EPL Week 16 Predictions: Premier League Picks, Key Players and Fixture Info
Chelsea's loss to Newcastle last time out in the Premier League allowed Manchester City to move within just three points of the Blues with their narrow victory over Everton.
Jose Mourinho's side had looked largely unbeatable until their visit to St James' Park, but now the Sky Blues will be confident of catching them, despite the loss of top scorer Sergio Aguero to injury.
Manchester United picked up their fifth win in a row against Southampton and host Liverpool at Old Trafford in Week 16's most high-profile game while it is still very tight at the bottom of the table.
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Here we take a look at the fixtures for the upcoming weekend's action and pick out a handful of key players who could be vital.
| Date | Time | Fixture | Prediction |
| Dec. 13 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | Burnley vs. Southampton | 1-3 |
| Dec. 13 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | Chelsea vs. Hull City | 3-0 |
| Dec. 13 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | Crystal Palace vs. Stoke City | 1-2 |
| Dec. 13 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | Leicester vs. Manchester City | 1-3 |
| Dec. 13 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | Sunderland vs. West Ham | 1-2 |
| Dec. 13 | 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET | West Brom vs. Aston Villa | 1-1 |
| Dec. 13 | 5:30 p.m. GMT/12:30 p.m. ET | Arsenal vs. Newcastle United | 2-2 |
| Dec. 14 | 1:30 p.m. GMT/8:30 a.m. ET | Manchester United vs. Liverpool | 2-1 |
| Dec. 14 | 4 p.m. GMT/11 a.m. ET | Swansea vs. Tottenham | 1-1 |
| Dec. 15 | 8 p.m. GMT/3 p.m. ET | Everton vs. QPR | 2-0 |
Key Players
Robin van Persie
United's clash with Liverpool is undoubtedly the headline act of the weekend's fixtures. Any meeting between English football's two most successful sides is always a blockbuster occasion.
However, neither side has been at its best so far this season, although the Red Devils are currently the form side in the Premier League and sit third while Brendan Rodgers' men sit ninth.
Van Persie's double handed United a scrappy win on Monday against Southampton, but if the Dutchman can maintain his form on Sunday, Louis van Gaal's men will have the edge.
As Dutch football writer Elko Born alludes to, Van Persie has struggled to reach his best so far this season, his goals at St Mary's only his fifth and sixth of the Premier League term thus far, per WhoScored.com:
But, on his day, he is a handful for even the best of defences, and considering Liverpool's consistent problems in their back line this term, Van Persie could well be the difference at Old Trafford.
The Reds inflicted an embarrassing 3-0 defeat on United the last time they visited Old Trafford, but this time the form is with the hosts, and the Red Devils have an on-song Van Persie while Liverpool's forwards are struggling.
Nemanja Matic
Chelsea could hardly have hoped for a more straightforward fixture in which to bounce back from a first league defeat of the season than the visit of Hull to Stamford Bridge, the Tigers without a win in eight league games.
Furthermore, Saturday's match will see the return of Matic to the Chelsea setup, the Serbian having missed the Newcastle loss due to suspension.
While Mourinho has many phenomenal players at his disposal—Eden Hazard, Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas—it is no coincidence that their first loss of the season came in the absence of Matic, given his importance to the side, per former Premier League defender Danny Higginbotham:
The 26-year-old holding midfielder is vital to the balance of the Chelsea setup and he protects them from being caught on the counter-attack—as they were for the eventual winning Newcastle goal on Saturday.
His return against Hull will stabilise the team once more and Chelsea should blow the visitors away with the confidence that their defence is solid with Matic sitting in front of them.
Everton lost 1-0 to City at the weekend and are currently sitting a lowly 12th in the league table after a largely poor start to the season.
However, with things very tight in the division, if Roberto Martinez's men can string a couple of wins together they could shoot up the table.
Monday's visit of QPR is a perfect opportunity for a momentum-boosting win, with Harry Redknapp's side having conceded more goals than any other Premier League team so far this term.
The west London outfit have a weak defence, and the physical prowess of Lukaku could prove too much for them at Goodison Park, if the Belgian is on form.
He has scored six times in the league this season, per WhoScored, and was only denied the equaliser against the Sky Blues by a phenomenal Joe Hart save, per ESPN FC:
The Toffees have won just once in their last six matches, but the visit of QPR offers them a fine opportunity to bag three points and Lukaku's performance will be key if they are to claim the win.
