1. Can United improve on indifferent away record?
AT HOME, SINCE their opening day loss to Swansea, Louis van Gaal’s side have looked increasingly convincing, winning eight of their next nine league games at Old Trafford.
However, away from home, they have been considerably less proficient, earning all three points in just two of a possible eight fixtures.
In the early kick-off, the Red Devils on Sunday face a potentially tricky trip to Tottenham, who like United, have improved significantly as the season’s developed.
Unlike United however, the results of Mauricio Pochettino’s side are better away than at home, with the Londoners already losing four times at White Hart Lane since the start of the season.
Spurs have a poor enough record in this fixture, not beating United at home in the league since 2001, however some hope lies in the fact that they are unbeaten in the sides’ previous four encounters, winning two of the games in question.
2. Will Southampton overcome their big-game hoodoo?
(Southampton have exceeded expectations so far this season)
Barring a disastrous few upcoming months, it looks set to be another memorable season of overachievement for Southampton.
Some pundits tipped them for relegation owing to the loss of several key players during the summer, yet as we approach the New Year, they are sitting fourth in the Premier League table.
But for all their excellence, there is one area where the Saints have fallen conspicuously short — against the so-called ‘big’ Premier League teams.
In league matches against Liverpool, Tottenham, Man City, Arsenal and Man United, they have failed to come away with a single point, and the same outcome is expected when they host Chelsea on Sunday.
If the Saints want to be seen as genuine Champions League contenders, they need to make a big statement, and an unexpected win against the league leaders would certainly get people talking.
3. These next four games could make or break Liverpool’s season
Liverpool’s next four fixtures come against Swansea, Leicester, Sunderland and Aston Villa. They are not necessarily easy games, but they are certainly ones that critics would expect Liverpool — at their best — to win.
Consecutive wins would put them right back in the hunt for a Champions League place, yet two or more losses would likely see people start to question Brendan Rodgers’ future once more.
The Reds have hardly been reliable or consistent this year — even the St Stephen’s Day win over Burnley, which came after a four-match winless run in the league, was more than a little fortuitous in the context of how the game panned out.
There are signs of improvement though, with Raheem Sterling growing more accustomed to playing in an advanced role and their notoriously shaky defence keeping a clean sheet at Turf Moor.
A win on Monday at Anfield against Swansea — who are currently three points ahead of them in the table — would thus heighten the sense that Brendan Rodges’ side are down but not yet out.
4. Can Man City maintain pressure on Chelsea?
(Man City coped with heavy snowfall to overcome Burnley on Friday)
Even at the start of the season, Chelsea’s eye-catching summer signings rendered them most people’s favourites to win the league.
This suspicion was backed up by Jose Mourinho’s side’s flying start, coupled with the hangover the Eastlands club seemed to be suffering from their fantastic finish to last season.
Yet lately, an element of doubt has been placed in some commentators’ minds. Seemingly boosted by their hard-earned Champions League progression, City have started to recapture the form that won them the league in 2013-14.
They have now won 10 games on the trot in all competitions, while Chelsea have shown signs of stuttering, dropping points against both Newcastle and Sunderland of late.
The Londoners don’t have many obvious weaknesses, but the relative lack of success of many of their players in Premier League title races — in contrast with Man City — could ultimately prove crucial.
A win at home to a Burnley side that have won just one of their last 10 away matches therefore seems all but a foregone conclusion, with the result likely to increase the pressure further on Chelsea, who face a potentially difficult game at Southampton to boot.
5. Arsenal-West Ham likely to be a fascinating contrast in styles
Normally, in the context of Premier League history, commentators would expect Arsenal to overcome West Ham. Yet in Sunday’s game, that outcome looks less certain than ever.
Arsenal may have beaten QPR on Stephen’s Day, but they failed to hide their vulnerability against Harry Redknapp’s side, with Olivier Giroud losing the head and Arsenal almost following suit as they escaped with a fortunate victory.
The Hammers may have been relatively uninspired against Chelsea in their last match, nonetheless they have caused a host of big sides, including Man City and Liverpool, problems over the course of the season.
At home against Arsenal — who they are one point ahead of in the table — their bruising physical style, complemented by clever playmakers such as Alex Song, could pose the often brittle Gunners multiple problems.
Although many people would hesitate to label the hosts as ‘favoutites’ in this encounter, anything other than an Arsenal win would certainly be far from shocking.
Predictions (all games kick-off on Sunday at 3pm unless stated otherwise):
Tottenham 2-2 Man United (12pm)
Southampton 1-3 Chelsea (2.05pm)
Aston Villa 1-1 Sunderland
Hull 2-1 Leicester
Man City 4-0 Burnley
QPR 2-1 Crystal Palace
Stoke 3-1 West Brom
West Ham 2-2 Arsenal
Newcastle 1-1 Everton (4.15pm)
Liverpool 2-1 Swansea (Monday, 8pm)
Originally published December 27.
