Chris Sutton Premier League score predictions for the opening weekend of the 2026/27 season have been revealed.
The BBC pundit replaced Mark Lawrenson in trying to correctly pick the correct scores for every game against a variety of guests.
Nottingham born Chris Sutton played as a striker for the likes of Norwich, Blackburn, Chelsea, Celtic, Birmingham, Aston Villa, Wroxham and England, before managing Lincoln City.
Right, without furtherado, time to check out the scores he’s gone for and an explanation behind it…
ARSENAL v COVENTRY
Chris Sutton said: “Arsenal are the team to beat, and their squad just looks so strong.
“I never read too much into the Community Shield but to beat Manchester City as comprehensively as they did was hugely impressive, and shows where they are at.
“Bruno Guimaraes is a good signing and while Christos Tzolis could not cut it at Norwich – the jersey was too big for him – he looks the part too.
“Joking aside, it was Daniel Farke who signed Tzolis for the Canaries in 2021 and called him one of the brightest young prospects in Europe, and he has been proven right about that.
“This is all bad news for Coventry, though.
“Speaking of Norwich, they have not been in the top flight for a few years now but I always remember them getting stuffed in their opening-day fixture in 2019 when they played Liverpool away, and it is a nightmare for Sky Blues boss Frank Lampard to open with a game like this.
“I suppose, on the flip-side, if Coventry can somehow go to the Emirates and get a draw against the champions, that would provide such a huge boost to their players.
“But I can’t see past an Arsenal win and the scoreline just depends how much Mikel Arteta’s side put their foot down.”
Sutton’s prediction: 3-0
www.fanbanter.co.uk – Fan reaction to the latest football news, gossip & funnies
HULL CITY v MAN UTD
Chris Sutton said: “Hull’s assistant head coach Dean Holden came on the Monday Night Club this week and spoke really well about how they will approach the Premier League. It sounds like they will be horrible to play against, and will be happy to go direct when they have to.
“With them starting at home, getting a result against Manchester United – who Holden is a big fan of – could really make their season.
“I think they will be competitive, but my worry for Hull is from looking at how they did last year, when they lost a third of their games in the Championship.
“As a story, Sergej Jakirovic getting them from 21st place into the play-offs, and then up, is remarkable. Now they just need to hang on in there in the Premier League, but that will be very difficult.
“United have not done much in the transfer market this summer, but Youri Tielemans is a really good signing – a safe signing, if there is such a thing – like Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo were last year.
“As things stand, they are going to be stretched by being in the Champions League and I do feel like Carrick over-achieved by getting them there.
“Now the expectations are rising following their third-place finish, but they are nowhere near Arsenal at the moment.
“I think them having European football, while Tottenham and Chelsea don’t, will have a huge bearing on the season, which is why I left United out of my top four.
“They should begin with a win, but this is the start of a full-on campaign for them, which makes it far more difficult, and they will need to add to their squad.”
Sutton’s prediction: 1-2
www.fanbanter.co.uk – Fan reaction to the latest football news, gossip & funnies
EVERTON v CRYSTAL PALACE
Chris Sutton said: “After the success Oliver Glasner had at Crystal Palace, new boss Pierre Sage has got some big shoes to fill.
“Still, Palace have got some serious firepower and plenty of goals in their team, so I think they will be fine this season.
“Goals are a bigger problem for Everton and again the key to their campaign probably rests on what manager David Moyes can get out of strikers Cherno Barry and Beto.
“But I am sure Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall will chip in too because he is a wonderful footballer and, while I do see Palace scoring, I fancy Everton to edge this.”
Sutton’s prediction: 2-1
IPSWICH v SUNDERLAND
Chris Sutton said: “I must point out that Ipswich boss O’Neil is a former Norwich player, so where do his loyalties really lie? And has he gone to Ipswich to sabotage them?
“Seriously though, I wish him well and I genuinely hope for East Anglia that Ipswich can make a decent fist of it and stay up.
“I really like some of their signings too – Daizen Maeda is a player I know well and is a really good piece of business, coming in from Celtic.
“Maeda plays with such intensity. He will be the best pressing player in the Premier League bar none and, if you want to play on the counter-attack and you want someone to run in behind, there are not many quicker than him.
“Seeing what Sunderland did last season, when they also signed lots of players after getting promoted, will give Ipswich hope. Ditto with Leeds, who also recruited well.
“But then it is about knitting the new players together and connecting early on. That has to be O’Neil’s aim, but it will be difficult.
“Sunderland did so well they qualified for Europe, and I am not sure how their squad will cope with the extra games. For now, though, I think they will remind us of how good they were last season.
“Like I said on the Monday Night Club, I never saw another team beat Arsenal up the way they did.
“They faded as the campaign went on and they are not going to surprise anyone this time, but they still have the leadership of Granit Xhaka in midfield and Wilson Isidor and Brian Brobbey up top to hurt teams.”
Sutton’s prediction: 0-1
www.fanbanter.co.uk – Fan reaction to the latest football news, gossip & funnies
NOTTINGHAM FOREST v LEEDS
Chris Sutton said: “What a strange season Nottingham Forest had last time, going through four managers and all with differing styles.
“They were ‘kneejerk Nottingham Forest’ but they stayed up and got to the Europa League semi-final.
“Now? Well Glasner is in charge and they have got Chris Wood back from injury, which is great news for them – his experience and goals will be crucial.
“Of course they are going to miss Elliot Anderson in midfield but holding on to Morgan Gibbs-White was a big deal, and Callum Hudson-Odoi too.
“I was delighted for Leeds boss Daniel Farke that he proved people wrong by keeping them up last year.
“There will be high hopes they can stay out of trouble this time after signing Harry Wilson, who was so good for Fulham, and James Trafford is an excellent buy too.
“I am covering this game for Radio 5 Live but it is almost impossible to predict. Glasner usually went with a 3-4-3 shape at Palace but has gone on record saying he works with what he has got, so I am not sure how they will line up for this game.
“It will be very interesting to see how Forest start, and how Glasner fares. Will he still be there in September?”
Sutton’s prediction: 1-1
www.fanbanter.co.uk – Fan reaction to the latest football news, gossip & funnies
BRENTFORD v TOTTENHAM
Chris Sutton said: “There is a lot of excitement surrounding Spurs and I understand why.
“Sandro Tonali is an excellent signing for them in midfield while, at the back, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke are both very good defenders and Micky van der Ven has penned a new deal too.
“I am really looking forward to seeing Spurs under Roberto de Zerbi and the expectation will be that they do well. Without European football, they must be thinking about the top six.
“Keith Andrews had a sensational first season as Brentford manager and it will be interesting to see how they set up – will it be a case of ‘counter-attack Keith’ again?
“The way I see this game going, Spurs will have most of the ball but Brentford are well organised and very dangerous on the break.
“Igor Thiago had an incredible campaign for the Bees last time and they have got Kevin Schade too, so I don’t see them struggling for goals.”
Sutton’s prediction: 1-1
BRIGHTON v ASTON VILLA
Chris Sutton said: “The Champions League is going to stretch Aston Villa and I don’t see them making it back into the top four this season.
“They have lost Morgan Rogers as well as Tielemans and, while Johan Manzambi is a young man with a lot of talent, it is a big ask for him to hit the ground running and replace Rogers straight away.
“Also, I am not sure if anyone can get a tune out of Alejandro Garnacho, but I suppose if anyone can it is Unai Emery.
“Their goalkeeper situation is interesting too, with Japan’s Zion Suzuki arriving – he will come in revved up, while Emiliano Martinez looked like he was on his bike until his move to Juventus fell through.
“As I had to remind Mark Chapman on the Monday Night Club, you can’t play with two goalkeepers – they changed many of the laws of the game over the summer, but not that one – so we will have to see who gets the nod on Saturday.
“As for Brighton, they have also lost a couple of key players – Danny Welbeck and Van Hecke – who were the spine of their team, but I am expecting a big season from Jack Hinshelwood, who was phenomenal for them last season.
“Villa started really slowly last season and it took them six league games to get a win. This will be close, but I think they will get off to a flier this time.”
Sutton’s prediction: 1-2
www.fanbanter.co.uk – Fan reaction to the latest football news, gossip & funnies
MAN CITY v BOURNEMOUTH
Chris Sutton said: “A lot of people have been putting the boot into Manchester City after their performance in the Community Shield.
“I don’t think they will win the Premier League but they are not going to fall away to mid-table either – look at the players they have got – and I still think they will be right up there.
“I am expecting Bournemouth to be very attack-minded under Marco Rose after watching his teams at RB Leipzig and Red Bull Salzburg.
“He is a front-foot coach but, in his first game, will he really be brave and go to Etihad Stadium and try to go toe-to-toe with City?
“I think he will, and because of that I think there will be goals… but most of them will be scored by City.”
Sutton’s prediction: 4-1
NEWCASTLE v LIVERPOOL
Chris Sutton said: “I like everything I have seen from new Newcastle boss Matthias Jaissle, but he has had the heart ripped out of his team with Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes leaving.
“They were two absolute monsters in midfield, who were horrible to play against, but they have gone. So has the influence of Anthony Gordon and the experience of Kieran Trippier.
“It is sad to see. That’s not to say Newcastle can’t do well now, but I think their fans are realistic about this season and how it will go.
“This will be a fascinating game because Liverpool are still adapting to life under Andoni Iraola and have struggled defensively in pre-season. Hopefully they can run for more than half an hour now, too.
“I don’t think they will have any problems up front, however.
“Alexander Isak will get quite a reception – and not in a good way – from the home crowd but I do think he will shine for Liverpool this year, starting on Sunday.”
Sutton’s prediction: 1-3
FULHAM v CHELSEA
Chris Sutton said: “I worry about Fulham without Marco Silva in charge. They have also lost Harry Wilson’s attacking influence from last season and Raul Jimenez, who led the line for them so well too.
“They have brought in Alvaro Arbeloa to replace Silva and gone down the youth route to rebuild their frontline, signing Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios from Real Madrid and Swedish teenager Jonah Kusi-Asare from Bayern Munich.
“If I am a Fulham fan, my concern would be that they always felt stable under Silva and I am not sure what this new approach will bring. They were never in trouble last season, but I am expecting more of a struggle this time.
“It’s a new era at Chelsea as well with Xabi Alonso in charge and I think things will be different there too, but in a positive way.
“I don’t think Chelsea will go from 10th to first again, like they did under Antonio Conte 10 years ago, because they had a much stronger team then.
“But they have got Cole Palmer and Rogers is an exciting signing. Alonso is a breath of fresh air too, and I think he will begin with a win.”
Sutton’s prediction: 0-2
www.fanbanter.co.uk – Fan reaction to the latest football news, gossip & funnies
