Premier League Predictions: Week 11

It's that time of the week again, when I attempt to predict the outcomes of this weekend's Premier League matches. I'm not doing too well thus far, and I only managed to guess four out of 10 matches correctly last week. I've lost even more ground to the leader of my predictions league, but I am still hopeful that I'll catch him very soon. Here's a look at the league table, followed by this week's picks.

	1 (1)			_Bradley08	440	+75	10
	2 (2)			COSGOONER	400	+60	0
	3 (4)			oakhamgooner	390	+85	5
	4 (3)			Imjola	380	+50	10
	5 (4)			Nickmc1980	345	+40	5
	5 (6)			essexgooner1965	345	+60	0
	7 (8)			SoFire	305	+40	0
	8 (13)			billygooner_29	295	+85	5
	9 (12)			Tlur	285	+60	0
	9 (7)			aranmichael	285	+15	5

Bolton v Tottenham 

Bolton's good run ended with a late defeat to Liverpool last week, and they can probably count themselves a little unlucky to have lost. They are very difficult to beat at home and will put forth the best effort that a team with Kevin Davies and Paul Robinson can be expected to do.

The Spurs had a fantastic result on Tuesday night when they beat Champions League holders Inter Milan. Apparently Gareth Bale tore Maicon to pieces yet again, but strangely enough, he is only ranked 17th among the Fantasy Premier League midfielders.

The clever money for fantasy points would be to buy Rafael Van Der Vaart, although I find it hard to have any Spurs players on my team. The Spurs will find it hard going to Bolton after their midweek exploits, and I think they will lose a little more ground in the league by drawing. 

Prediction: 1-1

Birmingham v West Ham

Birmingham managed a good 0-0 road draw at Aston Villa last week after beating Blackpool the week before. They will feel like things are looking up, and a home game against bottom club West Ham is the ideal opportunity for them to continue gaining confidence. 

West Ham put up an admirable defensive performance away to Arsenal last week before losing at the very end, but they will hope that it has lifted their season. They are still rooted to the bottom of the table, and if they don't get a few good results very soon they will find it hard to catch the teams above them. Some more of the effort they put in last week will give them a chance of winning at least one of those points in this game, but I don't see it happening.

Prediction: 1-0

Blackburn v Wigan

Blackburn are in the relegation zone and they haven't been as strong at home this season as they usually are. Two of their home defeats were against Chelsea and Arsenal, though, and they will see this game as an ideal opportunity to make some progress up the table. Their style may not be pretty, but it's usually effective at home.

Wigan try to play good football, but it's very difficult to know where their season is going. They had an awful start, but they recovered well, only to find themselves just outside the relegation zone again. If Charles N'Zogbia plays well, they could get something from this game, but I fancy Blackburn to take all three points.

Prediction: 1-0

Blackpool v Everton

Blackpool just about beat nine-man West Brom 2-1 last Monday night, and they gave up a lot of chances late considering that they were playing against nine men for so long. However, they did make a lot of chances themselves and have had a great start to life in the Premier League.

Everton are now up to eighth in the league after recovering from their now-traditional poor start earlier than usual this season. They are very solid at the back and their defenders are not a bad bet for fantasy teams at the moment. I did suggest Sunderland defenders last week, so I think we can expect Everton to let in five goals this week. I think Blackpool will find things very difficult in this game, and I expect Everton to win.

Prediction: 0-2

Fulham v Aston Villa

Fulham eventually got their second win of the season against Wigan last week with Clint Dempsey bagging both goals. They will see this game as an opportunity to move away from their habit of drawing too many games this season.

Aston Villa have slipped to the lower half of a very congested league table, and they need to get a few good results to restart their season under their new manager. Emile Heskey is injured for them, but I think that is a good thing as I don't rate him at all. A defeat for Villa would leave them very close to the relegation zone, but I think that they will manage a draw in this game.

Prediction: 1-1

Man United v Wolves

"Manure" are on a pretty good run at the moment, and along with Arsenal they look the most likely to challenge Chelsea. They have a few injury problems this weekend, and if Nani doesn't play they will lose their most potent weapon with "Shrek" out for another three weeks at least. On the face of it, they should win easily against the second-worst Wolves, but it takes hard work to beat any team in the Premier League.

Wolves fielded a reserve team in the corresponding fixture last season and were well beaten, but I doubt if they will do it this season. They put up a very good performance in losing to Chelsea two weeks ago and beat Man City last week, so confidence should be high, despite their lowly league position. I think they will run "Manure" close but lose by the odd goal.

Prediction: 2-1

Sunderland v Stoke

Sunderland were thrashed 5-1 by their fiercest rivals last week, hurting their fans and manager. We will see in this game if it hurt the players, too. They are good enough to beat Stoke RFC at home, but if they play like last week, they certainly won't.

Stoke were going through a great run in September but have had a very poor run recently and find themselves only one point above the drop zone. They have some good players, but it's difficult for some of them to express themselves as the ball constantly sails over their heads. I think Sunderland will bounce back with a win and put Stoke RFC into the relegation zone, where I hope they will stay for the rest of the season.

Prediction: 2-1

Arsenal v Newcastle 

Arsenal had a little bit of a blip in midweek when a weakened team lost to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League. The feeling was that their manager was saving players for three league games in a week. The players had better be up to the task against Newcastle. In their last two home league games, Arsenal have struggled badly—it seems that complacency has crept into their game a little. They have a long injury list, but even so, they have some great players and play a beautiful brand of football.

Newcastle should be in great spirits after thrashing Sunderland last week in a local derby that means so much to their fans. This game will be a whole lot harder for them, and they will spend a lot of time defending as Arsenal pour forward. The recent 4-0 Carling Cup loss to Arsenal should have no bearing as both clubs fielded weakened teams that night. I think Arsenal will have too much for Newcastle and that they will get the win they need to maintain second place in the league.

Prediction: 3-1

West Brom v Man City

West Brom dropped to sixth after losing to Blackpool last week. They weren't helped by having two men sent off, and to their credit they very nearly managed to get a point out of the game. They have been playing very well so far and fully deserve their lofty league position. Chris Brunt has gotten me loads of fantasy points, and I hope their form continues.

Man City have now lost three games in a row, including two in the league. After this game they play "Manure" on Wednesday and need to find some form very quickly or their title ambitions will be in ruins. No matter what they say about building a team and so on, they want to challenge for the league, and if they don't, heads will roll. If Carlos Tevez doesn't play, I don't think City will win, so I'm going for a draw.

Prediction: 1-1

Liverpool v Chelsea 

Liverpool have at last found some form, but I think their confidence is still very fragile. It's not a good time for them to be playing league-leading champions in Chelsea, but I don't think they have too much to lose. In Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres they have two players who can win virtually any game on their own, but their problems lie with the rest of their outfield team, who are pretty average in my opinion. This has a draw written all over it.

Chelsea have a five point gap to second place Arsenal, and they would probably settle for a draw in this game. With a couple of home games coming in the next week, they will feel that they can maintain their lead if they don't lose and possibly even increase it as Arsenal and "Manure" play some difficult games. I think both teams will be happy with a draw and that's how this game should end up.

Prediction: 1-1

That's the lot for this week, but I'll have more predictions on Monday night for the midweek games.

See you then.