Premier League Round 21 Predictions!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you're all looking forward to a 2019 that in Superbru terms looks set to be very exciting with several major tournaments taking place to add to the usual wide range of competitions on offer. As for the Premier League, we're almost guaranteed to have a relegation battle that goes down to the wire as usual, a top four battle which may now also include Manchester United and a title race that will be affected significantly by the final fixture in this upcoming round.

Like most people, I struggled on the Saturday of Round 20 due to the huge upsets at Leicester and Tottenham but made up for that rather well with three exact picks on the Sunday for Chelsea and the Manchester Clubs. It's probably a little too optimistic to hope to continue in that kind of form but here are my thoughts on how the opening round of 2019 will play out.

Note: I've been made aware this morning by a colleague here at SuperHQ that my last picks article showed my pick for United vs. Bournemouth to be 3-1 rather than the 4-1 I actually picked - this was down to a typo rather than a bold late prediction change and doesn't really matter but if anyone was crazy enough to copy my picks exactly then I apologise!

Everton vs. Leicester

This one's really tricky to start us off. Both of these teams have shown themselves to be pretty inconsistent so far this season and especially in the last two weeks so I'm struggling to pick a winner. Everton need a new striker but the fact they haven't got one for now means they're likely to set up a little more cautiously in order to ensure Vardy doesn't get much service at the other end. This could be quite an interesting watch and I'm going to go for a score draw. Prediction: Everton 1-1 Leicester

Arsenal vs. Fulham

After the recent results they've experienced, this is a game Arsenal just need to win so that they get back on track but I don't think it'll be easy for them. Fulham are much more organised under Ranieri and they'll be quite happy to just play for a point and only have a go at goal if the chance presents itself. I see Arsenal finding a way to win and was going to go 2-0 but they don't keep many clean sheets and were truly dreadful at the back against Liverpool. Prediction: Arsenal 3-1 Fulham

Cardiff vs. Tottenham

Yet again Tottenham managed to build some new expectations only to have them come tumbling back down in the last round when they lost to Wolves at home. You have to give a lot of credit to Wolves but it's incredible that Tottenham didn't even manage a shot at goal in the second half. Meanwhile, Cardiff went and won at Leicester! The Bluebirds had been looking really strong at home too but Man United have been there and ripped them apart since and given that result you have to expect Tottenham to at least be able to find a win. It could be a little nervy if Cardiff find the opening goal though! Prediction: Cardiff 0-2 Tottenham

Bournemouth vs. Watford

I'm struggling with this one too. Bournemouth have had a dreadful run of results but that's been down to some challenging fixtures and they beat Watford 4-0 at Vicarage Road in the reverse of this fixture! The Hornets are likely to be far more competitive under the lights at the Vitality but I feel Bournemouth have a lot to prove and need to get get going now that the fixture difficulty eases a little. Eddie Howe will be demanding three points from his team. Prediction: Bournemouth 2-1 Watford

Chelsea vs. Southampton

Chelsea have run into some trouble injury wise with a few players picking up minor knocks and so the team news will be interesting for this one. Pedro is likely to be out again but Sarri won't be able to pick the same XI as at Crystal Palace if Giroud is also now unavailable as is expected. Southampton also have issues though with Højbjerg now suspended and Bertrand potentially still out. I'm backing Chelsea to narrowly win but they'll need to start creating more chances with the large amount of possession they tend to have. Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Southampton

Huddersfield vs. Burnley

Unlikely to be a classic, this. Huddersfield's form guide on Superbru is now the dreaded 7 L's and it's hard to see a win arriving any time soon as they just have so little attacking threat. Burnley picked up a much needed win in Round 20 but have still only won once away from home all season and that was at Cardiff back in September. Can they find another away victory here? It's the best chance they'll have. Prediction: Huddersfield 0-1 Burnley

West Ham vs. Brighton

The tough picks keep coming in this round! I remember backing West Ham to win away at Brighton earlier this season and they didn't perform at all but this will of course be different when at home. Brighton are strong at the Amex and have managed two really good results in the last couple of rounds but I'm picking the Hammers here. Prediction: West Ham 1-0 Brighton

Wolves vs. Crystal Palace

We're now back with the dilemma of whether or not to pick Wolves given their great win at Tottenham as there is definitely something in the theory that they perform far better in those games against the big teams. Palace are often uninspiring but never tend to get outplayed and I think there's a chance they get something from this game. However, Wolves are likely to have far more chances and Palace would have to be very clinical with the opportunities they do get. Prediction: Wolves 2-1 Crystal Palace

Newcastle vs. Manchester United

Manchester United were excellent again against Bournemouth but this will be the first real challenge for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer against an organised Benitez team and I think it will be tough for them to score quite as many goals as they have been. I'm picking United to win away from home but it's because of home advantage that I expect Newcastle to keep things respectable and make OGS's team work. Prediction: Newcastle 1-2 Manchester United

Manchester City vs. Liverpool

This should be incredibly entertaining and I for one am just looking forward to watching how things play out because in truth, I've no idea who'll win this game. A couple of weeks ago I felt sure City would win this match because I see them as having the superior team and they outplayed Liverpool at Anfield earlier in the season in a game that only finished 0-0 because of a missed penalty. However, surprisingly it has been City that have 'wobbled' over the festive period while Liverpool have been excellent and fully deserve the unbeaten PL run they are currently sitting on.

The momentum is all with Liverpool here and they should score goals because City look very nervous defensively. Given the current standings, a draw would suit Liverpool far more than City but I'm not sure that matters in terms of tactics as the Reds only know how to play one way and they're very good at it. I can't see this finishing goalless like last time but I am going with a draw. Liverpool will come flying at City early on and whilst I think Guardiola's team can find a way back despite van Dijk and the impressive defence he leads, I wonder if it will end up being City that play more cautiously for the fear of dropping 10 points back. There's still a lot of games to go.. Prediction: Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool

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Best of luck to you all with your picks. Let me know which of mine you disagree with in the comments. I imagine the Superbru community will be very evenly split on the big one at the Etihad!