Football Expert Chris Sutton Takes On Singer Olly Murs in Premier League Predictions
Arsenal's ten-match victorious run was ended by the Black Cats prior to the international hiatus, however will the English top division leaders 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 game," remarked football expert Chris Sutton.
"The Spurs manager will try to nullify Arsenal, who have not always been at their sparkling finest this campaign - but Mikel Arteta's side typically still manage to win."
The analyst is forecasting results for all 380 Premier League games this term, versus AI, readers and a variety of guests.
In week 12, he faces singer Olly Murs, who is a Manchester United supporter.
Murs' latest record, Knees Up, is out on Friday.
Football and Parenting Life
Olly is a talented soccer player as well as a accomplished artist and has been a star of several charity football games over time - but he is not intending a professional comeback as a player.
"{I recently played in a benefit match the other night for a friend of mine," he said. "The side was trailing 3-1 when I came off in the second half, and they proceeded to win 4-3, so you can interpret that what you will!
"I still love football, but I injured 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 profession to do it properly again.
"Additionally I am forty-one now, and we are not all Cristiano Ronaldo, are we!? No, I am very happy not playing football and I am preparing for the time that my daughter or son chooses to play instead."
Murs and his spouse Amelia Tank have two children, Madison and Albert, and he is ready to emulate his dad by taking on the role of their coach.
"I won't force football on our kids but I've previously told Amelia that if they do get the bug for it then I will have to go and get my coaching badges - and I will likely be coaching their weekend football team," he said.
"I observed my nephews play a lot, and I really got into it, and I obviously owned a soccer team for a while too.
"My dad did it with us when I was a child, which is probably where I get it from. He coached our team for two or three years and had a wonderful time with it. That could be the next step for me as well, and I am looking forward to it!"
Top Division Forecasts
Weekend, 22 November
- Turf Moor, 12:30 GMT
The Blues might have to wait a bit longer for Cole Palmer's return from injury but their offense is already more potent with Pedro and Liam Delap both returned to fitness.
I still think this game will be quite tight, though. The Clarets are disciplined and their only at Turf Moor defeats so far have been against Liverpool and the Gunners.
This smells of a one-all draw 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 prediction: 1-2
The singer's pick: The Blues will be too strong. 1-3
AI's prediction: 0-2
- Vitality Stadium, 15:00 GMT
Bournemouth have been defeated in their previous couple games - although 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, West Ham won back-to-back victories before the hiatus and, although both of those games were at their stadium, they appear competitive again.
West Ham's only away win this season came at Forest in the summer, when West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo was previously Forest coach.
So, what on earth do I go with here - will it be West Ham continuing their streak under their manager, or Bournemouth bouncing back?
I will go with Bournemouth, because I think what happened against Villa was a blip.
The pundit's forecast: 2-0
The guest's prediction: The home team are doing well but the visitors have picked up under their boss. 2-2
The algorithm's prediction: 1-1
- Amex Stadium, 15:00 GMT
The Bees were considered one of the frontrunners for relegation before the campaign began, but they have surprised a few observers under Keith Andrews and are in good form with three in their past four matches.
My son advised me to select Bees striker Thiago in my Fantasy Football squad a few weeks back and, guess what, I ignored the advice.
Thiago will probably find the net again on Saturday but I am still not going to select him or support the away side at Brighton's ground.
The Bees have not had great fortune on the road this season, and the Seagulls are consistently strong at home. The visitors will attempt to hit them on the counter-attack but I feel Fabian Hurzeler's team pose much more of a danger.
The analyst's forecast: 2-1
Olly's prediction: It could be one of those games where you think there is going to be a many goals but it in reality proves to be quite tight. 1-1
The computer's outcome: 2-1
- Craven Cottage, 15:00 GMT
This is a massive game for the Cottagers, who have suffered defeat in five of their last six games.
They have got plenty of talent in their team but it still seems like they could be sucked into a drop zone fight.
As for Sunderland, well they are the surprise package of the Premier League campaign so far.
The away side's display in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal last time out was superb. We've not witnessed any other team rough up the North London side like that this term, and they were fully competitive for them.
The sensible thing would be to back the Black Cats here, because they are obviously capable of roughing the hosts up too and, the last time they were in this part of London, they defeated Chelsea at the close of last month.
However I am not going to choose that. Rather, I really need to continue going against the away team with my predictions. I am taking a lot of responsibility for their positive outcomes because they evidently enjoy to prove me wrong.
Considering the home side's home form, the sole team they have lost to is Arsenal. Marco Silva's side will be extremely eager for a positive result, so I am going to predict they will pick up three much-needed points.
The expert's prediction: 1-0
Olly's prediction: I'm aware Sunderland are performing strongly and also that Fulham are on a poor run... but Fulham have still been respectable at home this season. 2-0
The algorithm's prediction: 2-0
- Anfield, 15:00 GMT
This is a tough one to predict. The Reds have lost seven of their last ten games in all competitions, but could they be one of the sides who profit from the {international break|