2021/22 Premier League Predictions: Matchday 38
Pintsized Background
The final week of Premier League Predictions action has fallen upon us. There have been bumps (profuse apologies for occasional gaps, who knew starting a new job was so difficult?). There have been laughs (mainly Everton to be fair). Best of all, however, there has been a scintillating clash at both ends of the table which still hold vital importance on Matchday 38.
Pintsized Football content from the week before:
🚀 Preview: Premier League Predictions: Matchday 37
⚽ PI’s Recommended Match: Everton vs Brentford
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Bitesize Predictions
| Fixtures | Pintsized | Ryan | Steviano |
| Sunday, 22 May | |||
| Crystal Palace vs Man Utd | 1-1 | 2-0 | 2-2 |
| Arsenal vs Everton | 2-0 | 2-1 | 4-1 |
| Chelsea vs Watford | 3-0 | 4-0 | 4-0 |
| Leicester City vs Southampton | 2-0 | 3-2 | 3-1 |
| Brentford vs Leeds | 3-1 | 2-1 | 3-2 |
| Burnley vs Newcastle | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-2 |
| Man City vs Aston Villa | 4-1 | 3-1 | 3-1 |
| Norwich City vs Spurs | 0-2 | 0-3 | 0-4 |
| Brighton vs West Ham | 1-1 | 1-2 | 1-2 |
| Liverpool vs Wolves | 4-0 | 2-0 | 3-0 |
Premier League Predictions: Matchday 38
Sunday, 22 May
Crystal Palace vs man United
Crystal Palace (#13, 45PTS) vs Man United (#6, 58PTS)
Pintsized
A win for Manchester United will be enough to claim Europa League action. A draw or loss will see the Red Devils slip to the ignominy of the Europa Conference League. Whatever the result, Ralf’s reign has been disastrous and the once formidable giants find themselves more disjointed than Fergies’ swansong. It will be interesting to see how much the board back Vieira over the summer, he has performed incredibly considering his squad. A dull affair at best.
Prediction: 1-1 // Crystal Palace B // Man United C-
Ryan
As a United fan, this game is my favourite one this season. It’s the last game of a dreadful year that can be put behind us to look ahead to hopefully a new era. In London, there is rightfully more optimism with a Crystal Palace team who have looked more than worthy in a number of games against the bigger teams. I admit I was wrong about Patrick Vieira and he’s done a great job, making the most out of his resources. This will be a good opportunity for him and the Eagles to finish on a soaring high and send the fans home happy.
Prediction: 2-0 // Crystal Palace B // Man United D
Steviano
Palace (B+) were my tip to go down with a relatively unproven new manager and a complete squad overhaul – instead Viera has them nicely safe in mid-table, playing attractive football and removing the reliance on Zaha. Assuming he doesn’t get into serious trouble after the Everton fan incident then it will be interesting to see if Viera can build on this next season
Man Utd (C) have underachieved is the understatement of the season – big money signings and the return of the Ron were supposed to push United on to challenge City and Liverpool but a lack of a clear strategy in acquisitions or in playing style has left them a collection of individuals rather than a team. Ten Hag will need root and branch surgery on the squad and the board need to back him to make the decisions.
Prediction: 2-2 // Crystal Palace B+ // Man United C
Arsenal vs Everton
Arsenal (#5, 66PTS) vs Everton (#16, 36PTS)
Pintsized
This had all the makings of the most disgusting, scrappy 90 minutes of professional football that one could find on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Arsenal will be kicking themselves for letting go of their prized Champions League spot slip. A win could still see Arteta’s men enter Europe’s premier competition, but they lost control over their future. Meanwhile, Everton fans find themselves on cloud nine for… checks notes surviving after dropping half a billion.
Prediction: 2-0 // Arsenal B+ // Everton F
Ryan
Had circumstances been different, the result might ultimately be more difficult to predict. Everton’s heroic comeback against Palace has confirmed their unbroken Premier League status for next season. Whilst there should be some positivity tonight after their escape, this season has ultimately been a grand failure overall. Arsenal still have a faint hope of Top 4 but they quite frankly don’t deserve to be there and should settle for Europa League. A win here will prove to be too little, too late.
Prediction: 2-1 // Arsenal B // Everton D-
Steviano
Arsenal (B+) managed to go all “Spursy” and make a complete mess of their last two games to lose their top 4 finish which was in their control – that said I have been impressed by the Pep-prentice Arteta and the way he has taken tough decisions and built a good young squad who will benefit from the experience and should be stronger next season.
Everton (E) have managed the great escape somehow and retained their premiership experience for another season – they have spectacularly shown that money does not guarantee success without a clear strategy and playing philosophy as they have chopped and changed managers leaving a squad with few genuine assets. Lampard can take great credit for managing to rescue their season but it will take a hell of a good offseason for them to improve next year.
Prediction: 4-1 // Arsenal B+ // Everton E
Chelsea vs Watford
Chelsea (#3, 70PTS) vs Watford (#19, 23PTS)
Pintsized
For a while, there was reasonable evidence to suggest that Chelsea could storm the league. Lukaku going missing certainly didn’t help, but it’s difficult to ignore the changes behind closed doors with a certain war that shan’t be named. If Tuchel remains, expect Chelsea to mount a considerably fiercer shot at the title next season. Watford continues their manager carousel – yet another pointless season.
Prediction: 3-0 // Chelsea B- // Watford D-
Ryan
Very little to play for here in this game with the slight exception of confirming whether Chelsea will finish 3rd or 4th this year. They couldn’t have selected better opponents for their final game to give themselves the best opportunity. After last season’s Champions League success, this has been somewhat of a damp squib especially with penalty losses in both cup finals. Watford look ahead to the Championship next year but they’ll be thoroughly booted there with a heavy defeat.
Prediction: 4-0 // Chelsea B- // Watford F
Steviano
Chelsea (B-) came into the season as European champions and end it in a mixed fashion – reaching but losing two cup finals and falling away in the league (albeit to third place) has been compounded with Lukaku stops and the uncertainty over the takeover talks. New owners will make the summer uncertain but the basic foundations are all still their to go again next year.
Watford (E) achieved exactly what was expected of them – nothing. They are the only club that can have their own manager of the year competition. They will probably be back for 2023-24 for one season only.
Prediction: 4-0 // Chelsea B- // Watford E
Leicester City vs Southampton
Leicester (#9, #48PTS) vs Southampton (#15, 40PTS)
Pintsized
Leicester has spent a season treading water after suffering a constant string of injuries to key players. Rodgers’ tactics may have been uninspired at times, but it’s difficult to manage a new-look team every matchday. Expect a far more impressive return for the Foxes next season. Southampton sprung a few surprises around the turn of the year, but otherwise, it has been a quiet campaign. Not bad for a team on a shoestring budget compared to some of the other bullies in the league.
Prediction: 2-0 // Leicester C // Southampton C+
Ryan
This is real mid-table dross with nothing at all on the line but pride. Leicester have had a disappointing season by their recent standards whilst Southampton are just floating around. I’ll go for a home win but aside from their respective fans, does anyone care?
Prediction: 3-2 // Leicester C // Southampton C+
Steviano
Leicester (C) like Leeds have suffered from a ridiculous amount of injuries and despite their run in the Europa Auto Windscreen LDVans Tropy I’m sure they would want to write this one off. Brendan is looking at a squad rebuild in the summer so it may be a couple of years before they are pushing for top 6 again.
Southampton (C) are one of the yo-yo teams in the division who can pull off great results and then go on a run of dreadful results with Hassenhutl either being linked with “bigger” jobs or the sack. They feel like the team that Norwich aspire to be.
Prediction: 3-1 // Leicester C // Southampton C
Brentford vs Leeds United
Brentford (#11, 46PTS) vs Leeds (#17, 35PTS)
Pintsized
Brentford has tapped back into the swagger that defined their entrance to the Premier League. If the B’s hold on to Ivan Toney over the summer, they can build a squad around their talisman. Knowing their frugal fiscal manner, they’ll probably ship out Toney for £50+ million and replace him with an equal counterpart for a 1/10th of the price. Leeds only has themselves to blame. Silly split-second decisions on the pitch have seen the hype merchants almost doom themselves to relegation in a season when Everton all but forced themselves in the #18 spot.
Prediction: 3-1 // Brentford B // Leeds D
Ryan
A crucial match in the relegation battle now that it’s down to Leeds and Burnley. Yes they scored a fluky equaliser against Brighton but Leeds were hardly impressive in their last home game of the season. Brentford have exceeded expectations in their maiden top flight campaign with a comfortable survival and solid football. I think they’ll look to condemn Leeds back to the Championship with a strong win.
Prediction: 2-1 // Brentford B+ // Leeds F
Steviano
Brentford (B+) started the season as the “surprise” team and getting off to a great start before taking a dip – the shrewd acquisition of Erickson then breathed new life into their campaign and ensured they will finish comfortably mid-table which is a great achievement compared to perennial yo-yo teams Norwich and Watford. Holding on to their newly established premier league players will be the key with Erickson, Toney and Jansson likely to be in demand.
Leeds (D) have had horrendous injury issues all season with Ted Lasso hinting at Bielsa’s training regime being one of the main reasons – that said they didn’t really try to address it in the transfer market and it look’s like they will pay the ultimate price. The squad if fit should have been good enough to stay up despite second season syndrome and it is a shame for me that they are likely to go down.
Prediction: 3-2 // Brentford B+ // Leeds D
Burnley vs Newcastle
Burnley (#18, 34PTS) vs Newcastle (#12, 46PTS)
Pintsized
Still can’t forgive Burnley for sacking Dyche, even if their decision turns out to be justified. Fair play to a club the size of an atom for putting up such a fight. There is every reason to believe that Mike Jackson could be the man to bring Burnley back up. Can’t be bothered giving credit to Newcastle, they were underperforming before the money came in. We’ll see what moves can be made over the summer.
Prediction: 1-1 // Burnley C- // Newcastle C+
Ryan
The situation is simple enough for the home team – match Leeds result and their survival is confirmed. That could also be thanks to their far superior goal difference which could be considered an extra point without it counting towards their tally. Their opponents have transformed into the form team outside of the Top 2 and with heavy investment, should threaten a higher finish. Whether the home team should have changed manager is still up for debate but a point should be enough to back up this brave move.
Prediction: 1-1 // Burnley C // Newcastle C
Steviano
Burnley (C-) may or may not escape on the last day thanks mainly to Leeds kamikaze approach to defending earlier in the season. The sacking of Sean Dyche was shameful for me, if they had gone down does anyone doubt they would have bounced back up under him. Selling his main goal scoring threat mid-season was always a gamble with chronic under investment finally catching up.
Newcastle (B) have pulled away from the relegation fight with relative ease and Howe’s January signings have generally worked well – although not the stellar names the Toon army would have wanted to see they steadied the ship and now give them a good base squad to build on in the summer which should be an exciting ride.
Prediction: 1-2 // Burnley C- // Newcastle B
Manchester City vs Aston Villa
Manchester City (#1, 90PTS) vs Aston Villa (#14, 44PTS)
Pintsized
Fans love to dream. There has been a lot of talk that if Man City loses 6-0 while Liverpool draws 5-5, then the title will go to a one-off play-off. Hopeless romantics the lot of them. While Pep may have the shiniest head in the business, and it is also true he is a perennial European bottler, he rarely stumbles domestically. Gerrard has failed to make the most of his fabulous squad so far, this could be another brutal scoreline.
Prediction: 4-1 // Man City A+ // Aston Villa C
Ryan
This is the game that could win or lose the title for the home side. To be frank, it should never have reached the last week of the season but a lot of costly mistakes and slip-ups have brought City into this situation. A Steven Gerrard side is not the nicest obstacle to overcome here and he’ll be pumped up for the occasion. The same might not be said of his side, many of which may be gutted from the club in a fresh look team next year. The home side still search for the elusive European trophy but another Premiership victory will still certainly make this a successful season.
Prediction: 3-1 // Man City A // Aston Villa C+
Steviano
Man City (B+) have the title in their own hands – if they mess that up this would be a B- season. Two minutes of madness cost them b2b champions league finals and the FA Cup semi exit to Liverpool had more to do with the beating up they received in Madrid before that. Pep has already addressed the striker concern and is looking to add a proper left back and a midfield replacement in the summer. Pep will not be happy.
Villa (B) have invested in the squad after staying up last season and were rather quick on the trigger finger to exit Dean Smith for me but bringing in Gerrard has enabled them to attract Coutinho for a bargain fee and he is making bold statements about the standards that he wants to achieve at the club – whether he will have the resources to meet his ambitions next season remains to be seen.
Prediction: 3-1 // Manchester City B+ // Aston Villa B
Norwich Ctiy vs Tottenham
Norwich (#20, 22PTS) vs Tottenham (#4, 68PTS)
Pintsized
Thanks for participating, Norwich? I mean… I guess that’s all you can say. Shipping 79 goals while only producing 23 themselves is the only number you need to define the Canaries’ abysmal season. Give Dean Smith a bit of time to rebuild a Championship-level squad. Conte’s Spurs could be a real issue in 22/23 if Levy decides to finally crack open the wallet.
Prediction: 0-2 // Norwich D- // Tottenham B+
Ryan
Much like Chelsea, Spurs couldn’t have handpicked a better match to end the season on. With the home team doomed essentially since the early weeks of the season, this would be the biggest Spursy ever should Conte’s side not be in the Champions League next season. Fortunately, Son should be chomping at the bit to achieve this goal as well as his own personal target of golden boot.
Prediction: 0-3 // Norwich F // Tottenham B+
Steviano
Norwich (E) please see Watford without the MOTY competition.
Spurs (B+) decided early on that Nuno was not their man and appointed a very non-Spursy boss in Conte to replace him. They should take the last Champions League place which will let Conte have more freedom in the transfer market this summer – Mr Levy better be braced for a serious attack on his wallet to meet Conte’s demands and he will need to back him if he wants to keep him happy and Spurs their best chance to kick on again.
Prediction: 0-4 // Norwich E // Tottenham B+
Brighton vs West Ham
Brighton (#10, 48PTS) vs West Ham (#7, 56PTS)
Pintsized
Can I get a very sad, very tired, very lonely “WEST HAM ARE MASSIVE”? With one of the smallest squads across the Top 5 leagues, Moyes has managed sparklingly well over an exhausting campaign. Much like England in the 2020 Euros, it just feels like our best chances may have been squandered. Graham Potter has drawn praise from the top footballing brains in the league. Brighton fans really do have to humble themselves, it isn’t that long ago they were booing the football that Potter was delivering on the pitch. Patience is a virtue.
Prediction: 1-1 // Brighton B // West Ham B+
Ryan
The Hammers may have ended their excellent Europa League journey to the eventual champions but there’s a realistic chance they can run it back next year. Results can definitely go their way. Brighton will be a tough nut to crack and have had a positive season overall with lots to build on. This could go either way but I think the Hammers have one last push in them to give themselves the best chance of Europa League.
Prediction: 1-2 // Brighton B // West Ham A-
Steviano
Brighton (B) were never going to stay at the dizzy heights of the early season but will finish mid-table and continue to build Mr Potter’s growing reputation (feel’s very much like the next Eddie Howe to me) in playing decent football on a shoestring budget. Having your best defender sold at the start of the season and your next best defender sold in January and no doubt Bissouma this summer doesn’t help so makes mid-table even more of an achievement.
West Ham (A-) have enjoyed the resurrection of the Moyesiah with a second successive European football season a real possibility and the achievement of reaching the Europa League semi-final giving the fans real hope. If West Ham can build on their thin squad in the summer and take some of the pressure of Antonio they will be pushing top 6 again.
Prediction: 1-2 // Brighton B // West Ham A-
Liverpool vs Wolves
Liverpool (#2, 89PTS) vs Wolves (#8, 51PTS)
Pintsized
You have to give credit to Liverpool, the title race seemed dead and buried at the start of 2022. Without the pressure of the #1 spot, Liverpool could easily put 5+ past Wolves as they aim to close the GD gap with City. Wolves’ recent form may have been a little stinky, 0-2-3 in the past 5 games, and there is nothing left to play for in what has been a middling season under new management.
Prediction: 4-0 // Liverpool A+ // Wolves B-
Ryan
Liverpool still have a chance of achieving the quadruple (the thought makes me sick in my mouth) but the Premier League is not in their hands. A home game against a flagging Wolves side should give Klopp the chance to further rest his injured and key players whilst still having enough to do what they need to on their side. They’ll probably have some luck with a fluky goal or dodgy decision but should be far too much either way here.
Prediction: 2-0 // Liverpool A+ // Wolves B+
Steviano
Liverpool (A+) have had an incredible season as much as it pains me to say – they could end up with all four trophies or three or two and could have had none with both cup finals going to penalty shoot-outs. They have been fortunate to keep the squad fit for the majority of the season and coped well with Mane/Salah leaving for the Afcon with the acquisition of Diaz which allowed him to settle in without having to force them out.
Wolves (B) would have rated higher but they seem to have gone on holiday from mid-April. Their success has been built on a solid defence but will need to add some firepower next season to kick on.
Prediction: 3-0 // Liverpool A+ // Wolves B
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Pintsized Interests is just a baby finding its first steps in the big, bad world of sports journalism. If you enjoy the content that is regularly uploaded then please consider donating via the link below. Any amount is greatly appreciated, and will go towards ensuring the survival of Pintsized Interests in the long-term.