
Are games between local rivals really harder to predict? Chris Sutton will find out this weekend, with derbies taking place in north London, Manchester and the east Midlands.
BBC Sport’s football expert Sutton said: “I made my mind up that I am going to pick a side to win each time – I don’t want to be accused of sitting on the fence.
“One of the three games is very easy to call as far as I am concerned – but with the other two it is far harder to say who will come out on top.”
Sutton is picking scores for every top-flight game this season against a variety of guests.
For this weekend’s fixtures, he is up against Sports Team drummer Al Greenwood, who is a Manchester United fan.
Sport Team’s new album Gulp! came out on 23 September. They start a UK tour in October.

As well as drumming and following United’s fortunes, Greenwood is a keen footballer herself and says it is “brilliant” to see interest in the women’s game continue to grow on the back of England’s triumph at last summer’s European Championship.
The opening two weekends of the Women’s Super League (WSL) have seen individual and combined attendance records broken. Arsenal are the new holders of the league attendance record after 47,367 fans watched them beat arch-rivals Tottenham 4-0 at Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Greenwood is involved in promoting women’s football herself – as part of the InMotion creative collective – she has worked with Arsenal and the England women’s teams. Their video was used by the Lionesses for their squad announcement for the Euros.
“It’s taken a while to get the coverage it deserves, but women’s football has now got the platform it deserves,” Greenwood told BBC Sport.
“I think it’s down to all sorts of factors coming together to build and grow the game over the past few years, to get it to where it is now.
“Hard work and investment has helped to improve its profile – for example with more games shown live on TV and being played at men’s stadiums – and then there is the effect of professionalism on the pitch, bringing higher standards.
“There have been a lot of small hurdles, but they are all coming down. The WSL has got its own superstars now, names that everyone recognises and also people who fans can feel they have got a connection to.
“Suddenly you’ve got the same nuance that the men’s game has got, where everyone is familiar with the players – the different characters, and the heroes and the villains – and it becomes a much richer experience as a fan.
“So much has changed, and England winning the Euros was the culmination of a lot of that work, but it was never going to stop there.
“You can see the effect that success has had on the crowds at women’s games, and it is such an exciting time all round.”
Result | Sutton | Al | |
SATURDAY | |||
Arsenal v Tottenham | x-x | 3-2 | 2-1 |
Bournemouth v Brentford | x-x | 0-1 | 1-1 |
Crystal Palace v Chelsea | x-x | 1-2 | 1-3 |
Fulham v Newcastle | x-x | 1-1 | 2-1 |
Liverpool v Brighton | x-x | 3-1 | 1-1 |
Southampton v Everton | x-x | 1-1 | 1-0 |
West Ham v Wolves | x-x | 1-0 | 0-1 |
SUNDAY | |||
Man City v Man Utd | x-x | 4-1 | 1-2 |
Leeds v Aston Villa | x-x | 2-1 | 3-2 |
MONDAY | |||
Leicester v Nott’m Forest | x-x | 2-1 | 2-0 |
A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns 40 points.
SUTTON’S PREDICTIONS
Games kick off at 15:00 BST unless otherwise stated
SATURDAY
Arsenal v Tottenham (12:30 BST)
Arsenal have started the season so well, winning six out of seven league games. Their one defeat came at Manchester United, and they didn’t deserve to lose there.
Tottenham are only a point behind them, though. Yes, they have been slightly fortunate with some of their results, but that just shows they don’t have to play well to win.
Spurs also have Son Heung-min up and running after his hat-trick off the bench against Leicester before the international break. Son is in my Fantasy team, so I was really angry when he was dropped – but then changed my mind when he came on. It was a masterclass from Antonio Conte to wait and bring him on.
You could make a case for either team here, but my gut feeling is to go with Arsenal – and for there to be lots of goals.
It’s at Emirates Stadium, and I think the Gunners will take the game to Tottenham.
Spurs like that, because they are at their very best on the counter-attack, but I think Arsenal will get at them.
Sutton’s prediction: 3-2
Al’s prediction: Arsenal will be looking to replicate their women’s performance against Spurs last weekend – and the result as well. I would back Mikel Arteta’s side to win too, because although Tottenham are also doing well, their performances haven’t always matched their results. 2-1