Premier League Matchday 18 Preview and Prediction
Liverpool are four points clear of Chelsea at the top of the standings with a game in hand, having won a remarkable match away to Tottenham 6-3 last time out.
At the other end of the table, Southampton are eight points from safety despite claiming a creditable draw at Fulham over the weekend.
Matchday 18 will see all 10 matches crammed in across two days – Boxing Day, which has eight fixtures, and 27 December.
There continues to be huge scrutiny on Man City ahead of their home match with Everton, who have proven hard to beat over recent weeks, in the Thursday early kick-off.
Man Utd are in need of a positive result as they travel to play Wolves, while Liverpool will be confident of consolidating their hold on top spot when they host Leicester City in the last match of Boxing Day.
16 teams will be in action on Thursday, with Manchester City vs Everton kicking things off at 12:30 pm and Liverpool vs Leicester the headline act at 8 pm. Then, on Friday, Brighton host Brentford and Arsenal take on struggling Ipswich Town.
There are massive permutations at both ends of the table, with the races for the title, Champions League qualification and survival all hotting up.
We’ve looked at all 10 matches from gameweek 18 and given our predicted scores.
Manchester City vs Everton
But ask any Evertonian and they’ll tell you that if a team needs a win or a striker needs a goal, they’ll do it against the Toffees. Everton have a weird habit of allowing clubs and players to end poor runs against them — take Southampton’s only Premier League win so far this season coming against them as an example — and despite their defensive brilliance in recent weeks, City will pick up three vital points.
PREDICTION: HOME WIN @1.32
Chelsea vs Fulham
Chelsea were brought back down to earth with a bump last time out as Everton held them to a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park, very nearly snatching all three points in the final stages. Even so, The Blues are only four points behind Liverpool and unbeaten in their last 12 matches across all competitions. It’s hard to see them being shut out twice in a row — especially when they’ve won their last three against Fulham and have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four meetings.
Fulham have been draw specialists in recent weeks and are a tough side to crack. Plus, they always want to get one over on their illustrious West London rivals. However, at Stamford Bridge, it’s hard to go for anything other than a solid Chelsea win.
PREDICTION: HOME WIN @1.50
Liverpool vs Leicester
In all honesty, Liverpool made their win over Tottenham far more complicated than it needed to be, pretty much switching off for 15 minutes. But to score six goals away and take a 5-1 lead in just over an hour is a better indication of where this rampant team is at.
After taking four points from his first two games in charge, Ruud van Nistelrooy has been given a harsh reminder of how difficult it’s going to be to keep Leicester up, losing their last two games against Newcastle and Wolves with zero goals scored and seven conceded.
This should be the most nailed-on result of the gameweek.
PREDICTION: OVER 2.5 @1.20
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Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham Hotspur: BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE @1.42
AFC Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace: HOME WIN OR DRAW @1.26
Newcastle United vs Aston Villa: OVER 1.5 @1.20
Southampton FC vs West Ham United: OVER 2 @1.25
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United: OVER 1.5 @1.20
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Brentford FC: OVER 2.5 @1.46
Arsenal FC vs Ipswich Town: OVER 2.5 @1.37
