Soccer English Premier League Prediction

Crystal Palace vs West Ham - Match Preview

⚽ 29 April 2023 - 11:30 GMT +0

Crystal Palace was on track to renew their Premier League (PL) status for next season after Roy Hodgson’s first three games in charge all ended in victory, but failing to win or score in their last two matches (D1, L1) means they’re not yet mathematically secure. While a healthy advantage over the relegation places provides some security, they'll be keen to get back to winning ways here with the magical 40-point mark within touching distance.

The Selhurst Park faithful is yet to experience their share of Palace’s rejuvenation, having witnessed only one home win in their last ten such outings (D5, L4), with the Eagles having their wings clipped by failing to score in six of those matches. The goals could go flying when West Ham United arrive, however, with each of the last 11 H2Hs seeing both teams find the net (CPFC: W3, D5, L3).

A 2-1 win for Palace in the reverse fixture means West Ham must now stifle an attempt at a league double, something they’ll be confident in achieving since their last two visits here has ended in 3-2 victories. Another would actually see them leapfrog Palace, but David Moyes’ men could still get dragged into a messy relegation battle if they aren’t careful, after a 2-1 defeat to Liverpool last time out ruined a fine three-game unbeaten streak (W2, D1), meaning there’s still plenty of work to be done.

The Hammers hit the road having hit the nail on the head in their last four away matches (W3, D1), where they conceded only once. This hasn’t only resulted in them earning a Europa Conference League semi-final spot, but also doubled their PL away points tally this season with victories over Bournemouth and Fulham.

📋 Key battle: Two players, in particular, seem to thrive when these sides meet, with Palace’s Michael Olise registering three goal contributions (G2, A1) in his two H2Hs, while West Ham’s Michail Antonio will be looking to return the favour with his tally of nine in his last eight encounters (G2, A7).

⚡ Hot stat: West Ham has only seen 11 of their PL matches this season produce over 2.5 goals, a league-low.

Brentford vs Nottingham - Match Preview

⚽ 29 April 2023 - 14:00 GMT +0

As the Premier League (PL) season approaches its typically climatic ending, Brentford could yet upgrade their “bus stop in Hounslow” status to become a pin-drop on the European map of UEFA competition. However, sitting six points adrift of the top seven and having played at least one game more than most sides around them, Brentford fans may have to put their passports back in the drawer for now, but with an improvement on their 13th-placed finish of last season all but assured, progress has still been made.

The Bees showcased their improvement in midweek with a 2-0 victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, a result which snapped them out of their six-match PL spiral (D3, L3). That downward trajectory still stands at the Gtech Community Stadium, where, despite it notoriously being a difficult place to play for opposition sides, Brentford have won just one of their last five PL home games (D3, L1).

Nottingham Forest is next up to try and prolong Brentford’s home misery, and the Tricky Trees travel to the capital on the back of a morale-boosting 3-1 victory over Brighton in midweek. While that result was enough to temporarily lift Forest out of the bottom three, the 11-match winless PL run (D3, L8) that precedes it is still a psychological scar that Forest must overcome.

Only once this season has Forest won back-to-back league games, and as the PL’s worst-performing away side this season (W1, D3, L12), it does seem unlikely Forest will secure a victory that will add to that tally here. Making the visit to London certainly won’t help either, as Forest has been dished out a dose of capital punishment in each of their four PL London jaunts so far this season, losing each game by at least a two-goal margin. With the relegation battle likely to go to the wire and their last three away trips all taking place in the ‘Big Smoke’, Forest will be desperate to break their London duck.

📋 Players to watch: Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo was on the goal trail against Chelsea, his third goal of his last four to serve as the second of the game, including in the 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture. Morgan Gibbs-White opened the scoring for Forest that day, but two of his three club goals since have closed the scoring, including in midweek.

⚡ Hot stat: Brentford has kept 12 first-half clean sheets in their 16 home PL games this season.

Brighton vs Wolves - Match Preview

⚽ 29 April 2023 - 14:00GMT +0

Brighton will be hoping to reignite their dream of qualifying for European football for the first time in their history as they attempt to bounce back from Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final loss and Wednesday’s league defeat to Nottingham Forest. The Seagulls are four points off the top seven after losing 3-1 at the City Ground, a result that means they have not won back-to-back Premier League (PL) games since January.

If it comes as any comfort to Roberto De Zerbi’s side, they also haven’t lost successive top-flight outings in six months, so there will be plenty of belief that they can bounce back against Wolves. That should give supporters hope of recording a fifth win in seven home fixtures (D1, L1), as should their remarkably good H2H record against their visitors, to whom they have lost just three times in their last 17 meetings (W6, D8).

The Midlands outfit will be desperate to put a dent in Brighton’s European ambitions though, especially after moving to within touching distance of safety by beating Crystal Palace 2-0 on Tuesday. That result left Julen Lopetegui’s side on 37 points, which has proved enough to stay up in 16 of the last 19 PL campaigns.

The manager insists his side are far from safe yet, stating they still need to “get more points” from their remaining five matches. However, confidence must be high for the visitors after a run of three victories from their last four matches (L1), although none of those wins have come away from home. In fact, the Wolves have lost nine of their 16 PL fixtures on the road (W2, D5), with both their wins coming against teams below them in the table.

📋 Key battle: Alexis Mac Allister has netted the first or last in seven of his eight goalscoring appearances for Brighton this season. Wolves defender Craig Dawson might be tasked with thwarting him, but he has won just two of his ten meetings with the Seagulls (D4, L4), with his side conceding at least two goals on six occasions!

⚡ Hot stat: Wolves have scored just eight second-half away goals this season, the joint-second lowest total in the PL.