Premier League Preview: Matchday 15 sees Everton host Liverpool, Arsenal travel to Fulham and West Ham host Wolves

Navin Doodnath & Sujesh Rambajue

Dec 06, 2024, 10:30 PM ET

Matchday 15 of the Premier League season season Everton host Liverpool in the last Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park and Arsenal travel to Craven Cottage. The future of Julen Lopetegui will be decided as he has one game to save his job against former side Wolves.

Everton FC vs Liverpool FC (Saturday, December 7th @Goodison Park) 

Ashley Young celebrates after scoring against Wolves.

Everton host cross-town rivals Liverpool FC in the first Merseyside Derby of the season. In what will be a rowdy atmosphere, Everton will hope to continue their momentum from their previous game in which they thumped Wolves 4-0. They will hope to make their fans proud in this special match; the last ever Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park. 

Liverpool dropped points for just the 3rd time this season in a thrilling 3-3 draw at St. James Park. The Reds were able to come from behind twice to take a 3-2 lead, but a massive mistake from Kelleher saw Newcastle level late on. Liverpool will be without Alexis Mac Allister in their midfield as he is suspended for yellow card accumulation.  

Last season saw the home team win on both occasions. Everton will be hoping for the same this season as they look to slow down Liverpool’s title run. Kickoff is at 7:30 am EST. 

Prediction: 1-1 Draw 

Crystal Palace vs Manchester City (Saturday, December 7th @ Selhurst Park) 

De Bruyne marked his return to the lineup with a goal and an assist in City's 3-0 win.

Matchday 15 sees Manchester City head to South London to take on Crystal Palace. Palace return home after a much-needed win over Ipswich Town on Matchday 14. Similarly, City’s 5 game losing streak has been broken as Pep and his players battered Nottingham Forest 3-0.  

Manchester City will be looking to pick up back-to-back wins for the first time since October 26th. A fully fit Kevin De Bruyne is back, and this boosts City’s confidence. City currently sit 4th in the table, 2 points back of Chelea and Arsenal for 2nd. 

Crystal Palace will look to pick up a point for the 4th consecutive match, but this will be a difficult task. With only 2 wins this season, they find themselves sitting in 17th, 3 points clear of the relegation zone.  

Manchester City will look to grab all 3 points on Saturday, while Palace will be happy with sharing the points. Kickoff is at 10 am EST.  

Prediction: 4-1 City 

Brentford FC vs Newcastle United (Saturday, December 7th @ Gtech Community Stadium) 

Newcastle United travel to London to face-off against Brentford. Newcastle will be looking to take advantage of this inconsistent Brentford side. Coming off an exciting 3-3 draw against Liverpool, the Magpies will hope to find some consistency of their own and start climbing up the table to battle for a European spot.  

Brentford lost 3-1 away to Aston Villa midweek and are yet to win consecutive league games this season. They come into this game hopeful that Christian Nørgaard and Kristoffer Ajer will be able to return to the squad after missing some time with injuries. There are rumours that Thomas Frank is being looked at by West Ham and Spurs should they part ways with their current managers. The Gtech will be lively trying to convince their manager to stay. 

Both teams have struggled to find stability this season, and Brentford sit just one spot above Newcastle in the table. Brentford will be looking to bounce back after a poor display in Birmingham and Newcastle will look to carry their momentum from the previous game into this one. Kickoff is at 10:00 am EST. 

Prediction: 2-2 Draw 

Aston Villa vs Southampton (Saturday, December 7th @ Villa Park) 

Aston Villa welcome the worst team in the Premier League this season to Villa Park. Aston Villa look to get back to winning ways, while Southampton have struggled to pick up points. 

Aston Villa come into this match having beaten Brentford 3-1. Morgan Rogers was the standout player for Villa once again, and they will rely on him against the Saints. The win last Matchday saw Villa climb to 8th in the table, level on points with Fulham and Forrest for 6th. 

Unlike their opponent, Russel Martin’s side is looking for answers. With only 1 win in 14 Premier League matches this season, Southampton will be looking to pick up points. They sit bottom of the table with 5 points and look destined to be relegated come the end of the season.   

The Saints are coming off a gruesome 5-1 loss to Chelsea at home. Jack Stephens will miss the match after picking up a red card for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair in the Chelsea match. Aston Villa should pick up all 3 points this weekend, but Southampton will surely look to spoil their plans. Kickoff is at 10 am EST.  

Prediction: 4-0 Villa 

Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest (Saturday, December 7th @Old Trafford)  

Manchester United return to Old Trafford after a 2-0 defeat at The Emirates. United showed well against the title challenging side but ultimately were undone by corner kicks. It was expected that United would face defeat for the first time under Ruben Amorim, but we saw a level of control which had been missing under the previous manager. The Red Devils now turn their attention to Nottingham Forest who sit 7th in the table. United will welcome back Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo after the pair missed the match midweek due to suspension. 

Nottingham Forest come into this game after a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City. Optimism was high for Forest fans as they traveled to The Etihad, but City looked back to their best and Forest were defeated before the hour mark. Having already beaten Liverpool on the road, Forest will look for another standout victory as they are back in Manchester to face United. Kickoff is at 12:30 pm EST. 

Prediction: 2-0 Manchester United 

Ipswich Town FC vs AFC Bournemouth (Sunday, December 8th @Portman Road) 

Dean Huijsen celebrates after scoring the winner against Spurs for AFC Bournemouth.

Bournemouth visit Portman Road after a fantastic result against Spurs. The Cherries are having a superb season so far under Andoni Iraola, picking up wins over City, Arsenal and Spurs. They have never had a winning record in a Premier League season, and they are currently on track to do so. Ipswich are wineless at home so Bournemouth will be looking to take advantage of Ipswich’s struggles. 

In losing consecutive games, Ipswich Town have failed to build on positive results against Spurs and Manchester United. They faced a struggling Crystal Palace side midweek and were defeated without much resistance. They will need to perform much better on Sunday if they want to keep up with the other relegation battling sides. Kickoff is at 9:00 am EST. 

Prediction: 3-1 AFC Bournemouth 

Leicester City vs Brighton (Sunday, December 8th @King Power Stadium) 

Leicester City welcome Brighton to the King Power Stadium this weekend. The Foxes will look to build on their previous match, which saw them thump West Ham 3-1. 

Leicester have started the season in poor form. After the recent appointment of Ruud van Nistelrooy, they picked up their first win since October 19th. New signing Bilal El Khannouss will look to impress once again after scoring in his last match. The Foxes currently sit 16th, 4 points above the relegation zone. 

The Seagulls will want to get back to winning ways after losing 3-1 to Fulham in their last match. After a flying start, they have dropped points in their last 2 matches. Still, they find themselves in the top 5, 3 points off Man City for 4th.   

Both sides are looking for a much needed three points. Kickoff is at 9 am EST.  

Prediction: 2-2 Draw 

Fulham vs Arsenal (Sunday, December 8th @ Craven Cottage) 

Alex Iwobi scored a brace to help lift Fulham over Brighton.

Fulham welcome an in-form Arsenal side to Craven Cottage on Matchday 15. Last Matchday saw Fulham pick up a convincing 3-1 win over Brighton. Alex Iwobi finished with 2 goals against Brighton, taking him to 5 for the season. The win over Brighton was much needed after Fulham dropped points in back-to-back matches against Spurs and Wolverhampton. Marco Silva’s men currently sit 6th in the table, 1 point back of Brighton.  

Conversely, Arsenal appear to be back to their best. They are on a 4 game winning streak in all competitions, including a 2-0 win over Manchester United last matchday. The return of Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice has been influential to the team, and they look to continue their winning ways. The Gunners have 28 points through 14 matches this season. They are currently tied with Chelsea and are 7 points back of Liverpool for top spot. A win in West London would see Arsenal continue their push for the title.  

This match should be a fun one, as both sides are coming off emphatic wins. A win for either side will see them move up in the Premier League table. Emile Smith Rowe and Alex Iwobi will look to stop their former side on Sunday. Kickoff is at 9 am EST.  

Prediction: 2-1 Fulham 

Tottenham vs Chelsea FC (Sunday, December 8th @ Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium) 

Tottenham Hotspurs welcome their West London rivals to Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium this weekend in what will be the match of the day. The high-flying Blues head to North London after thumping Southampton 5-1 while Spurs have now dropped points in back-to-back games against Fulham and Bournemouth.  

Chelsea continue to look like a top 4 side this season. With 9 goals scored in the last 3 games, Chelsea have now scored more goals than any other side. In that time, they have only conceded 2. After rotating most of their players against Southampton, they should be fully rested for Spurs on Sunday. Chelsea sit 2nd in the table, 7 points back of Liverpool for top spot. A win would help them narrow the gap and start to pull away from the rest of the top 4 contenders.   

Tottenham have struggled in their last 2 matches. Against Bournemouth, they couldn’t find the back of the net and were lucky the Cherries didn’t score more. After smashing Manchester City 4-0 on Matchday 13, we expected to see Spurs start to find form and pick up results. However, it has been the opposite in the last two matches. Spurs currently sit 10th in the table, level on points with Brentford and Newcastle. A win would see Spurs push back into the top 6 and increase their hopes of finishing in the top 4.  

Sunday’s match between Tottenham and Chelsea should be entertaining. The two rivals always put on a show for supporters. This fixture last season saw Chelsea beat Spurs 4-1 with a hat trick from Nicolas Jackson and red cards for Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie. Kickoff is at 11:30 am EST.  

Prediction: 3-1 Chelsea 

West Ham United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (Monday, December 9th @London Stadium) 

One of the most anticipated matches of the weekend happens to be the one we need to wait the longest for. West Ham host Wolverhampton Wanderers in a game that could be the final chance for both coaches to prove they deserve to keep their job.  

The West Ham hierarchy have openly stated that should the Hammers lose, Julen Lopetegui will lose his job. Although it seems his sacking is inevitable, if the Hammers lose on Monday, Lopetegui will be the third manager to be sacked this season after Erik Ten Hag and Steve Cooper. 

Wolves seemed to have turned the corner after consecutive wins, but those wins were followed by poor defeats to Bournemouth and Everton. They remain in the relegation zone and Gary O’Neil’s job is also in danger. O’Neil was hired by Wolves after they fired Lopetegui last season and now the two face off in a battle to keep their jobs at their current clubs. Kickoff is at 3:00 pm EST. 

Prediction: 0-0 Draw