Predictions: Jack's Round 20 Premier League Picks

Having a bad Premier League Predictor round is a bit easier to take when basically everyone has. If someone had told you on the morning of New Year's Day that the 4 Premier League games would all be drawn and 3 of them would be 0-0, you'd never have believed them, so let's see if Round 20 is a little easier!

Considering how dull the football has been so far in 2026, it's lucky there's been plenty of off-field drama (you can always count on Chelsea for that). This weekend we may already see some new January signings in action and Chelsea are heading to the Etihad with a coach taking charge of his first ever senior match.

Last round

3/10 and 4 points. It's always a bit risky to go for a draw so I was quite pleased that the single one I went for in Palace vs. Fulham came off. The problem was there were 7 draws in total.

Here are my thoughts on Round 20.

Aston Villa vs. Nottingham Forest

Villa's winning run ending at Arsenal was one of the few things I called correctly in midweek, but you'd think they bounce straight back here. They don't tend to hammer teams so I think the scoreline will be fairly close, but Nottingham Forest's home result against Everton was a bad one on Tuesday. Prediction: Aston Villa 2-1 Nottingham Forest

Brighton vs. Burnley

Please Brighton, for once, just win a match that you're supposed to comfortably. This could very easily be 1-1 based on Burnley's recent results and indeed Brighton's, but with Kaoru Mitoma potentially back in the starting XI after a long spell on the sidelines I'm backing him to provide an edge. Prediction: Brighton 2-0 Burnley

Wolves vs. West Ham

The big decision of the weekend, is it time to actually predict Wolves will win a game of football? Nuno is a fairly defensive manager but West Ham still just cannot defend so you'd think there's at least a goal or two for Wolves to grab here after a positive result at Old Trafford on Tuesday. I'm still not sure I can actually pick them. Let's go for the draw. Prediction: Wolves 1-1 West Ham

Bournemouth vs. Arsenal

Bournemouth managed a point at Chelsea on Tuesday but it's wins that they need after such a poor run and they were absolutely shocking defensively at times in that match. Against Arsenal, I can't see them scoring goals to get themselves out of trouble. Prediction: Bournemouth 0-2 Arsenal

Leeds vs. Manchester United

This game is definitely there for Leeds to win after such a good run of results, but it just feels like the kind of match Manchester United end up winning to me even though I don't have much logic for it. They were shocking against Wolves but have surprised us with away performances a few times this season. Prediction: Leeds 1-2 Manchester United

Everton vs. Brentford

Everton are inconsistent but I'm backing them here based on Brentford's away record. Unlikely to be a classic, this. Prediction: Everton 1-0 Brentford

Fulham vs. Liverpool

I think this one might be quite a good game based on each team's recent form and though Liverpool are probably favourites, they're still not playing with anything like the consistency for this to be straightforward at Craven Cottage. I just wonder if they find a late winner as Fulham tire - Marco Silva deserves immense credit for their recent run without some key players who are at AFCON but rotation options are limited, particularly now that they have a couple of fresh injuries. Prediction: Fulham 1-2 Liverpool

Newcastle vs. Crystal Palace

Speaking of teams that are likely to struggle with fatigue, this is a tough assignment for Crystal Palace. The signing of Brennan Johnson will help in attack (perhaps not in time for this game), but I'm not 100% sold on the signing given how different he is as a player to the excellent creators they have had in recent seasons in Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise. I'm sure all while Oliver Glasner is there Palace will be just fine but I'd be surprised if they win this one as Newcastle had a good win in midweek and have had more prep/rest time than the Eagles. Prediction: Newcastle 3-1 Crystal Palace

Tottenham vs. Sunderland

I've only skimmed the 'highlights' myself as I was watching Sunderland vs. Manchester City, but I'm reliably informed that Tottenham's game at Brentford was one of the worst the league has ever seen. Thomas Frank really needs not only some wins but some entertaining performances if he's to win even a few supporters over, but this isn't the kind of match where that's going to be easy. Sunderland have made themselves so difficult to beat, even without a lot of players this past month, so I think they can manage at least another point. Prediction: Tottenham 1-1 Sunderland

Manchester City vs. Chelsea

I think this will be a Manchester City win. There's always a chance that a change in manager sees a sudden uplift in results at a club, but this current situation at Chelsea doesn't feel like that at all, not least because they haven't got their replacement manager in yet anyway. Enzo Maresca wanting to leave is very different to a club sacking a manager after some poor results (admittedly Chelsea's haven't been great), and with Moises Caicedo also absent for this match through suspension, it feels like Chelsea might just roll over here?

That's not me questioning their professionalism, as I think Reece James in particular will try and ensure Chelsea have a real go at City, but if the hosts get in front early on, heads are likely to drop more quickly than usual. This has become a really pivotal few weeks for Chelsea because there are a *lot* of teams within a few points of them and it's not hard to picture them dropping down the table fast since we know their new ownership aren't going to appoint a big-name manager who commands real control over things. Prediction: Manchester City 3-0 Chelsea

Best of luck with your own Round 20 predictions and feel free to drop them in the comments below!