Football Expert Sutton Battles Singer Murs in Top Flight Forecasts

Arsenal's ten-match winning run was ended by the Black Cats prior to the international break, but will the English top division frontrunners bounce back against local foes Tottenham this weekend?

"{I feel like Arsenal are miles ahead of Tottenham currently but Spurs manager Thomas Frank will have a plan for this match," remarked soccer expert Chris Sutton.

"Frank will attempt to neutralize Arsenal, who have not always been at their sparkling finest this season - but Mikel Arteta's side usually still find a way to win."

Sutton is forecasting results for all 380 Premier League games this season, against artificial intelligence, fans and a range of special visitors.

For the twelfth round, he faces singer Olly Murs, who is a United fan.

Murs' new record, Knees Up, is available on Friday.

Football and Family Experiences

Murs is a skilled footballer as well as a accomplished artist and has been a featured player of several Soccer Aid matches over time - but he is not intending a professional comeback as a player.

"{I recently played in a benefit match the other evening for a mate of mine," he said. "The side was trailing 3-1 when I was substituted in the second half, and they proceeded to win 4-3, so you can read into that what you want!

"I continue to love football, but I injured my joint a few years ago and it even now hasn't fully recovered. I wish I could play more but the unpredictability of the game means it's too risky for me in my profession to do it properly again.

"Plus I am 41 now, and we are not everyone is Cristiano Ronaldo, are we!? No, I am very content not playing football and I am preparing for the time that my daughter or son decides to play instead."

The singer and his spouse his partner have a young family, their daughter and Albert, and he is ready to follow in his father's footsteps by taking on the role of their manager.

"I will not force football on our kids but I've previously 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 likely be coaching their weekend soccer side," he added.

"I observed my relatives play a lot, and I truly got into it, and I obviously owned a football club for a period too.

"My dad coached with us when I was a child, which is probably where I inherited it. He managed our side for several seasons and had great fun with it. That could be the future for me as well, and I am excited to it!"

Top Division Forecasts

Saturday, 22 November

  • Turf Moor, 12:30 GMT

The Blues may have to be patient for Cole Palmer's return from injury but their offense is now stronger with Joao Pedro and Liam Delap both back fit.

In my opinion this fixture will be fairly close, though. Burnley are disciplined and their sole at Turf Moor losses so far have been against Liverpool and Arsenal.

It smells of a one-all draw to me, but I am actually going to choose Chelsea to win narrowly for what would be their third consecutive Premier League win in a row.

Sutton's forecast: 1-2

Olly's pick: Chelsea will be superior. 1-3

AI's outlook: 0-2

  • Vitality Stadium, 15:00 GMT

Bournemouth have lost their past two games - although both of them were on the road - but they got thoroughly beaten by Villa last time out which shocked me.

In contrast, the Hammers secured two in a row before the hiatus and, although both of those fixtures were at their stadium, they do look competitive again.

West Ham's only away win this season came at Forest in August, when their manager Nuno was still that team's coach.

Therefore, what on earth do I predict here - will it be the Hammers extending their run under their manager, or Bournemouth bouncing back?

I am going to go with the Cherries, because I think what occurred against Aston Villa was a blip.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

The guest's prediction: Bournemouth are doing well but the visitors have improved under Nuno. 2-2

AI's pick: 1-1

  • Amex Stadium, 15:00 GMT

The Bees were seen as one of the favourites for relegation before the season began, but they have surprised a few people under their manager and are in fine fettle with three in their past four games.

A family member told me to select Brentford forward Igor Thiago in my Fantasy Football team a few weeks ago and, guess what, I ignored the advice.

The forward will probably score again on Saturday but I am nonetheless not going to select him or support Brentford at Amex Stadium.

They have not had much success on the road this term, and Brighton are consistently strong at their stadium. Brentford will try to attack on the counter-attack but I think the home manager's side pose much more of a danger.

Sutton's forecast: 2-1

The singer's view: This could be a match where you expect there is going to be a lot of goals but it in reality proves to be rather close. 1-1

The computer's prediction: 2-1

  • Craven Cottage, 15:00 GMT

This is a huge game for the Cottagers, who have lost five of their past six matches.

They have have plenty of talent in their squad but it nonetheless feels like they could be sucked into a drop zone battle.

Regarding the Black Cats, well they are the surprise package of the top flight season so far.

Their display in the 2-2 draw with the Gunners last time out was superb. We've not seen any other team disrupt the Gunners like that this term, and Sunderland were fully competitive for them.

The logical choice would be to back the Black Cats here, because they are clearly able of roughing Fulham up too and, the previous occasion they were in west London, they beat Chelsea at the end of October.

But I am not choose that. Instead, I really need to continue opposing Sunderland with my predictions. I am claiming a lot of credit for their positive results because they evidently love to prove me wrong.

Considering Fulham's at Craven Cottage form, the only side they have lost to is the league leaders. Their manager's team will be extremely eager for a good result, so I am going to predict they will secure three points.

The expert's prediction: 1-0

The guest's choice: I'm aware the visitors are performing strongly and also that the hosts are on a poor run... but they have nonetheless been decent at home this campaign. 2-0

AI's outlook: 2-0

  • Anfield, 15:00 GMT

This is a hard fixture to call. The Reds have suffered seven of their last ten matches in all competitions, but could they be among the teams who profit from the {international break|

Julie Bryant
Julie Bryant

A senior software engineer with over a decade of experience in full-stack development and a passion for sharing knowledge through technical writing.