Sky Sports pundit tips wins for Villa, Hull and Stoke
Saturday 3 January 2015 16:07, UK
The Magic Man expects a draw between Newcastle and Everton in Sky Sports' Super Sunday clash. Scroll down to see his thoughts on all of Sunday's games.
Southampton v Chelsea (1.55pm, Sunday, Sky Sports 1)
Everyone was talking about Chelsea getting a game against West Ham, who were playing in the form of their life, but it was like an FA Cup game between the Premier League leaders and a team three leagues below. Chelsea were a different class. I cannot see Southampton beating them and I’m going for a 2-0 away win.
PAUL PREDICTS: 0-2 (8/1 Price Boost with Sky Bet)
Newcastle v Everton (4pm, Sunday, Sky Sports 1)
It’s a real tough time for Everton at the moment. Everything seems to be going against them. Walters should definitely have been sent off on Boxing Day but he didn’t and the free-kick hits the wall and Stoke go up the other end, Everton concede the penalty and it’s 1-0.
They should have been playing against 10-men and who knows how the game might have turned out? That’s their luck at the moment. But Newcastle have hit a bit of a brick wall of late. They won all those games but now they can’t buy a win. It’s the manner of the defeats that are worrying for me as they are getting beat pretty easily. I’m going for a score draw here.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1 (11/2 with Sky Bet)
Liverpool v Swansea (7pm, Monday, Sky Sports 1)
I’m going for a Liverpool win here but it’s a very hard game. Swansea are a very good football team and they’ll go to Anfield and pass the ball as well as Liverpool.
But Brendan Rodgers will be happy with his side’s performances of late and they are starting to string a few results together. They can continue that and pick up a hard-fought 2-1 win.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-1 (7/1 with Sky Bet)
Tottenham v Manchester United
Tottenham are flying along at the moment and are getting some excellent results. The same can be said for Manchester United but despite their good results both teams are not setting the world on fire with their performances. I cannot separate these two and I think we’ll see a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1 (11/2 with Sky Bet)
Aston Villa v Sunderland
Sunderland’s defeat against Hull on Boxing Day was a shocking result considering they went 1-0 up. I watched Hull last week and they never looked like scoring. Defeat at Swansea was not a terrible result for Villa. Swansea are a decent side at home so believe it or not, I’m going for a Villa home win.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-0 (17/2 with Sky Bet)
Hull City v Leicester
Leicester played pretty well against Spurs on Boxing Day but it’s really worrying that they cannot seem to buy a win. That’s 13 games without a win now for Leicester and I can’t see anything but a Hull win here. After their win against Sunderland the confidence will be back for Steve Bruce’s side and at home they look good for a 2-0.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-0 (9/1 with Sky Bet)
Manchester City v Burnley
Manchester City are going stride for stride with Chelsea and they are looking very good at the moment. Their win at West Brom was their ninth win on the bounce and I’m backing them to make it 10 against Burnley. Sean Dyche will be wondering how they didn’t get anything against Liverpool but they face a tough afternoon against City.
PAUL PREDICTS: 3-0 (11/2 with Sky Bet)
QPR v Crystal Palace
QPR may not have got anything at the Emirates but this really is the big one for Harry Redknapp’s side. You’ve got to win your home games if you want to stay in the Premier League. Palace had a shocking result on Boxing Day and have since sacked manager Neil Warnock. They are on a terrible run at the moment and it remains to be seen whether a new manager can turn things around, but I’m going 2-2 in this one. I watched QPR against West Brom when they were 2-0 down and came back to win 3-2 but I think Palace are a better side than the Baggies.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-2 (14/1 with Sky Bet)
Stoke v West Brom
I rarely go against Stoke at home and it’s no different this time as I’m expecting them to follow up their good win at Everton with another three points. They’re a decent team and I expected them to go to Goodison Park and get something on Boxing Day. They’ll keep their decent run going here against West Brom with a 2-0 win.
PAUL PREDICTS: 2-0 (15/2 with Sky Bet)
West Ham v Arsenal
West Ham set up a bit differently at Chelsea and it didn’t really come off for them against the league leaders. I expect this to be a different game though and it’s a tough one for both sides. It’s a hard game for Arsenal, especially without Olivier Giroud. That’s another big player out of the team and he would have been vital at set-plays. I was tempted to side with West Ham in this one, but in the end I’ve edged towards the draw at Upton Park.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1 (11/2 with Sky Bet)
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