I Make Predictions (Round 34)

Last round Mark Lawrenson got three games right for five points.  His celebrity guest got two games right for two points.  Merson got four games right for six points.  I got four games right for four points.

Since I started making these predictions I have predicted 114 out of 217 games correctly for 167 points.  Lawrenson predicted 112 games out of 216 correctly for 152 points. Merson predicted 108 games out of 212 correctly for 152 points.

I will link to Lawrenson’s and Merson’s new predictions when they are published. They will be found here and here.

Here are my predictions using the same rules outlined here.    Once again, my modifications for clubs that have played a different number of games do not matter.

Southampton-Spurs       1-1

Burnley-Leicester            1-1

Palace-Hull                       2-1

Newcastle-Swansea       1-1

QPR-West Ham               1-2

Stoke-Sunderland           2-1

West Brom-Liverpool     1-2

Man City-Aston Villa       1-0

Everton-Man U                 1-2

Arsenal-Chelsea               1-1

MAGIC NUMBERS

Here are our magic numbers for the entire League as explained here:

I have left the clubs in the same order as when I first posted this list because I find it more interesting that way.

Strictly speaking magic numbers do not go negative—when the number reaches zero you have clinched finishing ahead of that team—that is why the number is magic.  Nevertheless, I am going to continue calculating negative magic numbers because that information is useful to me in comparing the various clubs.  Anyone who is bothered by this can just treat all negative numbers as zero.

Chelsea                39 (we can no longer catch them)

Man City              24

Man U                  25

Arsenal                29

Tottenham          17

Liverpool             20

West Ham           3

Swansea              7

Stoke                    6

Newcastle           -5

Everton                1

Palace                   2

Sunderland         -8

West Brom         -4

Aston Villa           -6

Burnley               -14

Hull                        -9

QPR                       -14

Leicester              -9

The points total mathematically needed to avoid relegation is still 45.  This week Stoke reached safety.  The number will drop if Leicester or Sunderland drop points or if Hull loses.

We have still only clinched 12^th place.   Once again, if everything goes right this weekend, we could clinch 8^th place.  This time, however, we don’t mind if that happens since the other games about which we care do not have to turn out any particular way to help us clinch 8th.