Premier League predictions: City, Liverpool and Arsenal to win as title race intensifies

It promises to be another consequential weekend of Premier League action as the 2023/24 season hurtles towards its conclusion. The three-way title battle continues with Arsenal set for the trickiest assignment of the contenders. Mikel Arteta's side were held 2-2 at home by Bayern Munich in the Champions League in midweek and now host top-four aspirants Aston Villa in the late game on Sunday. Title rivals Manchester City and Liverpool seemingly have things a little bit easier, with Pep Guardiola's side hosting Luton Town and Jurgen Klopp's Reds welcoming Crystal Palace to Anfield. Most of the relegation battlers are in action on Saturday but Everton – deducted a further two points by the Premier League for a second PSR breach – travel to Stamford Bridge to face Mauricio Pochettino's dysfunctional Chelsea on Monday night. See below for predictions for every Premier League game this weekend. Newcastle stretched their unbeaten run to three matches with a gritty 1-0 win at Fulham last weekend. The Magpies are still a strong proposition on home soil and are unbeaten in five at St James' Park. Tottenham are also unbeaten in three although they had to ride their luck as they beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 at home last Sunday. Ange Postecoglou's side aren't the best travellers, however, and some may have bad memories of this fixture having been hammered 6-1 on Tyneside last season. Spurs are unlikely to suffer another such humiliation and look good for a point given Newcastle's lengthy list of injuries. Prediction: Newcastle 1 Tottenham 1. Brentford remain on the fringes of the relegation battle after their winless run extended to nine when they battled to a draw at Aston Villa last weekend. Like the Bees, Sheffield United looked set for three points last time out but ultimately had to settle for a draw with Chelsea. The Blades have been more competitive in recent weeks but relegation appears a formality. Brentford will have targeted this fixture as must-win as they look to ease their own fears. Prediction: Brentford 2 Sheffield United 1. After going unbeaten for four league games, Burnley were poor as they were beaten by Everton at Goodison Park . The Clarets' improved form had been cause for optimism, but Vincent Kompany's team remain on course for relegation back to the Championship. Brighton, meanwhile, have been mediocre in recent months and have fallen to 10th place in the table. They are due a decent performance and it might just come here against a Burnley side who will leave gaps. Prediction: Burnley 1 Brighton 2. Manchester City were impressive as they came from behind to beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last Saturday, before playing out a pulsating 3-3 draw with Real Madrid in midweek. Pep Guardiola's side remain a point behind league leaders Arsenal and second-placed Liverpool but a win here would crank up the pressure. Luton, meanwhile, secured a massive win at home to Bournemouth last weekend but will surely be overpowered at the Etihad Stadium. Prediction: Manchester City 4 Luton Town 1. Forest have been showing signs of life and grabbed a big three points against Fulham before giving a decent account of themselves in losing to Spurs. They remain deep in trouble though and will need to make the most of their home games - starting on Saturday. Wolves are now without a win in four after a controversial home defeat to West Ham. Forest have some attacking firepower and could edge to a big win here. Prediction: Nottingham Forest 2 Wolves 1. Bournemouth were beaten late in the game at Luton last weekend and will be happy to be back at home where they are typically much stronger. The Cherries will be delighted to sit clear of relegation trouble and will view this as a bit of a free hit against a vulnerable United side who always allow the opposition chances. Erik ten Hag's team look set for a disappointing sixth-placed finish, with a spot in the Europa League or Conference League most likely. They have quality in attack but are far too open when they lose possession and at times have a questionable work ethic. Prediction: Bournemouth 2 Man United 2. Liverpool were beaten 3-0 by Atalanta in the Europa League in midweek. The Serie A side are a quality outfit but to see Klopp's side thrashed at Anfield is still quite jarring. With that result following the draw at Old Trafford last weekend , the Reds could do with a win to get things back on track. Step forward Crystal Palace. Palace have little to play for, with new coach Oliver Glasner using the remainder of the season to bed his ideas in, including a switch to a 4-3-3. They played well in defeat against Manchester City last time out but it's hard to envisage anything other than a home victory here. Prediction: Liverpool 2 Crystal Palace 0. West Ham's top scorer Jarrod Bowen looks likely to miss this game as well as their Europa League second leg tie with Bayer Leverkusen. The Hammers were beaten 2-0 by the Bundesliga leaders at the BayArena in midweek. Fulham looked to be finding some form before they fell to lacklustre defeats against Nottingham Forest and then Newcastle last weekend. Neither side has been particularly convincing in the Premier League of late, and while West Ham fans will be expecting victory, they might have to settle for a point. Prediction: West Ham 1 Fulham 1. Some costly individual errors crept into Arsenal's game in their 2-2 Champions League draw with Bayern Munich which hurt a Gunners team that has looked especially well-drilled in the second half of the campaign. This looks a tricky test with former boss Unai Emery returning to the Emirates Stadium. Aston Villa beat them at Villa Park before Christmas, but then again, it has been Villa's away form that has held them back at times. The visitors always look like scoring but they have had some defensive issues of late, conceding three against Brentford last weekend. Arsenal should be able to grind out an important win. Prediction: Arsenal 2 Aston Villa 1. Everton are a tough watch. The Toffees have very little creativity in midfield and their wingers are too busy playing full-back to provide any decent service to starved frontman Dominic Calvert-Lewin. That said, they do defend well, with Jarrad Branthwaite emerging as their outstanding player this term. That, along with their prowess at set-pieces, should give them a chance of taking something against a Chelsea team that would be absolutely lost without the outstanding Cole Palmer. Prediction: Chelsea 1 Everton 1.

Premier League predictions: City, Liverpool and Arsenal to win as title race intensifies

We pick out the winners and losers from the latest round of English top-flight fixtures