Premier League preview & predictions: Gameweek 28

There’s no rest for the wicked in the Premier League, with gameweek 28 already upon us.

We’ve got derbies, we’ve got top-four battles and there’s even some fun going on at the other end of the table. More importantly, we’ll have a Super Sunday that might actually end up being super!

(Inevitably, that means it’ll be awful.)

To keep the excitement flowing, here’s a rundown of everything you need to know about this round of fixtures.

Newcastle vs Aston Villa

What time is kick off? 20:00 (GMT)
Where is it being played? St James’ Park
TV channel? BT Sport 1 (UK)

Can Newcastle finally reverse the rot? Will the tension surrounding Steve Bruce boil over?

The Magpies have completely fallen apart in recent weeks and are sleepwalking their way into a relegation battle, but they’ll have a good chance to offer up some positivity against an Aston Villa side who have looked a little limp without the injured Jack Grealish recently.

Grealish won’t be back for this game either, while Allan Saint-Maximin remains out for Newcastle, so we might have been robbed of the only two players who might have made this game interesting.

Prediction: Newcastle 0-1 Aston Villa

Leeds vs Chelsea

What time is kick off? 12:30 (GMT)
Where is it being played? Elland Road
TV channel? BT Sport 1 (UK), NBC (US)

A fierce rivalry that often gets forgotten about, it’s sad that we won’t get to see fans enjoy the first meeting between Leeds and Chelsea since December 2012 and their first league meeting since 2004.

Leeds’ do-or-die style of play has seen them rack up both wins and losses recently, and Marcelo Bielsa will be well aware of the challenges of coming up against a Chelsea side who are still in the Thomas Tuchel honeymoon phase.

Chelsea are still unbeaten under their new manager and are looking to stamp their authority on the top-four race, and a victory at Elland Road would do exactly that.

Prediction: Leeds 1-2 Chelsea

Crystal Palace vs West Brom

What time is kick off? 15:00 (GMT)
Where is it being played? Selhurst Park
TV channel? Sky Sports (UK), NBC (US)

A contender for the worst game of the week, you might want to take a break from football when Crystal Palace and West Brom butt heads.

Neither side is known for their goalscoring prowess, but Roy Hodgson may be able to add some excitement by restoring Wilfried Zaha to his lineup. The Ivorian missed five games with a muscle injury and was only fit enough to come on as a substitute last time out.

West Brom have scored six goals in their last ten games – a return which needs to increase if they are to get out of this mess they find themselves in. Will they find their shooting boots here? Probably not.

Prediction: Crystal Palace 0-0 West Brom

Everton vs Burnley

What time is kick off? 17:30 (GMT)
Where is it being played? Goodison Park
TV channel? Sky Sports (UK)

After a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Chelsea last time out, Everton will hope to get their top-four push back on track with a win over Burnley.

Carlo Ancelotti will be keen to see striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin rediscover his goalscoring form. He has failed to find the back of the net in his last four games, but he did score the winner when these two sides met earlier in the season.

As for Burnley, this is their fourth straight match against a top-ten side. They’ve struggled to pick up points against such good opposition, but they did also draw with both Fulham and West Brom before embarking on this run. Basically, they’re not very good.

Prediction: Everton 2-0 Burnley

Fulham vs Manchester City

What time is kick off? 20:00 (GMT)
Where is it being played? Craven Cottage
TV channel? BT Sport 1 (UK)

“He’s younger, he has hair, he’s better than me definitely,” said Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola in his pre-match press conference when asked whether he was about to lose the fashion war against style guru Scott Parker.

Parker might win that battle, but wow, he is going to get thumped when it comes to the actual football.

They might have snatched a win over Liverpool last time out, but Fulham’s chances of seeing lightning strike twice are almost non-existent.

Prediction: Fulham 0-4 Manchester City

Southampton vs Brighton

What time is kick off? 12:30 (GMT)
Where is it being played? St Mary’s Stadium
TV channel? BBC One (UK)

Brighton will hope to turn all those expected goals into actual goals when they come up against a Southampton side who are looking to put a stop to a run of eight defeats in their last 11 games.

A win for the Seagulls would do their survival hopes some good, and it would have the opposite effect on Southampton, who enter the weekend just seven points clear of the danger zone.

Graham Potter’s side were unlucky against Leicester last time out, but their wait for a victory might go on a little longer.

Prediction: Southampton 1-1 Brighton

Leicester vs Sheffield United

What time is kick off? 14:00 (GMT)
Where is it being played? King Power Stadium
TV channel? Sky Sports (UK)

Leicester are looking to rediscover their mojo after a few tricky weeks, and a meeting with bottom-side Sheffield United seems like a great chance to get things going again.

United are in turmoil after a string of poor results and behind-the-scenes tension has effectively forced Chris Wilder out of the club. The boss isn’t expected to make it to this game, and it’s not yet known who will stick around to take charge.

There might be a new-manager bounce, but there might also be a continuation of some miserable, miserable form. Let’s go with the latter.

Prediction: Leicester 2-0 Sheffield United

Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur

What time is kick off? 16:30 (GMT)
Where is it being played? Emirates Stadium
TV channel? Sky Sports (UK), Telemundo (US)

Here we go. If you only watch one match this weekend, you probably want to make sure it’s this one.

‘Eighth vs tenth’ doesn’t exactly sound too enticing, but when these two north London rivals come face to face, we’re rarely left wanting more. Arsenal and Spurs will both want to win this game more than any other this season, and with both struggling domestically, victory will mean even more.

Seven points separate the two sides ahead of kick off, but Spurs will hope to make it double-digits with a win.

Prediction: Arsenal 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Manchester United vs West Ham

What time is kick off? 19:15 (GMT)
Where is it being played? Old Trafford
TV channel? Sky Sports (UK), NBC (US)

The David Moyes/Jesse Lingard derby also has the potential to steal the show this weekend.

West Ham will be without Lingard, who is unable to face his parent side, but Moyes will expect his high-flying Hammers to find a way to cope. They’ve taken a few scalps this season and will want to add one more.

It’s got the potential to be a real problem for Manchester United, who will have to be at their very best to get a maximum three points here.

Prediction: Manchester United 1-1 West Ham

Wolves vs Liverpool

What time is kick off? 20:00 (GMT)
Where is it being played? Molineux
TV channel? Sky Sports (UK), NBC (US)

The Diogo Jota derby? Ki-Jana Hoever? It doesn’t really have the same ring to it.

Whatever it is, it might be good fun.

Liverpool are much happier away from home these days. Their last six victories have all come away from Anfield, and given Wednesday’s 2-0 win over RB Leipzig was one of their best performances of 2021, confidence might only be five feet under instead of six.

Speaking of low confidence, Wolves have been pretty rubbish of late. They’re without a win in their last three games and can see the relegation zone quietly creeping up on them. If results go against them, it might just be a little closer by the end of gameweek 28.

Prediction: Wolves 0-2 Liverpool

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