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Alan Shearer Premier League Predictions: Shearer Backing Aston Villa To Put A Dent In Arsenal’s Title Challenge
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 betterPublished23 Aug 2024
Alan Shearer has revealed his predictions for the second gameweek of the 2024/25 Premier League season, and he’s expecting Aston Villa to deliver a hammer blow to Arsenal at Villa Park.
After an action-packed opening gameweek of the campaign, the second round of 2024/25 Premier League fixtures is upon us, with Aston Villa vs Arsenal on Saturday evening being dubbed the game of the weekend.
Both sides got off to winning starts last weekend, with the Gunners defeating Wolves 2-1 at the Emirates, while Unai Emery’s Villans defeated West Ham 2-1 thanks to Jhon Duran’s 79th-minute winner.
Last season, Villa did the double over Mikel Arteta’s side, winning the first meeting at Villa Park 1-0 last December before securing a 2-0 victory in the capital the following April, a pair of major blows to Arsenal’s title ambitions.
Other standout fixtures this weekend include Brighton vs Manchester United on the south coast in Saturday’s early kick-off, Manchester City vs Ipswich and Tottenham vs Everton at three o’clock, and Liverpool vs Brentford to close out the gameweek in the 16:30 kick-off on Sunday.
Ahead of the action across the country, Premier League legend and record goalscorer Alan Shearer spoke to Betfair and delivered his predictions for each tie, with the 54-year-old eyeing a huge victory for Villa over the Gunners.
Alan Shearer Premier League Gameweek 2 Predictions
- Brighton vs Manchester United – Prediction: Draw
- Crystal Palace vs West Ham – Prediction: Draw
- Fulham vs Leicester – Prediction: Fulham to win
- Manchester City vs Ipswich – Prediction: Manchester City to win
- Southampton vs Nottingham Forest – Prediction: Southampton to win
- Tottenham vs Everton – Prediction: Tottenham to win
- Aston Villa vs Arsenal – Prediction: Aston Villa to win
- Bournemouth vs Newcastle – Prediction: Newcastle to win
- Wolves vs Chelsea – Prediction: Wolves to win
- Liverpool vs Brentford – Prediction: Liverpool to win
Speaking on Saturday’s opener between Brighton and Manchester United, Shearer told Betfair, “Brighton had the outstanding result of the weekend, going to Everton with the new and youngest manager in the league and they were sensational.
“It’s a tough one for Manchester United, to visit a team who won by three goals on the road last weekend. It’s a tough game to predict but I think it will be a score draw.”
The 1994/95 Premier League winner went on to speak about Manchester City vs Ipswich, and despite the Tractor Boys’ fantastic effort against Liverpool in the first half, he says he can only see that match going one way.
“I’d be amazed if Ipswich were to get anything from this game. They’re going to have to have a lot of luck and defend incredibly well if they are to get anything out of the game. I see Ipswich shipping away a few goals, unfortunately, and Manchester City will win.”
Elsewhere in the three o’clock kick-offs, Shearer is expecting Tottenham to bounce back after a disappointing draw against Leicester last Monday, citing Everton’s backline as a worry for Toffees fans heading into the fixture.
“Spurs are back at home, they absolutely dominated Leicester City in the first half on Monday. How many times have we seen it though when teams don’t take their chances and get punished? That’s exactly what happened.
“It was pretty alarming how open Everton were after they conceded the first goal to Brighton, that is a big concern for me and I expect Spurs to take all three points, particularly as they’re playing at home.”
Against the odds, despite Villa beating Arsenal in their last two meetings, Shearer thinks Emery’s side could deliver a blow to the Gunners’ title hopes, as they did last season.
“This is a great game to look forward to because I think Arsenal’s result against Aston Villa late last season is what cost them the title in the end, which makes this a fascinating game.
“I think Aston Villa can have a really good season, the game against Arsenal is a tough one to call because they both had a good result, and both will be flying in confidence.
“It’s a really tough game for Arsenal this, going to Aston Villa, who will be fresh and eager to put a dent in Arsenal‘s title challenge once again. I think Aston Villa can do it too, it wouldn’t surprise me if it was a scoreless draw, but I’ll put my neck on the line and predict a home win for Aston Villa.”
For Sunday’s fixtures, Shearer is backing his former club Newcastle to beat Bournemouth, Wolves to beat big-spending Chelsea, and Liverpool to maintain their strong home record against Brentford in Arne Slot’s first league game at Anfield.
“Brentford got off to a good start against Crystal Palace last week, but Liverpool were brilliant in the second half against Ipswich, and here we are with Arne Slot’s first home game. I don’t expect anything but a home win at Anfield.”
