Graham Caygill attempts to predict the outcome of the first set of Premier League fixtures of 2016.
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West Ham United 1 Liverpool 1
Liverpool have struggled for consistency so far under Jurgen Klopp, but they have gained some momentum with the wins over Leicester City and Sunderland in the past two games. West Ham may have only won once in the past two months, but they are hard to beat, losing only two of their past nine games, and another draw for the London side is in the offing.
Arsenal 3 Newcastle United 0
With Mesut Ozil in superb form at present this should be an one-sided encounter as the joint league leaders will be far too good for struggling Newcastle. If Arsenal score early expect this to be an emphatic win with Newcastle’s shaky backline unlikely to be able to cope with the London side’s intricate passing.
Leicester 2 Bournemouth 1
Leicester, the surprise package of the season, should continue to keep up their unlikely title challenge, here. Though they have not won in their past two games, the joint leaders have still played well, and Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez will fancy their chances against a solid Bournemouth, whose backline will always allow opportunities.
Manchester United 1 Swansea City 0
The winless run may have continued for United against Chelsea on Monday as they drew, but there were some shoots of optimism for Louis van Gaal as United played with more energy then had been the case for a long time. Have they turned the corner? Probably not, but inspired by Anthony Martial they should have too much for lowly Swansea.
Norwich City 1 Southampton 0
Southampton have failed to reach the heights of last season, though frustratingly for their fans, the form is still there, as was demonstrated in the 4-0 thrashing of Arsenal last Saturday. Norwich’s home form has kept them competitive, they have not lost on home turf since October, and Alex Neil’s side should have the confidence to follow up their recent wins over Man United and Aston Villa with another one here.
Sunderland 2 Aston Villa 0
The meeting of the two worst sides in the league. Sunderland are seven points adrift of safety and Villa 11, and while I am reluctant to label a game a must-win with half a season still to go, a loss for either side will be another big setback. You have to fancy Sunderland of the two here. In Jermain Defoe they still have a class forward, and while they do not score many goals, the team does not concede many, at home at least, so they should win this encounter.
West Bromwich Albion 0 Stoke City 1
Stoke have rebounded well from the disappointment of losing to a last-minute goal at home to Crystal Palace two weeks ago, and Mark Hughes’s side deserved their wins against Manchester United and Everton. While Xherdan Shaqiri hogged the limelight with his two goals on Monday, Jack Butland has been excellent in goal for Stoke and he will expect another clean sheet in a third win in a row here.
Watford 1 Manchester City 2
Watford’s Odion Ighalo will aim to score in a seventh success league game on Saturday and will fancy his chances against a City backline that fails to convince without the injured Vincent Kompany. But City should have the firepower to outscore Watford and keep the pressure on Arsenal and Leicester at the top.
Crystal Palace 1 Chelsea 2
It may not have been immediately apparent, with two draws in their past two games, but Chelsea, under Guus Hiddink, are improving. With Diego Costa looking back to his best as he scored two against Watford, before missing the Manchester United draw with suspension, the Spaniard will be fresh here and will cause Palace considerable problems. Palace have had a great first half to the season, but Chelsea may just have too much for them here.
Everton 1 Tottenham Hotspur 2
This should be fun, with two sides who play good football and have contributed to an entertaining first half of the season. Tottenham are a tough nut to crack on their travels, having not lost since the opening day of the season on the road, and with Harry Kane and Dele Alli in great form they should make it four wins in a row in this match.
