Premier League 2008/9 Predictions - Week 3

By: Daryl | August 29th, 2008

Well, I did get a couple of things right last week, like Daniel Sturridge scoring for Man City. But overall, not so good. Arsenal to beat Fulham? You’d think so, but no.

But maybe third time’s the charm. Here are my predictions for week three in the Premier League.

Saturday
Bolton 1-1 West Bromwich Albion
A win over Stoke and an unlucky defeat to Newcastle suggests an up and down season for Bolton. But West Brom are still without a point this season and are going to need one soon before panic sets in. I see them getting that point with a late equalizer from captain Jonathan Greening.

Everton 2-1 Portsmouth
So far so bad for Portsmouth, with two defeats from two games. And with Nicko Kranjcar missing, that’s going to continue at Goodison Park. If you’re feeling bold, put some money on Mikel Arteta to score, he’s currently 12-1. If you’re feeling timid then back Yakubu at 5-1.

Hull City 1-1 Wigan
Hull are unbeaten, Wigan are winless. But there’s really not much between these two, so we’re looking at a draw I think. Let’s hope it’s entertaining though: 1-1 with a mistake from Mr. Bramble.

Middlesbrough 3-1 Stoke
Great win for Stoke last week, and don’t be surprised if Ricardo Fuller scores again. But Middlesbrough look pretty solid so far and should have enough to push over the Potters. Mido scored in Boro’s first two games, and he’ll likely do so again. About time Afonso Alves opened his account too.

West Ham 0-1 Blackburn
West Ham are going to feel the loss of Anton Ferdinand, and I see Roque Santa Cruz celebrating with the winning goal. This game is one of Offshore Oscar’s picks for the weekend, though he disagrees with me on the result.

Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle
I had Arsenal beating Fulham 3-0 last week. I was wrong. Very very wrong. Arsenal not only lost last week, they were so bad that Lee Dixon nearly burst a vein in his neck on Match of the Day. But the return of Cesc Fabregas in a midweek win over FC Twente, plus the addition of Mikael Silvestre should see Arsenal more like their old (young?) selves tomorrow. As for Newcastle, who knows? England fans will just hope Michael Owen can get through 90 minutes.

Sunday

Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham
Oh dear, things just get worse and worse for Spurs. If there’s one place they won’t want to go right now it’s away to Chelsea. But wait… There are rumours that Dimitar Berbatov could be back in the squad for this game, though the 9-1 odds on him scoring the first goal still seem a little short given how uncertain that is. Either way, this might be the week that Spurs wake up and start playing.

Sunderland 2-2 Manchester City
All hail the return of the prodigal son! Assuming his move went through in time, Shaun Wright-Phillips will re-debut for Man City this weekend in what should be a pretty good game. I’m looking forward to seeing Daniel Sturridge further his rep, to seeing Brazilian Jo make his City debut and to seeing the combined crazy hairstylings of Djibril Cisse and El-Hadji Diouf in the Mackems attack. The result? An entertaining draw.

Aston Villa 1-0 Liverpool
Liverpool have got all the results they needed so far, but haven’t really impressed anyone. And now they have to do it sans Stevie Gerrard, who’s off having minor surgery somewhere. This could mean Liverpool target Gareth Barry running the midfield for Villa. I’m going to be bold here and predict plenty of drama with Gareth Barry scoring the winner.

Got your own predictions? Back ‘em up with some cash at Bet Offside.

Check out Offshore Oscar’s Picks here.