With crucial fixtures coming up for teams down at the bottom and at the top of the table, which sides can start the New Year on a high?
Saturday 30th December
Luton Town vs Chelsea (KO: 12.30pm UK, 07.30am EST)
Chelsea will be looking for an important win at Luton on Saturday to reignite their campaign which can be described by many as underwhelming.
Luton will prove to be a tough test for the blues following their recent performances at Kenilworth Road against Newcastle, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Despite losing the last two, Luton fans can take great encouragement from the performances their side showed and may feel a sense of optimism going into this game.
Chelsea will feel confident going into the game with Luton only keeping one clean sheet in the Premier League this season and conceding on average 1.9 goals per game which is the 18th worst in the league.
With Chelsea having 38.6 expected goals this season, a statistic that is only bettered by Newcastle, Chelsea fans should expect many chances against a Luton side that is prone to leaking chances.
In the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge in August, Chelsea swept past Luton with a 3-0 victory.
A win for Chelsea will keep them in tenth and a win for Luton will move them up to 16th and would further enhance their survival hopes.
Goals Conceded:
- 16. Nottingham Forest = 34
- 17. Fulham = 34
- 18. Luton = 34
- 19. Burnley = 38
- 20. Sheffield United = 47
Expected Goals:
- 1. Newcastle = 39.1
- 2. Chelsea = 38.4
- 3. Liverpool = 37.8
- 4. Arsenal = 35.4
- 5. Manchester City = 35.2
Aston Villa vs Burnley (KO: 15.00pm UK, 10.00am EST)
Aston Villa will be looking to further increase their chances of UEFA Champions League qualification with a victory against Burnley at Villa Park on Saturday.
Villa are currently unbeaten at home in the league this season so Burnley will have to be at their absolute best to take any points away from their claret and blue rivals.
Ollie Watkins will be looking for his tenth goal of the season this Saturday which would mean he would only be five goals behind his season’s best in the Premier league.
Only placing behind Manchester City, Aston Villa have scored 40 goals this season and have only conceded 25 goals which is the seventh best in the whole division. So, all the statistics are pointing towards a home win.
With Burnley’s stat of only conjuring up 16.4 expected goals this season (the second lowest in the league), fans may have cause for concern when they travel to Aston Villa.
In the reverse fixture at Turf Moor in August, Aston Villa comfortably won 3-1.
A win for Aston Villa could put them level with Liverpool at the top of the table, and a win for Burnley could allow them to put pressure on those around the drop zone.
Goals Scored:
- 1. Manchester City = 43
- 2. Aston Villa = 40
- 3. Liverpool = 39
- 4. Tottenham = 39
Goals Conceded:
- 6. Everton = 25
- 7. Aston Villa = 25
- 8. Tottenham = 28
- 9. Crystal Palace = 28
Expected Goals:
- 17. Nottingham Forest = 23.3
- 18. Luton = 17.2
- 19. Burnley = 16.4
- 20. Sheffield United = 16.2
Crystal Palace vs Brentford (KO: 15.00pm UK, 10.00am EST)
Without a win in eight Premier League games, Crystal Palace will be looking to secure a victory at home to Brentford at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
With both teams hovering above the relegation zone, a win will be crucial to both of their seasons.
This season, the main talking point about Crystal Palace has been the lack of goals.
Only Burnley and Sheffield United have scored fewer goals and both of those teams are sat in the relegation zone.
On the flip side, Crystal Palace have attained five clean sheets in the league.
This is only two clean sheets behind Arsenal, Newcastle, and Liverpool who each have seven.
Brentford are also struggling for wins and are four without victory so they will be looking to turn the tide against The Eagles.
They will once again be without their most influential duo Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo, which is evidently causing problems for them this season.
With both teams struggling for form, this game will be pivotal for each side as they will want to build some momentum and drag themselves away from the relegation zone.
In the reverse fixture in August, it was a closely contested 1-1 draw at the Gtech Community Stadium.
With a win, both sides have the opportunity to leapfrog Fulham into 13th place.
Goals Scored:
- 16. Luton = 21
- 17. Manchester United = 21
- 18. Crystal Palace = 19
- 19. Burnley = 18
- 20. Sheffield United = 15
Clean Sheets:
- 4. Everton = 6
- 5. Manchester United = 6
- 6. Crystal Palace = 5
- 7. Fulham = 5
- 8. Bournemouth = 5
Brentford’s Last Five Results:
- Brentford 1-4 Wolves
- Brentford 1-2 Aston Villa
- Sheffield United 1-0 Brentford
- Brighton 2-1 Brentford
- Brentford 3-1 Luton
Manchester City vs Sheffield United (KO: 15.00pm UK, 10.00am EST)
Manchester City will be looking to get back to winning ways in the Premier League when they host Sheffield United at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
With only one win in their last five Premier League games, City fans will be expecting their team to bounce back against the blades considering Chris Wilder’s side’s recent results.
With only one win in their last five, Blades fans will be worried going into this fixture against the Premier League champions.
If fit, Erling Haaland will be looking to score his 15th goal of the season. He has not scored in the Premier League since the 1-1 draw against Liverpool at the Etihad in late November.
The home side will be clear favorites for this fixture as they are the team who have scored the most goals and rank third in goals conceded this season.
Wilder’s men are the opposite of this and have scored the least number of goals and conceded the most.
So, all the stats weigh heavily in favor of Guardiola’s side.
An expected win for Manchester City can put them above Arsenal and into second place, and only two points behind league leaders Liverpool.
A win for Sheffield United would keep them in the relegation zone but will reduce the gap to safety to four points.
Top Scorers:
- 1. Erling Haaland = 14
- 2. Dominic Solanke = 12
- 3. Mohamed Salah = 12
- 4. Jarrod Bowen = 11
- 5. Heung-Min Son = 11
Goals Scored:
- 1. Manchester City = 43
- 2. Aston Villa = 40
- 3. Liverpool = 39
- 4. Tottenham = 39
- 5. Brighton = 38
- 16. Luton = 21
- 17. Manchester United = 21
- 18. Crystal Palace = 19
- 19. Burnley = 18
- 20. Sheffield United = 15
Goals Conceded:
- 1. Liverpool = 16
- 2. Arsenal = 18
- 3. Manchester City = 21
- 4. Manchester United = 25
- 5. Newcastle = 25
- 16. Nottingham Forest = 34
- 17. Fulham = 34
- 18. Luton = 34
- 19. Burnley = 38
- 20. Sheffield United = 47
Wolves vs Everton (KO: 15.00pm UK, 10.00am EST)
An important game at the bottom of the table as Wolves host Everton at the Molineux on Saturday.
Everton are currently one of the most in form teams in the division after winning three of their last five games which could be a concern for Gary O’Neil’s men.
Without the ten-point deduction Everton suffered, The Toffees would be sitting in the top ten as it stands which shows how well Sean Dyche and his side have done this season.
Surprisingly despite the intimidating atmosphere at Goodison Park, Everton have picked up more points on the road this season than at home, which will give the blues even more belief that they can leave Wolverhampton with some points.
The Premier League ever-presents have proven that they have a strong defense as they have only conceded 25 goals this season which ranks them sixth in the league.
They have also kept six clean sheets which is only one behind the stat leaders Liverpool, Newcastle, and Arsenal.
On the other hand, Wolves have gathered 15/25 points at home this season, so they will be looking for the atmosphere at the Molineux to pull them to a great result on Saturday.
A win for Wolves could jump them into tenth place, and a win for Everton could take them into 14th place and will establish some daylight between them and the drop zone.
Goals Conceded:
- 5. Newcastle = 25
- 6. Manchester United = 25
- 7. Everton = 25
- 8. Aston Villa = 25
- 9. Crystal Palace = 28
Clean Sheets:
- 2. Newcastle = 7
- 3. Arsenal = 7
- 4. Everton = 6
- 5. Manchester United = 6
- 6. Crystal Palace = 5
Wolves’ Last Five Home Games:
- Wolves 2-1 Chelsea
- Wolves 1-1 Nottingham Forest
- Wolves 1-0 Burnley
- Wolves 2-1 Tottenham
- Wolves 2-2 Newcastle
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United (KO: 17.30pm UK, 12.30pm EST)
An important game for both sides on Saturday as Manchester United travel to the City Ground to face off against Nuno Espirito Santo’s men.
Forest come into this fixture off the back of a very impressive display against Newcastle at St James’ Park on Tuesday and will be looking to add a victory against a struggling Manchester United side to maintain momentum.
United themselves also come into this victory after an impressive comeback victory against highflyers Aston Villa but know they need to keep those results coming for them to finish in the UEFA Champions League positions this season.
With Nuno newly at the wheel, Forest fans will be hoping for more impressive performances in comparison to the start of the season as they place low down on most metrics this season.
Only Sheffield United, Luton and Everton have had less average possession this season, so you can expect United to have a lot of the ball in this one.
United will be hoping to continue their fine scoring form against Aston Villa into this game as before then, they had gone three Premier League matches without scoring a goal.
In fact, only Crystal Palace, Burnley and Sheffield United have scored less than The Red Devils this season.
A win for United will jump them up to sixth place and will increase the pressure on those ahead of them to perform so they can qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
A win for Forest can place them into 14th and give them some breathing space from the drop zone.
Average Possession:
- 15. Crystal Palace = 42.5%
- 16. West Ham = 40.5%
- 17. Nottingham Forest = 39.2%
- 18. Everton = 38.8%
- 19. Sheffield United = 36.7%
Goals Scored:
- 15. Nottingham Forest = 22
- 16. Luton = 21
- 17. Manchester United = 21
- 18. Crystal Palace = 19
- 19. Burnley = 18
Sunday 31st December
Fulham vs Arsenal (KO: 14.00pm UK, 9.00am EST)
An important game at the top of the table with Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal travelling to Marco Silva’s Fulham on Sunday.
Fulham come into this one following a 3-0 defeat away at Bournemouth on Tuesday so Silva will be looking to bounce back strongly against a strong Arsenal side.
Since their back-to-back 5-0 victories against Nottingham Forest and West Ham, they have been unable to find the target or any points after falling to convincing defeats against Newcastle, Burnley, and Bournemouth.
Fulham’s main problem this season has been giving up opportunities too easily to the opposition as they have conceded 33.4 expected goals this season.
Only Sheffield United, Luton Town and Manchester United have conceded more chances.
Arsenal come into this one after a few underwhelming and unconvincing performances recently, but they have still managed to grind out results which people say is the making of potential champions.
With the second best defense in the league, Arteta’s side will come into this game confident.
As Fulham are guilty of gifting chances very easily, Arsenal has the firepower in their frontline to punish Fulham and keep them on track to finally win the Premier League for the first time in 20 years.
A win for Fulham will keep them 13th place, and a win for Arsenal will take them to the top of the table and keep the pressure on those around them.
Expected Goals Conceded:
- 1. Sheffield United = 38.2
- 2. Luton Town = 38.2
- 3. Tottenham = 34.1
- 4. Fulham = 33.4
- 5. West Ham = 33.4
Goals Conceded:
- 1. Liverpool = 16
- 2. Arsenal = 16
- 3. Manchester City = 21
- 4. Newcastle = 25
Tottenham vs Bournemouth (KO: 14.00pm UK, 9.00am EST)
Unbeaten in their last seven Premier League games, Bournemouth will look to continue that run when they travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
This is a fixture that often provides us with a winner as there has not been a draw in this fixture in their last three meetings.
Iraola’s side come into this fixture unbeaten in their last four away matches so they can feel a cause for optimism when they take on Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs side.
However, Tottenham know where the back of the net is.
They are ranked fourth in goals scored this season so Bournemouth’s defense will have to stay alert the whole game if they are going to leave London with any kind of result.
Heung-Min Son for Tottenham and Dominic Solanke for Bournemouth will be the key players in this fixture with the Spurs forward producing 11 Premier League goals this season, and the Bournemouth man producing 12 so all eyes will be on them to see who can be the game changer.
A win for Tottenham could put them above Aston Villa and Manchester City and catapult them into third place.
A victory for Bournemouth will place them above Wolves and Chelsea and into ninth, which would highlight how impressive Bournemouth have been this season.
Last Three Meetings:
- Bournemouth 0-2 Tottenham
- Tottenham 2-3 Bournemouth
- Bournemouth 2-3 Tottenham
Goals Scored:
- 2. Aston Villa = 40
- 3. Liverpool = 39
- 4. Tottenham = 39
- 5. Brighton = 38
- 6. Newcastle = 37
Top Scorers:
- 1. Erling Haaland = 14
- 2. Dominic Solanke = 12
- 3. Mohamed Salah = 12
- 4. Jarrod Bowen = 11
- 5. Heung-Min Son = 11
Monday 1st January
Liverpool vs Newcastle (KO: 20.00pm UK, 15.00pm EST)
A big game for both sides on New Year’s Day as Newcastle travel to Anfield to face Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
The Reds come into this one following a comfortable 2-0 victory away at Burnley and will be looking to continue their charge towards the Premier League title when they host Eddie Howe’s side.
Newcastle have struggled with both injuries and fatigue this season and that has shown in some of their recent performances.
They have only won one of their last five Premier League games and lost the four remaining games including a shocking defeat away at Luton.
This will be a tough test for The Magpies as Liverpool currently rank third in goals scored this season and have the joint most clean sheets so taking any points away from Anfield will be very impressive.
Newcastle will be looking to be the first team to beat Liverpool at Anfield this season showing how difficult it is to play against the atmosphere at Anfield.
A win for Liverpool will put pressure on Arsenal and those around them as they look to continue their push for glory.
Newcastle will be looking for a much-needed win that can help their charge to qualify for European football.
Three points would put them in a good position for achieving European football.
Newcastle’s Last Five Results:
- Newcastle 1-3 Nottingham Forest
- Luton 1-0 Newcastle
- Newcastle 3-0 Fulham
- Tottenham 4-1 Newcastle
- Everton 3-0 Newcastle
Goals Scored:
- 1. Manchester City = 43
- 2. Aston Villa = 40
- 3. Liverpool = 39
- 4. Tottenham = 39
- 5. Brighton = 38
Tuesday 2nd January
West Ham vs Brighton (KO: 19.30pm, 14.30pm EST)
The final game of the New Years fixtures takes place at the London Stadium where David Moyes’ men take on Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton.
West Ham come into this fixture with three wins in their last five Premier League games and will be looking to add another when Brighton come to the capital.
On the other hand, Brighton come to London with two wins in their last five league games, so they will be looking for a strong performance to find a much-needed victory.
This is yet another fixture that proves to always find a winner as there has not been a draw between the two sides in their last four meetings.
Beating West Ham at home will provide to be a stern test for The Seagulls as The Hammers are unbeaten in their last seven homes games.
Brighton have lost four of their nine Premier League away games and only won three this season which highlights Brighton’s struggles on the road.
A win for West Ham will most likely keep them sixth and level on points with Tottenham.
A victory for Brighton could leapfrog them above West Ham and Manchester United into sixth place.
West Ham’s Last Five Results:
- West Ham 3-0 Wolves
- Fulham 5-0 West Ham
- Tottenham 1-2 West Ham
- West Ham 1-1 Crystal Palace
- Arsenal 0-2 West Ham
Brighton’s Last Five Results:
- Arsenal 2-0 Brighton
- Brighton 1-1 Burnley
- Brighton 2-1 Brentford
- Chelsea 3-2 Brighton
- Brighton 4-2 Tottenham
Last Four Meetings:
- Brighton 1-3 West Ham
- Brighton 4-0 West Ham
- West Ham 0-2 Brighton
- Brighton 3-1 West Ham
