Burnley’s 15-game winless run has dragged them deep into trouble, and even Turf Moor hasn’t been much of a refuge. They’re still carrying a threat going forward, but the defensive issues are glaring, with five of their last six home league games seeing both teams score.

West Ham haven’t been convincing either, but tend to handle relegation rivals well and usually find a way to get on the scoresheet. They’ve lost just two of their last 19 league games against sides in the bottom three and are unbeaten in seven against Burnley, which gives them a slight edge in what should be a nervy contest.

Score Prediction: Burnley 1-2 West Ham

Fulham and Everton arrive level on points and with genuine European ambitions, so this has a bit of a six-pointer feel at Craven Cottage. Fulham’s home form has underpinned their season, but that late gut-punch at Old Trafford was their second defeat in three and may just have knocked some of the momentum out of Marco Silva’s side.

Everton, by contrast, look increasingly tough to shift on their travels. Moyes’ men are unbeaten in four away league games, keeping things tight and nicking results in low-scoring contests, as we saw with the smash-and-grab draw at Brighton. With Fulham usually dangerous at home and Everton well-drilled away, this sets the stage for a fairly cagey battle.

Score Prediction: Fulham 1-1 Everton

Bournemouth matches rarely stay quiet for long under Andoni Iraola, and Villa are hardly shy in front of goal either. The Cherries come into this on a four-game unbeaten run and love a chaotic, end-to-end game, while Villa will be eager to respond after that flat defeat to Brentford, but are missing some key midfield pieces.

With both sides carrying plenty of attacking threat and recent meetings producing goals and corners in bunches, another open contest looks likely on the south coast.

Score Prediction: Bournemouth 2-1 Aston Villa

Newcastle’s recent wobble has exposed some familiar defensive issues, but St James’ Park still tends to drag their games into a high-tempo, end-to-end pattern. With over 2.5 goals landing in most of their home matches and a big corner count pointing to sustained pressure, you’d expect the Magpies to create plenty again, especially with Barnes and Wissa likely to lead the line in a front three.

Brentford arrive with confidence after that gritty win at Villa and already have a 3-1 victory over Newcastle in the bank this season, with Igor Thiago central to much of their threat. Given both sides’ recent games have been wide open and neither defence looks secure, it’s easier to imagine this turning chaotic than staying under control for 90 minutes.

Score Prediction: Newcastle 2-2 Brentford

Brighton and Palace played out a stalemate when they met in November, and there’s still only two points between them in the table, but the underlying numbers tell a different story. Brighton haven’t kept a clean sheet in five, while Palace sit 7th in the xG table despite languishing in 15th, suggesting their 12-game winless run has involved plenty of missed chances, rather than a total collapse in performance.

Even so, Palace arrive without injured top scorer Jean-Philippe Mateta, putting a lot of immediate pressure on new signing Jørgen Strand Larsen to hit the ground running. With Brighton more settled at home, and generally more reliable in front of goal, they look better placed to take all three points.

Score Prediction: Brighton 1-0 Crystal Palace

Liverpool’s title defence has stuttered in the league, but Anfield is still where they look most dangerous, especially with Hugo Ekitike in this kind of form and City’s back line far from watertight. Pep’s side are conceding regularly away from home and have just come through another bruising midweek, while Liverpool have had a clearer run-up and are consistently generating enough chances to score at least twice on their own patch.

That said, City still carry huge attacking threat and rarely fail to land a punch in these fixtures, so this could easily become a game with more goals than the market expects in a big-six clash.

Score Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Man City