Premier League Fixtures: Live Stream, TV Schedule and Week 16 EPL Predictions
Louis van Gaal is under real pressure entering Week 16 of the 2015-16 Premier League season as Manchester United travel to Bournemouth in dire need of a win. League leaders Leicester City will host Chelsea, and Arsenal take on lowly Aston Villa.
United crashed out of the UEFA Champions League in midweek and have drawn their last two Premier League matches, so a strong performance against the Cherries is needed. The same goes for Chelsea, who need to find a way to bridge the gap with the top four.
Here's a look at the schedule for Week 16, complete with TV info, live streams and predictions:
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
| Saturday, Dec. 12 | Norwich | Everton | 1-1 | NBCSN (U.S.), BT Sport 1 (UK) | Live Extra, BT Sport Live |
| Saturday, Dec. 12 | Crystal Palace | Southampton | 0-0 | USA (U.S.) | USA Live TV |
| Saturday, Dec. 12 | Manchester City | Swansea | 3-1 | NBCSN (U.S.) | Live Extra |
| Saturday, Dec. 12 | Sunderland | Watford | 2-2 | Live Extra | |
| Saturday, Dec. 12 | West Ham | Stoke | 2-1 | Live Extra | |
| Saturday, Dec. 12 | Bournemouth | Manchester United | 0-2 | NBC, Sky Sports 1 (UK) | Live Extra, Sky Go |
| Sunday, Dec. 13 | Aston Villa | Arsenal | 1-3 | NBCSN (U.S.), Sky Sports 1 (UK) | Live Extra, Sky Go |
| Sunday, Dec. 13 | Liverpool | WBA | 2-0 | NBCSN (U.S.) | Live Extra, Sky Go |
| Sunday, Dec. 13 | Tottenham Hotspur | Newcastle United | 3-1 | NBCSN (U.S.), Sky Sports 1 (UK) | Live Extra, Sky Go |
| Monday, Dec. 14 | Leicester | Chelsea | 2-1 | NBCSN (U.S.), Sky Sports 1 (UK) | Live Extra, Sky Go |
To access the Live Extra service, click here. For USA Live TV, click here. For the Sky Go app, click here. For BT Sport Live, click here.
Preview
Van Gaal's position as United manager has never looked less secure following the 3-2 loss against Wolfsburg and subsequent Champions League exit. The Red Devils endured a horrid campaign in Europe's premier club competition, and fans and pundits seem to have isolated the Dutchman as the No. 1 reason why.
Per NBC Sports' Joe Prince-Wright, it's becoming increasingly more difficult to cite injuries and other setbacks to defend his lack of success with a squad that cost the club bags of money:
"Yes, he has been unlucky with injuries but after spending nearly $400 million on new players over the last 18 months, the Dutchman is struggling to get the best out of his team and other sides are finding very easy to stop United from scoring. Even though United are just three points off the top, they have yet to get going this season and have only scored 20 times in 15 games.
"
The key here is that the Red Devils are still just three points off the Premier League lead. A solid run during the festive period could put United on top and just about wipe away the bitter memories from Wolfsburg.
Bournemouth snapped a lengthy winless streak in Week 16, beating Chelsea 1-0, but they remain among the weakest teams in England's top division. Per WhoScored.com, they field the worst defensive unit in the league, which should be a welcome sight for United's misfiring strikers.
Anthony Martial returned to the scoresheet on Wednesday, and the Frenchman's form could be key in the coming weeks. For a young player like Martial, momentum and confidence can be crucial, and a strong showing against Bournemouth may be just what he needs.
Like United, Chelsea could also use a good performance in the league, but Jose Mourinho's men will enter their clash with Leicester City in high spirits having just qualified for the Champions League's knockout stages.
The Blues beat FC Porto 2-0 and looked very solid doing so. While they've been something of a laughing stock in the Premier League at times, their European form is ever improving. A big win over the Foxes could do the same thing for their domestic form.
Leicester's Claudio Ranieri watched Wednesday's Champions League match, and he too saw a strong Chelsea squad, via the Foxes' official Twitter account:
Diego Costa played his best match in weeks, despite not scoring, as his excellent movement up front created acres of space for his team-mates. The duo of Ramires and Nemanja Matic also looked excellent in midfield, and once again Willian stole the show.
Chelsea have to find a way to play up to those same standards in the Premier League, and a trip to Leicester is the perfect place to start. The Foxes are in superb form right now and lead the standings, so if Mourinho can go into the King Power Stadium and grab three points, it will be a massive boost for the Blues.
In-form Arsenal beat Olympiakos 3-0 in midweek and will now travel to Aston Villa, who sit at the bottom of the standings and have been nothing short of disastrous in recent weeks.
Per OptaJoe, the Villans have been historically bad:
New manager Remi Garde has little to work with due to a number of key injuries to his squad, and while the performances of the team have been slightly improved, the results have not. A first win against former mentor Arsene Wenger would make for a fantastic story, but right now, it doesn't look likely.
Arsenal travelled to Greece without the injured Alexis Sanchez but found another scoring hero in Athens, as Olivier Giroud bagged his first-ever hat-trick in an Arsenal shirt, per the Premier League's official Twitter account.
Joel Campbell put together his best performance in a Gunners shirt yet, and Sanchez's injury may open the door for the Costa Rican to finally break out. His showing in Greece was superb―now he needs to back it up in Birmingham.
