The top of the table should stay unchanged at the end of Sunday but Man City are poised to close the gap against leaders Chelsea, who could very well drop points at Southampton.
Tottenham v/s Man Utd. Both teams boast reasonable form and I expect a tight match here. Spurs find a way to win their matches while Utd are hard to break down. It will be interesting to see how Van Gaal himself copes with the hectic festive schedule and its impact on the performance of his players. I give Spurs a slight home advantage here but a draw looks a likely result. Draw.
Southampton v/s Chelsea. Soton have righted the boat after a bad losing run. Chelsea can beat any opponent any day and are certainly worthy favourites to win the match. I think the Saints will give them a run for the money and will boldly predict a draw in this one. Draw.
Aston Villa v/s Sunderland. I couldn't see Sunderland losing at home to Hull last week-day and they flattered to disappoint me, not for the first time. I like Villa's form at home and I think they will either win or draw this. Home win.
Hull v/s Leicester City. This is a match-up among relegation teams that could go either way. Hull stopped a losing run by getting 3 all-important points at Sunderland a few days ago, yet that does not mean that they will easily best last-place team Leicester. Without any confidence, I think this one could end in a draw. Draw.
Man City v/s Burnley. No contest for City, maybe they'll look at polishing their goal difference. Home win.
QPR v/s Crystal Palace. This is a glorious opportunity for Rangers to secure 3 points against manager-less Palace. The hosts put in a decent display in their last loss to Arsenal and will rely on in-form striker Austin to do the damage. Home win.
Stoke v/s West Brom. Stoke did my predictions good last time out by winning at Goodison Park. Their home form is not as solid as it has traditionally be but they have a great chance of enhancing that record by beating exposed West Brom. The Baggies are out of sorts at the moment and it's a good time to oppose them. Home win.
West Ham v/s Arsenal. This is a tough trip for the Gunners and I see Hammers striker Carroll being a tall order for their suspect defence. Were it not for the incomparable Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal would be in an even more precarious position than their current one. Wenger teams haven't fared well against Allardyce's in the past and I think Big Sam will relish coming up trumps again against the Frenchman. I see this ending either as a home win or a draw. Home win.
Newcastle v/s Everton. This pits two teams that are on a bad run and any result is possible, with a draw looking the likely result. Draw.
Liverpool v/s Swansea. The Kops have a difficult game on their hands against solid Swansea. Raheem Sterling is their main threat but he has to be more clinical as a finisher. Swansea will certainly keep the scoreline tight and will fancy taking whatever chances they get with striker Bony. Punting on a draw could pay dividends here. Draw.