Gameweek 8 Preview
Predicts10's own score for every fixture, before a ball is kicked
The preview
Predict and Last Man Standing open on Tuesday 20 October at 6PM for the weekend of 23 to 26 October. This is a Friday-night start: Ipswich v Nottingham Forest kicks off at 8PM on Friday, which is when the Golden Result locks and when the Last Man Standing round locks. The clocks go back early on Sunday morning, so the Sunday kickoffs are the first of the winter.
Manchester City are the only side without a defeat, seven wins from seven, and they go to Aston Villa on Saturday lunchtime. Arsenal, with six wins from seven, host Everton, whose own unbeaten run ended last week. Brighton are third on 16 points and have scored 23 goals, the most in the division, as they visit Liverpool on Sunday.
Below is Predicts10's own call on all ten fixtures, with the reasoning. We got 3 of 10 results right last week and you can check the record on the Gameweek 7 preview. As ever, nothing about how the crowd is leaning appears until each fixture locks.
Ipswich have lost four of seven, but won 3-2 at Crystal Palace in Gameweek 6 and are scoring most weeks. Forest are 19th with five points from seven games and have scored only five goals all season, being shut out by Arsenal last week.
Forest are short of goals, but Ipswich have rarely kept one out either, so a narrow home win looks likelier than a rout.
Final score: 1-1 - we missed it.
City have won all seven games, three of their last five by a single goal. Villa have won only two of seven, and lost 2-1 at home to Forest, but they won 1-0 at Newcastle last week.
City have found a way every time, and Villa's home defeat to Forest is hard to look past, but this has the look of a tight one.
Final score: 2-1 - we missed it.
Coventry are 17th on six points after losing 3-1 at Tottenham, and have conceded 14, but they have beaten Newcastle 4-1 at home. Fulham ended a winless start with a 1-0 win over Hull last week, their first of the season.
Two sides in the bottom four with little to separate them, and neither has been convincing away from home.
Final score: 0-1 - we missed it.
Arsenal have won six of seven and conceded only five goals all season. Everton's unbeaten run ended with a 2-0 home defeat to Chelsea, and four of their seven games have been draws.
Everton have scored one goal or fewer in three of their last five, and Arsenal rarely give much away at home.
Final score: 2-0 - we called it exactly.
Chelsea have scored 17 but conceded 13, the most of any side in the top eight, and won their last two, 5-1 over Bournemouth and 2-0 at Everton. Tottenham ended a long winless start with a 3-1 win over Coventry, but they have scored only six goals in seven games.
Chelsea score freely and Tottenham probably find the net once, but the home side's attack should be the difference.
Final score: 0-2 - we missed it.
Palace have conceded 17, the most in the division, including 5-0 at Brighton last week. Newcastle have lost three of their last four league games and shipped 14 in seven.
Both defences are leaking, so there should be goals, and Palace's attack has scored in their last two home games.
Final score: 0-2 - we missed it.
Hull have drawn three of their last five and lost 1-0 at Fulham last week. Brentford have drawn four of seven, and lost for the first time this season, 2-1 at home to Liverpool.
Two draw-heavy sides, and neither has shown much taste for losing, so a share of the points is the most likely result.
Final score: 1-1 - we called it exactly.
Liverpool have lost only once, 3-0 to City, but they have drawn three of seven. Brighton have scored 23, including 5-0 wins over Coventry and Palace in their last five games, and have won four of their last five.
Brighton are the division's best attack right now, and Liverpool have scored only nine goals in seven games.
Final score: 2-0 - we missed it.
United have won one of seven and drawn their last three, 1-1 with Fulham, Tottenham and Leeds. Bournemouth ended a run of two defeats with a 2-0 win over Sunderland.
United can't keep drawing forever, and Bournemouth, whose only win this season came at home, have yet to win away.
Final score: 0-3 - we missed it.
Sunderland are bottom with four points, have lost four of their last five and failed to score in their last two home games, both 2-0 defeats. Leeds have drawn four of their seven games.
Leeds have drawn too often to call this a banker, but Sunderland have scored in only one of their last four games.
Final score: 0-0 - we missed it.