Predictions: Jack's Round 21 Premier League Picks

2026 has begun with football managers dropping like flies so there's no shortage of storylines across the next few weeks of action.

In this midweek Premier League round, we have some huge games at both ends of the table, starting with West Ham vs. Forest this evening which is worthy of being a 1-fixture evening given what is at stake.

Last round

I've had a reasonable start to the second half of the season. 5/10 with 11 points thanks to Exacts for Brighton 2-0 Burnley and Tottenham 1-1 Sunderland. I must thank Brighton in particular who I pleaded with to just win comfortably for once and they duly delivered.

Here are my thoughts on Round 21.

West Ham vs. Nottingham Forest

I don't have a strong opinion on this game really other than I'm quite keen to watch it and see what happens. West Ham losing 3-0 at Wolves is about as bad as you can get this season, so it's hard to imagine them winning here, but Nottingham Forest are hardly playing well currently so I'm not full of confidence in them either. I'm wondering if we might see a draw which doesn't particularly help either side but also obviously isn't as bad as it could be. There have been goals in West Ham's recent home games and that may continue, particularly if they're introducing their new forwards for debuts. Prediction: West Ham 2-2 Nottingham Forest

Bournemouth vs. Tottenham

Also a tricky one but I'm going with Bournemouth to finally end their winless run. Tottenham's recent games suggest they're less equipped than most to exploit the Cherries' shocking defence and Bournemouth are well overdue 3 points. Prediction: Bournemouth 2-1 Tottenham

Brentford vs. Sunderland

It's rough going against Sunderland since they seemingly just don't lose football matches anymore, but after a run of hard-fought draws I'm wondering if this is finally a narrow defeat given Brentford's strength at home. The Bees were really good at Everton on Sunday too. Prediction: Brentford 2-1 Sunderland

Crystal Palace vs. Aston Villa

Crystal Palace's drop in form over this busy period isn't too surprising given their schedule and squad depth, but they're also quite unfortunate with fixtures at the moment because this is not a great time to be playing Aston Villa. Palace are struggling for goals so I think this will be an away win. Prediction: Crystal Palace 0-2 Aston Villa

Everton vs. Wolves

There's suddenly a few question marks around this one after Everton conceded 4 at the weekend and Wolves finally won. I think this will be a real battle with Everton still missing players but it's still a big ask for Wolves to win away having only just managed a first win of the entire season.

Side note - ever since Everton's new stadium has been built I've looked at pictures of the location and thought that looks like it's going to be a very chilly venue to attend during the winter. The entire country is freezing this week but I reckon it'll be especially cold there so fair play to anyone reading this that is attending. Prediction: Everton 2-1 Wolves

Fulham vs. Chelsea

Chelsea tend to win at Fulham so I'm backing that trend to continue but there's clearly plenty of reason for doubt. Fulham are playing well at the moment and it's an unpredictable time for Chelsea as they transition from interim coach Calum McFarlane to new head coach Liam Rosenior after this game, but their second half performance at Manchester City was solid and they'll have plenty of players looking to prove a point ahead of Rosenior's tenure here. Prediction: Fulham 1-2 Chelsea

Manchester City vs. Brighton

Man City's defence could be a slight concern now that both Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol are injured, but I think we'll see a response from them after back-to-back draws. Brighton aren't a bad side but there'll be some space for City to attack I think so this should be a home win so long as those who come into the team in central defence cope reasonably well. Prediction: Manchester City 3-1 Brighton

Burnley vs. Manchester United

By the end, I think Ruben Amorim wanted to be sacked by Manchester United. In a similar way to Enzo Maresca at Chelsea, I'm not sure that's a good sign for the club or whoever ends up taking the job permanently to replace him. I personally feel we've reached a point where several Premier League clubs are unmanageable for 'head coaches' at the moment as so many sporting directors are being appointed and given more power than the head coaches without nearly as much accountability, so we're going to see more and more relationships break down.

United have had several successful mini interim spells though and I think Darren Fletcher will do fine against Burnley here. Those in the know have spoken highly of the work he's currently doing with United's youth teams and I'm expecting a switch to a traditional back four and a comfortable win in what is a favourable fixture for the Red Devils. Prediction: Burnley 0-2 Manchester United

Newcastle vs. Leeds

A bit like I said for Sunderland, it feels harsh to go against Leeds here given their impressive unbeaten run but Newcastle look as if they might be finding their groove again under Eddie Howe. I'm not expecting a runaway win but the Magpies should take the points. Prediction: Newcastle 2-1 Leeds

Arsenal vs. Liverpool

Finally, I hope this is a blockbuster that swings from end-to-end but I think it's more likely we see a reasonably comfortable Arsenal win. Liverpool continue to look a little unsure of themselves despite putting a lengthy unbeaten run together in the league and they're up against a Gunners side that is the opposite in that they know exactly who they are and how they're going to beat teams, particularly at home. Prediction: Arsenal 3-1 Liverpool

Best of luck with your own Round 21 predictions!