Premier League predictions: Lawro v drum and bass DJ and Arsenal fan Friction
- Published
Arsenal resume their rivalry with Tottenham on Sunday but does their 204th meeting mean anything more than just bragging rights in north London for fans of either side?
"The way both teams have started the season, they are already mirroring the way they have been for the past couple of years," says BBC football expert Mark Lawrenson. "They don't look good enough to get into the top four.
"They can both have little runs of games where they look very good but then they can suddenly look very ordinary. They are both the same in that respect - and who wins this time will come down to who is more, or less, ordinary on the day."
Lawro is making predictions for all 380 top-flight matches this season, against a variety of guests.
This week's guest is legendary drum and bass DJ and producer Friction, whose new single I Need To Feel is out now.
Friction hosted a flagship drum and bass show on Radio 1 from 2012 to 2017
Friction is an Arsenal season ticket holder who fell in love with the club when he was taken to Highbury aged 10, and has enjoyed watching legends like Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry in more than three decades following the Gunners.
"I grew up watching some amazing players and enjoyed some very special times, but for the last few years it's been quite a frustrating time to be an Arsenal fan," he told BBC Sport.
"There have still been some brilliant moments, though. Winning the FA Cup in 2020, when Mikel Arteta had only been in charge for half the season, was great - although I don't quite know how we managed to do it. I remember watching us beat Manchester City in the semi-final and wondering how that had happened.
"We have not really built on that moment, but I can understand why. Arteta had inherited a squad which wasn't what he wanted, and it wasn't good enough either.
"At the time, though, Arteta was making the most of the players we had. He had us playing with three at the back and we were basically soaking up pressure against any good team we played - like City - and would maybe get away on a cheeky counter-attack and get a goal that way.
"We were limited then but, in the 18 months since we won the FA Cup, there has been a lot hard work revamping the squad. Arteta has almost started again in a way.
"With the exciting young players we have got, I do feel positive about the future. I can see much better times ahead, but there is so much work still to be done and it is going to take a long time to get us back to where we want to be.
"If we were get a top-six finish, that would be really good for us this year and give us something to build on. I hope we can get more consistent as the season goes on, but I don't see us getting in the Champions League places this time - just look at the teams we would have to finish above to make it.
"The biggest thing we are up against, though, is our recent history. We are a long way off being The Invincibles of 2004, but that is the team that these players are being compared to."
Friction is part of the line-up for the Warehouse Project in Manchester on Friday night - and plans to watch Chelsea versus Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime
Premier League predictions - week 6 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Result | Lawro | Friction | |
SATURDAY | |||
Chelsea v Man City | 0-1 | 1-1 | 1-1 |
Man Utd v Aston Villa | 0-1 | 2-0 | 2-1 |
Everton v Norwich | 2-0 | 2-0 | 1-0 |
Leeds v West Ham | 1-2 | 2-1 | 2-3 |
Leicester v Burnley | 2-2 | 2-1 | 2-0 |
Watford v Newcastle | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-1 |
Brentford v Liverpool | 3-3 | 0-2 | 0-1 |
SUNDAY | |||
Southampton v Wolves | 0-1 | 2-1 | 1-0 |
Arsenal v Tottenham | 3-1 | 1-1 | 1-0 |
MONDAY | |||
Crystal Palace v Brighton | 1-1 | 1-1 | 1-1 |
A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns 40 points.
LAWRO'S PREDICTIONS
Games kick off at 15:00 BST unless otherwise stated
SATURDAY
Chelsea 0-1 Man City
Lawro's prediction: 1-1
Friction's prediction: 1-1
Man Utd 0-1 Aston Villa
Lawro's prediction: 2-0
Friction's prediction: 2-1
Everton 2-0 Norwich
Lawro's prediction: 2-0
Friction's prediction: 1-0
Leeds 1-2 West Ham
Lawro's prediction: 2-1
Friction's prediction: 2-3
Leicester 2-2 Burnley
Lawro's prediction: 2-1
Friction's prediction: 2-0
Watford 1-1 Newcastle
Lawro's prediction: 1-1
Friction's prediction: 1-1
Lawro's prediction: 0-2
Friction's prediction: 0-1
SUNDAY
Southampton 0-1 Wolves
Lawro's prediction: 2-1
Friction's prediction: I think this game is the hardest out of the 10 to predict. I was tempted to go for a 0-0 but Saints might edge it. They did look good against Manchester City last week. 1-0
Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham
Lawro's prediction: 1-1
Friction's prediction: I'll be back from Manchester and at this one on Sunday and I can't wait. Neither team is great at the moment, but I think we are a bit better than them. What I would say, though, is that I am basing this on Kane still not finding his best form in this game - if he does, it might be a different story. 1-0
MONDAY
Crystal Palace 1-1 Brighton
Lawro's prediction: 1-1
Friction's prediction: 1-1
Lawro was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.
How did Lawro do last week?
Last week, Lawro got four correct results from 10 matches, with one exact score, for a total of 70 points.
He beat both of his guests - actors Aqib Khan and Shaun Thomas from BBC Three comedy Ladhood. They both got five correct results, with no exact scores, for a total of 50 points.
+/- DENOTE POSITION DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAWRO'S TABLE AND ACTUAL POSITION | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TEAM | P | W | D | L | PTS | +/- | |
=1 | Aston Villa | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | +9 |
=1 | Man City | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | +4 |
=1 | Man Utd | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | +2 |
4 | Brighton | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
5 | Leeds | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 | +12 |
=6 | Leicester | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 11 | +6 |
=6 | Liverpool | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 11 | -4 |
8 | Chelsea | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 9 | -7 |
=9 | West Ham | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | -1 |
=9 | Tottenham | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | -2 |
11 | Newcastle | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | +7 |
=12 | Brentford | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -3 |
=12 | Wolves | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | +4 |
=14 | Everton | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | -8 |
=14 | Arsenal | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 3 | -1 |
=16 | Burnley | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +3 |
=16 | Norwich | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | +4 |
=16 | Watford | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | -5 |
=19 | Crystal Palace | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | -5 |
=19 | Southampton | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | -4 |
GUEST LEADERBOARD 2021-22
Score | Guest |
|---|---|
110 | She Drew The Gun |
80 | Tom McFarland |
76 | Lawro (average after five weeks) |
50 | Aqib Khan, Shaun Thomas |
40 | Dan Haggis of The Wombats, Justin Young |
Total scores after week five | |
|---|---|
Lawro | 380 |
Guests | 320 |
Lawro v Guests | |||
|---|---|---|---|
P5 | W3 | D1 | L1 |
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