Soccer English Premier League Prediction

Chelsea vs Brentford - Match Preview

⚽ 26 April 2023 - 18:45 GMT +0

The season effectively ended for Chelsea after they were eliminated from the Champions League by Real Madrid, extending new boss Frank Lampard’s 100% losing start to four games, with just one goal scored across that period. All Chelsea realistically has left to fight for is to avoid a first bottom-half Premier League (PL) finish since 1995/96, but even that’s not certain as they trail tenth-placed West London rivals Brentford by five points.

They say the night is always darkest before the dawn and with talks held with some big names in management, Blues fans will hope that they can once again challenge the PL’s big-hitters next season. For now, though, Chelsea looks to avoid losing four PL London derbies in one season for the first time since 2001/02 after falling to defeat in three of their six all-London affairs this campaign (W2, D1, L3).

Thomas Frank’s Brentford was unlucky not to defeat an in-form Aston Villa at the weekend, but the Dane was nonetheless “proud of the players” following an impressive display. Despite the positive performance, that result extended the Bees’ winless run to six games (D3, L3) and leaves them six points adrift of seventh place, the lowest possible finish to achieve a European spot for next season.

With just six games left to play this season, improving on Brentford’s solid, yet uninspiring away record in London derbies will likely be crucial in closing the gap to the top seven (W1, D2, L1). Frank’s men did at least manage to score in each of those games, a record they’ll be eager to keep alive here after failing to net in over three hours of travelling play ahead of this clash.

📋 Players to watch: Chelsea hasn’t scored fewer goals at this stage of a league season (30) since they hit 17 a whopping 99 years ago, with Kai Havertz one of 14 players to contribute to that measly haul, clocking up seven strikes (23%). As for Brentford, Ivan Toney can become the first Bees player since Dave McCulloch in 1937/38 to score at least 20 goals in a top-flight season with one more here!

⚡ Hot stat: All four previous meetings between the two coaches, Frank and Lampard, saw both teams score (W1, D2, L1).

West Ham vs Liverpool - Match Preview

⚽ 26 April 2023 - 18:45GMT +0

West Ham capped off a magical week that saw them reach a European semi-final in style by blasting past struggling Bournemouth 4-0 last time out to open up a six-point gap over the bottom three in the Premier League (PL) standings. It was a real team performance by David Moyes’ men who saw eight different players score or assist, the most ever in a PL game for the club.

The Hammers return to the London Stadium in fine form, having lost only once in their last ten matches in all competitions (W6, D3). They’ll now be looking to secure consecutive PL wins for only the second time this season, which will be a tall order when they welcome Liverpool, considering only two of West Ham’s last 20 encounters with opposition starting the day in the top half ended in victory (D5, L13).

That task is made all the more difficult considering Liverpool is unbeaten in 12 of the last 13 H2Hs (W10, D2), although that singular loss did come in this fixture last season. That H2H record bodes well for manager Jürgen Klopp who claimed “things have changed” after his side won back-to-back PL matches of their own, most recently beating Nottingham Forest 3-2.

Prior to that, the Reds marked their return to form with a resounding 6-1 win away at Leeds, equaling the number of goals they had scored in their last 11 matches on the road before (W2, D2, L7). They’ve dragged themselves back into contention for a European spot as a result, although there is still work to be done to salvage something tangible from the season as they currently sit seventh in the table.

📋 Players to watch: The London Stadium faithful will be hoping for another Jarrod Bowen masterclass, considering 13 of his last 14 goals have come at home. Meanwhile, Diogo Jota is fresh off scoring a brace in his last two games and will be looking for more. Interestingly, Luis Suárez back in December 2013 was the last Liverpool player to score two or more goals in three successive PL matches.

⚡ Hot stat: West Ham is one of three PL teams this season yet to experience a 0-0 draw.

Manchester City vs Arsenal - Match Preview

⚽ 26 April 2023 - 19:00 GMT +0

A season-defining game for Manchester City and Arsenal awaits as the winners will put themselves in pole position for the Premier League (PL) title. After seeing off Bayern Munich (W 4-1 on aggregate) to reach the Champions League semi-finals and Sheffield United (W 3-0) in the FA Cup semi-final, the hosts are in prime form as they look to close Arsenal’s five-point gap at the top of the table knowing they still have two games in hand.

Their displays here in the league has ramped up the pressure on the leaders as the Citizens have won each of their last six home PL fixtures by at least a two-goal margin, even though only two of them came with a clean sheet. However, Pep Guardiola’s side hasn’t conceded in any of the last four H2Hs here (W4), highlighting how difficult they’ve made it for the North Londoners in recent years.

None of those meetings was potential title deciders though, and after being eight points clear at the start of the month, Mikel Arteta – once Guardiola’s deputy at Man City – has seen his team stumble with the finishing line coming into view. Three consecutive league draws, two of them after going 2-0 up inside 30 minutes, is a concerning trend amid accusations that Arsenal is bottling it.

Arteta disagrees, saying he didn’t see a lack of confidence when they scored twice after the 85th minute to draw 3-3 with Southampton, but their title challenge now depends on them extending a five-match unbeaten run in away league games (W3, D2). Simply put, a loss here would most likely end their title chances even despite City’s demanding schedule from now until the season’s end.

📋 Players to watch: Riyad Mahrez scored an FA Cup hat-trick on Saturday and given he’s made three goal contributions in his last four PL appearances against Arsenal (G1, A2), could have a role to play here. That could be important if either Gabriel Jesus or Gabriel Martinelli net early – both have scored twice within the first 30 minutes across Arsenal’s last three games!

⚡ Hot stat: Man City’s PL home games this season have produced a league-high average of 2.2 goals per first half.