Predictions: Jack's Round 22 Premier League Picks

It's only been just over a week since I was last writing one of these but it feels like quite a lot has happened. Fast forward 10 days and we've got Michael Carrick as Manchester United manager, Alvaro Arbeloa as Real Madrid manager and Antoine Semenyo already banging goals in for Manchester City.

It's all a lot of fun to watch but will it make for a smooth Predictor round this weekend? It surely can't be much tougher than Round 21 was!

Last round

My 3/10 was at least in line with the community average. It feels a little while ago now but that Newcastle vs. Leeds game was amazing and Harvey Barnes' late goal was one of a few iconic winners in the round along with Semenyo's Bournemouth farewell and Fulham's derby win over Chelsea.

Here are my thoughts on Round 22.

Manchester United vs. Manchester City

United fans will of course be well up for this and there's a chance we see a fast start under Michael Carrick who is essentially being tasked with bringing some optimism back to Old Trafford, but I have my doubts having seen how things went under Darren Fletcher. I was confident we'd see United comfortably beat Burnley in the last round in Fletcher's first game in charge but instead they had a 2-2 draw and then an FA Cup defeat to Brighton.

City have obviously wobbled a bit in recent Premier League rounds but they were good at Newcastle in midweek and they're the far superior team in my opinion. I'm never fully confident about predicting this fixture but City should get the job done. Prediction: Manchester United 1-2 Manchester City

Chelsea vs. Brentford

This is always a bogey fixture for Chelsea so that's worth keeping in mind, though they did finally beat Brentford at home for the first time in the Premier League last season. Keith Andrews deserves huge praise for making the Bees one of the form sides in the league at the moment and it does seem like the kind of fixture that Chelsea might slip in since it comes between their League Cup semi-final tie and a Champions League clash. I'm going for a draw, particularly since there are concerns over the fitness of Cole Palmer and Reece James. Prediction: Chelsea 1-1 Brentford

Leeds vs. Fulham

As I said in the intro, Leeds' match at Newcastle was a wild game where they should have had at least a point, but it's funny how that defeat suddenly makes their form streak look so ordinary. At a glance, they've now gone from unbeaten in 7 to 1 win in 7. Fulham are playing really well at the moment, particularly Harry Wilson, but I'm still not quite sure they'll win at Elland Road so I'm going with another draw. Prediction: Leeds 1-1 Fulham

Liverpool vs. Burnley

This should be fairly routine for Liverpool, so long as things aren't so comfortable that Dominik Szoboszlai tries another silly back heel 3 yards from his goal. After such a shaky season so far, a solid win here would put the Reds in a really good position inside the top four which looked quite unlikely a couple of months ago. Prediction: Liverpool 2-0 Burnley

Sunderland vs. Crystal Palace

It feels as if things are falling apart a bit at Crystal Palace. With league results on the slide, Marc Guehi potentially leaving this month and Oliver Glasner almost certainly departing before next season, there are lots of things the Eagles need to deal with and that humiliating FA Cup defeat at Macclesfield clearly doesn't help matters. I think the best they can probably get from this game is a draw. Sunderland haven't been winning many matches themselves of late, but I reckon the Black Cats may edge one here as the side with far better morale. Prediction: Sunderland 2-1 Crystal Palace

Tottenham vs. West Ham

West Ham have at least had a narrow FA Cup win to cheer themselves up a bit since, but that defeat to Nottingham Forest in Round 21 is an absolute hammer blow to their chances of survival this season. In years gone by we've seen the Hammers thrive in derbies against the likes of Tottenham but I just can't really see it this season.

Spurs fans are also very unhappy after they went out of the Cup with a shocking first half performance against Aston Villa, but their second half showing and the signing of Conor Gallagher provides slight optimism going into the weekend and they should win this. I rate Gallagher and think he's a very useful squad addition for almost any team but I'm not sure he's top of the list when it comes to what Spurs need at this moment in time; that would be someone slightly more creative who can put their foot on the ball and control things. Prediction: Tottenham 3-1 West Ham

Nottingham Forest vs. Arsenal

Forest got the job done in their six pointer at West Ham in Round 21, but things still seem far from ideal under Sean Dyche and having been knocked out of the FA Cup by Wrexham, I'm not confident they can beat league leaders Arsenal. The Gunners' prep time has been shortened by their League Cup semi-final first leg at Chelsea but this should be Arsenal's priority and you'd think they'll take all 3 points. Prediction: Nottingham Forest 0-2 Arsenal

Wolves vs. Newcastle

Wolves need to be taken a bit more seriously now that they've had a run of 3 unbeaten games, and it's certainly not out of the question that they continue that run given Newcastle's away record, but I'm going with the Magpies after their win at Burnley in their last match on the road. With retention of the League Cup now looking unlikely, this is a priority game for Eddie Howe and his team as they could well move into the top 5 with a victory here. Prediction: Wolves 1-2 Newcastle

Aston Villa vs. Everton

It would be quite an upset if Everton win at Villa Park given Villa's home record. I think this should be reasonably comfortable. Prediction: Aston Villa 3-1 Everton

Brighton vs. Bournemouth

With neither team particularly trustworthy and each with a record of just 1 league win in their last 7, this isn't an easy pick to end the round. I'm going with Brighton on the basis of their home advantage, FA Cup win at Old Trafford and the fact that Antoine Semenyo doesn't play for Bournemouth anymore, but Bournemouth still had a decent display in the FA Cup at Newcastle without him in fairness so it wouldn't shock me if they took the points. Prediction: Brighton 2-1 Bournemouth

Best of luck with your own Round 22 predictions!