Soccer English Premier League Prediction

Brentford vs West Ham - Match Preview

⚽ 14 May 2023 - 13:00 GMT +0

Realistically out of the race for the European places with just three games remaining, Brentford can still be proud of their efforts as they’re already guaranteed to better their 13th-placed finish of last campaign. The Bees will now be keen to finish strong as this campaign enters the home straight, and considering they’ve won all three of their Premier League (PL) H2Hs against West Ham, they ought to fancy their chances here.

Brentford will still have to be on their guard as West Ham won 1-0 here in the FA Cup earlier this season, although in the PL, Thomas Frank’s side has been near-impenetrable on home turf. Only Arsenal and Newcastle have left the Gtech Community Stadium victorious in the PL this season (W8, D7), but with that tally of seven home stalemates a league-high ahead of the round, the first goal doesn’t necessarily guarantee success.

Buoyed by their 2-1 UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final first-leg victory over AZ Alkmaar in midweek, West Ham should make the relatively short journey across London in high spirits. London derbies haven’t always served the Hammers well though, especially those that come on the road, as David Moyes’ side have lost seven of their last eight such games in the PL (W1).

With West Ham coming into the round seven points clear of the drop after an eye-catching 1-0 win against Manchester United in their last PL outing, safety appears all but assured, and will be guaranteed if they beat Brentford. Having their top-flight status almost secured may perhaps allow Moyes to rotate his squad a little here, especially with their crucial second leg against AZ coming up on Thursday, which is essentially all West Ham has left to play for this season.

📋 Key battle: Ahead of the round, Brentford goalkeeper David Raya is just one of six PL players to have played every minute this season and he has kept two clean sheets from his three meetings with West Ham. Trying to ensure that the record isn’t extended is former Brentford man Saïd Benrahma, who has seen three of his last four goals come from the penalty spot, including his midweek strike.

⚡ Hot streak: Brentford’s last six home PL games have seen both teams score.

Everton vs Manchester City - Match Preview

⚽ 14 May 2023 - 13:00 GMT +0

Everton took a huge step toward Premier League (PL) survival on Monday night when they travelled to high-flying Brighton and blew the Seagulls away 5-1. That was the first time they’d hit five on the road since Boxing Day 2018, and manager Sean Dyche will be hoping it’s a sign of his attack resurging because goals have been hard to come by on their own turf this season - they’ve netted more than once in just one PL home game.

That win helped Everton climb out of the bottom three and they’ll now start the gameweek two points clear of the drop zone. Maintaining this feel-good factor against champions Manchester City looks like a tough assignment, yet when these sides last met at Goodison Park on a Sunday, the Toffees produced another attacking masterclass and hit Pep Guardiola’s men for four without reply in a memorable win back in 2017.

That was Everton’s last success against Man City, who have dominated this H2H ever since by winning ten of the last 12 competitive meetings. They are also on a run of ten straight PL wins heading into this game, which is a feat that’s now been achieved on five occasions under Guardiola, and no other manager can match that many 10+ winning streaks in the competition’s history.

Yet this won’t be a straightforward assignment for City with this clash coming in between two crucial Champions League semi-final matches. Their 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu in midweek leaves that tie against Real Madrid finely poised, meaning we may see a host of changes from the away side in a bid to add fresh legs ahead of the second leg. Yet, with just a one-point lead on Arsenal at the top, Guardiola may also be fearful of disrupting momentum.

📋 Players to watch: Key creator Alex Iwobi has registered eight PL assists this season; no Everton player since 2016/17 has managed more. Riyad Mahrez has been in a similarly rich vein of form for City, with four assists in his last three PL matches - he also set up Erling Haaland’s goal in the reverse (1-1).

⚡ Hot stat: Everton has won just four of their last 46 PL games against sides starting the day top of the table, but one of those came against Arsenal in Dyche’s first game in charge.

Arsenal vs Brighton - Match Preview

⚽ 14 May 2023 - 15:30 GMT +0

Arsenal’s gutsy 2-0 win over Newcastle saw them pass what may be their sternest remaining test this season to keep the pressure on Premier League (PL) leaders Manchester City. Despite passing the 80-point mark, they’re playing catch-up so all they can do is keep winning and hope their rivals slip up. “It is three games to go and we’re still there,” warned manager Mikel Arteta.

Their penultimate home fixture sees them take on Brighton & Hove Albion, who actually won the last two H2Hs here, so the Gunners should be expecting another challenge as they look to extend their six-game unbeaten PL run at the Emirates (W5, D1). All of those fixtures saw Arteta’s side score at least three goals, but they’ve never managed that against Brighton in the PL here (W2, D1, L2)!

That might encourage the visitors, who’ll be smarting after Monday’s shock 5-1 defeat to Everton which put a dent in their European qualification ambitions. With games in hand over those around them, Roberto De Zerbi’s side is still handily placed even if he believes they must “improve very fast” to achieve their aim of finishing in the top six.

With three challenging league away games to finish the season – trips to Newcastle and Aston Villa follow – it’s made or break time for the Seagulls, who should pose a threat, having scored in each of their last 11 PL road fixtures (W5, D3, L3) although it’s worth noting their mixed league record in the capital this term (W2, D1, L3).

📋 Players to watch: After opening the scoring in both of Arsenal’s last two fixtures, Martin Ødegaard hit the 15-goal mark this PL season – five of the last six of those came before the break. Alex Mac Allister may be more likely to strike after half-time as he’s netted after the 75th minute in both of Brighton’s last two outings.

⚡ Hot stat: Ahead of the round, no team had conceded more own goals in the PL this term than Brighton (five).