Dapo Olajuwon’s EPL prediction: Game Week 27

11-03-2023

🍒 BOURNEMOUTH VS LIVERPOOL 🔴 

These two teams’ performances caught me off guard last weekend. I didn’t expect much from them but they performed beyond my expectations. Bournemouth nearly took something away from Arsenal last time out until the final seconds of the game after they went two goals up and such a defeat is heartbreaking. I would like to see how they react to it here. Liverpool, on the other hand, ripped Man Utd apart by putting 7 goals past the Red Devils. It was a very big win so far the biggest win in the Premier League this season. Like I’ve been saying, the Reds season campaign is having a turnaround at this time and I can feel strongly that they are in the race for the top four. They will be full of confidence here and the quality difference between them and the Cherries is a factor. 

PREDICTION: 2 

TIP: BOU 0-3 LIV

RESULT: BOU 1-0 LIV

🔵 EVERTON VS BRENTFORD 🐝 

Everton couldn’t keep their nerves against Nott. Forest last time out after they took the 1-2 lead, went on to concede another goal and settled for a 2-2 draw. The Toffees don’t score many goals; they have never scored three goals in a match under Sean Dyche and I can confidently say that two goals will not be enough for Everton to beat Brentford. We saw what the Bees did to Fulham last time out. Brentford are now on a 12 games unbeaten run, the longest they’ve ever had in top-flight football. This has enhanced their performance and confidence and I think they will extend their unbeaten run here. 

PREDICTION: 2X 

TIP: EVE 2-3 BRE

RESULT: EVE 1-0 BRE

⚪ LEEDS UTD VS BRIGHTON 🐦 

After some period of a goal drought, Brighton broke the jinx against West Ham last time out where they put 4 goals past the Hammers. Kaoru Mitoma, Solly March, Alexis Mac Allister, and others came to the party and the goals rolled in. They will be going into this one with confidence and I believe they will get something out of this game even though Leeds Utd have been disciplined at the back. Leeds Utd are having a problem upfront and they can’t score goals at the moment. I don’t know how you can win a game if you can’t score goals. I just can’t see them beating the Seagulls here. 

PREDICTION: 2X 

TIP: LEE 1-2 BHA

RESULT: LEE 2-2 BHA

🦊 LEICESTER VS CHELSEA 🔵 

Leicester have lost three consecutive games and have failed to score a goal – they lost 3-0 against Man Utd, 0-1 against Arsenal, and 1-0 against Southampton respectively. Last time out against Southampton, Kelechi Iheanacho had a bad day, missed clear-cut chances which could have won them the game, and the manager, Brendan Rodgers didn’t take him off. I wondered what he was thinking and I heard the commentator slam the striker saying he was not worth playing in the Premier League. It was an awful performance from the Foxes and I’m sure it frustrated the fans, commentators, and also the pundits who made a case for them. Once I see Iheanacho in the starting XI again ahead of Jamie Vardy, I would say there won’t be goals for Leicester. Vardy might be old but he is still always a handful and doesn’t miss such chances Iheanacho missed last time out. Chelsea, on the other hand, are beginning to wake up after securing a 1-0 victory against Leeds Utd last weekend and a 2-0 win against Dortmund in the midweek to see them go through to the Champions League Quarter-final. This will help their confidence going forward and I, for once in a few weeks, think the Blues will score goals and get a win here but I will still have one of my legs out of their circle. 

PREDICTION: 2X 

TIP: LEI 1-2 CHE

RESULT: LEI 1-3 CHE

⚪ TOTTENHAM VS NOTT. FOREST 🎄 

Nott. Forest are one of the most resilient teams in the Premier League this season to be candid. We have seen them pick up point(s) in unexpected events and with about 12 games to go, I think they will be in the #PL next season. They have been competitive and difficult to beat, and have shown us that you have to be on top of your game if you are going to beat them. This boils down to Tottenham that’s got me full of doubt. Can Tottenham beat them at home? Because Tottenham are the most inconsistent among the big six and one of the most inconsistent team in the #PL. They’ve been eliminated from the Champions League by AC Milan on Wednesday night and I think this should do them a favor to focus on finishing well in the league. I expect them to get something out of this game at all costs. 

PREDICTION: 1X 

TIP: TOT 2-1 NFO

RESULT: TOT 3-1 NFO

🦅 CRYSTAL PALACE VS MAN CITY 💎 

Crystal Palace are one of those teams like Aston Villa that usually cause Man City pain but we haven’t seen much of them this season. It looks like they have got one missing piece throughout this season (a Conor Gallagher of last season) and recently they’ve got a problem scoring goals. I think Patrick Vieira will be keen to approach this game the way he did against Liverpool where it ended 0-0. Man City, on the other hand, got a good win against Newcastle last time out and I think Nathan Aké and Ruben Dias deserve some praise for their superb defensive duties. I think all Man City need to do here is to maintain that defensive discipline and not give away any chances to Palace, then find a way to break through the Eagles, get a few goals to bag 3 points, and keep a tab on the Gunners for the title race. 

PREDICTION: 2X 

TIP: CRY 1-2 MCI

RESULT: CRY 0-1 MCI

12-03-2023

⚪ FULHAM VS ARSENAL 🔴 

Fulham were hard done by Brentford last time out. They couldn’t get the equalizer till they ran out of time but they had a good performance. I don’t know when Mitrovic will end his goal drought or is he not well-fed by his teammates? Marco Silva needs to find a solution to get him to score goals again. Arsenal went out of the way to grind out the result last time out against Bournemouth and the final-minute celebration was wide. It was like a league-winning celebration and it is worth it and I was so impressed. I must commend Mikel Arteta for the brilliant substitutions he made to win that game; it shows clearly that he knows his team players and what he’s doing and goes to the game they played against Sporting CP in the Europa League on Thursday night. Having such a mentality going into this one tells you that “I will go out there and get my thing no matter what”. They will face a good fight here and I believe they will come out victorious again anyway. 

PREDICTION: 2X 

TIP: FUL 1-2 ARS

RESULT: FUL 0-3 ARS

👹 MAN UTD VS SOUTHAMPTON ⛔ 

This has to be the right game for Man Utd to get back from the 7-0 humiliation they received from Liverpool at Anfield – their biggest loss ever just after winning a trophy. I’m sure it is a game they will be trying so hard to forget and we will get a reaction from them here. Southampton surprised me with a win over Leicester last time out – one chance, one goal and that’s it; 3 points in the bag. They are defending well under Rubén Sellés but they might be conceding more goals here because Man Utd will be all out to hunt in the league and send a message to their fans after being ripped apart. We all saw how they hunted Real Betis down on Thursday night in the Europa League. I think they will continue from where they left off. 

PREDICTION: 1 

TIP: MUN 3-0 SOU

RESULT: MUN 0-0 SOU

⚒️ WEST HAM VS ASTON VILLA 🦁 

If Brighton were to break their goal-scoring jinx, I wasn’t expecting to be against West Ham. The Hammers shipped in 4 goals against the Seagulls without responding at all; this tells you how inconsistent West Ham United are. The West Ham board is already eyeing Middlesbrough manager, Michael Carrick in case they part ways with David Moyes and this tells me that there are troubles at the London club. I won’t be surprised if they concede many goals here too because Aston Villa are a team that loves to score now. The Lions know how to grind out their results and we saw it last time out against Crystal Palace. I think there will be goals here. 

PREDICTION: Over 1.5 

TIP: WHU 1-1 ASV

RESULT: WHU 1-1 ASV

⚫ NEWCASTLE VS WOLVES 🐺 

Newcastle have now lost 3 consecutive games for the first time this season. Eddie Howe and his boys will be keen on preventing a fourth consecutive loss as they play at home. I watched them against Man City last time out and they were quite average – the moment they conceded the second goal, they were panicking. It occurred to me like they’ve returned to their old sleeves but I think they will be different here. Wolves, on the other hand, kept it late and got a win against Tottenham last time out. They weren’t spectacular but they got their win. This will be a real challenge for them and I can’t see them crossing the line. If they do well to match the Magpies’ pace and intensity, I think they can get a draw. 

PREDICTION: 1X 

TIP: NEW 1-0 WOL

RESULT: NEW 2-1 WOL

Dapo Olajuwon’s EPL prediction stats

Total Prediction: 246 

Correct Outcome: 174 

Correct Score: 22 📌