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Football News: Premier League Match Previews

Saturday 12:30pm
Crystal Palace v Chelsea

Tomkins (out)
Sako (out)
Wickham (out)
Remy (out)
Mandanda (out)
J. Benteke (out)
Souare (out)

Hazard (doubt)
Oscar (doubt)
Terry (doubt)
Kane (out)
Obi Mikel (doubt)

After 6 losses on the trot, a win and a draw was a welcome relief for Eagles' fans, only for them to have to watch their team roll over and have their tummies tickled at home to Man Utd midweek. How much longer will the fans be able to stand behind Alan Pardew, when his team performs like they did against United? The moans and grumbles coming from the crowd will be far worse if Chelsea come face to face with the same weak, lifeless performance from Palace. Pardew's days will be numbered if he does not get more out of his players than he has done recently.

Chelsea just need more of the same, please. Antonio Conte's only worry is complacency. There is nothing they need to do bar keep their performances at the highest level possible. With Palace in real trouble, the crowd beginning to turn, if Chelsea can get off to a good start and put them in trouble, they can get the crowd on edge. This game is theirs to lose.

Saturday 3pm
Middlesbrough v Swansea City

Chambers (out)
Stuani (doubt)
Ramirez (doubt)
Friend (doubt)
Ayala (doubt)
Husband (out)

Fernandez (out)
Sung-Yeung (doubt)

Boro are in serious trouble right now, their initial good performances are starting to fade in the memory as they slide down the table to lie dangerously near the relegation places. Worse is that they are set to face the team just below them in the table, knowing that a win for the Swans would see them level on points. This has become a vital match for the Mackems, with a win providing them valuable breathing room. A loss to the resurgent Swansea would be disastrous.

The Swans continue to be inconsistent, one game they look like they have the fight to survive and get a win, the very next one they lose badly. It does seem to be a away day blues problem for the Swans, which they will need to change at the weekend. A loss to Boro would leave a big mountain for them to climb to survive this season, one which would look beyond them. If they can play like it is a home match, then they have every chance of picking up at least the draw they need to stop Boro getting away from them.

Saturday 3pm
Stoke City v Leicester City

Pieters (doubt)
Bardsley (out)
Cameron (out)
Butland (out)
Ireland (out)
Afellay (doubt)

Drinkwater (doubt)
Schmeichel (doubt)

Stoke's good run, which lifted them out of the bottom three and into the top half, looks to have come to an end and they find themselves slipping back into the bottom half of the table. Mark Hughes will need his team to keep all eleven players on the pitch this weekend, as the champions are coming to town. A good, battling draw after having a man sent off in the first half, should have lifted morale, following their dismantling at the hands of an Arsenal side they usually give a good game to. Hughes will want to get some more points on the board before facing Liverpool and Chelsea over the difficult Christmas period.

The Foxes still do not look like defending champions in the Premier League, their performances are still lacking the intensity they showed all last season. Now is the time for them to pull themselves together and get a consistent run of results, before they get dragged into the bottom three. A team like the Potters will require them to be at their hard running best if they are to get anything out of the game. Somehow Claudio Ranieri has to revive the desire and hunger in his players, that will to win that saw them through when it mattered last season. This Christmas period could be the perfect time to do that.

Saturday 3pm
Sunderland v Watford

Jones (doubt)
Manquillo (doubt)
Pienaar (doubt)
Anichebe (doubt)
Watmore (out)
Gooch (out)
McNair (out)
Cattermole (out)
Rodwell (doubt)

Pereyra (suspended)
Behrami (doubt)
Okaka (doubt)
Mariappa (out)
Kenedy (doubt)
Cathcart (out)
Dja Djedje (out)

The Mackems have slumped back to the foot of the table and really need a result to revive their survival hopes. A battling display against the league leaders Chelsea will have done a lot to improve confidence, even if it was a defeat. With Watford visiting the Stadium of Light, the priority for David Moyes' charges is to avoid defeat and get something from the game. It is time for them to put an end to the defeats and give themselves something to build on before too big a gap develops between them and safety.

Watford's up and down season continued with a defeat away at Man City after a win at home to Everton. Their away record is holding them back, in their quest for a European place for next season, but this is a good chance to improve it against bottom of the table Sunderland. Hornets' manager Walter Mazzarri will be looking to find the key to getting consistent performances from his team before he becomes yet another short term manager of the side. Though it must be asked how any manager can manage to instil any consistency when they have so little time to work with the team.

Saturday 3pm
West Ham United v Hull City

Zaza (doubt)
Tore (doubt)
Collins (doubt)
Sakho (out)
Oxford (doubt)
Byram (out)
Doneil Henry (out)

Hernandez (out)
Keane (out)
Odubajo (out)
Luer (out)
Bruce (out)

Finally the Hammers seem to be stirring out of the slumber they started the season in and begun to pick themselves up and move themselves towards safety. This game against Hull is a perfect opportunity to give themselves some breathing room, and move themselves firmly into midtable. The home win against Burnley has finally made their home record respectable and will lead to a much better atmosphere for this game, as the fans begin to regain belief in their team. Things are on the up at the Olympic Stadium and Slaven Bilic just has to keep things going, as his team face two of the bottom three in their next two matches.

The Tigers are sliding down the table with little sign of anything close to even a flicker of life from them. The effort is there from their players, but the quality is lacking to arrest the slide. Mike Phelan is seemingly unable to come up with any answers to their precipitous fall following their stunning start to the season. All they can do is try and sneak points against teams like the Hammers, to stay in touching distance. Phelan needs to find some inspiration to rescue this situation soon as, right now, Hull have the look of a team going only one way. Down.

Saturday 5:30pm
West Bromwich Albion v Manchester United

Evans (doubt)
Myhill (doubt)
Berahino (doubt)

Bailly (doubt)
Mkhitaryan (out)
Shaw (doubt)
Smalling (doubt)
Wilson (out)

The Baggies have recovered from their slow start to sit in 7th, just four points behind their opponents Man Utd, despite the differences in budgets. With a European place almost within reach, this is the kind of game West Brom need to pick up points in, if they have any genuine hopes of gaining European qualification. With four wins in their last six games, their confidence will be high. Tony Pulis will be keen to improve his team's record against the top 6 teams, having yet to beat any of the sides currently above them this season.

Things are looking up for the Red Devils right now. Results are improving, performances are better and Paul Pogba is looking like the player Man Utd thought they were buying when they spent a world record fee to acquire him. With serial winner Jose Mourinho at the helm, United fans are beginning to believe that the era of mediocrity under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal is over and they can challenge for the title once more. While it may have come together too late for them to realistically challenge for the title this season, they will be looking to get themselves into position to pick up the pieces if Chelsea do slip.

Sunday 1:30pm
Bournemouth v Southampton

Wilson (doubt)
Fraser (doubt)
Stanislas (out)
Surman (doubt)
Cook (out)

Soares (doubt)
Austin (out)
McCarthy (doubt)
Targett (out)
Pied (out)
Gardos (doubt)
Romeu (suspended)

The Cherries have got themselves firmly ensconced in midtable. This time they need to build on the good result they got midweek, unlike when they beat Liverpool and then lost to Burnley. They do have an excellent home record, so will fancy their chances of beating their local South Coast rivals at the Vitality Stadium. With an away game at Chelsea to follow, Bournemouth really need to get the three points on the board now, to put them in a strong position for the second half of the season.

Having struggled to break down a Stoke team that spent most of the match down to ten men, Saints will be looking for more from this game against Bournemouth. This is a good chance to improve their poor away form, as this is the closest to a true derby match Soton have in the Prem at the moment. As we all know derby matches do not follow form at all. Which is good news for Southampton, as their away form is hopeless and Bournemouth are much stronger at home. With the only difference between the two sides being goal difference, Southampton can ill afford to lose to the Cherries.

Sunday 4pm
Manchester City v Arsenal

Gundogan (out)
Kompany (out)
Delph (doubt)
Fernandinho (suspended)
Aguero (suspended)

Mustafi (out)
Ramsey (doubt)
Debuchy (out)
Cazorla (out)
Akpom (out)
Mertesacker (doubt)
Welbeck (out)
Sanogo (doubt)

This is a game Man City can ill afford to lose, having slipped off the top and down to fourth place in recent weeks. Pep Guardiola is in real need of showing that he really is as good as people had made him out to be before he took charge at Citeh. The Citizens recovered well from their double disappointment against Chelsea and Leicester to coast to a 2-0 win over Watford. However Arsenal are a totally different kind of test. One City need to pass to be genuinely in with a shot at the title this season.

Having suffered their second defeat of the season, in the league, the Gunners need to bounce back quickly. That defeat was particularly disappointing, as Arsenal did not look up for it and their defeat looked like the start of their usual late season collapse come early. Arsene Wenger will be keen to ensure that it is not Arsenal being Arsenal and just a blip on the road to a proper title challenge.

Sunday 4pm
Tottenham Hotspur v Burnley

Dembele (doubt)
Janssen (out)
Lamela (out)

Gudmundsson (doubt)

After a start to the season where they have not played the best of football, the recent defeats have seen questions asked of the manager, Mauricio Pochettino. Spurs have allowed a small gap to open up above them, something they need to put a stop to quickly, if they are to lose their reputation of being chokers. Last season's near miss seems to be weighing heavily on the team, holding them back as they struggle to again have the impact on the Premier League they managed last season. It is a similar story to last season, a heavy reliance on Harry Kane with little alternative or cover to allow him a rest. Maybe the switch to a back three, which Pochettino used to great effect against Hull, is the answer to the issues?

Burnley have managed to get themselves safely into midtable at the moment, but four losses in the last five matches has put that in jeopardy. Their away form has been terrible, with the Clarets yet to win a game on the road, so facing Spurs at White Hart Lane is not going to be an appetising prospect for their players. Despite this, there is no better time to face Spurs, as they are looking vulnerable of late.

Monday 8pm
Everton v Liverpool

Bolasie (out)
Besic (out)
Pennington (doubt)
Kone (doubt)
Jagielka (suspended)

Origi (doubt)
Matip (doubt)
Can (doubt)
Grujic (out)
Coutinho (out)
Sturridge (doubt)
Ings (out)

The Toffees put a stop to their poor run of results with an excellent win over Arsenal, who were second before going to Goodison Park to face Everton. Could that be an omen with local rivals Liverpool having replaced the Gunners in second, ahead of their visit to Goodison. Ronald Koeman has a decent record against the Reds, and he will be looking to extend that in the Monday night game. A win will also ensure that the blue half of Merseyside do not slip too far behind the European qualification places.

Liverpool's form has dipped of late, with media attention being focused on young keeper Loris Karius, to the point of almost making him a scapegoat for the poor performances. After a run of five goals conceded in seven games, five goals in the next two saw Karius dropped to the bench to be replaced by the man he replaced, Simon Mignolet. A clean sheet in the next game against Boro has made that look a good decision by Jurgen Klopp. A much tougher test awaits for Mignolet and the Reds in the derby match with Everton. The short trip across Stanley Park will be extremely difficult, with, as they say, the form book thrown out of the window. If Liverpool are to have any pretensions of winning the league, this the kind of game they need to win.

Written by Tris Burke December 17 2016 05:23:38