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Predictions: Tuchel to school Pep at Etihad; vital win for Liverpool; Leeds v Spurs disagreement

Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea can fire an early Champions League final warning shot at Manchester City, while this week’s Premier League Predictions can’t agree on Leeds v Tottenham, but tips wins for Liverpool, Leicester, West Ham, Man Utd and Arsenal.

Each week our writers take on a different band or artist by making their Premier League predictions, while you can join in the fun using the story comment facility (below) or Your Say forum.

Our latest challenger is The Velvet Hands’ bass player Sam Hilder.  Can the massive Arsenal supporter – whose band’s new single Star is out now – get the better of our Marshy?

Last time out Gavin from dance band FooR took us on. It’s safe to say neither covered themselves in glory – you can see who prevailed though here.

Matchday 36

Leicester v Newcastle (Friday, 8pm)

Sam: 3-1

Marshy: 2-0

Leeds United v Tottenham (Saturday, 12.30pm)

Sam: 5-0

Marshy: 1-2

Sheffield United v Crystal Palace (Saturday, 3pm)

Sam: 1-2

Marshy: 0-0

Manchester City v Chelsea (Saturday, 5.30pm)

Sam: 2-2

Marshy: 0-1

Liverpool v Southampton (Saturday, 8.15pm)

Sam: 2-0

Marshy: 2-0

Wolves v Brighton (Sunday, 12pm)

Sam: 3-2

Marshy: 1-0

Aston Villa v Manchester United (Sunday, 2.05pm)

Sam: 1-1

Marshy: 1-2

West Ham v Everton (Sunday, 4.30pm)

Sam: 4-2

Marshy: 2-1

Arsenal v West Brom (Sunday, 7pm)

Sam: 11-0

Marshy: 2-1

Fulham v Burnley (Monday, 8pm)

Sam: 0-2

Marshy: 0-2

TEAMtalk: How did you come to support the Gunners and what are your favourite memories from your time as a fan?

Sam: I used to live in Essex as a little kid and it was either a choice between Vanarama National league team Dagenham & Redbridge, or invincible Premier League winners Arsenal. Now, I’m not proud that as a five-year-old boy my morals leaned towards that of a glory supporter, but I am proud that I’ve stuck with this team and will do til the day I bloody die!

The game that sums up my time as an Arsenal fan would be when we lost the Champions League final in 2006 to Barcelona, we were so close… but you can’t have too much glory, or maybe you can if you just supported someone else.

I also love the FA Cup because we can actually win that one, more of a semi-pro difficulty than the world class of the Champions League.

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Five favourite Arsenal players

TEAMtalk: Who have been your favourite five players for your club? (Historically or currently)

Sam: Start off with the obvious striker. Thierry Henry? No, Nicolas Bendtner of course! A man who possessed more skill and goals in his locker than Pelé himself, he was so humble he never scored in case the other teams felt bad. What a guy. Lord Bendtner, we salute you.

Numero 2? Pascal Cygan, simply for the chant – he’s bald, he’s sh*t, he plays when no-ones fit, Pascal Cygan, Pascal Cygan!!!
At 3 who else but the man himself, Three-o Walcott. Need I say more? Yes. Will I? No
4 – Bernd Leno – Cos me and [bandmate] Dan walked past him in Camden and he almost said hello. You could tell in his eyes he knew we were Gunners. The next game he conceded four goals. (I also saw Per Mertesacker on the Tube once and when he sat down his knees were above his head, true story!)
Last but not to be the least would be Hector Bellerin. A man who I would be happy if he replaced me in the band on bass. Even if he can’t play a note you know he’d own the stage with his shirt tucked in and Peter Andre-esque curtains. An absolute boy.

Arsenal season leaves deflated feeling

TEAMtalk: What are your hopes for what’s left of the season and what do you make of the current side?

Sam: If I had to sum up arsenals season with a sound, it would be Hmmmmmmm. Look if we overcome Villarreal and win the Europa League we’ll be laughing as I’m gonna say we probably don’t deserve Champions League football after certain performances this season, but obviously we will win all our last remaining matches and storm into the top 4 won’t we? Won’t we?!?

TEAMtalk: Have you got a soft spot for another team and why?

Sam: It would have to be Truro City FC. As Cornish boys growing up, and Cornwall being more of a rugby county than football, there really isn’t a lot of choice! But as Plymouth is all the way in Devon it has to be Truro really, I just have a feeling they’ll get taken over and storm the Premier League one day!

TEAMtalk: What’s going on with you as a band at the moment?

Sam: We’ve just put out a our single STAR about the idea of having genuine intent (in this case to find love) for something in the media. But when you get there it’s not what it seems and far more twisted as the people in charge just want to sell a story.

We also have an EP coming out early summer with the new songs sounding amazing. We’ve recorded in a new studio that we could actually fit guitars, bass and drums into it, which really helps.

We’ve also got our own little tour in November with this feeling that we’ve had to push back as this was originally scheduled for last March and then something happened in the world and no one was allowed to have fun for bit, so we’re hoping November we will be able to rock out properly again!

Stream ’Star’ on the TEAMtalk Spotify playlist

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