Chris Sutton has reclaimed the top spot in the BBC's Premier League predictions table, setting up a fascinating showdown with boxing promoter and lifelong Arsenal fan Frank Warren as this weekend's guest predictor.
Sutton, who rose from last place to first after the previous round of matches, now faces Warren in predicting all Premier League fixtures. "I'm back where I belong - above AI," declared Sutton. "The title is in my hands now, although I'm not sure that's a good thing."
Warren, best known for managing heavyweight champions like Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois—who face each other for the WBO title on May 9—reveals football as his second sporting passion. The 74-year-old season ticket holder began attending Arsenal matches at age eight with his father at Highbury Stadium.
"It was always Arsenal for me," Warren told BBC Sport. "All my family were Arsenal mad, and they were our local team. I didn't see us win anything for a long time when I was a boy, but my first heroes were Joe Baker and Billy McCullough. I actually only read Billy's obituary last week—he died recently at 90. It's such a shame he's no longer with us."
Warren shared a memorable childhood moment that connected his two sporting loves: "I always remember an FA Cup game against Liverpool where Joe Baker was sent off after he knocked out Ron Yeats, their big centre-half. I think that's what got me into boxing."
When asked about his favorite Arsenal players through the decades, Warren mentioned: "People like Frank McLintock, who actually became a partner of mine when we owned a nightclub together in the late 1970s, plus Liam Brady and Charlie George. That's before you even get to the era of Dennis Bergkamp. Now? Declan Rice, all day long. He is the catalyst of where we are."
Regarding stadium preferences, Warren didn't hesitate: "I prefer the old stadium all day long. You were on top of the action and the atmosphere was brilliant. Highbury was always a very classy stadium, with the tradition of the old marble halls from Herbert Chapman's era."
Premier League Predictions
West Ham vs Wolves (Friday, 10 April)
Sutton predicts a 2-1 victory for West Ham, noting: "All the pressure is on them here, but they are at home and Jarrod Bowen will probably be the player who makes the difference."
Warren forecasts a 2-0 win for West Ham, observing: "It's almost a month since Wolves last played, which is crazy."
The AI prediction aligns with Sutton at 2-1.
Arsenal vs Bournemouth (Saturday, 11 April)
Sutton predicts a 2-0 Arsenal victory, stating: "We saw a reaction from Mikel Arteta's side with their win over Sporting on Tuesday. I think we will see a similar performance here."
Warren, showing his Arsenal allegiance, predicts a 3-1 win: "The players have to do what they did against Sporting, which is grit their teeth and show what they are all about. We have to approach this game with a winners' mentality. The title is there to be won but every game has to be do or die now."
The predictions competition continues throughout the season, with Sutton facing various guests while also competing against AI forecasts and reader predictions. Correct results earn 10 points, while exact scorelines yield 40 points.