All games kick-off at 3pm unless stated otherwise.
Swansea v Man City (12.45pm)
Swansea have only won one from six in the league since their 3-0 defeat at the Etihad in late September.
There’s no reason to think the outcome will be any different today, though City will want to improve on the 19 shots off target they registered against Crystal Palace.
Bet: City @ 4/6
Arsenal v Cardiff
Arsenal kick off the New Year with an injury crisis. Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud are all out, leaving Arsene Wenger with a bit of a noodle-scratcher when it comes to attacking options.
They should still have enough quality against a Cardiff side that is falling to pieces under Vincent Tan.
Bet: Arsenal @2/7
Crystal Palace v Norwich
A tough one to call. Only three points separate Palace and Norwich and both will count themselves slightly unfortunate to have come away empty-handed from games against the Manchester giants last weekend.
Norwich won the reverse 1-0 but home advantage could tip the balance back in the Londoners’ favour.
Bet: Palace @ 11/8
Fulham v West Ham
18th plays 19th in a game that holds little appeal. Yes, Fulham lost 6-0 away to Hull at the weekend; no, they are definitely not that bad. West Ham, on the other hand, might be.
Bet: Fulham @ 7/5
Liverpool v Hull
It hasn’t been a great Christmas for Liverpool who, despite solid performances against City and Chelsea, went from first to fifth in a matter of days. Hull were surprise 3-1 winners when the sides met in December but don’t bank on a repeat.
Bet: Liverpool @ 3/10
Southampton v Chelsea
Southampton went nearly seven weeks without a win before busting that streak against Cardiff on St Stephen’s Day. With Chelsea missing David Luiz and Frank Lampard, and possibly Branislav Ivanovic and Samuel Eto’o as well, this could be a tricky trip.
Bet: Chelsea @ 11/10
Stoke v Everton
Everton were comfortable 4-0 winners in the reverse fixture and nothing much has changed for either side since. But Stoke have been tough opponents at the Britannia this season — they beat Chelsea, held City to a draw and have lost only one of nine, against Norwich.
Draw?
Bet: Draw @ 12/5
Sunderland v Aston Villa
Villa are so infuriatingly inconsistent that this one might be best left alone. Sunderland have three wins and a draw from their last four which could be a significant pointer.
Bet: Draw 23/10
West Brom v Newcastle
This could be the bet of the day. West Brom have won one from 13 since beating Manchester United at the end of September. Newcastle, on the other hand, are one of the league’s form sides and go into the new year just four points off the Champions League places.
Bet: Newcastle @ 9/5
Man United v Tottenham (5.30pm)
United are likely to still be without Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney but they have definitely turned a corner.
If your accumulator is going to hinge on the late kick-off, you don’t want to bet against them.
Bet: United @ 4/5
Accumulator: “Mystic Paul” has taken his crystal ball home with him for the New Year so you’ll have to make do with my shoddy predictions today. On the off-chance that this lot comes up, a €10 accumulator will net you €18,856.20.(I’ll be lucky to get half of them right.)
