After a hectic set of Premier League fixtures involving controversy, red cards, and (to some people) a shock result in West London, teams have to settle and go again for their third game of the season.
Below are my 10 predictions for the games from Saturday afternoon to Monday night. I got two results out of 10 spot on and the correct match outcome six times last week. Can I do any better this week?
| Premier League Predictions – Week 3 | My prediction |
| SATURDAY | |
| Tottenham v Wolves | 3-0 |
| Crystal Palace v Aston Villa | 1-1 |
| Everton v Nottingham Forest | 2-2 |
| Fulham v Brentford | 1-2 |
| Leicester v Southampton | 0-0 |
| Bournemouth v Arsenal | 1-4 |
| SUNDAY | |
| Leeds v Chelsea | 1-3 |
| West Ham v Brighton | 1-1 |
| Newcastle v Man City | 2-4 |
| MONDAY | |
| Man Utd v Liverpool | 0-3 |
MY PREDICTIONS
All games kick off at 15:00 BST unless stated
SATURDAY
Tottenham v Wolves (12:30 BST)
Spurs showed fantastic character to come from behind and get a draw at Stamford Bridge last weekend. Albeit with some help from poor refereeing decisions and quite a bit of luck.
Wolves have signed Portugal forward Goncalo Guedes from Valencia to try to increase their goal threat, but he couldn’t break the deadlock against Fulham last week in their 0-0 draw.
Bruno Lage’s side’s most significant issue last year was they didn’t score enough goals, despite having obvious talent.
Whereas, Spurs don’t have that problem. It will be interesting to see if Richarlison starts this game, but either way, the Wolves won’t be able to cope with their firepower.
Embed from Getty ImagesMy prediction: 3-0
Crystal Palace v Aston Villa
Crystal Palace looked well-organised and compact against Liverpool on Monday, but when the Reds went down to 10 men you would’ve thought they would use the numerical advantage to try and get a win at Anfield.
Regardless of that Palace will still gain plenty of confidence, and they will want to get their first win of the season in this game.
Villa will also fancy their chances. They were much better against Everton after losing on opening day to Bournemouth.
It’s a huge blow to them as defender Diego Carlos is out with a long-term achilles injury, and he has to decide whether to start Emiliano Buendia over Philippe Coutinho, who offered little in the first two games.
This is a hard one to call, so I’m going for a draw.
My prediction: 1-1
Everton v Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest’s win over West Ham was massive, especially given the number of new signings they have made, which has now gone to 16 after the arrival of Morgan Gibbs-White.
Everton badly need a result to get the ball rolling, but they aren’t playing poorly.
The Toffees are still without a proper striker but looked very good against Villa once their new arrival Amadou Onana came on.
Embed from Getty ImagesCall me boring, but I’m going for another draw here – but it will be an entertaining one.
My prediction: 2-2
Fulham v Brentford
I’m a huge fan of the football that Brentford are playing. I knew they would beat United – but I didn’t expect a 4-0 demolition with some gorgeous counter-attacking football.
Fulham will have a real go at them, exactly like they did against Liverpool, so this will be a bigger test than what United offered and will be a good game.
It will be close, too. The Cottagers have drawn both their games so far, but I think the Bees possess too much quality for them.
My prediction: 1-2
Leicester v Southampton
Ralph Hassenhuttl seems to be under a bit of pressure already, which seems unfair so early in the season, so it was important that his side came back from 2-0 down to draw with Leeds last week.
Hasenhuttl had been playing three at the back during pre-season, but he went back to a four against Leeds, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him stick with that.
Leicester also have problems at the back, not helped by the uncertainty over Wesley Fofana’s future, but the Foxes still have plenty of quality in attack.
I don’t think there will be any goals, and I’m expecting both sides to have to wait another week for their first win of the season.
Embed from Getty ImagesMy prediction: 0-0
Bournemouth v Arsenal (17:30)
Arsenal have had a phenomenal start to the season, especially with Gabriel Jesus firing on all fronts.
There was a lot of hype about his arrival, and he is backing it up – but he is not in my Fantasy team, so I hope he doesn’t score again.
Embed from Getty ImagesI don’t think we should get carried away by what the Gunners are doing, and I still don’t think they will challenge for the title – but I can understand why their fans are excited.
If you look at the scoreline, Bournemouth got dismantled by Manchester City last week, but they actually didn’t do that much wrong.
They are at home this time and might think this is a game where they can go for it a little bit more. I don’t think it will work, but the Cherries might just roll over if the going gets tough.
My prediction: 1-4
SUNDAY
Leeds v Chelsea (14:00)
Leeds boss Jesse Marsch will have been deeply disappointed to see his side throw away a two-goal lead against Southampton, and I think he might have to deal with another setback here.
There are still a few questions about what is going on with Chelsea up front, and they keep getting linked with new players, but they were excellent against Spurs last week.
Embed from Getty ImagesPlay like that again at Elland Road, and you walk away with all three points.
My prediction: 1-3
West Ham v Brighton (14:00)
West Ham have lost their first two matches but have plenty of injuries, and I don’t think they have a reason to panic.
They will turn the corner soon, but they haven’t beaten Brighton in 10 attempts since the Seagulls joined the Premier League in 2017, and I don’t see that run ending.
Graham Potter’s side are wonderfully organised and I back them to get something out of this game.
My prediction: 1-1
Newcastle v Manchester City (16:30)
Embed from Getty ImagesThere will be a great atmosphere at St James’ Park and Newcastle might create some chances.
I can only see a Manchester City win, however. They haven’t put a foot wrong so far.
Many punters have talked about how few touches Erling Haaland had against Bournemouth, but he still got an assist for the opening goal.
If the Magpies’ game plan is just to stop Haaland, then it will leave space for all of the other attacking players, and we all know how dangerous they are.
My prediction: 2-4
MONDAY
Man Utd v Liverpool (20:00)
If Manchester United win this game, they will go above Liverpool in the table, but that’s not happening.
United aren’t able to press teams with the players they possess, and I don’t think Erik ten Hag can change what he’s got.
Liverpool have also had a slow start, and Darwin Nunez’s silly red card won’t help on top of injuries. That leaves them a bit short in attack, although Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz looked great against Palace.
Whatever happens, Jurgen Klopp’s side will outwork United easily.
Maybe United’s players will run around a bit more this time around, but they lack any real desire. Unless something happens this week that triggers a change in attitude, I don’t see it happening.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe home crowd will want them to take the game to Liverpool, and if they do that then they are in big trouble because that’s when Klopp’s side reach their best.
They won 5-0 at Old Trafford last season and it may well end up a similar tale, but in order to lift United’s spirit, I don’t think they’ll concede that many.
My prediction: 0-3
So there you have it – my 10 predictions for the Premier League’s fixtures this game week.
Do you agree with me? Or have I got it all wrong this week? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and let’s wait and see what happened come Monday night.
