English Premier League Predictions: Week 5

Each week, ISH Soccer Writer Adam Leightman, will predict the outcomes of every Premier League game, and one big European match as well.

 

Queens Park Rangers VS. Stoke City

QPR hosts Stoke City in the lunch time kickoff of the weekend. QPR will be looking to rebound with a win, after being dismantled by Manchester United last week. Meanwhile, Stoke looks to steal the three points from QPR on the road by playing conservative and executing their set pieces.

QPR 0-2 Stoke City

Burnley VS. Sunderland

Sunderland travels to Turf Moore as both teams desperately try to find their first win of the season. Sunderland fought hard for a point against Spurs last week, while Burnley missed a penalty late and had to settle with a point as well against Crystal Palace. Burnley will push hard and finally get their first win of the season.

Burnley 2-1 Sunderland

Newcastle United VS. Hull City

Newcastle fans, such as Jimmy Conrad, are fed up with Newcastle head coach Alan Pardew. Newcastle sits in 20th place with a -6 goal differential in just four games! Hull City’s season is going in the opposite direction however. Sitting in 10th place, Hull will be very confident that they can travel north and win at St. James Park. With this defeat, I believe Pardew will be sacked.

Hull 2-1 Newcastle

Aston Villa VS. Arsenal

Arsenal has struggled to get their season going in the right direction. With one win and three draws, and a mid week loss to Dortmund, Arsenal need a confidence booster at Villa Park. However, Villa is playing great football at the moment, and will not let up against Arsenal. Villa shocked everyone with a 1-0 win at Anfield against Liverpool last week. Arsenal will have to fight hard to earn a point.

Aston Villa 1-1 Arsenal

Swansea City VS. Southampton

Swansea returns home after loosing their first game of the season to Chelsea. Swansea sits in 3rd place with 9 points and have a great chance to jump back into the top two with a win. Meanwhile, Southampton is on a three game unbeaten run where they have outscored their opponents 7-1. This game could go either way but I expect Gomis to net a late winner for Swans.

Swansea 2-1 Southampton

West Ham VS. Liverpool

Liverpool travels to Upton Park, looking to rebound after a shock defeat at home to Aston Villa. West Ham went to Hull and left with a point, so the Hammers should be confident that they can get a similar result at home against Liverpool. However, Liverpool will build off of their mid-week Champions League win with a solid performance in London.

West Ham 0-2 Liverpool

Leicester City VS. Manchester United

New look Man U crushed QPR 4-0 last weekend to earn their first win of the season. Leicester City is unbeaten at home this season, with impressive draws with Everton and Arsenal. Look for this trend to continue as Louis Van Gaal’s side fails to replicate the performance they had against QPR.

Leicester City 1-1 Manchester United

Tottenham VS. West Brom

Tottenham started the season on fire with two wins, but have slipped up recently earning one point in their last two games. West Brom has had  similar start to the year, except they earned draws in their first two games, but have not earned a point since. Tottenham will break their mini slump with a big win at home.

Tottenham 3-0 West Brom

Everton VS. Crystal Palace

Everton returns home after winning their first game of the season against West Brom. They are finally starting to click as a unit and the back line is finally playing better. Crystal Palace has not been able to get their offense going this season. Everton will win their second in a row with ease.

Everton 3-1 Crystal Palace

Game of the Week:

Manchester City VS. Chelsea

The defending Champs host Chelsea in a title contender showdown. City has not won in three games including a mid-week loss at Bayern Munich. Chelsea is a perfect 4 for 4 to start the Premier League Season. Diego Costa has been on fire, scoring 7 goals in 4 games. Although Chelsea dropped points against Schalke in the Champions League, I believe that they will stay perfect in the Premier League.

Chelsea 2-1 Man City

Non-English Game of the Week:

AC Milan VS. Juventus

A great early season match takes place Saturday night in the San Siro. AC Milan and Juventus both have a perfect 6 points to start the Serie A season. AC Milan has scored 8 goals in 2 games while Juve has not conceded a goal yet this season. I believe AC Milan’s offense will overpower Juve’s defense as Milan continues its hot start.

AC Milan 3-1 Juventus