2 nd – 4 th January 2017

Monday 12.30pm

This is a massive game as the ones between the sides down at the bottom are. Come the end of the season I do expect both of these teams to stay in the division but the points here are massive for both so they're not nervously looking over their shoulders. Middlesbrough were unfortunate at Old Trafford, they dug in and rode their luck and it seemed they were on course for a famous win. So to come away in the end with nothing would've been a disappointment and after the Burnley defeat this makes it a very big game for them. Leicester on the other hand secured a very much needed win against West Ham. It gives them more breathing space between themselves and the bottom three and after recent results it's a much-needed boost in confidence. But I fancy Middlesbrough here, they're at home and in need of the win, it's a big game for Leicester too but they're performances haven't been convincing and I'd argue Middlesbrough need the points more.Prediction: Middlesbrough 2-1 Leicester City

Monday 3.00pm

The top six is pretty much nailed on so this is a big game in possibly deciding who gets that seventh and potential final European spot. Although it's a hard game to call because both sides have been a bit

My Premier League 2016/17 Predictions

Middlesbrough Leicester City

Everton Southampton

hot and cold so far this season. Everton managed a draw at Hull on Friday night but that wasn't a great result, with the talent in their side they should be disappointed with anything less than a win from that trip. Southampton had a worse result though losing at home against West Brom who are in the running with these two sides for that seventh place. Van Dijk was sent off so he'll be absent here which is obviously a big miss for the away side. Koeman will feel he has a point to prove after leaving Southampton for Everton in the summer and his return to St. Marys earlier on in the season didn't go to plan. Everton have had slightly more or a rest, they're the home side, Southampton are without Van Dijk, you'd think the signs point here to a home win but with Everton you're never sure.Prediction: Everton 2-1 Southampton

Monday 3.00pm

Any hopes Pep Guardiola had of winning the title in his first year may have to be put to rest after the defeat at Liverpool. They're now ten points behind a seemingly unstoppable Chelsea, to catch them and Liverpool now is going to be very tough. They need to get right back on track though because they currently sit outside the top four and they need to win this just to steady the ship a bit. But they've come up short against Chelsea and Liverpool, I certainly didn't expect Liverpool to keep a clean sheet when you saw the talent in the City team. Guardiola has never had it this difficult, has never had so many questions asked of him so it will be interesting to see how he and his team handle it in the second half of the season. Burnley won well at home again against Sunderland. You can almost always rely on them at home, they put even more distance between themselves and the bottom three and are currently pushing for top half of the table. So they have the ability

Manchester City Burnley

to go here and make it difficult for a wounded City side but you'd think at home City will be too strong.

Prediction: Manchester City 3-1 Burnley

Monday 3.00pm

After the hammering they took at Burnley it all looks very bleak for Sunderland right now. They’re still only two points off safety but the sides above them are better teams who you expect will start to climb the table and away from the relegation zone. And when Sunderland are being battered in big games against sides they’ve got to try and aim to catch like Burnley then there isn’t much hope of them surviving. But this is Sunderland who do seem somehow to just keep their heads above water every season but I don’t see it getting better here. Liverpool secured another massive win against Man City. They look right now like the only ones capable of keeping Chelsea in sight and challenging them for the title. They’re picking up the points in big games against the top sides and the crucial thing is they do what’s expected of them and win games like this. They can’t afford any other Bournemouth repeats or even the draw at home against West Ham if they want to keep Chelsea in sight and I think they’ll win this.

Prediction: Sunderland 1-3 Liverpool

Monday 3.00pm

West Brom aren’t involved in any relegation scrap this season and on paper this should be a home win. They beat Southampton last time out, a big win as they aim for that seventh place which could

Sunderland Liverpool

West Bromwich Albion Hull City

see them into Europe next season. To get that though they need to be winning games like these, they should be putting Hull to the sword at home but when a team is as desperate for the points as Hull are then it’s potentially difficult. Hull only drew with Everton, it would’ve been a big win if they could’ve held out so in the end it would’ve felt more like two points dropped. Although they are now off the bottom of the table and three points off the safety but similar to Sunderland I just find it very difficult to see how they can catch and end up finishing above the likes of Crystal Palace, Leicester and even Middlesbrough. They could really do with a result here but I don’t think they’ll get it.

Prediction: West Bromwich Albion 2-0 Hull City

Monday 5.15pm

That United victory over Middlesbrough was a United victory of old. They hammered the door down, last season United were in similar positions and barely put up a fight on their way to losing and I think that win was the clearest sign of real progression under Mourinho. It keeps the winning run going which is vital, they’re the team needing to play catch up in the race for the top four so United have to keep winning and wait for any of the teams above to drop points. How tough this will be for United will depend on what West Ham show up here. The hosts have been very shaky at the new stadium however go into this off the back of a couple of home wins. Although they were against Burnley and Hull and in both they barely scraped to victory so United should be fancying themselves here to carry on the winning streak. West Ham were on a winning run of their own but that was halted at Leicester. I wasn’t totally convinced by that run of wins West Ham had when you consider the teams they were beating, then they have a tougher challenge

West Ham United Manchester United

going to Leicester and they failed to come away with something. This is an even bigger challenge against a United side starting to build real momentum and I’m calling an away win.

Prediction: West Ham United 1-2 Manchester United

Tuesday 7.45pm

Bournemouth won well at Swansea and now find themselves in the top half of the table. The objective before the start of the season would’ve been to stay in the division again so to be top half at the start of the new year is very good going even if they have been a little hot and cold at times. Arsenal go into this after a couple of decent wins over West Brom and Palace rebounding from the defeats at Everton and City. Looking at the table though it does seem very difficult to see them catching up with Chelsea and that’s what Arsenal fans want is a title push. The race for the top four is as competitive as it’s ever been but finishing in the top four is not what Arsenal fans want to settle for. However their team usually win games like this and I think they’ll be too strong for Bournemouth here.

Prediction: Bournemouth 0-2 Arsenal

Tuesday 8.00pm

The defeat against Bournemouth could be the one that sends Swansea down, if they lose here then many will say they’re doomed. They’re bottom of the table and if they lose this they’ll be seven points off Palace who are at this moment the nearest side to them outside the bottom three. There’s still no manager in place

Bournemouth Arsenal

Crystal Palace Swansea City

despite a deal being on the verge of completion for Paul Clement to come in. Again that’s not an appointment that would fill me up with renewed confidence if I were a Swansea fan, not a knock on Clement but he’s only been a head coach at one club and that was Derby in the Championship and now he’s given this massive task of trying to keep Swansea up. Big Sam still new to his job was beaten at Arsenal but he’ll drum this into his players as absolutely must win. Palace need to start winning games and climbing up that table, if they win this then they should have more breathing space between themselves and the bottom three. And they really should, they’re the home team and with the likes of Benteke and Zaha in their team they should be putting a few past this Swansea side who are heading towards needing miracles to survive.

Prediction: Crystal Palace 3-1 Swansea City

Tuesday 8.00pm

Stoke were beaten at Chelsea, there’s no shame in that and they put up a decent fight however it was another defeat leaving them firmly in the bottom half of the table at the start of the new year. And they should be much higher than that, with the quality in their squad the second half of the season needs to be much improved on the first and Mark Hughes will be drilling it into his players that it starts here. Watford have dropped down the table too and the latest poor result was a hammering at the hands of Spurs. Watford have been inconsistent throughout the first half of the season but recently they seem to have dropped a level, they were competing in the top half but now they look like a bottom half side and that’s where they find themselves. So it’s two evenly matched teams who have had very similar seasons so far and find themselves together

Stoke City Watford

in the table but at home you have to give Stoke the edge, cold midweek nights at Stoke and all that!

Prediction: Stoke City 2-1 Watford

Wednesday 8.00pm

Can we say that if Chelsea win this and break the record for the most consecutive Premier League wins that you can start putting their ribbons on the trophy? Liverpool are still providing them with a challenge but if they win this then they may just be unstoppable. But this is a big test for them, the last one came at Man City and they passed that with flying colours. Obviously there’s a rivalry between the sides and Spurs will be desperate to be the ones to throw a spanner into the works especially with Chelsea one win away from breaking the record. Spurs won very well at Watford and they should definitely be giving Chelsea a big challenge here. Spurs are in this ultra-competitive race for the top four which means they need to keep winning because it’s no good drawing and dropping any points with it as tight as it is. If the points were shared here Chelsea would be slightly happier, they would miss out on the record which would be a disappointment but dropping a few points here would still leave them with a healthy lead at the top. But Spurs just recently against Southampton and Watford look much more like the team from last season so it sets it up fantastically for the neutral. I think Spurs will stop the run here, I can’t see Chelsea losing and I think it will be tight and ultimately the points will be shared.

Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Chelsea

Tottenham Hotspur Chelsea