When I predicted a 2-1 away win at Craven Cottage last weekend, subscriber Matthew M replied, \u201cGiven that Arsenal have conceded only three goals all season and just one from open play, I wouldn\u2019t expect them to concede against Fulham.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matthew was right. I was wrong. And importantly for our competition, the algorithm was right to go for 1-0, extending its lead at the top of our table to five points.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Each week this season, four of us \u2014 a guest subscriber, six-year-old Wilfred, the algorithm and me \u2014 are predicting the Premier League results with varying degrees of success.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re awarding three points for a correct scoreline and one point for a correct result. There\u2019s also a bonus point for any correct \u2018unique\u2019 prediction, so West Ham United fan Steve did the subscribers an impressively good turn last weekend by getting two results spot-on, including a bonus point for Burnley 2 Leeds United 0<\/a>.<\/p>\n Steve\u2019s eight points put the subscribers right back in the mix \u2014 particularly as I had a pretty grim week, paying the price for underestimating Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion and Sunderland again. (What have I got against teams with striped shirts?)<\/p>\n There were also eight points last week for Wilfred, who got Brighton 2-1 Newcastle United spot-on and another five results correct. He successfully predicted a clean sheet for Arsenal against Fulham but was left regretting their failure to add a second goal.<\/p>\n Nobody predicted Aston Villa winning at Tottenham Hotspur (though I was convinced I had until I went back to check my homework) or Manchester United beating Liverpool at Anfield.<\/p>\n You might think Brentford\u2019s win at London Stadium on Monday night was a bit easier to predict, given how West Ham have been playing, but none of us did so. Steve could be forgiven for backing his team \u2014 it\u2019s called trusting your heart over your head \u2014 but I had no such excuse. Madness.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n This week\u2019s guest subscriber is Andrew, 35, a Leeds supporter from beautiful Donegal in Ireland. Backing his team on Friday night might be more sensible. They are playing West Ham after all.<\/p>\n Our subscriber\u2019s match of the weekLeeds vs West Ham, Friday, 8pm UK\/3pm ET<\/p>\n Andrew says: \u201cThis is a crucial game under the lights at Elland Road. Leeds\u2019 decent start is close to unravelling \u2014 they have picked up just one point from the last nine available. What\u2019s more, there are difficult fixtures on the horizon. However, West Ham have a quick turnaround from playing on Monday and Nuno Espirito Santo has a massive job on his hands<\/a>. While questions remain over Daniel Farke, home advantage will help Leeds.\u201d<\/p>\n Leeds 1-0 West Ham<\/p>\n Oli says: Leeds have fared reasonably well on their return to the Premier League \u2014 their average of a point per game is survival form \u2014 but the fixtures look a lot tougher over the next couple of months, so the margin for error is smaller than it might appear. West Ham\u2019s players might be grateful that they are playing away after four consecutive home defeats to start the season, but Elland Road on a Friday night is not for the faint-hearted. And that\u2019s precisely what West Ham have been lately.<\/p>\n Leeds 2-0 West Ham<\/p>\n \n Leeds manager Daniel Farke could not find the solutions against Burnley (Richard Martin-Roberts \u2013 CameraSport via Getty Images<\/p>\n The rest of Oli\u2019s predictionsChelsea vs Sunderland<\/p>\n Oli says: I say this every week, but I\u2019ve been so impressed by Sunderland. It\u2019s not only the four wins and two draws, it\u2019s also how competitive they\u2019ve been in every game. I expect the same at Stamford Bridge, but Chelsea have won their last four in all competitions and, while this will be a tougher test than Nottingham Forest or Ajax in their past two, they should have enough quality to make it five victories in a row.<\/p>\n Chelsea 2-1 Sunderland<\/p>\n Newcastle vs Fulham<\/p>\n The initial draft of this preview, written on Tuesday afternoon, was about feeling a little frustrated watching Newcastle this season, that their football had become a little too scrappy and that they needed to get more out of their wide players, Anthony Gordon in particular. Their 3-0 win a few hours later against Benfica, with Gordon their standout performer, was a big step in the right direction<\/a> and something to build on against Fulham.<\/p>\n Newcastle 2-0 Fulham<\/p>\n Manchester United vs Brighton<\/p>\n As encouraging as United beating Liverpool away undoubtedly was, match-winner Harry Maguire<\/a> immediately said it will count for nothing if they fail to perform at home against Brighton this weekend.<\/p>\n It\u2019s true. Victory over visitors Chelsea last month was followed seven days later by a grim defeat at Brentford. Derby victory at City last December was followed four days later by a chaotic Carabao Cup defeat at Tottenham. Brighton fall into the category of \u201cCan beat anyone on their day\u201d. They can certainly beat United, having won on three straight visits to Old Trafford, but I don\u2019t think they will.<\/p>\n United 2-1 Brighton<\/p>\n Brentford vs Liverpool<\/p>\n Backing Liverpool is fraught with risk at the moment \u2014 and Brentford, with their speed on the counter-attack and those long throws from Michael Kayode, Mathias Jensen and Kevin Schade,\u00a0are the type of team who can make life awkward for any opponent, especially ones who have lost their last three Premier League matches.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to imagine Liverpool having 20 shots to Brentford\u2019s six, but less easy to predict whether that will be enough for an away win. I\u2019ll say yes \u2014 but very cautiously. As they finally demonstrated in Frankfurt on Wednesday<\/a>, they have the firepower to make life so much easier for themselves.<\/p>\n Brentford 1-2 Liverpool<\/p>\n Arsenal vs Crystal Palace<\/p>\n Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone said Arsenal are the strongest team they have faced this season<\/a> and, if anyone at Liverpool or Real Madrid is minded to take offence at that, they really shouldn\u2019t because it seems pretty obvious on current form. Arsenal are looking so strong and, more than anything, it\u2019s hard to see them conceding goals.<\/p>\n Palace are the type of opponents who could disprove that theory, but after everything I said above, I feel I need to learn from last week\u2019s lesson and go for the safe option of an Arsenal win to nil. I\u2019ll be doing that a lot over the next few weeks.<\/p>\n Arsenal 2-0 Palace<\/p>\n Aston Villa vs Manchester City<\/p>\n Villa have rediscovered their rhythm a bit domestically with three league wins in a row and I haven\u2019t exactly been bowled over by City\u2019s performances this season, but\u2026 just as it\u2019s hard to see Arsenal conceding goals, I just can\u2019t see Erling Haaland not scoring. The Norwegian registered 24 goals in 14 appearances for club and country this season. That is absurd. He\u2019s a phenomenal player \u2014 not in the Lionel Messi sense<\/a>, but phenomenal nonetheless.<\/p>\n Villa will put up a real fight, but really, it\u2019s a question of whether they can score more goals than Haaland.<\/p>\n Villa 1-1 City<\/p>\n Bournemouth vs Nottingham Forest<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/farke-scaled-e1761227962103.jpg\")
<\/p>\n