Premier League Predictions, Week 15

Welcome back to your weekly Premier League predictions! I know what you're thinking: 'Premier League predictions on a Sunday?!? Daniel, you've lost the plot completely....Premier League matches have just finished up today!' You're correct, dear reader. However, we are in December now, and if you are an avid fan you know that the last month of the year means a loaded fixture schedule. This week, all 20 teams in the league will play a midweek match in addition to their usual weekend match.

You might also notice Week 14 got skipped in the Couch's Premier League predictions. There was no special significance to this; no subtle boycott of the fixture list or harbinger of a decrease in Premier League coverage. Quite simply, it was Thanksgiving week, and between family board game and stuffing my face with starchy foods, I couldn't find the time to issue a preview piece. But, perhaps I gave my predictions a rest for a week; going back two weeks ago, I didn't have the best go of it. Sure, I got 3 of the 5 correct, and nailed the Leicester-Brighton scoreline. But my predictions that the Mourinho transition at Tottenham would not go well and that Crystal Palace would hold Liverpool are two takes that did not age well. My second consecutive week took me to a nice, round (albeit unimpressive) 30/45 on the season.

Now, believe it or not, the matches are just a couple days away from starting again, so let's not waste any more time groveling my fall. Here are your 5 for Week 15!

Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur

In my last prediction piece, I forecasted that Tottenham would not see the usual new manager bounce because "the timing of the transition was too harsh to leave the players excited about this new era, especially if MourinhoBall at Tottenham is anything like the way it has been in his previous spells in the Premier League." 3 victories and a rapid rise to 5th place later, North London would be laughing at me if they cared at all. Early indications are that Spurs desperately require a shift at the top and that Jose Mourinho has settled into a more flexible, relaxed managerial style. They now come up on Manchester United, who will be helmed by the man who succeeded Mourinho at Old Trafford. Unlike their upcoming opponents, United have not once been able to break out of the mire of inconsistency all season. The last week has been especially difficult for the Red Devils, an embarrassing loss to Astana in the Europa League being sandwiched by unimpressive draws against Sheffield and Aston Villa. I expect that urgency for a result, as well as the motivation of playing their old manager, to be enough to end the brief winning streak at Tottenham, but I still think the talent gap is enough for the Spurs to rescue a point.

The Pick: Draw, 1-1

Liverpool vs. Everton

Liverpool have carved out an 8-point lead atop the Premier League, and if you listen to the media, it's more like an 11-point lead as nobody seems to be backing Leicester City to compete for the title. But, if Liverpool are to reprise their seemingly perennial collapse in the race for the Premier League, this would be the time of the season. The compact schedule hits the league leaders especially hard: between the Premier League, the Club World Cup, and the League Cup, the Reds play 9 matches in 25 days! The start of the brutal stretch is the Merseyside Derby against crosstown rivals Everton. Everton have not had the season they expected or wanted, currently situated shockingly close to the relegation zone. However, rankings rarely matter in fixtures such as these. Last season, amidst a record-setting season, Liverpool still only managed one goal in two matches against Everton, and that goal, as you may remember, was entirely unexpected. The gulf in quality between the sides this year is so great that I can't predict anything but a Liverpool win, but expect another nerve-wracking affair at Anfield.

The Pick: Liverpool, 2-1

Bournemouth vs. Liverpool

Liverpool have a sneakily difficult week. Everton and Bournemouth aren't names that will jump off the page at anyone, but the difficulties of a local derby were just documented above, and Bournemouth under Eddie Howe have proved to be a difficult club for just about every major club. The Reds will at least have goalkeeper Alisson back from his suspension for the Everton game as a result of a late red card vs. Brighton, and that will probably be a big deal, as the Cherries have shown the ability to put goals past just about everyone. Two good pieces of good news for the league leaders, though: 1. Bournemouth's top scorer Harry Wilson will not be playing, as he is in fact a Liverpool player on loan, and 2. As good as they have been at scoring, the Cherries have been just as bad at allowing goals. That spells disaster vs. a midfield and front 3 as well as Liverpool's.

The Pick: Liverpool, 4-2

Manchester City vs. Manchester United

It's local derby week in the Premier League! Three days after the Merseyside Derby, the Manchester Derby will kick off in Etihad Stadium. This fixture has in the several years had significant ramifications for the league race, but the clubs are trending in opposite directions, with City becoming better and better, and United....er, not. For a team in desperate need of some positive momentum, Manchester United face a brutal week, hosting Tottenham on Tuesday then confronting their crosstown rivals on Saturday. To be fair, this City side appear much more beatable than the 2017-18 and 2018-19 iterations of themselves. But, in truth, the same goes for United, and then some. Expect the Citizens to roll in leg 1 of this derby.

The Pick: Manchester City, 3-0

Aston Villa vs. Leicester City

Perhaps it's not quite as bad as Manchester United's stretch, but Aston Villa, who just drew the Red Devils today, are set for an incredibly rough week. Four days after traveling to 4th-place Chelsea, who are looking to revert their two-match losing streak, the Villains play host to 2nd-placed Leicester. As alluded to in my introduction, the British media don't appear to be paying a lick of attention to the fact that Leicester is in 2nd place, which is surely baffling to the Foxes and their fans alike. Liverpool and Manchester City still dominate the headlines, but from October onwards, Leicester have been playing the best football in the league, both scoring more goals and conceding less than the league leaders. Just about every fixture that pops up as a potential trap for them, they pass with flying colors. I expect that trend to continue through this upcoming weekend.

The Pick: Leicester City, 3-1

Premier League Predictions, Week 15

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