Premier League matchweek 16: Staff picks and predictions
By Staff
The FanSided soccer staff make their predictions for the weekend’s Premier League games, including the Manchester and Merseyside derbies.
Premier League matchweek 16 features two of the biggest games of the season, as Manchester United host Manchester City at Old Trafford in a clash between the top two teams in the table, and Liverpool and Everton face off at Anfield.
The stakes of the Manchester derby haven’t been this high since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. City currently lead United by eight points, meaning Jose Mourinho may feel compelled to be more ambitious going forward than he usually is in games like this.
We saw what that might look like when United travelled to play Arsenal at the Emirates in matchweek 15. Mourinho’s side pressed the Gunners deep in their own half early on, leading to two quick goals and, ultimately, a 3-1 win.
But United’s defense was also exposed in the match, conceding 33 shots, 15 of which were on target. David de Gea was in excellent form, and ultimately proved the difference, but a similar performance against City’s attack is unlikely to result in three points.
As for the Merseyside derby, Liverpool will be favorites at home, especially on current form. The Reds have won seven of their last eight league matches since getting thrashed by Tottenham at Wembley in October.
Everton, however, have been rejuvenated since it was announced Sam Allardyce would be their new manager. They’ve won both games since his appointment, the first with him watching in the stands and the second, last weekend against Huddersfield, with him on the touchline.
The other standout games of the weekend see West Ham host Chelsea, who could pull level on points with second-place United with a win; Tottenham, in a poor run of form that’s seen them drop out of the top four, play Stoke; and high-flyers Burnley and Watford face off at Turf Moor.
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FanSided’s soccer staff will be competing in a weekly picks league all season. The rules are simple: three points for a correct score, one for a correct result and none for an incorrect result. Here are the picks for matchweek 16:
City are big favorites, with all eight of our writers picking them to win, while seven of eight writers think the Reds will come out on top on Merseyside. Here’s how the predictions table stands heading into the weekend’s matches:
