Premier League Predictions: Gameweek 25

Gameweek 25 marks the beginning of a jam-packed few days of Premier League action.

Two headline fixtures between members of the ‘Big Six’ promise to steal attention, with everything kicking off earlier than usual courtesy of a rare helping of Friday night football.

However, there is little rest for Premier League participants, who will return to the field for another full round of fixtures midweek, before FA Cup duty takes priority the following weekend.

At the start of a hectic period, here’s how Sports Illustrated feels GW25 will pan out.

Leeds United vs. Nottingham Forest
Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Arsenal vs. Sunderland
Bournemouth vs. Aston Villa
Burnley vs. West Ham United
Fulham vs. Everton
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Chelsea
Newcastle United vs. Brentford
Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Crystal Palace
Liverpool vs. Manchester City
Premier League Gameweek 25 Predictions

Leeds United vs. Nottingham Forest

Elliot Anderson — Forest beat Leeds back in November. | Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Date: Friday, Feb. 6
Time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT

Friday night’s sole encounter could prove crucial in the battle to beat the drop.

Leeds and Nottingham Forest enter the fixture level on points in the standings but the gap between themselves and the resurgent West Ham United, who are slumped in 18th, has shortened in recent weeks.

A statement victory at Elland Road could be decisive and would move the winner nine points clear of the Hammers. Given Leeds’ generally impressive home record—three wins and two draws from their last six on home turf—the Yorkshire outfit could sneak a critical triumph against an inconsistent Forest team.

Prediction: Leeds 1–0 Nott’m Forest

Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Date: Saturday, Feb. 7
Time: 12:30 p.m. GMT / 7:30 a.m. ET / 4:30 a.m. PT

Manchester United did it the hard way but still managed to snatch a third straight victory under Michael Carrick. After terrific triumphs over Manchester City and Arsenal, the Red Devils surrendered a two-goal lead against Fulham last time out, with victory salvaged by a last-gasp winner from Benjamin Šeško.

United will be seeking a less frantic finish at Old Trafford this weekend in their pursuit of a fourth successive win and the home faithful will be brimming with confidence ahead of the visit of out-of-form Spurs.

An utterly woeful first-half performance against Man City last time out was saved by an improved second-half showing in the 2–2 draw, but pressure continues to rise on Thomas Frank following continually dire displays.

Prediction: Man Utd 3–1 Tottenham

Arsenal vs. Sunderland

Noni Madueke, Martín Zubimendi, Gabriel — Arsenal are still flying high at the summit. | David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Date: Saturday, Feb. 7
Time: 3 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT

Arsenal ended their three-match winless Premier League run with an emphatic demolition of Leeds and the good times continued midweek as they punched their ticket to the Carabao Cup final with victory over Chelsea.

Only Man Utd have tasted victory at the Emirates Stadium this season as Arsenal return to their fortress on Saturday afternoon, with another win to further extend their lead at the Premier League’s summit expected.

Sunderland have beaten Chelsea and drawn with Liverpool on their travels this season, but securing a similar result in north London appears a challenge too great for the Black Cats.

Prediction: Arsenal 2–0 Sunderland

Bournemouth vs. Aston Villa

Date: Saturday, Feb. 7
Time: 3 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT

Aston Villa dropped seven points behind Arsenal after their frustrating 1–0 home defeat to 10-man Brentford and while Unai Emery’s side will be eager to recover away at Bournemouth, key injuries in midfield mean a depleted squad will be hard-pushed to beat the in-form Cherries.

Following a dismal run, Bournemouth have won three and drawn one of their last four Premier League games and have equipped themselves well against the division’s high-flyers this term. Andoni Iraola’s high-octane system could force Villa into more dropped points.

Prediction: Bournemouth 2–2 Aston Villa

Burnley vs. West Ham United

West Ham players celebrating. — West Ham have been improved in recent weeks. | West Ham United FC/Getty Images

Date: Saturday, Feb. 7
Time: 3 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT

West Ham have made significant improvements in recent weeks and two victories from their last three suggests they’re not waving the white flag in the relegation battle. The odds remain stacked against them but a pivotal battle on Saturday could propel them towards safety.

Visiting strugglers Burnley, who appear destined to return to the Championship, the Hammers desperately need to clinch all three points, with their hopes carried by a reinvigorated forward line. The likes of Crysencio Summerville, Jarrod Bowen and Mateus Fernandes have come to the fore at just the right time.

Prediction: Burnley 1–2 West Ham

Fulham vs. Everton

Fulham, Marco Silva — Marco Silva faces his former employers. | Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

Date: Saturday, Feb. 7
Time: 3 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT

The stakes are not quite as high in Fulham’s weekend battle with Everton but both sides still retain outside hopes of securing European football this campaign. Level on 34 points, consistency down the stretch is crucial to surprise continental qualification.

Victory on Saturday at Craven Cottage would be a grand start but this has stalemate written all over it. Fulham appear more likely victors due to their attacking potential but Everton often find a way to sneak something on their travels—as evidenced by last weekend’s 97th-minute equaliser at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Prediction: Fulham 1–1 Everton

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Chelsea

Wesley Fofana — Chelsea suffered midweek disappointment in the cup. | James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images.

Date: Saturday, Feb. 7
Time: 3 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT

Liam Rosenior came under fire for the first time as Chelsea manager for his overly cautious approach during the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg defeat to Arsenal, but the 41-year-old will set his side up to attack from the first whistle at Molineux this Saturday.

Facing one of the division’s leakiest defences and its most blunt forward line, Chelsea will be demanding three points and a handsome boost to their goal difference as they continue their push for Champions League qualification.

Rosenior has won all of his Premier League outings to date and Wolves appear unlikely to end his victorious streak.

Prediction: Wolves 1–3 Chelsea

Newcastle United vs. Brentford

Newcastle United defender Malick Thiaw — Newcastle will aim for a return to winning ways. | Michelle Mercer/Newcastle United via Getty Images

Date: Saturday, Feb. 7
Time: 5:30 p.m. GMT / 12:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. PT

Wednesday’s Carabao Cup defeat against Man City marked a fourth straight match without victory for Newcastle amid a difficult spell of fixtures. A respectable draw with Paris Saint-Germain has come amid defeats to Villa, Liverpool and the Cityzens.

However, a much more winnable fixture appears on the schedule this Saturday when Brentford make the long journey to St James’ Park. The Bees are tricky customers at the best of times but eight defeats from their 12 away games suggests Newcastle are favourites for this duel.

Prediction: Newcastle 2–1 Brentford

Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Crystal Palace

Oliver Glasner’s men are in freefall. | Sebastian Frej/Getty Images

Date: Sunday, Feb. 8
Time: 2 p.m. GMT / 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT

The A23 derby is hardly the fiercest in English football but there will be some bite in the battle between Brighton and Crystal Palace on Sunday. This fixture has proved pretty unpredictable over recent years but their could be a second successive stalemate.

A goalless draw underwhelmed back in November but Palace will be grateful for a point on the south coast this weekend following their disastrous January. They are 12 games without victory in all competitions and face the league’s draw specialists—no team can better Brighton’s 10.

Prediction: Brighton 1–1 Crystal Palace

Liverpool vs. Manchester City

Jérémy Doku (centre) celebrating against Liverpool. — Man City destroyed Liverpool in the reverse fixture. | Michael Regan/Getty Images

Date: Sunday, Feb. 8
Time: 4:30 p.m. GMT / 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT

Man City annihilated Liverpool in November’s reverse fixture as the 3–0 scoreline didn’t tell the full tale of their dominance. However, much has changed since then, with Liverpool showing signs of improvement and Pep Guardiola’s side having struggled for consistency.

Liverpool have scored 10 goals in recent victories over Qarabağ and Newcastle at Anfield and won’t be fearing City’s visit. Arne Slot’s men generally perform better against attack-minded sides and will fancy their chances of unlocking a brittle defence containing former transfer target Marc Guéhi. City will also be eyeing up an uncertain Liverpool backline and that should make for an end-to-end encounter.

Anfield has been an unhappy hunting ground for the Cityzens, who would typically embrace a draw at the venue but have little choice but to push for three points given they trail table-toppers Arsenal by six points.

Prediction: Liverpool 2–2 Man City

Premier League Gameweek 25 Predictions

Date	Kick-Off Time	Fixture	Result
Friday, Feb. 6	8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET	Leeds vs. Nott’m Forest	1–0
Saturday, Feb. 7	12:30 p.m. GMT / 7:30 a.m. ET	Man Utd vs. Tottenham	3–1
Saturday, Feb. 7	3 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m. ET	Arsenal vs. Sunderland	2–0
Saturday, Feb. 7	3 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m. ET	Bournemouth vs. Aston Villa	2–2
Saturday, Feb. 7	3 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m. ET	Burnley vs. West Ham	1–2
Saturday, Feb. 7	3 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m. ET	Fulham vs. Everton	1–1
Saturday, Feb. 7	3 p.m. GMT / 10 a.m. ET	Wolves vs. Chelsea	1–3
Saturday, Feb. 7	5:30 p.m. GMT / 12:30 p.m. ET	Newcastle vs. Brentford	2–1
Sunday, Feb. 8	2 p.m. GMT / 9 a.m. ET	Brighton vs. Crystal Palace	1–1
Sunday, Feb. 8	4:30 p.m. GMT / 11:30 a.m. ET	Liverpool vs. Man City	2–2