English Premier League Projections: Football Expert Sutton vs Idlewild Guitarist & Artificial Intelligence
The Reds confront back-to-back defeats in both Premier League and Champions League - is this merely a temporary wobble or a deeper concern?
"Arne Slot's side seem incredibly vulnerable at the back," commented football expert Chris Sutton. "I covered their defeat at Crystal Palace last weekend and Palace might have scored more, honestly."
"Alisson suffered an injury against Galatasaray, and if he is absent it will be problematic. We understand Liverpool can pose a threat to Chelsea on Saturday but what worries them is the other end."
Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, facing off with artificial intelligence, readers and various guests.
For the sixth round, he faces Idlewild guitarist Rod Jones, who supports Leeds United.
Idlewild's new self-titled album comes out on Friday and they begin their tour the UK in October.
Rod grew up in Leeds and began following his local club at just the right time.
He mentioned: "It wasn't until I was about 11 that I really became interested in football, and that is when I chose my team was obviously be Leeds."
"That proved to be a fantastic time to begin supporting them. We went up in 1990, finished fourth... and then we were title winners the next season, defeating Manchester United to the title."
"I remember being in the center of Leeds for the celebration and it was absolutely incredible. At the time it seemed like only the beginning, but there have been several occasions like that over the past 30-odd years and it has not quite worked out that way!"
It seems somewhat unlikely that the current Leeds side will achieve the same next season following their promotion to the top flight, but Rod feels "fairly optimistic" they can compete effectively.
"It has been a solid start, rather than like the last time we went up, under Marcelo Bielsa in 2020, when it was a scoring fest at each end pretty much every game," he continued.
"Our manager is much more practical, but I still feel like we can cause problems and maybe finish mid-table."
Top Flight Forecasts
Friday, 3 October
Bournemouth vs Fulham
Sutton's prediction: 1-0
Jones's forecast: 2-0
AI's prediction: 2-0
Saturday, 4 October
Leeds vs Tottenham
Sutton's prediction: 1-1
Jones's forecast: 2-1
Artificial intelligence's forecast: 1-2
Arsenal vs West Ham
Chris's forecast: 3-0
Jones's forecast: 3-0
Artificial intelligence's forecast: 3-2
Manchester United vs Sunderland
Sutton's prediction: 0-1
Jones's forecast: 1-1
Artificial intelligence's forecast: 1-0
Chelsea vs Liverpool
Chris's forecast: 2-1
Rod's prediction: 1-2
Artificial intelligence's forecast: 2-2
Sunday, 5 October
Aston Villa vs Burnley
Sutton's prediction: 1-1
Jones's forecast: 1-0
AI's prediction: 1-0
Everton vs Crystal Palace
Chris's forecast: 0-1
Jones's forecast: 1-1
Artificial intelligence's forecast: 2-2
Newcastle vs Nottingham Forest
Sutton's prediction: 3-1
Rod's prediction: 2-0
Artificial intelligence's forecast: 1-0
Wolves vs Brighton
Sutton's prediction: 1-2
Rod's prediction: 1-2
AI's prediction: 0-1
Brentford vs Manchester City
Sutton's prediction: 1-2
Jones's forecast: 1-2
Artificial intelligence's forecast: 0-2
Last Week's Results
The outcome of the sixth round was not decided until the final game between Everton and West Ham.
Chris and readers both achieved two correct results with one perfect prediction, earning 50 points.
AI achieved three right outcomes, with one perfect prediction, for a total of 60 points.
Current Standings
- Chris Sutton: 3 wins, 420 points
- Readers: 1 win, 460 points
- Guests: 1 win, 1 tie, 380 points
- AI: 0 wins, 1 tie, 380 points
