SOCCER PREMIER LEAGUE ARTICLES

West Ham has put together a real show offensively this season, netting 34 goals in 22 matches. Manchester City still has the top offense in the EPL by a solid four goals though, and there could be a lot of firepower on display on Saturday at Boleyn Ground.... 

Norwich City is making more moves in the transfer season than any other team in the Premier League as it continues on its quest for survival for a second season in the top flight. Matches like the one at home against Liverpool aren't really supposed to be won, but they're generally the difference between the clubs which survive and the ones which get dropped into the Championship.... 

Manchester United is direly trying to find a striker to put in the fold this year to replace awful aging options who haven't panned out. It's entirely possible that Romelu Lukaku could be on his way to Old Trafford soon, but that clearly won't happen in time for the Red Devils' match against Southampton on Saturday.... 

"Plucky Palace" has been sticking around most of the year in the middle of the table, but one good run here against a favorable portion of the schedule could certainly keep Crystal Palace in the mix for a European spot next season. The Eagles could fly high against Tottenham this Saturday.
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Sunderland only has three positive results on the road this year, and that in and of itself makes this trip to Tottenham a tall task.That said, the Black Cats are coming off of their biggest result of the season, a 4-2 win at Swansea, so it isn't unbelievable to think they could string two positive results together in a span of just a few days.... 

A number of the top teams in the Premier League had a frustrating midweek. Many, including Manchester City, ended up with subpar results on nights where they figured to get three points. The Citizens will have another shot to move closer to the top of the table in the BPL on Saturday at home against Crystal Palace.... 

Stoke City has already beaten Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United this season. The Potters have long been known as the "Little Engines That Could," sticking around with far more notable sides than themselves to survive in the Premier League. The next scalp could be that of the leaders of English soccer on Sunday, as Arsenal pays its annual visit to the Britannia.... 

At the outset of the season, it really wouldn't have been imaginable that Match Day 22 in the Barclays Premier League would see both Liverpool and Manchester United outside of the top four. Both still have a shot of securing European soccer slots for next season, but both had better get a move on with just a few months left to the term.... 

When the fixture list came out for the 2015-16 term, Roberto Martinez had to look at this run just after New Year's and cringe. His Everton side had to play at Manchester City and at Chelsea in a span of just four days. Throw in a Capital One Cup tie against the Citizens as well, and the new year could've easily run the Toffees out of luck.... 

Manchester City enters the second half of the season three points back of the top of the table in the Premier League. The Citizens though, have to feel pretty good knowing that Manchester United and Chelsea are basically out of the way at this point. Match Day 21 for Man City is at home against Everton, a match which surely should end in three points for the hosts.... 

On Sunday, Tottenham and Leicester City played to a 2-2 draw in the third round of the FA Cup which will create a replay between the two teams at King Power Stadium. However, before that fixture comes up, these two teams will meet for the second time in four days at White Hart Lane in a duel which arguably means a heck of a lot more for both sides with a Barclays Premier League title still there for the taking.... 

Liverpool had itself a frustrating weekend, drawing on Friday at Exeter City, forcing itself into an FA Cup replay against the League Two side.The competition will be significantly harder on Wednesday when Arsenal, the team sitting at the top of the BPL table pays a visit to Anfield.... 

Louis van Gaal still has a job with Manchester United, but the next substandard result could be his last.The Red Devils have what should be a walk in the park against Newcastle United up on Tuesday, but having just two days to prepare for this fixture makes it a dangerous one.... 

We're going to find out in the next few weeks whether Chelsea is legitimately going to go on a nice run in the second half. The Blues should theoretically start with three points against West Brom, but we've seen them punt worse matches here at Stamford Bridge.... 

Soccer has a history of random draws for all sorts of competitions. At least in international affairs like the World Cup and the Euros, the best teams in the world aren't going to play against each other until the knockout rounds instead of in the group stages. However, when it comes time for knockout play, all bets are off.... 

Chelsea is coming off of its most comprehensive victory of its season, a 3-0 romp on the road against Crystal Palace. However, as has been the case all season long, the Blues have had a history of one step forward and two steps back. Guus Hiddink knows that he can't afford to take it easy this year in the FA Cup, starting with a Sunday tea time fixture against Scunthorpe United.... 

Cup play often ends up superseding play domestically, and when you get a team like Sunderland who is merely trying to avoid relegation, odd results sometimes happen. Arsenal is a massive favorite for a good reason in this battle between the top team in England at the moment and a team seemingly destined to drop into Championship next season, but we're not sure this game is an open and shut case as it seems.... 

The FA Cup begins for all of the Premier League teams this weekend, and the first to be on the pitch will be Liverpool. The Reds have seemingly picked up an easy draw against League 2 side Exeter City, but it shouldn't be forgotten that the Grecians were able to force a draw against Manchester United at this stage of the competition just a handful of years ago.... 

It's starting to look more and more likely that Leicester City could challenge for the Premier League championship. The match which could change the entire course of the second half of the EPL campaign takes place on Tuesday night when the Foxes take on Manchester City.... 

You have to go back to 1995 to find the last time Watford played in the top flight and managed to survive. This year though, there seems to not be a heck of a lot of doubt left. As we head into the second half of the season, the Hornets sit seventh on the table, and they're only three points off of a spot in the Champions League versus 12 clear of relegation. A match at home against Manchester City is all of a sudden looking incredibly vital to kick off the new year.... 

It's becoming very evident that Louis van Gaal isn't going to around Manchester United for all that much longer. A 2-0 loss at Stoke on Boxing Day likely sealed his fate once and for all, though at the publication of this article, he still had his job intact. With a game to be played on Monday yet against Chelsea, there's still plenty of time for LVG to be sent away from Old Trafford heading into Saturday's showdown with Swansea City.... 

Monday was a bittersweet day for Arsenal. The dull news of the day was that Alexis Sanchez is going to miss the entire holiday swing and at least a week or two into the new year as well. However, a win over Manchester City gives the Gunners a relief promise of winning the championship this term.A match against Southampton on Boxing Day won't be easy, particularly on the short week of prep, but it's one which Arsenal would still be expected to win.... 

The holiday season might be great for sports fans, but for Barclays Premier League players, this stretch between Christmas and just after New Year's is nothing short of hell. Everyone has to play three matches in a seven-day span around the holidays, and the last thing that Manchester United needed to see in the second of those three games was a visit from what might be a resurgent Chelsea side eager to prove that it is still one of the top teams in England in spite of its horrendous first half of the year.... 

The gap is starting to widen between Manchester City and Leicester City. Heading into the holiday week, the Citizens find themselves six points back of the Foxes, but they should get a bit of a reprieve this week against Sunderland in a match which should easily provide three points.Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu... 

It isn't going to be a very merry Christmas for the red-clad fans in Manchester. All Manchester United fans seem to want for Christmas is a new manager. Louis van Gaal could be on his way out the door any day now, and matches like these on the road against Stoke City which initially seemed like easy wins could end up being disasters....