Sutton v Kidwild and Blanco: BBC Sport pits pundit against rappers and AI in Premier League predictions

Crystal Palace host Liverpool on Saturday as BBC Sport's Chris Sutton takes on two guest predictors and an AI in a high-profile Premier League predictions challenge. Sutton predicts every top-flight fixture this season, and for week six he faces Kidwild and Blanco, who back Tottenham and Manchester City respectively, along with a computer-powered forecast generated by Microsoft Copilot Chat. The scoring system remains unchanged: a correct result earns 10 points, while an exact score earns 40 points.

Week six brings a packed schedule with the headline match at Selhurst Park alongside Brentford vs Manchester United, Chelsea vs Brighton, Leeds vs Bournemouth, Manchester City vs Burnley, Newcastle vs Arsenal and more. Sutton has praised Crystal Palace as an exceptional side under Oliver Glasner, noting they carried on after Eberechi Eze moved to Arsenal and that they remain well organized. He also pointed to Liverpool’s habit of finding a way to win even when not at their best, which makes this test for Palace particularly compelling. Kidwild and Blanco, who mingle pop culture with football analysis, offered divergent views, with Kidwild favoring a United upset in the Brentford matchup and Blanco leaning toward a City-style performance against Burnley. The weekend predictions feature the same structure as in prior weeks, with guests offering their scores for every game and fans invited to submit their own picks.

The AI component of the feature is built on Copilot Chat, which is used to generate computer-based forecasts for each fixture. The goal is to provide a data-backed counterpoint to human predictions while keeping the exercise accessible and entertaining for readers. The article and accompanying scoreboard compile the most popular scorelines used by readers and participants to determine the perceived likelihood of outcomes across the weekend slate.

In the Brentford vs Manchester United fixture, for example, Sutton’s prediction is 1-1, Kidwild’s is 0-1 in favor of United, Blanco’s is 2-2, and the AI forecast is 1-1. The rest of the weekend’s slate follows a similar pattern, with predictions rolling in for Chelsea vs Brighton and Leeds vs Bournemouth, among others. The page also explains how the weekly board aggregates results to determine a leader across five weeks of play, including a look at last week’s results where Sutton posted three correct results but no exact scores, while AI claimed three correct results with two exact scores for a total of 90 points. The guests delivered a mix of results, and readers finished on a high note with five correct results and four exact scores, contributing to an overall leaderboard that sees Sutton atop the early-season standings.

The public-facing element of the feature remains a blend of sport and conversation. Predictions are published ahead of each weekend’s games and updated as games unfold, with fans encouraged to compare their own forecasts against those of Sutton, the guests and AI. The cross-pollination with Kidwild and Blanco adds a celebrity-tinged flavor to what is otherwise a straightforward exercise in forecasting, while the AI component highlights how technology can model outcomes in a league that routinely throws up surprises.

Beyond the entertainment value, the exercise serves as a reminder of the season-long challenge: predicting 380 Premier League matches each year. The page notes that the most popular scoreline is used on the bottom-of-page scoreboards, and that a single correct result is worth 10 points while an exact score earns 40 points. The feature also recounts last season’s meetings and the evolving tactical setups across clubs, with players like Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner-praised structure and Liverpool’s capacity to win while performing below peak levels cited as ongoing talking points.

The organizer notes that week five’s results demonstrated the dynamic nature of the exercise: Sutton ended with 30 points from three correct results with no exact scores, while AI topped the weekly table with 90 points from three correct results and two exact scores. The guests finished with a range of results, and readers were recognized for a strong showing, underscoring the broader appeal of the predictions format. As the competition progresses through the season, the leaderboard will continue to shape the narrative of who is predicting best and which fixtures prove most unpredictable.

The overarching aim of the exercise is to engage fans with a multi-faceted prediction experience that blends traditional punditry, pop culture commentary and AI-driven forecasting. It invites readers to join the dialogue by submitting their own scores for the weekend, while offering a curated view of how a pundit, two high-profile guests and a machine model approach a weekend of Premier League football. As fans await kickoff, the piece reinforces the idea that football is more than a series of results—it is a dynamic conversation that evolves over the course of a season.