Chelsea are looking like the class of the Premier League. The Blues have opened up a three point lead atop the table after an impressive win over Manchester City last week. Can the chasing pack gain some ground on the leaders, who host in-form West Bromwich Albion this weekend? Check out our complete predictions and bet picks for Matchday 15 of the 2016-17 English Premier League season.
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Saturday, December 10
Watford vs. Everton – 7:30 AM ET
Neither of these clubs are in any sort of form at the moment. Watford have lost three of their last five matches, including the last two in a row. Meanwhile, Everton have won just once in their last 10 matches in all competitions. They really should’ve lost against Man United but were bailed out by a late penalty to pick up a draw.
It’s very tempting to pick a draw, which has also been the result in their last two meetings. But Everton have just been horrendous at the moment, and Watford have been quite decent at home with three wins in their last five.
Writer’s Prediction: Watford (+190) deal Everton another defeat, 2-1.
Arsenal vs. Stoke City – 10:00 AM ET
Arsenal have rediscovered their shooting boots. After smashing West Ham 5-1 last weekend, they then put four past Basel in the Champions League midweek. Stoke have also had a strong run of late with back-to-back league wins and back-to-back clean sheets.
However, the Potters simply haven’t been able to find any success away to Arsenal. They have lost each of their last six trips at the Emirates, and will find this in-form Arsenal team hard to live with once again.
Writer’s Prediction: Arsenal (-345) make short work of Stoke as the Gunners win, 3-1.
Burnley vs. Bournemouth – 10:00 AM ET
Burnley finally lost at home since the first few weeks of the season, but they did give Manchester City a fight. Meanwhile, Bournemouth are coming off a terrific come-from-behind 4-3 win at home against Liverpool.
The Cherries have been pretty inconsistent this season, and have yet to record back-to-back wins in the league. That trend continues, but they should have enough quality to avoid defeat at Turf Moor.
Writer’s Prediction: This game ends in a 1-1 draw (+215).
Hull City vs. Crystal Palace – 10:00 AM ET
Crystal Palace now have some momentum going after a dominant 3-0 win over Southampton last week. The Eagles have climbed out of immediate danger from the relegation zone, and another win over second-from-bottom Hull will push them further to safety. They should be able to do just that. They have the superior firepower over Hull, who have scored more than one goal just once in their last 12 Premier League matches.
Writer’s Prediction: Crystal Palace (+112) make it two wins in a row as they take it, 2-1.
Swansea vs. Sunderland – 10:00 AM ET
Swansea have now taken Sunderland’s place at the bottom of the table after Sunderland’s recent revival. The Black Cats have now won three out of their last four games, scoring at least two goals in all of their wins. Meanwhile, Swansea just got hammered 5-0 by Spurs, and their incredible 5-4 win over Crystal Palace aside, don’t seem to have improved much under new manager Bob Bradley.
The momentum is just all on Sunderland’s side at the moment, and there’s very little evidence to believe the Swans can overcome that, even at home.
Writer’s Prediction: Sunderland (+235) scores another big win as they sink the Swans, 1-0.
Leicester City vs. Manchester City – 12:30 PM ET
Nothing seems to be going right for Leicester lately. The English champions have won just once in their last eight games in all competitions, and are winless in five in the Premier League. Their home form was supposedly their one saving grace with their away form being so poor, but even that has gone south as they have failed to win their last two at the King Power Stadium.
And now, they’re set to host Manchester City, who are looking to bounce back from their humbling at home against Chelsea. City just so happen to be the best road team in the league, with six wins in their seven games away from the Etihad.
Writer’s Prediction: Manchester City (-150) make short work of the champions and win 2-0.
Sunday, December 11
Chelsea vs. West Bromwich Albion – 7:00 AM ET
Chelsea cannot be stopped at the moment. Their 3-1 destruction of Manchester City was their eighth league win in a row. West Brom are the only team that can rival such form, as the Baggies are unbeaten in their last four games, with three wins.
However, this battle against the league leaders will be a step too high for them to overcome, especially as they visit Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have an imperious home record with six wins in seven, and 20 goals against just four conceded.
Writer’s Prediction: Chelsea make it nine wins in a row as they beat West Brom, 2-0. The total at UNDER 3.0 goals (-130) looks like the better value play, though.
Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur – 9:15 AM ET
Manchester United can’t seem to put it all together in the league under Jose Mourinho. Despite promising performances in other competitions, they just come unstuck in the domestic campaign. They’ve now had three consecutive 1-1 draws. Incidentally, Tottenham have also been the masters of the 1-1 draw. Five out of their six draws this season have been 1-1.
This is a matchup of two teams with solid defenses and inconsistent offenses which have led to six draws apiece. That sounds like a recipe for a game with no winner.
Writer’s Prediction: The two draw-prone teams play out another stalemate (+210).
Southampton vs. Middlesbrough – 9:15 AM ET
Southampton is just ahead of Middlesbrough in the table, but it’s been Boro which has played much better over the past few weeks. Boro put in some fine performances against some of the big clubs and were desperately unlucky against Leicester, but they finally got some much-deserved three points against Hull.
However, Southampton have proven tough to beat at home, and tougher even to score against. They have conceded just five goals at St. Mary’s, one of the fewest at home in the league. Meanwhile, Middlesbrough have scored only seven goals away from home, and have drawn five of their seven away games.
Writer’s Prediction: Southampton and Middlesbrough likely play out a draw, but going UNDER 2.5 (-130) looks like the better value play.
Liverpool vs. West Ham United – 11:30 AM ET
Liverpool’s poor away defense once again came back to haunt them as they threw away a two-goal lead to lose 5-4 at Bournemouth. However, expect an almighty response from Jurgen Klopp’s men as they return to the fortress that is Anfield. Liverpool have the best home record in the league, with five wins and a draw in six home games. They have scored 19 goals and allowed just four in those six games.
They are now set to face a demoralized West Ham team who just got hammered 5-1 by Arsenal, and have a dreadful away record with five losses in seven games. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how this game will play out.
Writer’s Prediction: Liverpool top West Ham by two clear goals. Take the Reds at -1.5 on the Asian Handicap for much better value than the moneyline.
There you have it, picks and predictions for all 10 fixtures. Now, it’s time to create a betting account now and put some bets down on all the great English Premier League soccer action this weekend.
