Tuesday: (Burnley v Newcastle United, kick-off 11.30pm)
Burnley have somewhat stemmed the tide with two consecutive draws following a torrid run of seven straight defeats. One of those defeats included a 2-1 loss at Newcastle on December 6, and Scott Parker's side remain second bottom and six points from safety.
Eddie Howe's Newcastle came off second best in their trip to Manchester United last time out, with Anthony Gordon and Nick Woltemade in particular looking out of sorts.
Howe called for consistency before that match. He will be looking for the Magpies to get back to winning ways – they have won their last seven against the Clarets.
Prediction: Burnley 0 Newcastle 2
Chelsea v Bournemouth (7.30pm)
Chelsea will be kicking themselves after letting points slip against Aston Villa after leading early through Joao Pedro. The Blues looked world beaters in the first half but fell off a cliff as Ollie Watkins bullied them into submission when introduced in the second half.
That 2-1 defeat left Enzo Maresca's side in fifth place, three points off Liverpool in fourth. But they face in Bournemouth a team that just cannot find a way to win of late. Andoni Iraola's side last tasted victory on October 26 and were hammered 4-1 at Brentford last time out, leaving them 15th in the table.
Prediction: Chelsea 3 Bournemouth 1
Nottingham Forest v Everton (7.30pm)
Another double December fixture following Everton's 3-0 home win over Forest at the start of the month. David Moyes' side have struggled since then with two defeats and a draw to lowly Burnley in their last match, while Forest have also tasted defeat twice, including a 2-1 setback to Manchester City over the weekend.
Victory for Everton could propel them into the top half while Forest, safe in the knowledge of a five-point buffer between them and West Ham in the final relegation spot, will still want to increase that gap further.
Prediction: Forest 1 Everton 1
West Ham v Brighton (7.30pm)
If West Ham are to have any chance of staging a great escape, they need to start putting points on the board. History would suggest that won't happen on Tuesday, with the Hammer boasting a truly awful home record against opponents Brighton, winning none of their eight games (six losses, two draws) in the Premier League era.
Brighton are comfortable in mid-table despite the patchy form that has seen them lose three and draw two of their past five games.
Prediction: West Ham 0 Brighton 2
Arsenal v Aston Villa (Wednesday, 12.15am)
A heavyweight clash as first meets third in the Premier League table.
Arsenal have won four and drawn one of their past five league games but have lost three of their past five matches against Villa. The sense is that Mikel Arteta's side are learning to grind out victories while not at their best. No bad thing when you're pushing for the title.
Villa head to the Emirates Stadium riding an 11-game win streak and believing they have a squad capable of mounting a sustained title push, galvanised by the form of Morgan Rogers and with Ollie Watkins fresh from a two-goal cameo against Chelsea.
Prediction: Arsenal 2 Aston Villa 2
Manchester United v Wolves (Wednesday, 12.15am)
United hammered Wolves 4-1 when they met at Molineux with Bruno Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo among the United goalscorers that day.
Both are missing for the Old Trafford leg of this rivalry, with Fernandes nursing a hamstring injury and Mbeumo away on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Cameroon.
Ruben Amorim's side coped admirably without both in the 1-0 win over Newcastle United, with Patrick Dorgu finding a new lease of life as a right winger.
United should have too much for a hapless Wolves, who have amassed a measly two points from their 18 Premier League games. Rob Edwards' side are 12 points from safety.
Prediction: Man United 3 Wolves 0
Thursday: Crystal Palace v Fulham, 9.30pm
Palace's slide down the table continued on Sunday when they were beaten 1-0 at home by a struggling Tottenham.
The defeat left Oliver Glasner's side ninth in the table, although only three points off the top five.
Fulham, meanwhile, have recorded successive 1-0 victories over Nottingham Forest and West Ham, moving them up to 10th on the same points (26) as Palace.
Prediction: Palace 0 Fulham 1
Brentford v Tottenham Hotspur (midnight, Friday)
Brentford put Bournemouth to the sword on Saturday, putting four goals past the Cherries in an accomplished performance for Keith Andrews' men.
Tottenham rediscovered that winning feeling on Sunday when they claimed a 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace courtesy of 19-year-old Archie Gray's first goal in senior football.
The last time Spurs won in the league before that was a 2-0 win over Brentford on December 6.
Prediction: Brentford 2 Tottenham 1
Sunderland v Manchester City (midnight, Friday)
Depending on what transpires 24 hours earlier, Manchester City could leap to the Premier League summit with a victory over Sunderland.
Pep Guardiola's side are purring at the moment, winning their last five games across competitions, including a 3-0 over Sunderland in early December in which Luke O'Nien saw red for the visitors.
Seventh-place Sunderland could move up to fifth if results go their way.
Prediction: Sunderland 1, Man City 3
