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The Premier League is back for another exciting weekend of action, with the standout fixture of the weekend set to happen at Old Trafford when Manchester United take on arch-rivals Manchester City.
The Red Devils are coming on the back of a hard-fought win in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, but will they have enough to get one over their local rivals at the Theatre of Dreams?
On that note, here are my predictions for game week ten of the 2023-24 Premier League season.
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur
We keep waiting for Tottenham to pull a Spursey, but if they win this one, they have the chance to go five points clear at the top of the table. They are doing so well in attack and have managed to keep it tight at the back so far, so I expect them to get another win to continue their momentum.
It'll be a difficult game under the lights at Selhurst Park, but Palace didn't show anything against Newcastle and were blown away. Without Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze, I don't think they can hurt Tottenham, so I'm going for a 2-1 away win.
Destiny Udogie was brilliant against Arsenal despite receiving an early yellow card. He was outstanding against a player of Bukayo Saka's quality and has gone from strength to strength since the season began. Pedro Porro was someone I thought would struggle in the Premier League, but he's been outstanding too!
There's a long way to go to talk about a potential title race, but Tottenham have been A+ so far. They still have Rodrigo Bentancur to come into the team, so if they manage to keep their players fit for the entire season, it'll be interesting to see what lies ahead for them.
Ange Postecoglou doesn't have the biggest squad in the world, but I don't think that'll be a big problem as Spurs only play once a week.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Chelsea vs Brentford
Chelsea were rolling the other day - they were comfortably the better team than Arsenal for 75 minutes of that contest. Robert Sanchez has a rush of blood which led to Declan Rice's goal and suddenly, Arsenal restored parity and looked like they'd get a late winner.
That said, if you takeaway the last 15 minutes, Chelsea dominated that game and looked like they'd keep their winning run goal with a statement result. I fancy them to beat Brentford comfortably , so I'm going for a 2-0 win.
I said it when they signed him that Cole Palmer was a good player and he has shown in recent weeks that he's very much a player for the present and the future. He can unlock defences as he's used to training like that at Manchester City and has done really well in recent weeks.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Brentford
Arsenal vs Sheffield United
If Arsenal turn up with the right attitude, they'll win this one easily. If they come into the game and expect a foregone conclusion, they'll struggle, but I doubt that'll be the case as Mikel Arteta always make sure his players are switched on regardless of who they face.
Sheffield have stayed in games and made it tight, but I don't think they'll be able to live with Arsenal's movement. Gabriel Jesus was one player who stood out for me against Sevilla in the UEFA Champions League - he was outstanding and got a well-deserved goal. We're talking about a potential injury again, but I'm not sure how severe that is.
As for Bukayo Saka, he's earned his reputation as one of the biggest matchwinners in the Premier League, so teams will start to highlight him. He's got to come up with solutions, as Marc Cucurella marked him out of the game the other day. Saka will be singled out by opposition managers when it comes to their team talks and they might even double up on him, it's up to him to find solutions to make things happen for his team.
Prediction: Arsenal 4-0 Sheffield United
Bournemouth vs Burnley
This is a huge game for Bournemouth, they simply have to win. Andoni Iraola keeps getting away with it despite not winning a game of football, I just don't get it! They made a mistake in the first place getting rid of Gary O'Neil - who has since then done really well at Wolverhampton Wanderers - and have lost some extremely winnable games at homes to teams they are expected to compete with.
They also got well beaten by an Everton side that hadn't won a home league at the time, so it's not looking good for them. Burnley, on the other hand, were atrocious against a Brentford side without Ivan Toney, they got well beat and simply have to do better to stand a chance of staying up.
Something tells me this game will be an even contest, so I'm going for a 1-1 draw.
Prediction: Bournemouth 1-1 Burnley
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Newcastle United
Wolves are a decent team and have had some good results this season, but I'm just going to pick Newcastle to win this one despite their result in midweek. I was actually shocked by their defeat to Borussia Dortmund, I thought they'd blow the Bundesliga side out of the water.
If Newcastle progress to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League and manage to sneak into the Premier League top four, I think that'll count as a good season for them.
Prediction: Wolves 1-2 Newcastle
West Ham United vs Everton
Everton were on the ropes after Ashley Young's red card against Liverpool and eventually lost 2-0. You never quite know what you're going to get with the Toffees - they are like a bag of revels. One day, they'll lose at home to a team they're expected to beat but weeks later, they'll show up away from home against a side gunning for a place in the top four, making their games incredibly difficult to predict.
West Ham are a decent team and have shown their class this season, so I think they'll win this one at home.
Prediction: West Ham 2-1 Everton
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Fulham
Brighton did alright against Manchester City - Kaoru Mitoma missed a couple of good chances. He does everything right but loses composure in front of goal, which is an aspect of his game that can still improve. I don't think he's going to be a natural goalscorer, but his record will get better and I'd be shocked if teams don't queue up for him at the end of the season.
Fulham played nice football last weekend, but Spurs won the game 2-0. I expect something similar this time around, so I'm going for a 2-0 Brighton win. Fulham miss Aleksandar Mitrovic up front - he was their X-factor when they needed a goal. Carlos Vinicius is a good player, but he's not of the same class and that's where I think they've struggled this season.
Prediction: Brighton 2-0 Fulham
Aston Villa vs Luton Town
I can't see anything but an Aston Villa win here, I'm dead certain. They've been too good at home under Unai Emery but need to find a bit of consistency on their travels to secure a place in Europe next season.
Douglas Luiz will have some takers as early as January, the pressure will be on Villa to reject advances for the midfielder. He's one of the most underrated players in the Premier League - there's not much he doesn't do. I'm a big fan of him and he has shown up week in and week out this season so far.
Prediction: Aston Villa 4-0 Luton Town
Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest
Liverpool should win this one quite comfortably, I think they'll score a few goals at home to build on their 2-0 win against arch-rivals Everton. Jurgen Klopp has an embarrassment of riches up front with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo. Between the five of them, they'll rack up 50 Premier League goals a season even if each of them scores ten over the course of 38 games, which is a very realistic tally considering their start to the season.
Dominik Szoboszlai has come in and blown people away with his performances, but Alexis Mac Allister is a top player too. He's playing as a No. 6 which isn't really his usual position, but Liverpool are winning games right now, so it shouldn't matter, at least until they sign a specialist defensive midfielder.
Thiago Alcantara has been incredibly unlucky with injuries, but I'd be shocked if he stayed at Liverpool beyond this season. The Reds are unlikely to offload him in January because he's still a top player when he's fit, but at the end of the season, I can see him moving on as a free agent.
Prediction: Liverpool 3-0 Nottingham Forest
Manchester United vs Manchester City
Manchester United's results have papered over their cracks in recent weeks, I give them absolutely no chance against Manchester City. The Cityzens will have the lion's share of possession and United will look to hit on the break, which is how I see the game being played out.
You only have to look at Manchester United's UEFA Champions League clash against Copenhagen to see what I mean when I say Manchester United aren't good enough - they need a 95th-minute penalty save from Andre Onana to fall over the line against the Danish side at home. Similarly, against Brentford, Scott McTominay rescued them in injury time after they were thoroughly dominated for 85 minutes of the game.
The Red Devils are going to get well-beaten soon, so they need to be careful against City to avoid a messy scoreline.
Prediction: Manchester United 1-3 Manchester City
