Premier League 2025/26: Gameweek 31 Preview and Predictions

Premier League action returns after European action midweek, which was quite abysmal for English teams in general as four of them were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in comprehensive fashion.

In Gameweek 31, the big fixtures will see Liverpool take on Brighton, Everton face Chelsea, and the Tyne–Wear derby.

Only eight games will be played this weekend; Arsenal have already played their fixture against Wolves that was previously scheduled for this weekend, while the game between Manchester City and Crystal Palace has been postponed on account of the Gunners and the Cityzens scheduled to face off in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.

Here, we present our previews and predictions for all matches of Gameweek 31 of the 2025/26 Premier League season.

Bournemouth vs Manchester United | 21 March 2026, 01:30 IST

Bournemouth started the season well, but poor form and regular injuries have pegged them back. However, they have shown slight improvement recently and are unbeaten in their last five games, though they have dropped too many points in draws.

Man United, on the other hand, have been one of the most in-form teams in the league since the turn of the year. Barring a narrow defeat away to Newcastle United, the Red Devils have won three and drawn one in their last five outings. 

In terms of player availability, Bournemouth will miss a fair few for this game in Justin Kluivert, Lewis Cook, Julio Soler, and Matai Akinmboni, while Man United will be without Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, Lisandro Martínez, and Patrick Dorgu. 

The Cherries haven’t been able to score freely for a while and have struggled going forward. They have only scored three goals in their last five games, having played out two goalless draws. United, in contrast, have been able to score a goal almost every game, with their captain, Bruno Fernandes, in sublime form.

We believe this will be an entertaining game, as both teams like to play attacking football. However, we believe United will prevail at the end of what should be a tight game and grab all three points. 

Score Prediction: Bournemouth 1–2 Man United 

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Liverpool | 21 March 2026, 18:00 IST

Liverpool struggled at home against a depleted Spurs side; having conceded late yet again to drop points, they were booed by the home fans at full-time. However, the Reds turned up for their Champions League round of 16 second leg in fine fashion on Wednesday, routing Galatasaray 4–0 in a one-sided affair to move into the quarter-finals. That said, their league form hasn’t been consistent, and they have three wins, one draw, and one defeat from their last five fixtures.

Brighton, meanwhile, are lying in a lowly 12th place in the league table, though they have shown slight improvement lately and have three wins and two defeats in their last five games. 

From an injury perspective, the Seagulls have a few concerns, with Kaoru Mitoma, Adam Webster, and Stefanos Tzimas out for this fixture, while Arne Slot will be without Alexander Isak, Conor Bradley, Wataru Endo, Giovanni Leoni, and Stefan Bajcetic. 

Liverpool’s form in the Champions League has been a stark contrast to their Premier League. Brighton, on the other hand, have the advantage of fresher legs for this game, having not played midweek. As the game stretches, Liverpool may struggle if they don’t score early. We believe this could be a tight affair that ends with both teams sharing the spoils. 

Score Prediction: Brighton 1–1 Liverpool 

Fulham vs Burnley | 21 March 2026, 20:30 IST

Fulham have been in poor form recently, having picked up only a point in their last three games after two consecutive wins. The Clarets, meanwhile, will most likely go down this season. Their form hasn’t improved at all as the season has progressed, and now they’re almost out of time, having not won any of their last five games, which have ended in two draws and three defeats. 

Burnley’s problems could also be attributed to their lengthy list of injuries. For this game, they’ll be missing Jordan Beyer, Zeki Amdouni, Axel Tuanzebe, Connor Roberts, Josh Cullen, and Mike Trésor. The hosts, on the other hand, will be without Kevin, with Marco Silva otherwise having almost the entire squad to choose from. 

While Burnley have a better head-to-head record against Fulham, currently they are struggling more than the Cottagers, who we feel are far stronger in comparison despite having not won any of their last three games. This could be another high-scoring encounter, with Fulham grabbing all three points at home. 

Score Prediction: Fulham 3–2 Burnley 

Everton vs Chelsea | 21 March 2026, 23:00 IST

Everton lost to the Gunners away at the Emirates, though they did manage to keep them at bay until the dying minutes before conceding two goals. The Toffees don’t have much to boast about in terms of recent form. After two defeats, they won two consecutive games before losing to Arsenal, not being able to find any semblance of consistency.

As for Chelsea, they have a solitary win from their last five games, having lost two and drawn two games. To add to their woes, they are coming into this game having been beaten in their Champions League round of 16 second leg by Paris Saint-Germain in rather humiliating fashion.

In terms of player availability, Everton could be without James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite, Charly Alcaraz, and Jack Grealish, with Tyrique George unavailable for selection against his parent club. Chelsea, on the other hand, will miss the services of Reece James, Benoît Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, Filip Jörgensen, and Jamie Gittens for this fixture.

Without a doubt, Chelsea will be weakened without their captain James and their most trusted defender in Chalobah, even though they have decent players up front. Their persistent defensive issues could see the Blues drop points against Everton. As for the hosts, their topsy-turvy form hasn’t been helpful, though they had won two tough matches before losing to Arsenal.

We expect this game to be a tight and tense affair, one that ends in a draw.

Score Prediction: Everton 1–1 Chelsea 

Leeds United vs Brentford | 22 March 2026, 01:30 IST

Leeds played in a goalless draw against Crystal Palace last weekend. They don’t have a single win in their last five league games, having managed two defeats and three draws. Brentford, meanwhile, have also lost momentum in recent weeks and have played out two consecutive draws. The Bees only have one win in their last five games. Last weekend, they lost a two-goal advantage to draw at home to Wolves. 

The West Yorkshire side don’t have too many injury issues, with only Noah Okafor doubtful with a hamstring issue, while Gabriel Gudmundsson is suspended. The visitors, on the other hand, will miss Aaron Hickey, Rico Henry, Vitaly Janelt, Fábio Carvalho, and Joshua Dasilva for this game. 

Leeds have done well at home this season, having secured many good results by coming back from losing positions. Also, Brentford haven’t beaten Leeds away in their last seven visits to Elland Road.

The reverse fixture in December was a tight game that ended in a draw. Looking at this particular game, and the inability of both sides to win games, this could be a nervy affair that ends in a draw. 

Score Prediction: Leeds 1–1 Brentford 

Newcastle United vs Sunderland | 22 March 2026, 17:30 IST

After suffering a humiliating 7–2 defeat away at Camp Nou, the Magpies will be looking to return to winning ways, and there’s no better way to do it than beating their arch-rivals.

Sunderland, who started the season in amazing fashion, have been hit with poor form and injuries to key players at the wrong time. They have fallen to 13th place and have three defeats, a draw, and only one win from their last five. Newcastle, meanwhile, have registered two consecutive wins in the league and have three wins and two defeats from their last five games.

Newcastle have some vital players missing for this game, with Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimarães, Fabian Schär, Emil Krafth, and Lewis Miley all out injured. Sunderland too have many key players out in Robin Roefs, Nordi Mukiele, Enzo Le Fée, Bertrand Traoré, Jocelin Ta Bi, Nilson Angulo, Reinildo Mandava, and Romaine Mundle.

The Tyne–Wear derby has returned to the Premier League after several seasons, and it didn’t disappoint in the reverse fixture, which saw Sunderland claim the bragging rights with a feisty 1–0 win at the Stadium of Light. However, given the visitors’ injury pile-up, Sunderland’s challenge will be that much harder, in an already very hostile atmosphere. We believe this will be a very tense affair, with tempers flaring in both camps. That said, Newcastle may just edge Sunderland at home to win this one.

Score Prediction: Newcastle 2–1 Sunderland 

Aston Villa vs West Ham United | 22 March 2026, 19:45 IST

After progressing through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League by beating Lille in the round of 16 this midweek, Villa will want to revive their Premier League form with a win. Since the turn of the year, they have completely fallen off and are currently on a three-game losing streak, having managed only one win from their last five games. Villa Park, which has been a fortress for them for quite a few seasons, has been breached a fair few times this season.

As for West Ham, they are still sitting in the bottom three but are now only three points off 15th-placed Leeds United thanks to a couple of decent results. They have a solitary loss in their last five games, during which time they’ve also managed three draws and a win. Their latest game was a respectable draw against a dangerous Man City side.

From an injury perspective, Villa will miss Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara, and Alisson for this fixture, while West Ham will be without Oliver Scarles, Lukasz Fabianski, and Crysencio Summerville.

West Ham do have the advantage of being able to field a fully rested side here. They have also shown a fighting mentality in recent weeks, which is why we feel this could be another tricky encounter for the Villans, one which may end in an entertaining draw.

Score Prediction: Villa 2–2 West Ham 

Tottenham Hotspur vs Nottingham Forest | 22 March 2026, 19:45 IST

Though Spurs won their Champions League fixture against Atletico Madrid earlier in the week, it wasn’t enough to see them through to the quarter-finals. However, the Lilywhites gave it their all in the game, and that is something they’ll like to carry into the remaining games of their Premier League campaign in order to stay up. Decimated by injuries to too many key players, they also bagged a point away at Liverpool last week, which was also the first point they clinched in five games after losing four on the trot. 

Forest also played midweek, in the Europa League, where fortune favoured them as they defeated Danish side Midtjylland on penalties to progress through to the quarter-finals. The Tricky Trees are also dangerously close to the drop zone in the Premier League and are currently level on points with West Ham in 18th, only above them on the basis of goal difference. Forest haven’t won a single game in their last five outings, having managed two defeats and three draws. 

Spurs’ injury woes continue to haunt them. Against Forest, they’ll be without Mohammed Kudus, Yves Bissouma, Ben Davies, Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, João Palhinha, and Wilson Odobert. Forest, on the other hand, also have a fair few out in John Victor, Jair Cunha, Chris Wood, Willy Boly, and Nicolò Savona. 

This game is difficult to call, as both teams have been frankly abysmal for most of the season. However, if their midweek results are anything to go by, both Spurs and Forest still have some fight left in them. Spurs play attacking football, while Forest are a more defensive-minded side under Vítor Pereira. Hence, this could be an intriguing game, in which we’re backing Igor Tudor’s men for a narrow win.

Score Prediction: Spurs 2–1 Forest