With mixed fortune for English clubs in Europe this week the weekend Premier League fixtures offer Manchester clubs an antidote but with United facing Wolves and City up against Chelsea, it could offer further misery instead. Meanwhile, Martin O’Neil takes charge of Sunderland for the first time in another relegation six-pointer as Blackburn Rovers visit the Stadium of Light.

 

ARSENAL v EVERTON The Emirates Stadium, 15:00 (Saturday)

This is not going to be easy for Everton. Arsenal are in irresistible form and a win could see them break into the top four for the first time all season. With 16 points from a possible 18, they’re one of the form teams in the division.

Everton, meanwhile, have nine points from 18, and while they have been showing promise lately, their performance at Stoke last weekend was weak at best.

What to watch out for:

Thomas Vermaelen. With a raft of injuries at the back, Arsenal’s skipper will have to show exemplary leadership at the back in order to avoid a repeat of the woeful defending of a few months ago.

Possible line-ups:


Arsenal: Szczesny; Koscielny, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Squillaci; Song, Walcott, Arteta, Ramsey; Gervinho; van Persie
Everton: Howard; Hibbert, Heitinga, Jagielka, Baines; Coleman, Rodwell, Cahill, Bilyaletdinov; Osman, Velios

Recent form: Arsenal: WWWWDW, Everton: WLLWWL

Prediction: 2-0

 

BOLTON WANDERERS v ASTON VILLA The Reebok, 15:00

It hasn’t been a season for Bolton fans to wax lyrical about. Currently second from bottom and playing like it, Bolton are in a rut of epic proportions, and manager Owen Coyle needs to turn it around very quickly, or he probably won’t last long enough in the job to fight relegation.

Villa on the other hand are doing fairly well, but Alex McLeish is still yet to win over a large portion of the Villa faithful. Although they haven’t won for nearly a month, Villa were excellent against Manchester United last weekend. If they give a display, Bolton may have to wait longer for a win.

What to watch out for:

Villa’s attacking trident. Gabriel Agbonlahor, Emile Heskey and Darren Bent are capable of wreaking havoc around the area, and will be relishing the chance to get at Bolton.

Possible line-ups:


Bolton: Jaaskelainen; Steinsson, Cahill, Knight, Robinson; Eagles, Muamba, Reo Coker, M. Davies; Klasnic, K. Davies
Villa: Guzan; Hutton, Dunne, Collins; Warnock; N’Zogbia, Petrov, Bannan; Agbonlahor, Heskey, Bent

Recent form: Bolton: LLWLLL, Villa: LDWLDL

Prediction: 0-3

 

LIVERPOOL v QUEEN’S PARK RANGERS Anfield, 15:00

Liverpool’s loss to Fulham on Monday night was as much a result of awful refereeing as anything else, but it may have dented their confidence, which had been blossoming nicely after good results against Manchester City and Chelsea.

QPR continue to impress and look worth their mid-table position. With games against Manchester United and Arsenal as well as a trip to Swansea, December could be a cruel month for Rangers and they’ll have to scrap for as many points as they can.

What to watch out for:

Luis Suarez. Custom built for the Premier League, the Liverpool striker is talented, tenacious and hard to handle. While it’s a while since he scored, he’s a constant headache for defenders.

Possible line-ups:

Liverpool: Reina; Johnson, Agger, Skrtel, Enrique; Downing, Adam, Henderson, Kuyt; Suarez, Bellamy
QPR: Cerny; Young, Ferdinand, Gabbidon, Hill; Faurlin, Derry, Barton, Mackie, Wright-Phillips; Helguson

Recent form: Liverpool: DWDWDL, QPR: WLLWLD

Prediction: 2-1

 

MANCHESTER UNITED v WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS Old Trafford, 15:00

Having been knocked out of the Carling Cup by Crystal Palace and gone out of the Champions League at the group stages, it’s been a strange few days for United. Some fans are even calling for Sir Alex Ferguson to resign. If ever there were a good time to play Manchester United, this is it.

Though they’ll be looking for the disappointment of Wednesday night, confidence will be low and if they don’t start well, the Old Trafford faithful might start getting restless. United are still favourites, but Wolves are playing well and could cause an upset.

What to watch out for:

Steven Fletcher. The Wolves striker is finding it hard to get games this season, but with five goals in nine games and performances to match, it’s hard to see why.

Possible line-ups:

United: de Gea; Smalling, Evans, Ferdinand, Evra; Young, Fletcher, Jones, Nani; Welbeck, Rooney

Wolves: Hennessey, Zubar, Craddock, Berra, Elokobi; Ward, Henry, Milijas, Jarvis, Doyle, Fletcher

Recent form: United: LWWWDW; Wolves: DLWLLW

Prediction: 2-0

 

NORWICH CITY v NEWCASTLE UNITED Carrow Road, 15:00

Norwich are yet to keep a clean sheet this season, and will find it tough going against a well-drilled Newcastle side. Though

Newcastle have hit a slight rough patch lately in terms of results, they’re still playing some of the best football of all the teams in the league. Norwich are tough to break down at home, and will be looking to improve after a fairly poor run of results.

What to watch out for:

Demba Ba. The Magpies’ striker is a menace and is capable of creating opportunities out of nothing.

Possible line-ups:

Norwich: Ruddy, Tierney, Barnett, Martin, Naughton; Crofts, Johnson, Surman, Pilkington; Hoolahan, Morison

Newcastle: Krul, Simpson, Perch, Santon, Taylor; Gutierrez, Gosling, Cabaye, Obertan; Ben Arfa, Ba

Recent form: Norwich: DDLLWL, Newcastle: WWWLDL

Prediction: 0-2

 

SWANSEA CITY v FULHAM The Liberty Stadium, 15:00

A hard one to predict, this. Swansea’s scintillating football of a few months ago seems to have waned, and the Welsh side have picked up only one win in seven.

Fulham, meanwhile, have played what seems like a thousand games this season thanks to the Europa League and the consequent fatigue has cost them dear. A win against Liverpool on Monday night will have helped the Cottagers’ confidence considerably, though.

What to watch out for:

Bryan Ruiz. Fulham’s winger hasn’t set the world on fire since signing in the summer. He has told Fulham fans to expect big things of him, however. What those big things are remains to be seen.

Possible line-ups:

Swansea:  Vorm; Richards, Williams, Monk, Taylor; Gower, Routledge, Britton, Dyer; Sinclair, Lita

Fulham: Schwarzer; Baird, A. Hughes, Hangeland, J. Riise; Ruiz, Kasami, Etuhu; Dempsey, Dembele, Zamora

Recent form: Swansea: LLWLDD; Fulham: DDWDWD

Prediction: 1-1

 

WEST BROMWICH ALBION v WIGAN WANDERERS The Hawthorns, 15:00

It seems the pressure on Roberto Martinez’s Wigan is relentless. After an impressive win against Sunderland, they played an Arsenal side who, in no uncertain terms, outclassed and destroyed them and sent them back to the foot of the table.

Confidence is obviously low, but other teams have found a trip to The Hawthorns to be an excellent remedy for the blues. West Brom’s good form from earlier in the season has faded, and they have slipped a little too close to the relegation zone for comfort.

What to watch out for:

James McArthur. Wigan’s only creative outlet. Deserves to play alongside players with his level of commitment.

Possible line-ups:

West Brom: Foster, Reid, Olsson, Scharner, Shorey; Thomas, Mulumbu, Morrison, Brunt; Odemwingie, Long

Wigan: Al Habsi; Stam, Caldwell, Boyce, Figueroa; Watson, Diame, McCarthy, McArthur; Moses, Sammon

Recent form: West Brom: WLLWLD; Wigan: LLLDWL

Prediction: 2-0

 

SUNDERLAND v BLACKBURN ROVERS The Stadium Of Light, 13.30 (Sunday)

Martin O’Neill’s first game in charge of Sunderland sees him fight out a relegation must-win.

Having snatched defeat from the jaws of victory against Wolves last weekend, Sunderland sit only one place above the relegation zone, one point above Blackburn.

What to watch out for:

Yakubu. The Blackburn striker scored all four of their goals against Swansea last weekend and will want to add to the tally.

Possible line-ups:

Sunderland: Westwood, O’Shea, Turner, Brown, Bardsley; Larsson, Gardner, Colback, Richardson; Sessegnon, Bendtner
Blackburn: Robinson; Givet, Samba, Dann, Lowe; Hoilett, N’Zonzi, Pedersen, Formica; Rochina, Yakubu

Recent form: Sunderland: WDLDLL, Blackburn: LDLDLW

Prediction: 0-0

 

STOKE CITY v TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR The Britannia Stadium, 16:00

If Spurs are to continue their remarkably good run of 10 wins in 11, they will have to beat a Stoke side who are notoriously a tough nut to crack at home.

The Potters have recovered well from losing four straight games by winning two on the bounce, but they may find Spurs’ midfield too tough a prospect to handle.

What to watch out for:

Peter Crouch. Having signed from Spurs in the summer, the striker will want to prove to his former employers that they were wrong to let him go.

Possible line-ups:

Stoke: Begovic; Wilkinson, Shawcross, Huth, Woodgate; Pennant, Whelan, Delap, Etherington; Walters, Crouch

Spurs: Friedel; Walker, King, Kaboul, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Modric, Parker, Bale; Defoe, Adebayor

Recent form: Stoke: LLLLWW; Spurs: WWWWWW

Prediction: 1-3

 

CHELSEA v MANCHESTER CITY Stamford Bridge, 20:00 (Monday)

This is the big one. While Chelsea have been very far from their best lately, their 3-0 win over Newcastle will have restored a lot of confidence, as will their qualification for the knock-out stages of the Champions League.

City failed to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League, and will therefore be even more resolved to win the Premier League. Having blown more or less every team away this season, City will not be daunted by Chelsea.

What to watch out for:

David Luiz. Looks a totally different player than the confident, capable one who signed for Chelsea. Was very lucky not to get sent off last weekend for a blatant piece of unsporting behaviour, and will be under the referee’s spotlight and in the sights of City’s rampaging attack.

Possible line-ups:

Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, Terry, Luiz, Cole; Romeu, Ramires, Lampard, Mata; Drogba, Sturridge
City: Hart; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy; Barry, Toure, Silva, Milner, Nasri; Aguero

Recent form: Chelsea: LLWLWW, City: WWWWDW

Prediction: 0-3

 

 

Tags: Barclays Premier League, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Queens Park Rangers, Sir Alex Ferguson, Wolverhampton Wanderers