Manchester United were knocked out of the Champions League this week but can they respond by beating neighbours Manchester City on Saturday?
“At the moment with United, the pattern seems to be first half bad and second half good,” said BBC football expert Mark Lawrenson.
“They have got themselves out of jail a few times in the past few weeks but they couldn’t manage it against RB Leipzig on Wednesday – and I don’t see them recovering if they go a couple of goals down to City either.”
Lawro is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.
This weekend, he is up against Lonely The Brave drummer Gavin ‘Mo’ Edgeley.
Edgeley is an Everton fan, mostly because of their legendary keeper Neville Southall.
He explained: “Half my family are from Halifax, so I probably should have supported them, to be honest. The other half are from the Suffolk coast, and there wasn’t a lot of football happening there.
“But when I was a kid, I actually got obsessed with Southall – to the point where he made me want to be a goalkeeper, so I played there for my local teams.
“There was a time in the 1980s when he was the best goalkeeper in the world. I used to sit there as kid with my Everton goalkeeper shirt on, watching him on TV.
“I wrote to him and he replied. I got it laminated and I’ve still got it somewhere, with a photo of him and his autograph.”
Southall was one of the heroes when Everton won the 1995 FA Cup, and the wait for more silverware is now 25 years and counting.
“It goes on and on,” Edgeley added. “Just give us something, anything! I’m pinning my hopes on the Carabao Cup this season because we have been rattling through that [they play Manchester United in the quarter-finals later this month].
“It is tough because it seems like there are so many more competitive teams at the moment. We have improved, but so have a lot of other sides. It’s no excuse, though – you are either good enough to win things, or you’re not.”
In the Premier League, Everton made a strong start to the season, winning their first four games. But that has tailed off in recent weeks.
The Toffees have won only one of their past seven matches and Edgeley said: “I am not really sure what has happened. It was going really well, but not any more.
“I know we’ve been without a few key players at different times, but I think we missed Richarlison in particular when he was suspended for three games. We lost all of them.
“Richarlison hasn’t scored many goals this season – Dominic Calvert-Lewin has got most of the glory there and is in double figures already – but his work-rate is amazing and, in my opinion, a lot of what the team does going forward revolves around him.”
| Result | Lawro | Mo | |
| FRIDAY | |||
| Leeds v West Ham | x-x | 2-0 | 2-0 |
| SATURDAY | |||
| Wolves v Aston Villa | x-x | 1-1 | 1-3 |
| Newcastle v West Brom | x-x | 2-0 | 0-2 |
| Man Utd v Man City | x-x | 0-2 | 0-4 |
| Everton v Chelsea | x-x | 0-2 | 3-0 |
| SUNDAY | |||
| Southampton v Sheff Utd | x-x | 2-0 | 3-1 |
| Crystal Palace v Tottenham | x-x | 0-2 | 1-2 |
| Fulham v Liverpool | x-x | 0-2 | 3-0 |
| Arsenal v Burnley | x-x | 2-0 | 1-1 |
| Leicester v Brighton | x-x | 2-0 | 2-0 |
A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns 40 points.
LAWRO’S PREDICTIONS
FRIDAY
Leeds v West Ham (20:00 GMT)
West Ham were unlucky to be beaten by Manchester United last weekend because they could have put that game to bed before the visitors’ comeback.
That was the end of a good little run of three successive wins for the Hammers, and I’m not sure they will bounce back here.
Leeds have got a little bit of a soft centre defensively, and I am not convinced by their goalkeeper, Illan Meslier, but going forward they are just relentless.
Lawro’s prediction: 2-0
Mo’s prediction: I can’t see any result here other than a Leeds win. It is difficult to dislike their manager, Marcelo Bielsa, and Leeds will have too much for West Ham, with the buzz and momentum they have got at the moment. 2-0
SATURDAY
Wolves v Aston Villa (12:30 GMT)
Wolves are not going to have Raul Jimenez back playing again anytime soon, so they need to find something different in attack.
I was at Anfield to see them lose to Liverpool on Sunday and Nuno Espirito Santo’s side did not pose much of a threat in front of goal. They seemed very reluctant to shoot.
They have so many players with fantastic technique but don’t always finish teams off, which is why I fancy Aston Villa to nick a point.
Lawro’s prediction: 1-1
Mo’s prediction: This is a difficult one to predict because Villa are so hit and miss, but I’ve got a mate who is absolutely obsessed with them so I have got to go with them to win. 1-3
Newcastle v West Brom (15:00 GMT)
I thought the decision to send off West Brom midfielder Mattheus Pereira against Crystal Palace was very harsh, but the way the Baggies collapsed afterwards was a concern.
The score was 1-1 when Pereira was dismissed and West Brom reorganised to see the end of the first half out – but then they were all over the place at the back after the break.
It was far too easy for Palace to score their four goals in the second half, and defending like that makes me think Newcastle will manage a couple too.
Lawro’s prediction: 2-0
Mo’s prediction: This is another one that is impossible to predict! Neither team are having a good season and I am going with West Brom. At some point they have got win an away game, and this could be the day. 0-2
Man Utd v Man City (17:30 GMT)
Manchester United look so uncomfortable defensively that it is hard to have much faith in them at the moment.
Their Champions League exit just heaps the pressure on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer because, for all the spirit his side have shown with their comebacks in different games this season, to not be getting any more revenue from that competition in a season like this one is a massive blow to the club.
The last thing United need is to follow that with a home defeat by City, but that’s what I’m going for. Pep Guardiola’s side have only lost one of their past 15 games and they have started to score goals again too.
Lawro’s prediction: 0-2
Mo’s prediction: One of my best mates down where I live in St Ives in Cambridgeshire is a rabid City fan called Tony. I promised him I’d mention him and I am also going to go with a big City win. The scoreline I’ve gone with might sound ridiculous but I just have a feeling about it – the only way I see United scoring is from another dodgy penalty. 0-4
Everton v Chelsea (20:00 GMT)
There are question marks over Everton’s defence so this is not a good time for them to be playing a Chelsea side who are playing well, scoring plenty of goals and on an unbeaten run of 17 games.
You can still get at Chelsea, but they have really tightened up.
Frank Lampard’s side are really good on the break and that might be how they hurt Everton here.
Lawro’s prediction: 0-2
Mo’s prediction: Everton have hit a bump in the road but I am going to forgive them for that because I really enjoyed the start we made to the season, especially being top of the league. As far as this game goes, I am probably not going to be right because I can’t see us keeping a clean sheet against Chelsea – or anyone at the moment, to be honest – but I can never bet against Everton. 3-0
SUNDAY
Southampton v Sheff Utd (12:00 GMT)
When does a bad start to the season become a crisis? It is getting to that stage for Sheffield United now.
The Blades were so close to getting a point against Leicester last weekend, which would have been a huge building block for them, but instead they ended up being beaten again.
The next few weeks are going to be massive for Chris Wilder’s side because if they are not careful, they are going to end up being cast adrift.
In contrast, things are going pretty well for Southampton at the moment – the more I see of them, the more impressed I am.
Saints work extremely hard from front to back but it is the movement of their front players that stands out the most. On top of that, Oriol Romeu gives them a proper foundation in midfield and allows their forwards to strut their stuff.
Sheffield United certainly do not lack effort either, though, and they are still competitive. They just don’t seem to be able to turn that into chances and goals.
Lawro’s prediction: 2-0
Mo’s prediction: I don’t think anyone saw Sheffield United doing as badly as they are. In contrast, Saints are on the up and up and I think I am being quite generous saying the Blades are going to score. 3-1
Crystal Palace v Tottenham (14:15 GMT)
Tottenham’s approach is working well at the moment. They are solid and well drilled at the back and the attacking partnership between Harry Kane and Son Heung-min is just outstanding.
However, it will be interesting to see how Crystal Palace get on against them if they get enough of the ball. Wilfred Zaha can unhinge Spurs and Eberechi Eze looks a real talent too.
I’m still going with a Spurs win because they are battle-hardened, full of confidence and also playing so well – but Palace are dangerous because they will be able to attack them right across the pitch.
Lawro’s prediction: 0-2
Mo’s prediction: Palace had a great result against West Brom last week but it’s hard to look past a Spurs win at the moment. They look a different team to the side we beat on the opening weekend of the season. 1-2
Fulham v Liverpool (16:30 GMT)
Fulham might feel like they can get at Liverpool, especially if Caoimhin Kelleher is still filling in for Alisson in goal, and the Cottagers have got the option of recalling Aleksandar Mitrovic if they want to be more direct and try to test the 22-year-old Irishman with some balls into the box.
Kelleher has done really well so far and looks the part, but he is going to make a mistake at some point – I certainly don’t wish it on him, but all young keepers do – and we don’t know how he will react.
What we do know, though, is how good Liverpool’s frontline is. They always come up trumps and I don’t think Fulham will keep them out.
Lawro’s prediction: 0-2
Mo’s prediction: I’m an Everton fan so you know where I’m going with this one. I am going to try to believe it myself. 3-0
Arsenal v Burnley (19:15 GMT)
The problems seem to be stacking up for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta at the moment.
The more games his side lose, and the longer they continue to struggle to create chances, the more people are going to ask why Mesut Ozil is not in the Gunners team – he will be eligible to play in the Premier League again in January.
Since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang signed his new contract, his form has been indifferent, although you could say that he has been stuck out on the left wing rather than playing as a centre-forward so what are people expecting from him?
I would still back Arsenal to beat Burnley, but what Arteta really needs is a good performance from his team too. Some of them are coasting at the moment and they are not earning their corn.
That is not something you could ever accuse any Burnley players of. They are in the bottom three at the moment but I am expecting them to gradually climb away from trouble, partly because of their willingness to scrap.
Lawro’s prediction: 2-0
Mo’s prediction: Arsenal did not look great against Tottenham and Arteta is under pressure at the moment. I don’t see things getting better for him this weekend. 1-1
Leicester v Brighton (19:15 GMT)
It was the same old story for Brighton on Monday. They played pretty well against Southampton, but they lost.
That seems to happen a lot. The Seagulls play some decent stuff and make chances, but something is not quite clicking for them at the moment. Getting more than one goal a game is proving difficult and they don’t seem to go long periods without conceding either, which is a worry.
Leicester, in contrast, are ticking along nicely at the top end of the table. I always think of them as being better when they are the away side, but they should have too much for Brighton.
Lawro’s prediction: 2-0
Mo’s prediction: Brighton were a bit unlucky to be beaten by Southampton but I am backing Leicester here. Jamie Vardy keeps scoring, which is great to see – I am a big fan because of the path he took to get to the top. 2-0
Lawro was speaking to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.
How did Lawro do last time?
Last weekend, Lawro got seven correct results from nine matches, including three exact scores, for a total of 160 points.
He beat Faithless star Sister Bliss, who got five correct results, including two exact scores, for a total of 110 points.
That is enough to put her joint-top of the guest leaderboard, with one game still to play – the match between Newcastle and Aston Villa that was postponed. She has predicted a 1-1 draw and any points earned will be added to her total when that game is played.
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | PTS | +/- | |
| =1 | Chelsea | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 26 | +2 |
| =1 | Man Utd | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 26 | +5 |
| =3 | Liverpool | 11 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 24 | -1 |
| =3 | Man City | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 24 | +4 |
| =5 | Leeds | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 22 | +9 |
| =5 | Leicester | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 22 | -1 |
| 7 | Tottenham | 11 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 21 | -6 |
| 8 | Arsenal | 11 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 19 | +7 |
| 9 | Wolves | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 15 | +1 |
| =10 | Burnley | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 14 | +8 |
| =10 | Everton | 11 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 14 | -1 |
| =12 | Crystal Palace | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 12 | -1 |
| =12 | West Ham | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 12 | -4 |
| =14 | Brighton | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 11 | +2 |
| =14 | Southampton | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 11 | -9 |
| 16 | Newcastle | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 10 | -3 |
| 17 | Sheff Utd | 11 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 8 | +3 |
| 18 | Aston Villa | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 7 | -6 |
| 19 | Fulham | 11 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 3 | -2 |
| 20 | West Brom | 11 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 1 | -1 |
GUEST LEADERBOARD 2020-21
| 110 | Sister Bliss, Amy Macdonald, Steve White |
| 90 | Adam Devonshire |
| 86 | Lawro (average after 11 weeks) |
| 80 | Raye |
| 60 | Celeste, Caroline Weir |
| 50 | Declan McKenna, Paul Smith, DJ Target |
| 0 | Rema |
| Lawro | 950 |
| Guests | 770 |
