This article tries to answer the question ‘What the fans are saying’ for the Gameweek ahead by delving into their forums and unearthing their predictions, hopes and fears.
Fans Predictions
West Ham fans believe the referees and officials are against them. The men in black won’t allow a team like West Ham to do well, they believe, and so they are expecting some dubious decisions that will help Arsenal turn them over. A lot are pessimistic, but some point out that West Ham play well against top teams – they defend like lions and run their hearts off. The optimistic think West Ham can win 3-1 with Dmitri Payet and Michail Antonio being on the scoresheet. One thing they all agree on is that there will be goals and West Ham won’t stop Arsenal from scoring.
Arsenal fans have been dreading this game. A lot have been predicting this to be a loss for a while now. They don’t sound as pessimistic as before though, so Arsenal have a decent chance. Again, they talk about the refereeing and could imagine a decision could impact the game. So it’s a game that could go either way according to the fans, but again there will be goals.
Aston Villa fans are protesting again. They don’t see their match against Bournemouth as enticing so most of the excitement will come from the stands. They expect Villa to play normally, with an immobile loan striker backed by a midfield that treats the opposition’s penalty box as if its guarded by barbed wire. They expect to lose about 0-2, and don’t think they’ll score again this season. These are dark days for Villa fans.
Bournemouth fans aren’t talking tactics in this game. They know they are safe. They want revenge for losing to Villa on the first day of the season and expect to win. They’ll go the rest of the season winning a few, losing a few and drawing a few not in any particular order as their players cast one eye over the holiday brochures.
Crystal Palace fans are focusing on the Norwich game out of their two fixtures this week. There is an array of scores predicted against Norwich, and it mainly involves Palace winning. This is a complete difference from games before where they didn’t expect to win another game this season. Some think Palace will score a lot of goals with Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon named considerably as scorers. A few fans are still down because of their form but things seemed to have changed for Palace.
Norwich fans expect a game with goals in; both teams should score and a draw is the popular prediction. Canaries fans are hoping their team has been practising defending set pieces, which is their Achilles heel.
Southampton fans are looking forward to playing a Newcastle team that has to win. It means they can play a bit more attacking. Newcastle have a shaky defence and a rookie keeper so they expect to score around three. It should be a good game for them but they do fear that their own players are winding down for the summer.
Newcastle fans think they’ll lose on average about 3-1 to Southampton. They are very down about their chances and struggles in front of goal. They have so many injuries it is difficult to fight relegation with the team they have. The fans are suffering from football fatigue they say. It’s been a long season and they can’t wait for the summer to come whatever happens.
Swansea fans think they are a worse side and Chelsea are a better side from their encounter earlier this season. That game ended in a draw and was particularly notable for Swans winger Jefferson Montero’s humiliation of Chelsea man Branislav Ivanovic. A narrow Chelsea win looks on the cards for this rematch, say the fans, who are concerned about their defence. Another ruthless display in attack will be needed if they are to get anything out of this encounter.
Chelsea fans again want youth players to play and they’d like to see Pato up front. Chelsea fans are on the whole very indifferent; there isn’t much to play for and the same can be said for Swansea. They call this a tricky game but are confident of a win.
Watford fans see themselves and Everton as two teams who both think they’ll lose. These are two out of form teams and some Watford fans believe it may even end up 0-0. Most think they’ll lose though. They hope to get a get a good performance and to play with some proper wingers for a change. Understandably Romelu Lukaku is seen as the key threat and most Watford fans are pessimistic about their chances of halting him.
Everton fans are focusing on the Watford game and are confident they’ll win the possession stats but are unsure about the outcome. Some are predicting a bore draw but the bulk of Toffees’ fans believe they are capable of beating Watford heavily. Ross Barkley is still not in some of their good books but if he is selected he could also be on the scoresheet, particularly with the chance of a more advanced role now Gareth Barry is back from suspension.
Man City fans are more interested in their Champions League second leg quarter final with Paris Saint Germain next week than their game this weekend with West Brom. They want Sergio Aguero to come off after 65 minutes and a rest for Kevin De Bruyne. In fact some want Aguero safely wrapped in cotton wool and benched. PSG will be resting players because they’ve won their title and so the fans think Man City should do as well. They expect Man City to win but they’ll need a decent team to make it a comfortable one.
West Brom fans think a spanking is due whilst others think they could hold out and get a point. If they lose they could concede three.
Sunderland fans think Big Sam will set up to not lose against a Leicester side that is set up to win 1-0. Only a few optimistic Black Cats fans think they can beat the Premier League leaders. Leicester’s counter attacking threat fills most fans with fear and a 0-0 draw looks the most optimistic result.
Leicester fans are jubilant and believe Sunderland’s need to avoid relegation will play into their hands. They can see gaps at the back for Sunderland that look ripe for Riyad Mahrez, who has a great away record, to exploit through the Foxes’ counter attacking play.
Liverpool have a good home record against Stoke and haven’t conceded against them at Anfield for five matches. They hope to get a positive result even though their attention is focused on their second leg Europa League clash with Borussia Dortmund. They even want Christian Benteke to play up front to rest the other strikers. Liverpool have their best defensive midfielders out but they believe Joe Allen is a good substitute.
Stoke fans fancy their chances, they are happy that Liverpool have a lot left to play for in Europe. However, this match could go either way so it’s impossible to predict.
Their home clash with Manchester United is another must win game for Spurs. It will be tough but most think they can prevail. Many fans are confident of a resounding win of about 3-0, some are more cautious but they do expect a win.
Man Utd fans realise what a tough game Spurs away will be. They think they have a slight chance and look to their recent victory over Manchester City for inspiration. The Red Devils have a good record against the top six sides, with an ability to curtail their opponents attacking talent. However, most do expect to lose this game but only narrowly.
Score Predictions
*Games where fan’s predictions could be key
West Ham 1-2 Arsenal
Aston Villa 0-2 Bournemouth
Crystal Palace 3-2 Norwich
Southampton 3-1 Newcastle*
Swansea 1-1 Chelsea
Watford 0-2 Everton
Man City 3-0 West Brom
Sunderland 0-2 Leicester
Liverpool 1-1 Stoke
Tottenham 2-0 Man Utd
Crystal Palace 2-1 Everton
Conclusion
A key lesson to learn is that Crystal Palace fans are showing more optimism and expect their team to start scoring.
Most games this week look unpredictable, with a Newcastle humiliation at Southampton the nearest to a sure bet.
Who to captain? Romelu Lukaku is the obvious selection with Watford and Crystal Palace very likely to concede.
Mikhail Antonio seems to score goals when West Ham need them the most, maybe he is being overlooked in our midfields. He could prove an interesting differential, especially for those looking ahead to the Hammers’ double Gameweek 34.
