Cape Town – Each round of the 2014/15 English Premiership season, a panel of Sport24 staff and occasional guest tipsters have a crack at predicting the results – do the exercise yourself, if you like, and see how you compare afterwards.
Compiled by Rob Houwing (Newcastle-partial), the others are Garrin Lambley (Everton), Herman Mostert (Chelsea), Earl Haupt (Liverpool) and a pesky new trio of Manchester United devotees in Tashreeq Vardien, Wade Pretorius and Maano Nekhavhambe.
Three points are awarded for an entirely correct scoreline, and one for right result.
THE PRIME ATTRACTION
LIVERPOOL v CHELSEA
Saturday, 14:45
Who will ever forget Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard’s costly slip in the equivalent fixture toward the end of last season, which many believe swung the destiny of the title chase against the then fiercely-contending Reds? Certainly the Anfield faithful are badly haunted, a situation not helped by their bilious start to the latest campaign. ‘Pool are already 12 points off the log-leading Blues, so another defeat at home would be disastrous. They come off successive 1-0 losses at Newcastle and then in midweek at Real Madrid with a controversially weakened line-up, so spirit may not be that high. But the majority of our panel interestingly still fancy a stalemate here ... and I concur.
Rob: Liverpool 1 Chelsea 1
Garrin: 1-1
Herman: 1-2
Earl: 1-1
Wade: 1-2
Tashreeq: 1-1
Maano: 1-1
Last season: 0-2
THE GRUDGE MATCH
SUNDERLAND v EVERTON
Sunday, 15:30
It was difficult job pinpointing the game for this slot this week ... I searched frantically for a regional derby, usually a solid banker, and couldn’t find one. So the Black Cats against the Toffees gets the billing, simply on the grounds of slightly peculiar events between them last season – Everton won 1-0 in the north-east and Sunderland 1-0 in the trip to the north-west! I was very tempted to join Earl and Maano in fancying a Toffees triumph, but then got cold feet: the red-and-whites are on a mini-high after beating Crystal Palace in London on Monday night, whereas Everton were a bit unexpectedly held goalless at Goodison by Swansea. Blank score-sheet again?
Rob: Sunderland 0 Everton 0
Garrin: 1-1
Herman: 1-1
Earl: 1-1
Wade: 1-2
Tashreeq: 1-1
Maano: 1-2
Last season: 0-1
THE DESPERATE DUEL
SOUTHAMPTON v LEICESTER
Saturday, 17:00
The desperation here, needless to say, is all Leicester’s. They have slid progressively down to third-but-last on the table after the newcomers had comfortably evaded the drop zone in initial combat. Foxes fans have certainly had the smiles wiped off their dials since that amazing 5-3 victory over Manchester United a few weeks ago: it’s been five games since without a win. I guess you could say that Saints will be motivated by some “urgency” as well, if only because the unlikely second-placed team will wish to keep in contact with clinical Chelsea, currently four points superior. A full house tips a home win.
Rob: Southampton 1 Leicester 0
Garrin: 2-0
Herman: 2-1
Earl: 2-0
Wade: 2-0
Tashreeq: 3-1
Maano: 1-0
Last season: Not applicable
THE OTHERS
BURNLEY v HULL
Saturday, 17:00
Rob: Burnley 1 Hull 1
Garrin: 2-1
Herman: 1-1
Earl: 0-1
Wade: 0-1
Tashreeq: 1-3
Maano: 0-1
Last season: Not applicable
MANCHESTER UNITED v CRYSTAL PALACE
Saturday, 17:00
Rob: Manchester United 2 Crystal Palace 0
Garrin: 2-0
Herman: 2-0
Earl: 1-0
Wade: 3-0
Tashreeq: 2-1
Maano: 2-0
Last season: 2-0
WEST HAM v ASTON VILLA
Saturday, 17:00
Rob: West Ham 1 Aston Villa 0
Garrin: 2-1
Herman: 1-1
Earl: 2-0
Wade: 2-1
Tashreeq: 2-1
Maano: 1-1
Last season: 0-0
QPR v MANCHESTER CITY
Saturday, 19:30
Rob: QPR 1 Manchester City 2
Garrin: 0-2
Herman: 1-3
Earl: 1-2
Wade: 1-3
Tashreeq: 1-3
Maano: 0-2
Last season: Not applicable
TOTTENHAM v STOKE
Sunday, 15:30
Rob: Tottenham 2 Stoke 1
Garrin: 2-1
Herman: 2-1
Earl: 2-1
Wade: 2-0
Tashreeq: 1-0
Maano: 1-0
Last season: 3-0
WEST BROM v NEWCASTLE
Sunday, 15:30
Rob: West Brom 1 Newcastle 1
Garrin: 1-1
Herman: 1-1
Earl: 2-2
Wade: 2-2
Tashreeq: 1-2
Maano: 1-1
Last season: 1-0
SWANSEA v ARSENAL
Sunday, 18:00
Rob: Swansea 1 Arsenal 1
Garrin: 1-2
Herman: 1-2
Earl: 1-2
Wade: 1-2
Tashreeq: 1-1
Maano: 1-2
Last season:1-2
*LEADERBOARD
78 - Garrin (7 points in last round)
74 - Rob (6)
70 - Wade (11)
68 - Herman (4)
64 - Tashreeq (8)
57 - Earl (8)
53 - Maano (6)