We’ve got six more matchdays in the league before I’m made to find a way to survive the summer, and I can’t believe how quickly the last seven months have flown by. What a great seven months they’ve been. Liverpool could clinch the league with a win away to Leicester on Sunday and an Arsenal loss at Ipswich — not that that is a likely outcome. Elsewhere, the race for the European places is reaching fever pitch — with five games on Saturday, four on Sunday, and finally Spurs and Forest to close out the action on Monday night. You’ve made it to the weekend, kick your feet up, grab a pint, and get stuck into some Matchweek 33 predictions.
Brentford vs. Brighton & Hove Albion
15:00, Saturday, April 19th, GTech Community Stadium
At points this season, it has seemed as though Brighton may be able to seriously challenge for the Europa League places. Their run of form over the past month has put a serious dent in those hopes. A shocking draw at home to a languishing Leicester side last weekend only accentuated this fact, as the Seagulls now sit 10th. Thomas Frank and Brentford battled to a deserved 1-1 draw at the Emirates last weekend — the Bees sit 11th, five points behind Brighton, with the chance to continue closing that gap on Saturday. Given Brighton’s current form, I struggle to see them winning at the GTech, but if they perform as poorly as they did on the South Coast last weekend, winning will be the least of their worries. I expect a semblance of a response — maybe enough to scrape a point.
Prediction: 1-1
First Goal Scorer: Joao Pedro
Anytime Goal Scorer: Bryan Mbeumo
Crystal Palace vs. Bournemouth
15:00, Saturday, April 19th, Selhurst Park
After the two trouncings that Palace have taken away from home over the past seven days, the Holmesdale End will be a sweet sight for extremely sore eyes. The City game last weekend acted as a fairly accurate microcosm of the Eagles’ campaign for me. Two-nil up and flying — a toenail away from being three ahead inside the first 25 minutes — and then the wheels just utterly fell off. The two-goal advantage evaporated before halftime, and the 5-2 scoreline at full-time was probably kinder than it should have been. Palace followed this up with a 5-0 thrashing at St. James’ Park midweek — with Eberechi Eze taking one of the worst penalties I’ve seen in recent memory. The Cherries rediscovered their winning ways with a 1-0 victory at home over Fulham — scoring 50 seconds into the match and defending very well for the following 89 minutes. I hate betting against Palace at Selhurst Park — so I’m not going to this weekend, despite their current form screaming at me to do so. Eze rights his wrongs from midweek, and I think Palace get back on track.
Prediction: 2-0 Palace
Only Goal Scorer: Eberechi Eze (x2)
Everton vs. Manchester City
15:00, Saturday, April 19th, Goodison Park
Doucouré’s 94th-minute winner at the City Ground last weekend was a picture of everything positive that David Moyes has brought to the club since his return in January. Strong defending from both sides kept chances to a minimum throughout the 90, but it only took one great chance for the Toffees to take all three points back to Merseyside — and perhaps shoot a spark of panic into Forest’s dreams of Champions League football. City’s brilliant 60 minutes overcame their appalling opening 30 at the Etihad, as they breezed past Palace 5-2 in the end. As each week brings the end ever nearer to Goodison Park, I expect the atmosphere to respond in turn. I don’t know if it will be quite enough to see the Toffees take all three points on Saturday, but I believe they’ll be leaving with something to show for their troubles.
Prediction: 1-1
First Goal Scorer: Omar Marmoush
Anytime Goal Scorer: Beto
West Ham United vs. Southampton
15:00, Saturday, April 19th, London Olympic Stadium
Let’s be honest: West Ham are on the beach and Southampton are already down. There’s next to nothing to play for in this one, so I’m not going to spend much time on it. It’s a game fit for purpose in the monstrosity that is the London Stadium as a football ground. I implore you not to wager any money on this, as I simply can’t imagine that anyone participating is overly concerned — I’m not your financial manager though, so do what you will.
Prediction: 2-0 West Ham
First Goal Scorer: Jarrod Bowen
Anytime Goal Scorer: Niclas Füllkrug
Aston Villa vs. Newcastle
17:30, Saturday, April 19th, Villa Park
Villa Park was an Ezri Konsa forehead away from one of the most shocking Champions League comebacks in recent memory on Tuesday evening, but it simply wasn’t to be. With Villa now out of the competition, their aim will be to qualify for next season’s edition — and currently sitting just three points off fourth place — a win here would be monumental. Newcastle have been ripping people apart for fun — Sir Jim the Terrible and his travelling circus being the latest victims. They’ve won five on the bounce and find themselves in third — looking likely to occupy one of the five bids for Champions League football next year. I don’t have an inkling of what to expect from this match, apart from that I think it will be an absolute belter. I think it may produce one of the games of the season — and you can’t pick a winner for that, can you?
Prediction: 3-3
First Goal Scorer: Alexander Isak (x2)
Anytime Goal Scorers: Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, Marco Asensio, Fabian Schär
Manchester United vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers
14:00, Sunday, April 20th, Old Trafford
The conclusion of the United–Lyon Europa League quarterfinal will have been a memorable one for the neutral — good thing I am far from neutral. A non-existent penalty and a two-handed shove that went unnoticed helped to bail Amorim’s side out in the dying embers; after they had shipped four in 35 minutes against 10 men and a team that’s struggled in Ligue 1 for much of the season. Hardly a lot to shout about in my humble opinion. Wolves put four past Spurs and Big Ange last weekend, and after beating this United side soundly at the Molineux on Boxing Day, I fancy them to do so again.
Prediction: 2-1 Wolves
First Goal Scorer: Jørgen Strand Larsen
Anytime Goal Scorers: Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Cunha
Fulham vs. Chelsea
14:00, Sunday, April 20th, Craven Cottage
I was reminded of how quickly a trip to Craven Cottage can turn to shit two weekends ago — and Maresca and his Blues will be hoping to avoid a similar fate. What seemed like it would be a formality against Ipswich at the Bridge last weekend quickly turned into a nightmare of its own, as the all-but-relegated visitors found themselves two ahead at the break. Maresca’s side were able to respond — at least enough to share the points at full time — but it will be seen as a massive two points dropped as Chelsea continues to cling to hopes of Champions League football next season. With Chelsea’s run-in to the end of May being far from favourable, quite simply, these are the games they must win to have a chance. I think they do on Sunday, but just.
Prediction: 2-1 Chelsea
First Goal Scorer: Rodrigo Muniz
Anytime Goal Scorers: Enzo Fernández, Jadon Sancho
Ipswich Town vs. Arsenal
14:00, Sunday, April 20th, Portman Road
Do I want to be completely delusional about this fixture? Absolutely. Would I rather win the league at Anfield next weekend at the same time? Absolutely. Ipswich played their bollocks off against Chelsea last weekend — unfortunately, Chelsea seems to be the only opposition that Ipswich do this against. Arsenal all but cruised past one of the worst Madrid sides I’ve ever seen in Spain on Wednesday night, and while I don’t think this game will be straightforward, surely the set piece coach finds a way to win.
Prediction: 2-0 Arsenal
First Goal Scorer: William Saliba
Anytime Goal Scorer: Jakub Kiwior
Leicester City vs. Liverpool
16:30, Sunday, April 20th, King Power Stadium
Two more wins to Number Twenty. It’s so close, and it’s no longer a matter of if but when. The catharsis of Virgil’s header hitting the back of the net against West Ham last weekend, after the comical fashion in which we’d found ourselves level two minutes before, seemed to erase all of the pain I’ve experienced at the hands of this football club in title run-ins down the years. In a split second, all of the pain became worth it. In the grand scheme of the season, will that result matter? Probably not — but the memories of “we don’t let this slip now” now seem a piece of a nightmare long passed. Win two more games and let me party for three months until we start all over again in August. Cheers.
Prediction: 3-0 Liverpool
First Goal Scorer: Mohamed Salah
Anytime Goal Scorers: Dominik Szoboszlai, Conor Bradley
Tottenham Hotspur vs. Nottingham Forest
20:00, Monday, April 21st, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
I don’t think Spurs could give less of a toss about what happens in this match, or any in the league for the rest of the season for that matter. They really have no reason to — and with nothing but Bodø/Glimt standing between them and the Europa League final, why should they? It will be interesting to see if Ange rotates given the injury woes they’ve had this season — I’d be playing the 18s — but I don’t think this will be the case. Forest desperately need to win this game to cling to a fourth position that seems to be slipping further from their grasp with each kick of the football — and regardless of the team Ange decides to put on the pitch, I don’t think it will be easy to do so. In fact, I don’t see Forest winning this one, although I don’t see Spurs winning it either.
Prediction: 1-1
First Goal Scorer: Morgan Gibbs-White
Anytime Goal Scorer: Yves Bissouma
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