Chelsea thrash Stoke, Man City make it 19 wins in a row and Liverpool too good for Leicester: Premier League predictions

Ahead of the 21st round of games in England's top flight, here is a look at the fixtures and what to expect.

It is the third set of fixtures in the Premier League's hectic festive period.

There are only nine games in this round of games owing to Tottenham Hotspur postponing their game with West Ham United until January 4.

It is the last games of 2017 for the teams and there are plenty of narratives at the top and bottom of the table.

Bournemouth 1 Everton 2

Why? It is worrying times for Eddie Howe's side. Bournemouth are without a win in nine games and in the relegation zone. Going up against a confident Everton, who are unbeaten under Sam Allardyce is not a good match-up and this could be more misery for Howe.

Chelsea 3 Stoke City 0

Why? Stoke are struggling under Mark Hughes and Chelsea are finding their consistency again after a mixed start to the season. Alvaro Morata and Eden Hazard will be too much for the Stoke backline to handle.

Huddersfield Town 0 Burnley 2

Why? Sean Dyche's Burnley continue to surprise with their tenacity and they were seconds away from a famous win at Manchester United on Boxing Day. The goals of Ashley Barnes have kept their momentum up and they will be confident of another three points at Huddersfield.

Liverpool 3 Leicester City 1

Why? After a promising upturn in form under Claude Puel, Leicester have had a poor festive period with two losses. What ever you think of Liverpool defensively, their goal threat is immense with 12 goals in their past three games. With Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Philippe Coutinho in great form, more goals should come here.

Newcastle United 1 Brighton and Hove Albion 0

Why? Newcastle could take heart from a gutsy effort in losing to Manchester City, and Rafa Benitez's men will look to build on that against low-scoring Brighton, who have not scored on their travels in their past four games.

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Watford 2 Swansea City 1

Why? Watford ended a dismal run of one point from six games with a win over Leicester on Tuesday. They rode their luck in winning that game, but they still should have too much quality for bottom side Swansea, who have a new manager in Carlos Carvalhal.

Manchester United 3 Southampton 0

Why? It is has not been a great December for Manchester United but they will fancy their chances of putting a few past an out-of-form Southampton. Romelu Lukaku scored the only goal when the sides met earlier in the season and he will be confident of adding to his goal tally here.

Crystal Palace 1 Manchester City 3

Why? There seems to be no sign of City slowing down. They are on 18 wins in a row and there is no reason why No 19 does not come on Sunday as while Palace have improved under Roy Hodgson, they are unlikely to be able to cope with Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero.

West Bromwich Albion 0 Arsenal 2

Why? Alexis Sanchez scored twice in Arsenal's 3-2 win at Crystal Palace on Thursday and the Chilean's return to goalscoring form is potentially bad news for West Brom, who have not won in the league since August 19 and that run will not change on Sunday.

Updated: December 29, 2017, 7:21 AM