After a huge week of Champions League football to digest, we’re now back to the Premier League. The previous game week saw a few shock results and a little bit of movement up and down the table. Arsenal are now nine points clear at the top with Manchester City in 2nd. Manchester United complete the top three. At the other end it’s unchanged once again with Wolves, Burnley and West Ham occupying the bottom three slots.

This week will see fixtures run from Friday to Sunday, but there’s only eight fixtures this time around. This is due to Arsenal and Manchester City’s participation in the EFL Cup final. First up is Bournemouth hosting Manchester United on Friday night with kick off at 8pm (GMT). On Saturday we have four fixtures, starting with Brighton welcoming Liverpool at 12:30pm. We then have just one fixture at 3pm with Fulham taking on Burnley. After that we have a 5:30pm kick off which will see Everton face Chelsea. To conclude Saturday’s business will be Brentford traveling to Leeds for the 8pm fixture. Moving on to Sunday we have three fixtures. The first will kick off at 12pm and that will see Newcastle battle Sunderland. To round off GW31 will be two fixtures at 2:15pm. That will be Aston Villa vs West Ham and Tottenham up against Nottingham Forest.

Bournemouth vs Manchester United

Unbeaten in 10 league matches, stretching all the way back to January 7th. But, six of those games have been draws. So are Bournemouth impossible to beat right now, or are they suffering from not being able to tip the scales in their favour? It’s a little bit of both in reality. In their last five games, they’ve conceded just twice. However, they’ve only scored three. The defence is working extremely well, but the attack isn’t clicking. They’ve actually now gone two games in a row without a goal. This is out of character for Andoni Iraola’s side as they’ve scored the most goals out of anyone placed 8th to 20th. After the draw to Burnley last weekend, that makes it four draws in a row. It’s no surprise that the Cherries’ lead the way on the amount of draws played out, they have 14. The next highest is 11.

My theory was proven right when Manchester United faced Newcastle United on March 4th. More than two games in a week and the team suffer, this time they actually lost to Eddie Howe’s men. But, with 11 days rest before the Villa game, they were able to return to winning ways. This will play into their favour as they likely won’t have to play more than once a week for the rest of the season. Michael Carrick has ensured that his side are hot favourites to finish top four at the very least, but leaning towards finishing top three. They easily dispatched Villa who sit in 4th right now. That’s a three point advantage over them, five point lead over Liverpool and a six point lead over Chelsea. With eight games left, Carrick is coming dangerously close to bringing Champions League football back to Old Trafford.

Bournemouth at home are no joke, they’ve still only lost twice. But, United have had their rest and they’ll be knocking on the door. There’s a high chance this results in another draw for Bournemouth. The reverse fixture saw these sides play out an incredible 4-4 draw, so there might be goals again.

Predicted Result: Bournemouth 1-1 United

Brighton vs Liverpool

The Seagulls are making a late charge for Europe after finally finding some form after a horrible couple of months. They’ve now made it three wins in five league games after beating Sunderland at the weekend. They now sit just five points behind Brentford in 7th, meaning that Europe is well within their reach if they continue in the same form. The AMEX often sees the very best of Fabian Hurzeler’s men as they’ve only lost three times, picking up six wins. But, they have recently lost to Liverpool. Arne Slot’s men managed to beat them 3-0 in the FA Cup. Brighton will have kept that fresh in their memory and will seek revenge.

Liverpool were one of two triumphant English sides in the Champions League. Arsenal were the other team. Despite some recent struggles in the league, Slot is still flying the flag for English football in Europe’s biggest competition. This came after a 4-0 hammering of Galatasaray. Having won three Premiership fixtures in a row, they’re now on a two game streak without a win. This includes a loss to bottom placed Wolves and a draw against a side that had over 10 players missing through injury and suspension. While 5th place will likely be handed Champions League football, top four brings that guarantee. Despite sitting just two points outside, they have Chelsea breathing down their necks. The West London side sit just one point behind. They need to keep winning, but away from Anfield hasn’t been great. They’ve lost six times and actually have a negative goal difference.

I can see Brighton catching Liverpool out. Slot’s men played very well in the week, but would’ve used a lot of energy. Brighton play quick football and press with intensity. I don’t think Liverpool will recover in time.

Predicted Result: Brighton 2-1 Liverpool

Fulham vs Burnley

We move on to another team that are chasing a European dream. Fulham sit 11th in the league and four points behind Brentford. That’s a very achievable target if the West London side keep focused. Having won two games in a row, they’re now on a two game streak without a win. In those games they haven’t actually scored a goal. Marco Silva will need to address that issue immediately, but home form suggests that might happen sooner rather later. Only four teams have won more on home soil than Fulham, who have eight. But, they did lose their last game at Craven Cottage to another side battling relegation.

If Burnley have any hope of staying up then they need to turn it on from here on out. They cannot afford to slip up again, but form suggests that they will. They’ve haven’t won in four attempts, but they have only lost twice in their last five. It’s not exactly form that will help keep them up, but it’s something to build upon. Nine points in eight games looks very difficult to overcome, but it’s not over until it’s mathematically impossible. However, the danger for Scott Parker is that Wolves have snuck up behind them and are threatening to send them to the bottom of the pile.

Unfortunately I can’t see Burnley getting even a point here. Fulham are a strong side, but are just wobbling slightly at the moment.

Predicted Result: Fulham 2-0 Burnley

Everton vs Chelsea

Everton played pretty well against Arsenal, but will go down in the history books as the team that the youngest ever Premier League goalscorer got his milestone against. However, that shouldn’t take anything away from how good Everton have been playing of late. They’ve mastered the art of getting points away from home, they just needed to work on how they play at the Hill-Dickinson Stadium. After beating Burnley in the last home fixture, the Toffee’s have a chance to do something they haven’t yet done this season. Win two home games in a row, in the league. Of course Chelsea are an entirely different prospect to Burnley, but they’re not going to get many more chances to do it. A win here will also see them leapfrog Brentford and land themselves in 7th, and would be just two points behind their opponents here.

Chelsea were absolutely blown away by PSG in the week and across the whole tie. 8-2 on aggregate feels absurd given how well Chelsea have played up until this point. Liam Rosenior had steadied the ship and saw the club rise up the table. But, it’s rather stagnated aside from the occasional magical moments. The 4-1 win over Aston Villa springs to mind. But, that is their only win in their last five league fixtures. In all competitions, it’s now three defeats in a row. Something that not even Enzo Maresca put the Chelsea fans through. The West London side need to respond with immediate effect and the fact that this fixture is away is a positive for the Blues. They have the joint-second best record in the division for this metric, losing just four times in 15 matches.

I think the misery that was thrown on Chelsea in the week will drag its heels to the weekend. Everton can punish anyone on their day and I think they will here.

Predicted Result: Everton 1-0 Chelsea

Leeds vs Brentford

Leeds have not escaped the clutches of the relegation zone and the fact they haven’t won in their last five league games is dragging them further in. They sit only three points ahead of West Ham who can quite easily take themselves level with the West Yorkshire side. If they are going to have any hope of lifting themselves up and away from the bottom three, then they’re going to need Dominic Calvert-Lewin firing again. He has just one goal in his last eight league games. When he doesn’t score, Leeds don’t really score. They only have three in their last five league matches, but they’re also on a run of three games without even scoring a goal. Daniel Farke has to find a way for his side to score goals without needing Calvert-Lewin.

The Premier League is currently divided into four battles. We have the title race between Arsenal and Manchester City. The battle for top four with Manchester United, Villa, Liverpool and Chelsea. After that it’s the battle for the other European spots; Brentford, Everton, Newcastle, Bournemouth, Fulham, Brighton, Sunderland and Crystal Palace are all competing for that. Then we have the relegation scrap which involves; Leeds, Spurs, Forest, West Ham and Burnley. Brentford are at the top of the mini league of teams competing for the Europa League and Conference League. But, they’ve made it more of a competition than they would’ve wanted. One win in five league games has seen other sides catch up. Last time out they gave up a two goal lead against Wolves.

Despite a hugely disappointing result against Wolves, Keith Andrews will look to ensure that his side don’t make any more slip ups. They’ve never played in Europe in their entire history, so I think that prospect will guide them to a win here.

Predicted Result: Leeds 1-2 Brentford

Newcastle vs Sunderland

The Tyne-Wear derby looks set to continue into next season, but there’s still one more to be played this season. The Magpies’ grabbed a draw at the Stadium of Light last time, but a lot has happened since then. Newcastle had an incredibly difficult midweek after getting thumped 7-2 by Barcelona. That would’ve made Sunderland fans very happy, but Eddie Howe will be hugely disappointed. They were competitive for the first 45 minutes, but completely collapsed in the second. Domestic form has picked up though as they have won their last two games, this has left them just three points behind Brentford.

That 1-1 draw with Newcastle took place before the Black Cat’s even lost a game at the Stadium of Light, they’ve now lost three times. They were the last side to remain unbeaten at home, but they’ve now suffered three defeats in a row on home soil. Regis Le Bris will be immensely proud of what his team have achieved this season and how they’ve conducted their business. However, the wobble is continuing as it’s now just one win in the league since February 7th. One win in six attempts isn’t good enough, but their antics early on in the season has saved them from an awkward relegation scrap.

Newcastle will be physically and emotionally shattered from the trip to Barcelona, but they’ll dig deep for the energy required in this tie. Sunderland’s away form is tragic, winning just three times and only scoring eight times. I can see Newcastle getting bragging rights in this one.

Predicted Result: Newcastle 2-0 Sunderland

Aston Villa vs West Ham

Europe has come as a relief for Villa as they’ve had a torrid time in the league. They’ve beaten Lille 3-0 over two legs, ensuring progress to the next round. Villa aren’t showing any signs of progress in the league though, only regression. Unai Emery oversaw his side win in excess of 10 games in a row, but it’s now three defeats in a row from a league perspective. In seven matches, they’ve won just a single Premier League tie. The xG demon has come to collect and Villa are paying. They ensured us that xG doesn’t mean anything and that they will continue to fly in the face of the statistics. But, the poor underlying statistics will always catch up. Emery’s side are in danger of free-falling down the table.

West Ham arrive with fire in their belly, having only lost once in their last five league games. Survival is a real prospect for the East London side, they just haven’t quite been able to breathe the fresh air of 17th and higher. That’s not to say that the hard work is done if they manage to lift themselves out of the bottom three, but it proves to the players that it can easily be their reality. The Hammers actually prefer an away fixture as well, picking up 16 points on their travels. That’s compared to the 13 they’ve collected at the London Stadium. Having drawn to Manchester City at the weekend, the Hammers will come with the confidence they can challenge any side in the league.

Despite West Ham’s much improved form, Villa’s rut will have to come to an end at some point. I think Emery’s men will make a little bit of a statement here, something to prove they’re still to be taken seriously in the race for top four.

Predicted Result: Villa 3-0 West Ham

Tottenham vs Forest

Despite crashing out of the Champions League and conceding seven goals in the process, Spurs can be proud of the fact they managed beat Atletico Madrid in the second leg. They haven’t had much to cheer about, but that was something that got the fans off their seats. The fight they showed was something that the fans have been desperate to see. Having said that, form in the Champions League hasn’t been the issue. They finished fourth in the league phase and only dropped the ball away to Atletico Madrid. It’s translating that level of performance to the Premier League. The North London side still haven’t a league game in 2026 and that’s the problem for Igor Tudor. However, they did travel to Anfield with over 10 players injured or suspended and picked up a point. So, there’s a chance that Tudor is finally turning the screw.

This clash has all the makings of a relegation six pointer. If Forest lose then they’ll sit four points adrift of Spurs and that will feel like a mountain that seems too difficult to climb. A win will take Vitor Pereira’s side above Spurs and they can then look forward instead of behind them. The last away fixture Forest had in the league saw them draw 2-2 with Manchester City. Spurs are small fry compared to the behemoth that is City, so Pereira will be more than confident of getting a result. There is a big Asterix over that draw, not the performance itself, but what’s happened around that tie for Forest. They haven’t won a game, in the league, since January 25th, so if they want to survive then that has to change.

Both of these sides featured in Europe in the week, and both sides claimed a positive result. Therefore both will have a surge of belief that they can transform their domestic campaign. I do believe that if Spurs bring anything close to what they showed against Atletico then they’ll win here, but that’s a big if. A draw is more likely.

Predicted Result: Spurs 2-2 Forest