Thursday 8 December 2016

Predictions For Premier League Gameweek 15

It's that time of the week again when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. I did well enough last week thanks to three perfect outcomes with two correct outcomes and five incorrect. I'm still on top of my predictions league as you can see from the table below even if my lead did slip a little.

NameBadgesThis WeekPTS
 1 (1)  Michael Sheehy 5+50880
 2 (3)  Wayne Hubbard +75700
 3 (3)  Karl-Yngve Lund 2+70695
 4 (2)  Rutland Gooner 3+10655
 5 (5) sensisoccerworld 10460


 
Saturday December 10

Watford v Everton

12.30pm GMT, Vicarage Road, Watford 

Watford lost 3-1 away to West Brom last week and dropped into the bottom half of the table as a result. They have won as many games as they have lost at home and only five other teams have conceded more goals at home. They have lost three of their last four games and conceded 11 goals in the process, but six of those goals were in one game against Liverpool.

Troy Deeney has been the most consistent Watford player for fantasy managers so far.

Everton left it late last week, but they got a point at home to United thanks to a last minute penalty. They have lost four of their seven away games and have only scored seven goals in those games. They have only won once in their last nine games and have only scored twice in the last four.

I just can't see any Everton players doing the business for fantasy managers at the moment.

I think this will be a close game and a draw is probably the most likely outcome.

Prediction: 1-1

Arsenal v Stoke City

3pm GMT, Emirates Stadium, London

Arsenal put five past West Ham last week away from home to move up to second in the table. They have taken 14 points from their seven home games with only Chelsea and Liverpool scoring more goals at home. They are unbeaten since the opening day, but they haven't kept a clean sheet in their last five.

Alexis Sanchez is on fire at the moment and is a must have for fantasy managers while Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott and the Arsenal defenders haven't done too badly either. 

Stoke beat Burnley 2-0 last week and that victory moved them into the top half of the table. They have only won twice in their seven away games, but only five other teams have a better defensive record on the road. They have only lost once in their last nine games and have won five of their last seven with four clean sheets in those seven games.

Stoke's defenders have done well recently for fantasy managers, but they could suffer in this game.

I think Stoke will do their best to make things tough for Arsenal, but the home team should prevail.

Prediction: 3-1

Burnley v Bournemouth 

3pm GMT, Turf Moor, Burnley

Burnley lost 2-0 away to Stoke last week, but they're a very different team at home. They have taken 13 of their 14 points at home and scored 11 of their 12 goals on their home patch too. They have lost their last three games and conceded eight goals in the process and they could do with getting something from this game.

Tom Heaton has done very well for fantasy managers so far and Burnley players do pretty well in their home games at least.

Bournemouth put in a brilliant performance to come from 3-1 down to win 4-3 at home to Liverpool last week. They have only won once in their seven away games and only two other teams have scored less goals away from home. They have won two of their last three games, but they have conceded six goals in their last two games.

Calum Wilson seems to be back on track and fantasy managers could do worse than having him in their team while their defenders continue to do well thanks to their attacking contributions despite the amount of goals they concede.

This isn't an easy game to call, but I have a feeling the spoils will be shared.

Prediction: 2-2

Hull City v Crystal Palace 

3pm GMT, KC Stadium, Hull

Hull lost 1-0 away to Boro last week and are looking more likely to be relegated as each week goes by. Only Swansea have a worse record at home than Hull and no other team has scored less goals at home. They have only taken five points from their last 12 games and haven't kept a clean sheet in those 12 games.

Despite how poor Hull have been Robert Snodgrass has still done well for fantasy managers and is certainly worth considering.

Palace got a convincing 3-0 win at home to Southampton last week to relieve the pressure on Alan Pardew. They have taken as many points away as they have at home, but only Leicester and Hull have conceded more goals on their travels. They had lost six in a row before last week's win and they kept their first clean sheet of the season last week too.

Christian Benteke has three goals in his last two games since I dropped him from my fantasy team and he could be worth considering for fantasy managers.

I think Palace will have enough in attack to get the better of a Hull team who look destined for the drop.

Prediction: 1–2

Swansea City v Sunderland 

3pm GMT, Liberty Stadium, Swansea

Swansea were well beaten away to Spurs last week and dropped back to the foot of the table as a result. They have only taken five points from their seven home games and no other team has conceded more goals at home. They have lost nine of their last 13 games and have conceded 16 goals in their last five games.

Despite Swansea's current league position Gylfi Sigurdsson is still a very good choice for fantasy managers.

Sunderland won at home to Leicester last week and they continue to climb the table, but they're still in the bottom three. They have only won once in their seven away games and only Burnley have scored less goals away from home. They have won three of their last four games, but they have only kept one clean sheet in their 14 games so far.

Jermain Defoe continues to do the business for fantasy managers and is definitely worth considering.

This is a real relegation six pointer and I think it might just go the way of Sunderland.

Prediction: 1-2

Leicester City v Manchester City

5.30pm GMT, King Power Stadium, Leicester 

Leicester lost again last week when they went down 2-1 away to Sunderland and they slipped even closer to the relegation zone. They have only lost one of their seven home games and it's only that home form that has kept them out of the relegation zone. They have only taken two points in their last five games and haven't kept a clean sheet in their last seven.

Riyad Mahrez is the Leicester player most likely to do well for fantasy managers and surely one of them must do that quite soon.

City lost at home to Chelsea last week and they had two players sent off in the process. They have won more away games than any other team and only Arsenal have scored more goals away from home. They have only won three of their last eight games and have only kept one clean sheet in their last nine.

With Sergio Aguero suspended for four games the City player most likely to impress is Kevin de Bruyne with Kelechi Iheanacho an outside bet.

I think City will be too good for Leicester even without Aguero and will win by a couple of goals.

Prediction: 1-3

Sunday December 11

Chelsea v West Bromwich Albion

12pm GMT, Stamford Bridge, London

Chelsea won away to City last week and increased their lead at the top of the table to three points. They have won more home games and scored more home goals than any other team while no other team has conceded less goals at home. They have won their last eight games and only conceded two goals in the process with only Spurs conceding less goals so far.

Diego Costa and Eden Hazard are the stand out Chelsea players for fantasy managers while their defenders have done really well as have Victor Moses and Nemanja Matic.

West Brom beat Watford last week and they're up to seventh in the table only one point behind United. They have only lost two of their seven away games and only two other teams have a better defensive record away from home. They have taken 10 points in their last four games, but it will be a tall order for them to get anything from this game.

Matt Phillips has looked very good for fantasy managers recently while Gareth McAuley and Ben Foster haven't done too badly either, but they might not do too well in this game.

I think Chelsea will continue their winning ways in this game and continue to pile the pressure on the teams chasing them.

Prediction: 2-0

Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur 

2.15pm GMT, Old Trafford, Manchester 

United looked to have taken the three points at Everton last week, but a last minute penalty meant they had to settle for a draw. They have only won two of their seven home games and have drawn the last four at home in a row. They have only won once in their last eight games and they're already 13 points off the top of the table.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has hit some form in the last few games, but he costs an awful lot for fantasy managers.

Spurs thrashed Swansea 5-0 last week to keep in touch with the top four, but they need to get something out of this game too. They have only lost one of their seven away games, but they have drawn four of them and only Arsenal have a better defensive record away from home. They have only won two of their last seven games, but they do have the best defensive record in the league.

Harry Kane and Dele Alli look like the best fantasy choices in the Spurs team with their defenders worth considering too.

I think this will be another very close game and the chances are it will end in a draw.

Prediction: 1-1

Southampton v Middlesbrough 

2.15pm GMT, St. Mary's Stadium, Southampton 

Southampton were well beaten away to Palace last week and the sheer volume of games they have played could be catching up on them. They have only lost one of their seven home games, but only Boro and Hull have scored less goals at home and only three other teams have conceded less goals at home. They have only won once in their last six games and only two other teams have scored less goals than them.

Charlie Austin has been the best Southampton player for fantasy managers, but their lack of goals makes it hard to pick their attacking players and their defenders have done quite well too.

Boro beat Hull 1-0 last week and those three points moved them four points clear of the relegation zone. They have only lost once in their seven away games, but they have only won once too with no other team drawing as many away games. They have only lost one of their last six games and they kept clean sheets in three of those games.

The Boro defenders haven't done badly in recent weeks and look to be the best fantasy bets in their team.

I think this could be a low scoring game and Southampton might just win by the only goal.

Prediction: 1-0

Liverpool v West Ham United

4.30pm GMT, Anfield, Liverpool

Liverpool looked to be cruising to a win at Bournemouth last week, but they somehow managed to lose 4-3 and dropped back to third place. They are one of only three teams unbeaten at home and only Chelsea have scored more goals at home. That defeat at Bournemouth was their first one in 12 games and they're the top scorers in the league so far.

With Phillippe Coutinho injured it looks like Sadio Mane could be the Liverpool player to have for fantasy managers with Roberto Frimino and Adam Lallana looking good too.

West Ham were well beaten at home by Arsenal last week and they need to turn things around quickly or Slaven Bilic could find himself in a spot of bother. They have only won once in their seven away games with only Leicester, Hull and Palace conceding more goals on the road. They have only taken two points in their last five games and they conceded 12 goals in those games.

Dimitri Payet still looks like the West Ham player most likely to succeed for fantasy managers.

I think Liverpool should put last week's disappointment behind them and win this game with a few goals to spare.

Prediction: 3-1

That's it for this week.

See you next week.

1 comment:

  1. Everton will meet Arsenal in today's game played at Goodison Park Stadium. In their last meeting, Arsenal won the match with 0-2. I wonder if Wenger's team prepared us with a surprise for today. Based on the past results of the two teams, I would expect for Arsenal to perform well during this meeting and win this game. It should be interesting to see if Alexis Sánchez will score during this match as he has a good average in terms of goals scored / match. If you have some knowledge regarding football, you can share your opinion using the Betsafe review.

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