English Premier League Week 15 Predictions

EPL Soccer/Futbol Week 15 Predictions

Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is just around the corner as we head into Week 15 of Premier League play. My pick for match of the week has to be Manchester City v Chelsea, as the Blues try to maintain their five-point lead at the top of the table. Here I take a look at this weeks match ups giving you insight on making your EPL soccer wager a winner.

#1 Chelsea is coming off a 3-0 win at Arsenal in their last match and shows no signs of slowing as the head to #7 Manchester City this weekend. The Blues look spot on and are in perfect form, while Manchester City tries to hang on to remain in the top 10 on the table. The Red Devils can’t seem to hold on to a lead at the moment and have now drawn seven games in a row. They must start converting these draws to wins if they want to move up in the standings. Look for Chelsea to win this one as Manchester City is handed just their second loss of the season.

#2 Manchester United will travel to play a much improved  #17 West Ham on Saturday. West Ham’s form has improved in the recent weeks and the points they have picked up have moved them out of the bottom three. They had a huge win last week scoring five goals against Burnley. ManU are coming off a win over last place Portsmouth 4-1, with Wayne Rooney grabbing a hat trick. They will need to keep winning games if they are to stay within striking distance of Chelsea. United gets the win and picks up three points.

# 3 Tottenham have taken over sole possession of third place with a draw against rivals, Aston Villa last week. The Hotspur will now play at # 16 Everton on Sunday. They will be looking for enough points in this one to maintain third place. Everton lost to Liverpool 2-0 in the Merseyside derby in their previous match, and will look to make up ground in this week’s game. If Everton strikes first the points are theirs, if not the Hotspur will take it.

#4 Arsenal suffered a disappointing 3-0 defeat by Chelsea at home in last week. Not be lack of trying. The played well but Chelsea is flawless. They will definitely be looking for some points when they take on # 9 Stoke City at Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Stoke has played relatively well this season and are sitting comfortably mid table in the league. The Gunners don’t lose many at home and should come out on top in this one, avoiding a second straight loss on their home pitch.

#5 Liverpool has struggled all season to remain in the top five and have not been able to string more than one or two wins together. They are coming off a victory in last week’s Merseyside derby victory over Everton and have an opportunity to notch back-to-back wins as they travel to play # 13 Blackburn on Saturday. Blackburn has been playing well in their last few games and this will not be an easy game for the Reds. With home field advantage for Blackburn and Liverpool’s late inability to win successive games, this one ends in a draw.

#6 Aston Villa will host # 15 Hull City this weekend. The Tigers are struggling to stay out of the bottom of the table and picked up a much-needed point in their last outing against Manchester City. The Villans are the better squad at the moment and should coast to an easy win at home to grab three points.

# 8 Sunderland will travel to take on # 10 Fulham on Sunday. Both clubs are playing well of late and are in the top 10.  Fulham is just one point behind Sunderland and will hope to leapfrog them with a win. Look for home field advantage to matter in this one as the Cottagers pick up the three points and move ahead of Sunderland.

#11 Birmingham City has moved up the league table and is just one point from breaking into the top 10.  They are undefeated in their last five games and will travel to play #14 Wigan Athletic on Saturday. Wigan edged out a 1-0 win against a visiting Sunderland in their previous match. Look for Birmingham to extend their unbeaten streak to six and pick up three critical points.

#18 Bolton will travel to the # 19 Wolverhampton Wolves on Saturday. Both clubs have been struggling in recent weeks and Saturday’s game gives them an opportunity to gain an important win over a close rival. The Wolves need two points to catch the Wanderers. This one will be a hard fought match that ends in a draw.

#20 Portsmouth has a chance to finally move out last place with a win and three precious points in Saturday’s match against #12 Burnley. Burnley did not play well in their previous game and conceded five goals against a mediocre West Ham team. I take Burnely to bounce back from this and do enough to gain a point against Portsmouth.

Matt Martz is a sports writer for the Bakersfield Californian located in Central California. Blessed is the gambler who expects nothing, for ye shall not be disappointed.