BPL previews
Published:Thursday | December 18, 2014 | 6:06 PM
HULL CITY VS SWANSEA CITY
Hull are unbeaten in their
last seven home league games against Swansea. The Welshmen last won at Hull in December 1998, but they have won two of their last three in the Barclays Premier League. Hull miss Tom Huddlestone, who begins a four-match ban following his fifth caution and subsequent red card in the 2-0 defeat at Chelsea.
QPR VS WEST BROM
Charlie Austin's return will be welcome; Queens Park Rangers' leading scorer missed Monday's 3-1 defeat at Everton through suspension. Rangers are unbeaten in their last four home games while West Bromwich Albion arrive in London with just three away goals, the joint lowest total in the Barclays Premier League with QPR.
SOUTHAMPTON
VS EVERTON
Southampton have lost their last four games in the Barclays Premier League and are without a win in five. Gareth Barry returns for Everton after missing Monday's 3-1 win over QPR through suspension. But Everton's Barclays Premier League record at Saints is poor; in 14 visits in the competitions the Toffeemen have won just twice, most recently in April 2002, while losing six and drawing six.
TOTTENHAM
VS BURNLEY
On Wednesday Tottenham reached the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup with a 4-0
win over Newcastle and meet Sheffield United. Now they meet Burnley ahead of next month's FA Cup third-round clash. That tie is at Turf Moor; Burnley visit north London having won just one away game in the Barclays Premier League. In their only previous trip in the competition, they lost 5-0, in September 2009, but then won 4-2 at Turf Moor.
WEST HAM VS LEICESTER CITY
West Ham United remain on track for a place in the Champions League after their 1-1 draw at Sunderland kept them in the top four of the Barclays Premier League.
The Hammers have taken
10 points from a possible 12 and face a Leicester side still bottom after going 11 games without a win (including defeats in their last four).
NEWCASTLE VS SUNDERLAND
Two north-east rivals clash at St James' Park with Newcastle bidding to recover from the 4-1 defeat at Arsenal last Saturday and the 4-0 Capital One Cup quarter-final loss at Tottenham. The Magpies have lost once at home this season but when the teams met at St James' Park last season Sunderland won 3-0, their first win there since 2000.