Premier League predictions: Chelsea face Luton and Man Utd travel to Nottingham Forest

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 22 Jan 2024 14:11 GMT
• 8 min read

Premier League action in 2023 is drawing to a close, with the final round of this year’s Saturday fixtures headlined by Chelsea’s trip to Kenilworth Road to face a buoyant Luton Town side.

Rob Edwards’ side have won two in a row and will be looking to make that three against a Chelsea side who look extremely low on confidence.

Elsewhere, Sheffield United face the tricky test of heading to face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, while Manchester United travel to Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest.

We've used BetMGM's Golden Goals to put our predictions together - the UK's largest free to play score prediction game, with a guaranteed £5k weekly payout. Each Premier League match week, six games are available on Golden Goals and this week's are:

- Luton vs Chelsea

- Aston Villa vs Burnley

- Crystal Palace vs Brentford

- Man City v Sheffield United

- Wolves v Everton

- Nottingham Forest v Man Utd

Luton vs Chelsea

Chelsea needed a late Noni Madueke penalty to beat Crystal Palace in midweek and the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge was not a particularly happy one following a very laboured second-half performance.

Luton, on the other hand, come into this Saturday lunchtime fixture following back-to-back wins against Newcastle and Sheffield United.

Rob Edwards’ side are now only one point off safety and they have a game in hand on Sean Dyche’s Everton, who currently sit 17th.

Kenilworth Road proved a very tricky place for both Arsenal and Manchester City to visit in early December and Chelsea’s frailties at the back may be exploited by a Luton side who always carry a threat from set pieces and crosses.

Ross Barkley has been excellent so far this campaign and will be looking to get one over on his former club, which may add an extra element of spice to the game.

Prediction: Luton 1-1 Chelsea

Chelsea have been extremely poor this season and Luton have found some form in recent weeks, with their performances against the big boys catching the eye.

Christopher Nkunku will likely start again and he may cause the Luton backline problems, but Chelsea have conceded in 10 of their last 11 matches in all competitions, so the Hatters will be confident of finding the back of the net themselves.

Aston Villa vs Burnley

Aston Villa face the challenge of bouncing back from their festive disappointment against Manchester United, when they held a 2-0 lead but were overwhelmed in the second half and crashed to a 3-2 loss.

On paper, a home fixture against Burnley is an ideal match for Unai Emery’s side to bounce back in. The Birmingham side have been virtually flawless at home this season, winning eight of their nine Premier League fixtures at Villa Park, though the exception came last time out when they were surprisingly held by Sheffield United.

Burnley, meanwhile, have picked up more points on their travels this season than they have at home. The Clarets are showing signs of stirring into some form, having drawn with Brighton and overcoming Fulham in successive road trips.

Like their hosts, they also suffered Boxing Day frustration as they were defeated 2-0 at home by Liverpool, barely giving themselves a chance after conceding early.

Prediction: Aston Villa 2-1 Burnley

Villa should have the quality to get over the line in this encounter, which promises to be a pivotal one for their season. Failure to do so will raise serious questions over their longevity in the race to finish in the top four.

Burnley will not make things easy for the hosts and should manage to make this a competitive encounter.

Crystal Palace vs Brentford

Crystal Palace are currently on the longest winless streak in the Premier League and Roy Hodgson is under increasing pressure to turn things around.

The Eagles last tasted victory against Burnley on November 4 and they have slipped down to 15th place in the English top flight standings.

One place above them is Brentford, who are on a similarly-dismal run having suffered six defeats in their last seven league matches.

Thomas Frank has worked miracles in recent years, but his magic may be coming to the end of its shelf-life with relegation a real concern as things stand.

Michael Olise has two goals and one assist in his last three appearances and the France U21 international will likely play a crucial part if Palace are to end their long wait for a win. As for Brentford, Neal Maupay will again be relied upon in the absence of Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo.

Prediction: Crystal Palace 1-1 Brentford

Both teams have been fairly blunt in attack this season, with only Burnley scoring less than Palace’s 19 in the Premier League so far.

As a result, a low-scoring affair is likely and the crucial nature of this 3pm encounter means neither team will want to lose. A 1-1 draw is therefore the most predictable scoreline.

Man City v Sheffield United

Manchester City were expected to come flying out of the gates this season having roared past Arsenal to collect their fifth Premier League title in six years last term, but the early running hasn't gone all their own way.

With only two wins in their last seven, Pep Guardiola's men are fourth, five points off Liverpool's league-setting pace, albeit having played a game less than the teams above them after only recently returning from a victorious FIFA Club World Cup campaign.

Sheffield United are at the other end of the table, propping up the rest of the division on nine points having won just two of their 19 games since promotion.

Since beating Brentford 1-0 earlier in December, normal service has resumed at Bramall Lane, with eight of a possible nine points dropped since.

City are without Erling Haaland for this one, but will be confident of securing a comfortable win.

Prediction: Man City 4-0 Sheffield United

City can be expected to make short work of the Blades, even if Haaland is joined on the sidelines by injured teammates Jeremy Doku, John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne.

They beat Fluminense 4-0 in Saudi Arabia recently and a similar starting line-up, with Julian Alvarez leading the line, could easily catch fire again.

Wolves v Everton

Wolves have looked nascent in recent weeks, winning three of their last five against Burnley, Chelsea and Brentford, and now find themselves only marginally closer to the European chase than the relegation dog-fight at the midway point of the season.

Hwang Hee-chan has hit the goal-trail in that time, pulling up to 10 for the campaign, and he has been passed fit to play against Everton having been struggling with lower back pain.

The Toffees find themselves in a tricky situation. They would have been a point better off than 11th-place Wolves without their 10-point penalty for a financial fair play (FFP) breach, but as it stands they are only one above the drop zone.

Sean Dyche's side had enjoyed a spike in form following the ruling, but have now lost their last three in all competitions, knocked out of the EFL Cup by Fulham before defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.

Prediction: Wolves 2-1 Everton

Look for Wolves to edge this one. A clean bill of health for Hwang is big news for them, and they haven't lost at Molineux since September.

Everton won't roll over - they have conceded six fewer goals than Wolves - but recent form will have harmed confidence, even if they were underdogs against Spurs and City.

Nottingham Forest v Man Utd

Nottingham Forest's poor start to the season saw the sacking of their beloved Steve Cooper, who will not be short of options to further his career. The Premier League is a ruthless business and the decision to authorise his dismissal was one of pragmatism, though you would be hard pressed to find a Reds fan who does not appreciate his efforts.

Former Wolves and Tottenham head coach Nuno Espirito Santo was appointed in his place and he found his first win for the Midlands club at St James' Park last weekend, in a 3-1 victory.

It hasn’t been a bad start for Nuno, but now another test comes in the form of Manchester United, who are fresh off a memorable 3-2 win over Aston Villa.

That win was so crucial that it may have handed Erik ten Hag until after the January transfer window to keep his job at least. Man Utd must now build on that victory and beat Forest in a comfortable manner.

Prediction: Nottingham Forest 1-3 Man Utd

Man Utd’s midweek win, against Unai Emery's high-flyers, was huge and Ten Hag will no doubt have the ambition to build on that. The trouble is, Man Utd's away record is pretty appalling and they arguably could not be playing Forest at a worse time given Nuno’s appointment.

But the likely outcome is for Rasmus Hojlund to score in his second consecutive match, with Chris Wood, the Magpies Slayer, unable to prevent a Man Utd win.

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