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The two-week international break for the Nations League and international friendlies, along with some technical gremlins gave the three of us a break from producing some horrible predictions – but it did not stop me from producing some horrible Fantasy Premier League play.
The final round of Premier League games prior to the international break was not predicted, nor written about due to an issue I had with In Your Space, but I still remain bottom of the OneBallZA log.
In the Premier League, Arsenal went back to the top of the log courtesy of a commanding 3-0 win over Brentford at the Community Stadium after Manchester City had brushed aside Wolves at Molineux by the same scoreline. Aston Villa moved out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 win over Southampton while Fulham overcame a stubborn Nottingham Forest side 3-2 at The City Ground.
Two of the surprise results of the final weekend before the break came at St Jame’s Park where Newcastle battled to a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth, who just two week’s prior had been thumped 9-0 by Liverpool.
The other result was seeing Leicester City, once champions of England, being thumped 6-2 by Spurs to see Brendon Rodger’s side sink to the foot of the table.
This week sees two big derbies happening with Arsenal hosting Spurs at The Emirates Stadium to kick-off the weekend while City host neighbours Man United on Sunday at the Etihad. Another derby sees Crystal Palace hosting Chelsea at Selhurst Park.
The opening game between Arsenal and Spurs is a near top of the table clash as there is just one point separating the two. Arsenal (18), Man City (17), Spurs (17) and Brighton (13 – 6 games) occupy the top four spots at the moment and the reward for victory for either side will add some additional spice to this already spicy encounter.
A victory for the Gunners will see them claim dominance in North London while also creating some breathing space while a victory for Spurs will not only see them claim bragging rights, but also overtake their neighbours. But I am going with home ground advantage and a 3-1 win for the Gunners.
City’s game against a resurgent United side will also be tantalizing. Pep Guardiola’s side could start the match in third place, depending on the Arsenal-Spurs result, and are just five points ahead of Erik ten Hag’s side having played one more match. So the heat inside the Etihad will also be boiling and this will no doubt create some additional pressure on the players and fans. However, with the on-fire Erling Haaland, City will run out 3-1 winners.
Newcastle have not really splashed the cash after becoming the world’s richest club but they have failed to show the form from the end of last season when they were (according to Woody), the second-best form team in the Premier League after Liverpool. The Toons have won just once in seven attempts with five draws and one defeat.
Eddie Howe’s side are three points behind Fulham and face up against their former striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, but they have their own ace in Alexander Isak. My prediction – a 1-1 draw.
Paddy has been doing fantastically well in the Fantasy Premier League and sits top of the pile, eight-points clear of VAR Rovers. Woody dropped to third place while ChippyBoy closed the gap to just four points in fourth. Yours truly remains rooted to the foot of the table but has closed the gap on Chug Along Ponies to just six points – onwards and upwards as Chippy would say.
Let the fun and games resume!
