Premier League predictions – Blackburn to feel Fergie’s wrath?

Saturday 31st October

The North London derby has been pretty easy to predict in recent years as Arsenal have generally been good and Tottenham generally haven’t. This season it isn’t so easy as both teams are looking good and occupy third and fourth place in the table.

Arsenal are playing their usual great stuff and a couple of weeks ago they won comfortably over Birmingham despite reaching their normal standards. Last week they threw away a lead at West Ham and they won’t want to repeat that. Tottenham are also playing great stuff but they inexplicably dropped three points last week at home to Stoke. What better way to bounce back for them than to win at Arsenal?

I think Arsenal will have just too much for Harry’s men.

SoccerNews prediction: 2-1

Bolton get a really quick chance of revenge after they lost 4-0 at Chelsea in the Carling Cup in mid-week. Unfortunately for them, it is likely that Chelsea will play their first team this time.

Gary Megson will keep Bolton safe but he won’t be expecting anything here.

Chelsea continue to look strong and Ancelotti will be looking at the other teams at the top and thinking that the Premier League should be his.

SoccerNews prediction: 0-3

Burnley were taught a harsh lesson about life in the Premier League last week when their excellent home record was unceremoniously torn apart by Wigan. What they need more than anything is another home game really soon against a team that are not very good.

Luckily for Burnley the visitors this week are Hull! Managerless? (I wrote this on Thursday so I’m not sure Brown will still have a job when this is published) Hull really are a poor side in terms of the Premier League. If Phil Brown is still in charge, he surely won’t be after losing this one.

SoccerNews prediction: 2-1

Last season this would have been a game between two teams who felt capable of making a bid to get into the top four. This season, Villa are still thereabouts but Everton are having a bad time.

David Moyes has had terrible trouble with injuries but Everton have had some truly terrible results. They need something from this game to get their season back on track.

Villa look good and will be in the top eight come the end of the season and maybe even be challenging for the top four. Having said that, Martin O’Neill will settle for a point in this one.

SoccerNews prediction: 1-1

Fulham have been slowly edging their way back up to mid-table and are beginning to look a little more like the team were last season. Liverpool seem to have turned a disastrous season into one of great hope on the back of just one win. That may be a little optimistic, however good that win was.

A win here would propel Liverpool back into the top four and talk of their demise will be forgotten. At least it will until their next defeat.

SoccerNews prediction: 0-2

Sir Alex Ferguson is never more dangerous than when he has been wounded. Accepting an FA charge of improper conduct and watching his team lose at Anfield will have wounded him terribly. I would say this is a bad time to be playing against him and his team at Old Trafford.

Blackburn are a decent outfit and they should remain safe this season. Having said that, teams at the top tend to be able to open them up reasonably easily and I can’t see this one being any different.

SoccerNews prediction: 3-0

Things at Portsmouth are a little confused at the moment. Their saviour and multi-billionaire new owner doesn’t appear to have any money. The whole situation is a little embarrassing for the club. On the pitch, things are not a great deal better.

Wigan pointed out a few home truths to Burnley last week when they won comfortably at Turf Moor, but they will also have a defeat at Hull in their recent memory. I can’t see them making the same mistake again.

SoccerNews prediction: 1-2

Both of these teams will be reasonably happy with the start they have made and would settle now to end the season in the position they occupy.

Stoke continue to punch above their weight and sit ninth whilst Wolves are fourth from bottom. That would do nicely for both of them.

I think Stoke at home will just be too strong for the visitors.

SoccerNews prediction: 2-0

Steve Bruce will be looking for his team to bounce back from defeat at Birmingham and Carling Cup defeat against Aston Villa. He has the makings of a good side up at the Stadium of Light but he needs to get a result before losing becomes a habit.

West Ham are already in the habit of losing but their spirited fight back last week to get a point against Arsenal may have been just the tonic Gianfranco Zola needed to turn their season around. A point here would be another step in the right direction.

SoccerNews prediction: 1-1

Sunday 1st November

They have managed to keep themselves just outside the relegation zone but Birmingham know that this will be a season of struggle. They know that they need to gather points against the other teams in the bottom half of the table and that getting anything from a game like this is a bonus.

Manchester City have drawn a couple of games that they should have won recently and they need to stop doing that if they are going to seriously challenge the top four.

SoccerNews prediction: 1-2