Sports Mole takes on Swim Deep bassist and Birmingham City fan Cavan McCarthy for a Premier League predictions challenge in gameweek 33 of the 2023-24 season.
Just one point separates the top three in the Premier League table heading into gameweek 33, meaning that any slip-ups from the title contenders could prove costly come the fast-approaching end of the season.
Current leaders Arsenal have the toughest test on paper this weekend as they host Aston Villa on Sunday, by which stage both Manchester City – at home to Luton Town – and Liverpool – at home to Crystal Palace – will have already played.
At the other end of the table, Burnley and Sheffield United are closing in on must-win territory in their battles against the drop as they take on Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively.
Champions League-chasing Tottenham Hotspur will get the gameweek underway at Newcastle United on Saturday lunchtime, while Chelsea bring the curtain down when they entertain Everton at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.
Each gameweek, Sports Mole is taking on a famous musician or band in a prediction competition, and this week it is the turn of Swim Deep bassist and Birmingham City fan Cavan McCarthy.
Saturday, 12.30pm
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Cavan: Newcastle 1-1 Spurs
Sports Mole: Newcastle 2-2 Spurs
Saturday, 3pm
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Cavan: Brentford 2-0 Sheff Utd
Sports Mole: Brentford 2-1 Sheff Utd
Saturday, 3pm
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Cavan: Burnley 0-1 Brighton
Sports Mole: Burnley 1-1 Brighton
Saturday, 3pm
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Cavan: Man City 3-0 Luton
Sports Mole: Man City 3-0 Luton
Saturday, 3pm
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Cavan: Nott’m Forest 1-0 Wolves
Sports Mole: Nott’m Forest 1-1 Wolves
Saturday, 5.30pm
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Cavan: Bournemouth 2-2 Man Utd
Sports Mole: Bournemouth 2-2 Man Utd
Sunday, 2pm
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Cavan: Liverpool 1-0 Crystal Palace
Sports Mole: Liverpool 3-0 Crystal Palace
Sunday, 2pm
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Cavan: West Ham 2-0 Fulham
Sports Mole: West Ham 2-2 Fulham
Sunday, 4.30pm
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Cavan: Arsenal 1-0 Aston Villa
Sports Mole: TBC
Monday, 8pm
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Cavan: Chelsea 0-0 Everton
Sports Mole: TBC
Cavan Q&A
How did you come to support Birmingham and what are your favourite memories from your time as a fan?
I was sadly born into it, I had no other choice. Mum and Dad are both massive Blues fans so it was all I knew from a very early age.
My favorite memory as a Blues fan was beating Arsenal in the 2011 Carling Cup final; beating Aston Villa in the quarters was almost as good. Also our first season in the Premier League was unreal with Steve Bruce, great memories of that, proper Brexit football!
Who have been your favourite five players for your club?
1. Christophe Dugarry
2. Mikael Forssell
3. Martin Grainger
4. Jermaine Pennant
5. Fabrice Muamba
What’s going on with the band at the moment?
We’ve just started the campaign for our fourth album ‘There’s A Big Star Outside’, so off out on a UK/EU tour soon to lose lots of money and fans but excited to play some of the best songs we’ve ever written!
Check out ‘First Song’, the latest release from Birmingham-based Swim Deep, available on all digital streaming platforms now.
You can follow Swim Deep on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter).
2023-24 SEASON LEADERBOARD (ARTISTS)
Scores are calculated as one point for a correct result and five points for a correct scoreline.
1. SPRINTS’ Sam (19pts | Gameweek 9)
2. Flat Party’s Nic (18pts | Gameweek 7)
3. SPRINTS’ Jack (16pts | Gameweek 9)
= Joshua Grant (16pts | Gameweek 30)
5. SPRINTS’ Karla (14pts | Gameweek 9)
= Noah and the Loners’ Noah Riley (14pts | Gameweek 20)
7. Palace’s Leo Wyndham (13pts | Gameweek 24)
= Nathan Evans (13pts | Gameweek 28)
9. Flat Party’s Dylan (12pts | Gameweek 7)
10. Flat Party’s Rory (10pts | Gameweek 7)
= Master Peace (10pts | Gameweek 23)
12. Tom Speight (9pts | Gameweek 2)
= Majestic & Beyond Chicago (9pts | Gameweek 3)
= Sea Girls’ Andrew Dawson (9pts | Gameweek 8)
15. New Rules’ Ryan Meaney (8pts | Gameweek 6)
= K.A.D (8pts | Gameweek 12)
= Solar Eyes (8pts | Gameweek 25)
18. Kid Kapichi’s Jack Wilson (7pts | Gameweek 5)
= Feeder’s Taka Hirose (7pts | Gameweek 18)
= Fat White Family’s Lias Saoudi (7pts | Gameweek 21)
= One True Pairing (7pts | Gameweek 29)
22. Ed Cosens (6pts | Gameweek 22)
= Only The Poets (6pts | Gameweek 27)
24. Sainte (5pts | Gameweek 13)
25. Insincere (4pts | Gameweek 1)
= STONE (4pts | Gameweek 10)
= Slick Don (4pts | Gameweek 14)
= The Blinders’ Charlie McGough (4pts | Gameweek 15)
= Alex Spencer (4pts | Gameweek 16)
= Chiedu Oraka (4pts | Gameweek 26)*
= Corella’s Joel Smith (4pts | Gameweek 32)
32. Barry Can’t Swim (3pts | Gameweek 4)
= Keen Roy (3pts | Gameweek 11)
= The Mysterines’ Paul Crilly (3pts | Gameweek 31)
35. Bill Ryder-Jones (2pts | Gameweek 19)
* = Gameweek with reduced number of fixtures
2023-24 COMPETITION HISTORY
Gameweek 1: Insincere 4-16 Sports Mole
Gameweek 2: Tom Speight 9-16 Sports Mole
Gameweek 3: Majestic & Beyond Chicago 9-9 Sports Mole
Gameweek 4: Barry Can’t Swim 3-9 Sports Mole
Gameweek 5: Kid Kapichi’s Jack Wilson 7-11 Sports Mole
Gameweek 6: New Rules’ Ryan Meaney 8-10 Sports Mole
Gameweek 7: Flat Party’s Rory, Nic & Dylan 10/18/12-3 Sports Mole
Gameweek 8: Sea Girls’ Andrew Dawson 9-9 Sports Mole
Gameweek 9: SPRINTS’ Jack, Same & Karla 16/19/14-16 Sports Mole
Gameweek 10: STONE 4-6 Sports Mole
Gameweek 11: Keen Roy 3-9 Sports Mole
Gameweek 12: K.A.D 8-8 Sports Mole
Gameweek 13: Sainte 5-2 Sports Mole
Gameweek 14: Slick Don 4-6 Sports Mole
Gameweek 15: The Blinders’ Charlie McGough 4-4 Sports Mole
Gameweek 16: Alex Spencer 4-3 Sports Mole
Gameweek 17: N/A
Gameweek 18: Feeder’s Taka Hirose 7-9 Sports Mole
Gameweek 19: Bill Ryder-Jones 2-7 Sports Mole
Gameweek 20: Noah and the Loners’ Noah Riley 14-5 Sports Mole
Gameweek 21: Fat White Family’s Lias Saoudi 7-10 Sports Mole
Gameweek 22: Ed Cosens 6-4 Sports Mole
Gameweek 23: Master Peace 10-12 Sports Mole
Gameweek 24: Palace’s Leo Wyndham 13-11 Sports Mole
Gameweek 25: Solar Eyes 8-9 Sports Mole
Gameweek 26: Chiedu Oraka 4-5 Sports Mole *
Gameweek 27: Only The Poets 6-8 Sports Mole
Gameweek 28: Nathan Evans 13-2 Sports Mole
Gameweek 29: One True Pairing 7-3 Sports Mole *
Gameweek 30: Joshua Grant 16-10 Sports Mole
Gameweek 31: The Mysterines’ Paul Crilly 3-9 Sports Mole
Gameweek 32: Corella’s Joel Smith 4-7 Sports Mole
* = Gameweek with reduced number of fixtures
