Sports Mole takes on Spinn drummer and Aston Villa fan Louis O’Reilly for a Premier League and FA Cup predictions challenge in gameweek 34 of the 2023-24 season.
After Manchester City wrestled control of the title race away from Arsenal and Liverpool last weekend, the chasing pack have the chance to catch up again in gameweek 34 as Pep Guardiola‘s side switch their attention to the FA Cup.
All three Premier League title contenders were dumped out of Europe in midweek, capping particularly disappointing weeks for Arsenal and Liverpool, both of whom also suffered shock home defeats last time out domestically.
Either of those two could still end the weekend back at the top of the table with victory this weekend, though, with Arsenal aiming to bounce back away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, and Liverpool facing Fulham in the final league match of the gameweek on Sunday.
The FA Cup semi-finals also take place at Wembley over the course of the weekend, with Man City taking on Chelsea and Coventry City looking to claim the scalp of Manchester United.
Those games mean that the Premier League schedule is depleted, with only seven games taking place, but it could yet prove to be a pivotal week at the bottom of the table as well as the top.
The bottom six all face each other this weekend, with Luton Town playing Brentford and Sheffield United hosting Burnley both at 3pm on Saturday, before Everton entertain Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Each gameweek, Sports Mole is taking on a famous musician or band in a prediction competition, and this week it is the turn of Spinn drummer and Aston Villa fan, Louis O’Reilly.
Saturday, 3pm
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Louis: Luton 2-1 Brentford
Sports Mole: Luton 1-3 Brentford
Saturday, 3pm
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Louis: Sheff Utd 0-2 Burnley
Sports Mole: Sheff Utd 2-2 Burnley
Saturday, 5.15pm
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Louis: Man City 3-1 Chelsea
Sports Mole: Man City 2-1 Chelsea
Saturday, 7.30pm
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Louis: Wolves 1-3 Arsenal
Sports Mole: Wolves 0-1 Arsenal
Sunday, 1.30pm
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Louis: Everton 1-0 Nott’m Forest
Sports Mole: Everton 0-1 Nott’m Forest
Sunday, 3pm
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Louis: Aston Villa 4-0 Bournemouth
Sports Mole: TBC
Sunday, 3pm
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Louis: Crystal Palace 2-1 West Ham
Sports Mole: Crystal Palace 2-1 West Ham
Sunday, 3.30pm
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Louis: Coventry 1-1 Man Utd (Coventry win on pens)
Sports Mole: Coventry 1-3 Man Utd
Sunday, 4.30pm
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Louis: Fulham 2-2 Liverpool
Sports Mole: Fulham 1-1 Liverpool
Louis O’Reilly Q&A
How did you come to support Aston Villa and what are your favourite memories from your time as a fan?
Growing up in Birmingham, Aston Villa very much runs through my family – I remember falling in love with the club when my dad took me to my first game at Villa Park when I was six years old, a 3-1 win over Leicester City topped off by a Thomas Hitzlsperger rocket in front of the Holte End.
Being at Wembley the day we were promoted back to the Premier League will always stick out as one of my favourite memories, off the back of Dean Smith guiding the club on a 10-game winning run.
The past 18 months have probably been the most special though, Unai Emery has completely transformed the football club from top to bottom and developed this group into an elite squad of players playing the best football I’ve ever seen at Villa Park.
The prospect of cementing Champions League football for next season and winning a European trophy is actually crazy considering how far the club had fallen not too long ago.
Also the abundance of victories against Birmingham City throughout my lifetime have always felt good.
Who have been your favourite five players for your club?
Juan Pablo Angel
Christian Benteke
Stiliyan Petrov
Douglas Luiz
Ollie Watkins
What’s going on with the band at the moment?
We’ve actually just released our new single ‘I Would Call You (But I Never Know What To Say)’, which is part of a larger body of work coming later on this year.
We really wanted to take a bit of a step back after our second album to focus on a building a new sound we could take this record in, so we’re thrilled with the response it has received so far!
We will also be touring the UK and hopefully beyond later this year in support of that, so keep your eyes peeled.
Check out ‘I Would Call You (But I Never Know What To Say)’, the latest release from SPINN, available on all digital streaming platforms now.
You can follow SPINN 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. Swim Deep’s Cavan McCarthy (11pts | Gameweek 33)
11. Flat Party’s Rory (10pts | Gameweek 7)
= Master Peace (10pts | Gameweek 23)
13. Tom Speight (9pts | Gameweek 2)
= Majestic & Beyond Chicago (9pts | Gameweek 3)
= Sea Girls’ Andrew Dawson (9pts | Gameweek 8)
16. New Rules’ Ryan Meaney (8pts | Gameweek 6)
= K.A.D (8pts | Gameweek 12)
= Solar Eyes (8pts | Gameweek 25)
19. 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)
23. Ed Cosens (6pts | Gameweek 22)
= Only The Poets (6pts | Gameweek 27)
25. Sainte (5pts | Gameweek 13)
26. 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)
33. Barry Can’t Swim (3pts | Gameweek 4)
= Keen Roy (3pts | Gameweek 11)
= The Mysterines’ Paul Crilly (3pts | Gameweek 31)
36. 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 33: Swim Deep’s Cavan McCarthy 11-14 Sports Mole
* = Gameweek with reduced number of fixtures
