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How I won fantasy football in my first ever season - without using AI

BBC News

The Premier League season might be long-forgotten already - but we're definitely still in the window where bragging about how well you did in fantasy football is just about acceptable. Plenty of people will have been frantically checking the app on Sunday to see if they'd beaten friends, family or colleagues and topped their mini leagues. Someone who was refreshing a little more than most is 23-year-old Everton fan Erik Ibsen. But the Danish medical student managed to hold on to his lead to be crowned the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) champion - in his first season playing the game. Ibsen only started playing because his sister was doing a work league and wanted some help, which turned into him picking his own team for sibling rivalry.


Premier League predictions - how accurate were BBC Sport pundits?

BBC News

Premier League predictions - how accurate were BBC Sport pundits? Last summer, 33 BBC TV and radio pundits made their predictions for the Premier League season, picking their champions and their top four. Twenty-one of them thought Liverpool would win it, and none of them got more than two clubs right. Although six pundits correctly picked Arsenal as champions, and everyone had the Gunners and Manchester City in their top four, Matthew Upson was the only one to have the top two in the order they actually finished. Martin Keown, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Sue Smith, Leon Osman and Jermaine Beckford were the other pundits who also backed Mikel Arteta's side.


Sutton's predictions v Blossoms & Songer

BBC News

The 145th FA Cup final takes place at Wembley on Saturday but will it be Manchester City or Chris Sutton's old club Chelsea who get their hands on the famous old trophy? Chelsea have not beaten City in any of their past 13 meetings but their last success against Pep Guardiola's side came on another huge occasion, the 2021 Champions League final. I was at that game and Pep did not get the better of Thomas Tuchel, said BBC Sport football expert Sutton. He is not going to be schooled by Calum McFarlane though. As well as the FA Cup, Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against AI, BBC Sport readers and a variety of guests. For all of this weekend's games, he takes on two Manchester City fans - frontman and guitarist Tom Ogden and drummer Joe Donovan from indie band Blossoms - and a Chelsea supporter - rapper Songer. Blossoms' new single, Joke About Divorce, is out. It is their first new material since their 2024 UK number one album, Gary.


Who will win title? The big prediction special

BBC News

Image caption, Will Pep Guardiola or Mikel Arteta be lifting the Premier League trophy next month? With five games to go, Manchester City and Arsenal are only separated on goals scored at the top of the Premier League table. It's a new league now, says Gunners boss Mikel Arteta, whose side had been top of the table for 209 days until Wednesday. Manchester City's 2-1 win over Arsenal on Sunday boosted their hopes - and a 1-0 victory at Burnley on Wednesday sent them top. Who is going to win the title now?


Sutton's predictions v Race Across the World podcast host Alfie Watts

BBC News

Manchester City already hold the record for most consecutive FA Cup semi-finals - eight between 2019 and 2026 - but can they become the first team to reach four finals in a row? That is their target when they play Championship side Southampton at Wembley on Saturday at 17:15 BST, live on BBC One and Radio 5 Live. It will be interesting to see whether City boss Pep Guardiola changes his team up much, said BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton. They don't play again until they go to Everton on 4 May, so I don't think he will. But, whoever Pep picks, he will be looking for his team to connect again, the way they were playing before they played Burnley . As well as the FA Cup, Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against AI, BBC Sport readers and a variety of guests. For all of this weekend's games, he takes on Tottenham fan Alfie Watts, co-host of the Race Across the World: The Detour visual podcast.


Sutton's predictions v boxer Francesca Hennessy

BBC News

Tottenham may have coasted through to the Champions League last 16, but their Premier League form remains a problem for boss Thomas Frank. I was at their draw with Burnley last week and there are a lot of angry Spurs fans out there, said BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton. Their domestic results are such a contrast to their record in Europe, and it could be another difficult afternoon for Frank when they face Manchester City on Sunday. Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against AI, BBC Sport readers and a variety of guests. His guest for week 24 is boxer Francesca Hennessy, who supports Chelsea . Hennessy faces Ellie Bouttell in a WBC title eliminator on Saturday, live on BBC Two from 20:00 GMT.


Sutton's predictions v singer-songwriter & Newcastle fan Andrew Cushin

BBC News

Will the start of 2026 see a change of fortune for BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton, whose title hopes are fading fast? After Sutton made a strong start to the season, AI has taken charge of the predictions title race, clinching another win last week. It's been a bad start to the new year for me, with AI top of the table, Sutton said. I also lost to my daugher Sophia at cards over Christmas. We played rummy and I think she was cheating - a lot like AI, she was definitely getting some help from somewhere. Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against AI, BBC Sport readers and a variety of guests. For week 20, he takes on singer-songwriter Andrew Cushin, who is a Newcastle fan.


Sutton's predictions v singer-songwriter & Sunderland fan Tom A Smith

BBC News

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery had an unhappy 18-month spell in charge of Arsenal that ended in 2019, but can he get the better of his old club on Tuesday? After the abuse he took from Arsenal fans, I'd love nothing more than Emery to go back to the Emirates and win, said BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton. He absolutely didn't deserve that. Some of those fans should take a long, hard look at themselves for the way they mocked him. I hope Villa go there and spank them, just because of that. Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against AI, BBC Sport readers and a variety of guests. For week 19 - which includes the final games of 2025 on Tuesday, 30 December and the first matches of 2026 on New Year's Day - he takes on singer-songwriter Tom A Smith, who is a Sunderland fan.


Sutton's predictions v The Wellermen's Jonny Stewart

BBC News

Arsenal are sitting top of the Premier League at Christmas, but it is BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton who leads the way when it comes to predictions. I'm number one at Christmas - again, said Sutton, who as a player led the Premier League table at this point with Norwich in 1992 and Blackburn in 1994, and went on to win the title with Rovers. It's a big deal for me to be top, as well as for Arsenal . AI is the go-to for virtually everyone in the world whenever they have to ask anything, so the fact that I am beating it - and let's face it, I have stuffed it for half a season now - is pretty incredible. It says a lot about me, and I'm delighted. Rather than asking AI about everything, maybe people should come to me to tap into my intelligence instead?


Sutton's predictions v Tailenders host Felix White

BBC News

Aston Villa are going for a fourth successive Premier League victory when they travel to Brighton on Wednesday, but should Unai Emery's side change the way they have been scoring goals on their winning run? There is apparently some debate about whether Villa's xG (expected goals) is unsustainable because they are scoring from long range, but that's nonsense, said BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton. Villa have good players who can shoot from the edge of the box, so are you seriously going to tell them not to shoot now, because of xG? Give me a break. Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against AI, BBC Sport readers and a variety of guests. For the midweek fixtures in week 14, he takes on musician, author and Fulham fan Felix White. White is the guitarist with The Maccabees and 86TVs. His new book'Whatever will be, will be: A Matter of Life and Football' is out now.