Sutton's predictions v boxer & Ipswich fan Fabio Wardley

· BBC-PL

BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton takes on boxer and Ipswich fan Fabio Wardley, plus the BBC readers and AI with his predictions for this weekend's Premier League fixtures.

> "I cannot remember the last time Leeds were seen as favourites going into this fixture but I don't fancy Manchester United's chances at all," said BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton.

> "Leeds are just a much more rounded team. Their fans must be relishing this game."

Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against AI, BBC Sport readers and a variety of guests.

For week seven, he takes on former heavyweight boxing world champion Fabio Wardley, who supports Ipswich Town.

Wardley can reclaim his WBO title when he meets Daniel Dubois at London's O2 Arena on Saturday.

The fight, a rematch of their thrilling battle in May, when Dubois stopped Wardley in the 11th round to take his crown, will be shown live on DAZN and you can listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live as well as following a live watchalong on BBC iPlayer.

Wardley took Sutton on at predictions before that first fight too - so will either outcome be different this time?

> "I beat Fabio last time - he's from Ipswich so he doesn't stand a chance of beating me," Sutton said.

> "But good luck to him on Saturday night and I hope he wins his rematch - he's got a better chance against Dubois than he has against me."

Do you agree with their predictions? You can pick your own below.

The most popular scoreline selected for each game is used in the scoreboards and tables at the bottom of this page.

A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns 40 points.

Want to make more predictions? You can play BBC Sport's new Match of the Day predictor game every week, featuring six fixtures from domestic and European competition.

'Life on the line' for Dubois & Wardley in re-match

It took Ipswich 19 matches and until 30 December to rack up three wins the last time they were promoted to the Premier League, in 2024-25, but their new-look side have already matched that total in their first six games.

> "Whenever you get promoted there is going to be a large amount of player turnover because, if you want to stay up, then you need to bring some players in who are going to be game-changers, and are going to offer you the different perspectives or different outlets you will need at this level," Wardley told BBC Sport.

> "With a bunch of new players and a new manager in Gary O'Neil too, there was always going to be a question mark as to how well they would gel, or even how quickly, but the team are looking great.

> "You only have to look at the start we've made to the season to answer the question of whether we look like we belong in the Premier League.

> "Three wins from six games is a great start for any team coming up from the Championship and the boys are doing really well right now."

Wardley has seen two of those wins for himself, with both of them coming thanks to last-gasp goals.

> "My training camp has been very strict and very stringent so I've been very busy with a lot of what I've got going on, but of course I've tried to make it to Portman Road as much as possible," he added.

> "I went to the first game of the season against Sunderland, which ended with a nice little last-minute winner for us, with Jack Clarke sticking that one in.

> "And just before I came away for the build-up to my fight, I was at Saturday's game against Fulham, which ended in a similar fashion really.

> "We went 1-0 down early on but clawed it back and then scored two goals in three minutes, with the winner coming in added time.

> "Winning like that proves the team have got character. The boys are showing a lot of resilience and we are going to need it this season."

Chris Sutton and Fabio Wardley were speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.

The AI predictions were generated using Microsoft Copilot Chat - we simply asked the tool to 'predict this weekend's Premier League scores'.

Tractor Boy first, Heavyweight boxer second!

Premier League predictions

Saturday, 17 October

- Hill Dickinson Stadium, 12:30 BST

Everton are still unbeaten and, as well as their results, they have really impressed me with the way they have played so far.

Bournemouth had a better xG than Chelsea last weekend, but lost 5-1. That game showed again how Xabi Alonso's side are going to be enjoyable to watch this season but very difficult to predict.

You just don't know what you are going to get with Chelsea at the moment but at least you know what to expect from Everton.

They are always so well organised and should probably have beaten Hull last time out, with the number of good chances Thierno Barry had.

I can see them making things awkward for Chelsea and maintaining that unbeaten start.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Fabio's prediction: 1-2

AI's prediction: 1-2

- Gtech Community Stadium, 15:00

Brentford are another team to have made an unbeaten start, and while I thought they were a bit lucky to get a draw at Aston Villa last week, they have plenty of momentum.

Liverpool got a big win on their travels in the Champions League against LASK on Wednesday but there are two ways to look at that result.

On one hand, they looked good going forward and it was great for Bradley Barcola to open his account with a hat-trick.

But, at the same time, they conceded three goals and they still have that vulnerability about them at the back.

If the Reds empty the midfield again in this game then they are going to be in trouble, because Brentford are quite direct and will keep looking to run in behind the Liverpool defence.

The sceptics will say Barcola needs to start delivering in the Premier League too, and Florian Wirtz has been taking a bit of a battering for his performances.

The question I asked on the Monday Night Club was 'what kind of player actually is he?'

They have paid so much money for him but is he a dribbler? No. He's not the kind of player to shoot and score from the edge of the box either.

He's got an intelligent football brain but Liverpool wanted more than that. When you spend so much on a player, you want some numbers from him.

This is a tricky game for Liverpool, and I don't think they will win it. They definitely won't keep a clean sheet, either.

Sutton's prediction: 2-2

Fabio's prediction: 1-1

AI's prediction: 1-2

- Craven Cottage, 15:00

This feels like a massive game for Fulham boss Alvaro Arbeloa, who is still waiting for his first league win.

They had it in the bag against Ipswich last week so losing that game so late on was just desperate for them.

I've watched Fulham a couple of times this season, against Liverpool and Manchester United, and they played well both times without getting over the line.

After this game, they go to Coventry next. I know the Cottagers are not a club known for going through managers but if they lose this then the pressure will really be on Arbeloa.

Hull, in contrast, will be relishing this after the start they have made.

Their identity is as a team who will have a real go at you and their approach is a bit like a bull in a china shop.

It has been working pretty well so far and I think they will fancy their chances against a Fulham side who might be lacking a bit of belief.

Despite that, I am going to go with Fulham here. I don't think their results have really reflected their performances so far, but that might change on Saturday.

Sutton's prediction: 3-1

Fabio's prediction: 0-2

AI's prediction: 2-0

- Etihad Stadium, 15:00

Manchester City will have learned a lot from their defeat by Paris St-Germain.

I was there for Radio 5 Live and I thought City's second-half display was a magnificent response.

For those teams to meet at this early stage of the Champions League it was always going to be a good game, but it was never going to be tense because neither side were going to be knocked out.

PSG showed how good they are in the first half hour, but City will have gained a lot of confidence from their response. If they end up playing PSG again later in the competition, that second half will have done them the world of good psychologically.

There is obviously a lot of noise around City at the moment but in that game and against Liverpool last week, you could see the unity in their team.

They played with such intensity in the second half against PSG that I wonder how much that has taken out of them, but they will want to keep their foot on the throttle.

Fair play to Ipswich, for coming back to beat Fulham the way they did, but I don't see them getting anything here.

We know Gary O'Neil's side will have a go and I really like their approach this season, but City will have too much quality for them.

Sutton's prediction: 4-0

> Fabio on the Ipswich players who have impressed him this season: A few do stand out. Julio Enciso is doing a lot in the middle of the park and then there is Leif Davis, who has been there for a long time and is part of the core of the team. Another one who doesn't always get much of a mention is our goalkeeper Christian Walton. He had to battle for his place and has been in and out of the side but he always seems to claw his way back in and he has proved why he is the main man between the sticks.

> Fabio's prediction: The boys have got a tall order on Saturday. Look, playing City is no joke for anyone in the Premier League, especially a team that has just come up, but as I've been saying this week about my own situation in my fight, having an underdog mentality can be a good thing - it does free you up and kind of take the weight off your shoulders, and it allows the boys to play and just do their thing.

> It's a big ask to go away to City and get a result but hopefully they can pull something off and come away with at least a point. 1-1

AI's prediction: 4-0

- St James' Park, 17:30

This has the makings of a great game.

Newcastle's defeat at Coventry on Monday was such a wild game. The way the Magpies play, they just go for it, and load players into the front line.

They lost 4-1 in the end but the scoreline could have been anything with the number of chances Newcastle had.

Aston Villa have made a slow start to the Premier League season results-wise but I think they done all right, bearing in mind what their manager Unai Emery has had to deal with in terms of the players they lost.

Johan Manzambi is getting fitter every game and Nicolas Jackson has found some great form.

It takes time for a team to come together but I thought they were really good against Brentford last weekend, but just weren't ruthless enough. That wasn't a problem against Fenerbahce on Wednesday, though.

This is a really hard one to call and the only thing I know for certain is that there will be a few goals.

Sutton's prediction: 2-3

Fabio's prediction: 1-3

AI's prediction: 2-1

Sunday, 18th October

- Vitality Stadium, 14:00

Both these teams play in Europe on Thursday but neither of them are in great form. Sunderland have lost three in a row, while Bournemouth have not won in the league so far this season.

The Cherries have been a team who have got in front but let things slip a few times this season but, against Chelsea, they went 2-0 down right from kick-off, then did it again with their third goal inside the first few seconds of the second half.

Bournemouth boss Marco Rose had probably told his players "don't do anything stupid" at the break, so he must have been absolutely livid at that.

They really need a positive result here but so do Sunderland. It's going to be close, and I can't pick a winner.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Fabio's prediction: 2-0

AI's prediction: 2-1

- Amex Stadium, 14:00

I am not quite sure how Crystal Palace beat Nottingham Forest last week, because Forest had some incredible chances.

I don't see the Eagles getting anything here, though, because Brighton are absolutely flying at the moment.

The Seagulls showed great resilience to hold on at 1-0 with 10 men in their win against Sunderland last week and ended up scoring a second goal right at the end too.

Again, both teams play in Europe on Thursday so they will have to find the right balance with their team selections - but I don't see it affecting Brighton any more than it will Palace.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Fabio's prediction: 3-1

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