Soccer Analyst Chris Sutton Faces Off Against Singer Murs in Top Flight Forecasts
Arsenal's 10-game victorious run came to an end by Sunderland prior to the global break, but can the Premier League leaders bounce back against local foes Spurs this weekend?
"{I feel like Arsenal are miles ahead of Tottenham at the moment but Spurs boss Thomas Frank will have a plan for this match," remarked soccer expert Chris Sutton.
"Frank will try to neutralize Arsenal, who have not always been at their sparkling best this campaign - but Mikel Arteta's team usually still find a way to win."
The analyst is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against AI, readers and a range of guests.
For week 12, he faces singer Olly Murs, who is a United fan.
Murs' new record, the new release, is out on the weekend.
Soccer and Parenting Life
Murs is a talented footballer as well as a successful singer and has been a star of multiple Soccer Aid games down the years - but he is not intending a professional return as a footballer.
"{I recently played in a charity match the other night for a mate of mine," he said. "The team was losing 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 will!
"I continue to love football, but I hurt my joint a few years ago and it even now isn't where I want it to be. I wish I could play more but the unpredictability of the game means it's too risky for me in my career to do it properly again.
"Additionally I am forty-one 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 daughter or boy decides to play instead."
The singer and his spouse his partner have a young family, their daughter and Albert, and he is prepared to emulate his dad by taking on the role of their coach.
"I won't push football on our kids 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 probably be managing their Saturday football side," he said.
"I watched my relatives play a lot, and I really got into it, and I obviously owned a soccer team for a period too.
"My dad coached with us when I was a kid, which is probably where I inherited it. He coached our team for two or three years and had great fun with it. That could be the future for me as well, and I am looking forward to it!"
Premier League Forecasts
Saturday, 22 November
- Turf Moor, 12:30 GMT
Chelsea may have to be patient for Cole Palmer's comeback from injury but their attack is already stronger with Pedro and Delap both back fit.
I still think this fixture will be fairly close, though. The Clarets are well organised and their only home losses so far have been against Liverpool and the Gunners.
It suggests a 1-1 tie to me, but I am in fact going to choose the London side to win narrowly for what would be their third consecutive Premier League win in a row.
Sutton's forecast: 1-2
The singer's pick: Chelsea will be superior. 1-3
Artificial intelligence's prediction: 0-2
- Vitality Stadium, 15:00 GMT
Bournemouth have lost their past two games - albeit both of them were on the road - but they got absolutely spanked by Aston Villa last time out which shocked me.
On the other hand, the Hammers won two in a row before the hiatus and, although both of those fixtures were at home, they appear competitive again.
The Hammers' sole on the road victory this season came at Nottingham Forest in August, when their manager Nuno Espirito Santo was still Forest coach.
Therefore, what exactly do I predict here - will it be the Hammers continuing their run under their manager, or the home side responding?
I will go with Bournemouth, because I think what happened against Aston Villa was a blip.
The pundit's prediction: 2-0
The guest's outlook: Bournemouth are doing well but West Ham have improved under Nuno. 2-2
AI's prediction: 1-1
- Amex Stadium, 15:00 GMT
The Bees were considered one of the frontrunners for the drop before the season started, but they have surprised a several observers under Keith Andrews and are in good form with three in their past four games.
My son advised me to select Bees striker Thiago in my Fantasy Football squad a few weeks ago and, guess what, I ignored the advice.
Thiago will likely score again on the weekend but I am still not going to select him or back Brentford at Amex Stadium.
They have not had great success on the road this term, and the Seagulls are always strong at their stadium. Brentford will attempt to hit them on the break but I think Fabian Hurzeler's team pose much more of a threat.
The analyst's prediction: 2-1
Olly's view: This could be a match where you think there is going to be a lot of scores but it actually proves to be rather close. 1-1
The computer's prediction: 2-1
- Craven Cottage, 15:00 GMT
This is a massive fixture for the Cottagers, who have suffered defeat in five of their past six games.
They have got plenty of talent in their team but it still feels like they could be sucked into a relegation fight.
As for the Black Cats, indeed they are the unexpected success of the Premier League season so far.
The away side's performance in the two-all draw with the Gunners last time out was superb. We have not seen any other team disrupt the Gunners like that this season, and Sunderland were fully competitive for them.
The logical choice would be to back the visitors here, because they are obviously capable of roughing the hosts up too and, the last time they were in this part of London, they beat Chelsea at the close of October.
But I am not do that. Instead, I really need to carry on going against Sunderland with my predictions. I am taking a lot of responsibility for their good outcomes because they evidently love to defy my predictions.
Considering Fulham's home form, the only side they have been defeated by is Arsenal. Their manager's team will be extremely eager for a good result, so I am going to predict they will pick up three points.
The expert's prediction: 1-0
Olly's prediction: I know the visitors are doing well and also that the hosts are on a poor streak... but they have nonetheless been respectable at home this season. 2-0
AI's outlook: 2-0
- Anfield, 15:00 GMT
This is a tough fixture to predict. The Reds have lost seven of their past 10 games in all competitions, but might they be one of the teams who benefit from the {international break|