6 days ago
1
The archetypal afloat Premier League gameweek of 2025 is headlined by the biggest fixture successful English shot arsenic leaders Liverpool invited crisis-ridden rivals and self-confessed relegation candidates Manchester United to Anfield connected Sunday.
Both sides could person hardly been successful much contrasting signifier during the archetypal fractional of the play and, portion Liverpool volition beryllium looking to support the standards they acceptable successful 2024, Man United volition beryllium hoping that the caller twelvemonth brings with it a caller start.
The Slow Readers Club bassist and Red Devils instrumentality James Ryan volition surely beryllium hoping for that too, and an tremendous upset astatine Anfield is 1 of his galore bold predictions for gameweek 20 of the Premier League play arsenic helium becomes the latest instrumentalist to instrumentality connected our play prediction competition.
Can Arsenal, distant to Brighton & Hove Albion, oregon Chelsea, distant to Crystal Palace, capitalise connected immoderate Liverpool slip-up? Will Manchester City marque it consecutive wins for the archetypal clip since October erstwhile they big West Ham United? Will Nottingham Forest proceed their unthinkable campaign?
Read connected beneath to find retired some James Ryan and Sports Mole's predictions for the opening gameweek of the caller year.
Spurs vs. Newcastle
Saturday, 12.30pm
© Imago
James: Spurs 1-3 Newcastle
Sports Mole: Spurs 1-2 Newcastle
Not 1 of the erstwhile 59 Premier League meetings betwixt Spurs and Newcastle has finished goalless, and that series should not beryllium snapped astatine a crushed wherever Tottenham person some scored and conceded successful their past 8 top-flight games.
While the Lilywhites are backed extremity the Magpies' stellar streak of cleanable sheets, the hosts' ravaged defence should beryllium ruthlessly exposed by their bogey squad Newcastle, who person our ballot to prolong Postecoglou's misery and heighten their top-four credentials.
Aston Villa vs. Leicester
Saturday, 3pm
© Imago
James: Aston Villa 2-1 Leicester
Sports Mole: Aston Villa 3-1 Leicester
Unbeaten successful the Premier League astatine location since August, Aston Villa should beryllium highly assured of putting an out-of-form Leicester broadside to the sword this weekend.
The Foxes' hard tally of fixtures continues into 2025 arsenic they sojourn the Second City connected Saturday, erstwhile a 5th consecutive top-flight decision appears likely.
Bournemouth vs. Everton
Saturday, 3pm
© Imago
James: Bournemouth 2-0 Everton
Sports Mole: Bournemouth 3-0 Everton
Bournemouth were woeful for 85 minutes successful the reverse fixture earlier a staggering precocious win, but they should marque overmuch lighter enactment of this 1 against an Everton broadside devoid of ideas and confidence.
Everton person inactive ne'er won a Premier League crippled astatine the Vitality, and everything the Cherries excel astatine is what they are presently lacking, and a repetition of past week's show could effect successful different disfigured scoreline.
Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea
Saturday, 3pm
© Imago
James: Crystal Palace 2-1 Chelsea
Sports Mole: Crystal Palace 1-1 Chelsea
Palace person a dreadful grounds against Chelsea, and they are not overmuch amended erstwhile facing chap London clubs, but Glasner has made them hard to bushed with a overmuch much settled broadside of late.
Chelsea's shortcomings are being exposed, with the goals drying up and antiaircraft frailty becoming costly, and this volition beryllium different hard day for Maresca's side.
Man City vs. West Ham
Saturday, 3pm
© Imago
James: Man City 3-0 West Ham
Sports Mole: Man City 3-0 West Ham
Bowen's lack deprives West Ham of their rule attacking menace distant from home, arsenic the ex-Hull City antheral has registered 16 combined goals and assists successful Premier League distant games since the commencement of past season; nary of his teammates has contributed much than eight.
Given the atrocious quality of their antiaircraft show against Liverpool too, Lopetegui's men should beryllium enactment to the sword by a revitalised Man City, acceptable to triumph back-to-back games for the archetypal clip since October.
Southampton vs. Brentford
Saturday, 3pm
© Imago
James: Southampton 1-2 Brentford
Sports Mole: Southampton 0-0 Brentford
Juric has enactment his marker down rapidly and instantly made Southampton tougher to people against, compared to the shots that would often rainfall down connected their extremity nether Martin.
Brentford person the firepower, but they person looked somewhat blunt successful caller weeks, taking conscionable 1 constituent from their erstwhile 5 games, and the goals person dried up for immoderate of their cardinal attacking players.
Brighton vs. Arsenal
Saturday, 5.30pm
© Imago
James: Brighton 2-1 Arsenal
Sports Mole: Brighton 1-3 Arsenal
Brighton had some scored and conceded successful six successive Premier League location games earlier their goalless matter with Brentford connected December 27, and the goals ought to travel erstwhile again versus an Arsenal broadside who person struggled for cleanable sheets connected the roadworthy of late.
However, Arteta's men are coping conscionable good connected the violative beforehand without the influential Saka and person our backing to march to a 2nd 3-1 triumph of the year, frankincense preventing Liverpool from steering further wide astatine the Premier League summit.
Fulham vs. Ipswich
Sunday, 2pm
© Imago
James: Fulham 2-0 Ipswich
Sports Mole: Fulham 2-1 Ipswich
Ipswich person won 2 of their 3 Premier League games distant from location and caput to Craven Cottage successful precocious spirits aft beating Chelsea, but they volition erstwhile again beryllium underdogs this play against a Fulham broadside who person made themselves hard to bushed successful caller weeks.
A likewise adjacent contention to the 1-1 gully played retired betwixt these 2 teams astatine Portman Road earlier this play could beryllium connected the cards connected Sunday, but we are backing the location broadside to travel retired connected apical by a constrictive margin.
Liverpool vs. Man Utd
Sunday, 4.30pm
© Imago
James: Liverpool 1-2 Man Utd
Sports Mole: Liverpool 3-0 Man Utd
Disjointed successful attack, susceptible astatine the backmost and struggling massively to accommodate to the demands of an Amorim system, Man United are astatine hazard of being wholly overrun astatine Anfield, though expected recalls for Ugarte, Mainoo and Fernandes should mean that their show is not astatine pitiful arsenic it was against Newcastle.
The Red Devils fanbase volition surely question successful fleeting anticipation alternatively than expectation, though, and we tin representation Liverpool repeating their 3-0 Old Trafford trick, boosting their rubric hopes astatine the disbursal of their opponents' Premier League presumption entirely.
Wolves vs. Nott'm Forest
Monday, 8pm
© Imago
James: Wolves 2-2 Nott'm Forest
Sports Mole: Wolves 1-2 Nott'm Forest
Wolves tin ever beryllium backed to marque the Molineux nets bulge, but they volition beryllium deprived of the antheral who has had a nonstop manus successful astir fractional of their Premier League goals this season; Cunha has scored 10 and acceptable up 4 of Wolves' 31 efforts.
In contrast, Forest are showing nary signs of floundering and should beryllium strengthened by the returns of nary less than 3 cardinal cogs, truthful Nuno should people his instrumentality to his aged haunt by haunting the Old Gold and keeping the Tricky Trees connected the Premier League podium.
James Ryan Q&A
How did you travel to enactment Man United and what are your favourite memories from your clip arsenic a fan?
I honestly don't cognize due to the fact that my dada is simply a Man City instrumentality and my mam bought maine and my member Sheffield Wednesday quilt covers erstwhile we were kids due to the fact that they were connected connection astatine Newton Heath market.
How I ended up supporting United with that I'll ne'er know! You'd expect maine to travel successful my dad's footsteps but helium didn't unit maine to enactment City astatine all.
He inactive tells the communicative of showing maine Maine Road from the model successful the infirmary the nighttime I was calved but that evidently had nary interaction connected my future.
I enactment United due to the fact that I emotion them. It's shot isn't it? I can't truly explicate it but I retrieve arsenic a kid my uncle knocking connected our doorway 1 time and helium asked my mam if I could spell to the United lucifer with him. I said yea consecutive away. I conscionable retrieve getting determination aboriginal and walking up the steps to spot the Old Trafford transportation and knowing that this was my team. It's been that mode ever since.
My champion representation was distant astatine Blackburn Rovers successful April 2008. We were being pushed for the rubric by Chelsea astatine the clip and Blackburn were beating america 1-0 with Brad Friedel successful nett having the crippled of his life.
We conscionable needed a constituent to support distant from Chelsea and Tevez scored an equalizer successful the 88th minute. I was close down it connected enactment 10 oregon thereabouts and I conscionable retrieve the afloat basal going chaotic and I ended up hung implicit the advertizing boards. I deliberation the afloat United extremity knew astatine that constituent we were going to triumph the league.
Who person been your favourite 5 players for your club?
Paul Scholes, Bryan Robson, Roy Keane, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Eric Cantona
What's going connected with the set astatine the moment?
We person a marque caller medium retired successful March (Out Of A Dream) and a azygous from that medium retired this month. We play a mates of shows successful Dublin and Belfast successful aboriginal February and past during March we play a fewer smaller, intimate shows astir the state astir the merchandise of the album.
We're past disconnected to Europe successful April and hopefully connected the festival circuit successful the summer. We're don't person galore festivals booked astatine the infinitesimal but we're hoping to get more.
'Animals' by The Slow Readers Club is disposable to watercourse now.
You tin travel The Slow Readers Club connected Instagram and X (formerly known arsenic Twitter).
2024-25 SEASON LEADERBOARD (ARTISTS)
Scores are calculated arsenic 1 constituent for a close effect and 5 points for a close scoreline.
1. Kyle Starkey (16pts | Gameweek 3)
2. Make Friends' Max Lewin (15pts | Gameweek 2)
3. Everyone Says Hi's Nick Hodgson (13pts | Gameweek 1)
4. Blitz Vega's Kav Sandhu (10pts | Gameweek 5)
5. Trampolene's Jack Jones (9pts | Gameweek 4)
= Kneecap's Mo Chara (9pts | Gameweek 6)
7. Feet's Harry Southerton (7pts | Gameweek 13)
= IN PARALLEL's Harrison Baker (7pts | Gameweek 15)
9. Kids successful Glass Houses' Iain Mahanty (6pts | Gameweek 7)
= proFESSional's Rob Hennebry (6pts | Gameweek 8)
11. Maddox Jones (4pts | Gameweek 9)
= The Farm's Peter Hooton (4pts | Gameweek 18)
12. She Drew The Gun's Louisa Roach (3pts | Gameweek 10)
= The Now's Shane Callaghan (3pts | Gameweek 17)
= Chilli Jesson (3pts | Gameweek 11)
15. Soft Launch's Josh McClory (2pts | Gameweek 12)
= My First Time's James Mellen (2pts | Gameweek 14)
= Apollo Junction's Ben Hope (2pts | Gameweek 16)
2024-25 COMPETITION HISTORY
Gameweek 1: Everyone Says Hi's Nick Hodgson 13-14 Sports Mole
Gameweek 2: Make Friends' Max Lewin 15-4 Sports Mole
Gameweek 3: Kyle Starkey 16-13 Sports Mole
Gameweek 4: Trampolene's Jack Jones 9-9 Sports Mole
Gameweek 5: Blitz Vega's Kav Sandhu 10-11 Sports Mole
Gameweek 6: Kneecap's Mo Chara 9-4 Sports Mole
Gameweek 7: Kids successful Glass Houses' Iain Mahanty 6-3 Sports Mole
Gameweek 8: proFESSional's Rob Hennebry 6-7 Sports Mole
Gameweek 9: Maddox Jones 4-10 Sports Mole
Gameweek 10: She Drew The Gun's Louisa Roach 3-4 Sports Mole
Gameweek 11: Chilli Jesson 3-8 Sports Mole
Gameweek 12: Soft Launch's Josh McClorey 2-3 Sports Mole
Gameweek 13: Feet's Harry Southerton 7-10 Sports Mole
Gameweek 14: My First Time's James Mellen 2-8 Sports Mole
Gameweek 15: IN PARALLEL's Harrison Baker 7-2 Sports Mole
Gameweek 16: Apollo Junction's Ben Hope 2-3 Sports Mole
Gameweek 17: The Now's Shane Callaghan 3-6 Sports Mole
Gameweek 18: The Farm's Peter Hooton 4-4 Sports Mole
Gameweek 19: N/A
ID:562055:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect28697:
.png "Msglobalnews")
Bengali (BD) · 
English (US) ·