Midweek Premier League predictions: Lawro v Rolo Tomassi keyboardist and Arsenal fan James Spence

Newcastle can move within a point of Everton if they beat them on Tuesday, so has new Toffees boss Frank Lampard walked into a relegation battle at Goodison Park?

"For me, it is still three from the bottom four who are going down - but I don't see any of them finishing above Everton."

Lawro is making predictions for all 380 top-flight matches this season, against a variety of guests.

This week's guest for the Premier League games to be played from Tuesday to Thursday is Rolo Tomassi keyboardist and Arsenal fan James Spence.

Rolo Tomassi's sixth album, Where Myth Becomes Memory, was released on Friday and they are on tour in the UK later this month.

(left) Rolo Tomassi's James Spence aged seven and (right, centre) at the Emirates last season with his sister Eleanor and friend Jon Desmond

James grew up in Sheffield but followed in his father's footsteps when it came to choosing who to support.

"Arsenal are his club, and they just became my club," he told BBC Sport. "It was as easy as that.

"We have had some amazing players down the years but Robert Pires stands out, he is just a complete legend for me.

"There are the obvious ones like Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp who were also heroes of mine, but Pires probably didn't quite get the recognition he deserved. Like Santi Cazorla, who is another absolute favourite of mine, he is just a wonderful footballer.

"I've watched quite a lot of clips of Pires recently and even at the time I don't think I really appreciated just how good he was. We had so many great players at that time, though. I've still got a shirt with 'Vieira' on the back of it, and he is another legend.

"The Invincibles season is all a bit of blur, and I kind of remember more about what came after it. I was still in Sheffield then, so my early memories of going to games around that time are when Arsenal played up north.

"My dad used to work with a lot of people who had season tickets and they would not want to travel away, but would want to get away tickets to earn credits.

"So, a lot of the time we were going to The Reebok to see Sam Allardyce's Bolton side beat us, with Stelios and Ivan Campo running rings around us and Kevin Nolan kicking lumps out of Cesc Fabregas, or at least that's what it felt like!

"I went to Etihad Stadium as well, in 2004 when it was relatively new. Ashley Cole scored really early on for us and we just missed it because we were late getting in.

"My youngest sister is a massive Arsenal fan as well and comes to games with me now when she can - she was really young then and my enduring memory of that day is that she was so gutted to have missed our goal that she started crying. It was such a bad game afterwards as well, so things didn't get much better.

Another of James's sisters, Eva, is lead singer with Rolo Tomassi

"I have got some happy memories of games I've been too, though. The 2014 FA Cup final in particular stands out, because it was our first trophy for 10 years and also because of the way we won it.

"We were 2-0 down to Hull after 10 minutes and everyone was just shell-shocked, so to fight back and win made it a very special day."

A correct result (picking a win, draw or defeat) is worth 10 points. The exact score earns 40 points.

LAWRO'S PREDICTIONS

Games kick off at 19:45 GMT unless otherwise stated.

TUESDAY

Newcastle v Everton

Everton got a good win over Brentford at the weekend in Frank Lampard's first game in charge, and he could give debuts to deadline-day signings Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli at St James' Park.

Lampard really needs striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin to be fit for this one, though. He makes such a difference for them, especially away from home.

Newcastle have got some new faces too, of course, and it will be interesting to see how they line up in their first game for more than a fortnight.

Overall they did pretty good business in the transfer window, but it might take a bit of time for this Newcastle team to bed in. They need the three points more than Everton do, but I don't think they will get them.

Lawro's prediction: 1-1

James's prediction: Nathan, who plays bass in Rolo, is an Everton fan and he wasn't happy with Lampard's appointment, I think he would have preferred it if they had just left Duncan Ferguson in charge until the end of the season and then gone for more of a sure thing in the summer. I am going to get pelters from him for this, but I think Newcastle will beat them. 2-0

West Ham v Watford

Watford got a point and a clean sheet against Burnley in Roy Hodgson's first game in charge but, with only one victory in their first 19 games, it is wins they need - and quickly.

It's going to be hard for them to get anything out of West Ham, though, especially if Michail Antonio is back for the Hammers.

The Hammers got away with one against Kidderminster in the FA Cup on Saturday. but they still won despite playing badly. I'd expect a big improvement from them here.

Lawro's prediction: 2-0

James's prediction: The Hammers have stuttered a bit recently but I don't see Watford keeping them out. 3-1

Burnley v Man Utd (20:00 GMT)

I thought we'd see a different Manchester United under Ralf Rangnick, and I thought they would press more - but it has not really happened.

He has had some decent results but they have not strung together a good performance under him for 90 minutes so far - with Friday's FA Cup defeat by Middlesbrough the latest example - so you are left thinking what on earth is the problem for them.

United are still fourth, despite all their problems this season, but they will have to improve if they are going to stay there.

If they are going to find some consistency, their players have to play their part too. At the moment, it seems as if there is no-one in the dressing room to rally them when they need it.

Having said all that, United should still beat Burnley - who are bottom of the table with only one win all season. If they don't, it will probably be for the reasons we have seen already.

Lawro's prediction: 0-2

James's prediction: This has got 1-0 to United written all over it. They are the kings of binary scores at the moment and, unfortunately for us, I think that is what is going to nick them fourth place - they will absolutely grind it out. 0-1

WEDNESDAY

Man City v Brentford

Brentford have lost their mojo, suffering five defeats in a row in all competitions and conceding an average of more than three goals a game in that time.

That's not the kind of form you want to be in heading to Etihad Stadium, especially with Manchester City playing so well.

The Bees gave City a good game on their own patch over Christmas and only lost 1-0. This one probably won't be as close.

Lawro's prediction: 4-1

James's prediction: Brentford seem to do better against the bigger teams. City will still win, but I can see it being high-scoring. 3-2

Norwich v Crystal Palace

Norwich have not just improved, they have started winning games - which must be a real boost after their results earlier in the season.

Counting the FA Cup, the Canaries have won four of their past five, when they had only managed three victories in their previous 21 matches.

Crystal Palace are ticking along quite nicely in mid-table but I actually fancy Norwich to win again. They are creating chances, are full of confidence and Dean Smith is showing everyone what a good manager he is.

Lawro's prediction: 2-1

James's prediction: Vieira is doing a great job at Palace. I can't help but feel this might be a bit of an audition for him becoming Arsenal manager a bit later down the line. 1-2

Tottenham v Southampton

I don't know how Tottenham's new signings, Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur are going to fit into Antonio Conte's side, but the most important thing for Spurs is to see Harry Kane scoring again.

Kane back on the goal trail is a headline we've been waiting a long time to see, because it doesn't feel like he has been fully fit or at his best for much of this season.

We know Southampton are hard to beat, and they took a point off Spurs with 10 men at St Mary's Stadium at the end of last year, but if Kane is firing then Tottenham will be too.

Lawro's prediction: 2-0

James's prediction: Spurs have made some handy signings in January, which is annoying, and they have got rid of some of their dead wood too. But I've watched Southampton a few times this season, and Armando Broja is a real handful up front, so I am backing Saints here. 0-2

Aston Villa v Leeds (20:00)

Leeds are still missing Patrick Bamford and I don't think they will really get going until he returns, hopefully by the end of this month.

Aston Villa, in contrast, are flying at the moment. Even when they've lost under Steven Gerrard, they have played well and they are looking up the table while Leeds are still glancing over their shoulder.

Lawro's prediction: 2-1

James's prediction: Leeds are getting back to where they were last season but Villa have been so good under Steven Gerrard. 2-0

THURSDAY

Liverpool v Leicester

Leicester were abject against Nottingham Forest, and the last thing they probably need now is a trip to Anfield. It's hard to be positive about them at the moment.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp should have Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah back from African Cup of Nations by Thursday and at least one of them should start this game.

Leicester beat Liverpool after Christmas but they had a fit and firing Jamie Vardy then. Without him, and with the way the Foxes are defending right now, I don't see a repeat of that result.

Lawro's prediction: 3-0

James's prediction: Leicester will score but it is hard not to back Liverpool here. 3-1

Wolves v Arsenal

Arsenal had an awful January, failing to win in the league and tumbling out of both domestic cups.

Wolves went out of the FA Cup last weekend, to Norwich, but their Premier League form has been very impressive since the turn of the year.

Bruno Lage's side are very good defensively and that means they can put in a pretty average performance going forward but still have a chance of winning games because they are so solid.

They have conceded only 16 in 21 league games so far and I don't think Arsenal will break them down either.

Lawro's prediction: 2-0

James's prediction: This is very tough because in a very low-key way under Bruno Lage, Wolves have been storming up the table. They are solid as hell, but I have got to back us to win, obviously... and I am also predicting a Granit Xhaka red card. 1-2

James on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leaving Arsenal in January: It stings a little bit at the moment and I feel like that whole situation has been so badly handled. Mikel Arteta is a great coach and you can see he has a really good football mind, but I think his man-management is poor.

There is probably long-term benefit of getting Aubameyang off the wage bill, but, it's such a shame that he has left because when I think of the recent joy and success we have had, he has been completely at the heart of it. So for him to go in the manner that he went is just quite disappointing for everyone involved.

It's been a disappointing start to 2022 all round, to see us go out of both cups, but I still think Arteta is the right man to take us forward. I've been to Emirates a lot this season, pretty much every home game, and you can feel the mood is really positive, plus its the loudest I've ever heard it.

From my perspective, this is the most exciting team we've had for years and we are heading in the right direction - we just have to remember there will be a few blips along the way.

Lawro and James were speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.

How did Lawro do last time?

In the last set of games before the international break, played on 21-23 January, Lawro got four correct results from 10 matches, with no exact score, for a total of 40.

He was beaten by singer-songwriter Call Me Loop, who got five correct results and one exact score, giving her a total of 80 points.

Last weekend also saw Burnley's rearranged game with Watford, which was meant to have taken place on 15 December.

Lawro picked up 10 points after going for a 1-1 draw. His guest from week 17, Sea Power guitarist Martin Noble went for a 1-0 Watford win, meaning Lawro is confirmed as that week's winner, by 60-40.

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