Ahead of the new Premier League campaign, BBC Sport pundit Chris Sutton was joined by Courteeners frontman and Manchester United supporter Liam Fray to preview all the weekend's fixtures, alongside predictions generated by Microsoft Copilot Chat's AI tool.
Fray was in confident mood about United's prospects under Michael Carrick, crediting the manager's visible connection with supporters as a reason for optimism. "I am pretty excited," he said. "Listen, we are not going to be challenging for the title because we are not at Arsenal or Manchester City's level, but I think we will be up there - and I love Carrick. I was like 'give him the job straight away' when Ruben Amorim was sacked in January." He added that Carrick's evident passion sets him apart from recent predecessors Ralf Rangnick, Erik ten Hag and Amorim, saying it is "good to see someone who cares."
United open their campaign away at Hull, and both pundits expect a comfortable win despite differing scorelines - Sutton went for 1-2 while Fray predicted a more emphatic 0-3, noting the party atmosphere at the MKM Stadium could work in the visitors' favour. The AI system sided with Fray, forecasting a 1-3 away win. On Marcus Rashford's potential Old Trafford homecoming, Fray was hopeful but cautious: "I love Marcus... if I was Marcus, I'd be thinking 'I am going to make this work'... but I don't know if it will."
Elsewhere, Sutton tipped champions Arsenal to begin with a routine 3-0 victory over promoted Coventry City at the Emirates, a scoreline matched by both Fray and the AI. Sutton praised the depth of Mikel Arteta's squad following their Community Shield rout of Manchester City, while Fray - recalling his childhood love of Coventry's Merlin stickers - urged the Sky Blues simply to avoid a heavy defeat on their return to the top flight.
In East Anglia, Ipswich Town host newly promoted Sunderland, with Sutton backing the visitors 1-0 given their strong finish last season, while Fray anticipated goals at both ends in a 2-2 draw. The AI predicted a narrow 2-1 win for Sunderland.
Nottingham Forest's clash with Leeds United under new boss Oliver Glasner proved tricky to call, with Sutton settling for a 1-1 draw and both Fray and the AI leaning towards a 2-1 home win for Forest.
Tottenham Hotspur's trip to Brentford excited both pundits given Spurs' summer recruitment of Sandro Tonali and others under new manager Roberto de Zerbi. Sutton predicted a 1-1 draw, but Fray and the AI both forecast a 1-2 win for Spurs, pointing to the returns of key personnel including James Maddison.
At the Amex, Sutton expects Brighton to edge past a Champions League-bound Aston Villa side missing Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans, predicting a 1-2 scoreline that Fray also backed, while the AI foresaw a 2-2 draw.
Newcastle United's home game against Liverpool drew attention given the Magpies' summer departures of Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon. Sutton tipped a 1-3 away win, citing Alexander Isak's likely impact despite an expected hostile reception from Newcastle fans. Fray agreed Liverpool would prevail, predicting 1-2, while the AI called it closer at 1-1.
Finally, at Craven Cottage, both pundits expect a new-look Chelsea under Xabi Alonso to beat a rebuilding Fulham side following Marco Silva's departure, with Sutton and Fray both predicting a 0-2 scoreline and the AI going for 1-2.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.