Premier League: Round 31 Predictions

Round 30 only finished last night, but we're straight into Round 31 of the Premier League this weekend which starts with Everton vs. Arsenal tomorrow.

I had 6/10 in midweek with an Exact for Forest's win over Manchester United. I'm slightly frustrated not to have risked an upset for Ipswich since Bournemouth so often struggle in those kind of matches, but the reality is I never really came close to picking them or indeed to backing Southampton for a point against Crystal Palace.

Here are my thoughts on each game in Round 31. Feel free to leave your own picks in the comments!

Click here to join the Premier League Predictor and make your own predictions.

Everton vs. Arsenal

There's a fair bit to unpack when considering this pick, mainly from Arsenal's side, as they've such a big game coming up on Tuesday. Gabriel's injury is a huge blow for them and will that also serve as something that persuades Mikel Arteta to rotate a fair bit here? He's not usually huge on rotation of his key players but their chances of beating Real Madrid are already reduced by Gabriel's absence and they can't afford to lose another key player.

Everton have been very competitive since David Moyes returned and I'm wondering if we might see a draw. One to check the team news for! Prediction: Everton 1-1 Arsenal

Crystal Palace vs. Brighton

We regularly see draws between these two teams, but Palace won the reverse fixture and they stand a good chance of making it a league double here as Brighton's defence is hardly water tight. All three potential outcomes are very possible but I'm going with a home win. Prediction: Crystal Palace 2-1 Brighton

Ipswich vs. Wolves

If Ipswich can win this game, things suddenly actually get quite interesting in the relegation battle, but their issue is that Wolves are in decent form. In a way, I'm hoping they win so that we get some drama at the bottom, but having struggled so much at home all season I think Wolves are the more likely winners. After seeing Ipswich lose their 'must-win' at home to Southampton, it's hard to back them here despite the midweek result at Bournemouth. Prediction: Ipswich 1-2 Wolves

West Ham vs. Bournemouth

Bournemouth's away form has been much better than their home results so I think I'm backing them and ignoring the poor result against Ipswich. Graham Potter has got West Ham looking OK in the middle of the park and they're fairly structurally sound, but we need to see much more from the Hammers in the attacking third if he's to convince West Ham fans that he's the right man for the job. Prediction: West Ham 0-2 Bournemouth

Aston Villa vs. Nottingham Forest

This should be a great watch and it's tough to pick a winner since both teams can be so strong on their day. Both are quite a lot stronger at home than they are away though, so I think a Villa win makes more sense on that basis despite their upcoming Champions League quarter-final. Unai Emery's team are playing with real momentum at the moment, particularly their new signings, and he'll want that to continue. Prediction: Aston Villa 2-1 Nottingham Forest

Brentford vs. Chelsea

Chelsea were good on Thursday night, but they so often raise their level and win that game against Tottenham each season (Spurs were terrible) so I'm not fully convinced that we'll see quite as strong a performance here. Brentford's home form has been poor, but Chelsea haven't been good on the road either and I can see this being a draw. The visitors are probably favourites, but I can see Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa causing issues. Prediction: Brentford 1-1 Chelsea

Fulham vs. Liverpool

Liverpool have all but sealed the title after beating Everton on Wednesday and I think they'll probably edge this game too as Fulham look to be tailing off very slightly. It wouldn't be the first time we've seen a sudden big performance from Marco Silva's team but Liverpool should have some confidence back after coming through midweek. Prediction: Fulham 1-3 Liverpool

Tottenham vs. Southampton

I'm picking them to beat Southampton anyway because it's Southampton, but Tottenham really are a mess again now. 16 defeats in 30 games is pretty unforgivable and what we're seeing both on the pitch and off it from Ange Postecoglou is miles away from the kind of tactics and positive mentality he assured everyone he'd be implementing. Not to say that this is all his fault - it seems Tottenham will do the same to any manager - but it feels like the end of the road for Postecoglou unless he can somehow break their trophy curse with a Europa League triumph (I personally can't see it). Prediction: Tottenham 2-0 Southampton

Manchester United vs. Manchester City

I'm never confident predicting this game because even when Manchester City are at their best since United occasionally find beat them as they did in this season's reverse. I think United will score despite their issues in front of goal because they just so often find a goal against City, but the visitors ought to find at least a couple themselves? Kevin De Bruyne will be keen to finish on a high against United after today's announcement, too. Prediction: Manchester United 1-2 Manchester City

Leicester vs. Newcastle

When you click on Leicester's form streak on the Superbru picks page, it really is quite something (and another thing to hate if you're a Spurs fan) - the Foxes have given us absolutely no reason to pick them here. Newcastle had a good win in midweek and should have no issues in this game. Prediction: Leicester 0-3 Newcastle

How do your predictions compare?

Remember, for the best experience on Superbru throughout this season, you can upgrade to Superbru Premium to go fully ad-free and enjoy an objective match preview for every single Premier League (and Champions League) game when making your picks.