Premier League and Carabao Cup final predictions: Lawro v Formula E driver Sam Bird
- Published
West Ham United have been waiting for a win since New Year's Day but will hope they can get three points that will lift them out of the Premier League relegation zone when they host Southampton on Saturday.
The Hammers have had a tough run of fixtures but BBC football experience Mark Lawrenson says there will be "no excuses" if they do not perform this time.
"If their situation does not focus the West Ham players' minds, then they are in big trouble," Lawrenson said.
"I hate the term 'must-win' but in terms of their season, this result will be crucial to them, and where they go from here."
Lawro - who also takes a look at Sunday's Carabao Cup final between Aston Villa and Manchester City - is making predictions for all 380 top-flight matches this season, against a variety of guests.
This week he is up against British Formula E driver Sam Bird.
Bird is sixth in the Formula E driver championship, but could he have been a professional footballer instead? He explained: "I was a keen footballer and there was a point in my childhood where I had to choose whether to go down the football route or the racing route - but I believe I made the right choice."
The Envision Virgin Racing driver trained with eco-friendly League Two side Forest Green Rovers recently, but he is a Manchester United fan.
"I support United because the first ever kit I was bought by my dad was a Man U kit," Bird told BBC Sport. "I didn't have any clue who they were and whether they were any good, but my dad brought home this kit, I put it on and I associated myself with that kit.
"My favourite moment as a United fan was when we beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League final in 1999 to win the Treble.
"The game was done - then Teddy Sheringham scores to make it 1-1 and it just felt like something else was going to happen. Then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored to win the game for us. It was an amazing feeling.
"This season? These are are worrying times for United, I've got to say.
"I struggle to see any light at the end of the tunnel right now, compared to, say, where Liverpool and Manchester City are. We don't look like the force that we once were."
And what about that day training with Forest Green? Could there be a future for him in football after all?
"I thoroughly enjoyed the experience," he added. "I was a little bit rusty and the fitness is very different to what I do for racing, but I had a great time.
"I got better through the day. I don't know, give me a couple of weeks and maybe you could sort me out a contract?"
You can watch Sam in the next round of the Formula E season, the Marrakesh E-Prix in Morocco, live on BBC Two and the BBC Sport website from 13:30 GMT on Saturday.
Carabao Cup final | ||
|---|---|---|
Result | Lawro | |
SUNDAY | ||
Aston Villa v Man City | 1-2 | 0-3 |
Sam did not make a prediction for the Carabao Cup final, but he did look at the Premier League games that were postponed because of it and tipped Sheffield United to beat Villa 2-0 and City to beat Arsenal 2-1.
He also looked at the eight Premier League games to be played this weekend.
Premier League predictions - week 28 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Result | Lawro | Sam | |
FRIDAY | |||
Norwich v Leicester | 1-0 | 1-2 | 1-3 |
SATURDAY | |||
Brighton v Crystal Palace | 0-1 | 2-0 | 1-1 |
Bournemouth v Chelsea | 2-2 | 0-2 | 1-1 |
Newcastle v Burnley | 0-0 | 1-1 | 0-1 |
West Ham v Southampton | 3-1 | 2-0 | 0-2 |
Watford v Liverpool | 3-0 | 1-2 | 0-3 |
SUNDAY | |||
Everton v Man Utd | 1-1 | 2-0 | 1-2 |
Tottenham v Wolves | 2-3 | 1-1 | 1-2 |
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.
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
Bournemouth 2-2 Chelsea
Lawro's prediction: 0-2
Sam's prediction: This one is a little bit closer to my heart because I know Cherries boss Eddie Howe and his assistant Jason Tindall quite well. My youngest son actually plays in the Bournemouth academy, and I know what they are capable of on their day. 1-1
Newcastle United 0-0 Burnley
Lawro's prediction: 1-1
Sam's prediction: This is a tricky one. Burnley don't play the best looking football, while I think Newcastle try but they just can't score goals at the moment. 0-1
West Ham United 3-1 Southampton
Lawro's prediction: 2-0
Sam's prediction: Southampton are a team in form and Danny Ings is scoring tonnes of goals for them. 0-2
SUNDAY
Tottenham Hotspur 2-3 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Lawro's prediction: 1-1
Sam's prediction: 1-2
Aston Villa 1-2 Manchester City (Carabao Cup final)
Lawro's prediction: 0-3
Lawro was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.
How did Lawro do last week?
Last weekend, Lawro got eight correct results, with no exact scores, from 10 games, giving him a total of 80 points.
He was beaten by This Country stars Daisy May and Charlie Cooper, who got five correct results, but including two exact scores, for a total of 110 points.
+/- DENOTE POSITION DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAWRO'S TABLE AND ACTUAL POSITION | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TEAM | P | W | D | L | PTS | +/- | |
1 | Man City | 27 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 78 | +1 |
2 | Liverpool | 27 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 75 | -1 |
3 | Chelsea | 27 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 61 | +1 |
4 | Tottenham | 27 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 59 | +2 |
5 | Arsenal | 27 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 46 | +4 |
6 | Man Utd | 27 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 43 | -1 |
7 | Leicester | 27 | 12 | 5 | 10 | 41 | -4 |
8 | Burnley | 27 | 11 | 4 | 12 | 37 | +2 |
9 | Wolves | 27 | 11 | 3 | 13 | 36 | -1 |
10 | Watford | 27 | 10 | 5 | 12 | 35 | +9 |
=11 | Aston Villa | 27 | 10 | 4 | 13 | 34 | +6 |
=11 | Everton | 27 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 34 | 0 |
=11 | West Ham | 27 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 34 | +7 |
14 | Bournemouth | 27 | 10 | 2 | 15 | 32 | +2 |
15 | Newcastle | 27 | 8 | 2 | 17 | 26 | -1 |
16 | Southampton | 27 | 7 | 3 | 17 | 24 | -4 |
17 | Sheff Utd | 27 | 6 | 4 | 17 | 22 | -10 |
18 | Crystal Palace | 27 | 5 | 6 | 16 | 21 | -5 |
19 | Brighton | 27 | 6 | 2 | 19 | 20 | -4 |
20 | Norwich | 27 | 2 | 7 | 16 | 13 | 0 |
GUEST LEADERBOARD 2019-20
Score | Guest leaderboard |
|---|---|
160 | Gabriel Luna |
140 | Arnold Schwarzenegger |
110 | Daisy May and Charlie Cooper |
100 | Adam Peaty |
90 | Avelino, Helen Housby, Jo Harten, Bobby Seagull, Geraint Thomas |
80 | Tom Davis, Andy Murray, Stephen Graham |
75 | Lawro (average after 26 weeks) |
70 | David Baddiel, Richard Hawley, Kojo, Michael Johnson, Craig Mitch, Alex Scott |
60 | Sonny Bill Williams, Georgia, Katie Ormerod, Serge from Kasabian, Stefan Ratchford |
50 | Chelcee Grimes, Reece Parkinson, Sam Warburton |
40 | Stephen Fry, Hugh Grant, Neil Jones, Tommy O'Dell, Steve Queralt |
30 | Matthew McConaughey, Seth Rollins |
Total scores after week 27 | |
|---|---|
Lawro | 2,020 |
Guests | 1,880 |
Lawro v Guests | |||
|---|---|---|---|
P27 | W17 | D2 | L8 |