1. Everton – Arsenal
In the early kick-off of the weekend action before the action packed festive period Everton face demoralized Arsenal side at Goodison Park. The Toffees are on the high after the managerial change and Duncan Ferguson has returned the enthusiasm of the Blues. Arsenal on the other hand are losing ground after a heavy defeat at the hands of Man City last weekend. Freddie Ljunberg is only interim manager but his chances of keeping the job are slimmer than his opponent. Mikel Arteta is a former Everton and Arsenal player and soon can become Gunners new manager. Current form suggest us that the home side will edge this encounter out with both teams scoring in the match.
a. Previous 6 meetings
- Everton 1 : 0 Arsenal
- Arsenal 2 : 0 Everton
- Arsenal 5 : 1 Everton
- Everton 2 : 5 Arsenal
- Arsenal 3 : 1 Everton
- Everton 2 : 1 Arsenal
b. Current rankings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Arsenal | 17 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 24 | 27 | -3 | 22 |
L D D L W L |
| 16 | Everton | 17 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 20 | 29 | -9 | 18 |
W L L L W D |
2. Newcastle – Crystal Palace
In a typical mid-table match between Newcastle and Crystal Palace both teams would want to drive themselves further from the relegation table and to establish them in the mid table comfortably. The Magpies were on 3 match unbeaten run before losing to Burnley last weekend while Palace are on a 4-match unbeaten run but failed to score more than 2 goals in the process. Wilfried Zaha is their man in the attack but the Eagles are simply finding it hard to score. Our team predicts low-scoring affair in which the home advantage will play big factor.
a. Previous 6 meetings
- Newcastle United 0 : 1 Crystal Palace
- Crystal Palace 0 : 0 Newcastle United
- Crystal Palace 1 : 1 Newcastle United
- Newcastle United 1 : 0 Crystal Palace
- Newcastle United 1 : 0 Crystal Palace
- Crystal Palace 5 : 1 Newcastle United
b. Current rankings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Crystal Palace | 17 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 19 | -4 | 23 |
L L W W D D |
| 11 | Newcastle United | 17 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 17 | 24 | -7 | 22 |
W L D W W L |
3. Norwich – Wolves
Norwich are facing the in-form Wolves side in a crunch match at Carrow Road. The Canaries have picked a point from their last match against tough opposition like Leicester and now will be looking to build on that performance. Wolves from other side lost to Spurs last weekend in the dying moments so will be spurred for better result. Nuno Espirito Santo and his side maybe a little jaded from the heavy calendar they had since July but they have quality at their disposal. From other side Norwich would need to build on their home performances if they want to stay in the division. Knowing both teams past record, our team thinks that the match will end in a goal thriller with both teams scoring.
a. Previous 6 games
- Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 : 2 Norwich
- Norwich 0 : 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Norwich 3 : 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers1
- Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 : 2 Norwich
- Norwich 2 : 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 : 0 Norwich
b. Current rankings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 17 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 24 | 21 | +3 | 24 |
W W D W D L |
| 19 | Norwich | 17 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 18 | 35 | -17 | 12 |
L W D L L D |
4. Aston Villa – Southampton
Aston Villa face Southampton in a classic 6-point encounter where points will be valuable for both sides and often such match is described as 6-pointer. Aston Villa started the season well but find themselves in a 3-match winless streak so will be looking to get points from fellow strugglers Southampton. The Saints have many problems and after improvement with 2 wins they lost again twice against Newcastle and West Ham. Aston Villa play well in front of their fans, that is why our team considers them to be favorites.
a. Previous 6 meetings
- Aston Villa 2 : 4 Southampton
- Southampton 1 : 1 Aston Villa
- Southampton 2 : 1 Aston Villa
- Southampton 6 : 1 Aston Villa
- Aston Villa 1 : 1 Southampton
- Aston Villa 0 : 0 Southampton
b. Current rankings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Aston Villa | 17 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 23 | 30 | -7 | 15 |
L W D L L L |
| 18 | Southampton | 17 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 18 | 36 | -18 | 15 |
L D W W L L |
5. Bournemouth – Burnley
Bournemouth welcome Burnley in search for a win which could give them chance to climb above their opponents. The South coast club is performing above expectations yet for another season and Eddie Howe is being linked with bigger profile jobs quite rightly so. In the opposing dug out Sean Dyche is also performing miracles with limited resources and the game between the two managers is expected to be interesting. Both teams would not take risks in the match and our team expects minimum chances.
a. Previous 6 Meetings
- Bournemouth 1 : 3 Burnley
- Burnley 4 : 0 Bournemouth
- Burnley 1 : 2 Bournemouth
- Bournemouth 1 : 2 Burnley
- Bournemouth 2 : 1 Burnley
- Burnley 3 : 2 Bournemouth
b. Current rankings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Burnley | 17 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 22 | 29 | -7 | 21 |
W W L L L W |
| 14 | Bournemouth | 17 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 19 | 24 | -5 | 19 |
L L L L L W |
6. Brighton – Sheffield United
Sheffield United continue their remarkable record of not losing away from home and they will be looking to extend the run to another match. Against themselves they will have an in-form Brighton side which haven’t lost in 3 matches in a row. The Seagulls drew with Wolves and Palace and won at Arsenal and certainly are showing signs of improvement in the past weeks. Sheffield United won their previous 2 matches against Aston Villa and Norwich and the Blades are on the up being in the top of the table since beginning of the season. How long can it last – we will see.
a. Previous 6 Meetings
- Sheffield United 3 : 1 Brighton
- Brighton 0 : 1 Sheffield United
- Sheffield United 1 : 2 Brighton
- Brighton 1 : 1 Sheffield United
- Sheffield United 2 : 1 Brighton
- Brighton 2 : 4 Sheffield United
b. Current rankings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Sheffield United | 17 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 21 | 16 | +5 | 25 |
D D D L W W |
| 13 | Brighton | 17 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 21 | 25 | -4 | 20 |
L L L W W D |
7. Man City – Leicester
In the late kick-off of the weekend matches Man City entertain Leicester in match where Liverpool would want both teams to lose points. City and the Foxes are the only genuine title contenders although both are well behind the Reds. Man City suffered derby day defeat at the hands of Liverpool and Man United and Pep Guardiola would require from his side to win against the strong Foxes side. Brendan Rogers’ men are the good news of the season and if they continue picking up points it will not be a surprise if they find themselves in the UEFA Champions League next season.
a. Previous 6 Meetings
- Manchester City 1 : 0 Leicester
- Leicester 2 : 1 Manchester City
- Leicester 2 : 1 Manchester City
- Leicester 1 : 1 Manchester City
- Manchester City 5 : 1 Leicester
- Leicester 1 : 1* Manchester City (after penalties)
- Leicester 0 : 2 Manchester City
b. Current rankings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Leicester | 17 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 40 | 11 | +29 | 39 |
W W W W W D |
| 3 | Manchester City | 17 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 47 | 19 | +28 | 35 |
L W D W L W |
8. Watford – Man United
Manchester United need a win against the struggling Watford side in a match which we will see home debut of Watford new manager Nigel Pearson. The Red Devils missed the chance to win against Everton last weekend so they will need to win in the festive packed run so they need to be close to the European places and Top 4. Realistically this must be the aim for this season and it remains to be seen whether United will go and buy new players in January in order to bolster their squad. Watford from other hand find themselves in a difficult situation and are rock bottom so they need to win matches in order to be in a position to fight for survival. Home form would be crucial, so a must win for both sides. With so much to play for, our team expects not so many chances.
a. Previous 6 Meetings
- Manchester United 2 : 1 Watford
- Watford 1 : 2 Manchester United
- Manchester United 1 : 0 Watford
- Watford 2 : 4 Manchester United
- Manchester United 2 : 0 Watford
- Watford 3 : 1 Manchester United
b. Current rankings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Manchester United | 17 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 26 | 20 | +6 | 25 |
W D D W W D |
| 20 | Watford | 17 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 32 | -23 | 9 |
W L L L D L |
9. Tottenham – Chelsea
In the derby match of the weekend we will see Jose Mourinho coming against one of his former teams. The Portuguese arrived in England and made name in Chelsea with superstars like Frank Lampard, John Terry and Didier Drogba and now in the opposing dug out he will face one of his old favorites. Frank Lampard is having a tough first season at helm at Chelsea and the Blues certainly would feel that they should have won more points since the start of the season. In a game where bragging rights, points and momentum is at stake, our team thinks this will become a classic with many goals.
a. Previous 6 Meetings
- Chelsea 2 : 0 Tottenham
- Chelsea 2 : 1 Tottenham
- Tottenham 0 : 0 Chelsea
- Tottenham 3 : 1 Chelsea
- Chelsea 1 : 3 Tottenham
- Tottenham 1 : 2 Chelsea
b. Current rankings
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Chelsea | 17 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 31 | 25 | +6 | 29 |
W L L W L L |
| 5 | Tottenham | 17 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 32 | 24 | +8 | 26 |
D W W L W W |
