Premier League predictions – Gameweek 18: Chelsea and Arsenal keep up the chase on Liverpool | OneFootball

16 teams will be in action on Thursday, with Manchester City vs Everton kicking things off at 12:30pm and Liverpool vs Leicester the headline act at 8pm. Then, on Friday, Brighton host Brentford and Arsenal take on struggling Ipswich Town.

There are massive permutations at both ends of the table, with the races for the title, Champions League qualification and survival all hotting up.

We’ve taken a look at all 10 matches from gameweek 18 and given our predicted scores.

Manchester City vs Everton

Manchester City can’t buy a win right now, taking just one victory from their last 12 matches across all competitions. Pep Guardiola’s men have taken just four points from their last eight Premier League matches, slumping to seventh in the process.

But ask any Evertonian and they’ll tell you that if a team needs a win or a striker needs a goal, they’ll do it against the Toffees. Everton have a weird habit of allowing clubs and players to end poor runs against them — take Southampton’s only Premier League win so far this season coming against them as an example — and despite their defensive brilliance in recent weeks, City will pick up three vital points.

Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace

Bournemouth are flying high with their second 3-0 Old Trafford win in two years lifting them all the way up to fifth in the Premier League, just three points off the Champions League places. The Cherries are unbeaten in their last five, winning four of them, with the one draw against Southampton seeing them equalise in the 90th minute.

Palace, meanwhile, were brought back down to earth in their double-header against Arsenal last week, first losing 3-2 in the EFL Cup before being thumped 5-1 at home in the Premier League. Nevertheless, the Eagles had lost just one of their last nine across all competitions before that and now find themselves 16th in the table, four points clear of the relegation zone.

Oliver Glasner’s men have taken results against some quality sides recently, including Brighton, Man City, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Tottenham. However, Bournemouth look unstoppable right now.

Chelsea vs Fulham

Chelsea were brought back down to earth with a bump last time out as Everton held them to a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park, very nearly snatching all three points in the final stages. Even so, The Blues are only four points behind Liverpool and unbeaten in their last 12 matches across all competitions. It’s hard to see them being shut out twice in a row — especially when they’ve won their last three against Fulham and have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four meetings.

Fulham have been draw specialists in recent weeks and are a tough side to crack. Plus, they always want to get one over on their illustrious West London rivals. However, at Stamford Bridge, it’s hard to go for anything other than a solid Chelsea win.

Newcastle vs Aston Villa

This is a battle between two top-four contenders very much getting their acts back together.

Both Newcastle and Aston Villa suffered major dips earlier this winter but each have rallied and climbed back up the table; the former to eighth and the latter to sixth, separated by just two points and the Premier League champions in the table.

Newcastle did the double over Villa last season and did so by an 8-2 aggregate scoreline. However, you can easily see these two going at it hammer and tongs but cancelling each other out.

Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham

This is quite simply a must-win game for Spurs.

Ange Postecoglou’s men are now 11th in the table after their shocking 6-3 defeat to Liverpool and trail Forest in the fourth and final Champions League spot by eight points. That’s hardly surprising given the Lilywhites have won just two of their last seven league matches, taking just seven points during that time.

By contrast, Forest have won four of their last five and are looking increasingly likely to keep hold of that shock top-four spot.

Both sides are strong going forward, but Tottenham’s leaky defence will once again betray them here — though they should be good for a point.

Southampton vs West Ham

If Southampton are to make a miraculous escape, it has to start now. The Saints are stranded at the bottom of the table with just one win and six points from 17 games. They’ve scored fewer goals (11) than any other side in the Premier League and are second only to Leicester (37) for goals conceded (36). Meanwhile, they’ve made 27 errors leading to shots and 11 errors leading to goals — seven and three clear of any other Premier League team, respectively.

So, is that revival going to start against West Ham? Well, the Hammers are still stuttering but are at least unbeaten in their last three, even if two of them were draws. Even so, with how long it’s taken Southampton to get Ivan Juric in the hot seat, West Ham should find their opponents off balance.

Wolves vs Man Utd

Wolves were a little quicker getting Vitor Pereira appointed and immediately got a new manager bounce, thrashing Leicester 3-0 away in his first game in charge. There’s still a lot of work to do to get to safety but the early signs are good.

As for Man Utd, they’re reeling following a week that saw them exit the EFL Cup 4-3 against Tottenham before being battered 3-0 at home by Bournemouth. If he wasn’t already, Ruben Amorim will now be painfully aware of just how difficult the job ahead of him really is.

Wolves will be on a high after the Leicester result and that could carry them to a shock point.

Liverpool vs Leicester

In all honesty, Liverpool made their win over Tottenham far more complicated than it needed to be, pretty much switching off for 15 minutes. But to score six goals away and take a 5-1 lead in just over an hour is a better indication of where this rampant team is at.

After taking four points from his first two games in charge, Ruud van Nistelrooy has been given a harsh reminder of how difficult it’s going to be to keep Leicester up, losing their last two games against Newcastle and Wolves with zero goals scored and seven conceded.

This should be the most nailed-on result of the gameweek.

Brighton vs Brentford

Brighton are winless in their last two at home and have drawn four of their eight matches at the Amex so far this season. What’s more, the Seagulls are winless in their last five overall, drawing three and losing two.

However, they’re playing the perfect opponent if they want to sort their home form out, with Brentford managing just one point from eight games on the road this season. The Bees have lost four of their last five across all competitions, including their last three. They don’t look at all likely to finally find an away win.

Arsenal vs Ipswich

Fuelled by five goals from Gabriel Jesus, Arsenal recovered from their goalless draw against Everton perfectly last week, beating Crystal Palace twice; 3-2 in the EFL Cup and 5-1 in the Premier League — the latter away from home. The Gunners are now unbeaten in their last 10 across all competitions and are looking to gain ground on Liverpool, trailing the leaders by nine points with one game extra played.

Ipswich couldn’t build on their late 2-1 win over Wolves, getting a 4-0 thumping at home to Newcastle last time out. They’ve run some decent teams close this season to their credit, but it’s hard to see them doing the same against an Arsenal side rediscovering their attacking mojo.

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