Following a brief Premier League pause for the third round of the FA Cup, all 20 top-flight teams resume their respective quests for glory, Europe or to simply salvage their big-time status in midweek.
The pick of the fixtures comes from the Emirates Stadium, where Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur cross paths in the latest North London derby on Wednesday evening as the Lilywhites bid to consign the Gunners to a third straight defeat.
Before fireworks fly in the capital, leaders Liverpool could move nine points clear at the top by beating high-flying Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, the same evening that Manchester City seek a fourth win on the spin at Brentford.
Chelsea are out to end their own four-game streak without a Premier League win at home to Bournemouth, while Thursday's action sees Manchester United host rock-bottom Southampton on the back of their thrilling FA Cup success at the Emirates.
Another Premier League gameweek means another Sports Mole prediction competition, and this week, it is the turn of singer-songwriter Alex Spencer, a recently-suffering Man City supporter.
Read on to find out how Alex and Sports Mole anticipate this week's action playing out, as well as discovering the winner of our head-to-head with The Slow Readers Club bassist James Ryan from gameweek 20.
Brentford vs. Man City
Tuesday, 7.30pm
© Imago
Alex: Brentford 0-2 Man City
Sports Mole: Brentford 1-3 Man City
No team in the Premier League has lost more games after scoring first than Brentford this season (five), while Man City have won more matches after going behind (four) than any of their top-flight rivals.
As such, even if Frank's men can repeat their one-minute Wissa trick from September's head-to-head, the outcome should be the same, as the born-again champions continue on their upward path.
Chelsea vs. Bournemouth
Tuesday, 7.30pm
© IconSport
Alex: Chelsea 3-1 Bournemouth
Sports Mole: Chelsea 3-1 Bournemouth
The die should not be cast early on at Stamford Bridge, as Bournemouth have scored 10 goals via substitutes in the 2024-25 Premier League season, more than any other side in the top flight.
However, the Cherries head to West London with depleted options in both attack and defence, and Chelsea's refreshed first-choice XI should bring the Cherries' magical unbeaten run to an end while simultaneously ending their worrying winless sequence.
West Ham vs. Fulham
Tuesday, 7.30pm
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Alex: West Ham 1-1 Fulham
Sports Mole: West Ham 1-2 Fulham
Fulham have shared the points in nine of their 20 league matches this season and have been the draw specialists in recent weeks; West Ham have big problems when it comes to their attack, though, and we are predicting a narrow success for Fulham on Tuesday night, which would make it an unhappy start to life at the London Stadium for new Hammers boss Potter.
Nott'm Forest vs. Liverpool
Tuesday, 8pm
© Imago
Alex: Nott'm Forest 1-2 Liverpool
Sports Mole: Nott'm Forest 1-2 Liverpool
Forest have not exclusively faced teams that they would ordinarily be expected to conquer during their stellar sequence - Brentford at home, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Man United are no pushovers - and Santo's men will certainly give the league leaders a terrific run for their money.
However, Liverpool's big hitters finally enjoyed a well-earned break on FA Cup weekend, and Slot's men should therefore cut revitalised figures at the City Ground, where they have our vote to end Forest's magnificent run by the narrowest of margins.
Everton vs. Aston Villa
Wednesday, 7.30pm
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Alex: Everton 0-2 Aston Villa
Sports Mole: Everton 0-0 Aston Villa
With limited time for Moyes to prepare, familiar habits embedded in under Dyche may set in for Everton here, despite the onus being on them to go out and get a result in front of a home crowd under the lights.
Emery may just be willing to end their losing away run in any way possible in a game that will be tough to prepare for, and even though they have more quality in their ranks, this could be close and cagey.
Leicester vs. Crystal Palace
Wednesday, 7.30pm
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Alex: Leicester 1-2 Crystal Palace
Sports Mole: Leicester 2-2 Crystal Palace
Leicester's inability to keep goals out at one end has often been made up for by the fact they have a number of players capable of scoring in attack, and they may have to rely on that again here.
Palace are unbeaten in five games away from home in the league, but only two of those have ended in victory, and another close encounter could be on the cards here.
Newcastle vs. Wolves
Wednesday, 7.30pm
© Imago
Alex: Newcastle 1-0 Wolves
Sports Mole: Newcastle 2-1 Wolves
The importance of Cunha's return for Wolves cannot be overstated, and doubts over the fitness of a couple of Newcastle's own attacking threats may give the travelling faithful hope of a St James' upset.
The visitors still possess the worst defensive record in the division, though, and Howe's men still have our vote to edge a close contest and extend their victorious streak to a terrific nine matches.
Arsenal vs. Spurs
Wednesday, 8pm
© Imago
Alex: Arsenal 3-1 Spurs
Sports Mole: Arsenal 1-0 Spurs
The eagerly-anticipated North London derby seldom fails to deliver on the ferocity front, but as both sets of players completed two-hour FA Cup marathons after their EFL Cup exertions, this one may not be a classic quality-wise.
Confidently predicting which version of Spurs will show up is an impossible ask, but their struggles at Tamworth - even with a second-string attack starting the clash - are a serious cause for concern.
Arsenal are hardly firing on all cylinders up front either, but the Gunners are never short of chances to put the ball in the back of the net, and they may just need to take one of them on Wednesday to complete a morale-boosting derby double.
Ipswich vs. Brighton
Thursday, 7.30pm
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Alex: Ipswich 0-2 Brighton
Sports Mole: TBC
Man Utd vs. Southampton
Thursday, 8pm
© Imago
Alex: Man Utd 2-1 Southampton
Sports Mole: TBC
Alex Spencer Q&A
How did you come to support Man City and what are your favourite memories from your time as a fan?
My dad has been a Manchester City fan since the early 80s; he was a Kippax regular, so obviously it ran in the family. My earliest Man City memory is seeing them play against Wolves in 2011 when I was five years old and we won 3-1. My favourite memory is seeing them win the league in the last few minutes against Aston Villa, with the epic 3-2 comeback in 2022.
Who have been your favourite five players for your club?
My five favourite players at City would have to be David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Ruben Dias, Phil Foden and, right now, Rico Lewis - he's smashing it!
What's going on for you as an artist at the moment?
2024 was a fantastic year, I toured around the country supporting some of my favourite bands and artists and sold out my own UK tour, and my biggest Manchester headline show! I also released my second EP which got so much love and made my dreams come true by getting my single Nightmares on the new EA FC25 soundtrack! 2025 is going to be even bigger and I'm gonna take it to the next level. I'm going on my biggest ever UK tour in April, playing so many new UK cities. Also so much more to keep your eyes peeled for!
'Nightmares' by Alex Spencer is available to stream now.
You can follow Alex Spencer on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter).
2024-25 SEASON LEADERBOARD (ARTISTS)
Scores are calculated as one point for a correct result and five points for a correct scoreline.
1. Kyle Starkey (16pts | Gameweek 3)
2. Make Friends' Max Lewin (15pts | Gameweek 2)
3. Everyone Says Hi's Nick Hodgson (13pts | Gameweek 1)
4. Blitz Vega's Kav Sandhu (10pts | Gameweek 5)
5. Trampolene's Jack Jones (9pts | Gameweek 4)
= Kneecap's Mo Chara (9pts | Gameweek 6)
= The Slow Readers Club's James Ryan (9pts | Gameweek 20)
8. Feet's Harry Southerton (7pts | Gameweek 13)
= IN PARALLEL's Harrison Baker (7pts | Gameweek 15)
10. Kids in Glass Houses' Iain Mahanty (6pts | Gameweek 7)
= proFESSional's Rob Hennebry (6pts | Gameweek 8)
112 Maddox Jones (4pts | Gameweek 9)
= The Farm's Peter Hooton (4pts | Gameweek 18)
14. She Drew The Gun's Louisa Roach (3pts | Gameweek 10)
= The Now's Shane Callaghan (3pts | Gameweek 17)
= Chilli Jesson (3pts | Gameweek 11)
17. Soft Launch's Josh McClory (2pts | Gameweek 12)
= My First Time's James Mellen (2pts | Gameweek 14)
= Apollo Junction's Ben Hope (2pts | Gameweek 16)
2024-25 COMPETITION HISTORY
Gameweek 1: Everyone Says Hi's Nick Hodgson 13-14 Sports Mole
Gameweek 2: Make Friends' Max Lewin 15-4 Sports Mole
Gameweek 3: Kyle Starkey 16-13 Sports Mole
Gameweek 4: Trampolene's Jack Jones 9-9 Sports Mole
Gameweek 5: Blitz Vega's Kav Sandhu 10-11 Sports Mole
Gameweek 6: Kneecap's Mo Chara 9-4 Sports Mole
Gameweek 7: Kids in Glass Houses' Iain Mahanty 6-3 Sports Mole
Gameweek 8: proFESSional's Rob Hennebry 6-7 Sports Mole
Gameweek 9: Maddox Jones 4-10 Sports Mole
Gameweek 10: She Drew The Gun's Louisa Roach 3-4 Sports Mole
Gameweek 11: Chilli Jesson 3-8 Sports Mole
Gameweek 12: Soft Launch's Josh McClorey 2-3 Sports Mole
Gameweek 13: Feet's Harry Southerton 7-10 Sports Mole
Gameweek 14: My First Time's James Mellen 2-8 Sports Mole
Gameweek 15: IN PARALLEL's Harrison Baker 7-2 Sports Mole
Gameweek 16: Apollo Junction's Ben Hope 2-3 Sports Mole
Gameweek 17: The Now's Shane Callaghan 3-6 Sports Mole
Gameweek 18: The Farm's Peter Hooton 4-4 Sports Mole
Gameweek 19: N/A
Gameweek 20: The Slow Readers Club's James Ryan 9-14 Sports Mole
Ben Knapton
