Premier League: Round 23 Predictions

I had to settle for 6/10 in Round 22 as just as it looked like Wolves had done me a favour and picked up an unlikely draw as I predicted, Kobbie Mainoo took matters into his own hands and just strolled down the other end to make it 3-4.

There's little time to reflect though as we're straight into Round 23 tomorrow which has some huge games.

Here are my predictions for each match in Round 23 of our Premier League Predictor game.

Everton vs. Tottenham

It feels like the resistance we saw from Everton following their 10-point deduction has died down somewhat as their ordinary recent results means they're back in real trouble inside the relegation zone. Things will no doubt pick up again when we get the verdict on their appeal for said deduction next month, but the Toffees could really do with a result here and they often manage at least a point at home to Spurs.

I'm just not sure if that'll be the case this time however, because Spurs have been scoring goals quite consistently even if their results haven't been quite as reliable. If they find the net a couple of times, I'm not convinced Everton can match that. Everton 1-2 Tottenham

Brighton vs. Crystal Palace

Even before that humiliation at Luton, things didn't seem quite right with Brighton and whilst I don't really see them losing this game at home, I'm not sure they'll win it either. De Zerbi is obviously without quite a few players with Joao Pedro now also a doubt, but 3 wins in 16 is poor no matter how you look at it. Palace have made a couple of good signings in Daniel Munoz and Adam Wharton who I'm excited to see in the coming weeks, but there's no doubt Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze remain the stars of the show.

It's such a shame that it sounds as if Eze is a doubt again with injury as when those two play together it really is something to watch (make sure you watch their goals vs. Sheffield United if you haven't already). With that kind of ability, even if it's only Olise playing, Palace might be able to grab a point here. Brighton 1-1 Crystal Palace

Burnley vs. Fulham

A massive game for Burnley but they failed to get over the line in their last home match against Luton and I feel like this might be a similar story. Fulham are the stronger side on paper and I think if a team does end up winning this, they're the more likely but I'm going with another draw. Burnley 1-1 Fulham

Newcastle vs. Luton Town

Luton fully deserve to be outside of the relegation zone after their recent performances, and they have half a chance here too because of Newcastle's injuries in my opinion. I also feel Newcastle are better suited to matches like their excellent midweek win at Villa Park where there's room for them to get in behind quickly on the break, as it might not be easy to break down a more defensive setup from Luton here. That said, you'd still have to be brave to pick the Hatters at St James' Park so I'm playing safe. Newcastle 2-1 Luton

Sheffield United vs. Aston Villa

Villa need to get themselves back on track here as they'll be really disappointed to have only won 1 of their last 5 after such a good start. Sheffield United are obviously struggling and so while I think Pau Torres is quite a big miss for Villa, they should have too much as Emery will be demanding an improvement on that Newcastle defeat. Sheffield United 0-2 Aston Villa

Bournemouth vs. Nottingham Forest

You can't fully rule out an away win in this game because we've seen some good performances from Forest under Nuno, but it feels like Bournemouth are in a much better place. The Cherries continue to look well drilled under Iraola, whereas if Forest's off-field actions are anything to go by then they're all over the place.

With an FFP charge already against them, the end to their transfer window seemed incredibly frantic as they lost Orel Mangala (who has been good for them), signed Giovanni Reyna which seems like a risky one and then reportedly asked every goalkeeper in Europe to come and sign for them with Matz Sels eventually agreeing to do so. Reyna and Sels are both decent players on their day, so it's nothing against them personally, but I'm not sure either will dramatically improve Forest and is the extra disruption caused by yet more new arrivals really what Forest need rather than a bit of calm and stability? Bournemouth 2-0 Nottingham Forest

Chelsea vs. Wolves

It's hard to have too much faith in Chelsea after they were outplayed in midweek at Anfield, but they've been more consistent at Stamford Bridge in recent months and with Wolves facing a fairly tight Thursday-Sunday turnaround, the Blues should win this in my opinion. Wolves may also be unlucky in the sense that they might face Chelsea at a time where Chilwell, Gusto and Nkunku are all fit to start, which hasn't and won't often be the case this season. Chelsea 2-0 Wolves

Manchester United vs. West Ham

I'm going with Manchester United here, though it feels risky given how rare it is for them to string two wins together. It's been a long time since West Ham have won at Old Trafford in the league and I'm interested to see how the team's balance is affected by the arrival of Kalvin Phillips. With Paqueta out at the moment, there was just about room for Phillips, James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez and Tomas Soucek, but once he's back, surely one of them has to miss out? Possibly two once Michail Antonio is fit as well.

After seeing them win at Spurs and Arsenal it's certainly possible West Ham can win this too with Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen very dangerous on the break but Man Utd should be getting stronger now that some key players are returning from injury. Manchester United 3-1 West Ham

Arsenal vs. Liverpool

A huge game. Arsenal need to win really to stand much of a chance in the title race, but based on the FA Cup tie between these two and Liverpool's recent form, I'm not sure the visitors will lose. Just like the cup tie, Arsenal may well have plenty of the ball, but Liverpool are the more clinical and I think they'll create enough chances to pick up at least a point.

I was going to pick Liverpool to win but Arsenal do tend to get quite an atmosphere going for these big games under Mikel Arteta and after strong performances against the 'big' opponents so far this season at the Emirates, they're probably good for a draw in an entertaining game. Arsenal 2-2 Liverpool

Brentford vs. Manchester City

For the first time in quite a while, City are set to be pretty much full strength for this one which isn't ideal news for Brentford. With Kevin De Bruyne already back on form, Julian Alvarez and Jeremy Doku looking sharp in attack and Erling Haaland now ready to start games again according to Pep Guardiola, City are clear favourites. Brentford 0-3 Manchester City



Good luck with your own Round 23 predictions and feel free to leave your own predictions in the comments!