EPL GW-25 Live Chat

GW-25 has arrived and it promises to be quite interesting. We have a DGW and some blanks all rolled into one!

Below I’ve run the rule over the slate of fixtures and provided my score predictions. I hope you enjoy the read, and I look forward to meeting you in the Live Chat!

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Friday, February 24

Fulham vs Wolves

This game-week’s round of fixtures kicks off today with Fulham vs Wolves. This match is a proper Friday night game, and I expect an entertaining match. Both sides come into this in decent form. Wolves have won three of their last five games, including an outstanding win against Liverpool, while Fulham has won two of the last five games.

Prediction: Wolves 1-1 Fulham

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Saturday, February 25

Everton vs Aston Villa

Here’s an interesting one. Everton has looked pretty solid under new manager Sean Dyche; they’ve won two of their last three games, keeping two clean sheets.

The same can’t be said about Aston Villa though. Villa have lost their last three games, conceding 11 goals along the way.

Pop some corn because I think this one is going to be very entertaining.

Prediction: Everton 2-2 Aston Villa

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Leeds vs Southampton

I’m not expecting goals here. Southampton has scored only four goals in their last five games, while Leeds have scored just one in their last five.

It could be more of a grind than a display of fireworks at Elland Road then, but I’ll back Southampton to edge it.

Prediction: Southampton 2-1 Leeds

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Leicester vs Arsenal

This week Arsenal travels to the King Power to challenge a Leicester side that has been in great goal-scoring form. I think we’ll see goals here.

The Leicester offense was solid going against United, even if it was held scoreless. And Arsenal put up one of its best performances of the season against Villa last week.

We know that both sides have plenty of talent going forward, so I expect to see really good attacking football from this match.

Predictions: Leicester 1-3 Arsenal

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West Ham vs Nottingham Forest

I’ve been expecting the Hammers to turn their fortunes around for a long time now, but they still can’t seem to get sorted. The same however, can’t be said about Forest, which has been really good in recent weeks. Once nailed to the bottom of the table, the Tricky Trees now sit in 13th, and last week against City they showed that they can go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the world.

I’m going to give this one to West Ham though, but if I’m honest, it’s partly for nostalgic reasons. Jarrod Bowen did wonders for my standings last season, and so I’ve developed a bit of a soft spot for West Ham. A part of me wants to see him and the Hammers hit those heights once again.

Prediction: West Ham 2-0 Nott’m Forest

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Bournemouth vs Man City

This is a game where ordinarily we’d back the Man City juggernaut, declaring it a foregone conclusion that they’d blow Bournemouth away. However, the 2022-23 Citizens haven’t shown the ruthless consistency we’ve seen from them in seasons past, so this match could be a wild card.

Don’t get me wrong, Man City might well bury Bournemouth with ease, but as we saw when they played Forest, the potential is there for this to be a banana skin game for them.

For the purposes of a prediction, however, I’m going to go with the odds, which portend a comfortable win for City.

Prediction: Bournemouth 0-3 Man City

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Crystal Palace vs Liverpool

Liverpool vs Palace is one I am looking forward to. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of response we get from Liverpool after their humiliating capitulation to Real Madrid in the UCL this week. Jurgen Klopp’s men were impressive in the first half of that game, but the second half was abysmal, and they now find themselves facing almost certain elimination from the tournament in the first round of knockouts.

Will a wounded ‘Pool resolve to redeem themselves in the league this weekend? Or will they be demoralized by the prospect of crashing out of their last remaining cup competition while languishing outside the UCL qualification zone of the EPL table?? The Liverpool we saw in the first half of the Madrid game could easily win this one. But a dejected Reds side could easily lose it.

Interestingly, Madrid hit Liverpool on the break a lot, and that’s kind of similar to the way Palace will be looking to approach this game. It’s an interesting match-up and one I’m excited about.

Prediction: Crystal Palace 2-2 Liverpool

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Sunday, February 26

Tottenham vs Chelsea

Without a doubt, the marquee fixture of the week is Spurs vs Chelsea. It is a game that Chelsea and Graham Potter absolutely cannot afford to lose.

It is a London derby and we know how much such games mean to football fans around the world. Given his string of poor results, Graham Potter will have massive pressure on his shoulders, and the outcome could decide his future.

But a win for Chelsea is not going to be easy. Antonio Conte and Spurs won’t want to fall outside the top four, so they’ll surely not simply roll over for Chelsea. It is going to be a tough, hard-fought game.

The venue is Tottenham stadium, which you would think would mean “advantage Spurs”. Interestingly though, Chelsea has won four of the last four in Tottenham’s stadium.

Prediction: Spurs 2-0 Chelsea

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Wednesday, March 1

Arsenal vs Everton

This is the second of the each team’s two games this week. This one is pretty hard to call right now because we’ve not seen how both sides fare in their first fixtures.

However, what we do know is that these two met in GW22’s reverse fixture. In that game, Everton won and caused Arsenal loads of problems.

Everton was solid at the back, contained Arsenal’s wide men, and carried a lot of threat from set-pieces (in fact a Tarkowski header off a corner won the game for Everton). Although the final scoreline read 1-0, Everton outplayed Arsenal and could have put two or more goals past them.

That loss was a harbinger of things to come for Arsenal; they did not win again until last weekend.

Prediction: Arsenal 1-1 Everton

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Liverpool vs Wolves

This is the final match of GW-25, and it is going to be interesting. The last time these two clubs faced each other, Wolves put three past Liverpool.

If Liverpool are to get anything out of this game, they’ll need to be solid at the back. They’ll also need to capitalize on their chances when they get them. Liverpool is a tremendously talented side led by a world-class gaffer, and they can beat anyone on any given day. But their form has been so inconsistent this season that it is anyone’s guess as to whether they can beat Wolves on Wednesday.

My guess is yes.

Prediction: Liverpool 3-0 Wolves

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Let the games begin! Tell us about your transfers this week — Whom did you bring in and whom did you ship out? Which match are you most looking forward to? Tell us your plans for GW-25 and then join us in the Live Chat below!

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