Spurs Vs Manchester United
Tottenham Hotspur picked up an important 2-1 win away at Leicester on Boxing Day. That victory saw Spurs move onto 30 points and level on points with Arsenal in 7th place in the Premier League table. The North London side have now won three Premiership games on the bounce by a 2-1 scoreline. Manchester United were also victorious on Friday after seeing off Newcastle 3-1 at Old Trafford. United’s forward play was very impressive at times and Spurs will have a tough time keeping the Red Devils away from the goal of Hugo Lloris. Harry Kane has scored in three consecutive games and United will need to keep close tabs on the Tottenham forward.
Prediction 2-2
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Southampton Vs Chelsea
Southampton welcome Chelsea to the South Coast hoping to inflict a second Premier League defeat on the early Premiership leaders. Southampton picked up an impressive 3-1 win from their Boxing Day visit to Crystal Palace. The Saints have put a run of defeats behind them to pick up two wins from two matches and retake their place in the Top 4. Chelsea played some tremendous football on the way to a routine 2-0 win over West Ham at Stamford Bridge. Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa were causing all sorts of problems for The Hammers and will provide a stern test for the Southampton rearguard. Away win at St Marys.
Prediction 1-2
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Aston Villa Vs Sunderland
Aston Villa were defeated 1-0 on Boxing Day courtesy of a Sigurdsson freekick for Swansea. The Villains have gone three matches without defeat at Villa Park and will hope to extend that run when Sunderland make the trip to The Midlands on Sunday. The Black Cats were also on the wrong end of the scoreline on Boxing Day losing 3-1 to Hull at The Stadium of Light. Gus Poyet’s side seem to perform better on the road and have not been beaten on the road in any of their previous four Premier League outings. Agbonlahor remains suspended following his red card against Manchester United. Bore draw at Villa Park.
Prediction 0-0
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hull Vs Leicester City
Hull City fans enjoyed their trip to Sunderland on Boxing Day as their side picked up three points courtesy of a 3-1 victory in the North East. That result leaves Hull 17th in the Premier League and outside of the Relegation Zone heading into their Gameweek 19 clash with Leicester City. The Foxes seemed to be heading for a point against Spurs before Eriksen sealed all 3 points for Tottenham Hotspur. Nigel Pearson’s side are in deep trouble with only 10 points accumulated from 18 games. It is games against follow strugglers where Leicester need to pick up points. Both sides have been in poor form but I am backing Hull to pick up a crucial win at The KC Stadium.
Prediction 1-0
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Manchester City Vs Burnley
Manchester City are getting on just fine without the injured Sergio Aguero. Manuel Pelligrini’s side made light work of their Boxing Day trip to West Brom and took an early lead they never looked in danger of losing. Yaya Toure and David Silva have hit form at the perfect time for City bagging five goals in their last two Premier League outings to compensate for the lack of attacking options available. Burnley were defeated by a 1-0 scoreline against Liverpool on Boxing Day. The Clarets have lost three of their last four matches on the road and away trips don’t get much more difficult than The Etihad. Comfortable home win expected.
Prediction 3-0
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
QPR Vs Crystal Palace
Queens Park Rangers gave Arsenal a late scare despite being 2-0 down at The Emirates on Boxing Day. Following the dismissal of Giroud, Rangers pushed hard and got a goal back but could not find an equaliser against Arsene Wenger’s side. QPR have been very good at home lately winning four of their last five Premier League matches on home soil. Charlie Austin is in great form and will pose a great threat to Crystal Palace. The Eagles were well beaten in Gameweek 18 and will need to up their game if they are to avoid a third consecutive defeat in the Premier League. Palace are short of options upfront and will hope Frazier Campbell is able to feature. Home win at Loftus Road.
Prediction 2-0
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Stoke Vs West Brom
Stoke picked up a very impressive 1-0 win at Everton where they were considered underdogs by most pundits. The Potters sit 11th in the Premier League heading into Gameweek 19 and will hope to pick up a victory over West Brom which could see them move gain ground on Newcastle and Liverpool above them in the standings. West Brom were defeated by two early Manchester City goals and never looked like clawing back that early deficit. The Baggies sit 2 points clear of the Relegation Zone and could get sucked into the dogfight beneath them with two tricky away fixtures on the horizon. Home win expected at The Britannia.
Prediction 1-0
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
West Ham Vs Arsenal
West Ham United were outclassed by a Chelsea side who will be challenging for the Premier League title in May. The Hammers almost caused a late scare hitting the woodwork when 2-0 down at Stamford Bridge. Big Sam’s side return to Upton Park hoping to make it four consecutive Premier League wins in a row when Arsenal make the short journey to East London. The Gunners visit on the back of a hard fought 2-1 win over QPR in Gameweek 18. Giroud will sit this match out through suspension leaving Arsene Wenger with a selection headache ahead of this clash. Arsenal have picked up just a single win from their last four Premier League matches on the road. West Ham to secure a narrow victory at Upton Park.
Prediction 2-1
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Newcastle Vs Everton
Newcastle United could not live with Manchester United for much of their match on Boxing Day. The Magpies had no answer to the attacking threat of Rooney, Van Persie and Falcao and ended up losing 3-1 at Old Trafford. Home form had been very solid for Alan Pardew’s side with four consecutive wins before the 1-0 derby defeat against Sunderland in Gameweek 17. Everton make the trip to the North East following their surprising defeat to Stoke on Boxing Day. The Toffees have been very inconsistent this Season and have struggled to put together a string of positive results. Everton have just a single win from their last six matches both home and away and would probably be happy with a point from this match. All square at St James’ Park.
Prediction 1-1
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Liverpool Vs Swansea
Liverpool picked up a good win in Gameweek 18 when a single Raheem Sterling goal was enough to bag three points at Burnley. The Reds now have an opportunity to string some wins together with two home fixtures against Swansea and Leicester. The Swans visit Merseyside buoyed by their 1-0 win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day. Sigurdsson was once again the goal scorer and Brendan Rodgers will need to prepare his side for the threat the Swansea man poses. Mignolet may return in goal for Liverpool while Daniel Sturridge remains sidelined through injury. Anfield has not seen a home win in the Premier League since November and the home fans will be hoping that six points from the next two fixtures can propel their side into the Top 4 discussion. Home win expected.
Prediction 2-1
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
