With the games coming thick and fast in the Premier League over the festive period, I can’t even tell what day it is to be honest! The league table is tempting at the moment with Liverpool leading the way with 42 points, but Arsenal can overtake them at the top if they can beat West Ham United in the London derby later today.
Manchester City finally got back to winning ways with a win over Everton earlier this week. The champions were uncharacteristically sloppy in December but have shown in the past that you can never count them out. Will they build on their result against the Toffees, picking up another three points over 20th-placed Sheffield United?
At this point, here are my predictions for matchday 20 of the 2023-24 Premier League season.
Luton Town vs Chelsea
I was at Chelsea last night and felt they were lucky to get all three points as they scored a penalty to beat Crystal Palace 2-1. Luton Town are a good team at home so I think it will be a tough game.
If you look at Luton’s home form, none of the teams they have faced have wiped the floor with them. They beat Newcastle United at Kenilworth Road and drew against Liverpool, while the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal won by a single goal.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Luton get three points but I think this game will end 1-1. Their home form is excellent but they need to start winning away from home to have a realistic chance of avoiding the drop. They also need to start managing games better, as they tend to fall in the last 20 minutes of football games.
Prophecy: Luton Town 1-1 Chelsea
Crystal Palace vs Brentford
With Yoann Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo off to the AFCON and Ivan Toney likely to leave the club in January, Brentford are in big, big trouble. They are a sliding team right now and they need Toney back in the team ASAP if they want to stop the rot. If they had won against Wolves they would have been in a better position but now I worry about them.
Crystal Palace played very well against Chelsea and were unlucky to come out on the losing side at Stamford Bridge. Jean-Philippe Mateta had his best game for the club against the Blues – he was completely unplayable. Eberechi Eze, on the other hand, didn’t make the final pass at times when his teammates were in better positions – that’s something he needs to work on.
The Eagles have plenty of X-factor players in their side, so I want them to secure all three points.
Prophecy: Crystal Palace 2-0 Brentford
Manchester City vs Sheffield United
Manchester City win, period. It’s just a question of how many goals they will score in front of their home fans and it could be ugly for Sheffield United as they come off the back of a shock defeat at home to Luton Town. Two late own goals capped a nightmare result for Chris Wilder’s side, who I believe will be relegated.
The champions got a great result against Everton as they came from behind to win 3-1. Arsenal and Liverpool would have been licking their lips at half-time after seeing them lose 1-0, but City showed exactly why they have won so many leagues over the years.
Prophecy: Manchester City 4-0 Sheffield United
Aston Villa vs Burnley
Welcome to the top, Aston Villa! That’s the kind of pressure you face when you’re suddenly up there with the big boys and it’s a bit of a reality check for Unai Emery and Co. in recent weeks.
They drew at home to Sheffield United and lost to Manchester United at Old Trafford after leading by two goals, so they need to bounce back and show they belong in the top four with a win here.
Burnley caused Liverpool problems but they don’t have enough players with the edge needed to win games like this, so I want the home side to get back to winning ways.
Villa will be kicking himself as he had Manchester United on the ropes, but Erik ten Hag’s side played very well in the second half and ran a lot without the ball – something they have failed to do as a team this season. The atmosphere at Old Trafford was as good as it had been for a long, long time, which also worked in their favour.
Prophecy: Aston Villa 2-0 Burnley
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Everton
Wolves have had a good Christmas so I think this should be an interesting game with few goals. They have some good players and they have done very well to cope with the absence of Pedro Neto, who I think is their main man. If Matheus Cunha could score some goals I think he could play for any team in the world as his dribbling ability and link up play are top notch.
Everton should have got a result against Tottenham and pushed Manchester City to their limits earlier this week, suggesting both sides are playing decent football going into this one. That said, Sean Dyche’s side are just one point off the relegation zone and need to get a result here.
Prophecy: Wolves 2-2 Everton
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United
Who saw Nottingham Forest take three points against Newcastle the other day? This was an absolutely incredible result for them and they will fancy their chances against an inconsistent Manchester United side.
Forest are one of those teams who are better away from home so I’m not sure this game will suit them. I hate predicting Manchester United games as they are a bag of treats – you never know what you’re going to get from them. I watched them beat Chelsea 2-1 and thought they would eventually turn the corner, but they followed that up with defeats to Bournemouth, Bayern Munich and West Ham United, while somehow managing to pick up a point against Liverpool.
They haven’t shown enough consistency this season, which is a big problem for Erik ten Hag. A draw would be a huge result for Forest, who are believed to be on the cards.
Prophecy: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Manchester United
Fulham vs Arsenal
Fulham are another funny team. They couldn’t score a goal to save their lives at the start of the season, but they were flying together a month ago. However, they seem to be back in the top flight at the moment as they have scored just one goal in their last four games.
London derbies are always tough and Fulham will want to win this one, but I think Arsenal will take all three points away from home. It’s looking good for Mikel Arteta’s side at the moment, but they need to stay consistent and push on as they look to get their hands on the Premier League title.
It depends on what happens when the Gunners face West Ham later today, but I think Arteta will go all out and start all his key players. Gabriel Jesus is the main man for Arsenal so I doubt he will bench the Brazilian for Eddie Nketiah or Leandro Trossar.
Kai Havertz has been in good form in recent weeks after a difficult start to his Arsenal career. I’ve always been a big fan of his and knew he would do well, so it was nice to see him emerge as a key player for the club over the festive period.
Prophecy: Fulham 0-2 Arsenal
Tottenham vs Bournemouth
Tottenham have been reeling in recent weeks and have some key players back through injury, but Bournemouth are absolutely flying at the moment, making this one of the most exciting games of the Premier League weekend.
In fact, this is a bit of a nightmare game for Tottenham as this is the worst time to face the Cherries. Cristian Romero is out for a month and Micky van de Ven is yet to return from injury, so Ange Postecoglou’s side may struggle at the back against an in-form Dominik Solanke.
He’s really come into his own and his confidence is high at the moment, but I think interested clubs might wait until the end of the season to put points on him. He’s been around for a while and he’s finally made his mark in the Premier League, so I’m really rooting for him.
Prophecy: Tottenham 2-2 Bournemouth
Liverpool vs Newcastle
I can’t believe Newcastle United were beaten by Nottingham Forest earlier this week, it was an absolutely shocking result for Eddie Howe’s side. It’s all about timing when you play one of the so-called big games and Liverpool are playing the Magpies at the perfect time.
Forest’s win against Newcastle was no fluke as they were very poor on the night and were beaten. Newcastle were also bad in the cup game against Chelsea so things are not going well for them at the moment.
Liverpool, on the other hand, got a hard-fought 2-0 win over Burnley in a game that marked Diogo Jota’s return to the team. He is a top player and his presence will come as a timely boost for Jurgen Klopp, who is set to miss Mohamed Salah next month as the 31-year-old prepares to represent Egypt at the AFCON.
Liverpool are very much in the race for the Premier League title and need to win it at home. Their squad isn’t perfect, but I can’t see Klopp plunging into the market in January despite the injury crisis at the back, with Joel Matip, Andy Robertson and Kosta Tsimika in the side.
Prophecy: Liverpool 2-0 Newcastle United
West Ham v Brighton & Hove Albion
As I said earlier with Manchester United, both West Ham and Brighton are a bag of treats. I thought the Seagulls would give Arsenal a run for their money, but the Gunners blew them away earlier this month.
West Ham are a good team at home and Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen have been in good form in recent weeks so they should have enough to win this game.
Prophecy: West Ham 2-1 Brighton