Tottenham wallop Sunderland and Liverpool hold out against Chelsea: Premier League predictions

Powered by automated translation

Thomas Woods give his predictions for the midweek Premier League fixtures. Swipe left/right on your browser.

Arsenal 2 Watford 0

Why? Watford are struggling for form, without a win in seven games. Despite some exciting arrivals in the transfer window such as the talented but erratic Mauro Zarate from Fiorentina and AC Milan's M'Baye Niang, they are unlikely to come away from the Emirates with anything. Arsenal, as predicted by this reporter, struggled to get the win against Burnley in their last league outing, but Arsene Wenger was able to rest a large part of his team in the FA Cup win over Southampton on Saturday.

Bournemouth 1 Crystal Palace 1

Why? Palace really need to start picking up points after slipping into the bottom three. Bournemouth lack consistency – they are yet to win consecutive games all season – but can be brilliant on their day. Palace will hope it isn't Saturday.

Burnley 1 Leicester City 1

Why? Islam Slimani should be back for Leicester after Algeria were eliminated from the Africa Cup of Nations, and his physical presence up front, combined with Jamie Vardy's speed, will give Burnley's back four a tough afternoon. They also have star man Riyad Mahrez available and are returning to something near full strength. Burnley have won all of their last five league games at home, but this might be where the run ends.

Middlesbrough 0 West Bromwich Albion 2

Why? West Brom have won three of their past four matches and they will fancy their chances of outscoring an unadventurous Middlesbrough team who have scored only two goals in five games. West Brom's wingers – Matty Phillips and Nacer Chadli – could be the game changers here in counter-attacking situations.

Sunderland 0 Tottenham Hotspur 4

Why? You have to fear for Sunderland's goal difference here. The sale of key defender Patrick van Aanholt to relegation rivals Crystal Palace, however the club tried to paint it, appears to be throwing in the towel and consigning the Wearside club to relegation to the second tier. Spurs will have a field day against this poor defence.

Swansea City 2 Southampton 1

Why? The visitors have had a heavy run of games recently, with two League Cup semi-finals crammed into an already busy Christmas schedule. Their 3-0 home with over Leicester last time out ended a run of four defeats in a row and Swansea will be confident of getting something out this. Fernando Llorente netted twice in the 3-2 win at Liverpool and will be pretty happy that centre-back Virgil van Dijk is out injured.

Liverpool 1 Chelsea 1

Why? This game is far more important for Liverpool's season than it is Chelsea's. A turbulent week has seen Jurgen Klopp's side dumped out of two cup competitions and their one win in their last eight outings came against a team from the fourth tier. The manager needs big performances from Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and the returning Sadio Mane. But Chelsea, since switching to 3-4-3, have had plenty of positive results against their top six rivals so far.

West Ham United 0 Manchester City 2

Why? City beat West Ham 5-0 in the FA Cup on their last visit to the London Stadium and, even if Sergio Aguero misses out with injury, the should easily see off Slaven Bilic's team. West Ham were passed off the park in that game and, when you compare midfields, it is clear City have the upper hand.

Manchester United 2 Hull City 0

Why? This should be a straightforward victory for United, even though Hull came away with a 2-1 victory at the KCOM Stadium in the League Cup last week. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba were rested for the FA Cup win over Wigan Athletic on Sunday and, despite Hull showing some improvement under new manager Marco Silva, they just do not have enough quality. Roberto Snodgrass's move to West Ham is a big blow to their hopes of survival.

Stoke City 1 Everton 1

Why? Everton head into this encounter on a three-game winning run, scoring eight without conceding. It will be interesting to see what Stoke do with new signing Saido Berahino. The former West Brom striker has plenty of talent, even if his fitness is uncertain. But he is a player who can break offside traps and make their forward line more dynamic.

Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE

Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport