(All kickoff times are AEST)
Newcastle v Manchester City
Kickoff: 11.45pm Saturday December 15th at St James’ Park
Newcastle’s poor run of form continued with a 2-1 loss to Fulham at Craven Cottage last weekend. The Magpies just can’t string two results together, and as a result they have dropped to within two points of the relegation zone. Their job gets harder this weekend when they welcome the champions to the Toon.
Manchester City is coming off a 3-2 loss at home to bitter rivals Manchester United. The defeat leaves them trailing their local counterparts by six points, and they now have yet another mammoth task to get back into top-spot contention. They’re yet to win a game in December, and will be hoping to break that streak this weekend.
St James’ Park, regardless of the form and fortune of Newcastle, is a tough place to go. I fancy the home side to nick a point from City.
Newcastle 1-1 Manchester City
Liverpool v Aston Villa
Kickoff: 2.00am Sunday December 16th at Anfield
There’s an air of optimism around Anfield following Liverpool’s 3-2 win over West Ham last weekend. The Reds came from behind to upset the Hammers on their own turf, moving them within just four points of the top four. They now have the opportunity to move closer to a European spot with a couple of home games prior to Christmas.
Aston Villa recorded a fine 4-1 win away to Norwich midweek to book their place in the semi final’s of the Capital One Cup. It came off the back of a hard-fought 0-0 draw with Stoke last weekend, stretching their unbeaten run to five matches. They have managed to scrape their way out of the relegation zone, but will have a difficult task ahead of them this weekend.
Liverpool’s win at West Ham was the first time in over a year that they have won consecutive matches. I think they’ll stretch that streak to three games this weekend.
Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa
Manchester United v Sunderland
Kickoff: 2.00am Sunday December 16th at Old Trafford
Manchester United’s 3-2 win over Manchester City last weekend enhanced their lead at the top of the table to six points. It’s a huge gap, and one that they will not want to let slip like they did last season. Despite their advantage at the top, United are still conceding a truck-load of goals and will want to tighten up at the back.
Sunderland recorded a crucial 3-0 win over Reading on Tuesday night, recovering from their 3-1 loss to Chelsea just days before. The points against Reading moved them out of the relegation zone, however according to Martin O’Neill the hard work is only just beginning.
Manchester United should cruise to all three points at home to Sunderland.
Manchester United 3-0 Sunderland
Norwich v Wigan
Kickoff: 2.00am Sunday December 16th at Carrow Road
Norwich may have been knocked out of the League Cup midweek, but that failed to take the shine off a fantastic performance away to Swansea last weekend. The Canaries found themselves three goals in front after just 44 minutes, and held on to the win despite a late Swansea fightback.
Wigan got out of jail against QPR last weekend, with James McCarthy scoring a late goal to level the scores. Still, with Sunderland, Aston Villa and Southampton all getting points on the board, the draw left the Latics inside the relegation zone. Roberto Martinez’s task of once again securing safety for Wigan is underway.
Norwich looks the real deal at the moment, and they should easily account for a struggling Wigan side.
Norwich 3-1 Wigan
QPR v Fulham
Kickoff: 2.00am Sunday December 16th at Loftus Road
QPR’s 2-2 draw with Wigan last weekend made it three draws from three matches since Harry Redknapp took charge. Although they’re not losing, they’re still yet to record their first win of this Premier League season. They’re nine points from safety and it’s going to take a miracle to survive.
Fulham held on for a much-needed 2-1 win over Newcastle last weekend, snapping a seven-game winless run. Martin Jol’s side will travel across the capital this weekend knowing consecutive victories are on offer.
QPR might have to settle for a fourth successive draw in this London derby.
QPR 1-1 Fulham
Stoke v Everton
Kickoff: 2.00am Sunday December 16th at the Britannia Stadium
Stoke are pottering along nicely at the moment. A goalless draw with Aston Villa wasn’t ideal for Tony Pulis’s side, but it maintained their status in the top half of the table and it was another clean sheet for a very organised and compact defensive team.
Everton scored two stoppage-time goals to come from behind and defeat Tottenham last weekend. Nikica Jelavic’s last-minute winner sent the Goodison crowd into uproar, and moved them past Spurs into the top four. The Toffees look impressive, and will be hoping for a European run at the end of the season.
Both teams are strong, physical sides and I expect them to cancel each other out on the weekend.
Stoke 1-1 Everton
Tottenham v Swansea
Kickoff: 12.30am Monday December 17th at White Hart Lane
Tottenham’s inconsistent season continued last weekend with a loss to Everton at Goodison Park. Spurs hardly looked like a top four team, despite leading as the game went into stoppage time. Tottenham fans continue to be frustrated by their side, who have continually dropped points from winning positions this season.
Swansea’s 1-0 win over Championship side Middlebrough during the week sent them into the semi final’s of the Capital One Cup. It’s the first time the Welsh side has made it to the last four of any English cup competition, so it was a proud moment for Michael Laudrup and the Swansea faithful.
An inconsistent Tottenham side will struggle against a buoyed Swansea outfit. I’m tipping a draw.
Tottenham 2-2 Swansea
West Bromwich Albion v West Ham
Kickoff: 3.00am Monday December 17th at the Hawthorns
West Brom is beginning to falter after an excellent start to the season. However, a mid-season form slump is always to be expected from a mid-table side who raced out of the blocks at the beginning of the season. Steve Clarke needs to reiterate to his players that the Premier League is a marathon, not a sprint, as they slide down the table.
West Ham suffered a late defeat to Liverpool last weekend, after holding the lead for the majority of the match. Despite their loss, I was impressed by the work rate and commitment of the Hammers players. They look like a good, organised side under Sam Allardyce, and should finish comfortably in mid-table come the end of the season.
These two sides look evenly matched, and I think they’ll play out a draw this weekend.
West Bromwich Albion 1-1 West Ham
Reading v Arsenal
Kickoff: 7.00am Tuesday December 18th at the Madejski Stadium
Reading slipped deeper into relegation trouble following two losses in their two weekend matches. First, Southampton defeated them 1-0 at St Mary’s, before they were thrashed 3-0 by a rampant Sunderland side. The Royals sit six points beneath the drop zone, but might fancy their chances against a struggling Arsenal side this weekend.
Where do you start with Arsenal? A full strength Gunners side was defeated on penalties by League Two Bradford City in the League Cup midweek, knocking them out of the competition. It was a truly stunning result. Arsene Wenger is a man under immense pressure, with the majority of Arsenal fans now calling for his resignation.
Arsenal needs a win, and although they might suffer a scare, they should get it this weekend against Reading.
Reading 1-2 Arsenal
Riley Beveridge is a first-year Bachelor of Sports Journalism student at La Trobe University. You can follow his Premier League views at his Twitter account: @RileyBev.
