Football Expert Sutton Faces Off Against Artist Olly Murs in Premier League Predictions

Arsenal's ten-match victorious run came to an end by the Black Cats prior to the global break, however will the English top division leaders bounce back against local foes Tottenham this weekend?

"{I feel like Arsenal are miles ahead of Tottenham currently but Spurs manager Thomas Frank will have a strategy for this game," remarked soccer specialist Chris Sutton.

"The Spurs manager will try to nullify Arsenal, who have not always been at their sparkling finest this campaign - but Mikel Arteta's team typically still manage to win."

Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, versus AI, readers and a range of guests.

In week 12, he takes on singer Olly Murs, who is a United supporter.

Murs' latest album, Knees Up, is out on Friday.

Football and Parenting Experiences

Murs is a talented footballer as well as a successful artist and has been a star of multiple charity football matches down the years - but he is not planning a professional return as a player.

"{I actually played in a charity game the other night for a friend of mine," he explained. "My side was trailing 3-1 when I came off in the second half, and they went on to win 4-3, so you can read into that what you want!

"I still love football, but I injured my joint a few years ago and it even now hasn't fully recovered. I wish I could play more but the uncertainty of the sport means it's too dangerous for me in my career to do it properly again.

"Plus I am forty-one now, and we are not all Cristiano Ronaldo, are we!? No, I am very content not playing football and I am gearing up for the time that my child or son chooses to play instead."

The singer and his wife Amelia Tank have two children, their daughter and their son, and he is prepared to emulate his dad by taking on the role of their manager.

"I won't push football on our children but I've previously told Amelia that if they happen to get the bug for it then I will have to go and get my coaching badges - and I will likely be coaching their Saturday football side," he said.

"I observed my nephews play a lot, and I truly got into it, and I obviously owned a football club for a while too.

"My father did it with us when I was a child, which is probably where I get it from. He managed our side for two or three years and had a wonderful time with it. That might be the future for me as well, and I am excited to it!"

Top Division Predictions

Weekend, 22 November

  • Turf Moor, 12:30 GMT

Chelsea may have to wait a bit longer for Cole Palmer's comeback from injury but their attack is already more potent with Joao Pedro and Delap both back fit.

In my opinion this game will be quite close, though. Burnley are disciplined and their sole at Turf Moor defeats so far have been against Liverpool and Arsenal.

This suggests a one-all tie to me, but I am actually going to go with the London side to edge it for what would be their third league win in a row.

The expert's forecast: 1-2

Olly's pick: The Blues will be superior. 1-3

Artificial intelligence's prediction: 0-2

  • Vitality Stadium, 15:00 GMT

The Cherries have been defeated in their past two matches - albeit both of them were away - but they got absolutely spanked by Aston Villa last time out which shocked me.

In contrast, West Ham secured back-to-back victories before the international break and, although both of those games were at their stadium, they appear competitive again.

West Ham's only on the road win this campaign came at Nottingham Forest in the summer, when their manager Nuno was still that team's coach.

Therefore, what exactly do I predict here - can West Ham extending their run under Nuno, or Bournemouth bouncing back?

I am going to go with the Cherries, because I believe what occurred against Aston Villa was a anomaly.

The pundit's forecast: 2-0

Olly's outlook: Bournemouth are performing strongly but West Ham have improved under their boss. 2-2

The algorithm's pick: 1-1

  • Amex Stadium, 15:00 GMT

The Bees were considered one of the frontrunners for relegation before the campaign started, but they have impressed a few observers under Keith Andrews and are in good form with three in their last four games.

A family member advised me to get Brentford forward Igor Thiago in my Fantasy Football squad a few weeks back and, guess what, I ignored the advice.

Thiago will probably find the net again on the weekend but I am nonetheless not going to select him or back the away side at Brighton's ground.

The Bees have not had much success on the road this season, and Brighton are always decent at their stadium. Brentford will attempt to hit them on the counter-attack but I feel the home manager's side carry much more of a threat.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Olly's view: This could be a match where you think there is going to be a many goals but it in reality proves to be quite close. 1-1

AI's outcome: 2-1

  • Craven Cottage, 15:00 GMT

It is a huge game for the Cottagers, who have suffered defeat in five of their last six games.

Fulham have got plenty of quality in their squad but it nonetheless seems like they could be sucked into a relegation fight.

As for Sunderland, indeed they are the surprise package of the Premier League campaign so far.

Their display in the 2-2 tie with Arsenal last time out was superb. We have not seen any other team rough up the Gunners like that this term, and Sunderland were fully competitive for them.

The sensible thing would be to support the visitors here, because they are clearly capable of roughing Fulham up too and, the previous occasion they were in west London, they beat Chelsea at the close of last month.

However I am not going to choose that. Rather, I really need to carry on going against Sunderland with my forecasts. I am claiming a lot of credit for their positive outcomes because they evidently enjoy to defy my predictions.

Considering Fulham's at Craven Cottage form, the only side they have lost to is the league leaders. Marco Silva's side will be absolutely desperate for a positive result, so I am going to predict they will secure three points.

The expert's forecast: 1-0

The guest's choice: I know Sunderland are doing well and also that the hosts are on a bad streak... but Fulham have nonetheless been respectable at home this season. 2-0

The algorithm's prediction: 2-0

  • Anfield, 15:00 GMT

This is a tough one to predict. The Reds have lost seven of their last ten games in every tournament, but might they be one of the teams who benefit from the {international break|

Johnny Hawkins
Johnny Hawkins

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in the online casino industry, specializing in slot machine mechanics and player psychology.