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The Carabao Cup produced a string of surprise results in midweek and Arsenal and Manchester United were knocked out of the competition. The Gunners got what they deserved after a subpar showing against West Ham, but you could look at it as a minor blip as they've been good in other competitions so far.
As for Manchester United, they were shocking once again and Newcastle notched up a statement victory at Old Trafford despite not starting some of their best players. The ones who usually don't get a game for the Magpies came into the game and ran riot, which is not a good look for the Red Devils.
What does the Premier League have in store for us this weekend? The standout fixture is on Sunday, as Tottenham Hotspur prepare to host Chelsea in what could be an intriguing contest. Arsenal's trip to St. James' Park to take on Newcastle is another on worth keeping an eye on, with the Gunners looking to record a statement victory to lay down the marker in the Premier League title race.
On that note, here are my predictions for gameweek 11 of the 2023-24 Premier League season.
Fulham vs Manchester United
This is a huge game and Manchester United don't generally do well at the capital. It might be a relief to them that five of their next six games are away from home - that will take the pressure off them a little bit. That said, I really worry for Manchester United - I simply can't see what their plan is or where they are going at the moment under Erik ten Hag.
They aren't playing well enough and when you lose a bunch of games, one thing that goes away is confidence. I said it yesterday and I think the manager has lost the dressing room - the way they lost their last two games was really poor. They were desperately devoid of energy and I couldn't spot any leaders on the pitch, which is something I haven't seen at Manchester United for a long, long time.
Even when Manchester United won games this season, they were never great and their results simply papered over their cracks. They are seven points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa at this stage of the season, which is shocking no matter how you look at it.
As for Erik ten Hag, I'm not in agreement with the way he treats his players. Man management is just as important as coaching and he comes off as someone who doesn't want to be questioned regardless of the situation. There's a lot of pressure on him and I think it's going to get a lot worse, so I'm going for a Fulham win.
Prediction: Fulham 1-0 Manchester United
Brentford vs West Ham United
This is a strange one to call as there's not much between the two sides in terms of points, but I think it'll be a decent game with a few goals in it. Both teams will have a goal and look at this one as a winnable game of football, so I'm going for a 2-2 draw.
West Ham got an important win against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup and will look to stay in all the domestic cups as long as possible, as they are pretty much destined to finish midtable in the Premier League.
Prediction: Brentford 2-2 West Ham
Manchester City vs Bournemouth
Rodri returned against Manchester United after serving his suspension and Manchester City looked like a completely different team. Suddenly, Bernardo Silva was absolutely magnificent as he had an insurance policy behind him to allow him to do whatever he wanted on the ball.
Pep Guardiola's side lost to Arsenal but have bounced back with impressive wins against Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United. All of a sudden, they could be top of the game once again and I expect that to be the case after they brush aside Bournemouth.
The Cherries are coming on the back of their first win of the season against Burnley in a game which was pretty much a cup final for them, but I doubt they'll cause City too many problems.
Prediction: Manchester City 3-0 Bournemouth
Sheffield United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Sheffield United would have looked at this game three our four weeks ago and earmarked it as a winnable game, but Wolves are flying at the moment, making this one a bit of a nightmare for the Bees.
Gary O'Neil has done a fantastic job since taking over the reigns at Molineux. He's got them playing a decent brand of football and they look alright on both ends of the pitch, making them one of the most underrated teams in the Premier League at the moment.
Prediction: Sheffield United 1-3 Wolves
Burnley vs Crystal Palace
With all due respect, Burnley are playing a brand of football they aren't good enough to pull off in the Premier League. They got well beaten by Everton in the cup and by Brentford in the league prior to that, so it doesn't look good for them.
That said, Palace haven't really set the world alight and could be on the backfoot of Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze are missing. If the duo fail to feature, I fancy Burnley to secure an unlikely win. One thing is for sure - this game isn't going to be a goal-fest as the two sides have scored a meagre eight league goals each so far this season.
Prediction: Burnley 1-0 Crystal Palace
Everton vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton have won just one of their last seven games and not a word has been said about it, which shows that there's absolutely no pressure on them to get results in the Premier League despite what they have built in recent years.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is back and amongst the goals and Sean Dyche has got his side playing the way he wants, so I'm going for a 1-0 Everton win.
Prediction: Everton 1-0 Brighton
Newcastle United vs Arsenal
It could turn out to be a blessing for Arsenal that they were eliminated from the Carabao Cup as it allows them to put more focus on their Premier League title challenge. I look at this game and think if Arsenal win, the race for the league title becomes a heads or tails clash between the Gunners and Manchester City, as an away victory at St. James' Park would be a huge statement.
Newcastle have injuries but they are a good team at home and rarely lose games in front of their own fans. The West Ham result won't hurt Arsenal in the long-term but could prove to be a bit of a knockout punch, so I'm going for a 1-1 draw here.
Kai Havertz started in midfield alongside Jorginho and Fabio Vieira against West Ham and I felt a bit sorry for him, as that's not his position and he doesn't really have a fixed role in the team.
Prediction: Newcastle United 1-1 Arsenal
Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa
Aston Villa have been absolutely outstanding this season, no two ways about it. They are playing free-flowing football and all their players are prepared to run without the ball, which is a clear sign they have bought into Unai Emery's philosophy.
As I said last week, Douglas Luiz is the most underrated midfielder in the Premier League currently. The lad can do it all and shows up every week; it's not hard to see why Arsenal wanted him earlier this year.
Emery was bang unlucky at Arsenal and fell behind the eight ball quickly, but he's come into this Villa side and transformed them in a year. Villa have a good run of games coming up, so I expect them to be close to the top four for a while.
Prediction: Nottingham Forest 1-3 Aston Villa
Luton Town vs Liverpool
Liverpool are on an incredible run and the only game they've lost so far in all competitions this season is the Premier League encounter against Tottenham, which was largely down to VAR. They are flying along and should win this one comfortably in front of their home fans.
Luton Town got to the Premier League to witness games like this where top-class players like Mohamed Salah come to Kenilworth Road. Their fans have been outstanding so far this season, fair play to them.
Darwin Nunez scored a great goal against Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup and is showing his class this season. Last year, his decision making wasn't the greatest and he wasn't getting his head up enough to look for his teammates, but he looks a lot more confident now.
Dominik Szoboszlai, on the other hand, has been my favorite player in the Premier League this season - he's been absolutely outstanding! He's come into a brand new league for a huge fee and settled in quicker than snow, that is some achievement.
Prediction: Luton Town 0-3 Liverpool
Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea
I'll be there in North London for this one and I don't see Chelsea getting beat. Teams that have had a go at the Blues this season haven't had it easy, as was the case for Arsenal and Liverpool. Spurs will come out all guns blazing and start on the front foot and I think that will play to Chelsea's strengths.
Ange Postecoglou's side come into the game on a high and this is the first time in years Spurs fans will be expecting to beat Chelsea, which shows how far they've come under their new manager. Mauricio Pochettino, on the other hand, returns to a place he once called home and I think he'll get a good reception, at least until the game starts. He's done a lot for the club and should be remembered despite the fact that he's managing one of their arch-rivals.
It's important to remember that he was sacked; he didn't ask to leave the club in 2019. I'll be really disappointed if he doesn't get a good reception, let me put it this way.
I'm not underestimating Tottenham, but I fancy Chelsea to win this one.
Prediction: Tottenham 1-2 Chelsea
