Welcome to week 26 of athleticThe Premier League predictions challenge, where I’m starting to feel like one of the Wet Bandits, the hapless villain in Home Alone, being outwitted by a child at every turn.
It was all going very well. I was at the top of the table, not so satisfied but relieved that I was on my way to escaping this thankless exercise with a modicum of credibility, by showing that I was better at predicting football results than an algorithm, readers and – obviously – a six-year-old boy.
But younger Wilfred, like Kevin McCallister in the film, had other ideas. Not only did he top the standings last week, but he followed that up with the top score again, gaining 11 more points than my poor four from the weekend.
And now I’m not only eight points behind Wilfried, but also in danger of being overtaken by subscribers, for whom Arsenal supporter Peter, from Dublin in Ireland, scored seven points.
Every week since the season started in August, four of us – a guest client, an algorithm, Wilfred and I – have been predicting Premier League results.
We are giving three points for the correct scoreline and one point for the correct result. There is also a bonus point for any correct “unique” prediction, so Wilfried got four points for those two correct scorelines (Bournemouth 1–1 Aston Villa and Wolves 1–3 Chelsea) because they were not matched by anyone else.
Peter also scored four points for subscribers by predicting Manchester United’s 2-0 win against Tottenham.
So Wilfred is now clearly running on top, the clients have me in their sights and the only consolation I can draw is that the algorithm is stuck at the bottom of the table, On Saturday, a draw was played for doomed Wolves and Burnley.
It’s interesting to note that there were two games at the weekend where we all went for the same scoreline (Leeds 1-1 Nottingham Forest and Arsenal 2-0 Sunderland)… and we were all wrong, although the latter scoreline was correct until the 94th minute.
Anyway, here we go again. This week’s guest is Customer James, 27-year-old Manchester United fan from Norwich. Best wishes, James.
Our Clients Match of the Week
West Ham vs Manchester United, Tuesday, 8.15pm UK/3.15pm ET
James says: “Four hundred ninety-nine days. I’ve never been this excited about anything before.” It is possible Get a haircut. However, Man United have their work cut out for them against a superior, stylistically well-matched West Ham team. “I expect Man United’s set-piece dominance to decide it, but not before a few nervous moments.”
West Ham 1-2 Manchester United
Oli says: “Exciting times for Manchester United supporters after four consecutive wins – and none more so than their Spain-based fan Frank Illett, who went viral after announcing in October 2024 that he wouldn’t cut his hair unless they won five games in a row. I wonder if there’s a part of Illett that secretly hopes they’ll go down tonight. He now has 1.2 million followers on Instagram and just one on TikTok And his club’s future is not going to be defined by whether they win five games in a row and the fifth game is away to West Ham, so it may be time for Frank to approach the best sheepdog in all of Castellón.”
West Ham 0-2 Manchester United
Carrick has had an impressive start to life as Manchester United’s interim head coach (Carl Racine/Getty Images)
Oli’s other predictions
chelsea vs leeds
How great is it to see Cole Palmer having fun again? His first two goals against Wolves on Saturday were penalties, but I loved the timing of his running and the confidence of his third goal. Leeds won’t give Chelsea that much space but, with Palmer and Joao Pedro coming into form, I expect a very hard-fought home win.
chelsea 2-1 leeds
everton vs bournemouth
I’m struggling to understand Everton. It’s not just the difference between Everton at home (bad) and Everton away (excellent). Recently, as Patrick Boyland has written here, it has also been the difference between first half Everton (bad) and second half Everton (excellent). They are down on their luck at the moment, but a little momentum and positivity could get them their first home win since December 6.
Everton 1-0 Bournemouth
tottenham vs newcastle
George Caulkin has described Newcastle as “bland” this season, so what should we think of this fixture? El Softico? Irresistible force comes from non-physical objects? There is a real vulnerability about both of these teams at the moment, but I will say with some hesitation that I find it easier to envision Newcastle winning. Or perhaps the one I find easiest to imagine is a defeat for Tottenham – and screams of derision at the final whistle.
tottenham 1-2 newcastle
aston villa vs brighton
Villa’s title challenge has weakened after just two wins in seven matches. The challenge now is to ensure that their quest for Champions League qualification does not turn into a battle. This seems like a good opportunity to move forward again. Brighton have won only once (against Burnley) in 12 Premier League games and, as Andy Naylor points out here, dissatisfaction with head coach Fabian Herzeler is rising from the rooftops. When it comes to preventing rot, there are no obvious solutions.
aston villa 2-0 brighton
crystal palace vs burnley
After a much-needed win at Brighton on Sunday, can Palace rediscover a much-needed sense of optimism and direction? Possibly. Their next four games (at home to Burnley and Wolves in the Premier League and a two-legged UEFA Conference League tie against HSK Zrinjski of Bosnia and Herzegovina to decide who advances to the round of 16) provide an opportunity to build momentum. Burnley played well at times at home to West Ham on Saturday, but it never seemed like enough.
Crystal Palace 2-0 Burnley
manchester city vs fulham
Do you know what I liked most about City’s win against Liverpool on Sunday? Bernardo Silva was racing to get the ball into the net after his 84th-minute equaliser, firing it into the center spot and ready to go again. Their second-half performances had been poor up to that point – Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marc Guéhi, Matheus Nunes and Bernardo were the honorable exceptions – but the City captain was determined to show his team-mates and their opponents (and perhaps Arsenal) that they were ready to go for the win, which they certainly got.
If they can beat Fulham tonight to reduce the deficit at the top to three points, Arsenal will feel the pressure on Brentford on Thursday.
Manchester City 2-0 Fulham
nottingham forest vs wolves
What a dreadful season this has been for both of these clubs. Wolves are resigned to relegation and Forest have not been out of the bottom five since mid-September. I keep thinking they’ve started to turn a corner, but then comes another lame loss. On paper, this is their easiest fixture of the season, but Nothing looks easy for Forrest at the moment.
nottingham forest 1-0 wolves
Sunderland 2-2 Liverpool
When I look at this fixture the first thing that comes to mind is… beach balls. Many of you will know exactly what I mean, but I wonder if some of you, who might not have been following the Premier League in 2009, might be wondering what I’m on about. This is a crazy story, repeated 10 years later athleticHere is James Pierce. Anyway, that’s exactly the kind of game Sunderland players and supporters have enjoyed this season – and Liverpool probably won’t be able to enjoy that kind of game after another last-gasp defeat on Sunday.
Sunderland 2-2 Liverpool
brentford vs arsenal
In the modern Premier League landscape, it has become what Blackburn Rovers or Bolton Wanderers were to the great Arsenal title-winning teams of the early 2000s. Brentford will test the leaders in a number of ways – long throw-ins, corner kicks, quick-fire counter-attacks – making them the strangest opponents in the Premier League. The schedule means Arsenal’s lead, which stood at nine points on Saturday evening, could be just three by the time Thursday kicks off. This points to a painful, ugly game with long delays before each set piece. Unusually for a leading team, Arsenal may be enjoying this.
Brentford 1-2 Arsenal