Premier League champions Arsenal are seeking a swift recovery at Anfield against Liverpool following an embarrassing Carabao Cup elimination at Highbury against League Two club Fleetwood Town. Sizing up Mikel Arteta's squad alongside the rest of the week eight matchups, BBC Sport expert Chris Sutton is putting his score predictions to the test against actor and Arsenal supporter John Hannah, with Microsoft Copilot Chat supplying AI predictions across the fixture list.
Hannah, who stars in the action thriller Bad Day At The Office—arriving in UK and Irish cinemas from 30 October—has supported Arsenal for over four decades after relocating to London from Scotland. Long before his film career including The Mummy and portraying Northern Ireland manager Billy Bingham in the 2013 movie Shooting for Socrates, he grew up in East Kilbride playing football alongside childhood friends like Rangers legend Ally McCoist. Hannah, who likened his fast, goalscoring style on the right wing to Bukayo Saka, stopped playing after snapping his anterior cruciate ligament and now stays active through cycling and running.
Attention for the upcoming matches also turns to Stamford Bridge, where Michael Carrick remains under scrutiny as Manchester United manager following heavy defeats to Como and Bournemouth. Even with Bruno Fernandes back in the squad, both Sutton and Hannah have predicted a 3-1 victory for Chelsea. The hosts, managed by Xabi Alonso, are missing the injured Joao Pedro and are expected to start Danny Welbeck in attack, while Cole Palmer returns following a suspension.
The week eight forecasts also evaluate Bournemouth following recent wins against Aston Villa, Manchester United, and AC Milan as they host Daniel Farke's structured Leeds side. Elsewhere, Oliver Glasner's Nottingham Forest seek points at Brentford, Sunderland travel to Coventry with Brian Brobbey back from injury, promoted clubs Hull and Ipswich meet with 10 points each, and Manchester City face Brighton with Erling Haaland expected to feature on the scoresheet. Predictors score 10 points for picking the right match result and 40 points for an exact scoreline.