Mark Lawrenson’s Premier League predictions are finally revealed as we look forward to what will be a busy weekend of football.
The former Preston, Brighton, Liverpool and Ireland footballer, turned Oxford and Peterborough manager, now a BBC Sport ‘football expert’, has given his verdict on who might spring a surprise.
Lawro will make predictions for all 380 top-flight matches this season, so take a look at what he had to say for this batch…
Everton v West Brom (12:30 BST)
I was impressed by Everton in their win at Tottenham last week. They worked hard and they were the better team – they got a really good result and they fully deserved it.
When you make some quality signings like the Toffees have done, and you start off with a win like that, everyone starts thinking ‘this might be our season’.
West Brom, on the other hand, got turned over at home by Leicester – and everyone is expecting them to struggle after they came up from the Championship.
But the Baggies already knew that they are likely to be fighting relegation, and their challenge is going to be to win enough games to beat the drop. I don’t think this will be one of them, though.
Lawro’s prediction: 2-0
Leeds v Fulham (15:00 BST)
These are the other two promoted teams and, like West Brom, they both lost last weekend.
Those results do not really tell the full story, though. Leeds could not really have had a much more positive return to the top flight, despite their defeat at Anfield.
There’s a chance Leeds captain Liam Cooper will be back on Saturday after missing the Liverpool game with a calf injury, and he would obviously improve them defensively.
I’m backing Marcelo Bielsa’s side to get the win this time, especially because they are playing at Elland Road.
Lawro’s prediction: 2-0
Man Utd v Crystal Palace (17:30 BST)
This is Manchester United’s first game back, while Crystal Palace started well, with a good win over Southampton.
With Michy Batshuayi on loan from Chelsea, the Eagles look like they have a few avenues for goals, which has been a problem for them in the past.
I still don’t think they will get anything at Old Trafford, though. They won here last season, which is another reason United will be fully switched on this time – they will remember that.
Lawro’s prediction: 2-0
Arsenal v West Ham (20:00 BST)
Arsenal have been top of the league all week, which does not mean very much after only one game, apart from the confidence you get from knowing you have made a really good start. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s new contract will help build their belief too.
West Ham, on the other hand, were wishy-washy in their defeat by Newcastle, and they always seem to be fighting fires off the pitch.
The Gunners won this fixture 1-0 with a late goal in March, in the final game before last season was paused because of the coronavirus pandemic.
It was a scrappy game and Mikel Arteta’s side only just nicked the points, but it was seen as a sign they were heading in the right direction.
How Arsenal get on this time could tell us a lot about how much progress they have made in the past six months.
Lawro’s prediction: 2-1
Southampton v Tottenham (12:00 BST)
If Gareth Bale signs in time to play for Tottenham then this is almost the perfect fixture for him to come back to, involving another of his former clubs.
Bale is going to be an excellent signing, and he is the kind of player that will lift the whole dressing room when he walks through the door.
Even without him, though, I’d back Spurs here. They were poor against Everton and I found what Jose Mourinho said afterwards about their “lazy pressing” very strange, but I’d expect a reaction from them here.
Mourinho very rarely loses consecutive games and Southampton are hardly in top form either.
Not just because they lost to Crystal Palace, but more because they barely laid a glove on them in that game.
Lawro’s prediction: 0-2
Newcastle v Brighton (14:00 BST)
I thought Newcastle have had a great transfer window and they proved it last weekend with their win at West Ham.
Two of their new signings, Jeff Hendrick and Callum Wilson, scored which is always nice, particularly Wilson’s goal.
Brighton had chances against Chelsea, but they didn’t take them. I think they will be fine this season in terms of avoiding the drop, but who will score their goals is still a concern.
Lawro’s prediction: 2-1
Chelsea v Liverpool (16:30 BST)
Chelsea kicked off their campaign with a good win over Brighton while Liverpool’s performance against Leeds was a bit patchier, but with the same result.
You wouldn’t call it a mediocre display by the Reds, because their forwards got four goals, but it was the first time for a while that they weren’t joined up from front to back.
The defence was all over the place and yet the front three were excellent.
It’s nothing to worry about as a one off, though, and in terms of joining things up Thiago Alcantara’s arrival from Bayern Munich will strengthen their midfield. He is an upgrade on Georginio Wijnaldum, put it that way.
Lawro’s prediction: 1-1
Leicester v Burnley (19:00 BST)
Leicester looked good last week and this is a tough way to start the Premier League season for Burnley, who have not made any significant signings so far this summer.
Lawro’s prediction: 2-0
Aston Villa v Sheff Utd (18:00 BST)
This fixture was the first game to be played when last season restarted in June, when Sheffield United scored but the goal-line technology missed it.
I just get the feeling the Blades might find it difficult to put the ball in the net in the first place this time around – I am really not sure where their goals are going to come from.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, will be buoyed by Jack Grealish signing his new contract. Now he really needs to kick on and put a string of big performances together, because they need him to.
The signings of Emiliano Martinez and Ollie Watkins will be a boost for Villa too – Dean Smith knows all about Watkins because he signed him for Brentford from Exeter in 2017 – and I think they will start their season with a win.
Lawro’s prediction: 1-0
Wolves v Man City (20:15 BST)
Wolves away is one of the hardest games any team will face this season, so it is hardly the ideal way for Manchester City to belatedly start their campaign.
There are plenty of question marks over how Pep Guardiola’s side will line up at the back – who will be their centre-half pairing? Where will new signing Nathan Ake play?
Wolves are already up and running – we saw that with their early goals against Sheffield United – and City cannot afford to be off their game, because we all know what happened when they played Wolves last season. They lost, home and away.
All things considered, a point would be a good result for City, who are playing catch-up at the top of the table before they have even kicked a ball.
Lawro’s prediction: 1-1
How did Lawro get on last week?
In the opening round of Premier League fixtures, Lawro correctly guessed four results with no exact scores from eight fixtures.
How did he do last season?
Lawro made a prediction for all 380 Premier League games last season and the final table based on all of his predictions is at the bottom of this page.
In Lawro’s league table, Manchester City finished as champions, with Liverpool unbeaten and in second place – but with five points more than they managed in real life.
Overall, he had four teams out of 20 in their correct positions, with seven others only one or two places out.
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