Man City Vs Crystal Palace
Man City go into this match without a recognizable goalscorer, Dzeko joined Aguero on the treatment table so Pozo will be expected to again lead city's attack and with Kompany also missing, City will not find this game easy. They beat bottom side Leceister last time out but it was very unconvincing as they couldn't even get a shot on target in the second half. Palace have a habit of getting credible draws from the top teams and even though they have won only one of their last 6 they can get confidence from the fact that they drew against Swansea and Tottenham in that period. City are a mammoth at the Etihad so despite the spine of the team missing through injury they should pull through here but it won't be easy.
Prediction: 1-0
West Ham Vs Leceister
West Ham are on fire at the moment, they sit in fourth and have almost all their players available for this fixture with Mark Noble only out. Leciester were very unlucky not to get a point against city last time out as the champions were quite dreadful for most of the encounter and they made good account of themselves. They come into this match without their first choice goalkeeper, couple that with their terrible away record and the home side should win this comfortably.
Prediction: 2-0
Tottenham Vs Burnley
Tottenham are starting to find their feet again, an impressive win against Swansea last time out was followed with a 4-0 thumping of Newcastle in the capital one cup, the prospect of a cup run will give them a lot of confidence moving forward. Burnley are also a side who have recently found form, they've only lost one in 6 and are out of the relegation zone. Despite Tottenham looking to have bounced back they could as usual crash and burn at any moment, plus their home form isn't good. This match could go either way but i see Tottenham narrowly taking it.
Prediction 2-1
Southamton Vs Everton
Poor poor Southamton, they have effectively crashed and burned in every sense of the word, they now lie 5th in the table and with their 5th consecutive loss coming against League 1 (English 3rd Division) side Sheffield United, they will be very low on belief. Everton on the other hand have not really fared much better, after a very slow start to the season they have finally crawled their way to mid table. Despite Southampton's problems, falling to a 6th consecutive defeat seems impossible to me, even against an Everton side who on a good day can beat any side. I'm sitting on the fence with this one.
Prediction: 1-1
Aston Villa Vs Manchester United
Villa Park is pretty much considered the 2nd Old Trafford, United have grabbed more wins here than they have in any other stadium except theirs. United are currently the in form team in the league, they've won 6 games on the bounce, a first by any side this season, although most of those victories were not convincing. Villa are actually on decent form, they've only lost 1 in 6 and with both Benteke and Agbonlahor available i expect them to score, but United will score more.
Prediction: 1-3
Newcastle Vs Sunderland
The Tyne-wear derby, definitely the biggest match of the weekend. Sunderland have had the most recent successes in this fixture, they won 3 of the last 5, drawing 2 and beating Newcastle 3-0 at home last season. Newcastle are currently the most injury ravaged side this season with 11 first senior players certain to miss this fixture. Sunderland are the draw masters, they've somehow drawn 10 of their last 16 matches and will want to start turning those draws into wins while Newcastle have a fantastic record at home. It'll certainly be a thrilling and feisty affair with goals but this is Sunderland we're talking about.
Prediction: 2-2
Liverpool Vs Arsenal
Last season when Arsenal came to Anfield they found themselves 5 goals down with just over 50 minutes played, fast forward a year later and things look very different. Brendan Rodgers has done a massive overhaul to the side, he has basically removed all Strikers and left them on the bench and has opted to go with the young winger Raheem Sterling as his central attacker. Liverpool received a lot of praise after their 3-1 win against championship side Bournemouth with this formation but they will certainly have a sterner test against the Gunners. Arsenal have scored 8 goals in their last two games, they won't get 4 here but they'll certainly increase the pressure on Rodgers.
Prediction: 1-2
Stoke Vs Chelsea
Last time Chelsea were on the road they suffered their first defeat of the season so will be wary of a stoke side who have a decent record at home. John Obi Mikel is expected to be dropped back to the bench for this game after his poor performances in the last few matches and Diego Costa should start. Stoke will believe they can get something from this after putting 3 past Arsenal in the first half of their last home game, but with Chelsea seeming to be back to their confident selves they should narrowly edge stoke out.
Prediction: 1-2
QPR Vs West Brom: 2-1
Hull Vs Swansea : 1-2
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