Ahead of a visit from Newcastle United on Saturday, Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna channeled his inner Clement Clarke Moore when he said: “The game before Christmas is always special.”
It proved too painful for Ipswich, who were defeated 4-0 in front of their fans in a celebratory frenzy. Arsenal also emerged as heavy winners on Saturday, moving Crystal Palace to one 5-1 loss which did do not reflect game balance.
Manchester City, meanwhile, will spend Christmas Day outside the top five, trailing division title challengers Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa after Unai Emery's side eased to a 2-1 win over kick off the weekend action.
Liverpool and Chelsea are both in action on an action-packed Sunday at both ends of the table. Here it is 90 minutes best guess for the outcome of these extra special matches.
There are four kick-offs at 2pm on Sunday – tricky enough to deal with when broadcasting deals mandate that only one of them can be shown on British television.
However, Chelsea were in Conference League action on Thursday as they beat Shamrock Rovers to wrap up their league run, but Enzo Maresca was able to rest and spin his Premier League side for a tricky trip to Goodison Park.
Everton frustrated Arsenal last time out and won at Goodison against Wolves before the postponement of the Merseyside derby. It is these types of games that will determine Chelsea's title tilt.
Southampton gave a good account of themselves in the cup on Wednesday and can at least take some hope into their trip to Fulham. The Cottagers have been brilliant so far this season, and this is a great chance for them to put some pressure on the teams immediately above them in the table.
Ruud van Nistelrooy has had a good enough start for him Leicester City tutelage, but the Foxes are surrendering shots at will. Vitor Pereira is confirmed HOW WolvesThe new manager, and he couldn't have asked for a better match to start his reign.
Bournemouth beaten Manchester United at Old Trafford last season, and they could be favorites here. Awesome, huh? The Cherries are in sixth place and unbeaten in four appearances in the league, while united are in 13th place, but only three points off their next opponents.
And finally, Tottenham vs. Liverpool. Get used to it. We will see the two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final between the two clubs in the new year, but before that, the Premier League doubleheader. Spurs are still ravaged by injuries but have shown an ability to adjust and adapt, while the visitors have shown some weakness in recent weeks but remain in a strong position.
|
Departure Time (GMT) |
rectifier |
PREDICTION |
|---|---|---|
|
14:00 |
Everton vs Chelsea |
1-1 |
|
14:00 |
Fulham vs Southampton |
3-1 |
|
14:00 |
Leicester vs Wolves |
1-2 |
|
14:00 |
Man Utd vs Bournemouth |
1-1 |
|
16:30 |
Tottenham vs Liverpool |
2-3 |