Sutton and Walsh Offer Differing Predictions on Liverpool vs Manchester City Amid Financial Case
Chris Sutton and James Walsh preview the Premier League weekend, with contrasting views on Manchester City's visit to Liverpool after City were found guilty of financial breaches.
BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton and Starsailor frontman James Walsh, a Liverpool supporter, have made their predictions for the weekend's Premier League fixtures. The standout match is Manchester City's trip to Anfield on Sunday, following the news that City were found guilty of the majority of the 115 financial rules breaches they were accused of.
Sutton predicted a 2-1 win for City, suggesting the players might adopt a siege mentality rather than be deflated. He also highlighted uncertainty over potential points deductions and how they could affect the title race. Walsh, however, backed Liverpool to win 3-1 but described the game as strange due to the off-field context. He argued that if Liverpool win, the narrative will be about beating 'the cheats', and if they lose, it will be attributed to City's alleged long-term unfair advantage.
On the wider implications, Walsh said he does not think titles and cups should be handed to runners-up, including Liverpool, as that would take away memories from City's players and fans. He suggested official records could note an asterisk or be chalked off, but acknowledged the unusual feeling around the season.
Other fixtures also produced contrasting predictions. For Arsenal vs Leeds, Sutton went for a 2-0 Arsenal win, while Walsh predicted a 1-1 draw as an outlier to credit Leeds' resilience. At Villa Park, both backed Aston Villa to beat Brentford 2-1. For Chelsea vs Bournemouth, Sutton and Walsh both predicted a Chelsea win, 3-1 and 2-0 respectively.
At Ipswich vs Fulham, Sutton foresaw a 1-1 draw, but Walsh expected Fulham to win 1-2. Sunderland vs Brighton saw Walsh predict a 2-2 draw, while Manchester United vs Tottenham had Sutton tipping a 1-0 United win via Bruno Fernandes, and Walsh also backing United 1-0 to ease pressure on manager Michael Carrick and increase it on Roberto de Zerbi.
In other games, Sutton and Walsh disagreed on Crystal Palace vs Nottingham Forest (Sutton: 0-1; Walsh: 3-2 Palace) and Hull vs Everton (Sutton: 1-1; Walsh: 1-2 Everton). Both agreed on a 2-2 draw for Coventry vs Newcastle. The article also noted that last week's guest, Johnny Marr, won with 80 points, and that AI, BBC readers and Sutton all trail the guests in the overall standings.
