Manchester City host Everton in a game that has seen the home side beat the visitors on the last 9 occasions. The only slight bit of hope for Everton is the fact that Pep Guardiola has had two days less to prepare his side for this game, but with the strength in depth City have I can’t see this being a problem for them.

Everton manager Frank Lampard is under massive pressure after seeing his side lose to Wolves on Boxing Day 2-1 thanks to a 95th minute winner for the West Midlands side. Everton fans have only seen their side win one in their last eight games (1D, 6L).

Coming up against a Manchester City side who are scoring goals for fun at the moment, taking their total to 43 for the season (average of 2.8 goals per game) after their 3-1 victory over Leeds in the week. It’s a worry for Everton’s defence after they have conceded 2 or more goals in their last 3 Premier League games.

Erling Haaland will be raring to go once again against a team who have conceded 19 goals in 16 games. The Norwegian has 20 goals to his name already – 8 more than the whole Everton squad.

I can see his being another rout for Manchester City with Haaland being the main man once again.

Fulham welcome Southampton to Craven Cottage for the final game week before the New Year! It’s been a whirlwind season for the Cottagers, currently occupying 9^th spot in the table. The home side were front runners for relegation before a ball was kicked this season, so it goes to show that Marco Silva is doing a fantastic job for the club! They were victorious last time out away at Crystal Palace, winning 3-0 in the process. Although, they faced 10 men for the majority of this fixture, before this then turned into 9 men, with Palace having had two men sent off! However, such a convincing win away from home is an excellent achievement. On the flip side, we have the Saints who were thumped at home to Brighton, losing out by 3 goals to 1. They’re on a horrendous run of form at the moment, now rooted to the bottom of the table!

The home side have been relying on their main man in attack this season and he certainly hasn’t disappointed. Aleksandar Mitrovic notched in the win just a few days ago and is the 4^th top scorer in the league with 10 goals to his name. The Serbian has stepped up his performances to an elite level in recent times, proving his worth in the World Cup in Qatar having scored a couple of goals for his national team on the biggest stage. Now facing up against a side who have conceded 10 goals in just 3 games, he will be licking his lips at the prospect! In other areas of the pitch, Fulham look extremely assured.

A couple that deserve a strong mention are the defensive midfielders; both Harrison Reed and Joao Palhinha have formed a formidable partnership. Not just defensively have the duo been in excellent form but the added bonus that they’ve hit a pair of goals apiece has helped guide Fulham into the top half position they currently hold. There are numerous others who deserve a mention but these are my favoured personnel who have stood out throughout the campaign. I’m banking on the hosts edging out the visitors here and I expect them to overcome a Southampton side that have now lost the last 4 in a row.

Newly appointed Saints boss Nathan Jones will be hoping for a change in his sides fortunes, but I believe it may take some time to get his side firing. One plus for the visitors here has been the form of Che Adams, bagging 3 in his last 3. Yet, very few others have contributed in an attacking sense! Adam Armstrong has been one of the main culprits in attack, having failed to score in any of his previous 12 appearances. A couple of worrying match stats I found when delving into this match was the fact Southampton have now failed to score 5 of their last 10 on the road, as well as conceding 2+ in 11 of their last 20. I simply cannot see a sudden turnaround of form even up against a side of similar talent. Confidence levels are at a real low and I’m happy to take a punt on Fulham to win at evens.

We’re straight back into the action as Leeds travel up to the North East to face an in form Newcastle! The hosts were in sensational form on Boxing Day, continuing exactly where they left off before the World Cup break. An impressive 3-0 victory was achieved at the King Power Stadium with Miguel Almiron on the scoresheet yet again! They now sit in 3^rd place in the Premier League and remain unbeaten in their last 11, winning the last 6 on the spin. This fabulous run is certainly why I am keen to get the Toon Army onside in this favourable matchup against the Yorkshire outfit.

Contrastingly, the visitors arrive into this one on the back of a 3-1 defeat at home to title favourites Manchester City. On the road however, it’s 5 defeats in their last 6, shipping 15 goals in the process and this worrying run is just one reason I see another loss here!

The European dream for the Geordies is no doubt a serious possibility, they’ve been backed into around the Even money mark for a top 4 finish. They’re ahead of the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham and Man Utd in this market to give some sort of perspective. Anyway, I’m expecting it to be business as usual in this week’s match at St James Park. The standout performances from the previously mentioned Miguel Almiron just keep on coming. The Paraguayan star simply cannot stop scoring and it’s now 8 goals in the last 9 in the Premier League. I see him playing a big part once more but there’s a plethora of talent within this Newcastle squad who can step up too. A personal favourite of mine is Bruno Guimares who chipped in with an assist last time out. His hugely influential performances in the middle of the park have not gone unnoticed. The Brazilian will be hoping to run another game at the heart of the midfield and I fancy him to come out on top in this battle.

One bit of team news to note is the possible return of Callum Wilson; the striker has struggled with illness over Christmas and may return. A last point on the home side is their superb defensive record, attaining 5 clean sheets in their last 7 and 3 in a row on home turf. This further bolsters our chances of seeing a home victory if the Toon Army manage to keep the visitors out.

In opposition are Leeds and their recent poor run of away form will make this an extremely difficult task. They are set to be missing Patrick Bamford who is rated to have just a 25% chance of playing, whilst Luis Sinisterra and Stuart Dallas remain side-lined until 2023. This certainly does the away side no favours going into this tough fixture. Having picked up just 3 points from a possible 18 on the road, it’s hard to envisage the form book changing, especially with Jesse March missing a few key players.

The leaky Leeds defence is well worth noting here, an average of 2.43 goals per game are being conceded in their away matches. These eye opening numbers are another reason I’m keen to back against them. Rodrigo has been one spark in the attacking ranks this season, racking up 9 goals in total. However, if we look beyond the Spaniard, only Crysencio Summerville has been hitting the back of the net consistently. The young Dutchman did not feature last Wednesday so could be involved and has 4 goals to his name.

In summary, I see a dominant home performance and I’m expecting Newcastle to pick up 3 more points in their quest for European Football.