EPL Week 34 Predictions – Weekend Premier League Tips

John Newsome Football Betting Tips - everytip

Game-week 34 kicks-off with Newcastle’s trip to the King Power Stadium, where they face a bang-in-form Leicester City that are scoring goals for fun. The visitors looked poor, when beaten at home by Crystal Palace on Saturday. Does John Newsome believe the Foxes will be causing bloodshed, in Rafa Benitez’s henhouse? You can view all previous analysis from John’s regular column here: English Premier League Predictions For Saturday

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John Newsome has been shortlisted for Best Gambling Content Creator at the 2019 Football Blogging Awards. The FBAs nominations stage saw over 144,000 nominations with over 2,000 different blogs, podcasts, YouTubers, influencers and vloggers nominated. The shortlist has now been whittled down to 15 potential winners and now it’s down to the opinions of fans and judges. You can vote for John on the website, via Twitter, or Instagram.

LEICESTER v NEWCASTLE
Friday Night Football live on Sky Sports. Leicester come into this game off the back of their 4th victory in a row. Goals from Youri Tielemans, James Maddison and a couple from Sheffield Superstar Jamie Vardy gave the Foxes a comfortable 4-1 victory against bottom of the Premier League table Huddersfield on Saturday to take them temporarily into 7th position due to Watford and Wolves not playing in the league after facing each other in the FA Cup Semi-Final.

7th is the highest possible position Leicester, Watford or Wolves can finish so Brendan Rodgers will go all out to try and keep that League position and depending on the winners of the Premier League or the FA Cup, a 7th position could result in a Europa League entry. Things are eventually calming down up in Scotland since Brendan decided to leave Celtic and return to the Premier League with Leicester.

Don’t be surprised if the Foxes are competing in a number of competitions next season with Brendan at the helm and whilst it’s inconceivable to think Leicester can win the Premier League again, they can push for a Top 6 finish, depending on recruitment. A nice little player who Brendan should think about resigning is Danny Drinkwater. Danny was a pivotal part of Leicester’s Title winning season but left, understandably for the bright lights of London and joined Chelsea.

Unfortunately, that move has not really turned out well for Danny but he has earned a lot of Dollar and a return to the King Power would be a good move for all parties concerned. Danny was a youngster at Manchester United and during his time at Old Trafford was sent out on loan to Oakwell and played for Barnsley FC in the Championship back in the 2011/2012 season. Whilst in Barnsley, Danny and the mighty Reds took on Leicester in January 2012, who were a mid-table Championship team at the time, at the King Power and Danny tore the Foxes to shreds in an emphatic display of footballing prowess.

Making 2-assists for Andy Gray (not the legendary Sky Sports presenter, but son of equally legendary footballer, Frank Gray, who played for Leeds United back in the ‘70s along with Andy’s uncle and Frank’s brother Eddie Gray who was voted the 3rd-best ever Leeds United player of all time behind Billy Bremner and John Charles) to give the Reds a brilliant 2-1 victory. Nigel Pearson, who was the Foxes manager at the time, thought to himself “hang on, Danny can do a job for us and we have more dollar than Barnsley FC” so offered Manchester United and Danny a great deal and Danny left Oakwell 8 days after his sublime performance against Leicester and joined the Foxes on a full-time contract.

The Reds faithful were gutted but understood Danny’s career move and wished him well and he will always be welcomed in Barnsley. A couple of years later, Danny is a Premier League Champion. Brendan wouldn’t go far wrong in giving Danny a call and just asking him if he was up for a return to the King Power. Newcastle lost 1-0 at St James Park on Saturday against Crystal Palace. The loss may just start to put doubts in the Toon Army who’s team are technically not out of the Wood just yet. Having accrued 35-points up to now a victory against Palace would surely have made them safe, however, with Cardiff, who are in the final relegation position, not playing, Newcastle are only 7-points above the Bluebird’s, have played a game more and including this game against Leicester, have some tough fixtures ahead.

One fixture to mention is a home game against Liverpool which brings back memories of a great game back in April 1996 ( think about that ?? 23 years ago!! Amazing) albeit at Anfield, Newcastle were going for the Premier League title under Kevin Keegan. Liverpool famously beat Newcastle 4-3 which is up there with one of the greatest games ever and started the meltdown of Kevin, whose Newcastle side were 12-points ahead of Manchester United in January of that season and lost the title to Sir Alex Ferguson. He tried a bit to change into something that he’s not, but trying to mould with dynamite, is like giving Lions spots.

This reverse fixture back at the end of September at St James Park finished 2-0 in favour of the Foxes. Sheffield boys Jamie Vardy and Harry Maguire were made in steel that day and got the Leicester goals to give Claud Puel’s boys all 3-points.

Bet 365 offer Leicester at slight Odds On 5/7, the Draw at 5/2 and 4/1 for Newcastle to come away with all 3 points.

Bet 365 offer 13/8 that Leicester Score in Both Halves and 5/2 that Jamie Vardy Scores First.
Home Win 2-0

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TOTTENHAM v HUDDERSFIELD
Early Saturday Afternoon Football live on Sky Sports. Title contenders Tottenham are no longer title contenders but did get back to winning ways at their new home which is Provisionally called the ‘Chas and Dave Home of Football’. Crystal Palace were the inaugural team that were the inevitable lamb to Daniel Levy’s slaughter. Tottenham got a nervous victory against the Eagles beating them 2-0 with goals from Son Heung-Min and Christian Eriksen. Son being the first player to score in a competitive game at the New Stadium. That’s always a question, isn’t it? Who was the first player to score at Tottenham’s new stadium? Well now everybody knows the answer. Nice one Son!

That was Tottenham’s 1st win in 6 Premier League games and keeps Mauricio Pochettino’s Lillywhites in 3rd-place in the Premier League, on 64-points, a point above arch North London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea who are on the same 63-points as arch North London rivals Arsenal. Manchester United are 3-points back in 6th-place on 61-points so all to play for at the top of the table. Tottenham take on Man City in the Champions League midweek so team selection is key but to be fair Mauricio could pick a team of Taxi Drivers (no disrespect to Taxi Drivers) or Bus Drivers (no disrespect to Bus Drivers) or swimmers (no disrespect to swi.. ) you get the drift. Mauricio could pick anyone to comfortably beat Huddersfield who are destined for a life in the Championship and visiting Oakwell.

Huddersfield are rubbish. Harsh but fair, even their faithful think they are rubbish but after 2 seasons in the Promised Land, they are rock bottom of the Premier League and are heading back to the Championship. Their recent outing resulted in a 4-1 defeat against Leicester. Aaron Mooy got the Terriers solitary consolation in the defeat at home to the Foxes and maybe Double A Ron is currently playing his final games for Huddersfield as surely some Premier League team will snap the Australian up after the season expires. This reverse fixture back in late September up in West Yorkshire finished in an emphatic victory for Spurs with Harry Kane getting both goals in a 2-0 victory.

Bet 365 offer Tottenham at massive Odds On 1/8, the Draw at 7/1 and 18/1 for Huddersfield to come away with all 3 points.

Bet 365 offer Evens 1/1 that there are Over 3.5 Goals and 14/5 that Son Heung-Min Scores First.
Home Win 4-0

BURNLEY v CARDIFF
Burnley got a great victory on Saturday away at Bournemouth comfortably beating the Cherries 3-1. Chris Wood, Ashley Westwood and Ashley Barnes got the Clarets goals, Ashley Barnes getting his 2nd of the game, unfortunately for Mr Barnes, his 1st was an own goal. Burnley move on to 36-points which is 8-points more than Cardiff who are in the final relegation position so a win for Sean Dyche’s boys would go along way in confirming their Premier League status for another season.

Cardiff come into this game after a weekend off following their 2-0 loss against Man City the previous midweek. Cardiff are 5-points from safety and this really is a must win game for Neil Warnock as a defeat would effectively seal their relegation.

Whilst mathematically Cardiff can still get out of trouble, a loss would make their task extremely difficult with only 5 games left, including one against Liverpool and their final game away at Old Trafford. After an emotional season for Cardiff with the loss of Emiliano Salah, it would be fitting that Cardiff could avoid relegation, however, sentiment goes out of the window when a place in the Premier League is up for grabs.

This reverse fixture back in late September at the Cardiff City Stadium finished 2-1 in favour of Burnley. After a goalless 1st-half, Joey Gudmundsson put Burnley in front just after the break. Josh Murphy equalised for Cardiff before Sam Vokes got the winner for the Clarets.

Bet 365 offer Burnley at slight Odds On 10/11, the Draw at 23/10 and 3/1 for Cardiff to come away with all 3 points.

Bet 365 offer 9/2 Chris Wood Scores First and 2/1 that Burnley Win to Nil.
Home Win 3-0

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BRIGHTON v BOURNEMOUTH
Brighton take on Bournemouth a week on from losing their Semi-Final of the FA Cup against Man City. The loss in the Cup might now focus their minds on their League position which is perilously close to the relegation zone. The Seagulls are 5-points ahead of Cardiff who lie in the final relegation place but do have a game in hand and a victory against struggling Bournemouth will probably make Chris Hughton’s men safe, especially if Cardiff don’t get a win in their match against Burnley.

Bournemouth are on a woeful run with just 5-points accrued from a possible 27 available. The latest loss was a 3-1 home defeat against Burnley on Saturday which saw the Cherries faithful vent their frustration against the players, especially as the Bournemouth players didn’t even score their goal. Eddie Howe has credit in the bank, but like most people in these tough times, the credit will run out if Bournemouth don’t improve. On 38-points, Bournemouth should be safe and maybe the players are metaphorically on the beach already but that won’t appease the fans and Eddie needs to try and inject some new life into the place as the season peters out.

This reverse fixture was played 3 days before Christmas Day at the Vitality and finished 2-0 in favour of Bournemouth. David Brooks got both goals for the Cherries giving them an early Christmas 3-point present.

Bet 365 offer Brighton at 13/10, the Draw at 11/5 and 21/10 for Bournemouth to come away with all 3 points.

Bet 365 offer 11/2 that the Scoreline is 1-1 and Slight Odds On 4/5 that there are Under 2.5 Goals.
Draw 1-1

SOUTHAMPTON v WOLVES
Southampton took the lead on Friday Night Football against Premier League Title-chasing Liverpool. Unfortunately, Shane Long’s goal was ultimately only a consolation after Liverpool took control and after conceding a goal right on half-time, the Saints ran out of steam after the break and lost the game 3-1. That leaves Wreck-It Ralph’s men 5-points above the drop zone with all to play for. Like all teams threatened with relegation, the final 5 or 6 games in the run-in are all Cup Finals with every point vital in the quest for survival.
Wolves failed in their quest to get to the FA Cup Final on Sunday and what will have disappointed the Gold and Black faithful was their team were leading 2-0 going into the late stages of the 2nd-half.

Prior to the FA Cup loss, Wolves played and beat Manchester United 2-1 in the league after beating Manchester United 2-1 in the FA Cup. Wolves have taken on Manchester United 3- times this season and haven’t lost, drawing the first fixture and winning the latter 2.

Wolves will have to dig deep and get the FA Cup defeat out of their system especially regarding the manner of the defeat. Wolves are in a cluster of 4 teams with just a point separating them, vying for 7th-position in the table and the possibility of a Europa League entry.

This reverse fixture back in late September at Molineux finished in a 2-0 victory for Wolves. Ivan Cavaleiro and Jonny were the Gold and Black goal scorers giving Nuno’s men all 3-points.

Bet 365 offer Southampton at 3/2, the Draw at 21/10 and 19/10 for Wolves to come away with all 3 points.

Bet 365 offer 10/3 that Southampton Score in Both Halves and 8/1 for Wolves to Score a Penalty.
Home Win 3-2

FULHAM v EVERTON
After having the relegation from the Premier League confirmed with the 4-1 defeat against Watford, Fulham were given the weekend off to lick their wounds and get ready for this visit from the Toffees. Red Head Ryan Babel got a consolation goal in the game at Vicarage Rd and is head and shoulders above most of his Fulham teammates so maybe won’t be seen in the Championship as he wouldn’t look out of place in a number of the Premier League teams, not least today’s visitors.

Everton are on a nice run of Cockney form, winning their last 3-games against Londoners Chelsea, West Ham and most recently Arsenal. The Swingometer is soaring in favour of Marco Silva. The unlikely scorer in the 1-0 victory against the Gunners was old stager Phil Jagielka. Phil has had a stellar career which has seen him play under Neil Warnock at Bramall Lane, for a couple of England managers and a few Toffee bosses in his stint at Goodison Park. Phil has even made a couple of appearances in goals and not done too bad. A game springs to mind in 2006 whilst Phil was playing for Sheffield United against Arsenal.

The Blades ‘keeper Paddy Kenny was injured in the 2nd-half and as was common back then for Neil Warnock, he never named a goalkeeper as a substitute knowing Phil was a more than adequate replacement. With Sheffield United leading the Gunners 1-0, Phil shut out Arsenal for the remaining 34-minutes even making a superb late save from a Robin Van Persie strike to hold on for a great 1-0 victory. Phil is in the twilight of his career and maybe this is his final season at Goodison Park but his goal against the Gunners on Sunday and his goalkeeping prowess against the Gunners in 2006 will be part of his fond memories when he’s telling his Grandkids. Respect Phil Jagielka.

This reverse fixture back in late September at Goodison Park finished with an easy 3-0 victory for the Toffees. Cenk Tosun scored a goal sandwiched in between 2 Gylfi Sigurdsson strikes. What will have irked Gylfi was the Icelandic midfielder missed a penalty before he scored his first goal.

Bet 365 offer Fulham at 10/3, the Draw at 5/2 and Odds On 5/6 for Everton to come away with all 3 points.

Bet 365 offer 11/5 that Everton Win to Nil and 4/1 that Gylfi Sigurdsson Scores First.
Away Win 0-2

MANCHESTER UNITED v WEST HAM
Late Saturday Afternoon Football live on BT Sports. Manchester United will look on Google Maps and see if they can find a different route to Molineux next season because the route taken by Ole at the Wheel, the last twice, has resulted in two 2-1 defeats and the Gold and Blacks have definitely got the wood over United. Last time out at Molineux, Scott McTominay did put United in front with a 1st-half strike put United conceded soon after and then conceded the 2nd after the break to inflict the 2nd-League defeat for Ole after his confirmation at the helm.

It’s great listening to so-called experts who can’t wait for Ole to fail. The jealousy in society is at its worst. “Why give Ole the job now?” “Ole is not experienced enough to take control of Manchester United “ “Anyone could have done what Ole did”. Well firstly, Manchester United are one of, if not, the biggest football Club in the World and have to have stability, Decisions made by David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal and ultimately Dracula Mourinho have put United back 5-years.

Ole and his team, not least Mike Phelan, who by the way, David Moyes had and discarded, have given United the first stage of that stability needed by such an institution as Manchester United. Secondly, United cannot attract the top players if Ole is only paraded as “interim” boss and finally, the players currently on the fringe of the team may just down tools and think that they will wait until Ole has left. Ole is at Old Trafford for the long haul, so the so-called experts will have to get used to it. Ole is at the wheel. A victory against West Ham will put United temporarily above Arsenal and only 2-points behind Chelsea in 3rd who have played a game more and have the difficult task of visiting Anfield this weekend.

West Ham, like a Bubble, are floating aimlessly around in the final few weeks of this season with 4 defeats from the previous 6-games. The latest being a 2-0 defeat against Chelsea. Eden Hazard destroyed the Hammers who found out this week that Andy Carroll needs surgery on his ankle and won’t play again this season. Andy is out of contract at the end of the season so in effect, may have already played his last game for the Bubbles. Manuel Pellegrini’s men are safe in mid-table on 42-points but the faithful will want more from their Irons and with the money that West Ham have spent, should be doing better.

This reverse fixture back in late September at the London Stadium finished in a resounding 3-1 victory for the Bubbles against Dracula Jose’s Pink Devils. Felipe Anderson and a Victor Lindelof own goal gave West Ham a 2-0 lead at half-time. Marcus Rashford pulled a goal back for United after the break before Marco Arnautovic made the game safe for the Hammers.

Bet 365 offer United at Odds On 2/5, the Draw at 15/4 and 6/1 for West Ham to come away with all 3 points.

Bet 365 offer a Scorecast of 33/1 that Paul Pogba Scores First and the Scoreline is 3-0 and 6/4 that Manchester United Win to Nil.
Home Win 3-0

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CRYSTAL PALACE v MAN CITY
Early Sunday Afternoon Football live on Sky Sports. Crystal Palace entertain Pep’s High Flying City and will temporarily make the Red half of the Scousers Eagles instead of Liver Birds for the day. After a defeat at the New Tottenham Stadium last Wednesday, Crystal Palace got back to winning ways away at St James Park at the weekend.

In the NFL over in the States, the American Football Coaches have “PlayBooks” showing the numerous plays the coaches can implement. Roy Hodgson must have a one paged “PlayBook” which shows- 1. Give the Ball to Wilfried Zaha. 2. Wilfried goes into the Penalty Area and wins a Penalty. 3. Luka Milivojevic Scores said Penalty. That’s basically what Roy must tell his players knowing Wilfried can win a penalty and knowing Luka will score the penalty. In Eagles fixture at St James Park, that is what transpired giving Palace a great away victory and putting Roys men on 39-points which surely makes them safe. The Eagles, however, won’t fear City as they are one of the 4 teams who have beaten City in the Premier League this season and Roy will set them up tactically enough for at least a draw.

Man City continue their quest to win back-to-back Premier League Titles with a workmanlike performance against Cardiff at the Etihad last time out. At the weekend City played in the Semi-Final of the FA Cup and beat Brighton to progress to the final in that particular competition and keep alive their pursuit of winning 4 competitions. Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane got the City goals in the 2-0 victory against Cardiff. That’s 9 out of 10 victories in the Premier League to keep on the coattails of Liverpool who jumped back above the Citizens but have played a game more than Man City.

In reality, if both City and Liverpool Win each of their remaining games, City will be crowned Premier League Champions, however, there are some tough games ahead, none more so than Chelsea’s visit to Anfield which kicks off minutes after this game at Selhurst Park.

This reverse fixture back in December played at the Etihad 3 days before Christmas, gave the Crystal Palace faithful a wonderful start to the festive period. Despite taking the lead against Crystal Palace through Ilkay Gundogan, City found themselves 3-1 down after 50 minutes. Jeffrey Schlupp, Andros Townsend and a Luka Milivojevic penalty got the all-important goals for Palace. Andros Townsend got a contender for Goal of the Season. He hit a superb left-foot volley which gained speed and flew into the back of the City net giving Ederson no chance. Kevin De Bruyne was introduced midway through the 2nd-half and got a great goal himself giving the Citizens brief hope of a comeback, however, Palace held on for a memorable win.

Bet 365 offer Crystal Palace at 17/2, the Draw at 9/2 and Odds On 3/10 for City to come away with all 3 points.

Bet 365 offer 10/1 for a 1-1 Scoreline and 11/8 that there are Under 2.5 Goals.
Draw 1-1

LIVERPOOL v CHELSEA
Late Sunday Afternoon Football live on Sky Sports. Liverpool came from behind on Friday Night Football to beat a resilient Southampton side 3-1. After going behind at St Mary’s, Joel Matip made the scores level at the break to set up a great 2nd-half for the Reds. Mo Salah got back to scoring ways with a superb individual 2nd-goal and Jordan Henderson rounded off the scoring to give Liverpool all 3-points to maintain there quest for their 1st Premier League title.

Jurgen’s boys sit 2-points ahead of City but have played a game more and will be hoping Crystal Palace can do them a favour and get a positive result of either a draw or a win in their game against City at Selhurst Park immediately prior to this game at Anfield against a very good Chelsea team.

Chelsea comfortably beat West Ham on Monday Night Football with 2 sublime goals from Eden Hazard. Once again Sarri-Ball chose to start Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi. In the 2 games both the English youngsters have started recently, Chelsea have looked a better team and have moved up to 3rd in the Premier League Table, albeit having played a game more than Tottenham. Arsenal and Manchester United. It looks as if there will be 2 from 4 that makes the Champions League and this game against Liverpool will be pivotal to Chelsea’s final League position.

Maurizio Sarri does have the safety net of the Europa League to fall back on if a Top 4 finish alludes them. This reverse fixture back in late September at Stamford Bridge finished in a 1-1 stalemate. Eden Hazard gave Chelsea a 1st-half lead until Jurgen Klopp made an inspired substitution bringing Daniel Sturridge on in the 86th-minute. Within 3-minutes, Daniel scored a superb equaliser giving Liverpool a share of the points.

Bet 365 offer Liverpool at Odds On 3/5, the Draw at 3/1 and 4/1 for Chelsea to come away with all 3 points.

Bet 365 offer 4/1 that Mo Salah Scores First and 12/5 Eden Hazard Scores Anytime.
Home Win 3-1

WATFORD v ARSENAL
Monday Night Football live on Sky Sports. Watford comfortably beat a very poor Fulham side before reaching the Final of the FA Cup after a great Semi-Final against Wolves where the Hornets were losing 2-0 before winning 3-2 after extra-time. In the Premier League game against Fulham, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Will Hughes, Troy Deeney and Kiko got the goals in a professional performance considering what was at stake a couple of days later at Wembley. Watford are in that cluster of 4 that are vying for 7th-place and will continue down that route for the possible goal of a Europa League entry but now have a 2nd way of gaining entrance into that competition by reaching the FA Cup final.

Arsenal drop to 5th in the Premier League after a 1-0 defeat away at Everton. The Gunners are excellent at the Emirates but are woeful on the road and that may just be their Achilles heel as they play 4 of their remaining 6 games away from their fortress. With this being the Monday Night game, depending on results attained by Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United, Arsenal could sit 6th in the Premier League Table and this wouldn’t be the ideal fixture Unai Emery would want to chase his rivals. Like Chelsea, Arsenal have the safety net of the Europa League to gain entry into the Champions League and in theory is it better to finish 5th or 6th and win the Europa League or finish 4th and not win anything.

The decision to let Aaron Ramsey leave the Emirates on a free-Transfer to Juventus is truly bizarre. Whoever decided that was a good football and for that matter, a good business decision isn’t really up with the program at Arsenal. This reverse fixture back in late September at the Emirates finished 2-0 in favour of the Gunners. Arsenal didn’t have it all their own way and had to wait until the 81st-minute when they were given a helping hand through a Craig Cathcart own goal. Mesut Ozil scored the 2nd quickly after giving Arsenal all 3-points.

Bet 365 offer Watford at 23/10, the Draw at 11/4 and Evens 1/1 for Arsenal to come away with all 3 points.

Bet 365 offer 10/1 that Watford Win Both Halves and 6/1 Troy Deeney Scores First.
Home Win 2-1

BRIGHTON v CARDIFF
Brighton entertain Cardiff at the Amex. Depending on results over the weekend, Cardiff could be out of the drop zone with a victory against Brighton or closer to relegation if they lose. The possible scenarios are if Cardiff lose against Burnley and Brighton beat Bournemouth, Cardiff will be 8-points adrift of Brighton coming into this game.

Obviously, the reverse of that scenario would see Cardiff only 2-points behind Brighton heading to the Amex. It is too complex to say where both teams will be before this midweek fixture but what is for sure is Cardiff will have played a game more than Brighton. Both Chris Hughton and Neil Warnock will know this is one of the most important games of the season.

This reverse fixture back at the beginning of November at the Cardiff City Stadium finished 2-1 in favour of the Bluebirds. Lewis Dunk had put Brighton in front early in the 1st-half but Callum Paterson equalised before the break in an entertaining 1st-period which saw Dale Stephens shown a straight Red Card for a challenge on Greg Cunningham. With time running out Big Sol Bamba got the winner for Neil Warnock’s boys.

Bet 365 offer Brighton at Odds On 17/20, the Draw at 12/5 and 10/3 for Cardiff to come away with all 3 points.

Bet 365 offer 6/1 that the Scoreline is 1-1 and 5/1 that Glenn Murray Scores First.

Draw 1-1

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John Newsome has been shortlisted for Best Gambling Content Creator at the 2019 Football Blogging Awards. The FBAs nominations stage saw over 144,000 nominations with over 2,000 different blogs, podcasts, YouTubers, influencers and vloggers nominated. The shortlist has now been whittled down to 15 potential winners and now it’s down to the opinions of fans and judges. You can vote for John on the website, via Twitter, or Instagram.

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