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Premier League Week 15 Preview
2:06 PM on December 12th, 2014 by Nathan Susanto

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Talk of an unbeaten season has finally been put to rest after English Premier League leaders Chelsea suffered their first defeat of the campaign last weekend at the hands of Newcastle. Their lead is now down to three points and they'll look to bounce back immediately this week when they take on struggling Hull. Manchester City is in hot pursuit of Chelsea and they're looking to extend their unbeaten run against bottom side Leicester on Saturday.

The marquee matchup of week 15 pits two of England's most successful clubs against each other; the most successful club in the English Premier League, Manchester United, hosts the side that dominated the domestic and European scene during the 1970s and 1980s, Liverpool.

Remember to make your Premier League Pickem predictions before the deadline of each game. Week 15's schedule kicks off with six 10 AM ET games on Saturday, followed by a 12:30 PM ET match. Sunday has two fixtures, one at 8:30 AM ET and the other at 11 AM ET. The final fixture of the week is on Monday, beginning at 3 PM ET.

Note that the Yahoo! Fantasy Premier League game's deadline is on Saturday at 9 AM ET.

Here we preview the ten games in the upcoming week of the English Premier League. The title of each game section is a link to pick the result of that game.





Southampton (5th) at Burnley (19th) (Sat, 10 AM ET)


Last season, Southampton started off very well but gradually faded and they're in danger of this campaign going the same way. The Saints pieced together a fine run of eight wins out of nine from week 3 onwards but they've lost their killer instinct in recent weeks. They're currently winless in their last four having tied one and lost three on the trot. Burnley's brief time outside the bottom three came to an end last week when their unbeaten streak was snapped by a 2-0 defeat against QPR. In the run up to that loss, the Clarets had posted their first two wins of the campaign by beating Hull 1-0 and Stoke 2-1. They followed those results with a pair of 1-1 ties against Aston Villa and Newcastle.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
Burnley 3-4 Southampton (FA Cup)

Last 6 (all competitions):
Tied 2-2-2 (includes 1 FA Cup game).

Last 3 at Burnley (all competitions):
Tied 1-1-1.

All-time (all competitions):
Tied 18-18-14.


Team News

Southampton (from):
K. Davis, Forster, Gazzaniga, Alderweireld, Bertrand, Clyne, Fonte, Gardos, Targett, Yoshida, S. Davis, Isgrove, Mane, McQueen, Reed, Schneiderlin, Tadic, Wanyama, Ward-Prowse, Long, Mayuka, Pelle.

Doubts:
Schneiderlin (groin).

Out (reason, expected return date):
Cork (ankle, Jan 17), Rodriguez (ACL, Jan 1), Gallagher (knee, Dec 20).


Burnley (from):
Gilks, Heaton, Duff, Keane, Lafferty, Long, Mee, Reid, Shackell, Trippier, Arfield, Boyd, Chalobah, Howieson, Jones, Kightly, Marney, Wallace, Barnes, Ings, Jutkiewicz, Sordell.

Out (reason, expected return date):
Taylor (Achilles, Dec 26), Duff (calf, Dec 20), Ward (ankle, no date), Vokes (ACL, no date).





Hull City (18th) at Chelsea (1st) (Sat, 10 AM ET)


Hull's decline throughout this campaign has resulted in them dropping into the bottom three for the first time last week. The Tigers have won twice this season but the last one came against Crystal Palace in week 7. Since then, Hull has gone eight games without a win, tying four and losing the other four. Their last two matches have ended in ties. Chelsea's best run of results in all competitions in club history - 23 matches unbeaten - finally came to an end last week with a 2-1 defeat on the road at Newcastle. It was the fourth time in the league the Blues had failed to get the maximum three points away from home, but they're still perfect at Stamford Bridge having won seven out of seven.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
Hull 0-2 Chelsea
Chelsea 2-0 Hull (reverse fixture)

Last 6 (all competitions):
Chelsea lead 4-0-2.

Last 3 at Chelsea (all competitions):
Chelsea lead 2-0-1.

All-time (all competitions):
Chelsea lead 28-4-10.


Team News

Hull (from):
Harper, Jakupovic, McGregor, Bruce, Chester, Davies, Dawson, Maguire, McShane, Robertson, Rosenior, Ben Arfa, Brady, Elmohamady, Huddlestone, Livermore, Meyler, Quinn, Aluko, Hernandez, Jelavic, Sagbo.

Out (reason, expected return date):
Snodgrass (knee, May), Diamé (knee, Dec 20).


Chelsea (from):
Cech, Courtois, Schwarzer, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Christensen, Filipe, Ivanovic, Terry, Zouma, Hazard, Loftus-Cheek, Matic, Mikel, Oscar, Ramires, Salah, Willian, Costa, Drogba, Remy, Schurrle, Solanke.

Out (reason, expected return date):
Courtois (muscular injury, no date), Ake (hamstring, no date).

Suspended:
Fábregas (one-match ban).





Stoke City (13th) at Crystal Palace (15th) (Sat, 10 AM ET)


Stoke went into last weekend's encounter looking to get back to winning ways and an extraordinary first half was the catalyst for a 3-2 victory over Arsenal. They held on in the second half to snap their three-match losing streak and secure their fifth victory of the campaign. However, only two teams have recorded more than Stoke's seven defeats. Crystal Palace has also lost seven times this term but their recent form has been marginally better than their week 15 visitors'. The Eagles have lost just once in their last four but they've also won just once during that period, which was a 3-1 win over Liverpool. That victory was Palace's sole success during a run where they lost five and tied three.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
Stoke 0-1 Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace 1-2 Stoke (reverse fixture)

Last 6 (all competitions):
Stoke lead 3-2-1 (includes 2 FA Cup games).

Last 3 at Crystal Palace (all competitions):
Tied 1-1-1 (includes 1 FA Cup game).

All-time (all competitions):
Crystal Palace lead 21-18-12.


Team News

Stoke (from):
Begovic, Butland, Sorensen, Bardsley, Cameron, Huth, Muniesa, Pieters, Shawcross, Wilson, Adam, Assaidi, Ireland, N'Zonzi, Palacios, Sidwell, Whelan, Arnautovic, Bojan, Crouch, Diouf, Walters.

Doubts:
Muniesa (hamstring, major doubt).

Out (reason, expected return date):
Odemwingie (ACL, Jun), Moses (thigh, Jan 17), Teixiera (ankle, no date).


Crystal Palace (from):
Hennessey, Kettings, Speroni, Dann, Delaney, Fryers, Hangeland, Kelly, Ward, Bannan, Bolasie, Jedinak, McArthur, Puncheon, Thomas, Campbell, Chamakh, Gayle, Johnson, Zaha.

Out (reason, expected return date):
Mariappa (MCL, Dec 28), Ledley (hip, no date).





Manchester City (2nd) at Leicester City (20th) (Sat, 10 AM ET)


The defending champions appear to be hitting their stride and putting pressure on leaders Chelsea but they might have to do without top scorer Sergio Agüero for the next month. Manchester City has lost just once in the league in the last 12 and they're unbeaten in their last six. They'll be looking to extend a four-game winning stretch this week. Leicester City has won just twice so far this season and the last of those victories was back in week 5. They scored five in that week 5 victory over Manchester United but the Foxes only netted six goals in the subsequent ten games. During their current winless streak, Leicester has notched just two points and they've lost on their last three outings.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
Manchester City 3-1 Leicester (League Cup)

Last 6 (all competitions):
Manchester City lead 3-0-3 (includes 4 FA Cup games and 1 League Cup game).

Last 3 at Leicester (all competitions):
Manchester City lead 1-0-2 (includes 1 FA Cup game and 1 League Cup game).

All-time (all competitions):
Manchester City lead 51-27-28.


Team News

Manchester City (from):
Caballero, Hart, Wright, Boyata, Clichy, Demichelis, Kolarov, Kompany, Mangala, Nastasic, Sagna, Zabaleta, Fernandinho, Fernando, Lampard, Milner, Nasri, Navas, Silva, Sinclair, Toure, Dzeko, Jovetic.

Out (reason, expected return date):
Agüero (LCL, Jan 10).


Leicester (from):
Hamer, Smith, De Laet, Konchesky, Moore, Morgan, Simpson, Upson, Wasilewski, Albrighton, Cambiasso, Drinkwater, Hammond, James, King, Knockaert, Mahrez, Powell, Hopper, Lawrence, Nugent, Schlupp, Taylor-Fletcher, Ulloa, Vardy, Wood.

Out (reason, expected return date):
Schmeichel (metatarsal fracture, Jan 17), Bakayogo (knee, no date).





West Ham United (4th) at Sunderland (14th) (Sat, 10 AM ET)

It had appeared as if West Ham's fine start to this campaign was slowing down but they've suddenly hit another good run of form heading into this week 15 encounter. The Hammers narrowly lost to Everton in week 12 but they're now searching for a fourth consecutive victory. West Ham has lost just once in the last nine, winning six during that time. Sunderland has only suffered one defeat in the last six in the league but they've really struggled to secure victories. No team has fewer than the Black Cats' two wins, the last of which was notched in week 10. Since then, Sunderland has tied four out of five, scoring just twice. They easily have the most ties in the division having accumulated nine.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
West Ham 2-1 Sunderland
Sunderland 0-0 West Ham (reverse fixture)

Last 6 (all competitions):
Sunderland lead 3-1-2.

Last 3 at Sunderland (all competitions):
Sunderland lead 2-1-0.

All-time (all competitions):
West Ham lead 33-31-22.


Team News

West Ham (from):
Adrian, Jaaskelainen, Spiegel, Collins, Cresswell, Demel, Jenkinson, O'Brien, Potts, Reid, Tomkins, Amalfitano, Downing, Jarvis, Kouyate, Lletget, Nolan, Poyet, Song, Carroll, Cole, Sakho, Valencia, Vaz Te, Zarate.

Doubts:
Jenkinson (hamstring).

Out (reason, expected return date):
Noble (calf, Dec 20).


Sunderland (from):
Mannone, Pantilimon, Brown, Coates, O'Shea, Reveillere, Vergini, Alvarez, Bridcutt, Buckley, Cabral, Cattermole, Gomez, Johnson, Larsson, Mavrias, Rodwell, Altidore, Fletcher, Wickham.

Out (reason, expected return date):
Jones (hamstring, Dec 21), Giaccherini (ankle, Dec 21), Van Aanholt (dislocated shoulder, no date).





Aston Villa (11th) at West Bromwich Albion (16th) (Sat, 10 AM ET)


Despite their ten goals being the joint-fewest scored in the league right now, Aston Villa has risen up into mid-table. It looked as if they were in danger of dropping into the bottom three when they racked up six successive defeats but they halted the skid with three ties on the trot. Villa has now won successive games for the first time since week 4. Fellow Midlands club West Bromwich Albion has moved in the opposite direction and is seeking a return to winning ways. A victory over Leicester in week 10 helped the Baggies up to tenth place but they've slipped to just one point above the bottom three after five games without a win. However, a tie with Hull last week ended a four-match skid.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
Aston Villa 2-2 West Brom
West Brom 3-4 Aston Villa (reverse fixture)

Last 6 (all competitions):
Tied 1-1-4.

Last 3 at West Brom (all competitions):
Tied 0-0-3.

All-time (all competitions):
Aston Villa lead 75-52-35.


Team News

Aston Villa (from):
Given, Guzan, Bacuna, Clark, Herd, Hutton, Lowton, Okore, Vlaar, Cleverley, Delph, Grealish, N'Zogbia, Richardson, Sanchez, Agbonlahor, Benteke, Burke, Weimann.

Doubts:
Cleverley (bruised foot).

Out (reason, expected return date):
Westwood (MCL, Jan 10), Senderos (calf, Dec 26), Cole (hamstring, Dec 20), Baker (knee, no date), Kozák (broken leg, no date).


West Brom (from):
Daniels, Foster, Myhill, Baird, Davidson, Dawson, Gamboa, Lescott, McAuley, Pocognoli, Wisdom, Blanco, Dorrans, Gardner, Morrison, Mulumbu, Sessegnon, Roofe, Varela, Yacob, Anichebe, Berahino, Ideye, Nabi, Samaras.

Out (reason, expected return date):
Olsson (Achilles, Jan 10), Brunt (hamstring, Dec 20).





Newcastle United (7th) at Arsenal (6th) (Sat, 12:30 PM ET)


Newcastle enters this week 15 matchup on the back of becoming the first team to defeat Chelsea this season but they'll have to do it with inexperienced third-choice keeper Jak Alnwick in goal. The victory over the leaders was the Magpies' first in three outings but before their blip in week 13's double gameweek they had five successive victories. Arsenal has slipped to four points off the top-4 places after they couldn't recover from a three-goal deficit last week against Stoke. After losing just once in their opening ten fixtures, the Gunners have suffered three defeats in their last five league games. They won convincingly, though, when they beat Galatasaray 4-1 in the Champions League.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
Newcastle 0-3 Arsenal
Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle (reverse fixture)

Last 6 (all competitions):
Arsenal lead 5-0-1.

Last 3 at Arsenal (all competitions):
Arsenal lead 3-0-0.

All-time (all competitions):
Arsenal lead 70-66-38.


Team News

Newcastle (from):
Alnwick, Dummett, Haidara, Janmaat, Streete, Williamson, Abeid, Anita, Bigirimana, Cabella, Colback, Coloccini, Tiote, Vuckic, Ameobi, Armstrong, Cisse, Ferreyra, Gouffran, Perez, Riviere.

Doubts:
Krul (ankle).

Out (reason, expected return date):
Elliott (thigh, Jan 10), Santon (knee, Jan 10), R. Taylor (knee, Jan 10), De Jong (thigh, Jan 10), Aarons (hamstring, no date), Obertan (thigh, no date), Good (groin, no date).

Suspended:
S. Taylor (one-match ban), Sissoko (one-match ban).


Arsenal (from):
Martinez, Ospina, Szczesny, Debuchy, Gibbs, Mertesacker, Monreal, Cazorla, Flamini, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Rosicky, Sanchez, Campbell, Giroud, Podolski, Sanogo, Walcott, Welbeck.

Out (reason, expected return date):
Wilshere (ankle, Feb), Özil (LCL, Jan 1), Arteta (calf, Dec 26), Koscielny (calf, Dec 21), Ramsey (hamstring, no date).

Suspended:
Chambers (one-match ban).





Liverpool (9th) at Manchester United (3rd) (Sun, 8:30 AM ET)


Liverpool has put their losing streak behind them but drawing a blank in their last league game is a reminder they've struggled for goals at times this season. After hitting a three-game losing streak, Liverpool responded by winning two games in week 13's double gameweek. They're now three games unbeaten after sharing the spoils with Sunderland. Manchester United coach Louis van Gaal didn't sound impressed with his charges in their last fixture but they're now higher in the table than at any time last season. United has risen to third in the league table after accumulating a five-match winning streak, their best stretch since March 2013. United has lost just once in their last ten encounters.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
Liverpool 3-0 Manchester United
Manchester United 0-1 Liverpool (reverse fixture)
Liverpool 0-1 Manchester United (League Cup)

Last 6 (all competitions):
Manchester United lead 4-2-0 (includes 1 League Cup game).

Last 3 at Manchester United (all competitions):
Manchester United lead 2-1-0 (includes 1 League Cup game).

All-time (all competitions):
Manchester United lead 75-64-51.


Team News

Liverpool (from):
Jones, Mignolet, Johnson, Jose Enrique, Lovren, Manquillo, Moreno, Sakho, Skrtel, Toure, Allen, Can, Coutinho, Gerrard, Henderson, Lallana, Lucas, Markovic, Balotelli, Borini, Lambert, Sterling.

Out (reason, expected return date):
Sturridge (thigh, Jan 1), Saez (groin, Dec 26), Flanagan (knee, no date).


Manchester United (from):
Amos, De Gea, Johnstone, Lindegaard, Blackett, Evans, Jones, McNair, Rafael, Rojo, Vermijl, Anderson, Carrick, Fellaini, Fletcher, Herrera, James, Januzaj, Lingard, Mata, Valencia, Young, Falcao, W. Keane, Rooney, Van Persie, Wilson.

Out (reason, expected return date):
Shaw (ankle, Dec 28), Blind (MCL, Dec 26), Smalling (groin, Dec 26), Dí Maria (hamstring, Dec 20).





Tottenham Hotspur (10th) at Swansea City (8th) (Sun, 11 AM ET)


Tottenham has really struggled to find their form this season and they go into this fixture searching for their first win in three league games, four including the Europa League after they lost to Beşiktaş on Thursday. The Europa League loss was another game where they failed to score; Spurs have also been held goalless in their last two in the league. Swansea is gradually slipping down the league table, failing to maintain the standards they set at the start of the campaign. The Swans won their first three games of the term but they've posted just three more in their subsequent 12 fixtures. Swansea has won once in their last four games and they lost 3-1 away to West Ham in their last contest.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
Tottenham 3-1 Swansea
Swansea 0-1 Tottenham (reverse fixture)

Last 6 (all competitions):
Tottenham lead 5-0-1.

Last 3 at Swansea (all competitions):
Tottenham lead 2-0-1.

All-time (all competitions):
Tottenham lead 22-8-7.


Team News

Tottenham (from):
Friedel, Lloris, Vorm, Chiriches, Davies, Dier, Fazio, Kaboul, Naughton, Rose, Veljkovic, Vertonghen, Walker, Bentaleb, Capoue, Ceballos, Chadli, Dembele, Eriksen, Lamela, Lennon, Mason, Paulinho, Stambouli, Townsend, Kane, Soldado.

Unavailable:
Adebayor (personal).


Swansea (from):
Tremmel, Rangel, Bartley, Williams, Taylor, Britton, Ki, Montero, Routledge, Sigurdsson, Bony, Cornell, Amat, Fernandez, Richards, Shelvey, Carroll, Dyer, Gomis, Emnes, Barrow, Tiendalli, Fulton.

Suspended:
Fabianski (one-match ban).

Unavailable:
Carroll (loanee; can't face parent club).





Queens Park Rangers (17th) at Everton (12th) (Mon, 3 PM ET)


For the first time since week 5, Queens Park Rangers isn't occupying one of the bottom three places in the standings. The R's have edged above the danger zone after victories over promoted sides Leicester and Burnley in the last three games. However, they go into this encounter still seeking their first point on the road having lost seven out of seven. Everton has lost the same number of games in the last three weeks than they did in the first 22 fixtures of last term. This campaign has been disappointing to date, with the Toffees managing just four wins to date, the same number as their struggling opponents. Just one of those victories has come in the last six matches and they're winless in three.


Head-to-Head Stats

Last season:
QPR 0-4 Everton (FA Cup)

Last 6 (all competitions):
Tied 2-2-2.

Last 3 at Everton (all competitions):
Everton lead 2-1-0.

All-time (all competitions):
Everton lead 23-15-12.


Team News

QPR (from):
Green, McCarthy, Murphy, Traore, Onuoha, Ferdinand, Dunne, Caulker, Yun, Hill, Isla, Henry, Barton, Fer, Mutch, Phillips, Kranjcar, Hoilett, Vargas, Zamora.

Out (reason, expected return date):
Faurlin (ACL, Jul), Sandro (knee, Jan 10), Taarabt (groin, no date).

Suspended:
Austin (one-match ban).


Everton (from):
Howard, Coleman, Distin, Jagielka, Stones, Baines, Garbutt, McGeady, McCarthy, Gibson, Barkley, Osman, Mirallas, Lukaku, Hibbert, Pienaar, Besic, Naismith, Eto'o, Alcaraz, Kone, Oviedo.

Doubts:
Stones (ankle), Naismith (hamstring), McCarthy (hamstring), Gibson (knee).

Out (reason, expected return date):
Atsu (hamstring, no date).

Suspended:
Barry (one-match ban).

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