17 th – 19 th December 2016

Saturday 12.30pm

Chelsea continue to be unstoppable at the top of the league right now. They fought for the win at Sunderland during the week, they've hammered Man United, done a job on Man City but the hard-earned ones of late over West Brom and Sunderland are what shape title wins. And I back them here as well, I don't think Palace are going to be able to keep them out. Palace defensively so far this season have been very questionable and when you look at what Chelsea posses going forward I see goals in this for the visitors. I think if Palace had hung on for their point against Man United during the week they would've been slightly lucky. They had a decent period early in the second half when they equalised but aside from that they were very much second best. Alan Pardew will point to the fact United's first shouldn't have stood and they should've been a man down but later on United were denied a clear penalty and a goal that wasn't offside, it evened itself out so he can't complain much. They've got an even tougher job here and I think the away side will keep winning.Prediction: Crystal Palace 1-3 Chelsea

My Premier League 2016/17 Predictions

Crystal Palace Chelsea

Middlesbrough Swansea City

Saturday 3.00pm

It's another six pointer down at the bottom of the table. In the end Boro were well beaten by Liverpool but they were in the game until Liverpool made it two and three in quick succession and in a flash the game was gone for them. But this is a fixture they have to aim to win, at home against a major rival in the fight for survival, these are the games they have to be winning. Swansea were also pretty comfortably beaten at West Brom during the week. There wasn't much fight in that performances and they conceded another three goals. When you look at the amount of goals they've conceded recently it's awful reading for their defence so to say there's goals in this game for Boro is an understatement. I fear for Swansea, you can't concede the amount they have recently and expect to survive, I think the hosts win this.Prediction: Middlesbrough 3-1 Swansea City

Saturday 3.00pm

Stoke were lucky to hang on for a point during the week against Southampton. They went down to ten men in the first half, it was stupid from Arnautovic because you can't expect to go in as high as he did with studs showing and think you'll get away with it. It put his team on the back-foot for the rest of the game so in the end hanging on for a goalless draw wasn't the worst result in the world at all on the night for Mark Hughes. He'll hope they have more luck here against Leicester who took an instant step back again after the win against Man City with the defeat at Bournemouth. That was a poor result because after spanking City there was a real opportunity to build momentum and spark their league campaign into life but that was instantly halted with another defeat and with results like that they'll continue to struggle in the second half of the

Stoke City Leicester City

season. And with Stoke at home and Leicester's away form and form in general in the league very patchy I'll say a home win.Prediction: Stoke City 2-1 Leicester City

Saturday 3.00pm

Sunderland would've been frustrated with the defeat during the week against Chelsea, they could've had something from that game. I didn't expect it to be as close as it was and the chances were there especially right at the end for Sunderland to get something. But they are bottom of the league and are short on luck but they have to look at this as a game they need to take something from, they need to win their home games. Watford were beaten at City during the week but perhaps they'll look back on that and think there was something in that game for them too. You don't know what you're going to get with Watford, they could turn up here and have too much for Sunderland or they could get beat and neither would surprise me. I'm going for a draw but this is one of those games I can see swinging any way.Prediction: Sunderland 1-1 Watford

Saturday 3.00pm

West Ham got the win against Burnley during the week but it wasn't pretty. It took a follow up on a penalty to win the game and they allowed Burnley the chances to come back into it. To just scrape over the line against the worst away side in the league is not exactly promising for them. And this is another game they really should be winning comfortably but no one can confidently back

Sunderland Watford

West Ham United Hull City

West Ham at the London Stadium. Hull were well beaten at Spurs which wasn't a surprise. If they would've got anything from that game it would've been a major bonus but Mike Phelan will look at this trip with far more realistic ambitions of coming away with a result. I'm just backing West Ham but only just, although however they get it two home wins out of two is just what they need to keep settling them into the new ground.Prediction West Ham United 2-1 Hull City

Saturday 5.30pm

This is a tough trip for United to make with West Brom in the form they are in. Tony Pulis' side were only just put away by Chelsea last week but bounced back straight away with the win over Swansea Wednesday night. They're shaping up really well at the moment and if they keep up this form they can challenge for Europe this season so United couldn't have wished to make this trip at a more difficult time because this is a West Brom team with plenty of confidence. United have put a couple of wins together though in difficult games against Spurs and Palace. So if they can go here too and keep the winning run going they may have finally turned a corner. Mourinho will want his team to start putting the wins together, after this they have two home games against Sunderland and Middlesbrough and then a trip to West Ham, he'll want maximum points from those games. He'll still be without Mkhitaryan here, they definitely look a better team with him in it but they still pulled out the win at Palace even without playing all that well and I think he's getting closer to knowing his best side. This is a tougher trip to make though given recent form but Mourinho will know with City playing Arsenal and Liverpool going to Everton there's an opportunity to get closer to the top four. I'm

West Bromwich Albion Manchester United

going to go for United to edge it but it's not going to be easy and West Brom getting a result wouldn't surprise me either.Prediction: West Bromwich Albion 1-2 Manchester United

Sunday 1.30pm

Bournemouth got the better of Leicester during the week which was a good way of bouncing back from the defeat at Burnley. They're looking to me right now like a team that has the goods to survive, they certainly don't appear to be suffering from any second season syndrome at the moment. Southampton will be frustrated after the trip to Stoke during the week, they should've won that game. They had a man advantage for the large part of the game and had the chances in the second half but the ball just wouldn't go in. Normally a point at Stoke would be a good result but they should've had two more and this isn't an easy trip for them to make. There's not a lot to separate these two so I'll sit on the fence.Prediction: Bournemouth 1-1 Southampton

Sunday 4.00pm

This is a big game, it's a hammer blow if either side loses this and neither side can afford to drop points. With Chelsea showing no signs of slowing down neither side can afford to draw let alone lose. City needed that win midweek, it wasn't a vintage performance but they just needed the result after back to back defeats. But they're still a way off Chelsea and this is a must win like every other game is at the minute for them. But they're still without Sergio Aguero and being without your best player in a big game like this is always a massive loss, also Kompany still cannot

Bournemouth Southampton

Manchester City Arsenal

get fit and they’ve just lost Gundogan. Arsenal were beaten at Everton on Tuesday night and Arsenal fans will be thinking here we go again. They were building momentum but stumbled during the week and now are a little bit further behind Chelsea. If they lose again here then all of a sudden they're a way off the top. They need a big performance here but that's something they're usually unable to produce in big games. They just seem to go missing in big games, they hammered Chelsea earlier in the season but the performances against Liverpool, Spurs and Man United were all poor. And I can't see them coming up trumps here, I can't confidently back them in a big game and although City aren't in great shape themselves I think they'll edge this.Prediction: Manchester City 2-1 Arsenal

Sunday 4.00pm

This should be a straightforward home win. How can you back Burnley away from home, they're very poor on the road. It's their home form that's keeping them afloat and this should be the banker of the whole weekend you would think. They were slightly unlucky at West Ham during the week but this is going to be much more difficult. Spurs had a routine victory against Hull during the week and it should be the same story here. If they can win this that will be a decent couple of wins for them because they've been dropping a lot of points recently. And they really shouldn't be dropping points in this one.Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Burnley

Monday 8.00pm

Tottenham Hotspur Burnley

Everton Liverpool

This is a big test of Liverpool's capabilities as title contenders. They've fallen a way behind Chelsea recently but they were better at Middlesbrough during the week. It was routine stuff for them, a very good away performance but this should be tougher going to the home of their biggest rivals under the lights and Goodison should be bouncing. I do find the goalkeeping situation at Liverpool strange, Jurgen Klopp came out and defended Karius after the criticism he's come in for but then he goes and drops him for the next game which was odd to me and won't do his confidence any favours. Mignolet isn't the ideal number one either but I think most Liverpool fans will rather him in goal at the minute especially in a big game on a Monday night like this. Everton should be boosted in confidence after the win over Arsenal. They needed it because they've dropped a lot of points recently but Koeman will hope that win will be a turning point. If they win this then all of a sudden they've won two massive games in the space of a week and they could be a real force again. They should be making it very difficult for Liverpool, I'm going to say the points are shared.Prediction: Everton 1-1 Liverpool