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5 bold predictions for the rest of the Premier League season

Scott Heppell / Reuters

International football won't encroach on the club calendar until March, so it's time to pore over England's stacked festive fixtures, and the transfer tattle ahead of the January window, and make some ballsy bets of what's to come.

Here are five bold predictions for the remainder of the Premier League season:

Gabriel Jesus helps City ease to title

Yes, Manchester City has looked susceptible at the back. And true, the Blues have picked up two points from a possible nine after its last three Champions League matches, but there is a considerable weapon being added to the arsenal in January.

Gabriel Jesus' arrival will reduce the likelihood of Sergio Aguero's hamstrings being plucked due to a heavy workload, but will also give Pep Guardiola the option to field three across the attack - similar to what he regularly set out for in Barcelona.

A triumvirate up top comprising of Aguero, Jesus, and one of Kelechi Iheanacho, Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, and Nolito should regularly give City a head start on the inevitable wayward passes of John Stones, clumsy tackles of Nicolas Otamendi, and positional ineptitude of Aleksandar Kolarov - perhaps springing it comfortably ahead of the chasing pack by mid-May.

Southampton nicks Europa spot at United's expense

The problems at Manchester United are rife. Jose Mourinho appeared to purchase Paul Pogba without any idea of where to plug him into his unshakable 4-2-3-1 formation. Marcus Rashford is criminally overlooked. In fact, add Morgan Schneiderlin, Matteo Darmian, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to that list.

The gaffer himself is unhappy, too, apparently encountering a club with crippling issues in various aspects since he took over.

Related - Report: Mourinho looking to shake up all aspects of United's affairs

At Southampton it's a different story. Claude Puel finally has Oriol Romeu living up to his early career promise, Virgil van Dijk is one of the league's most gifted defenders, and Nathan Redmond and Dusan Tadic have been devastating on counter-attacks.

The much-maligned Thursday-Sunday Europa League schedule is up for grabs, and the Saints could knock United out of the top six altogether.

Leicester barely survives relegation

Leicester City has been putting an awful lot of emphasis on its maiden Champions League campaign - and it's going well - but that focus has been detrimental to its Premier League title defence.

The Foxes are positioned 14th in the division, but are precariously just two points above Hull City - a side which has already got the better of them this term.

If Jamie Vardy doesn't start firing - he hasn't scored domestically since August - and Riyad Mahrez continues to fall short of last season's heroics, it may be left to a turgid survival squabble which leans on the brute force of Islam Slimani and the industry of Shinji Okazaki up front.

Pickford emerges as hottest English property

Sunderland's push for another top-flight season is futile, and David Moyes looks powerless to prevent his side's descent into the second tier.

What's telling is that teams left behind in the Premier League would be unlikely to delve into the Black Cats' class of 2017 for recruitment. Duncan Watmore and Jermain Defoe would be worth a gamble, but the only players who would demand lofty price tags would be Lamine Kone and Jordan Pickford.

The latter showed flashes of his superb reflexes last term, but since inheriting a spot between the sticks from the injured Vito Mannone in 2016-17 has been superb despite the hilarity going on in front of him.

Pickford is second only to Tom Heaton in total saves this term, and his homegrown status and the fact that he's just 22 could demand a large transfer fee next summer.

West Brom pushes for Europe

The sound of Tony Pulis' tracksuit whistling through the guts of Europe's most famous stadiums in the 2017-18 season is a plausible proposition.

Pulis' West Bromwich Albion is unfazed by aesthetics, and will eke out results - just as it has throughout his tenure. But, this season, there is a fresh feeling around the Hawthorns.

September's takeover from the Financial Conduct Authority has freed up funds for the January transfer window, and the additions of Nacer Chadli and Matt Phillips to the flanks have made the Baggies' attack more potent.

Finishing above eighth for a best-league finish in 36 years is within reach.

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