Premier League Week 15 Fixtures: EPL Picks and Predictions
December 2, 2019
Jose Mourinho will return to Old Trafford with Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday just under a year on from his sacking as Manchester United boss.
Manchester City desperately need three points at Burnley on Tuesday after their 2-2 draw against Newcastle United on Saturday saw them drop 11 points behind leaders Liverpool, who host Everton in the Merseyside derby in Week 15.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are at home to Aston Villa, and Arsenal play Brighton & Hove Albion as they attempt to end their eight-game winless run in all competitions.
Week 15 Fixtures and Predictions
Tuesday, December 3
Crystal Palace 2-1 Bournemouth: 7:30 p.m. GMT/2:30 p.m. ET
Burnley 0-3 Manchester City: 8:15 p.m. GMT/3:15 p.m. ET
Wednesday, December 4
Chelsea 3-1 Aston Villa: 7:30 p.m. GMT/2:30 p.m. ET
Leicester City 4-1 Watford: 7:30 p.m. GMT/2:30 p.m. ET
Manchester United 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur: 7:30 p.m. GMT/2:30 p.m. ET
Southampton 1-1 Norwich City: 7:30 p.m. GMT/2:30 p.m. ET
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 West Ham United: 7:30 p.m. GMT/2:30 p.m. ET
Liverpool 0-0 Everton: 8:15 p.m. GMT/3:15 p.m. ET
Thursday, December 5
Sheffield United 2-0 Newcastle United: 7:30 p.m. GMT/2:30 p.m. ET
Arsenal 1-1 Brighton & Hove Albion: 8:15 p.m. GMT/3:15 p.m. ET
Mourinho's time at Tottenham so far has been nothing if not exciting.
In three matches under the Portuguese, Spurs have won three times, scoring 10 goals and conceding six:
He has also brought plenty of positivity back to the club, and his charm offensive appears to be working wonders.
The contrast with his final days at United, when the football was dire and Mourinho dour, is stark.
Almost a year on from his Red Devils exit, United have come through a brief renaissance at the start of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's tenure, only to find themselves in a worse position than they were at the same stage last term:
Adam Bate @ghostgoalManchester United sacked José Mourinho last December having picked up 26 points from 17 games. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs to win the next three (Spurs, City & Everton) to better that total after the club spent big in the summer. Quite the feat to convince anyone this is progress.
United can leapfrog Tottenham if they win on Wednesday:
Their recent record at home to Spurs is mixed. The Red Devils lost 3-0 to Tottenham at Old Trafford in August 2018 after four consecutive wins.
United are on a three-game winless run in all competitions after Sunday's home draw with Aston Villa, and more dropped points will pile even more pressure on Solskjaer.
Of all the managers in the Premier League, though, arguably none are under more pressure than Everton's Marco Silva.
The Toffees are just two points above the relegation zone after they lost 2-1 to Leicester City in dramatic fashion on Sunday:
They could hardly have asked for a tougher game than a trip to local rivals Liverpool, who eked out yet another 2-1 win against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday to extend their winning run at home in the league to 14 matches:
Three of the last four Merseyside derbies in the English top flight have ended in a draw, and a point is the best Everton can hope to get from Wednesday's fixture at Anfield.