Now firmly in the festive period, Premier League games are coming thick and fast.
We have already enjoyed our first full midweek of Premier League fixtures at the beginning of December, with plenty more action to cram in before the new year.
Gameweek 17 offers supporters their penultimate taste of Premier League football before Christmas, with Manchester United’s trip to Liverpool headlining another bumper weekend of festive fun.
Here are 90min’s predictions for how Gameweek 17 might play out in the Premier League.
Our first fixture of Gameweek 17 comes on Friday night, Steve Cooper’s struggling Nottingham Forest hosting Tottenham Hotspur. The Midlands club have lost four of their last five games and may be in for a tricky evening up against a rejuvenated Spurs that just battered Newcastle 4-1.
The form team in the Premier League, things are looking rosy for Bournemouth after a shaky start to the campaign. Andoni Iraola’s side are flying with four wins from five, including their 3-0 victory at Old Trafford last weekend, and should maintain their strong form when they clash with 18th-placed Luton Town.
Chelsea have lost successive matches to Man Utd and Everton, the Blues struggling to get going after several false dawns. A win against Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge is expected this Saturday afternoon, but there are no guarantees with Mauricio Pochettino’s side this term.
It had been a rare winless run for Manchester City, who went four games without victory before beating Luton last weekend, but Pep Guardiola’s men should grab themselves another three points against Crystal Palace on Saturday. Roy Hodgson’s Eagles have been in woeful form and, despite some good results at the Etihad in recent years, will struggle to get anything from this weekend’s clash.
Newcastle United will get back to domestic action as they look to put a disappointing end to their European campaign behind them. Having been dumped out of the Champions League, the Magpies will not be looking forward to a visit from in-form Fulham, who have averaged four goals per 90 across their last four matches.
|
Date |
Kick-off time (GMT) |
Fixture & prediction |
|---|---|---|
|
15/12/23 |
20:00 |
Nottingham Forest 1-3 Tottenham |
|
16/12/23 |
15:00 |
Bournemouth 2-0 Luton |
|
16/12/23 |
15:00 |
Chelsea 2-1 Sheffield United |
|
16/12/23 |
15:00 |
Man City 2-0 Crystal Palace |
|
16/12/23 |
15:00 |
Newcastle 2-1 Fulham |
|
16/12/23 |
17:30 |
Burnley 1-2 Everton |
|
17/12/23 |
14:00 |
Arsenal 3-1 Brighton |
|
17/12/23 |
14:00 |
Brentford 1-2 Aston Villa |
|
17/12/23 |
14:00 |
West Ham 1-1 Wolves |
|
17/12/23 |
16:30 |
Liverpool 3-0 Man Utd |
Sean Dyche will return to his old stomping ground when his Everton side travel to Burnley in Saturday’s late kick-off. The Toffees have won their last three and will be looking to extend the gap between themselves and the Clarets to eight points with a win.
There are three 14:00 kick-offs on Sunday afternoon, the most prominent of which is Arsenal‘s encounter with Brighton at the Emirates. Having stumbled to defeat at Villa Park last time out, the Gunners need to get back on track in the title race, especially given they have a trip to Liverpool just before Christmas.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa will be aiming to maintain their impressive recent record when they visit Brentford. Unai Emery’s side somewhat surprisingly find themselves in the title race, but a visit to the Gtech Community Stadium will not be straightforward, especially given Villa are far more comfortable at home.
In Sunday’s least glamorous fixture, West Ham host Wolverhampton Wanderers in a battle of the Premier League’s Ws. The Hammers may still be smarting after their 5-0 hammering at Fulham last weekend, while Wolves could only manage a 1-1 draw at home to Forest last time out.
The final match of Gameweek 17 is the big one: Liverpool vs Manchester United. Having been knocked out of the Champions League on Tuesday and battered by Bournemouth last Saturday, confidence won’t be high among Erik ten Hag’s players, especially given their injuries. Jurgen Klopp’s side will be looking to emulate their emphatic and memorable 7-0 victory in this fixture last season as they aim to maintain their place at the top of the table.
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