Premier League Predictions Gameweek 17

It's that time of the week again, when I attempt to make my predictions for this week's Premier League games. I did pretty well last week when I got one correct result, five correct outcomes and three wrong outcomes.

It gave me a total of 75 points, which is not too bad, except that the leader in my predictions league scored 100 points, and I fell even further behind him. I'm still in third place, but it would seem more likely that I will lose ground at this stage rather than catching those in front of me. However, it won't stop me from trying to catch them.

	1 (1)			_Bradley08	860	+100	0
	2 (2)			preetgreet	655	+125	0
	3 (3)			aranmichael	595	+75	0
	4 (5)			essexgooner1965	575	+95	5
	5 (6)			COSGOONER	565	+125	0
	6 (7)			billygooner_29	545	+115	0
	7 (8)			Nickmc1980	530	+120	0
	8 (8)			oakhamgooner	490	+80	0
	9 (10)			Imjola	450	+50	5
	10 (4)			senarmy	445	-40	0

Aston Villa vs. West Brom

Aston Villa has only lost one game at home in the league so far this season, but their away form is so poor that they find themselves in 16th place.

The question has to be asked if Martin O'Neill left because he knew they were a sinking ship. A win in this local derby is an absolute must for them, but their defence is nowhere near as good as it used to be over the last few seasons.

The only Villa players gaining any fantasy points, at the moment, would seem to be Stewart Downing and Ashley Young, but at their current prices neither of them are a great buy.

West Brom seem to have got back on track, and they followed up their great win at Everton by winning at home to Newcastle last week.

They are a very entertaining team to watch, and the chances are there will be three goals or more in any game they play. Their away form hasn't been great, despite wins at Everton and Arsenal.

If you're looking for a good fantasy purchase in the West Brom side, both Chris Brunt and Peter Odemwingie are available at a good price, scoring very well.

I can see this being a close fought game, with the teams ending up all square.

Prediction: 2-2

Everton vs. Wigan

Everton should have won away from home to Chelsea last week, but they had to settle for a draw. They played very well, as they have done all season, but their problem is their lack of goals.  With only 18 goals in 16 league games they need to score more to climb the table.

Both Leighton Baines and Tim Cahill are good fantasy purchases, as Baines tends to get the assists on almost all of Cahill's goals. Cahill has managed eight of their 18 goals from his midfield role, and he could do with some help from the rest of the team.

Wigan managed to get a draw at home to Stoke RFC last week, despite twice falling behind. In the end they probably deserved to win, but the draw kept them in the relegation zone.

Like Everton, their biggest problem has been a lack of goals, and they have only 13 goals in 16 games, which is relegation form.

Their only real player of any fantasy value is Charles N'Zogbia, and he's behind most of their good work.

Their only away win so far was against The Spuds, and they have only five goals on their travels.

I can't see anything other than an Everton victory, and I am making this my banker result for the week, which probably means that it will end up as a draw.

Prediction: 2-0

Fulham vs. Sunderland

Fulham played very well away to Arsenal last week, and they were unlucky not to get something from the game. Their home form has been pretty good, but they are drawing too many games. They need to start winning some games very soon.They are only outside the relegation zone on goal difference, and the pressure on Mark Hughes will start to increase if they slip further back.

In the fantasy stakes, the only Fulham player worth gambling on would seem to be Clint Dempsey.

Sunderland beat West Ham last week to move up to seventh in the league, and they will be dreaming of European football for next season, if they continue their progress. Their home form is excellent, but with only one win in eight away games, they need to improve their form on the road.

They have a few interesting players for any fantasy manager. Nedam Onouha, Jordan Henderson, Darren Bent, Asamoah Gyan and Danny Wellbeck are all worth looking at. The trick is knowing which one to buy. 

Fulham has drawn four home games, and Sunderland has drawn four away from home. That points to a score draw to me.

Prediction: 1-1 

Stoke vs. Blackpool

Stoke RFC has a very good home record over the last few seasons, and newly promoted Blackpool will do very well to get anything out of this game. Stoke RFC doesn't exactly play an attractive brand of football, but they do have a few useful players. They are very good at set pieces.

If I was forced to buy any of their players for my fantasy team I would veer towards Robert Huth, Matthew Etherington or Kenwyne Jones.

Blackpool didn't play last week, as their ground was unplayable due to the adverse weather. They have won three and drawn two of their away games so far, and they will play their own game no matter how the game goes. They have been a very entertaining team so far this season, with 52 goals scored in their 15 league games. I think there will be a few goals in this game too.

The two most likely Blackpool players to perform well on a fantasy team are Charlie Adam and Luke Varney.

Stoke RFC are very good at home, and they will make life very difficult for Blackpool. I think Stoke RFC will win, but I hope I'm wrong.

Prediction: 3-1

West Ham vs. Man City

West Ham got back to their losing ways last week at Sunderland, and they are still rooted to the bottom of the table. They have only lost three of their eight home games, and they have been poor away from home. Luckily for them, they are at home in this game, and it will give them a chance.

Despite the fact that he isn't very good, Rob Green is not a bad fantasy buy, and both Scott Parker and Frederic Piquionne are pretty good buys too. They need some other players to perform if they are to turn their season around.

Man City has a fairly similar record away as it is at home, except that they have scored more goals on their travels. They will be without the suspended Carlos Tevez in this game, and he has scored 10 of their 21 league goals so far. It means that other players will get a chance to show what they can do, or not, as the case may be.

Fantasy wise, Tevez is almost a must buy player after this week. Joe Hart is the top keeper, but he costs a lot. If they scored more goals, then David Silva might not be a bad buy either.

With City's good away record, I think they will win this game, but West Ham's best chance is the fact that Tevez won't play. 

Prediction: 0-2

Newcastle vs. Liverpool 

Newcastle has another new manager, and he has a five and a half year contract in his back pocket too.

It should mean that he gets a good pay off when he is fired for not winning the league this season, as it seems that the better a manager performs for them, more is expected of him.

Newcastle has played well at times this season. If Pardew doesn't have the players behind him, then they could find their stay in the Premier League to be very short indeed. He's not a manager that I think is particularly good, and he has a lot to do to get the fans behind him after Chris Hughton was sacked.

Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan are the two Newcastle players who have done best in the fantasy stakes so far, but Nolan is carrying an injury that has kept him out for a couple of games.

Liverpool disposed of Aston Villa very easily on Monday night, and they're now up to eighth in the table. A win in this game would see them as contenders for a top four spot again despite their poor season to date.

Their biggest problem is keeping both Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres fit, and without them they are a fairly average team. The only two players worth having in a fantasy team are those two, but it's a big risk to buy them, as they miss so many games.

Newcastle has only two home wins, and Liverpool have only won one away from home, which all points to a draw. However, I think that Liverpool will just edge this game, much to the anger of the Newcastle fans.

Prediction: 1-2

SUNDAY

Bolton vs. Blackburn 

Bolton got themselves into a very good position in the league a few weeks ago, but since demolishing Newcastle, 5-1, they have only taken one point from two games.

They have only lost one home game, and they have scored 17 goals in those eight games. However, their problem has been keeping clean sheets, and they probably won't keep one here either.

Their best fantasy players are Chung-Yong Lee, Johan Elmander and Kevin Davies, who are all available at a good price and scoring plenty of points.

Blackburn won 3-0 against Wolves last week to help to erase the memory of their 7-1 drubbing by "Manure" the week before. Their home form has been good, but their away form has not been good for a few years now. It won't be easy for them, against a Bolton team that likes to play good football, but they can mix it up when it is need.

Amazingly, Paul Robinson is totting up loads of fantasy points in goal for Blackburn, and after a couple of barren seasons Morten Gamst Pedersen is now back in form too.

I think that Bolton will win this game, to get their chances of European qualification back on track.

Prediction: 3-1

Wolves vs. Birmingham 

Wolves were well beaten by Blackburn last week, and are only off the bottom of the table on goal difference. They have been playing well this season, but they have gotten very little for it, in terms of points on the board.They need to start picking up points very soon, and it's their home form that will save them if they can be saved.

The only Wolves player worth picking for a fantasy team is Matthew Jarvis, and they will need more players to step up if they are to stay in the Premier League.

Birmingham still hasn't won away from home this season, and their away form last season was pretty similar. They have managed to draw five of their eight away games though, and they have come from two goals down on a few occasions too.

Their stand out fantasy players are Ben Foster, Liam Ridgewell and Seb Larsson, who are all available at a good price and performing very well.

It's always difficult to tell how local derbies will end up, and this one is no different. I think that the most likely outcome is a score draw, which won't be particularly good for Wolves but Birmingham will be happy enough with it.

Prediction: 2-2

Tottenham vs. Chelsea 

The Spuds will be flying high after winning their Champions League group this week. They have struggled in games immediately after Champions League games this season, and they would have wanted an easier game I'm sure. Then again, I'm also sure that they would want to be playing Chelsea when the champions are going through a very bad run like their current one.

The Spuds defence is their Achilles' heel, and they will need to have Rafael Van Der Vaart back if they are going to get a win in this game. Their two outstanding fantasy players so far are Gareth Bale and Van Der Vaart, but Van Der Vaart might not be playing due to his hamstring injury.

Chelsea has only taken five points in their last six league games, and they seem to have forgotten how to score. It's a far cry from the team that won their first five league games this season, and were considered odds on favourites to retain their title.

Since then they have taken only 14 points from 11 games, and that's not the form of a top four team. With players coming back from injury their excuses are running out, they need to turn their performances and results around very soon, or the owner will start to tire of the manager.

Their stand out fantasy performers have been Peter Cech, Ashley Cole, Florent Malouda and Didier Drogba, but at the moment none of them are performing well enough to consider buying.

This game has a draw written all over it for me, unless The Spuds push too far forward and Chelsea picks them off on the break.

Prediction: 1-1

MONDAY

Man Utd vs. Arsenal 

"Manure" are the favourites to win the league now that Chelsea seem to be self destructing. Their form hasn't been particularly great so far, but somehow they remain unbeaten in the league. There has been talk of them matching Arsenal's "invincibles," by going through a whole league campaign unbeaten, but that is too horrible a thought for me to consider.

The difference between that great Arsenal team and this average "Manure" team is huge, and I can't imagine that they will match that incredible feat. "Manure's" home form is very good, and they have won seven of their eight games so far, which makes them firm favourites to win this game.

Their best fantasy players are Nemanja Vidic, Nani and Dimitar Berbatov, and, for me, Nani and Vidic are musts, but Berbatov is too hot and cold to be included. Wayne Rooney may be a good buy if he ever regains his form, but not for the moment at least.

Arsenal stumbled through to the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday night, and they now face a tough draw if they are to progress. Their away form is the best in the league, and their only defeat came away to Chelsea, when Chelsea was playing well. However, their defence is their weak point, and if they can't defend well in this game, it will be very difficult for them.

A lot may depend on whether Cesc Fabregas is available to play or not, as "Manure" has not gotten their central midfielders to match him. If he can't make it, Samir Nasri's contribution will be crucial for them.

If I had to choose any Arsenal players for a fantasy team, I would pick Nasri, Andrey Arshavin, Marouane Chamakh—although Chamakh could be out of favour soon, if Robin Van Persie can stay fit. Cesc Fabregas is an absolute certain pick when he is back to full fitness, but when that will be is anybody's guess.

I am an Arsenal fan, and I always predict a victory for them. This week is no different. I think they will edge a tight game by the odd goal, but a draw wouldn't be a bad result.

They can even afford to lose, if they can put up a good performance. It would be great to get a win against "Manure" after losing so many games recently.

Prediction: 1-2

As usual feel free to point out where I have gone wrong or right as you see fit. 

For the Music Lovers

Finally, my son's band has managed to put together their first professionally mixed recording, and you can listen to Don't Drop Me by The Excuses here. Please, give it a listen, if you have a few minutes to spare.

That's it for today.

See you tomorrow.