EPL Week 29: Bleacher Report Writers Make Their Expert EPL Picks
After a thrilling week of European action, the English Premier League will once again take center stage with a plethora of exciting matchups to watch.
Some of the top teams in the league find themselves without a game, or with postponed matches for now, but that's not to say that the games this week won't be any less worth watching. In fact, with relegation battles and a top-four spot on the line, expect Week 29 to still be a fantastic one filled with action.
Read on to see who the expert Bleacher Report writers see winning (and losing) from the English Premier League action this weekend.
Leaderboard and Explanation
1 of 8For those not familiar with the way this works, each writer has to pick a team and a score for every match in the Premier League that week.
A correct pick (e.g. Chelsea win) will earn him one point, and a correct score (e.g. Chelsea win 3-0) sees him earn three points.
Also, for the next few weeks or so, our writers will try to predict the total number of goals scored over the course of the round, predicting whether the goals will be "over" or "under" a determined amount.
For example, the goal limit might be set at 28.5 goals. Our writers will predict whether there will be (a) 28 goals or fewer or (b) more than 29 goals over the weekend. A correct selection will earn them five points, with the total goal amount changing from week to week.
Let's take a look at our Bleacher Report experts and how their predictions have held up through the opening weeks of the competition.
| Dan Talintyre | Breaking News and World Football Writer | 252 points |
| Mohamed Al-Hendy | World Football Featured Columnist | 240 points |
| Joe Tansey | Premier League Featured Columnist | 216 points |
| Karl Matchett | World Football Featured Columnist | 212 points |
| Michael Cummings | World Football Lead Blogger and Writer | 206 points |
| Will Tidey | World Football Lead Writer and Editor | 201 points |
| Sam Tighe | World Football Tactical Analyst | 197 points |
Over/Under Total Goals for the Week
2 of 8As mentioned before, every week our writers will try to predict the total number of goals scored over the course of the round. The total goals for this weekend is 21.5 goals.
Every writer has selected the "under" total goals this week.
Norwich City vs. Southampton
3 of 8Saturday, March 9, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. ET
Having performed well at home all season and achieving a relatively safe position domestically because of it, Norwich City will feel relatively comfortable heading into this fixture against Southampton. However, with a potential relegation fight looming, the Saints won't have have similar confidence in this one.
Having won just one of their last seven and playing a team that's beaten Arsenal, Manchester United and Everton at Carrow Road this year will do that to you—the question will be whether the Canaries defense can carry their discipline and structure with them again through this one.
If they can, the home side should be tough to beat.
| Dan Talintyre | Norwich win 2-1 |
| Joe Tansey | Norwich win 2-1 |
| Karl Matchett | Norwich win 2-1 |
| Michael Cummings | Draw, 1-1 |
| Mohamed Al-Hendy | Norwich win 2-1 |
| Sam Tighe | Norwich win 2-1 |
| Will Tidey | Norwich win 2-1 |
Queens Park Rangers vs. Sunderland
4 of 8Saturday, March 9, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. ET
Queens Park Rangers picked up a huge win in their relegation survival plan last week when they toppled Southampton away from home. Now they've got to turn it on at Loftus Road against another lower-table team in order to keep the pressure on the other teams around them in the dreaded drop zone.
Sunderland are winless through their last five matches and have been horribly ineffective on the road all season, but the Black Cats can't be counted out here.
They have a strong defense that could well hold strong against a QPR side that has struggled for goals all season (fewest in league), and also posses the ability to hurt their London opponents on the counterattack—if they get the opportunity to do so.
Harry Redknapp's team will fancy their chances at making it back-to-back wins, but Sunderland certainly can't be discredited as a threat this week.
| Dan Talintyre | QPR win 1-0 |
| Joe Tansey | QPR win 2-1 |
| Karl Matchett | QPR win 1-0 |
| Michael Cummings | QPR win 2-1 |
| Mohamed Al-Hendy | Draw, 1-1 |
| Sam Tighe | QPR win 1-0 |
| Will Tidey | QPR win 1-0 |
Reading vs. Aston Villa
5 of 8Saturday, March 9, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. ET
Aston Villa on the road to Reading this week is in every sense of the term a relegation six-pointer, with the outcome of this match likely to have profound impacts on who survives the drop in 2013.
Neither side have been strong this season in either attack or defense, and both are coming off back-to-back losses that they really should have done better in. Having said that, both sides have also showed they can be attacking threats when given the opportunity, and possess the talent needed to score goals.
The biggest question will be how those attacks will square up in this one—that is, assuming that both turn up and play to their full potential. It's got the potential to be one of the top relegation battles ever, or it could genuinely look like 18th playing 19th in the Premier League.
We'll soon find out.
| Dan Talintyre | Draw, 1-1 |
| Joe Tansey | Draw, 2-2 |
| Karl Matchett | Reading win 2-1 |
| Michael Cummings | Draw, 1-1 |
| Mohamed Al-Hendy | Aston Villa win 2-1 |
| Sam Tighe | Draw, 1-1 |
| Will Tidey | Aston Villa win 3-1 |
West Bromwich Albion vs. Swansea City
6 of 8Saturday, March 9, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. ET
West Brom have continued to impress this season despite dropping off from their form earlier in the year, but their story has also been that of their opponents this year, with Swansea City already declared champions following their victory in the Capital One Cup.
The Swans are only two points behind Liverpool and seven points behind fifth-placed Arsenal here, and know that a win away from home would do wonders for their outside chance of a European spot in 2013. The Hawthorns is certainly no easy place to travel, but given the counterattacking threats existent in Michael Laudrup's side, it's hard for them not to be considered big threats in this one.
Ben Foster was superb for the Baggies against Chelsea last week and nearly earned them a huge point because of it. Can the former Manchester United man hold out again this week, or will the Swans' attack prove too strong and persistent to triumph over in this one?
| Dan Talintyre | Swansea win 1-0 |
| Joe Tansey | Swansea win 2-1 |
| Karl Matchett | West Brom win 1-0 |
| Michael Cummings | Draw, 2-2 |
| Mohamed Al-Hendy | Draw, 2-2 |
| Sam Tighe | Draw, 0-0 |
| Will Tidey | Draw, 0-0 |
Newcastle vs. Stoke City
7 of 8Sunday, March 10, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. ET
Newcastle played very hard and strong in their European action during the week, and you wonder how that will turn out to affect the Magpies in this one against a strong and tough Stoke City side.
The Potters defense is one of the best in the league (and one of the most physical), and with the potential to slip back into relegation contention, Newcastle really need to be wary of their opponents here–even with the home-ground advantage boding in their favor.
Stoke have only won one of their past nine fixtures in the Premier League, and aren't a great side on the road, but given Newcastle's inconsistencies this year, must be considered a chance—unless the home side play like they did in Russia during the week, which was pretty darn impressive.
| Dan Talintyre | Newcastle win 2-0 |
| Joe Tansey | Newcastle win 2-0 |
| Karl Matchett | Draw, 1-1 |
| Michael Cummings | Draw, 1-1 |
| Mohamed Al-Hendy | Newcastle win 2-1 |
| Sam Tighe | Draw, 1-1 |
| Will Tidey | Newcastle win 3-0 |
Liverpool vs. Tottenham Hotspur
8 of 8Sunday, March 10, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. ET
The Premier League's game of the week sees Liverpool up against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield—a match that could have a profound impact on the top four picture at the end of the year.
Brendan Rodgers' side are probably too far down to challenge, but Spurs could move to within two points of Manchester City with a win here (albeit with an extra game played) and seemingly put forward a strong case for their inclusion in the UEFA Champions League next season.
The North London club scored an impressive 2-1 win in their North London derby over Arsenal last week and then backed it up with an ultra-strong 3-0 win over Inter Milan in the Europa League. That will no doubt have given them a huge high, but you do wonder whether it will take something out of them here, with Anfield certainly no easy place to go to get a win.
Liverpool are always a proud team and will never simply roll over—especially not in Merseyside—so expect the likes of Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard to continue to press Tottenham's defense here, which has shown some moments of weakness on the road this year.
Liverpool have lost just twice at home since September, whilst Tottenham are undefeated in 2013. Their last loss, however, was in Merseyside back in November, 2012. Will the trip to Liverpool again prove to be the undoing of Andre Villas-Boas' side or are they simply on too much of a roll to be stopped?
| Dan Talintyre | Draw, 2-2 |
| Joe Tansey | Tottenham win 3-2 |
| Karl Matchett | Liverpool win 3-1 |
| Michael Cummings | Draw, 2-2 |
| Mohamed Al-Hendy | Draw, 2-2 |
| Sam Tighe | Draw, 1-1 |
| Will Tidey | Liverpool win 2-1 |
What do you make of our EPL picks this week? Agree? Disagree?
Comment below or hit me up on Twitter: Follow @dantalintyre
