Predictions For Premier League Gameweek 16

It’s that time of the week again when I attempt to predict the outcomes of the upcoming Premier League games. I did reasonably well last week with one perfect prediction, five correct outcomes and four incorrect outcomes which left me still sitting on top of my predictions league. Here’s a look at how the top five in that league stands.

Rank	Player	Res	Cls	Exa	Slm	Pts
1 -	JamrockRover	24	39	48	9	120.0
2 -	Sam	25	37.5	45	8	115.5
3 -	Dk Jones	31	36	36	7	110.0
4 -	IAMC0Le	29	42	15	5	91.0
5 -	solo97	18	42	27	3	90.0

Monday December 28

Crystal Palace v Leicester City 

3pm GMT, Selhurst Park, London 

Palace lost 3-0 away to Villa on Saturday as their festive nightmare continued and they dropped to 14th place. They have only taken one point in their last three home games and they conceded 10 goals in those games with only West Brom conceding more goals at home. They have lost four of their last seven games with only Leeds and West Brom conceding more goals.

I can’t see any Palace players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.

Leicester twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at home to United on Saturday and they’re still only four points off the top of the table. They have won six of their seven away games with only United scoring more goals on the road. They have taken 10 points from their last five games and only three other teams have scored more goals.

Jamie Vardy is the Leicester player of choice for fantasy managers while James Maddison has improved in recent weeks too.

I think this will be a fairly close game, but Leicester’s away record suggests they will take the three points.

Prediction: 1-2

Chelsea v Aston Villa

5.30pm GMT, Stamford Bridge, London 

Chelsea lost 3-1 away to Arsenal on Saturday to drop down to eighth place in the table. They have taken 10 points and scored 10 goals in their last four home games with only Liverpool taking more points and scoring more goals at home. They have lost three of their last four games, but those defeats were all away from home.

Chelsea’s defenders and keeper had being doing very well for fantasy managers until recently and they’re still worth considering if they can regain that form.

Villa won 3-0 at home to Palace on Saturday to move up to seventh place with games in hand on all of the teams above them. They have won five of their six away games and they kept clean sheets in each of those victories and no other team has conceded less goals on their travels. They have taken 10 points from their last four games and didn’t concede any goals in those games with only City conceding less goals.

There are so many Villa players doing well for fantasy managers at the moment with Jack Grealish, Emiliano Martinez, Ollie Watkins, Anwar El Ghazi and Bertrand Traore currently the best of them.

I think Villa will give Chelsea a real run for their money, but Chelsea might just take the three points.

Prediction: 2-1

Everton v Manchester City 

8pm GMT, Goodison Park, Liverpool 

Everton won 1-0 away to Sheffield United on Saturday to move up to second place and they’re only three points behind Liverpool. Only three other teams have taken more points at home and only two other teams have scored more goals at home. They have won their last four games to move up to second place and they only conceded one goal in those games. 

On current form it’s the Everton keeper and defenders who are impressing for fantasy managers while Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s output has fallen off in recent weeks.

City won 2-0 at home to Newcastle on Saturday and they’re only six points off the top of the table with a game in hand. They have only lost one of their seven away games with only Villa conceding less goals on the road. They have taken 14 points from their last six games and they only conceded one goal in those games with no other team conceding less goals.

Raheem Sterling seems to be doing well for fantasy managers at the moment, but it’s City’s keeper and defenders who are the most impressive.

I think this will be a very close game and I wouldn’t be surprised if the spoils were shared.

Prediction: 1-1

Tuesday December 29

Brighton And Hove Albion v Arsenal 

6pm GMT, AMEX Stadium, Brighton 

Brighton twice led against West Ham on Sunday, but they had to settle for a 2-2 draw and they’re still only two points above the bottom three. They’re one of only two teams without a home win, but no other team has drawn more games at home. They have drawn their last three games and they haven’t won in six games with no other team drawing more games.

I can’t see any Brighton players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.

Arsenal won 3-1 at home to Chelsea on Saturday to put an end to a very bad run of results, but they’re still in 15th place. They have only taken one point and scored one goal in their last three away games with only Burnley and Sheffield United scoring less goals on the road. The win against Chelsea was their first win in eight games and had only scored four goals in their 10 games before that victory.

If they can play like they did against Chelsea then both Hector Bellerin and Kieran Tierney might just come back on the radar for fantasy managers.

I think Arsenal’s fortunes will continue to improve with a narrow victory in this game.

Prediction: 1-2

Burnley v Sheffield United 

6pm GMT, Turf Moor, Burnley 

Burnley lost 1-0 away to Leeds on Sunday, but they’re still two points above the relegation zone. They have taken seven points from their last three home games with no other team conceding less or scoring less goals at home. They have only lost two of their last eight games and they kept clean sheets in four of those games, but no other team has scored less goals.

Burnley’s defenders and keeper are looking pretty good for fantasy managers at the moment.

United lost 1-0 at home to Everton on Saturday and they’re still rooted to the foot of the table 11 points from safety. They’re one of only two teams without an away win and no other team has taken less points or scored less goals on their travels. They have lost 13 of their 15 games and they need to turn things around very quickly or their season will be beyond redemption.

I can’t see any United players to interest fantasy managers at the moment.

I think Burnley will be good enough to take the three points and pile even more pressure on United.

Prediction: 1-0

Southampton v West Ham United 

6pm GMT, St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton 

Southampton drew 0-0 away to Fulham on Saturday and they dropped to ninth place, but they’re only two points off the top four. They have lost two of their last three home games, but they were against the two Manchester clubs. They haven’t won in three games and they only scored one goal in those games and they play two of the top three in their next three games.

With Jannik Vestergaard injured it looks like James McCarthy, Jan Bednarek and James Ward-Prowse are the Southampton players to have for fantasy managers.

West Ham twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at home to Brighton on Sunday and that was enough to keep them in the top half of the table. They have won two of their last three away games and they have scored as many goals as they have conceded on the road. They have only won once in their last five games, but they only play one of the big six in their next nine games.

Lukasz Fabianski and Jarrod Bowen are the West Ham players who can do well for fantasy managers with the rest of their defenders worth considering too.

I think this will be a very close game with a draw probably the most likely outcome.

Prediction: 1-1

West Bromwich Albion v Leeds United 

6pm GMT, The Hawthorns, Birmingham 

West Brom drew 1-1 away to table topping Liverpool on Sunday, but they’re still second from bottom in the table and five points from safety. Only Sheffield United have lost more home games and no other team has conceded more goals at home. They have only taken two points from their last five games and they conceded 12 goals in those games with no other team conceding more goals.

I can’t see any West Brom players to recommend to fantasy managers at the moment.

Leeds won 1-0 at home to Burnley on Sunday and they’re now only two points off the top half of the table. They have lost three of their last four away games and they conceded 13 goals in those games with no other team conceding more goals away from home. They are the highest scoring team in the bottom half of the table, but no other team has conceded more goals.

Illan Meslier, Stuart Dallas and Patrick Bamford are all doing very well for fantasy managers at the moment.

I think this will be another very close game with Leeds more than likely taking the three points.

Prediction: 1-2

Manchester United v Wolverhampton Wanderers 

8pm GMT, Old Trafford, Manchester 

United led twice at Leicester on Saturday, but they had to settle for a 2-2 draw which was enough to keep them in the top four. They have taken seven points from their last three home games and they kept clean sheets in two of those games. They have taken 20 points from their last eight games with only Liverpool scoring more goals.

Bruno Fernandes continues to make himself a must have for fantasy managers while Marcus Rashford is a pretty good option too.

Wolves drew 1-1 at home to Spurs on Sunday and they’re only one point off the top half of the table. They have lost three of their last four away games and only two other teams have scored less goals on the road. They have only taken four points from their last five games with only the bottom four teams scoring less goals.

I can’t see any Wolves players who might make a difference for fantasy managers at the moment.

I think Wolves will give United a tough challenge, but United will take the three points.

Prediction: 2-1

Wednesday December 30

Tottenham Hotspur v Fulham 

6pm GMT, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London 

Spurs drew 1-1 away to Wolves on Sunday and they’re still only one point off the top four. They lost their last home game against Leicester after winning the previous three and only three other teams have conceded less goals at home. They have only taken two points from their last four games, but only two other teams have conceded less goals.

Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son are the Spurs players to have for fantasy managers, buy their output has fallen in recent weeks.

Fulham drew 0-0 at home to Southampton on Saturday and they’re still within two points of the relative safety of 17th place. They have taken four points from their last three away games, but only two other teams have taken less points away from home. They have only lost once in their last six games and they have drawn their last four, but they need to turn some of those draws into wins.

Despite their recent improvement I still can’t see any Fulham players who might interest fantasy managers.

I think Spurs will pile more misery on Fulham by winning this game with a couple of goals to spare.

Prediction: 3-1

Newcastle United v Liverpool 

8pm GMT, St. James’ Park, Newcastle 

Newcastle lost 2-0 away to City on Saturday, but they’re still safely in mid-table and seven points above the bottom three. They have taken seven points from their last four home games, but only two other teams have conceded more goals at home. They have only taken one point from their last three games and they conceded eight goals in those games.

If Callum Wilson is fit to play he’s the only Newcastle player for fantasy managers to consider.

Liverpool could only draw 1-1 at home to West Brom on Sunday, but they’re still three points clear at the top of the table. They won their last away game by seven goals, but they drew the previous four and no other team has drawn more away games. They’re unbeaten in 11 games, but they drew five of them and no other team has scored more goals.

Mohamed Salah is still the best of the Liverpool players for fantasy managers with Sadio Mane and Andy Robertson very good options too.

I can’t see anything other than a comfortable Liverpool victory in this game.

Prediction: 0-3

That’s it for this week.

See you next week.