Yahoo Sports Premier League Matchday 4 Predictions
Two of Attacking Football’s writers, Alex and Yassin, went head-to-head this week ahead of Matchday 3 of the 24/25 Premier League season and gave their thoughts.
Check out the matchday three predictions to see how the lads did!
Premier League Matchday 4 Previews & Predictions
Southampton vs Manchester United:
Southampton: Southampton has struck a wall with their performances lately. Three games and three losses aren’t a good start; however, the performances haven’t been there either. There were glimpses of around 25-30 minutes of a good performance in the game vs. Brentford; however, it’s still not enough. With Manchester United up next to Russell Martin’s Southampton side, they could pounce on the chance with United looking very disjointed as they did in 23/24; however, they would be looking to do this at St Mary’s for the first time in 20 years!
Manchester United: No team needs a win this game week more than Manchester United. Their performances have been on a downward slope since the start of the season. They were good against Fulham, good in the first half against Brighton, and awful against Liverpool. This could be a make-or-break game for Ten Hag. A loss against a newly promoted team and the pressure will be massive on the Dutch coach.
Predictions:
Alex’s Prediction: 3-1 United. Southampton could make more defensive errors in self-destruction, which could, to United’s relief, give them the needed victory.
Yassin’s Prediction:1-1. Two teams that do not finish their chances. Two teams that concede stupid goals. Two teams that are in massive need of a win. Southampton has a commanding performance but fails to finish their chances, only for the Red Devils’ individual quality to snatch them a draw that does not benefit anyone. The Saints put the last dent in Ten Hag’s reign.
Manchester City vs Brentford
Manchester City: Manchester City made West Ham look like a League 2 team in London. They created chance after chance. The 3-1 win is a very flattering result for the Hammers compared to how dominant the Citizens were in that game.
Brentford: Brentford was fortunate to be gifted three points (and goals) by Southampton in a game where they just had to be in any threatening position, and Southampton would give them the ball. Against City, they have no chance. However, City have looked somewhat vulnerable in transition as of late, and this is where Brentford could punish them with Mbuemo and Wissa.
Predictions
Alex’s Prediction: 4-2 City. It is an entertaining encounter where City edge it with their added quality, especially compared to Brentford. However, The Bees put up a fight and attempt to sting back, which results in their demise, and they get caught out.
Yassin’s Prediction: 3-1 Manchester City. Manchester City scored nine goals and conceded two in their first 3 League games. They look like a team that could score whenever they want. Brentford has not put in one good performance since the start of the season, and now they are going to Etihad. An Easy win for City before their clash against Arsenal.
Fulham vs West Ham United
Fulham: The Cottagers have had a decent start to the season, albeit having ‘easier’ games, with their points all coming against newly promoted sides in Ipswich and Leicester. Their performances thus far have been decent, but that’s where the description ends. Their performance against United held promise, but both of their performances vs. the newbies were unconvincing despite the results, which could display their individual quality in contrast to their squad quality as a whole.
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West Ham United: West Ham looked like they came from a different league against Manchester City. They can’t be blamed, though, as the Citizens can do that to most teams. They had a very tough start to the season, playing City and Villa in their first three games. Now the schedule becomes more manageable with a trip to Fulham.
Predictions
Alex’s Prediction: 3-1 West Ham. Irons will have the quality and squad unity to oversee the challenge that Fulham brings them and get their second three points of this Premier League season.
Yassin’s Prediction: 1-1. West Ham created 5.29 Xg and conceded 7.24 Xga. They underachieved their Xg and overachieved their Xga. Fulham are equaling their Xg and Xga. This game has the feel of a draw between two mid-table teams.
Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest
Liverpool: The Reds had a great start to the season under Arne Slot. They scored seven goals and did not concede any. They steamrolled their biggest rivals at Old Trafford. Not even the Dutch coach could have dreamed of such a perfect start. Underlying numbers also agree as the Reds have the highest Xg and conceded the lowest Xga in the first three games.
Nottingham Forest: Forest has provided an unbeaten but mediocre start to their Premier League season. The attacking threat of Elanga and Hudson-Odoi has provided threat and fear into the opposition fullbacks, showing their talent and their raw pace, helping bolster the Forest squad. Special mention to new signing Elliot Anderson, who signed from Newcastle in the summer and has put out some standout performances thus far.
Predictions:
Alex’s Prediction: 1-0 Forest. The surprise result for the weekend could come at Anfield, with Nuno’s Forest causing upset at Anfield with a disciplined defensive display and one moment of attacking quality to see off Slot’s Liverpool, causing their first defeat of the season!
Yassin’s Prediction: 2-0 Liverpool. Nottingham had a good start to the season. They have five from three games and have been putting in decent performances. Nuno knows how to set his team up defensively and plan on the counterattack. This could have worked against Liverpool’s Klopp but not Slot’s.
Brighton vs Ipswich
Brighton: The Seagulls limited Arsenal’s chances when Arsenal had 11 men on the pitch. They benefitted from Declan Rice’s red card to earn a well-deserved draw in the Emirates. Seven points from three games is better than they could have imagined when the draw was made.
Ipswich: Before the break, Ipswich picked up their first taste of Premier League points with a 1-1 draw over Fulham, with Liam Delpa getting his first Premier League goal! Brighton’s fast-paced attack could cause issues for The Tractor Boys and become a step too far for them
Predictions
Alex’s Prediction: 4-0 Brighton. As suggested before, Brighton’s superiority in general and squad quality will overwhelm Keiran McKenna’s men, and they will fall short on the South Coast.
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Yassin’s Prediction: 3-1 Brighton. The Seagulls have had a dream start to the season. Against an Ipswich Team that conceded seven goals and 8.2 Xga to start the season, Brighton eases their way into a win.
Crystal Palace vs Leicester
Crystal Palace: The Eagles finally earned their first point of the season against Chelsea. They got that point in their worst performance of the season, conceding five big chances and 2.37 Xga against Chelsea.
Leicester: Although the quality of Aston Villa’s squad prevails massively vs Leicester, the general performance wasn’t promising, and some touted Cooper’s tactics at fault, but their performance as a whole wasn’t good enough, and that’s a concerning factor
Prediction
Alex’s Prediction: 3-1 Palace. The Eagles will earn their first victory of the season vs The Foxes, swooping in at blistering speed and dismantling them in true Glasner fashion.
Yassin’s Prediction: 2-0 Palace. Leicester still does not look like a team used to the Premier League level. They have dominated in their three games this season thus far. Barring one good half against Tottenham, Leicester have been abysmal this season. It’s time for Palace to get their first win.
Aston Villa vs Everton
Aston Villa: The Villans created four big chances against Leicester. While the game only ended 2-1, the feeling is that it should have been much worse for Leicester. The Birmingham Lions need to start taking their chances, and Watkins needs to start firing on all cylinders if they want to keep their place in the top four this season.
Everton: Where do you start? Everton has been abysmal. They bottled a 2-0 lead, which was the score up until the 87th minute, yet still went on to lose the game. As you can tell, Evertonians were absolutely fuming with their side and manager Sean Dyche. Should performances not improve, his head will be on the chopping block.
Prediction
Alex’s Prediction: 6-0 Villa. Onana scores on his first game vs his former side, with Everton producing a woeful performance again and putting even more pressure on Dyche.
Yassin’s Prediction: 4-0 Villa. Everton blew a 2-0 lead against Bournemouth. They conceded 10 goals to start the season and 7.36 Xga. The Toffees defense is atrocious, and they still have not played any of the big boys.
Bournemouth vs Chelsea
Bournemouth: The Cherries returned from 2-0 down to beat Everton in Goodison Park. They created five big chances against Everton but conceded five. Against Everton, The Cherries created 2.29 Xg but conceded 1.99 Xga. However, their wrong defensive numbers against Everton are inflated due to the game state and their running after the result.
Chelsea: The Blues are a very miss-match side at the moment, having some good performances (Wolves) and then falling off with some very, very lacklustre games, especially Palace at home, where they couldn’t finish their dinner.
Prediction
Alex’s Prediction: 3-1 Bournemouth. The Cherries will continue with their excellent performances thus far and will continue with a rampant performance against Maresca’s Miserable Blues.
Yassin’s Prediction: 3-2 Bournemouth. Bournemouth and Chelsea both play attacking football. Bournemouth created 7.4 Xg and conceded 5.7 Xga in the first three games. Chelsea created 6.07 Xg and conceded 4.06 Xga. Expect an open, entertaining game between the two sides, with Bournemouth landing the final punch.
The North London Derby
Tottenham: Tottenham blew an easy win against Leicester, then blew Everton out of White Hart Lane before losing to Newcastle at St James Park. The Lilywhites still concede big chances for fun as they conceded four in three games. They just started the season in a very Spursy fashion.
Arsenal: The Gunners are without two key players, Martin Ødegaard and Declan Rice, ahead of this week’s North London Derby. The pair will be an enormous miss for the Gunners as it means they lose someone who is an excellent carrier and passer of the ball in Rice, and they also lose a creative spark in Ødegaard. Their last performance against Brighton wasn’t their best either, as they succumbed to a 1-1 draw at home.
Prediction
Alex’s Prediction: 3-1 Tottenham. Derby games are one-offs, anything can happen, all league form goes out the window, and all that matters is the performance on the day. Arsenal is missing two key players and is not looking 100% at it just yet. Ange Postecoglu’s Spurs could pounce and seize the opportunity for Ange to get his first taste of North London Derby victory.
Yassin’s Prediction: 2-1 Tottenham. Arsenal are missing Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard. The Gunners conceded 3.71 Xga yet only once the ball hit the back of their net. Arsenal is equaling their Xg but overachieving their Xga. Tottenham’s underlying numbers are better than Arsenal’s in terms of Xg and Xga. The NLD will be about Spurs finishing their chances. The White Hart Lane faithful push the Lilywhites for a win in the NLD, putting a massive dent in the Gunners’ title bid that early in the season.
Wolves vs Newcastle
Wolves: Wolves put in a better defensive performance against Nottingham. Yet, they still allowed 1.04 Xga against a Nottingham Forest team that is not known for its attacking impetus. Wolves are one of the worst teams at the start of this season.
Newcastle: The Geordies have had a great start to the season, picking up seven points from a maximum of nine. They had an excellent 2-1 win over Tottenham last time out, where they had a terrific defensive performance to face the barrage of Spurs’ 20 total shots and come out victorious.
Prediction
Alex’s Prediction: 3-0 Newcastle. The Tyne side team will show their quality and see off the relatively easy task of Wolves, who lack some quality throughout the side and could struggle to handle Eddie How’s side.
Yassin’s Prediction: 3-1 Newcastle. The Magpies have seven points from three games, yet they still did not have one good performance. Eddie Howe’s side finally plays to their level and runs away with an easy win.
