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It seems almost amazing that Leicester City still hold the top position in the Premier League this far out in the season. Their first place will be at stake on Saturday afternoon, when the Foxes visit Etihad Stadium for the biggest derby of this round against Manchester City. On the complete oposite side of the table, Aston Villa are in search of their second home triumph in the relegation six-pointer against Norwich City. Arsenal are starting to lose pace with the league leaders and are in desperate need of a victory against Bournemouth if they plan to keep their title dream alive. The Spurs are flying high of late, thus turning into a serious candidate for the tittle. It looks like all of the twenty teams are in serious need of a win this time out and, depending on the end results, substantial movements could occur in all parts of the Premier League table.
Saturday
13:45 GMT Manchester City vs Leicester City
Special: Man City to win is 10/1
15:00 GMT Swansea City vs Crystal Palace
Francesco Guidolin managed to restore the team’s confidence since his arrival at Liberty Stadium, the Swans recorded two triumphs and a draw in their last three matches, and are well on their way to secure the Premier League status, but need to continue the positive run. Alan Pardew’s charges are having serious efficiency problems lately, with just two scored goals in in their last five fixtures, all straight defeats. The Eagles are going through a very rough patch at the moment, and it seems that nothing can stop their downfall. Emanuel Adebayor was brought to save the day, but it will be a while until he restores the killer instinct. Liberty Stadium is a hostile place for Crystal Palace, since they boast a 0-3-1 run in their previous four visits. Swansea seem capable of taking advantage of their opponent’s miserable form and I expect them to continue their unbeaten streak. Considering the fact that both teams are underperforming in front of opposition goals of late, I do not reckon we will witness plenty of fireworks, but I do expect the home team to take all three points in this clash.
Tip: Home win
15:00 GMT Stoke City vs Everton
Stoke City are suffering from a serious dip in form, having lost four consecutive matches in all competitions. The Potters do not resemble the team from the first part of the season, their attackers failed to deliver in their six previous games, so they turned to spending vast amounts of cash. Gianelli Imbula was the first big name signing, and he is supposed to help his new teammates continue their good run against the Liverpool-based team on home turf (W2 D4). Everton ended their winless streak with back-to-back triumphs against Carlisle United in the FA Cup (3-0) and Newcastle United in the Premier League (3-0). However, the Toffees lost three in a row against Mark Hughes’ charges, and are still searching for their first win at Britannia Stadium since 2008. Both teams are heavily burdened with injuries. Even Romelu Lukaku (15) has back injury problems, but I expect Roberto Martinez will do everything it takes to restore the health of his star forward before the start of the match. Their eight previous encounters in Stoke-on-Trent ended in fewer than 2.5 scored goals, six of them were draws, and the prediction is that the two sides will split shares once again.
Tip: Draw
15:00 GMT Aston Villa vs Norwich City
Rock-bottom Aston Villa are looking for their second home triumph this term in the match against Norwich City. The Canaries are dangerously close to the dotted line, having recorded five straight defeats and seventeen conceded goals in the spell, and if their miserable run continues there is a big chance we will watch them in the Championship next season. Their below-par away performances this term will not do them any good in the upcoming relegation six-pointer. Villa Park turned out to be an impregnable fortress for Alex Neil’s charges, with three defeats and three draws in their previous six visits. Remi Garde’s men are yet to suffer a defeat on home turf in the league in 2016, and, given the fact that Norwich failed to net a goal in four of their last eight away fixtures, it is possible that Villa will secure a clean sheet in the forthcoming clash. Their inefficiency is something to worry about, having scored less than a goal per game in front of the home supporters. This is why I predict a dull affair in Birmingham on Saturday afternoon, but I am positive the Villans will produce a narrow win.
Tip: Home win
15:00 GMT Liverpool vs Sunderland
Liverpool suffered yet another defeat during their visit to Leicester (2-0), and now they host Sunderland hoping to bounce back to winning ways. Their inconsistent performances since the beginning of December are seriously putting in question their intention to secure a place in Europe next term. This is why a clash against the struggling Sunderland could prove to be a breaking point of the season. A good thing for the Reds is that they are on a seven-game undefeated streak against the Black Cats, Sam Allardyce’s charges are waiting for their first triumph at Anfield since 1983, and, looking at their miserable achievements on their travels, it seems highly unlikely they are capable of ending their winless run this time out. Roberto Firmino is the one to watch in the forthcoming encounter, since he could prove to be a handful for Sunderland’s defenders. On the other hand, Defoe and Borini might find a crack in Liverpool’s leaky defense and surprise Mignolet at least once. Bearing in mind that a win is simply a must for Klopp in this game, I do not suppose he will leave things to chance, but do all in his power to secure a home triumph as quickly as possible.
Tip: Home win
15:00 GMT Tottenham Hotspur vs Watford
15:00 GMT Newcastle United vs West Bromwich Albion
Newcastle United are returning to St James’ Park after suffering back-to-back defeats against Everton (3-0) and Watford (2-1) on their travels. The Magpies turned to spending in January in order to keep their Premier League place, but time will tell whether Shelvey, Saivet and Townsend are the proper reinforcements for such a job. WBA are on a six-game winless streak on their travels in the Premier League. Toni Pulis’ charges failed to impress in their recent performances and are becoming potential candidates for relegation. Steve McClaren’s men are undefeated in their last three encounters against West Brom on home turf (W2 D1), and, given the Baggies below par form of late, the forthcoming fixture is a perfect opportunity for the Geordies to continue the positive record, despite their long list of injured players. Georginio Wijnaldum (9) netted all of his goals in front of the home crowd this term and will pose the biggest threat to opposition defenders, and I firmly believe he will help his teammates to produce a narrow triumph.
17:30 GMT Southampton vs West Ham United
Sunday
13:30 GMT Bournemouth vs Arsenal
16:00 GMT Chelsea vs Manchester United
