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 With ten gameweeks remaining of the 2014-2015 English Premier League season, Chelsea still enjoys a small cushion at the top of the standings ahead of defending champions Manchester City. The league leaders will hope to put their midweek disappointment behind them and maintain their advantage when they host Southampton. City will look to keep the pressure on Chelsea and try to collect maximum points when they travel to Burnley. Time is running out for Leicester at the foot of the table; the Foxes will try to close the gap on the pack when they entertain Hull. QPR might move out of the bottom three with a win over Crystal Palace, while Sunderland and Aston Villa clash in an important fixture in the battle to escape relegation. Remember to make your Premier League Pickem predictions before the deadline of each game. Week 24's schedule begins on Saturday at 8:45 AM ET, with that matchup followed by four 11 AM ET kickoffs. The day's final game starts at 1:30 PM ET. There are three Sunday fixtures, the first at 9:30 AM ET, with two beginning at 12 PM ET. The week's final fixture is on Monday at 4 PM ET. Note that the Yahoo! Fantasy Premier League game's deadline is on Saturday, 7:45 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. Queens Park Rangers (18th) at Crystal Palace (12th) (Sat, 8:45 AM ET) After briefly escaping the relegation zone, Queens Park Rangers have slipped back into the bottom three after hitting another losing streak. Rangers are looking to snap a three-match losing streak. On top of that, they've lost seven of their last eight. QPR has the worst away record in the league having accumulated just three points on their journeys. Crystal Palace is eight points clear of the bottom three but their performances at home as ensured they're still not safe from relegation. Despite an upturn in their fortunes since Alan Pardew took over, the Eagles have continued to struggle at Selhurst Park, holding the second worst home record in the division. Overall, Palace has won one in four. Head-to-Head Stats This season: Crystal Palace 0-0 QPR Last 6 (all competitions): QPR lead 3-0-3. Last 3 at Crystal Palace (all competitions): QPR lead 2-0-1. All-time (all competitions): QPR lead 38-30-30. Team News QPR (from): Green, McCarthy, Murphy, Caulker, Ferdinand, Hill, Isla, Onuoha, Traore, Yun, Doughty, Henry, Hoilett, Kranjcar, Phillips, Sandro, Wright-Phillips, Austin, Taarabt, Vargas, Zamora, Zarate. Out (reason, expected return date): Faurlin (ACL, Jul), Dunne (MCL, May 9), Fer (MCL, Apr 25). Suspended: Barton (final game of three-match ban). Crystal Palace (from): Hennessey, Kettings, Speroni, Dann, Delaney, Hangeland, Kelly, Mariappa, Souare, Ward, Bolasie, Ledley, Lee, McArthur, Puncheon, Thomas, Ameobi, Anderson, Chamakh, Gayle, Sanogo, Zaha. Out (reason, expected return date): Mutch (thigh, Apr 6), Campbell (hamstring, Apr 6), Williams (groin, no date). Suspended: Jedinak (second game of four-match ban). West Ham United (10th) at Arsenal (3rd) (Sat, 11 AM ET) When West Ham defeated Swansea 3-1 in week 14 they rose to third place in the standings. However, there's been a steady decline since mid-December, with the Hammers now occupying a mid-table spot. West Ham has only notched one victory in their last 11 league fixtures and they go into this London derby hoping to end a six-game winless run. Arsenal has edged ahead of the tight pack in the race for third place after piecing together a nice run of results. The Gunners are currently on a four-match winning streak in the league and that extends to seven wins from their last eight. The defending FA Cup winners have also advanced to the semifinal stage by defeating Manchester United 2-1. Head-to-Head Stats This season: Arsenal 2-1 West Ham Last 6 (all competitions): Arsenal lead 6-0-0. Last 3 at Arsenal (all competitions): Arsenal lead 3-0-0. All-time (all competitions): Arsenal lead 59-33-38. Team News West Ham (from): Adrian, Jaaskelainen, Collins, Cresswell, Demel, O'Brien, Potts, Amalfitano, Downing, Jarvis, Kouyate, Lletget, Noble, Nolan, Poyet, Song, Sakho, Valencia. Doubts: Valencia (foot), Song (knee). Out (reason, expected return date): Reid (hamstring, Mar 21), Carroll (MCL, no date), Tomkins (dislocated shoulder, no date). Unavailable: Jenkinson (loanee; can't face parent club). Arsenal (from): Martinez, Ospina, Szczesny, Bellerin, Chambers, Gibbs, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal, Cazorla, Coquelin, Flamini, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Ramsey, Rosicky, Akpom, Giroud, Sanchez, Walcott, Welbeck. Out (reason, expected return date): Debuchy (dislocated shoulder, Apr 11), Wilshere (ankle, Apr 4), Arteta (ankle, Apr 4), Oxlade-Chamberlain (hamstring, Apr 4), Paulista (hamstring, Mar 17), Gnabry (knee, no date), Diaby (calf, no date). Hull City (15th) at Leicester City (20th) (Sat, 11 AM ET) A three-game losing streak led to Hull slipping into the relegation zone but an improvement in form over the last month has helped them rise up the standings. The Tigers have lost just once in their last five fixtures, a narrow 1-0 defeat at Stoke. Their two victories during the five-match stretch came against fellow strugglers QPR and Aston Villa. Things are getting desperate for Leicester, with the team currently bottom cut adrift of the rest of the division. The Foxes have won just four times so far during this campaign and right now they're mired in a six-game winless streak. Their only point during the six-game span came in a 2-2 tie at Everton. Leicester has won twice at home this season. Head-to-Head Stats This season: Leicester 1-0 Hull Last 6 (all competitions): Leicester lead 4-1-1. Last 3 at Leicester (all competitions): Leicester lead 2-0-1. All-time (all competitions): Hull lead 28-26-23. Team News Hull (from): Harper, Jakupovic, McGregor, Bruce, Davies, Dawson, Dudgeon, Figueroa , Lenihan, Maguire, McShane, Robertson, Diame, Elmohamady, Huddlestone, Livermore, Meyler, Quinn, Ramirez, Aluko, Hernandez, Jelavic, N'Doye, Sagbo. Out (reason, expected return date): Snodgrass (knee, May), Brady (calf, Apr 11), Chester (dislocated shoulder Mar 22), Rosenior (hamstring, Mar 22), Diame (knee, Mar 22). Leicester (from): Hamer, Schmeichel, Schwarzer, De Laet, Huth, Konchesky, Morgan, Simpson, Upson, Wasilewski, Albrighton, Cambiasso, Drinkwater, Hammond, James, King, Mahrez, Schlupp, Kramaric, Lawrence, Nugent, Ulloa, Vardy. Unavailable: Knockaert (personal reasons). Aston Villa (17th) at Sunderland (16th) (Sat, 11 AM ET) Fortunes might have changed for the better for Aston Villa as the club that has scored the fewest number of goals in the country goes into this encounter on the back of their best form since December. Villa recorded seven consecutive losses in the league before beating West Brom 2-1. They then beat the same opposition 2-0 in the FA Cup last week. Sunderland has won just four matches during this campaign, with only one of their victories coming in this calendar year. That win was against Burnley at the end of January and the Black Cats have since gone on a five-game winless run. Going further back, Sunderland has won once in the last 11 league fixtures, scoring eight goals during the span. Head-to-Head Stats This season: Sunderland 0-0 Aston Villa Last 6 (all competitions): Aston Villa lead 3-0-3. Last 3 at Sunderland (all competitions): Aston Villa lead 2-0-1. All-time (all competitions): Aston Villa lead 79-54-46. Team News Aston Villa (from): Given, Guzan, Steer, Bacuna, Cissokho, Clark, Lowton, Okore, Senderos, Vlaar, Cleverley, Cole, Delph, Gil, N'Zogbia, Richardson, Sanchez, Westwood, Agbonlahor, Benteke, Burke, Kozak, Sinclair, Weimann. Out (reason, expected return date): Herd (MCL, Jun), Baker (knee, Mar 21). Suspended: Grealish (one-match ban), Hutton (final game of two-match ban). Sunderland (from): Mannone, Pantilimon, Brown, Coates, Jones, O'Shea, Reveillere, Van Aanholt, Vergini, Alvarez, Bridcutt, Gomez, Larsson, Rodwell, Defoe, Fletcher, Graham, Wickham. Out (reason, expected return date): Giaccherini (ankle, May), Buckley (knee, Mar 21), Jones (ankle, no date). Suspended: Cattermole (first game of two-match ban). Unavailable: Johnson (suspended indefinitely by the club). Stoke City (8th) at West Bromwich Albion (13th) (Sat, 11 AM ET) It took Stoke until the halfway point of the season for them to record successive victories in the league but they now head into this clash on the back of a three-game winning streak, their best of the campaign. They rebounded from a defeat by Manchester City with victory at Aston Villa. That was followed by home wins against Hull and then Everton. Since Tony Pulis arrived, West Brom has gone from a relegation contender to one of the form teams in the division. However, they're looking to get back to winning ways after suffering defeats at Aston Villa in the league and FA Cup. The former Stoke boss had overseen a revival where the Baggies had lost just once in ten games in all competitions. Head-to-Head Stats This season: West Brom 0-2 Stoke Last 6 (all competitions): Stoke lead 3-1-2. Last 3 at West Brom (all competitions): Stoke lead 3-0-0. All-time (all competitions): Stoke lead 62-42-35. Team News Stoke (from): Begovic, Butland, Sorensen, Bardsley, Cameron, Pieters, Shawcross, Teixeira, Wilkinson, Wilson, Wollscheid, Adam, N'Zonzi, Palacios, Sidwell, Whelan, Arnautovic, Crouch, Diouf, Moses, Walters. Doubts: Wollscheid (groin). Out (reason, expected return date): Bojan (ACL, Sep), Odemwingie (ACL, Jun), Muniesa (hamstring, Apr 4), Ireland (calf, Mar 21). West Brom (from): Foster, Myhill, Baird, Davidson, Dawson, Gamboa, Lescott, McAuley, Olsson, Pocognoli, Wisdom, Brunt, Dorrans, Fletcher, Gardner, Morrison, Mulumbu, Sessegnon, Roofe, Anichebe, Berahino, Ideye, Nabi. Out (reason, expected return date): McManaman (foot, Apr 4). Suspended: Yacob (first game of two-match ban). Manchester City (2nd) at Burnley (19th) (Sat, 1:30 PM ET) Manchester City might have to be close to perfect in their final ten league fixtures if they're to successfully defend their crown. The champions are currently five points behind leaders Chelsea having played one game more. City has been far from perfect during the calendar year having won four, tied four and lost twice in their ten league outings. Burnley has spent the vast majority of the campaign languishing in the relegation zone, but despite currently being on their worst run since the opening ten weeks of the season they're just three points off 17th place. The Clarets are hoping to snap a seven-game winless streak where they've lost five times. However, Burnley did tie away to Chelsea. Head-to-Head Stats This season: Burnley 2-2 Manchester City Last 6 (all competitions): Manchester City lead 4-0-2 (includes 1 League Cup game). Last 3 at Burnley (all competitions): Manchester City lead 3-0-0 (includes 1 League Cup game). All-time (all competitions): Manchester City lead 40-29-24. Team News Manchester City (from): Caballero, Hart, Wright, Boyata, Clichy, Demichelis, Kolarov, Kompany, Mangala, Sagna, Zabaleta, Fernandinho, Fernando, Lampard, Milner, Nasri, Navas, Silva, Toure, Aguero, Bony, Dzeko, Jovetic. Burnley (from): Gilks, Heaton, Duff, Keane, Lafferty, Mee, O'Neill, Reid, Shackell, Trippier, Ward, Arfield, Boyd, Jones, Kightly, Wallace, Barnes, Ings, Jutkiewicz, Sordell, Vokes. Out (reason, expected return date): Long (ACL, Oct), Taylor (calf, Mar 21), Marney (ACL, no date). Southampton (7th) at Chelsea (1st) (Sun, 9:30 AM ET) Last time out, Southampton finally recorded a victory having steadily slipped down the standings due to poor recent results. The Saints had worked their way back up to third thanks to six wins in eight games but a tie against West Ham and losses against Liverpool and West Brom halted their progress. They went on to beat Crystal Palace, though. Chelsea can now concentrate solely on their Premier League challenge after they were dumped out of the Champions League by PSG on the away goals rule. Their last defeat in the league came on New Year's Day and since then the Blues have gone seven league games without defeat. Out of those seven games, Chelsea has notched five victories. Head-to-Head Stats This season: Chelsea 1-1 Southampton Last 6 (all competitions): Chelsea lead 3-1-2 (includes 1 FA Cup game). Last 3 at Chelsea (all competitions): Chelsea lead 2-0-1. All-time (all competitions): Chelsea lead 38-29-27. Team News Southampton (from): Forster, K. Davis, Gazzaniga, Clyne, Bertrand, Targett, Gardos, Yoshida, Alderweireld, Fonte, Schneiderlin, Wanyama, Ward-Prowse, Reed, Elia, Tadic, Mane, Djuricic, S. Davis, Long, Seager, Pelle. Out (reason, expected return date): Mayuka (groin, Jun), Rodriguez (ACL, no date). Chelsea (from): Courtois, Cech, Ivanovic, Luis, Fabregas, Zouma, Ake, Ramires, Oscar, Hazard, Drogba, Remy, Costa, Matic, Willian, Cuadrado, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta, Blackman, Loftus-Cheek. Out (reason, expected return date): Mikel (knee, Apr 4). Newcastle United (11th) at Everton (14th) (Sun, 12 PM ET) Newcastle has been stuck in 11th position for the last two months, having failed to get a sequence of positive results together. Between weeks 8 and 12, the Magpies won five consecutive matches but they've failed to win successive games since. Newcastle has won once in their last five and they've scored multiple goals just once in their last eight. Everton has struggled immensely in the league this season, in stark contrast to what they achieved last term. Going into this matchup, the Toffees look to end another lengthy winless streak, this one currently standing at five games. They've won once in their last 12 league attempts. In the Europa League, however, Everton beat Dynamo Kyiv 2-1. Head-to-Head Stats This season: Everton 2-3 Newcastle Last 6 (all competitions): Everton lead 4-1-1. Last 3 at Everton (all competitions): Everton lead 2-0-1. All-time (all competitions): Everton lead 67-65-35. Team News Newcastle (from): Krul, Elliot, Woodman, Janmaat, Williamson, Coloccini, R. Taylor, Anita, Abeid, Colback, Sissoko, Gouffran, Ameobi, Obertan, Gutierrez, Riviere, Perez, Armstrong, Satka. Out (reason, expected return date): S. Taylor (calf, Oct), De Jong (collapsed lung, Jun), Tioté (knee, Jun), (Dummett (knee, May 9), Haidara (knee, Mar 21), Aarons (thigh, Mar 21), Cabella (MCL, no date). Suspended: Cissé (first game of seven-match ban). Everton (from): Howard, Robles, Stones, Alcaraz, Jagielka, Coleman, Baines, Garbutt, Besic, McCarthy, Barkley, Gibson, Osman, Mirallas, Atsu, Lennon, Naismith, Lukaku, Kone. Doubts: Baines (groin). Out (reason, expected return date): Oviedo (hamstring, Apr 4), Hibbert (knee, Mar 22), Pienaar (knee, Mar 22), McGeady (knee, Mar 22). Suspended: Barry (first game of two-match ban). Tottenham Hotspur (6th) at Manchester United (4th) (Sun, 12 PM ET) Tottenham will eye this encounter as a great chance to improve their bid for a Champions League spot next season as it's an opportunity to stop rivals gaining points. Spurs are in decent form in the league right now having lost just once in their last seven outings. They head into this clash seeking to extend their current two-game winning streak. Louis van Gaal's final shot at winning silverware in his first season with Manchester United disappeared on Monday when they were eliminated from the FA Cup after a 2-1 home defeat against Arsenal. Their final opportunity to gain something positive this campaign is to finish in the top 4 and they're trying their best, winning five of the last seven. Head-to-Head Stats This season: Manchester United 0-0 Tottenham Last 6 (all competitions): Tottenham lead 2-1-3. Last 3 at Manchester United (all competitions): Tottenham lead 2-1-0. All-time (all competitions): Manchester United lead 84-48-49. Team News Tottenham (from): Lloris, Vorm, Friedel, Walker, Rose, Davies, Chiriches, Kaboul, Fazio, Dier, Vertonghen, Bentaleb, Mason, Capoue, Paulinho, Stambouli, Dembele, Lamela, Townsend, Eriksen, Chadli, Soldado, Adebayor, Kane. Manchester United (from): De Gea, Lindegaard, Valdes, Shaw, Blackett, Rojo, Smalling, Jones, McNair, Rafael, Pereira, Young, Blind, Fellaini, Herrera, Valencia, Januzaj, Mata, Falcao, Rooney, Wilson. Doubts: Rojo (groin). Out (reason, expected return date): Van Persie (ankle, Apr 4). Suspended: Di María (one-match ban), Evans (second game of six-match ban). Liverpool (5th) at Swansea City (9th) (Mon, 4 PM ET) Last season, a fantastic run during the second half of the campaign helped Liverpool become title contenders. That's unlikely to be the case this term but once again the Reds have exceled since the turn of the year. It's now 12 games without a defeat in the league, the longest current streak. Liverpool will look to extend a four-match winning stretch. Whenever Swansea is about to piece together a nice run they've been halted in their tracks. That was the case last time out when a loss to Spurs ended a two-game winning streak. It was the third time this term Swansea had won at least two successive games, with their best span being their three-game winning streak that kicked of this campaign. Head-to-Head Stats This season: Swansea 1-4 Liverpool Swansea 1-2 Liverpool (League Cup) Last 6 (all competitions): Liverpool lead 4-0-2 (includes 1 League Cup game). Last 3 at Swansea (all competitions): Swansea lead 1-0-2. All-time (all competitions): Liverpool lead 19-9-8. Team News Liverpool (from): Mignolet, Toure, Skrtel, Can, Markovic, Henderson, Allen, Moreno, Sterling, Coutinho, Lallana, Ward, Lovren, Johnson, Sakho, Gerrard, Williams, Lambert, Balotelli, Borini, Sturridge. Out (reason, expected return date): Flanagan (knee, Apr 4), Ibe (LCL, Mar 28), Leiva (groin, Mar 22), Enrique (knee, no date), Jones (thigh, no date). Swansea (from): Fabianski, Naughton, Fernandez, Williams, Taylor, Cork, Ki, Shelvey, Routledge, Sigurdsson, Gomis, Tremmel, Rangel, Amat, Fulton, Carroll, Britton, Montero, Dyer, Emnes, Oliveira, Grimes, King. Out (reason, expected return date): Bartley (knee, Apr 4). |
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