Football
Alan Shearer Backing Arsenal And City To Maintain Perfect Records In His Latest Premier League Predictions
Cai is a news and features writer that specialises in football, but has experience covering a variety of other sports, including darts, basketball, American football, MMA, boxing and more. He holds a degree in Football Journalism (BA Hons) from the University of Derby, and worked with Nottingham Forest FC and Burton Albion FC throughout his studies. Cai also has experience working in social media with the Football Association of Wales, where he worked on a freelance basis, and has also been an accredited writer in the JD Cymru Premier for both Y Clwb Pêl-Droed and welshfootie since the 2019/20 season.
Get to know Cai Parry betterPublished30 Aug 2024
Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer has backed Manchester City and Arsenal to maintain their perfect starts to the 2024/25 Premier League season in his gameweek 3 predictions.
Gameweek 3 of the 2024/25 Premier League season is fast approaching, and the standout fixture comes on Sunday afternoon, when Manchester United and Liverpool meet at Old Trafford for the latest installment of the North West Derby.
United were dramatically beaten 2-1 by Brighton last weekend, with Joao Pedro netting a 95th-minute winner for the Seagulls, while the Reds maintained their perfect start to the season against Brentford with a second successive 2-0 victory.
Perhaps surprisingly, it was the Red Devils who had the upper hand in the fixture last term, as they beat their bitter rivals 4-3 in the FA Cup quarterfinals, and drew both of their Premier League meetings 0-0 and 2-2.
Other standout fixtures throughout the weekend include Arsenal and Brighton, who both have perfect records thus far, meeting in Saturday’s early kick-off, West Ham vs Manchester City, Chelsea vs Crystal Palace, and Newcastle vs Tottenham.
Ahead of the action, English football legend and Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer spoke to Betfair and offered his predictions for each match, backing both Arsenal and City to maintain their 100% records.
Alan Shearer Premier League Gameweek 3 Predictions
- Arsenal vs Brighton – Arsenal to win
- Brentford vs Southampton – Brentford to win
- Everton vs Bournemouth – Draw
- Ipswich vs Fulham – Fulham to win
- Leicester vs Aston Villa – Aston Villa to win
- Nottingham Forest vs Wolves – Draw
- West Ham vs Manchester City – Manchester City to win
- Chelsea vs Crystal Palace – Chelsea to win
- Newcastle vs Tottenham – Newcastle to win or draw
- Manchester United vs Liverpool – Draw
Speaking to Betfair about Saturday’s opener between Arsenal and Brighton at the Emirates, Shearer said: “This is a really exciting game and a tough one to call. Brighton have been very impressive in beating Man United and going to a tough place in Goodison Park and scoring three goals, which could’ve been more that day.
“It’s been a great start from Fabian Hürzeler, managing to impose himself on that squad, but I think Arsenal, who got that result despite not playing too well at Aston Villa and have two wins from two themselves, so they will make it tough for Brighton. I think Arsenal will have too much for Brighton in the end.”
Like many, Shearer has been impressed with Aston Villa‘s Morgan Rogers, and the 54-year-old is backing the young star to inspire the Villans to a bounce-back victory against Leicester this weekend.
“I like Steve Cooper, he got a good point in the first game against Tottenham, but I think Aston Villa will have too much for them here. I’ve been really impressed with Morgan Rogers, I’ll go for an Aston Villa win.
“When you look at who Morgan Rogers was up against in that Arsenal midfield, and some of the things he did with the ball, it was a magnificent performance. He didn’t deserve to be on the losing side and was without a doubt the standout player on the pitch.”
Unsurprisingly, Shearer is expecting Manchester City to overcome West Ham with no trouble whatsoever in Saturday’s late kick-off: “I’d be surprised if West Ham caused any problems for Man City here. They got a great result at Crystal Palace and made a really great signing in Max Kilman at the back, but Man City will have too much for them.
“When they conceded the first goal against Ipswich it was all about how are City going to react, and it was amazing to see how they did indeed react in the next 10-15 minutes. They could have even scored a few more. I’ll go for an away win.”
Undoubtedly the weekend’s standout fixture, the former Newcastle and Blackburn forward is backing a memorable Sunday showdown at Old Trafford, with plenty of goals to entertain fans and neutrals.
“Ultimately when you look at Man United last weekend against Brighton and the lapses in concentration defensively, if they don’t improve that then Liverpool‘s front line will have huge success.
“There’ll be goals in the game, and I think it could be a score-draw at Old Trafford on Sunday. I’ve mentioned Man United can save their best for the biggest games, and this is one of those.”
