Manchester City’s exit from the Carabao Cup at the hands of Newcastle United was one of the shocks of the season so far, as the Cityzens have dominated the domestic cup competition in recent years under Pep Guardiola.
On a lighter note, Chelsea finally won a soccer game against Brighton, which is pretty fun I must say! The Carabao Cup draw was interesting to say the least with a handful of Premier League clubs drawing each other.
But it’s yet another potentially exciting weekend in the Premier League as Tottenham Hotspur lock horns with Liverpool, with plenty of goals and drama expected. Which of the two halves will come out? With that in mind, here are my predictions for week seven of the Premier League. Aston Villa v Brighton and Hove Albion
Aston Villa and Brighton both had disappointing results in the Carabao Cup in midweek, but as far as the Premier League is concerned, they both started the 2023-24 campaign in fine form. I have heard many say that Brighton are the best team to run the ‘Big Six’ so it will be interesting to see how this game plays out.
The pitch at Villa Park is huge and I think it suits the way Brighton play. I think it will be an entertaining, open football game with lots of goals, so I’m going for a 2-2 draw.
Ollie Watkins needed that goal against Chelsea. He’s been going through goals and times for a while, but he’s still a handful and looking to impress at home again.
Prediction: Aston Villa 2-2 Brighton
Manchester United vs Crystal Palace
It’s a repeat of the Carabao Cup midweek tie and surely Palace can’t be as bad as they were? I see nothing but a Manchester United win here and I think they will win by the same goal.
Erik ten Hag and his partner are on a winning streak and have already won two races. I expect them to make it three wins from three, they are too good for Palace despite their problems in the first few weeks of the season. Alejandro Garnacho played well in the Carabao Cup and scored an own goal. I said before that he is better on the bench, but after Wednesday’s goal I think he will start this game.
Prediction: Manchester United 3-0 Crystal Palace
Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool
Liverpool need to stop falling behind, it has happened too many times this season. Don’t get me wrong, they have been fantastic so far this season and produced impressive comebacks to win games down the stretch, but I don’t know if they can keep it up, especially against the top teams.
Jürgen Klopp’s team is playing well, but to some extent they are also riding their luck. They have enough firepower to beat teams, but they score too many goals for my taste.
I was impressed with Tottenham, especially after they played Arsenal last weekend. They showed a lot of composure and maturity to equalize twice in a difficult away game and there was a lot of speed and guile on the counter-attacks.
It’s a good game where anyone can win, but I’m going for a 2-2 draw. If I had to pick a winner, I’d pick Spurs. Dominik Szoboszlai was absolutely brilliant, how did everyone else miss him? Similarly, James Maddison has been in form for Tottenham since signing for the club, the manager did well to get him going straight away. Prediction: Tottenham 2:2 Liverpool
Nottingham Forest v Brentford
Neither side has been particularly impressive in recent weeks, suggesting we could see a close contest. Brentford look set, so Forest will be looking to make home advantage count to ensure a positive result.
The Bees could find themselves in the relegation battle in the coming weeks, having won just one game in the Premier League. Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbeumo have shown flashes of brilliance in Ivan Toney’s absence, but they need an extraordinary striker who can regularly put the ball in the net.
Prediction: Nottingham Forest 1:1 Brentford
Fulham v Chelsea
Chelsea got a good result against Brighton in the Carabao Cup – they really needed it. However, they will struggle against Fulham with Nicolas Jackson suspended. I think Armando Broja will have a chance to lead and I hope he takes his chance because he was doing well before the injury.
The Blues opened teams but did not score freely. On some level, watching Chelsea reminds me of Manchester United because they don’t have a set game plan or clear philosophy like Arsenal, Manchester City or even Liverpool.
I wouldn’t be shocked if Chelsea dropped points because it’s been such a season for them, but they’re my team and my heart says they’ll win 1-0. Mauricio Pochettino still hasn’t found his best team and I feel sorry for him because they just went out and bought player after player without a real plan.
They also have some injury problems, so I guess we’ll have to wait before judging Pochettino’s time at the club.
Prediction: Fulham 0-1 Chelsea
