Premier League Week 17 Fixtures: EPL TV Schedule, Live Stream and Predictions
The Premier League's 17th week brings yet more potential for an upset to table-toppers Chelsea. The Blues travel to Staffordshire to take on a Stoke City team who have already bested Arsenal and are always dangerous at the Britannia Stadium.
Chelsea could even enter that game second, provided Manchester City can produce a big enough win at home to Crystal Palace. At the very least, Manuel Pellegrini's men should be able to heap more pressure on the Stamford Bridge club.
Elsewhere, Liverpool's home clash with Arsenal represents an excellent chance for a pair of under-fire managers to engineer a morale-boosting victory that could inspire a league revival.
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Here's the full look at the fixtures, along with all of the relevant viewing details and predictions:
| Date | Time | Match | TV | Live Stream | Prediction |
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | 12:45 p.m. (GMT) / 7:45 a.m. | Manchester vs. Crystal Palace | BT Sport 1 / NBCSN | Watch BT Sport / NBC Live Sports Extra | 2-0 |
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | 3 p.m. (GMT) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Aston Villa vs. Manchester United | Sky Sports 1 (Soccer Saturday) / NBCSN | NBC Live Sports Extra | 1-2 |
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | 3 p.m. (GMT) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Hull City vs. Swansea City | Sky Sports 1 (Soccer Saturday) | NBC Live Sports Extra | 1-2 |
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | 3 p.m. (GMT) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Queens Park Rangers vs. West Bromwich Albion | Sky Sports 1 (Soccer Saturday) | NBC Live Sports Extra | 1-0 |
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | 3 p.m. (GMT) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Southampton vs. Everton | Sky Sports 1 (Soccer Saturday) | NBC Live Sports Extra | 2-2 |
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | 3 p.m. (GMT) / 10 a.m. (ET) | Tottenham Hotspur vs. Burnley | Sky Sports 1 (Soccer Saturday) | NBC Live Sports Extra | 1-1 |
| Saturday, Dec. 20 | 3 p.m. (GMT) / 10 a.m. (ET) | West Ham United vs. Leicester City | Sky Sports 1 (Soccer Saturday) | NBC Live Sports Extra | 2-1 |
| Sunday, Dec. 21 | 1:30 p.m. (GMT) / 8:30 a.m. (ET) | Newcastle United vs. Sunderland | Sky Sports 1 / NBCSN | Sky Go / NBC Live Sports Extra | 3-2 |
| Sunday, Dec. 21 | 4 p.m. (GMT) / 11 a.m. (ET) | Liverpool vs. Arsenal | Sky Sports 1 / NBCSN | Sky Go /NBC Live Sports Extra | 2-2 |
| Monday, Dec. 22 | 8 p.m. (GMT) / 3 p.m. (ET) | Stoke City vs. Chelsea | Sky Sports 1 NBCSN | Sky Go / NBC Live Sports Extra | 1-1 |
App Links: Sky Go. Watch BT Sport Now. NBC Live Sports Extra.
Liverpool vs. Arsenal
Despite recently earning mild reasons for optimism, it's fair to say both Arsenal and Liverpool rate as disappointments so far this season. The Gunners are sixth in the table, having lost four times already, while Liverpool are 11th after suffering a dismal seven defeats.
Each club's struggles belong in a different context. Liverpool were always going to experience a dip from last season's second-place finish once they sold striker Luis Suarez to Barcelona.
He was the chief source of both goals and creativity for the Anfield club. Liverpool have struggled to produce either without him. A long-term injury to the prolific Daniel Sturridge hasn't helped.
Meanwhile, Arsenal haven't made the progress expected after finally ending a nine-year trophy drought by winning last season's FA Cup. The summer arrival of Chile World Cup star Alexis Sanchez only heightened the mood of expectation.
But a catalogue of injuries, particularly in defence and midfield, has consistently served to derail manager Arsene Wenger's plans. At least the Gunners boss can be confident in his resources up front.
Striker Olivier Giroud bagged a brace in Arsenal's recent 4-1 win over Newcastle United, the Gunners' fifth victory in six matches across all competitions. The towering Frenchman has been receiving credible support from ex-Manchester United forward Danny Welbeck.
The England international is still far from accomplished in front of goal. However, his awesome pace and work rate make Welbeck a constant nuisance for defenders.
But the real star of Arsenal's forward line is Sanchez. He's hit 14 goals since signing from Barcelona this summer, per Arsenal.com.
Yet despite the ample options the Gunners boast up front, it could be midfield schemer Santi Cazorla who poses the biggest threat. He's certainly given Liverpool trouble in the past.
Cazorla scored and provided an assist when Arsenal won 2-0 at Anfield in September 2012. He also netted the first goal in another 2-0 win, this time at the Emirates Stadium, in November 2013.
Currently the Spanish mini marvel is enjoying a significant improvement in form. He was the catalyst for the destruction of Newcastle, per Squawka Football:
The injury absence of mercurial playmaker Mesut Ozil has seen Cazorla move back to the No. 10 role, his best position. WhoScored writer Ben McAleer recently detailed how Cazorla's game has improved back in the middle:
"Recently, the Gunners have reverted to a more familiar looking 4-2-3-1 formation and in the last 4 games, Cazorla has started in behind the striker. His return in that position has been promising, to say the least. Each of his 3 goals and 1 of his 2 league assists have come when deployed there, while his league rating (8.21) is the best of the 4 positions he has started Premier League games in this campaign.
"
Cazorla threading passes to Sanchez, Giroud and Welbeck should concern Rodgers. The Anfield chief's options at the back are currently stretched.
Glen Johnson suffered a groin injury in the 3-0 defeat to Manchester United that will rule him out for a month, per Sky Sports. Meanwhile, the 3-1 Capital One Cup quarter-final win over Bournemouth was slightly marred when centre-back Dejan Lovren limped off, per London 24 writer Brad Pinard.
With so many questions at the back, Rodgers will have to rely on his own attack. Recently that's meant deploying winger Raheem Sterling through the middle.
It's a role the 20-year-old excelled in against Bournemouth, scoring twice. That performance even prompted Rodgers to compare Sterling with Sanchez, per ESPN FC:
"He is, as you can see, happy and enjoying his football. At Old Trafford he was unfortunate not to score and in that role he plays you think of Alexis Sanchez when he plays for Arsenal.
He is not an out-and-out striker but his speed in front of the back four and behind them causes problems and you've seen that with him here, he can get it, turn and go at defenders.
"
Whether that comparison is apt is debatable. What can't be questioned is how Sterling's considerable pace will threaten Arsenal's plodding rearguard.
His sudden runs caused havoc when the Reds destroyed the Gunners 5-1 at Anfield last season.
However, don't expect the same blitz again. Both sides enter this game with fragile confidence and depleted defensive ranks, making a score draw the most appropriate call.
Stoke City vs. Chelsea
This fixture served up a classic last season when the Potters bested Chelsea 3-2. While a similar scoreline seems unlikely this time, there are certainly goals in both teams.
Thanks to the arrivals of midfield general Cesc Fabregas and prolific striker Diego Costa, Chelsea play with greater verve and ingenuity going forward. But that's also true of Stoke, a club that has almost completely shaken the memory of the brutal pragmatism that defined it when Tony Pulis was in charge.
Now the Potters count on new arrival Bojan Krkic to inspire more flair in attack. The pocket-edition, well-travelled forward has done exactly that.
Bojan helped Stoke get the better of north London duo Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal with goals any player would be proud to score. The challenge for Bojan and manager Mark Hughes' forward-thinking team is to show the same intent against a powerful Chelsea outfit.
Worryingly, Hughes is already preaching caution regarding Bojan's ability to handle the notoriously hectic Premier League Christmas fixture list, per Sky Sports:
"There may be games where you see the little edge to his game just appearing, we'll see how it goes, but we're mindful of the fact that as he hasn't been through it before it could be a hard period for him.
"
Hughes ought to be more concerned with how the diminutive and slight Bojan will stand up to Chelsea's rugged physicality. The Blues may be able to turn on the style, but they won't hesitate to stifle a game with ruthless defending and smothering midfield power, embodied by enforcer Nemanja Matic.
This one will start fast but soon descend into a war of attrition. If Stoke's players approach this with the same commitment they usually reserve for the visit of Arsenal, Hughes' team can earn a vital point and frustrate the leaders.
This is set to be a hugely significant week at the top. Events over the Christmas period usually make the title landscape a little clearer.
If Chelsea suffer the fate many of the big boys have experienced at the Britannia Stadium, the men from Manchester could overhaul the Blues' lead by the new year.
