English Premier League Weekly Predictions: Gameweek 2

Predicting matches in the English Premier League is pretty tough. Last year, I started predicting the matches, and it was pretty tough. However, I had loads of fun.

As a result, I decided to start predicting this year's matches as well. I had no time last week, which prevented me from really looking at the matches or predicting them (I'm sure I would have gone 9-0).

For my record, I count matches I predict correctly as wins. Matches I pick incorrectly are loss. Matches that end up in draws are draws (W-L-D). That way, I can see if I'm close to being right, or if I'm just embarrassing myself.

With that little introduction, let's get to the predictions (home team on left, winners in italics).

MATCH OF THE WEEK

Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 0: This match is at Old Trafford. Shouldn't that be enough of a reason to pick United? If not, then I guess we can delve into how overwhelmed Spurs are.

United have a world-class striker (Wayne Rooney), two world-class wingers (Nani and Ashley Young) and two world-class center-backs (Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic). Spurs have Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Rafael Van der Vaart.

Yes, those two center-backs for United might be out. Yes, Spurs are fresher because they didn't play last week. Still, all you need to know is that Sir Alex Ferguson is managing at Old Trafford, where he had 18 wins and one draw last year. I know better than to pick against United.

OTHER MATCHES

Arsenal 1 Liverpool 3: New-look Liverpool are hoping to get the full three points this week. They outplayed Sunderland for long stretches last week, but missed opportunities (most notably, a missed PK from Luis Suarez) cost the Reds the full three points. This week, I expect them to go into Emirates and earn three points against a depleted Gunners squad.

Aston Villa 1 Blackburn 0: Both of these clubs were unimpressive last week. I would get used to saying that about Villa and Rovers. Villa should be safe from relegation, and Blackburn are good enough to finish outside of the drop zone. However, both of these teams need to watch their backs. As for this week, this will be an extremely dull match, with a solid Darren Bent finish being the difference maker.

Everton 1 QPR 0: Queens Park Rangers are a storied club, but their run in the Premier League will probably be pretty short-lived. Everton have too tough a defense to concede to QPR, and this slow-developing game shouldn't see more than a goal or two.

Swansea City 1 Wigan Athletic 0: Swansea City were embarrassed last week against Manchester City. Lucky for them, not many teams are as talented as City, especially Wigan. If the Swans want to remain in the Premier League, they will have to win home matches against teams as lowly as Wigan. If not, they will be right back in the Championship.

Chelsea 3 West Bromwich Albion 1: Last week, Chelsea looked poised to start the season off right, and West Brom looked like they might steal some points from Manchester United at Old Trafford. Neither of those happened. As a result, this matchup should be pretty intense.

Both teams need points to finish where they would like (Chelsea: Top, West Brom: Top Half), and teams can't afford to squander points, even at the beginning of the year. This match will be pretty open, but Chelsea's defense will hold strong for a solid three points.

Norwich City 0 Stoke City 1: Stoke played their style last week, and after a hard-fought match, they were able to keep Chelsea from scoring. Rebounding with a road match against Norwich is a pretty solid way to recover. I don't expect this to seem close, but I also don't expect an offensive explosion from the Potters.

Wolves 2 Fulham 1: Wolves aren't the same team as last year. Although they only beat Rovers, they still won a match on the road, which is a very elusive thing for them. Now that they are back home, I could see Wolves actually winning two in a row. Fulham played mediocre in a dull match last week, and I don't think this week will be any different for the Cottagers.

Bolton 0 Manchester City 3: Manchester City are good. Scratch that, City are really good. If they are able to get their hands on Samir Nasri, they very well could become the favorites to win the league. We are still a long ways away from that, but that's how good City (and Sergio Aguero) looked last week.

City teams have proven to play poorly after good wins in the past, so they could have a setback this week. Regardless, I think they are just too talented to do anything but destroy Wanderers.

Thanks for reading my first installment of my EPL predictions for this year. Feel free to let me know what you think about any of my picks. Thanks.