Premier League: Round 34 Predictions (Updated)

After last weekend's very difficult Predictor round in which Sunday included 3 away wins that were each picked by <8% of the Superbru community, it's also been a tough midweek in the European competitions where plenty of Premier League clubs have had their egos bruised.

So how will things play out this week? It's tricky to tell! Due to the FA Cup semi-finals, we only have 7 matches taking place this weekend, but there are then several rearranged midweek fixtures which I'll come back and update this article to include on Monday.

Here are my picks for the first 7 matches in Round 34 of our Premier League Predictor game.

Luton vs. Brentford

This is one of three huge games at the bottom this weekend, and they're all tough to call. I think this will be a very close game as all of Luton's home matches seem to be, but Brentford should be good for a point as their injury situation is suddenly improving quite swiftly. A Luton win wouldn't surprise me at all given what's at stake but Brentford should manage a goal or two with Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo up front. Luton 1-1 Brentford

Sheffield United vs. Burnley

Sheffield United haven't been terrible in their recent home games and Burnley have a habit of stopping themselves picking up the results they need, but I'm going with the Clarets as they're the better team in my opinion and they destroyed Sheffield United in the reverse of this fixture. If they can convert a chance or two, knock the ball around nicely as they usually do and the keeper can avoid giving away a goal they should be OK. Sheffield United 1-2 Burnley

Wolves vs. Arsenal

I think we'll see a response from Arsenal here, and we really ought to given Wolves are back to struggling badly with injuries. Matheus Cunha is injured again which is a real shame after his excellent goal at Forest last time out, and Gary O'Neil is set to play a few youngsters according to reports. A golden opportunity for the Gunners to make an immediate return to winning ways in the Premier League. Wolves 0-2 Arsenal

Everton vs. Nottingham Forest

This is the biggest game of the weekend for me as the points deduction derby takes place at Goodison Park. Usually, I'd pick Everton without much hesitation in a home game with so much as stake, but they really don't seem like a team that can necessarily rise to the situation when it matters at the moment. I thought they were awful defensively at Chelsea last week where Chelsea didn't even play particularly well for a 6-0 win.

Forest, on the other hand, have looked a bit better in my opinion but it's still tough to pick them away from home. Looking at their remaining fixtures, Forest are going to have to win away at some point if they're to stay up, but a victory at Sheffield United or Burnley is perhaps more likely. Everton 1-1 Nottingham Forest

Aston Villa vs. Bournemouth

Villa were pretty poor at Lille on Thursday night, but they've still managed to put themselves in an incredible position with just weeks left of the season - a top 4 Premier League finish is on the cards and there's a European semi-final to come too. They need to get the job done in this game so that they don't open the door for Spurs, but when you look at each team's run-in, Villa are definitely favourites.



Bournemouth were unfortunate not to win against Manchester United last time out and will certainly be competitive but I'm going with Villa at home. Aston Villa 2-1 Bournemouth

Crystal Palace vs. West Ham

Another tricky one but I think I'm going with Palace here as they should have their tails up and a bit more energy than West Ham who have just had to play Bayer Leverkusen. West Ham have been scoring a few goals on the road of late which I'm conscious of but Palace have the players to really do some damage when fit and available and since that should be the case here, we might just see a strong performance from Oliver Glasner's team. Crystal Palace 3-1 West Ham

Fulham vs. Liverpool

Liverpool's recent wobble has felt slightly different to Arsenal's in that they've basically just let themselves down with poor finishing, but the mood feels just as deflated if not more given what the expectations suddenly were for Klopp's farewell. Nevertheless, they should find a goal in this game despite Fulham being tough to beat at Craven Cottage, and I think they'll look to keep things as tight as possible at the back while they're struggling to convert chances. Fulham 0-1 Liverpool

----------

UPDATE: 5/7 so far which isn’t too bad - Brentford’s surprisingly heavy win and Everton’s victory over Forest were the two that I missed.

On to the midweek games.

Arsenal vs. Chelsea

An away win isn’t out of the question here, as Chelsea haven’t been playing too badly of late and there’s obviously much more pressure on Arsenal, but I don’t think the Blues are nearly as good at making themselves difficult to beat as they have been in many previous seasons. If Arsenal come out the blocks quickly, they could blow Chelsea away, but I think a more nervy game is likely. That said, it should still be a home win. Arsenal 2-1 Chelsea

Wolves vs. Bournemouth

I’m going to wait and see the Wolves lineup for this one because if Gary O’Neil is able to bring back the likes of Rayan Ait-Nouri, Mario Lemina and Matheus Cunha to his starting XI, Wolves should have enough for at least a point. Bournemouth are a very good side and this is a difficult pick regardless, but I’m going with a draw which I’ll likely switch to a narrow home win if those three are back (particularly Cunha who is the least likely). Wolves 1-1 Bournemouth

Crystal Palace vs. Newcastle

I was pleased that Palace proved me right on Sunday with the kind of attacking performance that we know their forwards are capable of, but I think this will be much more difficult against a well rested Newcastle side. I wouldn’t mind being proved wrong this time by Palace because Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise are such a joy to watch together but I think an away win might be on the cards here with Newcastle’s improved form and an excellent attacking duo of their own in Anthony Gordon and especially Alexander Isak. Crystal Palace 1-2 Newcastle

Everton vs. Liverpool

The talk post-Everton vs. Nottingham Forest has obviously been about refereeing decisions and Forest’s unprofessional tweet, but it was a great result for Everton which I wasn’t sure they’d get (as you can see above!). However, despite that win and the fact that they so often hold Liverpool to a point at Goodison, I remain unconvinced that this season's team is capable. Jürgen Klopp deserves credit for some big calls with his selection at Fulham which paid off very well and I expect another strong performance here regardless of whether he continues with a similar XI or brings the likes of Salah back in. Everton 0-2 Liverpool

Manchester United vs. Sheffield United

Just when you think Manchester United finally have a comfortable, professional win in the bag after 70 minutes, their most ridiculous collapse yet happens at Wembley (which is saying something given that game at Stamford Bridge) which will surely mean Erik ten Hag will depart this summer despite the eventual penalty shooutout win. Man Utd’s performances mean you even look at this pick and wonder how the hosts will make life difficult for themselves, but I'm bravely backing them to beat one of the few teams in the league that have worse form over the last 7 games. Sheffield United are all but relegated after that heavy loss to Burnley. Manchester United 3-1 Sheffield United

Brighton vs. Manchester City

I’m not going with an upset here either, even though Brighton should be much improved after some considerable rest time. By City’s standards, 5 days between games is also a lot and I think they’ll have too much. Based on their form in title run-ins over the past 4 or 5 years, it’s a bold move to pick against them. Brighton 1-3 Manchester City



Good luck with your own Round 34 predictions. Feel free to leave them in the comments!