Premier League Week 17 Fixtures: EPL Picks and Predictions for Matchday 17
The Christmas period in English football is like no other domestic league competition in the world—each game comes thick and fast, testing each team to their maximum capacity.
Jose Mourinho's Chelsea still lead the way in the Premier League as the end of the 2014 calender year counts down. But reigning champions Manchester City are hot on the west London team's heels and are just three points behind the leaders.
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Manchester United now sit clear in third place after a run of six straight wins and collecting 18 maximum points, which has propelled them into the coveted Champions League positions.
Here, we take a look at the schedule for the coming week's games, giving you predictions across the board and picks for some of the ties:
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | Manchester City | v | Crystal Palace | 3-1 |
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | Aston Villa | v | Manchester United | 2-1 |
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | Hull City | v | Swansea City | 1-1 |
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | QPR | v | West Brom | 2-1 |
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | Southampton | v | Everton | 1-2 |
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | Tottenham | v | Burnley | 2-0 |
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | West Ham | v | Leicester City | 3-1 |
| Sunday, Dec. 21 | Newcastle | v | Sunderland | 1-1 |
| Sunday, Dec. 21 | Liverpool | v | Arsenal | 1-4 |
| Monday, Dec. 22 | Stoke City | v | Chelsea | 1-1 |
| 1 | Chelsea | 16 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 36 | 13 | 23 | 39 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 16 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 33 | 14 | 19 | 36 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 16 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 29 | 17 | 12 | 31 |
| 4 | West Ham United | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 27 | 19 | 8 | 28 |
| 5 | Southampton | 16 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 25 | 13 | 12 | 26 |
| 6 | Arsenal | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 28 | 19 | 9 | 26 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 20 | 22 | -2 | 24 |
| 8 | Newcastle United | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 22 | -4 | 23 |
| 9 | Swansea City | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 21 | 19 | 2 | 22 |
| 10 | Everton | 16 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 27 | 24 | 3 | 21 |
| 11 | Liverpool | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 19 | 22 | -3 | 21 |
| 12 | Stoke City | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 21 | -3 | 19 |
| 13 | Aston Villa | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 20 | -10 | 19 |
| 14 | West Bromwich Albion | 16 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 15 | 20 | -5 | 17 |
| 15 | Sunderland | 16 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 14 | 24 | -10 | 16 |
| 16 | Crystal Palace | 16 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 19 | 24 | -5 | 15 |
| 17 | Burnley | 16 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 24 | -13 | 15 |
| 18 | Queens Park Rangers | 16 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 17 | 30 | -13 | 14 |
| 19 | Hull City | 16 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 23 | -8 | 13 |
| 20 | Leicester City | 16 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 15 | 27 | -12 | 10 |
Brendan Rodgers' Misery to Continue Against Arsenal
One man in the Premier League who will not be feeling the Christmas cheer will be Liverpool coach Brendan Rodgers, who has watched his Anfield team go from Premier League candidates to barely scraping the top 10 in just a matter of a few short months.
Rodgers' team visited Old Trafford on Sunday to be hit with yet another defeat in its campaign, leaving the Reds with just six wins from their 16 EPL matches this term.
Statistically, it is a dramatic fall from grace, but if we had known Rodgers would replace Luis Suarez with Mario Balotelli when the Uruguayan left for Barcelona, maybe the change in fortunes would not have surprised football fans.
Liverpool are in a mess, and it is self-inflicted and chronic. Rodgers has spent the money raised in the sale of Suarez on a band of players who are not fit to compete at the desired Champions League level—and the blame must sit with the manager.
The Reds now entertain an Arsenal side who also have a variation of issues, with injuries starting to decimate their squad.
But Olivier Giroud has returned and looks sharp—ousting Danny Welbeck back into the wide positions he did not find favourable at Manchester United.
Giroud now has four goals from his three Premier League starts this term, per WhoScored.com, and will give the Gunners much-needed firepower—something Liverpool simply do not have in their locker while Daniel Sturridge is sidelined.
And the Frenchman's return to the starting XI has "lifted spirits" at Arsenal, according to manager Arsene Wenger, as quoted by Matt Barlow of the Daily Mail:
"It’s not just him as a player, but something as well in his mentality. He’s such a positive guy. Even when he misses, people forgive him. He has had a positive mental impact as well as physical impact.
He is like an English centre forward. His first goal was a typical 1970s goal. You love it because you see it less now. He gives us different options because we can go for a longer ball. We have plenty of players who can go short and he gives us a variety in our game.
He wasn’t at his best at Stoke and he had something to show against Newcastle and he responded well.
"
Giroud is indeed a positive presence in the Gunners side. With the Liverpool defence in tatters, the Arsenal attack could run riot.
Ian Herbert of the Independent highlighted the deficiencies of the current Liverpool incarnation under Rodgers, saying the team has never been assured in defence at any point under the current regime:
Liverpool are currently closer to the relegation zone in terms of points on the board than the Champions League places. A heavy defeat by Arsenal will further compound this and force Rodgers toward the door.
The coach has little time left to rectify the damage accumulated this term to his club and must get things right during the Christmas period—or possibly face the sack.
Chelsea to Drop Points at Stoke
It has been all plain sailing for Jose Mourinho and his band of merry men this season, with Chelsea as firm favourites to claim the Premier League crown.
Their gearbox is primed, and it still does not feel like we have seen the best of the Blues yet—even with their early dominance.
But Chelsea's performance value has certainly slipped in recent matches as the team meanders toward the new year, playing within its capabilities.
Now the gap to second-place Manchester City is just three points, and Mourinho is starting to look over his shoulder with a modicum of concern.
The recent trips to the north of the country saw Chelsea fall to Newcastle and only manage a goalless draw at lowly Sunderland.
Now they must travel to Stoke, who look like a side refreshed, beating Arsenal at home last time out.
You certainly could not say Chelsea are playing poor football, but there is an indication that their early imperious attitude has waned slightly. Mourinho will need to stage-manage his squad over the busy Christmas period and he could rotate heavily in this next game.
That could play into Mark Hughes' hands as he starts to get his team to perform a more exciting brand of football, with new recruit Bojan in the side.
If the former Barcelona player can show the skill that every football fan knows he has, he could steal the show from Eden Hazard and at least grab an unlikely point for the Potters.
