Premier League 2025/26: Gameweek 28 Preview and Predictions

After European play-off conclusions in midweek, the Premier League returns this weekend with Gameweek 28 of its 2025/26 edition.

Some really exciting match-ups await us, with Arsenal hosting London rivals Chelsea, Liverpool welcoming relegation strugglers West Ham, the Cityzens travelling to Leeds, and the Magpies facing off against the Toffees.

Here, we present our previews and predictions for all matches of Gameweek 28 of the 2025/26 Premier League season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Aston Villa

Wolves’ form has improved over the past few weeks, which has precipitated a run of results that also includes a dramatic draw against the leaders, Arsenal. However, they lost away to Palace last weekend and are still sitting bottom of the league table. 

In contrast, Aston Villa have lost a bit of momentum in recent weeks and have a solitary win in their last five games. Key players being injured could also be a factor in their poor run of late.

This is a vital game for Wolves, as they are nine points off 19th-placed Burnley; losing a home game could be detrimental to their chances of survival. 

Wolves do not have many injury concerns coming into this game, with only Hwang Hee-chan doubtful for this fixture with a knock, while Ladislav Krejci is suspended. As for Villa, they have several key players out in John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara, Harvey Elliott, Andrés García, and Alysson. 

While the Old Gold have shown improvement in the past month, Villa are still a far stronger side on paper; it will be difficult for Wolves to contain their forwards. This is a great opportunity for Villa to get back in form, and we believe that the Villans will pile more pressure on Wolves with a win in what should be a tightly fought battle. 

Score Prediction: Wolves 1–2 Villa 

Bournemouth vs Sunderland

Bournemouth have been unbeaten in their last five games, having managed three wins and two draws — arguably their best run of form this season. As for Sunderland, they suffered a home defeat to Fulham last weekend and have lost three games out of their last five now. The Wearside team have lost momentum in recent weeks with a couple of poor results. 

As for injuries, the Cherries have a fair few out in Julio Soler, Matai Akinmboni, Justin Kluivert, and Ben Doak, while Sunderland will miss Reinildo Mandava, Bertrand Traoré, and Jocelin Ta Bi for this fixture. 

Bournemouth are a very aggressive team and like to play attacking football, while Sunderland are defensively solid and like to play on the counter with their pacy forwards. It’s going to be an exciting match-up between two contrasting styles of play, but we believe the hosts have an advantage here given their better form and are the likelier side to bag all three points in this fixture. 

Score Prediction: Bournemouth 2–1 Sunderland 

Liverpool vs West Ham United

This is a vital game for Liverpool in terms of their hunt for a top-four finish, as they need to capitalise after their late win at the City Ground last weekend. West Ham, meanwhile, drew at home to Bournemouth last time out and are still in the drop zone.

The Reds have certainly seen an upturn in their form and have four wins and a defeat in their last five, while West Ham haven’t done too badly either and have two wins, two draws, and one defeat in their last five.

Liverpool do have problems in terms of personnel availability. They have been playing without an out-and-out right-back, with their options in that position, Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong, currently out with injuries. For this fixture, they’ll also be without Geovanni Leoni, Alexander Isak, Wataru Endo, and Stefan Bajcetic. West Ham, in comparison, are in a better position, with only one player out in Pablo, while Freddie Potts is suspended.

Liverpool have been vulnerable at home this season, unlike in previous years that saw Anfield stand as an absolute fortress. Having said that, their recent form has been quite decent, and with Florian Wirtz back in the team, Arne Slot will have creativity up front to trouble the Hammers. We back this game to end in a comfortable win for Slot and Co.

Score Prediction: Liverpool 2–0 West Ham 

Newcastle United vs Everton

Newcastle have been in top form in recent weeks and have won four of their last five games across all competitions. Barring the away defeat to Man City, they have improved on their away form with two massive away wins against Villa and Spurs. In contrast, Everton have been beaten in their last two fixtures and need to return to winning ways to stay in the top half of the table.

Injuries have troubled Newcastle this season, with key players out for a considerable duration as well. Fabian Schär, Emil Krafth, Tino Livramento, Lewis Miley, and Bruno Guimarães will miss this home fixture for Newcastle, while Everton have only one injury, but an unfortunate one, as Jack Grealish is out for the long term with a broken foot.

St James’ Park is a tough place to visit; going there on the back of two consecutive defeats is hardly convenient. Moreover, David Moyes’ men were also thrashed at home in the reverse fixture earlier this season. With their forward line in great form, the Magpies should be able to secure a win in this game and move into the top ten.

Score Prediction: Newcastle 3–1 Everton 

Burnley vs Brentford

Sitting in 18th place in the league table, Burnley really need to gear up if they want to remain in the top flight. While they earned a respectable point at Stamford Bridge last weekend, they have to start winning some games to have any chance of survival. As for Brentford, their three-game unbeaten run in the league came to a halt as they suffered a home defeat to Brighton last weekend. 

Burnley continue to suffer with injuries. Zeki Amdouni, Axel Tuanzebe, Connor Roberts, Jordan Beyer, Josh Cullen, Mike Tresor, and Armando Broja will all miss this fixture. Brentford, in comparison, will likely miss Aaron Hickey, Fábio Carvalho, and Joshua Dasilva. 

Burnley are desperate for the three points at home and may opt to play an open game instead of the low-block style that they usually do, as it could play into Brentford’s hands. Also, the visitors are particularly dangerous from set-piece situations, something the Clarets will have to be careful about. This could be an entertaining, end-to-end affair, one that could end in a draw.

Score Prediction: Burnley 2–2 Brentford 

Leeds United vs Manchester City

The reverse fixture of this match-up earlier in the season was a particularly entertaining affair. Going into the business end of the season, City will not be taking any opposition lightly. 

City are in a rich vein of form, with four wins and a draw in their last five league fixtures, having also defeated Liverpool away to get closer to Arsenal in the title race. Their victory last weekend against Newcastle put them five points behind Arsenal with a game in hand. Leeds, meanwhile, have only one win from their last five, alongside one defeat and three consecutive draws. Their most recent result was an away draw at Aston Villa. 

From an injury perspective, Leeds are better off in comparison to City, with only Noah Okafor out with a hamstring injury. The Cityzens, meanwhile, are without Joško Gvardiol, Jérémy Doku, Mateo Kovacic, and Max Alleyne. 

Leeds have performed well at home this season and secured some really impressive results. However, their recent form hasn’t been great, and therefore City have the upper hand even while playing away. Leeds will find it difficult to contain the City front line, and therefore we think Pep Guardiola and Co will win here and cut the deficit at the top with a comfortable win. 

Score Prediction: Leeds 0–2 Man City 

Fulham vs Tottenham Hotspur

While Fulham earned a massive three points at the Stadium of Light last weekend, Spurs suffered a humiliating 4–1 defeat in the North London derby. Spurs have now lost three consecutive games and need to return to winning ways. Though Fulham won against Sunderland, their form has been concerning, as they lost three straight games before last weekend. 

For this game, Fulham will miss Kevin, Sasa Lukic, and Samuel Chukwueze due to injuries, while Spurs still have a long list of unavailable players. James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie, Pedro Porro, Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Mohammed Kudus will all be on the sidelines, while Cristian Romero is suspended. 

Spurs are hovering uncomfortably close to the relegation zone and, therefore, need to return to winning ways before the alarm bells really start ringing. It’s difficult to call this one, as both teams have shown inconsistent form all season. This could be a tight affair, as neither team will want to lose by being too open at the back. We believe this could end in a sharing of the spoils. 

Score Prediction: Fulham 1–1 Spurs 

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest closed out their Europa League play-off tie earlier in the week by losing to Fenerbahçe at home in the second leg, though they went through to the last 16 by winning 4–2 on aggregate. In the Premier League, they suffered a home defeat to Liverpool late in stoppage time last time out and are lying perilously close to the danger zone.

Both Forest and Brighton are in a similar rut, having won only one league game in their respective last five fixtures. They are close in the league table as well. Brighton have dropped a lot of points through draws this season and, therefore, unlike last season, are lying outside the top half of the table. Forest haven’t been able to replicate last season’s form in any way and have been inconsistent both at home and away.

As for injury issues, Brighton will miss Adam Webster, Solly March, Stefanos Tzimas, and Yasin Ayari, while Forest will be without John Victor, Matz Sels, Nicolò Savona, Willy Boly, and Chris Wood for this fixture.

The south coast side did well to beat Brentford at home last time out, which hasn’t been easy this season as the Bees have shown exceptional form on home turf. However, Forest have a tight defensive structure that could be difficult to breach for the Seagulls, so finding a goal could be a challenge.

That said, along with the home advantage, Brighton also have the upper hand on account of having fresher legs, having not played in midweek like Forest. If the hosts can stretch the game without conceding in the first half, they could trouble the Tricky Trees in the second half and secure all three points.

Score Prediction: Brighton 2–1 Forest 

Manchester United vs Crystal Palace

Having grabbed a win against Everton, Man United remain in the top four and have a three-point gap over Chelsea and Liverpool.

Crystal Palace, meanwhile, have completely unravelled over the course of the season after a superb start, though they have been slowly showing signs of improvement. In midweek, case in point, they progressed to the Conference League Round of 16 with a win over Bosnian side Zrinjski Mostar. In the Premier League as well, they have two wins and one defeat in their last three games.

With key injuries in the squad, and their most prolific player Eberechi Eze leaving for Arsenal in the summer and captain Marc Guéhi departing for Man City in January, the Eagles have unquestionably been affected by a lack of quality both in offence and defence.

Injury-wise, United will have Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martínez, Mason Mount, and Patrick Dorgu on the sidelines, while Palace will miss the services of Jean-Philippe Mateta, Eddie Nketiah, Jefferson Lerma, and Cheick Doucouré.

United have been in top form since they defeated Arsenal away, winning four out of their five games. With the likes of Benjamin Šeško, Bryan Mbeumo, and Matheus Cunha up front, they will pose a serious challenge for the Palace defence. With their own defensive players missing, however, they could be vulnerable at the back, but we believe the Red Devils have enough quality to win what should be a tightly contested affair at Old Trafford this weekend.

Score Prediction: Man United 2–1 Palace

Arsenal vs Chelsea

This game could prove to be critical to the title race, as the Gunners dropped four points in their last three fixtures before thrashing Spurs last weekend. As for the Blues, it’s important for them to win as well, as there’s stiff competition for Champions League places.

Chelsea are currently tied on points with Liverpool in fifth and have been in decent form, though they have dropped points against Burnley and Leeds in recent weeks. Arsenal, meanwhile, are unbeaten in their last five, albeit their draw against Wolves showed a rare vulnerability as they dropped two points after being 2–0 up.

In terms of player availability, both teams have a few players out, with Arsenal missing Kai Havertz, Ben White, Max Dowman, and Mikel Merino through injury, while Chelsea are without the injured Levi Colwill, Filip Jörgensen, Marc Cucurella, Dário Essugo, and Jamie Gittens, with Wesley Fofana suspended.

This is an important game for both teams, and one neither side will want to lose. However, if we look at their head-to-head record in recent years, Arsenal are the overwhelming favourites for all three points here, as Chelsea haven’t been able to defeat them in the last few seasons.

Having said that, Arsenal have looked shaky at the back in recent weeks, and the toll of a title race is showing in their performances. Chelsea do have a chance to grab a win here and stay in the hunt for Champions League qualification. Considering the recent form of the two sides and the fact that Arsenal are playing at home, the hosts have a slight edge in this fixture, but we feel this could be a feisty affair that may end in a draw.

Score Prediction: Arsenal 1–1 Chelsea