Sutton clashes with Wardley in Premier League and boxing predictions

Arsenal need three wins to secure their first Premier League title since 2004 after a potential slip-up against West Ham.

Title race hangs in balance Arsenal are just three victories away from claiming the Premier League crown for the first time since 2004. A potential stumble against West Ham on Sunday could derail their title hopes. BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton noted, 'This is the kind of game where Arsenal fans will be looking at it and thinking if they can overcome this hurdle, then the title will be theirs.' Sutton is currently making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season alongside AI, BBC Sport readers, and various guests. ## Boxing champ joins prediction battle For week 36, Sutton faces boxing world champion Fabio Wardley, a dedicated Ipswich Town supporter. Wardley is set to defend his WBO heavyweight title against Daniel Dubois in Manchester on Saturday. The bout will air live on DAZN, with live commentary available on BBC Radio 5 Live. Though Sutton and Wardley cannot settle their differences in the ring, they will compete over score predictions and engage in a verbal exchange, especially after Ipswich's promotion to the Premier League while Norwich finished ninth in the Championship. ## Wardley fires back at Sutton's remarks Wardley responded to Sutton's comments, saying, 'Chris would probably call himself a Norwich legend. That lot like to do that.' He added, 'We have already done the double over them in the Championship this season so if I can add one more notch on there by beating him too, then I'll take that.' Sutton, in turn, commented, 'Fabio looks a bit chubby to me.' However, he wished Wardley well in his fight and expressed happiness for Ipswich's promotion. ## Ipswich's promotion celebrations Wardley could not attend Ipswich's festive promotion celebrations at Portman Road on Saturday or Monday's town parade due to his fight preparations. He still celebrated his team's crucial 3-0 final-day victory over QPR from afar. Wardley told them, 'It's really exciting for us to be back up there, and I couldn't be more proud of the team.' He admitted missing the final game and parade was disappointing but focused on his own upcoming fight. ## Wardley confident about next season Wardley expressed optimism about Ipswich's Premier League return next season. He stated, 'It didn't go our way, but that season was still great for the club and for the whole area.' He highlighted improvements in defense, conceding 10 fewer goals this season compared to their last promotion campaign. Wardley mentioned, 'We are much better defensively, for example, and we have conceded 10 fewer goals this season compared to the last time we went up.' ## Saturday fixtures and predictions Multiple Premier League matches are scheduled for Saturday, May 9, including Liverpool vs Chelsea at Anfield, Brighton vs Wolves at Amex Stadium, Fulham vs Bournemouth at Craven Cottage, Sunderland vs Manchester United at Stadium of Light, and Manchester City vs Brentford at Etihad Stadium. Sutton and Wardley shared their predictions for these games, with Wardley forecasting a 2-0 Chelsea loss at Anfield, a 2-0 Brighton home win, a 1-1 draw between Fulham and Bournemouth, a 1-2 Manchester United away victory, and a 2-0 City win over Brentford. ## Sunday's key matches On Sunday, May 10, Aston Villa face Burnley at Turf Moor, Crystal Palace meet Everton at Selhurst Park, Nottingham Forest play at City Ground, and West Ham host Arsenal at London Stadium. Sutton and Wardley weighed in on these fixtures, with Wardley predicting Villa winning 0-1, Crystal Palace and Everton drawing 2-2, and Forest also drawing 2-2. For the London Stadium clash, Wardley suggested Arsenal could start slow but ultimately win 1-3. ## Monday's final league games The Premier League season wraps up on Monday, May 11, with Leeds visiting Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Sutton and Wardley discussed this match, with Wardley stating, 'I don't think Spurs are going down,' and predicting a 1-0 Spurs victory. Leeds are nearly safe from relegation, and a Tottenham win would secure three consecutive league wins for Spurs. ## Prediction competition standings The BBC Premier League predictions race remains tightly contested. Chris Sutton got three correct results out of 10 games in week 35, earning 30 points. BBC readers had five correct results with one exact score, totaling 80 points. Sutton's guests, Jake and Ella from CBBC's Jamie Johnson, scored 50 and 120 points respectively. The AI prediction tool matched Sutton's three correct results but included two exact scores, earning 90 points and taking the lead with three rounds remaining.