Premier League 2025/26: Gameweek 18 Preview and Predictions
Premier League action returns this weekend, with all teams raring to go after the festive break.
Some really tasty fixtures await us yet again, with the Red Devils facing the Magpies, the Gunners welcoming the Seagulls, and the Blues hosting the in-form Villans.
Here, we present our preview and predictions for all matches of Gameweek 18 of the 2025/26 Premier League season.
Manchester United vs Newcastle United
Man United suffered a close defeat to Aston Villa in their last game, which has seen them fall down to seventh place in the league table. Before this game, they had won two games and drawn two from five outings. Newcastle, meanwhile, played Chelsea at home last weekend and ended up sharing the spoils. Their current run of form is similar to United’s, though they are sitting in the bottom half of the table due to their abysmal away form.
Along with Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo, and Noussair Mazraoui away on AFCON duty, United also have a few key players out injured in Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt, and Kobbie Mainoo. Newcastle also have a long list of injuries causing a massive selection headache for Eddie Howe, with Nick Pope, Dan Burn, Tino Livramento, William Osula, Sven Botman, Kieran Trippier, Emil Krafth, and Jamal Lascelles all doubtful for the trip to Old Trafford.
With Newcastle’s ability to dominate through long balls and set pieces, the Red Devils will have to be wary of their aerial threat and physicality. A tough game to call, but given Newcastle’s poor away form and injury issues, United could secure all three points here as long as their attackers link up well.
Score prediction: Man United 2–1 Newcastle
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
Manchester City seem to have returned to their usual dominant best in the league with five wins from their last five games and are keeping the pressure on league leaders Arsenal. Forest, meanwhile, have shown slight improvement from their early-season form with three wins and two losses in their last five encounters. That said, they have been inconsistent as well, unable to string a run of positive results.
Forest’s Ibrahim Sangaré and Willy Boly and City’s Omar Marmoush and Rayan Aït-Nouri are at AFCON. Additionally, the Tricky Trees will miss Ola Aina, Ryan Yates, and Chris Wood through injury, while the Cityzens will be without Oscar Bobb, John Stones, Mateo Kovacic, Rodri, and Jérémy Doku.
Keeping their current form and the quality of the two squads in mind, City are the overwhelming favourites to win this one. Pep Guardiola has fixed his side’s issues at the back after conceding four goals against Fulham and has secured three clean sheets in the league since then. While Forest cannot be underestimated at the City Ground, this is City’s game to lose, especially given the kind of form Erling Haaland and Phil Foden are in.
Score prediction: Forest 0–2 Man City
West Ham United vs Fulham
Winless in their last six games, West Ham lost away to Manchester City last weekend and only have two draws to call as positive results from their last five games. On the other hand, Fulham’s recent form has been decent. With three wins and two defeats in the league, the Cottagers are currently sitting in 13th place, their most recent win having arrived against Nottingham Forest last weekend.
From an injury perspective, the Hammers only have Oliver Scarles missing, but fullbacks Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Malick Diouf are at AFCON. Fulham, meanwhile, are without at-AFCON Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi, and Samuel Chukwueze, with Ryan Sessegnon and Rodrigo Muniz sidelined through injury.
West Ham haven’t been able to get going this season and already have ten losses from 17 league games. Their home form isn’t much to boast about either. However, with Fulham also missing crucial players, this could very well end in a draw.
Score prediction: West Ham 1–1 Fulham
Brentford vs Bournemouth
Both Brentford and Bournemouth have been poor in recent weeks, though the Bees did win against Wolves last time out as the Cherries had to suffice with a draw against Burnley at home.
Keith Andrews’ men have two wins, two losses, and a draw from their last five games, though in their defence they’ve had tough away trips to Spurs, Arsenal, and Man City in that time. As for Bournemouth, they are winless in their last five, with two losses and three draws.
For this game, Brentford will be without Dango Ouattara and Frank Onyeka, who are at AFCON, while Reiss Nelson, Fábio Carvalho, and Joshua Dasilva are sidelined through injury. Bournemouth, on the other hand, have players out injured in Tyler Adams, Matai Akinmboni, Veljko Milosavljevic, and Ben Doak.
Brentford boast a decent record at home, having not lost at the Gtech since October. But they will be wary of Bournemouth’s attacking prowess. This could be yet another end-to-end game that may end in a draw, given both sides are largely even on paper in terms of squad quality and recent form.
Score prediction: Brentford 2–2 Bournemouth
Liverpool vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
After six straight league defeats, which saw them plummet to tenth in the league table, Liverpool have been able to turn the tide. With three consecutive victories in all competitions, the Reds have definitely patched up their performances.
As for Wolves, their season is going from bad to worse. They are still winless in the league, and with just two points from 17 games they currently boast the worst run of form in a season in Premier League history. To further add to their woes coming into this game, Liverpool also have a superior head-to-head record against them.
Despite their ascendancy, injury issues are piling up for Liverpool. Alexander Isak suffered a long-term injury against Spurs, joining Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni, Wataru Endo, Stefan Bajcetic, Joe Gomez, and Cody Gakpo on the sidelines, with Dominik Szoboszlai further suspended and Mohamed Salah at AFCON.
Wolves, too, have a long list of absentees, with Hugo Bueno, Toti Gomes, Daniel Bentley, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, Marshall Munetsi, and Rodrigo Gomes all out with injuries, while Emmanuel Agbadou and Tawanda Chirewa are at AFCON.
Despite their injury issues, Arne Slot’s in-form men should prove too strong at home for this struggling Wolves side that looks set for a historic relegation.
Score prediction: Liverpool 2–0 Wolves
Arsenal vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Arsenal have only lost one game in their last five encounters, though they haven’t been able to score freely in the league of late. Away to Everton, they won narrowly courtesy of a penalty, while they’ve also conceded a goal in four of their last five games across all competitions.
As for Brighton, they haven’t been consistent this season, though that can be attributed in part to constant injuries to their key players. The Seagulls have two draws, two losses, and a win from their last five games, their most recent result being a goalless draw against Sunderland at home.
Arsenal’s injury issues continue to trouble them, with Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Gabriel Magalhães, Kai Havertz, Max Dowman, and Piero Hincapié all sidelined for this game. Brighton, meanwhile, will miss the services of Carlos Baleba, who’s at AFCON, with Danny Welbeck, Jan Paul van Hecke, Adam Webster, Solly March, and Stefanos Tzimas out injured.
The Gunners are a formidable force right now — even more so at home, where they haven’t lost a single game this season. They also defeated Brighton at home in the League Cup earlier this season and will have the edge in this encounter. However, they should be wary of Brighton’s attacking prowess, with Kaoru Mitoma and Yankuba Minteh being a proper threat on the wings. While this could be a tight game, Arsenal are still favourites to grab all three points here.
Score prediction: Arsenal 2–1 Brighton
Burnley vs Everton
After six consecutive defeats, Burnley finally managed a point against Bournemouth last weekend to break their losing streak. Everton, on the other hand, have lost two in a row after two consecutive wins, though those two defeats arrived in difficult games against Chelsea and Arsenal.
Burnley have major personnel availability issues coming into this game, with Lyle Foster and Axel Tuanzebe away at AFCON and Maxime Estéve, Connor Roberts, Zeki Amdouni, and Jordan Beyer out with injuries. Everton, meanwhile, will miss their most crucial creative force in Iliman Ndiaye alongside Idrissa Gueye, both of whom are at AFCON. In addition, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Séamus Coleman, and Jarrad Branthwaite are out due to injuries.
Scott Parker hasn’t been able to solve Burnley’s issues since their return to the top flight; the draw against Bournemouth was a rare positive result, with the Cherries going through bad form themselves. Even with a few crucial players missing, Everton have enough firepower to win this game.
Score prediction: Burnley 0–2 Everton
Chelsea vs Aston Villa
Chelsea are currently fourth in the table with two wins, two draws, and a loss in their last five games. Aston Villa, meanwhile, are on a dream run with seven consecutive league wins, sitting in third and just three points behind leaders Arsenal. They are also only the second side to have beaten the Gunners this season.
The Blues have a few players injured, with Levi Colwill, Dário Essugo, Roméo Lavia, Liam Delap, and Estêvão unavailable for this game, while Villa will miss the services of Harvey Elliott (illness), with Pau Torres, Tyrone Mings, and Ross Barkley injured and Evann Guessand at AFCON.
Both teams have some really exciting attackers, which makes this game an exciting prospect as well as difficult to call. While Enzo Maresca and Co have been inconsistent, they can hurt any defence on their day; with Cole Palmer back in the side, they are even stronger up front. Villa have been great so far, but they have defensive issues that have been masked by close wins. I see this game ending in a draw and ending Villa’s run of ten consecutive wins across all competitions.
Score prediction: Chelsea 1–1 Aston Villa
Sunderland vs Leeds United
Sunderland came away with a point against Brighton last weekend. They have lost just once in their last five outings, which was away at Man City. Similarly, Leeds have also lost only one game in their last five, which also arrived at the Etihad. Both teams have lost one, drawn two, and won two games while facing top opponents. However, Sunderland’s last game was a goalless draw, while Leeds handed a crushing 4–1 defeat to Crystal Palace.
Coming to personnel availability for this game, the Black Cats have been severely affected by AFCON, with Habib Diarra, Bertrand Traoré, Noah Sadiki, Chemsdine Talbi, Arthur Masuaku, and Reinildo Mandava away on international duty, while Aji Alese is injured and Luke O’Nien is suspended.
Fortunately for Leeds, they do not have players away on international duty, but they will miss Sean Longstaff, Dan James, and Lucas Nmecha due to injury issues.
With the hosts missing quite a few key players, Leeds have a great opportunity to grab all three points here. Their massive win over Palace last weekend would have also given them a lot of confidence, which should help them hold the edge over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
Score prediction: Sunderland 1–2 Leeds United
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham Hotspur
Palace are going through a slump in form, having won only one game in their last five. Their last league game was particularly humiliating, as they lost 4–1 away to Leeds United.
Their opponents, meanwhile, haven’t fared much better. Tottenham Hotspur have one win, three defeats, and a draw from their last five outings. Their last game against Liverpool was particularly feisty and ended dramatically for the Reds, with the hosts having been reduced to nine men in a foul-ridden game.
Both teams have their fair share of players missing. For the Eagles, Caleb Kporha, Chadi Riad, Cheick Doucouré, Chris Richards, Daichi Kamada, Daniel Muñoz, and Rio Cardines are out due to injury, while Ismaïla Sarr is away at AFCON. Spurs, meanwhile, have Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma away on international duty, Xavi Simons and Cristian Romero suspended, and Kota Takai, Destiny Udogie, Dejan Kulusevski, and James Maddison out injured.
Both teams have concerns in terms of player availability and recent form. Spurs boss Thomas Frank is under immense pressure to deliver results, but playing away at Selhurst Park with Oliver Glasner at the helm is no easy matter. This is a tough one to predict, but the under-pressure Lilywhites may be able to nick a win here given Palace’s recent slump in form.
Score prediction: Palace 1–2 Spurs
