Dan’s EPL Predictions week 26 – Arsenal and Man City to win

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·9 February 2026

Dan’s EPL Predictions week 26 – Arsenal and Man City to win

Chelsea 2-1 Leeds

If I’m a Chelsea fan watching Cole Palmer score a hat trick at Wolves, I would be thinking, ‘Why not start him at the Emirates instead?’ The club continues to be vague about what issue is stopping the midfielder from starting more than once a week.

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The 23-year-old hinted on Saturday that he is not 100 per cent fit, leaving uncertainty over whether he will start on Tuesday. Most managers would prioritise midweek and then rest him in the FA Cup. That indicates Liam Rosenoir is being advised by his medical staff on when players can play and for how long. That is one reason Maresca wanted to leave Stamford Bridge.

England needs Palmer to prove his body can cope with a schedule of a game every few days. Palmer at 100 per cent elevates both club and country. He is that good.

My prediction assumes he comes off the bench after an hour.

Everton 1-1 Cherries

Last month, for the first time this season, the Cherries might have started to look over their shoulders.

Iraola has done brilliantly to put together a 5-game unbeaten run, calming things on the South Coast.

Suddenly they have the likes of Kroupi, Aldli and now Rayan continuing where Semenyo left off.

Eventually, selling your best talent and replacing them with hidden gems will catch up with you, but not this year.

Whisper it quietly, the Toffees go above Liverpool if they win. Who would have said that in the summer?

Spurs 1-0 Newcastle

This is difficult to predict because confidence appears at rock bottom at both clubs.

When that happens, you need to rely on the leaders in your squad. It is not a great sign for Spurs when their captain receives another red card in the same week he questions his employers for leaving the dressing room short of numbers. Yes, Romero is a World Cup winner, but anyone who remembers Qatar 2022 will recall Argentina defending with emotion. In other words, do not confuse being a world champion with being world-class.

Spurs might actually feel disadvantaged at home because it will not take much for fans to turn on them. Yet they need the points more than Newcastle and might be boosted by learning at half-time that West Ham lost earlier in the evening, which could spur their second-half performance.

Is anyone else concerned this could be Thomas Frank’s final game as Tottenham boss, meaning they have a new manager’s bounce for the NLD?

West Ham 1-2 Man United

If Michael Carrick secures his 5th consecutive victory, he can significantly hurt his former club.

At a time when so many managers overcomplicate the situation, an interim boss is being rewarded for playing talent in their natural positions and returning to basics.

When West Ham lost to Forest a month ago, they were 7 points from safety. Win on Tuesday, and they will be level on points with 17th.

The Hammers are showing a fight few expected. Does anyone else feel that in moments like this, they miss the atmosphere of Upton Park? I know most Iron fans do.

Aston Villa 0-1 Brighton

In the last two games at Villa Park, Villa struggled to create chances. It was as if the pressure of the title race affected their famous stadium, and on the pitch there are insufficient leaders to respond appropriately.

Now 9 points behind Arsenal, with Unai Emery constantly offering perspective, perhaps they can play with more freedom again.

I am not so sure. I think Villa would prefer this fixture away from home.

Crystal Palace 1-0 Burnley

If relegation were decided by being run off the pitch, the Eagles would probably deserve to be in the bottom three!

For some time, I suggested Steve Parish might be relieved they accumulated enough early points to ease survival worries. In situations where a win is required, you would not trust them at present.

Their next two Premier League fixtures are at home to the bottom two clubs. That is their golden opportunity to secure safety.

That, of course, brings its own pressure because Selhurst Park can become anxious quickly.

If they cannot win at least one of these two games, they are in trouble, and their best hope would be that other clubs do not catch them.

Man City 2-1 Fulham

I had pencilled this in last weekend as potentially crucial in the title race.

Most focused on the narrative of what would happen if City dropped points, but what if they won?

Pep Guardiola is a winner, so he will not give up until it is mathematically impossible. He has a core group of players who understand how quickly narratives can shift, which is why they will believe they can still be champions after Sunday. With ten minutes remaining, their boss was slumped in his seat, and in Bernardo Silva’s words, a defeat might have ended the title race. Achieving what they did at Anfield takes courage and may be a moment we reflect on at season’s end.

A nine-point gap means City start every game knowing they must be flawless.

Six points, and suddenly in their dressing room they are saying, ‘We win on Wednesday, and send Arsenal to Brentford the next day with the gap reduced to three points!’

That is how rapidly top-level sport can change.

Forest 1-1 Wolves

Forest could start level on points with West Ham. That gap was seven points a month ago. Equally, they could have a chance to go seven points clear.

It is not in Sean Dyche’s comfort zone to have to win. He prefers to set up a team with something to protect. He will not be comfortable playing the team at the bottom because that implies an expectation to win.

Because I predict the Hammers and Leeds to slip up the day before, he will be content with a draw on Wednesday.

Sunderland 0-0 Liverpool

Naturally, most of the conversation on Sunday was about how the Anfield result impacted the title race.

It overshadowed the fact that Liverpool are struggling to qualify for the Champions League. Who would have thought in the summer that we would be saying this in February?

They could start Wednesday eight points behind fourth place!

Even if fifth is enough, it could be seven points out of reach by Tuesday night. Everton could even be above them.

Having given so much physically and mentally at the weekend, I think it is asking a lot to go to the Stadium of Light three days later.

Brentford 1-2 Arsenal

Some Gooners will downplay the significance of Sunday, but others will feel uneasy because winning at Anfield in that manner impacts Man City.

Mikel Arteta would have watched, feeling one thing with ten minutes remaining, then the opposite at full time. An apprentice under Pep Guardiola, he understands what everyone at the Etihad would be feeling.

He must use all his man-management skills to ensure his players are not unsettled, as City kicking off midweek only six points behind is different from nine. For instance, when Liverpool led 1-0 at the weekend, a draw at Brentford would not have been disastrous for the Gunners.

The Bees have lost just once at home this season. Given who they lost in the summer, I expected them to struggle, so Keith Andrews has impressed me. As a former set-piece coach, he may be the only manager who can match Mikel Arteta at corners.

Seventh in the table, this is a free swing for Brentford.

This would be a tough fixture without the pressure of a title race. Yet Arsenal’s last two Premier League games were tricky, so they are earning trust that they can handle external noise.

As I write this, I fear we missed the chance to press City. The Carabao Final means our trip to Wolves has been moved forward. If Arsenal win their next two league games, we will be at least nine points clear. That is what leaders in our dressing room should be saying.

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Dan Smith

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