'Expert' UK soccer tips

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

SOUTHAMPTON v MANCHESTER UNITED
Monday, 22:00

Is Louis van Gaal starting to weave a bit of overdue magic at Old Trafford? It certainly looks like it right now: the Red Devils are on a four-match winning roll in the Premiership, so in a tough week to pinpoint the most attractive fixture, I have opted for them to fill the slot for the Monday night visit to Southampton. The home side still lie third to United’s fourth, but are losing a bit of steam following a three-game sequence of their own without a victory to show. I’m joining the cautious camp on this one, suggesting the spoils will be shared, but the majority view is United making it five from five and continuing their march to the kind of real estate they were once so much more used to ...

Rob: Southampton 1 Manchester United 1  
Garrin: 1-1
Herman: 1-2
Earl: 1-1
Wade: 1-2
Tashreeq: 1-2
Maano: 1-3
Last season: 1-1                          

THE GRUDGE MATCH

MANCHESTER CITY v EVERTON
Saturday, 19:30

Again, no glaringly obvious match for this slot in the latest round. Yes, I could have gone for the London derby between Spurs and Palace, but instead I’d suggest reawakening champions Manchester City – suddenly hammering in the goals – entertaining Everton (tough nut to crack, even though not in marvellous touch) is a fairly spicy choice. It is, after all, another of those feisty Mancs v Scousers affairs in England’s football-mad north-west, and you can’t discount the likelihood of the Toffees raising their game for this stiff obstacle. That said, I don’t fancy them to get anything out of this one, and I am far from alone in the view. 

Rob: Manchester City 2 Everton 0
Garrin: 2-1
Herman: 2-1
Earl: 2-0
Wade: 2-0
Tashreeq: 3-1
Maano: 2-1
Last season: 3-1                          

THE DESPERATE DUEL

QPR v BURNLEY
Saturday, 17:00

Thank goodness for Leicester’s even more embattled status at the foot of the pile: that’s what fans of both these protagonists will be saying as they weigh up a “six-pointer” type of clash from the gloomy nether regions of the Premiership. Hosts Rangers presently lie one off the bottom, whilst Burnley are the other club in the relegation zone so this is a key scrap. The visitors aren’t in bad nick: they boast two wins and two draws from their last four games, so losing definitely isn’t habitual at present. But for whatever reason, there’s quite strong fancy here for the Londoners to be the smiling ones afterwards ...

Rob: QPR 2 Burnley 0
Garrin:1-1
Herman: 1-1
Earl: 2-1
Wade: 2-1
Tashreeq: 1-0
Maano: 1-0
Last season: Not applicable                    

THE OTHERS

NEWCASTLE v CHELSEA
Saturday, 14:45

Rob: Newcastle 0 Chelsea 1
Garrin: 1-2
Herman: 1-2
Earl: 1-2
Wade: 1-2
Tashreeq: 1-1
Maano: 1-1
Last season: 2-0                    

HULL v WEST BROM
Saturday, 17:00

Rob: Hull 2 West Brom 0
Garrin: 1-1
Herman: 1-1
Earl: 1-1
Wade: 1-1
Tashreeq: 2-1
Maano: 1-1
Last season: 2-0            

LIVERPOOL v SUNDERLAND
Saturday, 17:00

Rob: Liverpool 2 Sunderland 0
Garrin: 2-1
Herman: 1-0
Earl: 3-1
Wade: 2-0
Tashreeq: 2-0
Maano: 1-0
Last season: 2-1                   

STOKE v ARSENAL
Saturday, 17:00

Rob: Stoke 0 Arsenal 2
Garrin: 1-2
Herman: 1-1
Earl: 0-1
Wade: 0-1
Tashreeq: 1-2
Maano: 1-2
Last season: 1-0            

TOTTENHAM v CRYSTAL PALACE
Saturday, 17:00

Rob: Tottenham 2 Crystal Palace 0
Garrin: 2-1
Herman: 2-1
Earl: 1-1
Wade: 2-1
Tashreeq: 2-0
Maano: 0-1
Last season: 2-0                   

WEST HAM v SWANSEA
Sunday, 15:30

Rob: West Ham 1 Swansea 1
Garrin: 1-1
Herman: 2-1
Earl: 2-1
Wade: 2-1
Tashreeq: 1-2
Maano: 2-0
Last season: 2-0

ASTON VILLA v LEICESTER
Sunday, 18:00

Rob: Aston Villa 2 Leicester 0
Garrin: 2-1
Herman: 2-1
Earl: 1-0
Wade: 1-0
Tashreeq: 1-0
Maano: 3-1
Last season: Not applicable              

LEADERBOARD:

108 - Wade (16 points in last round) & Garrin (13)
101 - Herman (12)
93 - Tashreeq (12)
91 - Rob (8)
86 - Earl (15)
79 - Maano (15)