The Premier League returns after an eventful international break which saw the likes of Curacao and Scotland qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Now it is all about top-flight football in England and we have some exciting stuff to look forward to this weekend. After Arsenal’s draw against Sunderland, it can’t be said that it is a foregone conclusion that Mikel Arteta and company will win the league title. But they are still favourites and I’ll tell you why. Manchester City are not far behind Arsenal, but they are so heavily reliant on Erling Haaland. Arsenal will have quite a few first team regulars missing through injury this weekend, and despite that, I expect them to field a very strong team against Nottingham Forest. No other team in the league can do the same, and that is the difference! Thanks for the submission! Arsenal have a big week coming up. After the derby at home to Tottenham, they face Bayern Munich in a match that will prove their credentials about winning the Champions League, before taking on another big London rival in Chelsea next weekend. This run will determine how far they can go this season. On that note, let us dive straight into my predictions for gameweek 12 in the Premier League. Burnley vs Chelsea When you come into a game like this after the international break, it’s so different than usual. We saw Liverpool lose to Nottingham Forest in a similar game after one of the international breaks last season. So it’s never an easy game to call. Burnley need to start winning games at home. But I just think Chelsea will be stronger all over the pitch and I expect the visitors to win. I would go with Liam Delap as the striker for this game and I’d stick to that even after Cole Palmer returns from injury. Palmer is someone who needs runners with him, that is why Nicolas Jackson was such a good option for Chelsea. If Joao Pedro plays as striker, he will drop deep and that will not free up enough space for Palmer to operate. Delap, on the other hand, is a willing runner and a proper number nine who will suit Palmer in my opinion. Only time will tell if Palmer can make it to England’s World Cup squad for next year though. He will have to come back from injury and hit the ground running straightaway. Palmer needs a run of form like the one he had when he first burst onto the scene at Chelsea. Prediction: Burnley 0-2 Chelsea Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest This is the exact fixture I was talking about earlier. Last September, Liverpool lost to Forest at Anfield after the international break. I know Forest are still second-bottom in the table, but they have kicked on a bit under Sean Dyche. They have only lost to Bournemouth in the last five games, which includes wins over Porto, Leeds and a draw against Manchester United. Forest have certainly enjoyed an uptick in terms of results. However, I just can’t see Liverpool not scoring in this game. Forest are not keeping a clean sheet at Anfield for sure! Florian Wirtz looked good for Germany in the international break. I know the opposition wasn’t the strongest, but he’s the top boy in Germany. Wirtz has the faith of the manager and goes out and expresses himself to the best of his abilities when he puts on that shirt. At Liverpool, he is always behind the eight ball. Last week against Manchester City, Wirtz looked like he had never played football before! Don’t get me wrong, I like him as a player. But if you pay over £100 million for a player and he does nothing in such a big game, that is a worrying sign for your team. Wirtz wasn’t the only one who did nothing in that game, but Liverpool paid the big bucks for him to take them to the next level. It’s obviously not his fault that they paid that amount of money, but the price-tag will always add to the expectations. I would actually start Wirtz in this game. If you play him against City at the Etihad, you have to start him against Forest at Anfield. He needs a run of games to get used to the intensity of the league. If someone else comes in for him and they score, then people will start questioning him again, which does no good for his confidence. Prediction: Liverpool 2-0 Nottingham Forest Bournemouth vs West Ham United West Ham have done well in recent weeks. Consecutive wins over Newcastle and Burnley have given them a huge lift in the battle to avoid relegation. I just think this game away from home to Bournemouth is very tough though. I said earlier that I don’t see West Ham going down and I stand by it. But winning this game will be a bit of a stretch for them. Bournemouth are a team that must work really hard every single week to keep punching above their weight. They come into this game on the back of a couple of big losses. The defeat against City at the Etihad is understandable, but losing 4-0 against Aston Villa, that scoreline was a bit surprising. It just shows how tough and unpredictable the Premier League can be. I’m expecting Bournemouth to bounce back in style this weekend. Prediction: Bournemouth 3-0 West Ham United Wolves vs Crystal Palace Wolves’ new manager is finally here. Rob Edwards has a tough job on his hands to get them out of the relegation zone. This is not the easiest game when you take charge of a club like Wolves, but it is also not the toughest when you think about it! An ex-player coming back as manager to save them? The crowd will certainly be up for it. This is a cup final for Wolves. They have just two points in 11 matches and another loss here would be insult to injury. Even though the new manager coming in gives Wolves a slight chance, I can’t look beyond a Crystal Palace win in this game. Wolves fans will be praying for a miracle! Prediction: Wolves 1-2 Crystal Palace Brighton & Hove Albion vs Brentford I’m not too convinced about Brentford when they play away from home. They are one of the toughest teams to face on their home turf, but it’s a completely different story when they hit the road. Honestly, there really isn’t much between these sides, they are evenly-matched if you ask me. West Ham winning two games on the bounce has made the relegation battle tight at the bottom. Whoever loses this game will know they are only a couple of defeats away from being dragged into that battle to avoid the drop! If Brentford were playing at home, I would have backed them. I’m going with Brighton instead, purely because of home advantage. Prediction: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 Brentford Fulham vs Sunderland Sunderland have been amazing, what an unbelievable start on their return to the Premier League. This is a game where Fulham need a result because they are playing at home and have not been great to watch in recent weeks. The defeat to Everton before the international break now means they sit just one point above the relegation zone. I admit that Fulham are not as bad as the table suggests, but every time I talk to their fans, most of them are worried about the possibility of going down and that isn’t a good sign. If they don’t win this game, they will be among the teams fearing the drop. Even though Fulham were poor against Everton, I’m backing them here. A lot of Sunderland fans will think I’m mad, but it’s what I really think. Prediction: Fulham 2-1 Sunderland Newcastle United vs Manchester City If Manchester City win this game, I will be thinking that should they keep all their main players fit, they can challenge Arsenal. Newcastle have not been at their best on home turf so far this season, but it is still one of the toughest fixtures in the league. If Eddie Howe’s team can play like they did against Liverpool, they have a chance at winning this game! Erling Haaland has been scoring goals for fun. But will that help him win the Ballon d’Or? The answer is no. No matter how many goals you score, it always comes down to your performance in the Champions League and City must win that trophy to give Haaland a strong chance to win the award. Nick Woltemade has also impressed me so far. I always wonder when players come to the Premier League, ‘if they were so good, why didn’t Bayern Munich want them?’. That is not the case with Woltemade, he’s showing why Bayern really wanted him to be their number nine. Woltemade reminds me of Peter Crouch. He is not just a target man, he can play with the ball and likes it being fed into his feet. Woltemade will cause problems to other teams every single week. If Newcastle’s midfield three can fire like last season, it will be perfect for him. Newcastle away is a tricky fixture right after the international break and that’s why I think City will drop points in this one. Prediction: Newcastle United 1-1 Manchester City Leeds United vs Aston Villa I worry for Leeds a bit. I look at their team and I don’t know who is going to give them that X-factor. Aston Villa have turned a massive corner in recent weeks and are one of the most in-form teams in the league. I’d be shocked if they lose this game. Ollie Watkins hasn’t really turned up so far this season. He does a lot of unselfish work for the team though. I don’t think that work will go unnoticed in the eyes of the manager. Hopefully, the goals can also follow soon. Leeds need to go out and sign someone who can bring the X-factor to their team in January, if they want to stay in the Premier League. An easy win for Villa here. Prediction: Leeds United 1-3 Aston Villa Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur This is the game! When I used to play for Arsenal, I used to ring my dad up and tell him when we’re playing Tottenham as soon as the fixtures were out. I know Liverpool and Manchester City are bigger opponents for Arsenal in the title race, but for the fans, this is the biggest game! Tottenham are top of the league table if you only consider form away from home. When Spurs are not the favourites and they sit back, absorb pressure and hit you on the break, they are a tricky team to face. If Arsenal were playing away from home, I would have given Tottenham no chance! Mikel Arteta also has to deal with injuries to some key players, so I don’t think this game is a straighforward win for Arsenal. Will Viktor Gyokeres be fit? Can Leandro Trossard make an impact like he did in the last game? There are so many questions to be answered. Arsenal vs Tottenham has always been one of the most entertaining matches in the Premier League. But I don’t think that will be the case here. I’m expecting a tight, cagey affair with Arsenal coming out on top in the end. Prediction: Arsenal 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur Manchester United vs Everton Manchester United are slowly starting to find some rhythm. I say that carefully because we wouldn’t have said this about them last season or the one before that. United have been quite bad in terms of stitching together a run of results, but there is a bit of hope now. Benjamin Sesko being ruled out does not help Everton because they would rather play against him. If Sesko played, Everton know what they are up against and how to mark him. When it’s Matheus Cunha playing that false-nine role, it’s entirely different. One second you’re looking at Cunha and the next thing you know it’s Bryan Mbeumo also working in tandem with him. With Sesko, United can only play one way and that would have been easier to deal with. Casemiro looks confident now and it is making a huge difference to Manchester United. I don’t want to take credit away from home, he’s won five Champions League trophies with Real Madrid, but he’s benefitting from the arrival of Cunha and Mbeumo. Teams are now aware of the threat that United have while going forward, so they are not keen on opening the game up. It has taken some pressure off Casemiro with teams constantly being bothered about the threat of those two players on the break. When the people around you start playing well, the mix becomes a good cocktail! I said Manchester United won’t beat Forest even though they were flying at the time. That draw was disappointing but I expect them to make amends with a win this weekend. Prediction: Manchester United 2-0 Everton.
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