Premier League Predictions: Matchweek 10

FRIDAY:

EVERTON V COVENTRY

Everton were very good against Newcastle on Monday and should've won by more than the one goal they scored.

Coventry got a much needed win last weekend against Sunderland which lifted them out of the bottom three and they'll want to build on that against Frank Lampard's former club.

I haven't given Everton many wins this season as I have them down in 16th in my predictions table.

But I'm going to hand them one here because they should have enough in them to come out on top here.

It will be a close game as Coventry are also a competitive side as they have shown in recent games.

But the Toffees should have just enough to win the points here.

PREDICTION: 2-1

SATURDAY:

LEEDS V TOTTENHAM

Leeds haven't won since their impressive win over Newcastle in September but they are still having a reasonably good season as they're currently 11th.

It's the draws that have kept them a good distance away from the relegation zone and they need to start turning those draws into wins.

Spurs have got their confidence back following three straight wins which have moved them up to 9th in the table.

They're looking a more cohesive unit than they were during the early weeks of the season and are also looking more like a Roberto De Zerbi team.

But despite the improvement they've shown in recent games, I can see their momentum coming to a halt here because I can see Leeds get something here and especially as they're at home.

Leeds are unbeaten at home this season and because of this I'm backing them to get a result here with that result being a draw.

PREDICTION: 2-2

ARSENAL V HULL

Arsenal were on the back foot for much of the second half against Slavia Prague in midweek but they managed to hold on and deal with a lot of pressure from the Czech side.

It was good to see Viktor Gyokeres start and get his goal in that game and I'm very surprised that he hasn't started many games this season.

I know Mikel Arteta prefers Kai Havertz as his striker, but Gyokeres for me should start ahead of him as he's more of a no.9.

Hull have already taken points off two of the so-called big teams in Man United and Chelsea this season but doing the same in this one will be a big ask.

They'll make it difficult for Arsenal by being compact and hard to break down like they have been in a lot of their games this season.

But the Gunners should have enough quality in them to come out on top here as they're capable of winning games in a variety of ways.

PREDICTION: 2-0

FULHAM V NEWCASTLE

Fulham have definitely improved since the early weeks of the season both in terms of their performances and their results.

They were easy to play against at the start of the season and since then they've been tougher to beat and have adjusted to the way Alvaro Arbeloa wants them to play.

Newcastle were disappointing against Everton on Monday but they did improve in the second half after their subs injected some new life into the team.

The fans booed them off at both half time and full time and doing that shows their frustration and the mood around the club which appears to be at its lowest since the Saudi takeover.

I wouldn't say that Matthias Jaissle is under pressure just yet but if the Magpies' form doesn't improve, the fans could turn on him and he well could be.

I can only see a Fulham win here because they're strong at home and have players in their attack who will cause the Magpies all kinds of problems. Especially with how open they are defensively.

PREDICTION: 3-1

NOTTINGHAM FOREST V MAN CITY

Forest boss Oliver Glasner said that his team need to change things after their defeat at Brentford last weekend and he has a point because his team need results now they're second from bottom.

For them to get results, they need to start taking their chances because that has been their main issue this season as everyone knows.

Man City have lost their last two games in the league to Villa and Brighton respectively with both defeats knocking them off top spot.

I'm backing them to return to winning ways in this one simply because they're more clinical in front of goal and especially with someone like Haaland up top.

I can see them win this game rather comfortably with Haaland getting at least two of the goals.

PREDICTION: 0-3

SUNDAY:

BRIGHTON V BRENTFORD

Brighton have easily been the surprise package of the season as they currently sit in 3rd and are potentially being talked about as title contenders.

I asked about them being title contenders a few weeks back and their win at Man City last weekend suggests that they well could be involved.

Brentford are also having a fantastic season as they once again have Europe in their sights with the Bees currently 6th and two points off the top four.

This game will definitely be close as they both like to play on the front foot and are both very good teams to watch.

But I've got to back the Seagulls here because of the form they're in and this game being played at home where they're also very strong.

PREDICTION: 2-1

CRYSTAL PALACE V LIVERPOOL

This could well be Pierre Sage's last game in charge of Crystal Palace because it's the final game before the international break which can be a good time to change manager.

I thought he was going to go after the Spurs game last weekend because the defeat dropped the Eagles into the bottom three which only increased the pressure on him further.

He needs both a win and a performance from this game but I don't see him getting either because of the calibre of team they're facing and the issues they have in defence.

Liverpool like Palace also have issues defensively and they were evident against Fenerbahce in midweek where at least two of the goals they conceded were poorly defended.

Despite the issues they have defensively, they still have a lot of talent in attack which on their day is a handful for any team.

They'll definitely have chances in this game because of how open Palace are defensively and with the quality they have in their attack, I fancy them to punish Palace's feeble defence.

PREDICTION: 0-3

IPSWICH V BOURNEMOUTH

Ipswich have been a competitive and resilient team this season and mor so than they were the last time they were in the top flight.

Their fans weren't sure about Gary O'Neil when he was appointed, but I always thought he was a good appointment because he's managed at this level before and did a decent job at the two clubs he previously managed at including Bournemouth.

Bournemouth are on a roll at the moment following six straight wins in all competitions off the back of a slow start to the season.

The Cherries come into this game off he back of playing in Europe during the week and might feel a bit tired as a result of it. Especially as they were on the road away to Sparta Prague.

I haven't predicted many wins for Ipswich this season but I have a sneaky feeling that they might just edge this one.

With Bournemouth likely to feel a bit tired as a result of them being in Europe, I'm backing Ipswich to come out on top here and especially as they're at home and are a competitive and resilient side.

PREDICTION: 1-0

SUNDERLAND V CHELSEA

Sunderland are firmly behind manager Regis Le Bris as they said during the week and rightly so because he's done an incredible job since he's been in charge.

He's going through his first bad spell as manager and he deserves time and the chance to turn things around.

Being in Europe certainly hasn't helped them because their squad is stretched due to a lack of depth and injuries to key players.

Dan Ballard has been a big miss for them as they haven't been as watertight at the back as they were last season and he was a big part of that.

Chelsea got a good win last weekend against Man United where Estevao impressed and I wonder if he'll start again in this one.

He hasn't had many opportunities this season but with the blues recently playing a 4-3-2-1 formation instead of Alonso's favoured 3-4-3, he'll hopefully get more game time because that is a system that suits him and where he's more likely to start.

Whether he starts or not won't change my prediction because I'm backing the blues to win this game and I can see it being fairly straightforward for them.

PREDICTION: 0-2

MAN UNITED V ASTON VILLA

I don't think anyone saw Man United's comeback against Roma in midweek coming given the lacklustre performances they've put in this season.

It was a massive result for Michael Carrick given the pressure he's been under and he now needs his team to repeat that second half performance over 90 minutes on a regular basis.

The win will give his team confidence but whether they'll carry it into this game remains to be seen because they've had big wins during bad periods in recent seasons only for them not to follow them up.

Villa were outclassed by Barcelona in midweek but they won't be feeling too bad about it as that can happen to almost any team.

Their record at Old Trafford is not the best but they'll still fancy themselves to win this game given the poor state Man United have been in all season.

I'm torn between two outcomes for my prediction for this game because either one of them could happen in United building on their win in midweek or them putting in another lacklustre performance which Villa take advantage of.

I think I'll sit on the fence and go for a draw which to me feels like the safest one to go for.

PREDICTION: 2-2