Premier League Game Week 31 football tips and predictions – Copybet
With Arsenal and Manchester City locking horns in the EFL Cup final at Wembley, there are only eight games to look forward to from the Premier League on Game Week 31, but there is no shortage of entertainment.
Bournemouth and Manchester United get the action started on Friday evening before a TV triple-header on Saturday as Brighton host Liverpool, Everton entertain Chelsea and Brentford head to Leeds.
On Sunday north-east rivals Newcastle and Sunderland square off at St James’ Park and Tottenham meet Nottingham Forest in a relegation six-pointer.
Everton vs Chelsea
Chelsea are licking their wounds after they were demolished 8-2 on aggregate in their Champions League last 16 tie by Paris Saint-Germain and they may struggle to serve up a response at Everton.
The Blues were truly humbled by the Parisians, with Tuesday’s 3-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge made worse by injuries to Trevoh Chalobah and Reece James, and the Toffees should be sensing an opportunity.
After a dream start, Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior finds himself in a tricky period as his side have won only one of their last five league games, a run which has featured draws with Leeds and Burnley.
Everton have struggled for consistency at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium home, but they remain in the mix for the European qualification spots and they were unfortunate in last weekend’s 2-0 loss at leaders Arsenal as they had been level until Viktor Gyokeres’ 89th-minute goal.
Leeds vs Brentford
A five-game winless run has seen Leeds get dragged back into the relegation fight, but they can give their survival hopes a lift under the lights against Brentford.
Leeds have drawn with Aston Villa, Chelsea and Crystal Palace since the start of February so it’s not been all doom and gloom and they have lost only three of their last ten matches at Elland Road.
Brentford are having a superb season but they threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at home to bottom club Wolves on Monday and they were dumped out of the FA Cup by West Ham prior to that.
When these two drew 1-1 at the Brentford Community Stadium in December, Leeds were unfortunate as they dominated the shot count 18-7 and they should feel confident of making amends in front of strong home support.
Newcastle vs Sunderland
There is no time for Newcastle to mourn Wednesday’s 7-2 drubbing away at Barcelona in the Champions League and they will be desperate to make amends by beating bitter rivals Sunderland.
Added motivation for the Magpies will be the 1-0 loss they endured in December’s reverse fixture at the Stadium of Light and home advantage looks key in claiming the bragging rights.
The Black Cats have performed well above expectations on their Premier League return but five defeats in their last eight top-flight outings suggests that they may be running on fumes.
Aston Villa vs
West Ham
West Ham are rising to the challenge in their pursuit of Premier League survival and they can pick up another positive result at a busy Aston Villa, who have a quick turnaround from Thursday’s Europa League clash with Lille.
The Hammers held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw last weekend and their only two defeats in their last nine league games have come against Chelsea and Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Villa’s level has dropped significantly in recent weeks and their hopes of a top-five finish are now in serious doubt following a run of only one win in seven league outings.
Last weekend’s 3-1 loss at Manchester United came on the back of a 4-1 defeat to Chelsea and the Hammers should be optimistic about their prospects.