This Premier League preview sees another packed festive fixture, with Hull and Everton kicking off on the Friday before New Year.
Hull vs Everton – Friday 30th December 2016 – 20:00 - Sky Sports 1
Hull welcome Everton to the KCOM Stadium this Friday, continuing a full festive period of Premier League action.
The Tigers come into this match on the back of a 3-0 defeat against Manchester City at home on Boxing Day.
Mike Phelan's side defended admirably for a large period of the game, ultimately fitness, quality and concentration told and the scoreline flattered the visitors.
Yaya Toure who has returned from his early season exile, gave City the lead from the penalty spot (72).,K Iheanacho
Kelechi Iheanacho doubled their advantage just six minutes later (78), and to add insult to injury Curtis Davies scored a late own goal to give City a 3-0 win (90+4).
Hull manager Mike Phelan refused to blame Andrew Robertson after his mistake led to Manchester City's opening penalty.
"It was a moment of madness in a way. A young, good asset for the club has now got to learn his trade the hard way. He got caught with a sucker punch really."
Tigers Underdogs
This was Hull's third successive defeat in the space of twelve days, with the calibre of opponents proving to be too much for the Tigers.
It was a result that sees Hull drop to the bottom of the Premier League, with no wins in their last seven.
Hull head into this fixture as the underdogs, with the Tigers in very poor form at the moment.
They will be looking to register their fourth win of the season, they will also be looking to avoid a 13th defeat.
Mike Phelan's men will be looking to draw on the clubs last result against Everton, with Hull recording a 2-0 win just under two years ago.
Danger Man: Robert Snodgrass will be the danger man for Hull City. The Scotland International has had a good season for the Tigers and will be instrumental for them, they will be looking to extend his contract as soon as possible.
He has 5 Premier League goals this season, with 2 assists as well. Contributing to 7 of Hull's 14 goals this season.
Hull are 100/30 with Robert Snodgrass at 15/2 to score first.
Morale Boosting Win
Ronald Koeman's side come into this match in mixed form, despite having recorded another excellent win away against Leicester City.
Kevin Mirallas opened the scoring for the Toffees (51), with Romelu Lukaku (90+1) taking his personal tally to 10 for the season.
Ronald Koeman will be delighted, with Mirallas punishing a Leicester mistake with the Blues first shot on target in the match.
Ronald Koeman challenged his Everton players to start the next fixture against Hull as they ended the match against Leicester.
"We played well and had a good defensive organisation, we played with the three centre-backs against two strikers. So it is now a question of starting like that, more confident at the beginning of the game, and that takes time."
Toffees In Need Of Run
That result is more evidence of the fact that Everton have been inconsistent, having now completed a run of two wins and a defeat in their last three.
It has seen them to 7th place, 1 points above Southampton and 6 behind Manchester United who are in 6th.
They are thirteen places and 15 points above their hosts Hull going into this match, with Everton recovering from the Merseyside loss.
The Toffees go into this match with two wins in their last six matches, they will be looking to make it three wins in four matches.
Everton come into this match as favourites, with the Tigers poor form and Everton's excellent win informing those odds.
The Toffees will be looking to continue their overall record against Hull, they have won 5, drawn 2 and lost 2 of their 9 meetings.
Danger Man: Romelu Lukaku is the danger man for Everton. With the Belgian forward a key component of the team, he has already scored 10 goals in the Premier League this season.
The Toffees will be looking to tie him down to a long-term contract, to ward off potential suitors, they will do well to hold onto him past the summer.
Everton are 17/20 with Romelu Lukaku at 100/30 to open the scoring.
The second fixture sees Burnley take on Sunderland at Turf Moor, in the first of the 3pm New Years Eve fixtures.
Burnley vs Sunderland – Saturday 31st December 2016 – 15:00
Burnley welcome Sunderland to Turf Moor on New Years Eve, with a full festive period of Premier League action.
Sean Dyche's side come into this match on the back of a narrow 1-0 win against Middlesbrough on Boxing Day.
Andre Gray (80), gave the hosts the lead late in the second half, with the forward scoring only his second goal of the season.
Match winner Andre Gray believes that despite their away struggles, home wins can be enough for the Clarets to remain in the Premier League.
"We want to get that first win away from home, but I'm sure if it stays like this until the end of the season we will stay up."
Clarets In Mixed Form
Burnley come into this match in poor recent form, they have lost four of their last six matches.
Their win against Middlesbrough was their second success, with both wins coming at home against Swansea and Boro.
They had suffered four defeats in their last six, with defeats against Manchester City, Stoke, West Ham and Tottenham.
Burnley Favourites
The Clarets excellent home record continues, they have secured 19 of their 20 points at home, only Chelsea and Tottenham have more home points.
They will be looking to register their seventh win of the season, they will also be looking to register a third win in five matches.
Sean Dyche's men will be looking to better their recent record against Sunderland, with the Clarets losing their last match 2-0.
Danger Man: The danger man for the Clarets is Sam Vokes. He has recorded four Premier League goals this season, with Burnley scoring 17 as a team this season.
He has also contributed with two assists, meaning that he takes his goal contribution to 6 of Burnley's 17.
Burnley are 13/10 with Andre Gray at 5/1 to score first.
Sunderland Need Boost
Sunderland also come into this match in mixed form, with a defeat against Manchester United on Boxing Day.
They come into this match on the back of a 3-1 win against United, with Moyes return to Old Trafford the main headline.
Daley Blind (39) opened the scoring for the Red Devils, despite the Black Cats enjoying the better of the opening exchanges.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (82) doubled United's advantage late on, with substitute Henrikh Mkhitaryan (86) scoring an incredible goal, albeit blatantly offside.
Fabio Borini (90+1) scored an emphatic goal of his own, with his looping volley leaving De Gea completely helpless to get Sunderland a consolation.
David Moyes believed the score flattered United, with the Scot saying that poor decisions at the back cost his side.
"I don't believe we deserved to lose 3-1 today, but we're at fault as we gave away two outrageous goals. There were a couple of passes and bad decisions in the last ten minutes of the game that made the result worse for us."
Moyes Depleted
David Moyes will be targeting a much-needed win in this fixture, with Sunderland viewing this as a six-pointer in the relegation battle.
Sunderland have a depleted squad as it is, they will be further weakened in January with several key players off to the Africa Cup of Nations.
It has also transpired that goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has sustained a knee injury, it is rotten luck as he has been in fine form this season.
Black Cats Underdogs
Sunderland come into this match as underdogs, with Burnley's excellent home form taken into account.
David Moyes' side will be looking to draw on their recent form against the Clarets, with two wins in their last four meetings.
Danger Man: Jermaine Defoe is the danger man for Sunderland. The former England international has been a fine player for the Black Cats and has been linked with a January transfer to West Ham.
He has netted 8 times for Sunderland this season, scoring half of Sunderland's goals this season.
Sunderland are 9/4 with Jermain Defoe at 5/1 to open the scoring.
The final match sees Chelsea take on Stoke at Stamford Bridge, with Conte's men on the verge of history.
Chelsea vs Stoke – Saturday 31st December 2016 – 15:00
Chelsea welcome Stoke to Stamford Bridge on New Years Eve, with a full festive period of Premier League action.
The hosts Chelsea come into this match on the back of another win, this time at home against Bournemouth.
Pedro (24) opened the scoring for the Blues, as the former Barcelona man was preferred to Michy Batshuayi up front.
Eden Hazard scored Chelsea's second from the penalty spot (49), with a Steven Cook own goal in the (90+3) completing another comfortable win.
Antonio Conte was understandably delighted with his Chelsea charges, they have been on an incredible run in the Premier League.
"This league is very tough and to have that many wins in a row is fantastic. Now it is important to think of the next game against Stoke and prepare in the right way."
Win Number Twelve
That result has broken the club record, with the 12 wins overtaking the previous best of 11 set during the Jose Mourinho years.
It ensures that Chelsea go into this match with a lead of six points, after Liverpool came from behind to win against Stoke at Anfield.
They will be able to welcome back the suspended duo of Kante and Costa, this will be a welcome boost considering they have three games in a week.
Chelsea are now just two games away from breaking the league record of 14 consecutive wins, set by the Arsenal Invincibles.
Blues Favourites
Antonio Conte's men will be looking to better their record against Stoke, they have failed to win any of their last three encounters against the Potters.
Danger Man: The danger man for Chelsea is the league's top goalscorer Diego Costa, who makes his return from suspension in this game.
Antonio Conte has revitalised the Spaniard and he has repaid him in spades, with 13 Premier League goals this season, with Chelsea scoring 38 overall.
Chelsea are 2/7 with Diego Costa at 5/2 to score first.
Stoke In Mixed Form
Stoke come into this fixture on the back of a 4-1 defeat against Liverpool, with the Potters producing some comical defending at Anfield.
It was another night to forget for Stoke at Anfield, with the Potters yet to win a Premier League game at Anfield.
Jon Walters gave the visitors a surprise lead (12), heading to Mignolet's near post, the Belgian should have done better to save it.
That was as good as it got for Stoke, with Adam Lallana (34) gifted his opener, after former defender Glen Johnson failed to clear a simple ball.
Roberto Firmino (44) ensured Liverpool ended the first half in front, with a Gabriel Imbula own goal (59) making it 3-1.
Christmas wasn't over yet for Liverpool, with Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross gift wrapping a back pass for Sturridge, who slotted past Grant to make it 4-1 (70).
Stoke manager Mark Hughes admitted his side were their own worst enemies, with a number of mistakes costing them.
"We are disappointed you look at the goals collectively and individually and we didn't do our jobs in terms of the goals we conceded and that is disappointing. We came here with a really positive game plan and I thought we caused Liverpool real problems and didn't allow them to play the game they wanted to play."
Great Set Of Results
Stoke have been in mixed recent form, with just two defeats in their last six matches with both coming away, against Arsenal and Liverpool.
They go into this match 25 points and 12 places below the hosts Chelsea, this will be another tough fixture for Hughes and his side.
Potters Underdogs
Stoke come into this match as underdogs, with Chelsea's excellent and unbeaten home form deciding those odds.
Stoke's recent record against Chelsea is excellent, overall they do need to improve with 22 wins, 16 draws and 35 defeats in 73 meetings.
Danger Man: The danger man for Stoke is Joe Allen, since moving from Liverpool he has been a fantastic asset.
He has scored 5 goals and managed two assists, with the £13 million signing contributing significantly.
Stoke are 10/1 with Wilfried Bony, Peter Crouch and Jon Walters all at 12/1 to open the scoring.
Betting Tips
Tip 1 – Lukaku to score first @ 100/30 and Everton to win 2-1 @ 15/2
Tip 2 – Defoe to score first @ 5/1 and Burnley to win 2-1 @ 17/2
Tip 3 – Costa to score first @ 5/2 and Chelsea to win 3-1 @ 10/1