Saturday's Premier League predictions including Man City vs. Southampton

Aston Villa vs. Bournemouth (Saturday, 3.00pm)

A battle of the Basque bosses takes place at Villa Park on Saturday afternoon, as Aston Villa and Bournemouth hope to prolong that winning feeling in the Premier League.

The Lions return to domestic duty after a straightforward 2-0 Champions League beating of Bologna in midweek, while Andoni Iraola's team stunned Arsenal by the same scoreline last weekend.

We say: Aston Villa 3-1 Bournemouth

Bournemouth rank third for total shots in the current Premier League campaign - only behind Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur - so Iraola's forward-thinking troops can trouble a fatigued Lions backline.

The Cherries are never the strongest defensively on the road, though, so Emery's men still have our vote to march to their third successive win in all tournaments.

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Brentford vs. Ipswich (Saturday, 3.00pm)

Clashing for the first time in the top flight of English football, Brentford and Ipswich Town bid to right the wrongs of last weekend at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday.

The Bees drew first blood against Manchester United only to agonisingly lose 2-1 in gameweek eight, while the Tractor Boys went down 2-0 to demotion rivals Everton.

We say: Brentford 3-1 Ipswich Town

Brentford playing at home usually means guaranteed goals at both ends of the field, but Ipswich's attacking play has left a lot to be desired all season long, and McKenna's men should be limited to the single consolation goal if anything at all.

McKenna is also ruing the loss of a few defenders through injury, so the Bees should rediscover their sting and return to winning ways without breaking too much of a sweat.

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Brighton vs. Wolves (Saturday, 3.00pm)

Still seething from their latest perceived VAR injustice, Wolverhampton Wanderers head south to tackle Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex in Saturday's Premier League encounter.

Gary O'Neil's basement battlers suffered an excruciating 2-1 loss to holders Manchester City last weekend, while their hosts were triumphant against Newcastle United by a goal to nil.

We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

As potent as Wolves can be in the final third, O'Neil's men just cannot shut up shop no matter how hard they try, but their defensive efforts with a back three against Man City were highly praiseworthy.

Should O'Neil employ a similar rearguard shape on Saturday, we can envisage Wolves surprising a few and nicking a point against their hosts, especially if the red-hot Welbeck is spearhead the Brighton attack.

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Man City vs. Southampton (Saturday, 3.00pm)

Manchester City will be looking to climb to the top of the Premier League table when they welcome a struggling Southampton side to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The two teams meet for the first time since April 2023 when Erling Haaland scored twice in a 4-1 top-flight victory at St Mary's.

We say: Manchester City 4-1 Southampton

Man City's defence has been far from watertight in the Premier League so far this season, which should provide Southampton with a glimmer of hope, but even if the Citizens were to fall behind, you would back them to respond as they have already picked up a league-high 13 points from losing positions this term, while Southampton have dropped more points (231) from winning positions than any other top-flight team since the 2012-13 campaign.

Guardiola and co will be regarded as strong favourites to come out on top here, even without the presence of a few star players, and they should have few problems outscoring their opponents en route to reclaiming their place at the Premier League summit.

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Everton vs. Fulham (Saturday, 5.30pm)

Seeking to extend their unbeaten Premier League run to five matches, Everton welcome Fulham to Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon.

The two teams butt heads for the first time since January when they played out a goalless stalemate at Craven Cottage.

We say: Everton 1-1 Fulham

Fulham's recent record at Goodison Park bodes well ahead of Saturday's fixture, but Everton have impressed in the last few weeks and could frustrate the Cottagers this time around.

A closely-fought contest could be on the cards on Merseyside and with little to separate these two teams, we feel that the spoils will be shared on this occasion.

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