Football Analyst Sutton Faces Off Against Singer Murs in Premier League Predictions

Arsenal's 10-game winning run came to an end by the Black Cats before the international break, but will the Premier League leaders bounce back against local foes Tottenham this weekend?

"{I feel like Arsenal are light years ahead of Tottenham at the moment but Spurs boss Thomas Frank will have a strategy for this match," remarked soccer expert Chris Sutton.

"Frank will try to neutralize Arsenal, who have not always been at their scintillating best this season - but Mikel Arteta's side typically still manage to win."

Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against AI, fans and a variety of guests.

In the twelfth round, he faces performer Olly Murs, who is a United supporter.

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

Football and Family Life

Murs is a skilled soccer player as well as a successful artist and has been a featured player of several Soccer Aid games over time - but he is not intending a serious return as a footballer.

"{I actually played in a benefit game the other night for a mate of mine," he said. "The team was trailing 3-1 when I came off in the 60th minute, and they went on to win 4-3, so you can read into that what you want!

"I continue to love football, but I injured my joint a few years ago and it still isn't where I want it to be. I hope I could play more but the unpredictability of the game means it's too risky for me in my profession to do it seriously again.

"Plus I am 41 now, and we are not everyone is Cristiano Ronaldo, are we!? No, I am very happy not playing football and I am preparing for the moment that my child or son decides to play instead."

The singer and his spouse Amelia Tank have a young family, their daughter and their son, and he is ready to emulate his dad by taking on the role of their manager.

"I won't force football on our children but I've already told Amelia that if they do get the passion for it then I will have to go and get my coaching badges - and I will likely be coaching their weekend soccer side," he said.

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

"My father did it with us when I was a child, which is likely where I get it from. He coached our team for several years and had a wonderful time with it. That could be the next step for me as well, and I am looking forward to it!"

Top Division Predictions

Weekend, 22 November

  • Turf Moor, 12:30 GMT

The Blues might have to wait a bit longer for their star's comeback from fitness issues but their attack is now stronger with Pedro and Delap both returned to fitness.

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

This smells of a 1-1 draw to me, but I am in fact going to choose Chelsea to win narrowly for what would be their third league win in a row.

Sutton's forecast: 1-2

The singer's prediction: 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 previous couple games - although both of them were away - but they got absolutely spanked by Aston Villa last time out which shocked me.

In contrast, West Ham secured two in a row before the hiatus and, although both of those games were at their stadium, they do look competitive again.

The Hammers' only on the road win this campaign came at Forest in the summer, when West Ham boss Nuno was previously that team's coach.

So, what exactly do I go with here - will it be West Ham extending their streak under Nuno, or Bournemouth bouncing back?

I will choose Bournemouth, because I believe what happened against Villa was a blip.

The pundit's prediction: 2-0

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

AI's pick: 1-1

  • Amex Stadium, 15:00 GMT

Brentford were considered one of the favourites for relegation before the season began, but they have surprised a few observers under Keith Andrews and are in good form with three wins in their last four games.

My son told me to get Bees striker Igor Thiago in my Fantasy Football squad a few weeks ago and, guess what, I ignored the advice.

Thiago will probably score again on Saturday but I am nonetheless not going to select him or back the away side at Amex Stadium.

The Bees have not had much success on the road this season, and the Seagulls are consistently strong at home. The visitors will try to hit them on the counter-attack but I think Fabian Hurzeler's team carry much more of a danger.

The analyst's forecast: 2-1

The singer's view: It could be a match where you expect there is going to be a lot of goals but it in reality turns out to be rather tight. 1-1

The computer's prediction: 2-1

  • Craven Cottage, 15:00 GMT

It is a huge fixture for the Cottagers, who have lost five of their past six matches.

They have have lots of quality in their team but it nonetheless feels like they could be sucked into a relegation fight.

As for Sunderland, well they are the unexpected success of the top flight campaign so far.

Their display in the two-all draw with Arsenal last time out was superb. We've not witnessed anyone else disrupt the Gunners like that this term, and Sunderland were more than a match for them.

The logical choice would be to support the Black Cats here, because they are clearly able of roughing Fulham up too and, the previous occasion they were in west London, they beat the Blues at the end of last month.

However I am not going to choose that. Rather, I really need to carry on opposing Sunderland with my forecasts. I am claiming a lot of responsibility for their good results because they evidently enjoy to defy my predictions.

Considering the home side's at Craven Cottage form, the sole side they have lost to is the league leaders. Their manager's team will be absolutely desperate for a good result, so I am going to say they will pick up three points.

The expert's prediction: 1-0

The guest's choice: I know the visitors are performing strongly and additionally that the hosts are on a bad run... but they have still been respectable at Craven Cottage this campaign. 2-0

The algorithm's outlook: 2-0

  • Anfield, 15:00 GMT

This is a hard one to call. Liverpool have suffered seven of their past 10 matches in every tournament, but might they be one of the sides who profit from the {international break|

Eric Mcintyre
Eric Mcintyre

Elara Vance is a business strategist with over 15 years of experience in corporate consulting and entrepreneurship, specializing in digital transformation.