Premier League opening-weekend predictions: Chris Sutton vs Anthony Joshua & Eddie Hearn

[ad_1]

<!–<!–

Premier League opening-weekend predictions: Chris Sutton vs Anthony Joshua & Eddie Hearn – BBC Sport

<!–<!–
<!–<!–

<!–<!–

<!–<!–
<!–<!–

<!–<!–
<!–<!–
<!–<!–
<!–<!–

<!–<!–
<!–<!–
<!–<!–
<!–<!–
<!–<!–
<!–<!–
<!–<!–
<!–<!–
<!–<!–
<!–<!–

Last updated on 10 August 202310 August 2023.From the section Premier League

Chris Sutton has only just finished celebrating success with his Premier League predictions last season, but now it is already time to start the defence of his title.

Sutton faced off against a guest for each of the 38 game weeks in 2022-23 and, after an extremely slow start, eventually triumphed 21-15 (with two weeks ending in draws).

“The pressure is off me now,” Sutton said. “But I am a bit like Manchester City – I just want to keep on winning.”

Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches again this season, against a variety of rivals.

His opponents for the opening round of games are two-time world champion boxer Anthony Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn, who have a big occasion ahead of them this weekend.

Joshua fights Finland’s Robert Helenius at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday after Hearn arranged the fight at a week’s notice when original opponent Dillian Whyte failed a voluntary drugs test.

Sadly, we could not arrange for Sutton to face Joshua in the ring in Whyte’s place, so a battle over their score predictions will have to suffice.

Joshua was a talented footballer in his youth, playing a year above his age-group but still towering above his team-mates as a speedy centre-forward for Garston Boys, his local junior team in Watford.

He apparently did not do much else aside from scoring goals, but he says he managed to bag plenty, even if his finishing technique was not exactly textbook.

“I used to toe-punt it a lot back in the day,” Joshua told BBC Sport. “But not the way you might think with the ball veering off left or right. My toe punts were always spot on, but doing it so much has caused a bunion on my foot.

“I just loved playing with my mates every weekend and we had a great time together but I kind of lost touch with football as a teenager when I had different priorities.

“Instead of resting before games on Sunday, I would go out on Saturday and turn up tired – it wasn’t so much fun playing when I was shattered, and I kind of fell out of love with it.

“It was before I started boxing. That happened when I was 18, and I wanted to get fit again and then got into the competitive element as well.

“I think every kid – boys and girls – gets to play football at some stage but taking up any other sport comes down to what opportunities you have in your area.

“I like watching basketball, for example, but I never joined a club. I went to a boxing club near me, and doing that is so important in whatever sport you do, because it exposes you if you have a talent at something.

“When you’re younger, quite often other people see things in you that you don’t see in yourself. So, you might have got a coach who tells you ‘hang on a minute, you’ve got some talent’. By being exposed, someone might be able to see some potential.”

Anthony Joshua and Robert Helenius shake hands

As a boxing promoter and CEO of Matchroom, Hearn has a keen eye for sporting talent himself but he has made one wrong call, involving a certain Harry Kane.

Hearn was vice-chairman of Leyton Orient for a spell when his father Barry was the club’s chairman, and they took a teenage Kane on loan from Tottenham at the start of 2011.

He told BBC Sport: “We were trying to get in the play-off places in League One and my old man phoned up [then Spurs boss] Harry Redknapp and said ‘you’ve got to help us out, can’t you send us down any of your kids?’

“The year before they had loaned us Andros Townsend, who was absolutely unbelievable for us and everyone was like ‘this kid is going to be mega’.

“Harry was one of the nicest kids I had ever met, but he didn’t do so well. We just didn’t think he was going to cut it.

“He went back to Spurs at the end of the season but, while he was with us, we drew with Arsenal in the FA Cup and, as a reward for getting the replay, we took the whole team to Las Vegas that summer.

“Harry came along too. He was only 17 so he wasn’t old enough to get in everywhere, but we could have got him in if we’d tried. Instead, though, he would just have a little wander around and then go to bed at nine or 10 o’clock.

“We all thought ‘how boring is he?’, but then he rocks up and turns into one of the best England players of all time. I guess being a bit boring is one of the reasons why.”

When?	Result	Sutton	Joshua	Hearn
FRIDAY, 11 AUGUST
Burnley v Man City	x-x	0-2	0-4	1-4
SATURDAY, 12 AUGUST
Arsenal v Nott’m Forest	x-x	3-0	2-0	3-0
Bournemouth v West Ham	x-x	1-1	2-1	1-1
Brighton v Luton	x-x	2-0	0-1	2-0
Everton v Fulham	x-x	1-1	2-1	2-0
Sheff Utd v Crystal Palace	x-x	0-1	0-1	1-0
Newcastle v Aston Villa	x-x	2-1	2-1	4-0
SUNDAY, 13 AUGUST
Brentford v Tottenham	x-x	2-1	0-2	1-2
Chelsea v Liverpool	x-x	2-3	1-1	1-1
MONDAY, 14 AUGUST
Man Utd v Wolves	x-x	2-0	1-0	3-0

A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns 40 points.

SUTTON’S PREDICTIONS

All matches kick off at 15:00 BST unless otherwise stated.

FRIDAY, 11 AUGUST

Burnley v Man City

Burnley v Man City (20:00 BST)

Manchester City looked a bit undercooked in the Community Shield on Sunday. But they often start the season quite slowly, and we all know how they usually finish it.

This is still the champions we are talking about, though, and they have got so much quality in their squad.

I am fascinated by Burnley, because a lot of people seem to be thinking they will stay up, but I have got them going down.

I love what Clarets boss Vincent Kompany is doing and I loved the way they played in the Championship last year, but I think they will find it a lot more difficult if they try that brand of football in the top-flight.

This game will be closer than when they met in the FA Cup last season, when City won 6-0 at the Etihad with Erling Haaland getting a hat-trick.

Haaland hasn’t got a goal for City for six games now, going back to the end of last season, but I am expecting him to be back on the scoresheet at Turf Moor, even if Pep Guardiola’s side are not yet at full throttle.

Sutton’s prediction: 0-2

Joshua’s prediction: So, Erling Haaland scored 52 goals last season? He might have 62 by Saturday! 0-4

Hearn’s prediction: This is going to be tough for Burnley because City are coming out of the gates fast and they are going to be just as good as ever this season. 1-4

Oops you can’t see this activity!

To enjoy Newsround at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on.

SATURDAY, 12 AUGUST

Arsenal v Nottingham Forest

Arsenal v Nottingham Forest (12:30)

Nottingham Forest had the worst away record in the Premier League last season, with only one win, five draws and 11 goals from 19 games.

Steve Cooper did well to keep them up, and they haven’t had such a dramatic overhaul to their squad this summer as they did in 2022, but this looks like a very difficult start for them.

Arsenal are without injured striker Gabriel Jesus, so there are immediate questions about whether their £65m signing Kai Havertz will replace him, and whether he is a natural goalscorer.

I don’t think he is, but the Gunners will still have too much for Forest.

Mikel Arteta’s side will want to get off to an absolute flyer but, even if they do, I can’t see the celebrations being as wild as when they won the Community Shield/World Cup last weekend. I just hope their fans have recovered in time for this game.

Sutton’s prediction: 3-0

Joshua’s prediction: 2-0

Hearn’s prediction: We like Nottingham Forest because our fighter Leigh Wood is hopefully going to fight at the City Ground next summer, subject to him beating Josh Warrington in October, but I think we’re going to see a powerful start from Arsenal. 3-0

Oops you can’t see this activity!

To enjoy Newsround at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on.

Bournemouth v West Ham

New Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola comes in with a reputation for being a disciple of Marcelo Bielsa.

Based on what we’ve seen from him with Rayo Vallecano in Spain, his teams will be extremely high-pressing, but it’s going to be interesting to see if he’s been able to get his ideas about how he wants to play across to the Cherries squad in the weeks since he took charge.

Up until the last 24 hours or so, I was wondering what the hell was going on with West Ham, because they weren’t getting any transfers done. That seems to be changing, with various offers in and Edson Alvarez arriving from Ajax, but why leave it so late before the season starts?

It’s very unfair on West Ham boss David Moyes, because it is several weeks since the sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal was done and his squad is not where he wants it to be.

I can’t see Moyes coming out on the front foot here, so this could be quite a cagey affair. The Hammers will try to lure them in, then hit them on the counter. I actually have a sneaky feeling that they will nick it, but let’s go for a draw instead.

Sutton’s prediction: 1-1

Joshua’s prediction: 2-1

Hearn’s prediction: It’s going to be interesting to see West Ham without Declan Rice. I see Bournemouth vs West Ham as being like Harry Redknapp vs Harry Redknapp, but in terms of the score, we might see a bit of a stalemate. 1-1

Oops you can’t see this activity!

To enjoy Newsround at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on.

Brighton v Luton

Luton boss Rob Edwards was on BBC 5 Live this week speaking about how his side will have to adapt quickly.

The Hatters have signed Ross Barkley, but they haven’t gone mad with recruitment over the summer in terms of the number of new arrivals, and they haven’t spent a great deal either.

Edwards was speaking about bringing in players who can play in transition, and counter attack at pace, but all things considered I think they are going to find it tough in the top flight.

Brighton had a great season last time out but they are going to find it tougher, too. They have already lost Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool – will they be able to hold on to Moses Caicedo? Because they will miss him badly too if he goes.

Roberto de Zerbi’s side are not going to surprise anyone this season, either. They love teams to come on to them and press them, which Luton won’t do, but I think the Seagulls will have too much firepower for them.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-0

Joshua’s prediction: 0-1

Hearn’s prediction: I can’t believe Brighton and Luton are both in the Premier League. There were people watching the game up trees outside the stadium when Brighton played at the Withdean Stadium and we went there with Orient a few years ago – now look at them, at the Amex. Like Brentford, these are teams that we used to play all the time in the lower divisions but they went one way and we went the other. The Seagulls are established in the top flight now, but I think Luton are going to struggle. 2-0

Oops you can’t see this activity!

To enjoy Newsround at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on.

Everton v Fulham

This is very hard to call.

Everton’s season really depends on Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and his injury record isn’t great.

In the past couple of seasons, he’s never really got into his rhythm up front but they are not free scoring and he has got to carry them in that department.

Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic threw his toys out of the pram when he wasn’t allowed to move to Saudi Arabia earlier in the summer but his future is still uncertain.

Will we see a motivated Mitrovic at Goodison Park, or will we not see him at all?

Sutton’s prediction: 1-1

Joshua’s prediction: 2-1

Hearn’s prediction: My old mate Tony Bellew has not had a good time of it following Everton recently, but I actually think they will have a better season this time. 2-0

Oops you can’t see this activity!

To enjoy Newsround at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on.

Sheff Utd v Crystal Palace

Sheffield United are not exactly back in the big time with a bang because, since getting promoted, they have sold all their best players.

The Blades may bring players in before the end of the transfer window but their business so far has been very odd. Their fans must be on a bit of a downer and the manager Paul Heckingbottom has got his work cut out to keep them up.

They were quite a powerful team in the Championship and they were very well organised, but will they have the quality they will need to go with their commitment if they are going to stay up? I’m not convinced they will.

Crystal Palace are starting life without their talisman, Wilfried Zaha, following his move to Turkey and they will be looking to Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise to step up.

They might not be as free scoring as they were at the end of last season but I still think they Eagles will get the win.

Sutton’s prediction: 0-1

Joshua’s prediction: 0-1

Hearn’s prediction: 1-0

Oops you can’t see this activity!

To enjoy Newsround at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on.

Newcastle v Aston Villa

Newcastle v Aston Villa (17:30)

Newcastle’s biggest problem is the expectation around them this season when they have to balance the Premier League with their Champions League fixtures.

Everyone seems to be getting excited about Aston Villa too – they will be playing European football as well in the Europa Conference League and, with Unai Emery in charge, they must be one of the favourites to win that.

This should be a really good game, and I am going to back Newcastle to win it. They were phenomenal at home last season, only losing twice, and I think they will hit the ground running this time.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-1

Joshua’s prediction: 2-1

Hearn’s prediction: Newcastle are going to have a great season and I can see them making a statement here. 4-0

Oops you can’t see this activity!

To enjoy Newsround at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on.

SUNDAY, 13 AUGUST

Brentford v Tottenham

Brentford v Tottenham (14:00)

If Harry Kane leaves Tottenham for Bayern Munich now, on the eve of the season, he has stuffed new Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou.

People will say the timing is down to Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, but surely Kane could have been a bit more transparent about whether he wanted to stay or go if the right bid came in.

If it were the latter, Postecoglu could have used someone different up front in last weekend’s friendly against Shakhtar Donetsk, when Kane was captain.

What’s happening at Spurs is a hard enough situation for Postecoglou to walk into anyway, and they might be in for a turbulent first few weeks of the season, but I think their fans will love him eventually.

If you look at where he has worked previously, he has an unwavering belief in the brand of football he wants to play, and he has an incredible record of turning clubs around while playing front-foot football.

He just needs time, if he gets it, and more players in who suit his style – inverted full-backs and centre-halves who are really mobile and good passers of the ball, and comfortable in one-on-one situations. And of course Kane would leave a hole of at least 20 goals a season to fill if he does go.

Brentford are difficult opponents anyway, let alone when your squad is not really ready for them.

The Bees are streetwise and awkward, and dangerous even without suspended striker Ivan Toney, who cannot play again until January 2024.

It is the small details that make the difference for Thomas Frank’s side – the long throws and the set-pieces.

There were questions asked of them in their first season in the Premier League and they ticked every box. It was the same in their second season, and I am expecting it to be the same this time too.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-1

Joshua’s prediction: 0-2

Hearn’s prediction: Before Orient, Tottenham were my team and I am not going to back against them. 1-2

Oops you can’t see this activity!

To enjoy Newsround at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on.

Chelsea v Liverpool

Chelsea v Liverpool (16:30)

This is another game where I don’t really have much of a clue what to expect, especially from Chelsea.

Mauricio Pochettino has been unlucky to see Christopher Nkunku arrive and then get injured but it seems like the Blues are still looking to sign more players, and Liverpool are surely going to do the same.

I don’t see all the players leaving Stamford Bridge over the summer as being a problem, because not too many of them had a sensational season last time.

They still have lots of very good players and it’s just a question of how long Pochettino takes to find a settled side. Maybe Nicolas Jackson will end up being the man to step up and score the goals they need.

Liverpool’s defence is their worry, because there are plenty of goals in their team. We might see a few at both ends at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-3

Joshua’s prediction: 1-1

Hearn’s prediction: I think Chelsea are going to struggle again this year. I’ll give them a draw here though. 1-1

Oops you can’t see this activity!

To enjoy Newsround at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on.

MONDAY, 14 AUGUST

Man Utd v Wolves

Man Utd v Wolves (20:00)

What has happened at Wolves for Julen Lopetegui to leave when he did? I don’t get it.

He was unhappy – I understand that – but it was rumbling on for weeks so how did we get to this point, with him going only three days before the Premier League season begins?

If club and manager are not on the same page, why can’t they come to an agreement earlier to part ways, and give his replacement a chance? What a mess, basically.

Gary O’Neil did an unbelievable salvage job at Bournemouth last season, and they played some good football at the end of the campaign , but this is another tough task for him.

Wolves still have some good players, but they won’t be good enough to get anything at Old Trafford, and their issue is still going to be scoring goals.

I’m really interested to see what Manchester United do this season, after what they’ve done in the transfer market over the summer.

I asked ex-United keeper Peter Schmeichel what counts as a successful campaign when I was on BBC 5 Live with him this week, because I don’t think they can catch City and challenge for the title.

Schmeichel is impressed with their new striker, Denmark international Rasmus Hojlund. He’s had an astonishing rise so it is a shame that he will miss the start of the season through injury and not get the chance to hit the ground running.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-0

Joshua’s prediction: 1-0

Hearn’s prediction: United made an awful start last season, so they really need to make a statement here and start bullying teams at Old Trafford. 3-0

Oops you can’t see this activity!

To enjoy Newsround at its best you will need to have JavaScript turned on.

Everything you need to know about your Premier League team banner BBC Sport banner footer

Jets star Brandon Marshall wins civil assault suit

D’Brickashaw Ferguson thanks fans in retirement letter

Myers: Ferguson leaving money, saving health in retirement

Jets trade for Broncos' Ryan Clady to replace D’Brickashaw

Advocate blasts Greg Hardy’s clueless, harmful stance

SUTTON’S PREDICTIONS

FRIDAY, 11 AUGUST

Burnley v Man City (20:00 BST)

Oops you can’t see this activity!

SATURDAY, 12 AUGUST

Arsenal v Nottingham Forest (12:30)

Oops you can’t see this activity!

Bournemouth v West Ham

Oops you can’t see this activity!

Brighton v Luton

Oops you can’t see this activity!

Everton v Fulham

Oops you can’t see this activity!

Sheff Utd v Crystal Palace

Oops you can’t see this activity!

Newcastle v Aston Villa (17:30)

Oops you can’t see this activity!

SUNDAY, 13 AUGUST

Brentford v Tottenham (14:00)

Oops you can’t see this activity!

Chelsea v Liverpool (16:30)

Oops you can’t see this activity!

MONDAY, 14 AUGUST

Man Utd v Wolves (20:00)

Oops you can’t see this activity!

Top Stories

Related Posts

Reply

Cancel reply

Man Utd scrapped LGBTQ+ jacket plans

Scotland's golden generation miss their golden hour

Football's lack of unity for rainbow gesture – what does it mean?