Reuters Soccer Blog

The good news is, if you missed the midweek fixtures you’ve hardly been scathed, with one of the two games called off and the other a 3-2 thriller that no one predicted.

So let’s start 2010 as we mean to go on with your predictions for the Premier League matches this weekend. Read on after the break for the rules if you’re a newbie, and if not … well, you know what to do.

Hull City v Chelsea
Arsenal v Everton
Burnley v Stoke City
Fulham v Portsmouth
Sunderland v Bolton Wanderers
Wigan Athletic v Aston Villa
Birmingham City v Manchester United
West Ham United v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester City v Blackburn Rovers

- – - -

Original post: Happy New Year to you all, and welcome back to our score predictions, as English football continues  with the breathless pace of Jason Bourne reciting Gilbert & Sullivan* while performing vodka-soaked surgery on his own left lung and driving off a roof (you can guess what the Christmas Day movie was in our house…) 

After the brief respite of an FA Cup weekend, we’re back with a bang on the predictions trail, with one match on Tuesday, another on Wednesday and a full weekend programme.

The festive period was equally messy, and I know a lot of people failed to get their predictions in on time. In the spirit of good will, if you missed out over the holidays, feel free to give yourself a 10-point bump to ensure you don’t fall too much off the pace. (And 10 points is more than many of our panellists managed).

Remember: you get five points for the correct score, or one for the correct result but the wrong scoreline. As another festive gift, anyone who wants to start now will get double points on every game for the next two months, meaning you’re almost certain to catch us old-timers up in no time.

So don’t be shy! Send in your predictions via the comments button and put us to shame.

Current standings:

Reuters Soccer blog panel: Patrick Johnston 193, Paul Radford 180, Mitch Phillips 179, Neil Maidment 164, Kevin Fylan 146, Mark Meadows 141, Simon Evans 141, Julien Pretot 136, Mike Collett 131, Asia Sports Desk 114, Martyn Herman 109, Miles Evans 107, Sonia Oxley 70, Justin Palmer 41

Rest of the World? Let me know and I promise, promise, that I will keep careful track from now on…

This week’s matches: 

Tuesday: Stoke City v Fulham: Patrick Johnston 0-2, Paul Radford 1-0, Mitch Phillips 2-0, Neil Maidment 1-1, Kevin Fylan 2-1, Mark Meadows 2-2, Simon Evans 2-2, Julien Pretot 1-1, Mike Collett 0-0, Asia Sports Desk 1-2, Martyn Herman 0-0, Miles Evans 1-1 (abandoned at HT), Sonia Oxley 0-0, Justin Palmer

Wednesday: Arsenal v Bolton Wanderers: Patrick Johnston 4-0, Paul Radford 3-0, Mitch Phillips 1-1, Neil Maidment 2-0, Kevin Fylan 4-1, Mark Meadows 3-1, Simon Evans 6-0, Julien Pretot 4-0, Mike Collett 3-0, Asia Sports Desk 2-1, Martyn Herman 2-0, Miles Evans 3-0, Sonia Oxley 3-0, Justin Palmer

Saturday:

Hull City v Chelsea: Patrick Johnston , Paul Radford , Mitch Phillips 1-1, Neil Maidment 0-2, Kevin Fylan 0-1, Mark Meadows 0-2, Simon Evans 1-3, Julien Pretot 1-3, Mike Collett 0-3, Asia Sports Desk 1-3, Martyn Herman 2-1, Miles Evans 0-2, Sonia Oxley 1-3, Justin Palmer

Arsenal v Everton: Patrick Johnston , Paul Radford , Mitch Phillips 2-2, Neil Maidment 2-0, Kevin Fylan 3-1, Mark Meadows 2-1, Simon Evans 2-0, Julien Pretot 2-0, Mike Collett 3-1, Asia Sports Desk 4-1, Martyn Herman 3-1, Miles Evans 2-0, Sonia Oxley 2-1, Justin Palmer

Burnley v Stoke City: Patrick Johnston , Paul Radford , Mitch Phillips 0-1, Neil Maidment 1-1, Kevin Fylan 1-2, Mark Meadows 0-2, Simon Evans 2-0, Julien Pretot , Mike Collett 1-1, Asia Sports Desk 0-1, Martyn Herman 0-1, Miles Evans 1-3, Sonia Oxley 1-2, Justin Palmer

Fulham v Portsmouth: Patrick Johnston , Paul Radford , Mitch Phillips 0-1, Neil Maidment 2-1, Kevin Fylan 3-1, Mark Meadows 3-1, Simon Evans 3-1, Julien Pretot 2-2, Mike Collett 4-1, Asia Sports Desk 2-0, Martyn Herman 3-2, Miles Evans 2-0, Sonia Oxley 1-0, Justin Palmer

Sunderland v Bolton Wanderers: Patrick Johnston , Paul Radford , Mitch Phillips 2-0, Neil Maidment 2-0, Kevin Fylan 2-0, Mark Meadows 0-1, Simon Evans 4-1, Julien Pretot 2-1, Mike Collett 0-1, Asia Sports Desk 1-1, Martyn Herman 1-2, Miles Evans 2-0, Sonia Oxley 2-2, Justin Palmer

Wigan Athletic v Aston Villa: Patrick Johnston , Paul Radford , Mitch Phillips 1-0, Neil Maidment 1-2, Kevin Fylan 0-2, Mark Meadows 2-3, Simon Evans 1-2, Julien Pretot 0-1, Mike Collett 1-3, Asia Sports Desk 1-2, Martyn Herman 1-1, Miles Evans 1-2, Sonia Oxley 1-2, Justin Palmer

Birmingham City v Manchester United: Patrick Johnston , Paul Radford , Mitch Phillips 0-2, Neil Maidment 1-1, Kevin Fylan 1-2, Mark Meadows 0-1, Simon Evans 1-2, Julien Pretot 1-3, Mike Collett 1-2, Asia Sports Desk 1-2, Martyn Herman: Postponed, Miles Evans 1-2, Sonia Oxley 1-3, Justin Palmer

Sunday:

West Ham United v Wolverhampton Wanderers: Patrick Johnston , Paul Radford , Mitch Phillips 2-3, Neil Maidment 2-1, Kevin Fylan 1-1, Mark Meadows 2-2, Simon Evans 2-1, Julien Pretot 2-0, Mike Collett 2-1, Asia Sports Desk 2-0, Martyn Herman 1-1, Miles Evans 2-0, Sonia Oxley 2-1, Justin Palmer

Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur: Patrick Johnston , Paul Radford , Mitch Phillips 2-0, Neil Maidment 1-1, Kevin Fylan 2-1, Mark Meadows 1-2, Simon Evans 0-1, Julien Pretot 3-1, Mike Collett 0-2, Asia Sports Desk 2-0, Martyn Herman 2-1, Miles Evans 1-1, Sonia Oxley 3-2, Justin Palmer

Monday: Manchester City v Blackburn Rovers: Patrick Johnston , Paul Radford , Mitch Phillips 3-0, Neil Maidment 2-0, Kevin Fylan 3-0, Mark Meadows 3-0, Simon Evans 1-0, Julien Pretot 2-1, Mike Collett 2-0, Asia Sports Desk 4-0, Martyn Herman , Miles Evans 1-2, Sonia Oxley 2-0, Justin Palmer

PHOTO: Alex Ferguson points at his watch during Manchester United’s FA Cup defeat against Leeds United at Old Trafford, Jan. 3, 2010. REUTERS/Darren Staples

* The fourth film in the series will be titled The Bourne Operetta, and Matt Damon is currently taking singing lessons for the part. Fact!