Premier League: Round 17 Predictions

Round 16 of the Premier League Predictor was perhaps the toughest yet so well done to anyone who managed to get even half of them correct! In addition to the two obvious picks, I got Everton's win over Chelsea correct but missed the rest.

Surely things can only improve this weekend?

Here are my thoughts on each Round 17 game.

Nottingham Forest vs. Tottenham

Forest finally ended their losing run last time out at Wolves but I think Tottenham will have too much attacking quality for them - Richarlison finding some form is a great sign for Spurs if he can hold down that number 9 role and allow Heung-min Son to return to the left flank. I'm never too comfortable going against Forest at home as they can get quite an atmosphere going at the City Ground but their last couple of home results have been poor. Nottingham Forest 1-3 Tottenham

Bournemouth vs. Luton

Bournemouth are rightly getting a lot of plaudits now that everyone is paying proper attention to their run of form because of that statement win at Old Trafford, and this should be three more points for the Cherries. Now that Iraola's intense style of play seems to be coming to fruition, they're a very difficult side to play against if you aren't composed on the ball. Bournemouth 3-1 Luton

Chelsea vs. Sheffield United

Chelsea are really, really average this season but surely they're still good enough to win this game? It sounds as if Christopher Nkunku will finally be involved which should give Stamford Bridge a lift and even though Chris Wilder had that win with the Blades last time out, I think you have to go with Chelsea which isn't something I'll be saying many times in this campaign. Chelsea 2-0 Sheffield United

Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace

This wouldn't be the first time Palace have managed a big upset at the Etihad if they do end up with a point or three here, but I can't really see it despite their decent enough display against Liverpool last weekend. City can't afford a mistake as they'll already be playing further catchup due to missing Round 18 because of the Club World Cup, so I expect Guardiola's team to get the job done comfortably. Manchester City 3-0 Crystal Palace

Newcastle vs. Fulham

There's definitely some hesitancy about this one because while I'm not too surprised that Newcastle have lost their recent away league games (their record on the road has been poor all season), I was quite shocked to see them beaten by Milan in midweek. They're obviously very stretched squad wise, and Kieran Trippier is suspended here although he's really struggled in their last couple of games, but I still think the Magpies are narrow favourites at home to Fulham?

Fulham's back-to-back 5-0 wins have been incredible considering how short of goals they looked only 4 or 5 rounds ago, but they haven't won away since the opening day of the season. I'm slightly tempted by the draw but I think Newcastle will find a way to win. Newcastle 2-1 Fulham

Burnley vs. Everton

The return of Dyche to Turf Moor! A big day for the Everton boss and I think he'll be confident given how well his team are playing. Burnley have struggled to make home advantage count so far this season and I think it will be the Toffees taking the points. Burnley 0-1 Everton

Arsenal vs. Brighton

Can Arsenal finally beat Brighton at the Emirates again? The Seagulls tend to really show up for this fixture but I don't think it will be as easy after that Thursday night game against Marseille. The Gunners are yet to lose at home this season and I think they should have enough to bounce back from that Villa defeat since most of their top players were able to sit out of the starting lineup that played PSV on Tuesday (I don't think Arteta needed to play his first-choice centre backs and bring some key players on from the bench but it seems they've no new injuries). Arsenal 2-1 Brighton

Brentford vs. Aston Villa

Tricky one. I've been enjoying everyone going all-in on praise for Aston Villa because they absolutely deserve it for how well they've been playing under Unai Emery, but they're understandably weaker away from home and Brentford don't lose too many games at the Gtech Community Stadium. Villa are favourites but Douglas Luiz's suspension and the lack of away wins in previous meetings between these two has me leaning towards a draw. Brentford 1-1 Aston Villa

West Ham vs. Wolves

I think my main take on West Ham this season (and for much of last season to be fair) is that they're an unbelievable side when they play in midweek but fairly average when they play at the weekend? They've beaten Arsenal and Tottenham under the lights in midweek games as well as many Europa League teams but I'm never too convinced when it comes to picking them in this Sunday 2pm slot which they always have. Wolves aren't great away though and this could easily go either way so I'm predicting another draw. West Ham 2-2 Wolves

Liverpool vs. Manchester United

In truth, this fixture has become a bit of a laugh in recent years and I'd be absolutely dreading it if I was a Man Utd fan. I'm really struggling to think of a way that United can win this game, and if Liverpool score early, we know from the last couple of seasons that they are not going to stop and will go all out to try and humiliate the Red Devils yet again.

Picking a scoreline is tough, because you'd like to think that United can make a game of it, but Liverpool tend to score three goals in most of their home fixtures and given how motivated they'll be for this one, it could well be higher in my opinion. I actually hope I'm wrong and that we see a proper battle but do we really think United have an XI that will go out and restrict Liverpool to a single goal let alone keep a clean sheet? Liverpool 4-0 Manchester United



Good luck with your own Round 17 predictions and feel free to leave your own predictions in the comments!