Sutton’s predictions v The Wellermen’s Jonny Stewart

Arsenal are sitting top of the Premier League at Christmas, but it is BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton who leads the way when it comes to predictions.

Sutton, who had previously led the Premier League with Norwich in 1992 and Blackburn in 1994, declared, “I’m number one at Christmas- again,” and then won the title with Rovers.

“It’s a big deal for me to be top, as well as for Arsenal.

” AI is the go-to for virtually everyone in the world whenever they have to ask anything, so the fact that I am beating it – and let’s face it, I have stuffed it for half a season now – is pretty incredible. I’m delighted because it says a lot about me.

“Rather than asking AI about everything, maybe people should come to me to tap into my intelligence instead”?

Sutton is anticipating AI, BBC Sport readers, and a host of other guests for all 380 Premier League games this season.

For week 18 – the festive fixtures on Boxing Day and the weekend of 27 and 28 December – he takes on Jonny Stewart, bass singer with sea shanty folk supergroup The Wellermen, who is a Newcastle fan.

The Wellermen were the originators of the sea shanty trend on TikTok, with their versions of Misty Mountain, Nancy Mulligan and Hoist the Colours racking up billions of views.

Do you concur with their evaluations? You can make your own predictions below.

The tables and scoreboards at the bottom of this page feature the most widely used scoreline for each game.

Some of Jonny’s earliest memories as a fan were the FA Cup finals that Newcastle lost in 1998 and 1999, but he was finally able to celebrate a trophy when the Magpies won the Carabao Cup in March.

He claimed that we were actually on a tour in Colorado the day before, having just played a show in Boulder the following day.

“I was frantically Googling where I could watch the game a few weeks before, when we’d reached the final, and whether I could find anyone to watch it with me – because on Mountain Time it kicked off around 10am.

” I connected with the Mile High Magpies, the Denver area supporters ‘ club, and they said to come along to this bar. More than 100 Newcastle fans were crammed into the space, despite there being a few Liverpool supporters. It was brilliant.

In the run-up to the game, I made the decision to purchase a Dan Burn Carabao Cup final shirt because I believed that having the most illustrious local man on the back of my jersey would mean a lot.

” So, when Big Dan scored one of the best headers I’ve ever seen to put us 1-0 up, I cried so hard.

“Being away from home, and away from my best mate Angus, who I’d usually watch our games with, was hard – he was Facetiming me from this pub in Chelmsford which had about two people in, so I’d found a much better place.

“And then I witnessed our complete defeat of the league’s top team and the end of our trophy drought. It really doesn’t get much better than that. “

Chris Bevan spoke with BBC Sport’s Chris Sutton and Jonny Stewart.

Manchester United got a bit of praise for their performance against Aston Villa, even though they were beaten.

The key to how this game goes is what they do without Bruno Fernandes, and how they are going to cope without him.

When you look around Ruben Amorim’s squad, there don’t appear to be many leaders there.

It will be interesting to see if Amorim plays centre-back Lisandro Martinez in that holding midfield role, the same job he did when he came on for Fernandes against Villa, because he could provide that leadership they will need.

Newcastle United will be absolutely savage for letting a two-goal lead slip against Chelsea last week, despite having won just one of their eight away league games so far.

Manchester United are three points and four places above them in the table, but they are missing a few players at the Africa Cup of Nations and, in my mind, Newcastle United have the better squad anyway.

Because of that, I am going to back Eddie Howe’s side here. However, there won’t be many goals, and they might only need one to win.

Sutton’s prediction: 0-1

class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3″>Jonny’s prediction: Without Bryan Mbeumo or Bruno Fernandes, href=”https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/teams/manchester-united” class=”ssrcss-k8mrr8-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0″>Manchester United will blow hot and cold. They can play some very nice football, but I don’t know where their goals will come from. This is genuinely really hard for me to call but I am going with my heart over my head – I have to! 1-2

Nottingham Forest are still lingering just above the relegation places, and Monday’s defeat at Fulham was a disappointing result for them.

I still think Sean Dyche’s side are going to be fine, however, and they have definitely made strides since he took charge at the end of October.

Manchester City are playing a bit of a roll in this match, but it’s a difficult one.

I thought Arsenal were going to run away with the title, but not any more.

As the season progresses, City are getting better and better, and I get the point.

Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden are both flying, they are creating stacks of chances for Erling Haaland and, at the other end, they are keeping clean sheets now too.

You just can’t back against them at the moment, and I am expecting more moments of quality like we saw when they won 3-0 at Crystal Palace a couple of weeks ago.

Sutton’s prediction: 0-2.

class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3″>Jonny’s prediction: City are hitting a really good run of form at the right time. I enjoy a flair player like Cherki getting to impose his will on games, in addition to Pep’s tactical sophistication. Foden is filling that David Silva role he was always earmarked for, too. 0-3

Arsenal may be wobbling, but I believe they actually had their wobble when they scraped past Wolves.

The Gunners won 1-0 at Everton last time out, and it was a bit of a battle, but they were up against a David Moyes side so I didn’t expect anything else.

My only criticism of Arsenal at the moment is that Viktor Gyokeres shouldn’t be taking their penalties – Bukayo Saka should, because he is in my Fantasy team. When Gyokeres scored against the Toffees from the spot, it really irritated me.

It won’t be easy for them against Brighton, but I still think they should win this one.

The Seagulls are such a strange group that it is hard to foresee them.

They have not won any of their past four games but they pushed Liverpool all the way when I watched them at Anfield recently, and I think they will do the same here.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-0

Jonny’s prediction: Manchester City have significantly reduced Arsenal’s lead and are likely to be a little pessimistic. Needing two own goals to beat Wolves, one of the worst Premier League teams of all time, says a lot about where they are at the moment.

Even though former Gunners star Danny Welbeck leads their attack, I still believe Arteta’s side probably has too much in the tank for the Seagulls. 2-1

Brentford picked up their first away win of the season against Wolves last time out, and their home form is really strong, although Leeds held them in their most recent game there.

Because Bournemouth seem to concede a lot and score, I believe there are goals in this game.

The Cherries have drawn their past three games, and I have a feeling this is one will also end up with the points being shared.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-2

Jonny’s prediction: Brentford are similar to Newcastle in that they have a strong home base but have mediocre away form.

So, this is not an easy game for the Cherries at all – apologies to their fans because, despite spending many years living in the Bournemouth area, I don’t see them returning to winning ways here. 2-0

A late goal gave Burnley a point away from Bournemouth, which was heartfelt for Scott Parker, who had some fans questioning whether or not he is the one to keep them in the Premier League.

As I’ve said before, I’ve always felt like Burnley were being competitive, even when they were losing games.

This game will also be close, too. Everton’s problem is that they are missing Iliman Ndiaye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and they might have to settle for a point.

Sutton’s prediction: 1-1

Jonny’s prediction: Scott Parker’s teams appear to perform admirably in the Championship before suffering slightly in the Premier League.

Everton were on a really good run before they lost to Chelsea and Arsenal and I am backing them here, even with Ndiaye at the Africa Cup of Nations and Dewsbury-Hall injured. 0 – 1

Poor Alexander Isak. His form has been awful all season following his move from Newcastle, and now he is out for a couple of months.

However, I don’t believe Liverpool will struggle without Hugo Ekitike as their starting lineman. Yes, they are also missing Mohamed Salah while he is with Egypt at Afcon, but Ekitike is having a phenomenal season.

Dominik Szoboszlai is out for Liverpool too, after picking up his fifth booking of the season against Spurs.

Perhaps Florian Wirtz should really shine on Arne Slot’s side.

Wolves did really well to hold out for so long at Arsenal recently, and that kind of backs-against-the-wall defending seems to suit them.

I don’t think it will work out for them, despite the fact that they will try to awkwardly handle things for Liverpool.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-0

class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3″>Jonny’s prediction: Hugo Ekitike has got brilliant confidence, can do a bit of everything and seems to integrate really well with the team. Liverpool also spent £125m on someone who was a bench striker before he got injured.

Even though they did not have the season they desired, Arne Slot’s side will have too much for href=”https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/teams/wolverhampton-wanderers” class=”ssrcss-k8mrr8-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0″>Wolves, who are currently one of the worst teams in terms of bad teams in recent memory. I don’t know who they are going to beat this season. 3- 3

West Ham must win in this game. They are staring down the barrel of relegation after taking only two points from their past five games.

At the beginning of November, Nuno Espirito Santo experienced a little bounce, but they haven’t kept up that form.

There does not seem to be much Christmas cheer at London Stadium at the moment and if they get off to a bad start here, things could turn quite quickly.

Fulham got an important win over Nottingham Forest on Monday, which was enough for them to keep their heads above water in the relegation struggle.

They always seem to be a threat to goals, and I’m hoping there will be something to celebrate here as well.

Sutton’s prediction: 1-2

Jonny’s prediction: Fulham tend to be sneaky good, and I always find that to be true, but they also end up producing some really strong team performances. I also enjoy watching Kevin because he has flair and an end product as well.

West Ham are not having a great time of it right now but they will be up for it and they really need something here. 1-1

I could not believe that Aston Villa were getting criticism on the Monday Night Club because they are only winning games by the odd goal.

I made the point that I don’t recall being embarrassed about only winning 2-1 in the dressing room.

They are on an incredible run of 10 wins on the spin, including beating Arsenal and Manchester City. Morgan Rogers is on fire, and I think you have to respect them as title contenders.

However, this is a real test for them, and it has only been a few weeks since we last mentioned that Chelsea, who had 10 men draw against Arsenal, were in the title race.

I played for both these clubs and am highly thought of by both sets of fans.

However, once Chelsea fans finish singing my name, I believe they will be smiling all the way through.

I have got a lot of time for Blues boss Enzo Maresca, who is like Villa manager Unai Emery in the way he sticks to his footballing principles.

Chelsea showed their resilience when they fought back from 2-0 down to draw with Newcastle and I can see them digging in again here, to end Villa’s winning run.

Sutton’s prediction: 2-1

Jonny’s prediction: Unai Emery’s side didn’t start the season well but now they have got that confidence that, even if they concede, they can score more than the opposition. I made a difficult decision regarding this, but I’m going with Villa, probably because I want to win rather than because I believe they will. 1-2

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been absolutely unbelievable up front for Leeds.

They just have to work a lot better with him, and they must be very confident right now because of recent excellent results.

The worry for Sunderland is how much they will miss their players who are away at Afcon, but I don’t think it will affect them.

The Black Cats don’t score a lot of goals but they are always so well-organised – I am going for them to win, and keep out Calvert-Lewin to keep a clean sheet too.

Sutton’s prediction: 1-0

Jonny’s prediction: It depresses me how good Sunderland are this season. The core of their team is really strong, even with the loss of players to Afcon, and they have chosen so many talented recruits.

Leeds have picked up recently and it’s nice to see Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring, but I think Sunderland will still win this – the Tyne-Wear derby has given them an even bigger boost in confidence, sadly. 2-1

Both teams have got problems at the moment.

Crystal Palace’s squad seems to be stretched right now because of the pressure on their schedule.

That’s the main reason I am thinking Tottenham might get something at Selhurst Park and, let’s face it, Thomas Frank really needs to.

Frank must be hoping the way his team played with nine men against Liverpool can kick-start his side’s season, but I’m not sure that will happen.

I’m not going to back them in this one, but I’m not all that confident in Palace’s chances of winning.

Sutton’s prediction: 0-0

class=”ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3″>Jonny’s prediction: While Ismaila Sarr is away at Afcon, Palace should be the stronger team, but he is a major loss to them because of his explosiveness.

Thomas Frank is under a bit of pressure at Spurs – they are more pragmatic, but they are not scoring and they are still conceding. 2-2

Chris got three correct results with one exact score from the 10 matches in week 17, giving him 60 points.

She received eight correct results and one exact score, leaving her with 110 points, according to his guest, rapper Sampa the Great.

AI did even better, with five correct results, but including three exact scores, for a tally of 140 points.

But to the relief of Chris, because it keeps him top of the overall league table, it was the collective efforts of the BBC readers who took the weekly win.

Out of more than 33, 000 predictions, 31% of you chose that scoreline despite AI being ahead after Saturday’s games, leading the readers by 130 to 120.

That meant the outcome went down to the final game of the week, between Fulham and Nottingham Forest on Monday. While AI backed Fulham to win 2-1, the readers settled for a 1-1 draw.