goals in them which counters the fact that Leicester always have the potential to grab a goal themselves. Prediction: Arsenal 3-1 Leicester

Best of luck to you all with your own predictor (and possibly fantasy) picks!

Click here to make your Premier League predictor picks