The Premier League pushes on with full throttle as we have another action packed weekend ahead of us!
Ian Holloway parted company with Crystal Palace this week in what has been a pretty disastrous start to the campaign - only Sunderland can boast a worse record who incidentally, also parted company with their manager a few weeks back. Holloway's departure seems more of a mutual decision compared to di Canio's outright sacking but it still highlights the huge pressures these managers are under to get that result. Their first game under the post Holloway era couldn't be any more difficult, coming up against Premier League leaders, Arsenal, at Selhurst Park. Sometimes when a manager leaves you often get an instant reaction from the players - sadly for Palace, I can't see that happening here as their squad is simply just not good enough. If Fulham can stick four goals past them I'd dread to think what Arsenal can do.
Everton have been quietly going about their business and have not really been mentioned as top four material this season, especially in the wake of Moyes' departure. But Martinez has been getting them playing some decent football and with only one loss to their name they're also hard to beat. The travel to an Aston Villa side who do look a more solid side than last season but proved more needs to be done after their loss to Spurs last week. They did look a lot better when Benteke came on and if he manages a full 90 minutes could cause some problems, but Predictor forecasts a marginal Everton win. West Brom have had a respectable start to the season, currently lying mid table, however, they travel to an in form Liverpool side that are currently lying third. West Brom will put up a decent fight but Liverpool will probably be a little too strong, especially at Anfield - home win.
Manchester United are struggling, there's no doubt about that and this weekend they host a Stoke side who are on a poor run of form, even by their standards. United came away with a midweek Champions League victory against Real Sociedad, the weaker of the four Spanish Champions League clubs, but it still didn't seem particularly convincing. The main thing they need this weekend is just the three points, it doesn't matter about the performance at the moment. If they can put on a string of decent results and get themselves back in the Champions League mix, then they can get some confidence back and the performances will come. Last season this would've been a convincing victory, however, only a marginal win is expected.
This weekend sees the first Tyne-Wear derby of the season but Sunderland's form has been nothing short of awful. Gus Poyet had his first game in charge last weekend and found out what a huge job he's got on his hands. I don't think this will be a quick turn around and although Newcastle haven't had the best of starts but under current form they should still be too strong for a very poor Sunderland side - away win.
Sunday brings the flagship match of the weekend as Manchester City host Chelsea a chance take a big scalp. Both teams had positive results in the Champions League midweek and have won their last two league games. A win for either team could potentially put them top depending on other results but the home advantage seems to be the tipping point. Close affair but a marginal win for Chelsea is forecast. The last match of the weekend is at White Hart Lane as Spurs host Hull City. Spurs come off a good win against Aston Villa last weekend, however, newly promoted Hull City have had a decent start to the season, currently sitting mid table. Spurs have won five games this season but most by small margins, so they're only predicted a marginal win.
So my top tips this weekend are wins for Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Twente and Ajax - they all look like sure winners. The longer shots which seem like good value for money are away wins for Evian TG, Verona against Inter Milan, Livorno and Crotone of the Italian League.
As usual, please feel free to comment on my predictions or discuss anything football related. I'd also be grateful if you could use the social media buttons to the right to share the blog.
Enjoy...!
| Time | Day | League | Home Team | Prediction | Away team |
| 12:45 | Sat | Eng Prem | Crystal Palace | AAAAA | Arsenal |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Prem | Aston Villa | A | Everton |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Prem | Liverpool | H | West Bromwich … |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Prem | Manchester United | H | Stoke City |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Prem | Norwich City | D | Cardiff City |
| 17:30 | Sat | Eng Prem | Southampton | H | Fulham |
| 13:30 | Sun | Eng Prem | Sunderland | AAA | Newcastle United |
| 16:00 | Sun | Eng Prem | Chelsea | H | Manchester City |
| 16:00 | Sun | Eng Prem | Swansea City | H | West Ham United |
| 16:00 | Sun | Eng Prem | Tottenham Hotspur | H | Hull City |
| 19:45 | Fri | Eng Champ | Middlesbrough | D | Doncaster Rovers |
| 12:15 | Sat | Eng Champ | Barnsley | D | Sheffield Wedn… |
| 12:30 | Sat | Eng Champ | Huddersfield Town | D | Leeds United |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Champ | Blackpool | H | Blackburn Rovers |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Champ | Bolton Wanderers | A | Ipswich Town |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Champ | Derby County | HH | Birmingham City |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Champ | Burnley | H | Queens Park Ra… |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Champ | Yeovil Town | AAA | Nottingham Forest |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Champ | Reading | HHH | Millwall |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Champ | Leicester City | HH | AFC Bournemouth |
| 15:00 | Sun | Eng Champ | Charlton Athletic | D | Wigan Athletic |
| 19:45 | Mon | Eng Champ | Brighton & Hov… | AA | Watford |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 1 | Carlisle United | H | Bristol City |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 1 | Bradford City | AAA | Wolverhampton … |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 1 | Walsall | H | Coventry City |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 1 | Notts County | A | Preston North End |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 1 | Leyton Orient | HHH | Rotherham United |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 1 | Tranmere Rovers | AA | Milton Keynes Dons |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 1 | Port Vale | H | Gillingham |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 1 | Sheffield United | D | Crewe Alexandra |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 1 | Brentford | H | Shrewsbury Town |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 1 | Colchester United | AAAA | Peterborough U… |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 1 | Oldham Athletic | A | Swindon Town |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 1 | Stevenage | A | Crawley Town |
| 14:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 2 | Northampton Town | A | Cheltenham Town |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 2 | Bristol Rovers | AA | Chesterfield |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 2 | Scunthorpe United | A | Hartlepool United |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 2 | Dagenham & Red… | A | Rochdale |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 2 | Exeter City | D | Burton Albion |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 2 | AFC Wimbledon | A | Oxford United |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 2 | Morecambe | HH | Accrington Stanley |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 2 | York City | AA | Fleetwood Town |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 2 | Wycombe Wanderers | HH | Bury |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 2 | Torquay United | AA | Portsmouth |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 2 | Mansfield Town | HH | Plymouth Argyle |
| 15:00 | Sat | Eng Lge 2 | Newport County | D | Southend United |
| 19:45 | Fri | Sco Prem | Ross County | A | Inverness CT |
| 15:00 | Sat | Sco Prem | Dundee United | H | St. Mirren |
| 15:00 | Sat | Sco Prem | Hibernian | D | Aberdeen |
| 15:00 | Sat | Sco Prem | Kilmarnock | HH | Heart of Midlo… |
| 12:45 | Sun | Sco Prem | Partick Thistle | AAAA | Celtic |
| 16:05 | Sun | Sco Prem | St. Johnstone | A | Motherwell |
| 19:30 | Fri | Fra Lig 1 | Nantes | D | Lille |
| 16:00 | Sat | Fra Lig 1 | Olympique Mars… | D | Reims |
| 19:00 | Sat | Fra Lig 1 | Bastia | A | Nice |
| 19:00 | Sat | Fra Lig 1 | Guingamp | HH | Ajaccio |
| 19:00 | Sat | Fra Lig 1 | Lorient | D | Sochaux |
| 19:00 | Sat | Fra Lig 1 | Toulouse | H | Rennes |
| 19:00 | Sat | Fra Lig 1 | Valenciennes | A | Evian TG |
| 13:00 | Sun | Fra Lig 1 | Bordeaux | D | Montpellier |
| 16:00 | Sun | Fra Lig 1 | Monaco | HHH | Olympique Lyonnais |
| 20:00 | Sun | Fra Lig 1 | Saint-Étienne | AAA | PSG |
| 19:00 | Fri | Fra Lig 2 | Arles | A | Dijon |
| 19:00 | Fri | Fra Lig 2 | Créteil | HH | CA Bastia |
| 19:00 | Fri | Fra Lig 2 | Le Havre | H | Brest |
| 19:00 | Fri | Fra Lig 2 | Metz | HH | Angers |
| 19:00 | Fri | Fra Lig 2 | Nîmes | D | Châteauroux |
| 19:00 | Fri | Fra Lig 2 | Niort | D | Istres |
| 19:00 | Fri | Fra Lig 2 | Tours | HHH | Laval |
| 19:00 | Fri | Fra Lig 2 | Troyes | HH | Auxerre |
| 13:00 | Sat | Fra Lig 2 | Caen | HH | Nancy |
| 19:30 | Mon | Fra Lig 2 | Clermont | H | Lens |
| 19:30 | Fri | Ger B'sliga | Stuttgart | HH | Nürnberg |
| 14:30 | Sat | Ger B'sliga | Bayern München | HHH | Hertha BSC |
| 14:30 | Sat | Ger B'sliga | Schalke 04 | AA | Borussia Dortmund |
| 14:30 | Sat | Ger B'sliga | Bayer Leverkusen | HHHH | Augsburg |
| 14:30 | Sat | Ger B'sliga | Hannover 96 | HH | Hoffenheim |
| 14:30 | Sat | Ger B'sliga | Mainz 05 | H | Eintracht Brau… |
| 17:30 | Sat | Ger B'sliga | Wolfsburg | D | Werder Bremen |
| 14:30 | Sun | Ger B'sliga | Freiburg | A | Hamburger SV |
| 16:30 | Sun | Ger B'sliga | Borussia M'gla… | H | Eintracht Fran… |
| 17:30 | Fri | Ger 2 B'sliga | Greuther Fürth | HHH | Ingolstadt |
| 17:30 | Fri | Ger 2 B'sliga | St. Pauli | H | Sandhausen |
| 17:30 | Fri | Ger 2 B'sliga | Arminia Bielefeld | AAA | Köln |
| 12:00 | Sat | Ger 2 B'sliga | Fortuna Düsseldorf | H | Paderborn |
| 12:00 | Sat | Ger 2 B'sliga | FSV Frankfurt | H | Aalen |
| 12:30 | Sun | Ger 2 B'sliga | Union Berlin | HHHH | Erzgebirge Aue |
| 12:30 | Sun | Ger 2 B'sliga | Dynamo Dresden | D | Energie Cottbus |
| 12:30 | Sun | Ger 2 B'sliga | Karlsruher SC | D | 1860 München |
| 19:15 | Mon | Ger 2 B'sliga | Bochum | AA | Kaiserslautern |
| 17:00 | Sat | Ita Ser A | Sampdoria | A | Atalanta |
| 19:45 | Sat | Ita Ser A | Internazionale | A | Hellas Verona |
| 11:30 | Sun | Ita Ser A | Napoli | HHH | Torino |
| 14:00 | Sun | Ita Ser A | Bologna | A | Livorno |
| 14:00 | Sun | Ita Ser A | Catania | D | Sassuolo |
| 14:00 | Sun | Ita Ser A | Chievo | AA | Fiorentina |
| 14:00 | Sun | Ita Ser A | Juventus | HH | Genoa |
| 14:00 | Sun | Ita Ser A | Parma | D | Milan |
| 14:00 | Sun | Ita Ser A | Udinese | AAAA | Roma |
| 19:45 | Sun | Ita Ser A | Lazio | H | Cagliari |
| 19:30 | Fri | Ita Ser B | Reggina | D | Pescara |
| 14:00 | Sat | Ita Ser B | Bari | D | Trapani |
| 14:00 | Sat | Ita Ser B | Brescia | D | Siena |
| 14:00 | Sat | Ita Ser B | Carpi | A | Latina |
| 14:00 | Sat | Ita Ser B | Juve Stabia | AAA | Empoli |
| 14:00 | Sat | Ita Ser B | Palermo | HH | Varese |
| 14:00 | Sat | Ita Ser B | Spezia | D | Modena |
| 14:00 | Sat | Ita Ser B | Ternana | A | Crotone |
| 14:00 | Sat | Ita Ser B | Virtus Lanciano | HHH | Padova |
| 19:30 | Mon | Ita Ser B | Novara | AAA | Cesena |
| 20:00 | Fri | Spa Prim | Rayo Vallecano | D | Real Valladolid |
| 15:00 | Sat | Spa Prim | Málaga | H | Celta de Vigo |
| 17:00 | Sat | Spa Prim | Barcelona | HHHH | Real Madrid |
| 19:00 | Sat | Spa Prim | Elche | D | Granada |
| 21:00 | Sat | Spa Prim | Levante | D | Espanyol |
| 11:00 | Sun | Spa Prim | Sevilla | HH | Osasuna |
| 16:00 | Sun | Spa Prim | Villarreal | HH | Valencia |
| 18:00 | Sun | Spa Prim | Real Sociedad | HH | Almería |
| 20:00 | Sun | Spa Prim | Atlético Madrid | HHHHH | Real Betis |
| 21:00 | Mon | Spa Prim | Getafe | A | Athletic Club |
| 19:00 | Fri | Hol Ere'div | NEC | AAAA | Heerenveen |
| 17:45 | Sat | Hol Ere'div | ADO Den Haag | AAAAA | Twente |
| 18:45 | Sat | Hol Ere'div | Cambuur | D | Utrecht |
| 18:45 | Sat | Hol Ere'div | NAC Breda | HH | Go Ahead Eagles |
| 19:45 | Sat | Hol Ere'div | Ajax | HHHHH | RKC Waalwijk |
| 11:30 | Sun | Hol Ere'div | Roda JC | AA | PSV |
| 13:30 | Sun | Hol Ere'div | Feyenoord | HHH | Heracles |
| 13:30 | Sun | Hol Ere'div | PEC Zwolle | HH | AZ |
| 15:30 | Sun | Hol Ere'div | Vitesse | HH | Groningen |
| 19:00 | Fri | Hol Eer Div | Emmen | HHH | Almere City |
| 19:00 | Fri | Hol Eer Div | Willem II | D | MVV |
| 19:00 | Fri | Hol Eer Div | Eindhoven | HH | Excelsior |
| 19:00 | Fri | Hol Eer Div | Oss | A | Helmond Sport |
| 15:30 | Sat | Hol Eer Div | Sparta Rotterdam | H | Den Bosch |
| 17:45 | Sat | Hol Eer Div | Fortuna Sittard | H | Achilles '29 |
| 13:30 | Sun | Hol Eer Div | Volendam | AAA | De Graafschap |
| 19:00 | Mon | Hol Eer Div | Jong PSV | D | Telstar |
| 19:00 | Mon | Hol Eer Div | Jong Ajax | AAA | Dordrecht |
| 19:00 | Mon | Hol Eer Div | Jong Twente | A | VVV |
| 20:00 | Sat | USA MLS | Philadelphia Union | A | Sporting KC |
| 21:00 | Sat | USA MLS | Toronto | A | Montreal Impact |
| 22:30 | Sat | USA MLS | SJ Earthquakes | H | Dallas |
| 03:30 | Sun | USA MLS | Chivas USA | AAA | Portland Timbers |
| 17:30 | Sun | USA MLS | DC United | AA | Houston Dynamo |
| 20:00 | Sun | USA MLS | Columbus Crew | D | New England |
| 21:00 | Sun | USA MLS | New York RB | HH | Chicago Fire |
| 00:00 | Mon | USA MLS | Whitecaps | D | Colorado Rapids |
| 01:00 | Mon | USA MLS | Seattle Sounders | AA | LA Galaxy |
| 18:00 | Fri | Arg Prim | Belgrano | H | Rosario Central |
| 0.837 | Fri | Arg Prim | Newell's Old Boys | H | Godoy Cruz |
| 22:15 | Fri | Arg Prim | Boca Juniors | HH | Colón |
| 01:15 | Sat | Arg Prim | Arsenal | H | Gimnasia La Plata |
| 21:00 | Mon | Arg Prim | Estudiantes | H | Quilmes |
| 23:10 | Mon | Arg Prim | Olimpo | HH | Racing Club |
| 21:30 | Sat | Bra Ser A | Botafogo | H | Atlético Mineiro |
| 21:30 | Sat | Bra Ser A | Cruzeiro | HH | Criciúma |
| 18:00 | Sun | Bra Ser A | Corinthians | D | Santos |
| 18:00 | Sun | Bra Ser A | Bahia | D | Atlético PR |
| 18:00 | Sun | Bra Ser A | Internacional | D | São Paulo |
| 18:00 | Sun | Bra Ser A | Ponte Preta | D | Vasco da Gama |
| 18:00 | Sun | Bra Ser A | Portuguesa | D | Flamengo |
| 20:30 | Sun | Bra Ser A | Fluminense | D | Vitória |
| 20:30 | Sun | Bra Ser A | Náutico | AAAA | Goiás |
| 20:30 | Sun | Bra Ser A | Coritiba | A | Grêmio |
| 08:00 | Sat | Jap J Lge | Sanfrecce Hiro… | D | Vegalta Sendai |
| 04:00 | Sun | Jap J Lge | Ventforet Kofu | D | Tokyo |
| 04:00 | Sun | Jap J Lge | Albirex Niigata | HH | Shonan Bellmare |
| 07:00 | Sun | Jap J Lge | Kashima Antlers | H | Kawasaki Frontale |
| 07:00 | Sun | Jap J Lge | Urawa Reds | HHH | Kashiwa Reysol |
| 07:00 | Sun | Jap J Lge | Júbilo Iwata | AA | Shimizu S-Pulse |
| 07:00 | Sun | Jap J Lge | Nagoya Grampus | H | Omiya Ardija |
| 07:00 | Sun | Jap J Lge | Oita Trinita | AAA | Yokohama F. Ma… |
| 10:00 | Sun | Jap J Lge | Sagan Tosu | AA | Cerezo Osaka |
