Welcome back, Prediction League fanatics! It's Wednesday, and you know what that means – we're ditching the doom-and-gloom for a good old-fashioned stats breakdown. Forget what your gut feeling is telling you; we're here to look at what the numbers are saying. Who's hot? Who's not? Let's get into it!
The Scorching Hot Form Guide
- Team in Focus: The only two undefeated teams in the league right now are Liverpool and Crystal Palace, which is a fact that absolutely nobody saw coming. Liverpool, with their relentless attack, are the expected leaders of the pack, but the real story is Palace. The Eagles are on a mind-boggling 17-game unbeaten streak across all competitions, their joint-second longest run of all time! A win against Liverpool this weekend would make it their longest ever. They've become a tactical masterclass under Oliver Glasner, and their form is no fluke. They have lost a part of their creativity with Ebereche Eze departing to Arsenal in the last transfer window however With Yeremy Pino and Christantus Uche being added to the squad, they are hoping these players can help reduce the loss of Eze. Wharton is their creativity in the middle of the field and while he was injured they really struggled with finding wholes between the lines. He is now back and made a difference with their win against West Ham last weekend. They are a strong team with some key players and they will certainly give Liverpool a challenge. It will certainly be the 3pm game you will want to look out for.
- Player on Fire: Man city come away with a point from their 1-1 draw with Arsenal but once thing for sure that we are seeing is another Haaland masterclass. He has already achieved 6 goals in 5 games and with a newly promoted team in Burnley as their next opponents with home field advantage, we can only expect more goals from the Norwegian. We can certainly expect to see more goals from the 6ft 5in Striker as he will go against a team who will look to play in a deep block and stop balls being lofted over the top or squeezed through the lines.
The "Needs to Get a Grip" Guide
- Team in Trouble: It's been a tough run for West Ham United. They're languishing in the bottom three early doors after losing four of their five games and have been particularly vulnerable at home. Their defense is looking shaky, especially from set pieces, having conceded seven goals from corners already this season. The pressure is mounting on manager Graham Potter, with fans chanting for a change. If they loose to Everton on the weekend, could this be the last walkout with the squad for Graham Potter.
- Player Struggling: While West Ham as a whole are having a tough time, their goalkeeper has been under the microscope. The decision to drop new signing Mads Hermansen for Alphonse Areola speaks volumes about the lack of confidence in the defense. They need to find some solidity at the back, and fast, to stop the constant run of misfortunes.
Community Banter Corner
- Stat of the Week: Did you know that Crystal Palace's 17-game unbeaten run is the fourth-longest of any "non-Big Six" club in Premier League history? And their recent win over West Ham was their second consecutive win away at the London Stadium, a feat they hadn't achieved since February 2015! Shoutout to the Stat-Heads in our group chat for unearthing these gems!
- On the Rise: A huge shoutout to 'Hyde & Seek' who's rocketed up the leaderboard with some seriously shrewd predictions. A true "dark horse" contender!
That's all for our midweek check-in. The numbers don't lie, so take note before you lock in your predictions for the weekend. We'll be back tomorrow with our MAG's crystal-ball-gazing predictions. Until then, keep thinking about the potentials for this weekend.