Premier League Predictions: Matchweek 7

SATURDAY:

EVERTON V CHELSEA

Everton are one of the few sides who are still unbeaten this season and they comfortably won this fixture 3-0 last season.

Chelsea don't have a good record in this fixture from recent seasons as they've won just once in their last nine visits to Everton.

They looked more secure against Bournemouth last weekend with the return of Moises Caicedo to their midfield being the main reason why as he gave the defence the protection it maybe was lacking in their earlier games.

But their defence still remains their achilles heal as they're still without a clean sheet and have been since about January.

Everton will definitely here because of the vulnerabilities Chelsea have in defence but I think Chelsea will score also as they have plenty of firepower in attack.

But as Everton are a tough team to play against and especially under a manager like David Moyes, I can see them do enough to earn at least a point here.

PREDICTION: 1-1

BRENTFORD V LIVERPOOL

Brentford have made quite possibly their best ever start to a season as they're still unbeaten and 4th in the table.

They won this fixture reasonably comfortably last season and they might fancy themselves to do the same in this one as Liverpool are not 100% convincing at the moment.

Liverpool got a big win against LASK in midweek and it was good to see Bradley Barcola get off the mark with his hat trick which will do his confidence the world of good.

He now has to carry that performance with him into the Premier League because we haven't seen the best of him in the Premier League and the same can be said about Florian Wirtz, who also impressed in midweek.

Wirtz has come in for a lot of criticism this season and especially after the reds' defeat to Man City last weekend where he simply did not get himself into the game.

Brentford will provide a much tougher test than LASK for the reds and because of how dangerous they can be and Liverpool yet to really get going this season, I'm going for a win for the Bees here.

PREDICTION: 3-1

FULHAM V HULL

This is a a game that Fulham simply have to win with it being against a newly promoted team which gives them a good opportunity to get some points on the board.

They're still without win since Alvaro Arbeloa took over and he needs a result soon other wise he'll be under a lot of pressure.

Hull have surprised literally everyone with the start they've made as they were written off by pretty much everyone during pre-season.

They've been tough to beat, competitive and solid defensively with all three being key factors behind their strong start.

The Tigers will definitely fancy themselves here becaus they're easily the more confident team heading into this game.

But as Fulham have been strong at home in recent seasons, I'm going to back them to get their first win of the season here.

PREDICTION: 2-1

MAN CITY V IPSWICH

Man City showed against Liverpool that their off-field issues are not going to affect them on the pitch and they showed it again in the second half against PSG in midweek.

They were taught a lesson in the first half against PSG and the response they showed in the second half shows how together the squad are despite everything that is going on behind the scenes.

Ipswich needed two late goals to beat Fulham last weekend and them doing that shows that they have character and resilience.

Having those two traits gives them a good chance of staying up and they well could do as they have more top

level quality and are more adaptable than they were the last time they were in the top flight.

They have however been taught a lesson whenever they've come up against the so-called bigger teams and with the quality that City possess, I can see exactly the same happening here.

I think City will win and comfortably with Erling Haaland bagging at least two of the goals.

PREDICTION: 4-0

NEWCASTLE V ASTON VILLA

Newcastle's defeat at Coventry on Monday will be seen as a reality check because they made a relatively promising start to the season with the performances they put in during the early weeks.

Their fans will have been feeling reasonably optimistic following their promising start and I even had them down to be a potential surprise package.

But the Coventry game showed that they may have to settle for another mid table season which is probably where they are at this moment in time.

Villa were ruthless against Fenerbahce in midweek where Nicolas Jackson kept up his promising start in a Villa shirt with two more goals.

It looks like they're beginning to get themselves going as their new signings are beginning to gel and their performances are starting to improve along with their results.

But I think their short improvement will be halted here as I'm backing Newcastle for the win here because they have a decent record at home and will be the fresher of the two teams having not played in midweek.

PREDICTION: 2-1

SUNDAY:

BOURNEMOUTH V SUNDERLAND

Both teams come into this game off the back of playing in Europe on Thursday and are likely to feel tired as a result of it.

They also come into this game out of form with Bournemouth without a win all season and Sunderland without a win in their last four games.

Bournemouth dropped into the bottom three last weekend and they need to start picking up points soon otherwise it could be a long season for them.

Sunderland are a point and a place above the Cherries coming into this game and they too need to start picking up results and especially after losing their last three on the bounce.

Because I can see both teams feeling tired as a result of them playing in Europe, I think the points will be shared here.

PREDICTION: 1-1

BRIGHTON V CRYSTAL PALACE

Brighton have been one of the surprise packages of the season so far given the strong start they've made but they're now about to be tested as they'll be coming into this game off the back of playig in Europe during the week.

They struggled to compete on both fronts the last time they were in Europe three seasons ago but they might fare better this time round as they've got a lot of confidence on board as a result of their strong start to the season.

Palace also come into this game off the back of playing in Europe during the week and it had an impact on their form last season as a lot of people will know.

Because of the form Brighton are in, I've got back them here and especially as they're at home where they have a good record and have done ever since they've been in the Premier League.

PREDICTION: 3-1

LEEDS V MAN UNITED

This might be the first time in a long time that Leeds will actually fancy themselves of beating Man United because of the form they're in compared to United.

Being at home will also help because they have a good record at home and Elland Road can be a tough place to visit as it was for a lot of last season.

Man United looked better against Atletico Madrid in midweek than they did against Spurs last weekend, but it was still another game without a win.

It will be interesting to see if Lisandro Martinez starts this game following his comments about the hierarchy of the football club after the Atletico game.

It's very rare for a player to criticize their own club's hierarchy because it's usually the manager that does it as we saw on a few occasions last season.

Most managers get sacked after criticzing their own club's hierarchy and if a player was to do it like Martinez has done, they might never play for their club again and Carrick will I'm sure have a big decision to make as whether to start Martinez or leave him out entirely.

Whether Martinez starts this game or not, I don't see it making a difference because I'm backing Leeds to come out on top and Man United to again look very flat as they have been all season.

PREDICTION: 2-0

NOTTINGHAM FOREST V ARSENAL

Forest will have been kicking themselves for the chances they missed against Crystal Palace last weekend and especially in the first half which was their best spell of the game.

They used to be very strong at home but now that doesn't seem to be the case as they've won just one of their last 14 home games with their sole win coming against Burnley towards the end of last season.

Glasner had a better away record than home when he was at Palace and that appears to be repeating itself as they're without a win at home this season.

Arsenal's squad depth was heavily praised last season and they showed it again against Lille in midweek where they made about three or four changes and won the game convincingly.

Their squad depth was a key reason why they won the title last season and it looks set to play another major role this season.

The players they rested should come back into the team for this one and and I can see them being the difference here because I'm backing this to be a straightforward win for the Gunners.

PREDICTION: 1-3

MONDAY:

TOTTENHAM V COVENTRY

Spurs put in arguably their best performance of the season against Man United and they really should've been out of the sight by half time with the amount of chances they had.

Scoring goals has been their achilles heal this season as everyone knows and they need to fix it ASAP if they're to start winning games and climbing the table.

Coventry are beginning to look like a Premier League side following back-to-back wins over Nottingham Forest and Newcastle which have given them some much needed confidence.

It's good to see them off the mark following the start they had and I'm hoping that they can kick on and get more wins under their belt.

I think they'll get something from this game only because Spurs have a terrible home record and have done for well over a year.

But I only see them getting a draw because I see both teams missing a lot of chances but doing enough to get a result.

PREDICTION: 1-1