SATURDAY:
BURNLEY V EVERTON
Burnley have a decent record in this fixture with only two defeats in six meetings against Everton in the Premier League. Last week was a free hit for them as it was against City and they got beaten heavily which always seems to happen whenever they play them. Now is the time to get some more points on the board as its the busiest part of the season and they're 19th in the table meaning that they need to win some games. They have tough games coming up and Sean Dyche will want some wins from those games so they can move out of the bottom three and push further up the table.
Everton's season appears to have stalled after their defeat to Leeds last weekend leaving them 8th in the table after a very impressive start. Lucas Digne is still out and will be for some time due to the injury he picked up in training before the Leeds game. He was a miss against Leeds and will be for the next few months because of how important he is to this Everton side. He offers them creativity from wide areas which was shown against Fulham a couple of weeks ago and the Toffees don't have anyone like him in their squad. They'll have the likes of Richarlison, Rodriguez and Calvert Lewin available to them but they're better when Lucas Digne is in the team.
I think this one will be a draw because Burnley can be difficult to beat at home and the way they set up defensively could make it tough for Everton to break them down. They're very strong at the back and with Lucas Digne missing for Everton, the toffees will lack the creativity from wide areas.
PREDICTION: 1-1
MAN CITY V FULHAM
City looked like their old selves against Burnley last weekend and they'll want to play like that in this one so they can push themselves up the table. Riyad Mahrez scored a hat trick in that one and will be hoping for another start because of how good he was on that day. City had a lot of chances in mid-week against Porto but didn't take them because of the amount of times they were denied by Porto's keeper to keep the score down. Scoring goals has been a problem for City for most of this season and it came back to bite them in mid-week with the amount of chances they didn't take. Sergio Aguero is still out for them, but they do have Gabriel Jesus who is capable of stepping up for them in the Argentine's absence. He started on the bench against Porto and will probably start in this one because of starting on the bench in mid-week and City have struggled without a recognised striker in their team which has had a huge impact on their season.
Fulham got a big result on Monday night as they beat Leicester and they played well too. They started the game at a good intensity and were well organised and disciplined throughout as they held on for the win. They needed that win especially with the games they have coming up with Liverpool, Spurs and Southampton before the end of the month as well as some winnable ones against Newcastle and Brighton. December is a key month for Fulham and the amount of points they have by the end of the month could determine where they finish come the end of the season.
I think this one will be a City win because I can see them playing like they did against Burnley last week and I think it will be too much for Fulham. The Cottagers can look feeble at the back and that is why I think City will play like they did last week.
PREDICTION: 4-0
WEST HAM V MAN UNITED
West Ham have had a pretty good season so far and have taken points off of two of the big six in Spurs and Man City. David Moyes is building a really good side and is showing that he's still got it as a Premier League manager with the Hammers currently 5th in the table. MIchail Antonio is back after returning in their 2-1 win over Aston Villa following a month out injured. His return comes at a good time for the Hammers because they've got some tough games coming up and they'll need their best players available if they're to get points from those continues to continue the good run they're on.
Man United missed a huge opportunity in mid-week as they lost 3-1 at home to PSG leaving their final Champions League group match a must win in order to qualify. They missed a lot of chances in that match with Anthony Martial missing a very good chance from close range which came back to bite them because they ended up losing the match. Their away form in the Premier League has pretty much kept Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the hot seat because they've won every game away from home this season and haven't lost on the road since January when they lost to Liverpool. Edinson Cavani made a huge difference for them when he came off the bench against Southampton as he scored twice and gave United a focal point which they didn't have in the first half when they went 2-0 down. Ole has to start him in this one because he's a target man and he's proven that whenever he's come off the bench this season.
I think United will win this one because of their 100% away record this season. They've played better away from home than they have at home and because of their away form, I can see them win this one.
PREDICTION: 1-3
CHELSEA V LEEDS
Will Frank Lampard start Olivier Giroud after his hat trick against Sevilla in mid-week? The Frenchman has been behind Timo Werner and Tammy Abraham in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge and his hat trick has given his manager something to think about ahead this game. Christian Pulisic returned from injury in mid-week and impressed plus Kai Havertz also returned after recovering from COVID. The return of those two is good news for Chelsea because they've got a busy schedule coming up and all squad players will be needed because of the amount of games being played during December.
Leeds returned to winning ways with a win at Everton last Saturday where Kalvin Phillips in particular impressed. He was a miss for Marcelo Bielsa's side whilst he was out injured because of the way he protects the defence and sprays the ball about to get the attacking players moving. He's integral to the way Leeds play and they'll be happy to have him back from injury because of how important he is to the side. Leeds have given the top six sides a good game so far this season. They pushed Liverpool close on the opening day of the season and took points off of Man City and Arsenal. They'll fancy their chances in this one because of the way they played in those games which could serve them well if they're to get something from this one.
I think this one will be a Chelsea win because I think they'll have enough to claim the three points. Leeds will push them like they did to Liverpool and Man City, but Chelsea quality up top should win them the match.
PREDICTION: 4-2
SUNDAY:
WEST BROM V CRYSTAL PALACE
West Brom got their first win of the season against Sheffield United last weekend which should give them some confidence because they've finally got that first win out of the way. Manager Slaven Bilic will want another win this one to get more confidence into his players and get his team out of the relegation zone so they can look to push themselves further up the table. Sam Johnstone impressed in the win over Sheffield United with some smart saves to keep the Baggies in the game and if he can keep doing that, Gareth Southgate could be watching him soon because of the form the keeper is in.
Crystal Palace will be delighted to have Wilfried Zaha back for this one after recovering from COVID. He's been a miss for Palace whilst he's been self isolating and is always a miss for them whenever he's unavailable. With their talisman back in the side, Palace will have a better chance of success in this game because of what he brings to the table and how important he is to them because he makes them a better side going forward. Palace were looking comfortable before the international break in 7th place, but after back to back defeats, they finds themselves in 15th. Manager Roy Hodgson will want to get his side back to winning ways and away from the relegation zone.
I'm going for a Palace win in this one because they have Zaha back. He makes a huge difference to Palace when he's available and with him back in the Palace side, I think he'll be the difference in this game.
PREDICTION: 0-2
SHEFFIELD UNITED V LEICESTER
When will Sheffield United get this first win they've been after? Their performances against West Ham and West Brom were not that bad. They just couldn't put the ball in the net. Goals has been a problem for the Blades all season and it is why they're rock bottom with just one point to their name after 10 games. They have some winnable games coming up later this month and Chris Wilder will want to get some points from those games to get the Blades' season up and running after a poor start. If he can get his strikers scoring goals first, their first win won't be too far away because goals win you football matches.
Leicester will want to get back to winning ways after back to back defeats to Liverpool and Fulham. The good news for them is that they'll have Jonny Evans and Caglar Soyuncu after both central defenders were out injured for a month. Because of this Leicester could go back to a back four because they have their main two central defenders available and also Ricardo Pereira is also available after a long spell on the side-lines. James Justin has done okay at right wing back and will probably start this one but having Pereira back is big news for foxes because of how important he was to their great start last season before picking up his season ending injury.
I think Leicester will win this one because Sheffield United don't look like scoring goals at the moment. Leicester have more quality up top and with Jamie Vardy leading their attack, they should win this game comfortably.
PREDICTION: 0-2
TOTTENHAM V ARSENAL
Spurs will hope to have Harry Kane fit for this one after missing their Europa League clash with LASK due to injury. Kane always seems to score against Arsenal whenever he plays them and he himself will want to be available for this one so he can increase his goal tally for goals against the Gunners. Mourinho has a good record against Arsenal as well from his time at Chelsea and Man United. He's only lost once to Arsenal in the Premier League which was back in 2017 when he was Man United manager. Pretty much all of those games were against former arch rival Arsene Wenger, but Mourinho would still love it if he got another one over the Gunners in this one.
I can't see where Arsenal's goals are going to come from. They haven't scored from open play since October and the only goal they've scored since then was a Pierre Emerick Aubameyang penalty against Man United at the beginning of November. Aubameyang himself hasn't been the same player since he signed his new contract which is similar to Mesut Ozil when he signed his contract back in 2018. His form dropped off as soon as it was signed and both players looked completely uninterested in the games that followed the extension. Mikel Arteta will want his skipper on his game for this one because Arsenal need to win games and if they're to do that, Aubameyang needs to start scoring goals again.
I'm going for a Spurs win in this one because they're top of the table and look stronger than Arsenal at the moment. Arsenal look bereft of confidence at the moment and I can see the Kane-Son partnership causing them loads of problems.
PREDICTION: 2-0
LIVERPOOL V WOLVES
Liverpool got their Champions League last 16 place booked with the win over Ajax in mid-week where the young players impressed. Neco Williams played a lovely ball into the box which found Curtis Jones whilst Caoimhin Kelleher was solid between the sticks by making lots of big saves to keep the reds in the game and help them claim the three points. The young Irish keeper may end up starting this one with Alisson side-lined for a couple of weeks with a muscle problem which is not good news for the reds considering the amount of injuries they have already. Williams should definitely start with Alexander Arnold still out and Curtis Jones will be hoping for another start after scoring in mid-week and impressing whenever he's featured for the reds this season.
How are Wolves going to cope without Raul Jimenez with some tough fixtures coming up following the Mexican's nasty clash with David Luiz in the win at Arsenal last Sunday. The Mexican has been recovering well since he was omitted to hospital and hopes to return to the pitch soon which is good news for Wolves and for football in general. Wolves are to play Chelsea, Spurs and Man United later this month as well as midlands rivals Aston Villa during a tough December. The absence of Jimenez will make those games tougher because of how important he's been for Wolves since he's been at the club.
I think Liverpool will win this one because they have enough quality going to win a game plus Wolves are without talisman Jimenez. The reds do have key players missing through injury, but with the quality they have they should still have enough to beat Wolves.
PREDICTION: 2-0
MONDAY:
BRIGHTON V SOUTHAMPTON
Brighton got a good result last time out with a draw against Liverpool even though they were bit lucky with VAR decisions going in their favour. Tariq Lamptey will be back after missing the Liverpool game due to suspension which will be a boost for Brighton because of the season he's had so far. He looks dangerous whenever he gets forward and is always looking to cause problems with his pace and deliveries into the box which makes him a danger for any Premier League full back and he's only 20 years old. He's arguably been Brighton's best player this season because of the way he's been playing so far this season.
Southampton good run came to an end last week when they let a two goal lead slip against Man United. They were not the same team in the second half in that they weren't pressing as well as they normally do and they didn't threaten the United goal as much as they did in the first half. The Saints could have star striker Danny Ings back after a month out injured which would be a huge boost for them because of the amount of goals he's scored for them this season. Che Adams has done okay during his absence, but having Danny Ings back is good news for Southampton because of how important he is for them.
I think Southampton will edge this one because they're having a good season and I can see them return to winning ways in this game. Brighton will play some good stuff like they have done since Graham Potter's been there, but the Saints have more firepower and that is why they'll edge it.
PREDICTION: 1-2
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