Hooray! That was the last international break for 2018, and now the football that people are actually interested in is back on! As teams gear up for their busy mid-season schedule, we here at FootyFans are gearing up for a busy mid-season tipping schedule.
Last round was a truly terrible round of tipping for all of us – Alf and I only gained three points while Oliver got a whole four. That result means that the table sees Oliver retain his lead on 76 points, Alf follows on 64, and I remain in last on 57.
On with the tipping!
West Ham United vs Manchester City
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Dan
On paper this should be an easy match for the citizens, as they lead the pack on 32 points, while the Hammers are in 13th place and just four points off the relegation zone. However, I think West Ham have the capacity to surprise and give City a match, even if it does all ends up for nothing. 2-1 Manchester City
Oliver
City have fifteen goals in their last four league games, while West Ham have five points in the same amount of time. It’s a clear MCFC win, and I think it’ll be big but not huge. 3-0 Manchester City
Alf
It’s Manchester City and they’ll play well. Kevin De Bruyne may not be back now but with David Silva, Leroy Sané and the other players in-form, I’m sure that they’ll win this one. 3-0 Manchester City
Everton vs Cardiff City
Dan
As much as I like to hate on Cardiff, they’re doing better than I expected – they’re only in the relegation zone thanks to a single point of goal difference. Still, Everton, despite not knowing consistency, will triumph at Goodison, but this could be a harder match than it looks. 1-0 Everton
Oliver
Everton are starting decently well, currently sitting in ninth place in the table. A win at home against eighteenth-placed Cardiff could take them up to sixth and I’m backing them to do it. 2-0 Everton
Alf
Cardiff City isn’t a surprising team to predict as they’re still in the relegation zone. Everton will struggle to grab points but chances will be created owing to the faulty defence of the Bluebirds. A thrashing on the cards but it’s better to be conservative. 2-0 Everton
Brighton vs Leicester City
Dan
Both teams are doing fairly well, with the Foxes in 10th and the Seagulls in 12th, and a win for Brighton will see them go equal with Leicester on points. Another close game is on the cards here, but I’ll back Brighton. 2-1 Brighton
Oliver
Two fairly solid midtable sides in Brighton and Leicester shouldn’t be expected to play out much more than a draw. A goal each way sounds about right to me. It’s just gonna be one of those games. 1-1 draw
Alf
Both sides are eager to grab points and this is why I believe that it’ll be an equal contest between both sides. 1-1 draw.
Manchester United vs Crystal Palace
Dan
In the end, I think what this game will boil down to is just what is more sub-par on the day; United’s defense or Palace’s attack. I’ll go with Palace’s attack, with a dab of mediocrity from United’s defense as well. 2-1 Manchester United
Oliver
I know this is going against the grain a little. But United really haven’t impressed me so far this season and I reckon they’l take only a draw against this Palace side. 1-1 draw
Alf
The Eagles faced Tottenham in the previous match day and lost 1-0 with youngster Juan Foyth on the scoresheet. I don’t think that Crystal Palace will make history at Old Trafford and Mourinho’s men will win this one, eventually. 1-0 Manchester United
Watford vs Liverpool
Dan
Watford are either brilliant or disappointing, and with Liverpool in town, they’ll have to be better than brilliant. But, this is Waford we are talking about, and I think they’ve got it in them. In fact, I think they’ve got in them to hand Klopp’s side their first leauge defeat. 3-2 Watford
Oliver
Watford are a good side, don’t get me wrong. And they’ve really impressed so far this season. But it’s Liverpool they’re playing, and even with home advantage I think they’ll lose. 1-2 Liverpool
Alf
The Reds’ last visit to Vicarage Road was a thrilling 3-3 draw. With an improved defence and goalkeeping, Liverpool should be able to win without conceding (or will they?) 3-0 Liverpool
Fulham vs Southampton
Dan
Ranieri’s first game as Fulham manager! It’s a very winnable fixture for him as well, with Southampton only being outside the relegation zone thanks to goal difference. I’ll tip Raineri to start off his Fulham career on a high note. 2-1 Fulham
Oliver
If Fulham lose this, I think they can kiss the Premier League goodbye, to be honest. But new manager Claudio Ranieri is a quality boss with the ability to do a lot with a little, and I expect they’ll take the three points in a topsy-turvy match. 3-2 Fulham
Alf
In case you missed it, it’s Ranieri’s first game at Craven Cottage as the manager of the Cottagers. Both teams are struggling to be back to winning ways but I think that Ranieri will beat Hughes in the mind games using his experience. 1-0 Fulham
Tottenham vs Chelsea
Dan
Sarri’s Chelsea are the only unbeaten team left in all competitions in Europe, but the 0-0 draw against Everton could be the start of a stall, and with players exhausted from international duty, and with Tottenham’s home advantage, they might finally fall to Tottenham. 1-0 Tottenham
Oliver
Spurs, like I’ve said a few times before, have been quietly brilliant this system, and are sitting up in fourth. All the attention’s been on the top three, but I expect the hugely hyped Chelsea to only take a draw against Tottenham. 2-2 draw
Alf
Pass the popcorn please! This is a tricky fixture to predict. Most likely a draw owing the international commitments of the players of both clubs (fatigue?), if I were to predict a side to prevail, I hope that it’ll be Sarri’s men. 1-0 Chelsea
AFC Bournemouth vs Arsenal
Dan
It’s sixth vs fifth, and with two fairly attacking sides, we should be seeing a good game. Hard to choose, but I’ll pick the Cherries. A man can dream, after all. 3-2 Bournemouth
Oliver
Arsenal’s form is starting to slip, with their insanely long winning run coming to an abrupt halt against Crystal Palace, and then picking up draws against Liverpool and Wolves. They’ll scramble for a draw. 1-1 draw.
Alf
The Gunners won only 1 in 3 games against the Cherries with the last outing resulted in an embarrassing defeat. This is going to be tough for the visitors but with a mentality boost under Emery, they’ll fight back whatever the circumstances are. 2-1 Arsenal
Wolves vs Huddersfield
Dan
Wolves have struggled slightly in recent weeks, but, it is Huddersfield. Surely they’ll turn around their rut against the Terriers. 1-0 Wolves
Oliver
Wolves have done basically what I expected of them, but not in the manner I thought they would. Eleventh place seems about right, although I thought they’d be a big scoring side, not this somewhat weak attacking side we’ve seen. They’ll still beat Hudds, tho. 2-1 Wolves
Alf
The Wolves showed that they’re capable of salvaging points when facing bigger clubs away. They’re back home this time and against a Huddersfield side who are leaking goals, this shouldn’t be a surprising scoreline for Wagner to see. 3-0 Wolves
Burnley vs Newcastle
Dan
Two pretty equal sides go up against each other in a match where they both will really want the points to put space between them and the relegation zone. Given that both want points, it’ll naturally be a draw. 1-1 draw.
Oliver
This is the oddball prediction. Newcastle to win away? Their form’s improving, they’re starting to play more cohesively, and Burnley haven’t been good defensively. It’s happening. 3-1 Newcastle
Alf
