Soccer Analyst Sutton Battles Singer Olly Murs in Top Flight Predictions
Arsenal's 10-game victorious streak was ended by the Black Cats before the international break, but will the Premier League leaders recover against north London rivals Spurs this weekend?
"{I feel like Arsenal are miles ahead of Tottenham currently but Spurs manager Thomas Frank will have a strategy for this match," remarked soccer expert Chris Sutton.
"The Spurs manager will try to neutralize Arsenal, who have not always been at their scintillating finest this campaign - but Mikel Arteta's team typically still find a way to win."
The analyst is forecasting results for all 380 Premier League fixtures this season, versus artificial intelligence, readers and a variety of guests.
For the twelfth round, he faces singer Olly Murs, who is a Manchester United supporter.
Murs' new album, the new release, is available on Friday.
Soccer and Family Experiences
Murs is a talented soccer player as well as a successful artist and has been a featured player of multiple Soccer Aid matches over time - but he is not intending a serious comeback as a footballer.
"{I actually played in a charity game the other night for a friend of mine," he explained. "The team was trailing 3-1 when I came off in the second half, and they went on to win 4-3, so you can interpret that what you will!
"I still love football, but I injured my knee a few years ago and it even now hasn't fully recovered. I wish I could play more but the unpredictability of the game means it's too dangerous for me in my profession to do it properly again.
"Plus I am forty-one now, and we are not all Cristiano Ronaldo, are we!? No, I am very content not playing football and I am preparing for the time that my child or son chooses to play instead."
The singer and his spouse Amelia Tank have a young family, their daughter and Albert, and he is ready to follow in his father's footsteps by taking on the role of their coach.
"I won't force football on our kids but I've previously told my wife that if they happen to get the passion for it then I will have to go and get my coaching badges - and I will probably be managing their Saturday football team," he said.
"I watched my nephews play a lot, and I truly got into it, and I clearly owned a football club for a while too.
"My father coached with us when I was a child, which is probably where I get it from. He managed our team for several seasons and had great fun with it. That could be the next step for me as well, and I am excited to it!"
Top Division Predictions
Saturday, 22 November
- Turf Moor, 12:30 GMT
Chelsea may 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.
In my opinion this fixture will be fairly tight, however. Burnley are well organised and their only home losses so far have been against the Reds and the Gunners.
This suggests a one-all draw to me, but I am in fact going to go with the London side to win narrowly for what would be their third consecutive Premier League win in a row.
The expert's prediction: 1-2
Olly's pick: The Blues will be too strong. 1-3
AI's outlook: 0-2
- Vitality Stadium, 15:00 GMT
The Cherries have been defeated in their previous couple matches - albeit both of them were on the road - but they got thoroughly beaten by Aston Villa last time out which shocked me.
In contrast, the Hammers secured two in a row before the international break and, although both of those games were at their stadium, they do look strong again.
The Hammers' only away victory this season came at Nottingham Forest in the summer, when West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo was still Forest coach.
So, what exactly do I go with here - can the Hammers extending their run under their manager, or Bournemouth responding?
I will go with the Cherries, because I believe what happened against Aston Villa was a anomaly.
Sutton's prediction: 2-0
Olly's prediction: Bournemouth are doing well but West Ham have improved under Nuno. 2-2
AI's prediction: 1-1
- Amex Stadium, 15:00 GMT
The Bees were seen as one of the favourites for relegation before the season began, but they have impressed a several people under Keith Andrews and are in fine fettle with three wins in their past four games.
My son advised me to select Bees striker Thiago in my Fantasy Football squad a few weeks ago and, guess what, I ignored the advice.
Thiago will probably find the net again on the weekend but I am still not going to select him or back the away side at Brighton's ground.
The Bees have not had much success on the road this term, and Brighton are always decent at home. Brentford will try to hit them on the counter-attack but I think the home manager's team pose much more of a danger.
The analyst's prediction: 2-1
Olly's prediction: This could be a match where you expect there is going to be a lot of scores but it in reality proves to be rather close. 1-1
The computer's prediction: 2-1
- Craven Cottage, 15:00 GMT
It is a huge fixture for the Cottagers, who have suffered defeat in five of their past six games.
They have got plenty of talent in their squad but it still seems like they could be sucked into a drop zone fight.
Regarding the Black Cats, well they are the unexpected success of the Premier League season so far.
The away side's performance in the 2-2 tie with the Gunners last time out was excellent. We have not seen anyone else disrupt the North London side like that this season, and Sunderland were more than a match for them.
The sensible thing would be to support the Black Cats here, because they are clearly able of disrupting Fulham up too and, the last time they were in this part of London, they defeated Chelsea at the close of last month.
But I am not do that. Instead, I really need to carry on opposing the away team with my predictions. I am taking a lot of responsibility for their positive outcomes because they clearly love to prove me wrong.
Looking at the home side's at Craven Cottage form, the only side they have lost to is Arsenal. Their manager's team will be absolutely desperate for a positive outcome, so I am going to predict they will pick up three much-needed points.
The expert's prediction: 1-0
The guest's choice: I'm aware the visitors are doing well and additionally that Fulham are on a poor streak... but Fulham have still been decent at Craven Cottage this campaign. 2-0
AI's prediction: 2-0
- Anfield, 15:00 GMT
This is a tough one to call. Liverpool have lost seven of their past 10 matches in all competitions, but could they be among the teams who benefit from the {international break|