Premier League predictions: Lawro v King Gary star Tom Davis
- Published
Manchester United are the only team to take points off Liverpool so far this season - but can they repeat that feat at Anfield on Sunday?
"I am more confident about a Liverpool win this time than I would usually be before this game - for obvious reasons," BBC football expert Mark Lawrenson said.
"Jurgen Klopp's side are just playing extremely well and they are really in the groove at the moment, especially at home.
"You also just sense with them that they are absolutely relentless and they will be desperate to beat United. The Liverpool players know that, along with Everton, this is the big game of the season in every single way."
Lawro is making predictions for all 380 top-flight matches this season, against a variety of guests.
This week he is up against actor and comedian Tom Davis, star of new sitcom King Gary, which is on BBC One on Fridays at 21:30 GMT. All six episodes are also available on iPlayer now.
Davis is a proud West Ham fan, who classes Paolo di Canio's famous volley against Wimbledon in 2000 as one of his best moments as a fan, even if the Hammers have not given him too much to celebrate over the years.
He told BBC Sport: "Why West Ham? I ask myself that question at the beginning of every season.
"But it is a club of real character, it is a club I love and, for every trial and tribulation they have put me through, I wouldn't change them for the world.
Gary coaches an under-nines team in episode two of King Gary but Tom admits he was not much use on the pitch himself. "I played football at a very average level," he explained. "I was a try-hard - I get in the way well, so I would call myself 'brick wall'"
"I love the Premier League full-stop, though. The excitement you get from watching it is not always West Ham-driven, like the Sergio Aguero goal when Manchester City won it in 2012, but the drama is just incredible.
"It is something you could not create by writing a script. Sadly, from a Hammers point of view, they seem to be more of a comedy a lot of the time, rather than a drama - unless they are going down."
Premier League predictions - week 23 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Result | Lawro | Tom | |
SATURDAY | |||
Watford v Tottenham | 0-0 | 1-1 | 1-2 |
Arsenal v Sheff Utd | 1-1 | 1-2 | 1-1 |
Brighton v Aston Villa | 1-1 | 2-0 | 2-1 |
Man City v Crystal Palace | 2-2 | 3-0 | 3-1 |
Norwich v Bournemouth | 1-0 | 2-0 | 2-0 |
Southampton v Wolves | 2-3 | 2-0 | 2-4 |
West Ham v Everton | 1-1 | 2-1 | 3-1 |
Newcastle v Chelsea | 1-0 | 1-2 | 2-1 |
SUNDAY | |||
Burnley v Leicester | 2-1 | 2-1 | 1-4 |
Liverpool v Man Utd | 2-0 | 2-0 | 5-1 |
A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns 40 points.
LAWRO'S PREDICTIONS
All kick-offs 15:00 GMT unless stated.
SATURDAY
Arsenal 1-1 Sheff Utd
Lawro's prediction: 1-2
Tom's prediction: Mikel Arteta is doing a good job at Arsenal so far. 1-1
Man City 2-2 Crystal Palace
Lawro's prediction: 3-0
Tom's prediction: Palace have done all right against City recently, but I think City will win this. 3-1
Norwich 1-0 Bournemouth
Lawro's prediction: 2-0
Tom's prediction: Norwich to nick this - Teemu Pukki to get both their goals. 2-0
West Ham 1-1 Everton
Lawro's prediction: 2-1
Tom's prediction: This is a massive game for us and a big game for David Moyes against his former club. We have got a bit of fire in us at the moment and I think we will win.
I like Moyes and I think he will steady the ship, which is what we need right now. I would love to see someone such as Joe Cole, a younger ex-player, come in as a coach and start sort of looking to the future but, for the time being, it seems like players like playing for Moyes, and that is the main thing. 3-1
SUNDAY
Liverpool 2-0 Man Utd
Lawro's prediction: 2-0
Tom's prediction: 5-1
Lawro was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.
How did Lawro do last week?
Last weekend, Lawro got five correct results, with no exact scores for a total of 50 points.
He beat actors Hugh Grant and Matthew McConaughey - Grant got three correct results with no exact scores for a total of 30 points, while McConaughey's four correct results gave him 40 points.
+/- DENOTE POSITION DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAWRO'S TABLE AND ACTUAL POSITION | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TEAM | P | W | D | L | PTS | +/- | |
1 | Man City | 22 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 63 | +1 |
2 | Liverpool | 21 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 59 | -1 |
3 | Tottenham | 22 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 52 | +5 |
4 | Chelsea | 22 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 49 | 0 |
5 | Arsenal | 22 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 40 | +5 |
6 | Man Utd | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 39 | -1 |
7 | Leicester | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 35 | -1 |
8 | Watford | 22 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 30 | -9 |
9 | West Ham | 21 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 28 | +7 |
=10 | Burnley | 22 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 27 | +5 |
=10 | Everton | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 27 | +1 |
=12 | Bournemouth | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 26 | +7 |
=12 | Wolves | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 26 | -5 |
14 | Aston Villa | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 25 | +4 |
15 | Newcastle | 22 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 23 | -2 |
16 | Southampton | 22 | 5 | 3 | 14 | 18 | -4 |
17 | Brighton | 22 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 17 | -3 |
18 | Sheff Utd | 22 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 15 | -12 |
19 | Crystal Palace | 22 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 14 | -10 |
20 | Norwich | 22 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 0 |
GUEST LEADERBOARD 2019-20
Score | Guest leaderboard |
|---|---|
160 | Gabriel Luna |
140 | Arnold Schwarzenegger |
100 | Adam Peaty |
90 | Avelino, Helen Housby, Jo Harten, Bobby Seagull, Geraint Thomas |
80 | Andy Murray, Stephen Graham |
75 | Lawro (average after 22 weeks) |
70 | David Baddiel, Richard Hawley, Kojo, Michael Johnson, Craig Mitch, Alex Scott |
60 | Sonny Bill Williams, Serge from Kasabian, Stefan Ratchford |
50 | Chelcee Grimes, Reece Parkinson, Sam Warburton |
40 | Stephen Fry, Hugh Grant, Neil Jones, Tommy O'Dell |
30 | Matthew McConaughey, Seth Rollins |
Total scores after week 21 | |
|---|---|
Lawro | 1,660 |
Guests | 1,520 |
Lawro v Guests | |||
|---|---|---|---|
P22 | W14 | D2 | L6 |