Every week at this time, I try to forecast the results of the upcoming Premier League games. I did okay last week, finishing in second place in my predictions league with five correct outcomes and five incorrect outcomes. The top five teams in that league are shown below
Erling Haaland’s goal last week almost paid off for my fantasy captain, but his missed penalty cost me. This week, when we play Fulham at home, he will once again serve as my captain. However, James Maddison and Raheem Sterling could also be strong candidates, and Mohamed Salah is almost always a consideration.
Overall, my team made some progress last week, but if this season is going to be successful, I need to start moving up the rankings much more quickly. Other than Haaland, Bruno Fernandes, Bukayo Saka, Ollie Watkins, and Phil Foden all contributed well to my team, but my defense needs to be fixed. With players like Alphonse Areola, Malo Gusto, Matty Cash, Joachim Andersen, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie, James Ward-Prowse, Pape Matar Sarr, Yoanne Wisse, Eddie Nketiah, and Taiwo Awoniyi all performing admirably at a very good price, there is still a lot of value to be had.
September 1, Friday.
West Ham United versus Luton Town.
8 p.m. BST, Kenilworth Road in Luton.
Luton suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea last week, and they are now only able to avoid the bottom of the standings because they have managed to score a goal while Everton have not. This is their first home game as a result of the renovations at Kenilworth Road, so if their performance away from home is any indication, they must win at home. Despite playing one fewer game than them, no other team has given up more goals in their first two games than they have.
I’m not sure which Luton players would be best for fantasy managers right now, but Carlton Morris is someone to keep an eye on. .
West Ham improved to second place in the standings last week after winning 3-1 away to Brighton. Considering how poorly they performed on the road last season, they have earned four points and scored four goals in their first two away games. They have four of the top six teams from last season in their next five games, making their schedule much tougher after this one.
For fantasy managers, Jarrod Bowen, James Ward-Prowse, Michail Antonio, and Alphonse Areola all seem like excellent choices.
I predict that West Ham will pick up another three points in this match, continuing their strong start to the season.
Prediction: 0–2.
Saturday, September 2.
Everton versus Sheffield United.
At 12:30 PM BST, in Sheffield’s Bramall Lane.
United is one of four teams without a point after last week’s 2-1 home loss to City. They have lost both of their home games thus far by a solitary goal, but this game could provide insight into how they will perform against the other teams battling for relegation. After this one, they play a series of very different games, but when you’re at the wrong end of the table, no game is ever simple.
There aren’t any United players that I can think of right now to suggest to fantasy managers.
Everton lost 1-0 to Wolves last week at home, dropping them to the bottom of the table without a point or goal thus far. They didn’t score in either of their first two away losses, but this game is unquestionably their best chance to date. Only Luton is contemplating more goals, and they are the only team that has yet to score.
There may be some Everton players who can make a difference for fantasy managers, but I’m not sure of it right now. As their new players settle in, that may change.
This game is going to be extremely close, and a draw wouldn’t surprise me.
1-1 is the prediction.
Bournemouth and Bradford.
London’s Gtech Community Stadium, 3 PM BST.
Brentford earned five points from their first three games last week after drawing 1-1 with Palace at home. No other team drew more games at home last year than they did in their first two home contests. After this game, three of their final four contests are against teams that are predicted to have trouble.
The Brentford players that fantasy managers should have are Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo.
Last week, Bournemouth lost 2-0 to Spurs at home, and after three games, they have only earned one point. They need to improve because they gave up a lot of goals while traveling last season. This is the first of a four-game stretch of difficult contests; only Luton has given up more goals so far.
While Antoine Semenyo may also be effective for fantasy managers, Dominic Solanke is most likely the Bournemouth player most likely to do so
I believe Brentford is capable of winning by a score or two.
Three to one.
Spurs play Burnley in a match.
3 PM BST, Burnley’s Turf Moor.
Burnley lost 3-1 to Villa last week at home, and after losing their first two games, they are only separated from the bottom of the standings by goal differential. No other team has given up more goals at home than they did in their first two losses, during which they allowed six goals. Although they haven’t started well and their upcoming games are difficult, they are anticipated to perform the best of the three promoted teams.
For fantasy managers to pay attention to, Lyle Foster is likely the Burnley.
With seven points from their first three games, Spurs moved up to third place last week after defeating Bournemouth 2-0 on the road. Despite giving up a lot of goals away from home last season, they have so far earned four points from two away games. They have had a strong start, and five of their next seven games, beginning with this one, are against teams that are anticipated to finish in the bottom half of the standings.
For fantasy managers, James Maddison is a must-have Spurs player. Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie, and Pape Matar Sarr also seem like good value options.
I predict a close game, with the Spurs likely taking all three points.
Forecast: 1-2.
Nottingham Forest and Chelsea.
3 PM BST, London’s Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea has a great chance to build on last week’s 3-0 victory over Luton at home, which was their first victory of the year. They need to win a lot more games at home than the six they did last year if they want to be among the title contenders once more. They need to win big to boost their confidence as they are in the midst of a string of very strong performances.
In addition to Ben Chilwell, Nicolas Jackson, and Malo Gusto, Raheem Sterling might be the Chelsea player fantasy managers should have.
Forest had a 2-0 lead against United last week, but they ultimately lost 3-2, making it two losses in their first three games. They lost their first two away games this season despite having the worst away record in the top flight last year.
However, those games’ performances suggested they might be able to improve this year.
Before things get any easier, they have a tough run of games to finish the season, and they travel to City in a couple of weeks.
The Forest players who can really impress fantasy managers are Taiwo Awoniyi and Morgan Gibbs-White.
The home team should win by a wide margin even though I anticipate Forest to make Chelsea work hard.
Expectation: 3-1.
Man City vs. Fulham.
3pm BST, Etihad Stadium, Manchester .
Last week, City defeated Sheffield United 2-1 on the road to move to the top of the standings and remain the only team with a perfect record. City scored a late goal to secure the victory. Their home results won them the title last season and they don’t have to face any of the other big six teams at home until the end of November. They have won all of their games so far and it’s difficult to see any team stopping them in their next five games either.
Erling Haaland is an absolute must have for fantasy managers with Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez and all of their defenders and keeper good options too.
Last week, after taking the lead early and trailing the entire game, Fulham scored a goal late to draw 2-2 at Arsenal, giving them four points after three games. They have taken four points from their first three away games, but this game will be even tougher than their game at Arsenal last week where they managed a very good point. I’m still not sure they will be good enough to match their top half finish of last season.
If he’s fit to play Andreas Pereira is the Fulham player who can do well for fantasy managers while Bernd Leno is doing pretty well at the moment too.
I can’t see anything other than a comprehensive City victory in this game.
Prediction: 4-0.
Brighton And Hove Albion v Newcastle United.
5.30pm BST, AMEX Stadium, Brighton .
Brighton lost 3-1 at home to West Ham last week and that defeat saw them drop from the top of the table to sixth place. There has been plenty of goals from both sides in their opening two home games and it should be no different in this game. Despite losing last week no other team has scored more goals, but five of their next six games are very tough.
Kaoru Mitoma, Pervis Estupinan and Solly March are the Brighton players most likely to perform for fantasy managers.
Newcastle led at home to 10 man Liverpool last week, but somehow they ended up losing 2-1 to make it two defeats in their first three games. No other team lost less games away from home last season and their next six away games are all ones they will hope to win after this game. Those two early defeats have left them playing catch up, but they don’t play any of the big six in their next seven games.
As Newcastle’s difficult fixtures continue it’s not easy to know which of their players will perform well for fantasy managers, but that will change after this week.
This is a tough game to call and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the spoils shared.
Prediction: 2-2.
Sunday September 3.
Crystal Palace v Wolverhampton Wanderers.
2pm BST, Selhurst Park, London .
Palace came from behind to draw 1-1 away to Brentford last week and they have four points from their opening three games. They struggled for goals at home last season and they have only managed one in their first two home games so far. They won’t do any better than last season if they can’t score more goals even if they’re doing pretty well at keeping them out at the other end.
Joachim Andersen and Sam Johnstone are probably the Palace players to have for fantasy managers with Eberechi Eze bound to find form soon too.
Wolves got their first points of the season when they won 1-0 away to Everton last week. Their away performances have been fairly good so far and they have only conceded one goal in those two games. They were the lowest scorers last season and they have only managed one goal in their first three games this season.
I can’t see any Wolves players who might make a difference for fantasy managers at the moment.
I think Palace should be good enough at home to narrowly win this game.
Prediction: 1-0.
Liverpool v Aston Villa.
2pm BST, Anfield, Liverpool .
Liverpool came from behind with only 10 men to win 2-1 away to Newcastle last week and that win moved them into the top four. They only lost one home game last season with only City and Arsenal scoring more goals on their own patch. They have a really good run of games coming up and they could be in a very strong position in 10 weeks time if they can take advantage of that opportunity.
Mohamed Salah is still the go to Liverpool player for fantasy managers while Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz should be considered too, but it’s difficult to recommend Darwin Nunez as he could be on the bench again despite his late brace against Newcastle.
Villa won 3-1 away to Burnley last week to make it six points and seven goals in their last two games. They conceded five goals in their first away game, but they bounced back last week and this game will be a real test of their abilities on their travels. Only Brighton have scored more goals, but only Luton have conceded more which is mostly down to the five goals they conceded in their first game.
Marty Cash, Moussa Diaby and Ollie Watkins are all doing very well for fantasy managers at the moment with Lucas Digne an option too.
I think Villa will put up a real fight, but Liverpool should win the game.
Prediction: 2-1.
Arsenal v Manchester United.
4.30pm BST, Emirates Stadium, London .
Arsenal came from behind before losing the lead as they drew 2-2 at home to Fulham last week to put an end to their perfect start to the season. Only City scored more home goals last season, but they are conceding too many goals on their own ground for their own good. Only City scored more goals last season, but they have four of the other big six to play in their next six games.
For fantasy managers, the in-form Arsenal players are Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard; Eddie Nketiah is also a possibility, but his spot is in jeopardy due to Gabriel Jesus’s return.
United came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at home to Forest last week and they’re only a point behind Arsenal going into this game. In addition to losing eight of their road games last season, they also shipped a shocking number of goals while traveling. They have narrowly prevailed in two of their first three games; therefore, this game will serve as a major gauge of how well they will perform this season.
The United players who can make a difference for fantasy managers are Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford.
This will probably be a very close game with Arsenal emerging with all three points.
Expectation: 3-2.
For more updates, we are at your service all day long and all night long.
