Premier League: Round 31 Predictions

Fortunately, we haven't got too much time to reflect on Round 30 as we're straight into the midweek action. I had just 4/10 at the weekend but feel a little unfortunate as West Ham should have won let alone managed the draw I predicted, and Brentford deserved to pick up the surprise win that I went for!

It was a bit of a shame that the headline game between City and Arsenal didn't come close to living up to expectations, and while it was an impressive defensive display from the Gunners which I wasn't sure they were capable of, I think they needed to win to stand a chance at the title (I know that sounds harsh).

Here are my picks for each match in Round 31 of our Premier League Predictor game which has a very tricky fixture list.

Newcastle vs. Everton

The first of many tough predictions in this round, so I'll try not to keep writing that as I think there are only 3 games I'm confident on! Harvey Barnes did excellently to rescue a win for Newcastle on Saturday but they suffered yet another injury and still look awful defensively. They should still have enough to beat an Everton side that hasn't won since mid-December, but it's hard to have too much confidence in them and I wonder if the Toffees might dig in for a point given how desperate they are getting. Newcastle 1-1 Everton

Nottingham Forest vs. Fulham

Similarly, despite Forest letting me down at the weekend, I'm sticking with them again here because of what's at stake. Fulham are a very capable side on their day but that tends to be the case at Craven Cottage rather than when they're away. Forest keep failing to get over the line even when performing fairly well, so it's definitely a risk but they need to start winning games. Nottingham Forest 2-1 Fulham

Bournemouth vs. Crystal Palace

Bournemouth just about managed a win over Everton at the weekend, but they often perform best when up against teams they're not expected to beat rather than when they are carrying the favourites tag as they are here. As a result, I just have a feeling Palace's run of draws might continue. Bournemouth are definitely good enough to win this game but they haven't been making life easy for themselves at home. Bournemouth 1-1 Crystal Palace

Burnley vs. Wolves

I've changed my mind on this one about 3 times already. Burnley seem to have found something in this past month or so and it now doesn't feel totally impossible that they stay up, but the odds are still obviously stacked against them and they've failed to win previous winnable home games against Luton, Fulham and Bournemouth. Wolves played OK despite losing at Villa and so long as Matheus Cunha is back for this game, I'm going with a narrow away win. Burnley 0-1 Wolves

West Ham vs. Tottenham

Difficult. Tottenham tend to struggle at West Ham and form often goes out the window in derbies, so I was ready to pick the hosts, but the manner of the Hammers' defeat at Newcastle must carry over into this match at least slightly just a few days later? Spurs haven't been too convincing either though, and I'm just not sure they'll win this match so I'm sitting on the fence again. West Ham 1-1 Tottenham

Arsenal vs. Luton Town

As I said in the intro, Arsenal did well to dig in at City and their confidence should be up heading into this much easier fixture. Pressure can do funny things once we reach the real sharp end of the title race, but I expect no such issues here. Arsenal 3-0 Luton

Brentford vs. Brighton

Manchester United do tend to give their opponents more chances to have a shot at goal than most, but Brentford really did batter them on Saturday so the fact that they only managed a 1-1 draw is very disappointing. They're unlikely to dominate as much in this match, but can they finally pick up a win? I have my doubts but think I'm probably going to pick them. Brighton could easily come out on top but they're one of many sides in this league where it's so hard to count on them for consistency. Brentford 2-1 Brighton

Manchester City vs. Aston Villa

I'm going with a comfortable home win here, but that shouldn't be taken as disrespect for Aston Villa who we shouldn't forget played City off the park in the reverse of this fixture. A few have rightly pointed out that talk of Arsenal's defensive effort on Sunday often ignored the fact that Villa did an even better job on City back in December. I'm just not sure they'll be able to repeat the feat at the Etihad! Manchester City 3-1 Aston Villa

Liverpool vs. Sheffield United

Given that they're now 3 points ahead of Manchester City, I think Liverpool are probably level favourites with the champions to go all the way, and this is a lovely fixture to have after going top. I can't see anything other than a home win. Liverpool 3-0 Sheffield United

Chelsea vs. Manchester United

And finally, we finish with the two clubs that have been horrible to predict all season. Chelsea remain very injured and very short of quality outside of Cole Palmer, while Manchester United continue to play pretty ordinary football almost every game but with varying results. It's because of that latter point that I think I'm going with United. Whether you want to call it luck, winning mentality or whatever else, United seem to pick up unexplainable wins fairly often whereas Chelsea have lacked that ability all season.

With Gusto now injured as well as Reece James, Chelsea's right side looks short of the attacking threat it usually has, and if United can stop Cole Palmer they should be fine. Mason Mount's goal at Brentford lines him up for a potentially interesting return to Stamford Bridge here too. Chelsea 1-2 Manchester United



Good luck with your Round 31 predictions. Feel free to leave them in the comments!