Soccer Expert Chris Sutton Battles Artist Olly Murs in Premier League Predictions

Arsenal's 10-game winning run was ended by the Black Cats before the global break, but will the English top division frontrunners 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 plan for this match," stated soccer specialist Chris Sutton.

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

The analyst is forecasting results for all 380 Premier League fixtures this term, against AI, fans and a range of special visitors.

For the twelfth round, he faces singer Olly Murs, who is a United supporter.

Murs' new album, Knees Up, is available on Friday.

Football and Parenting Experiences

Olly is a skilled footballer as well as a successful artist and has been a star of several charity football matches down the years - but he is not intending a professional comeback as a footballer.

"{I recently played in a charity match the other evening for a friend of mine," he explained. "The team was losing 3-1 when I was substituted 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 knee a few years ago and it even now hasn't fully recovered. I hope I could play more but the unpredictability of the game means it's too dangerous for me in my career to do it seriously again.

"Additionally I am 41 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 moment that my daughter or boy decides to play instead."

Murs and his spouse his partner have two children, their daughter and their son, and he is prepared to emulate his dad by becoming their coach.

"I will not force football on our kids but I've already told Amelia that if they do get the passion for it then I will have to go and get my manager qualifications - and I will probably be coaching their Saturday football side," he added.

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

"My father coached with us when I was a child, which is likely where I inherited it. He coached our side for several seasons and had great fun with it. That might be the future for me as well, and I am excited to it!"

Premier League Predictions

Saturday, 22 November

  • Turf Moor, 12:30 GMT

Chelsea might have to wait a bit longer for Cole Palmer's comeback from fitness issues but their offense is already stronger with Joao Pedro and Delap both returned to fitness.

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

It suggests a one-all draw to me, but I am in fact going to choose the London side to win narrowly for what would be their third league win in a row.

The expert's forecast: 1-2

Olly's prediction: The Blues will be too strong. 1-3

Artificial intelligence's prediction: 0-2

  • Vitality Stadium, 15:00 GMT

The Cherries have been defeated in their previous couple matches - although both of them were on the road - but they got thoroughly beaten by Villa last time out which surprised me.

In contrast, West Ham won back-to-back victories before the hiatus and, although both of those fixtures were at their stadium, they do look strong again.

West Ham's only away victory this season came at Nottingham Forest in August, when their boss Nuno Espirito Santo was previously Forest coach.

So, what on earth do I predict here - can West Ham continuing their run under Nuno, or the home side bouncing back?

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

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

The guest's outlook: Bournemouth are doing well but the visitors have improved under their boss. 2-2

AI's prediction: 1-1

  • Amex Stadium, 15:00 GMT

Brentford were seen as one of the favourites for relegation before the campaign started, but they have surprised a several observers under Keith Andrews and are in fine fettle with three wins in their past four matches.

My son advised me to get Bees striker Thiago in my fantasy soccer team a few weeks ago and, unfortunately, I ignored the advice.

The forward will likely score again on the weekend but I am still not going to pick him or support Brentford at Brighton's ground.

They have not had much fortune on the road this season, and Brighton are always decent at their stadium. The visitors will try to hit them on the counter-attack but I feel Fabian Hurzeler's side carry much more of a danger.

The analyst's prediction: 2-1

Olly's prediction: It could be a match where you expect there is going to be a many scores but it actually turns out to be quite close. 1-1

The computer's prediction: 2-1

  • Craven Cottage, 15:00 GMT

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

Fulham have got plenty of talent in their squad but it nonetheless seems like they could be dragged into a relegation battle.

Regarding the Black Cats, indeed they are the unexpected success of the top flight season so far.

The away side's performance in the two-all draw with the Gunners last time out was superb. We've not witnessed any other team disrupt the Gunners like that this term, and they were more than a match for them.

The sensible thing would be to support the Black Cats here, because they are clearly able of roughing the hosts up too and, the last time they were in this part of London, they beat Chelsea at the end of October.

But I am not going to choose that. Instead, I truly need to carry on going against Sunderland with my forecasts. I am claiming a lot of credit for their positive outcomes because they clearly enjoy to defy my predictions.

Considering the home side's home form, the only team they have lost to is the league leaders. Their manager's team will be extremely desperate for a good outcome, so I am going to say they will secure three points.

The expert's prediction: 1-0

The guest's prediction: I'm aware the visitors are performing strongly and also that Fulham are on a poor streak... but Fulham have nonetheless been respectable at home this campaign. 2-0

AI's outlook: 2-0

  • Anfield, 15:00 GMT

This is a hard fixture to predict. The Reds have lost seven of their last ten games in all competitions, but could they be among the teams who benefit from the {international break|

Mathew Valdez
Mathew Valdez

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in online casino reviews and player strategy development.