Premier League Fixtures: Week 28 Schedule, Score Predictions for EPL Matchday

Manchester City will be hoping to keep the pressure on Premier League leaders Chelsea on Wednesday evening, as they welcome Stoke City to the Etihad Stadium. 

City can move up into second spot ahead of Tottenham Hotspur with a win and cut the gap at the top to eight points. If Pep Guardiola’s side are to stand any chance of reeling in the table-toppers, who won 2-1 away at West Ham United on Monday, it’s crucial they secure a victory in this one.

At the weekend there’s a shortened Premier League schedule due to the FA Cup quarter-final fixtures. However, there are still some key tussles, including Liverpool’s match with Burnley at Anfield and Swansea City’s visit to Hull City.

Here’s the schedule in full for Week 28, a prediction for each game and a closer look at a couple of the standout fixtures.

Date	Time (GMT)	Fixture	Prediction
Wednesday, March 8	8 p.m.	Manchester City vs. Stoke City	2-0
Saturday, March 11	3 p.m.	Everton vs. West Bromwich Albion	2-1
Saturday, March 11	3 p.m.	Hull City vs. Swansea City	1-2
Saturday, March 11	3 p.m.	Bournemouth vs. West Ham United	2-2
Sunday, March 12	4 p.m.	Liverpool vs. Burnley	2-0

R	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Chelsea	27	21	3	3	57	20	+37	66
2	Tottenham	27	16	8	3	53	20	+33	56
3	Manchester City	26	17	4	5	53	29	+24	55
4	Liverpool	27	15	7	5	58	34	+24	52
5	Arsenal	26	15	5	6	55	31	+24	50
6	Manchester United	26	13	10	3	39	22	+17	49
7	Everton	27	12	8	7	44	30	+14	44
8	West Bromwich Albion	27	11	7	9	36	34	+2	40
9	Stoke	27	9	8	10	32	40	-8	35
10	Southampton	26	9	6	11	32	34	-2	33
11	West Ham	27	9	6	12	36	46	-10	33
12	Burnley	27	9	4	14	30	40	-10	31
13	Watford	27	8	7	12	33	47	-14	31
14	Bournemouth	27	7	6	14	37	52	-15	27
15	Leicester	27	7	6	14	30	45	-15	27
16	Swansea	27	8	3	16	35	59	-24	27
17	Crystal Palace	27	7	4	16	35	46	-11	25
18	Middlesbrough	27	4	10	13	19	30	-11	22
19	Hull	27	5	6	16	24	53	-29	21
20	Sunderland	27	5	4	18	24	50	-26	19

Manchester City vs. Stoke City

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

After their testing festive period, City have slotted into a brilliant groove once again as of late and are doing their utmost to keep Chelsea on their toes at the top.

Guardiola’s men turned in another professional display away to Sunderland on Sunday, winning 2-0. A goal from Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane either side of half-time were enough for the visitors to get over the line and grab their fourth win in succession in the top flight.

Since his return to the side following Gabriel Jesus’ injury, Aguero has found his prolific best once again. As these numbers from Squawka Football show, he’s lethal in front of goal:

The Argentina international has been at the point of a well-oiled City machine in recent weeks, though. Flanking him are two wingers in sensational form in Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling, while in the heart of midfield David Silva is enjoying his best spell of the season so far.

It means they’ll be big favourites to overcome a Stoke side who have struggled to find consistency recently, particularly away from home. Indeed, the Potters have only sampled victory once in their last seven away matches in the Premier League.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

As noted by STATS Football, one positive for Stoke boss Mark Hughes is the return to form of Marko Arnautovic against Middlesborough on Saturday:

"

#STKMD - Marko Arnautovic had scored 2 goals in his previous 17 appearances in the #PL before his brace today (2 goals vs Sunderland)

— STATS Football (@STATS_Football) March 4, 2017"

Arnautovic is doubtful for the fixture, however, per Martin Spinks of the Stoke Sentinel.

Stoke could have the attacking quality to cause City’s defence problems, although they’ve failed to find a way of getting their star men into the game on the road. As such, the home side will dominate possession for much of the match, probe with invention and eventually secure three more crucial points.

Prediction: Manchester City 2-0 Stoke City

Liverpool vs. Burnley

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Few were surprised to see Liverpool beat Arsenal in their last home game, as Jurgen Klopp’s side have excelled against the division’s elite teams. But there’ll be a sense of trepidation when Burnley come to Anfield on Sunday.

Even though the Clarets have the worst away record in the Premier League, they’re the type of opponent that has caused the Reds problems in recent weeks. They’ll show little attacking ambition, restrict space and seek to frustrate the dangerous players Liverpool possess.

In the immediate aftermath of their 3-1 win over the Gunners, sports writer Cristian Nyari was already predicting Klopp’s men would slip up against the newly-promoted side:

Burnley are still yet to win away from home in the Premier League this season and showcased their frail confidence on the road last time out when they let a point slip late on against Swansea City.

However, they do have players who can be troublesome for Liverpool, most notably Andre Gray, who caused so many issues in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, which the Clarets won 2-0 at Turf Moor.

Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

At the back they can be tenacious. Per Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, former Chelsea man Frank Lampard feels as though Burnley’s Michael Keane has been one of the standout centre-backs in the Premier League this season:

Even so, for Liverpool this game represents an excellent chance to string together back-to-back wins and keep momentum building in their chase for a place in the Premier League’s top four come the end of the campaign.

Burnley may thrive in areas where the Merseyside club have faltered in 2016-17. But they’re simply not good enough on the road to cause Liverpool sufficient issues.

Prediction: Liverpool 2-0 Burnley