The big game this week comes at the Emirates. Arsenal look to recover quickly from a 5-1 thrashing, when they play a Manchester United side who have their Champions League hopes slipping away at rapid speed, after dropping more points. The two teams who benefitted from Arsenal and United’s failings last weekend were Liverpool and Fulham, and they play each other at Craven Cottage. Fulham look to come off the bottom, while some Liverpool fans are daring to dream of mounting a title challenge, now just six points off top spot. The goals have dried up for Newcastle lately, and they will look to put that right, when they host away specialists Tottenham. Here is our preview of the games.
Cardiff vs. Aston Villa
Cardiff undid their victory over Norwich by falling apart in the Welsh derby, and they are three points away from safety. You might have thought Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s arrival would give them a big boost, but four league defeats from five means they have gained no momentum from the change of regime. This season, the Bluebirds have been very poor when defending against counter attacks down the flanks, and that is where Aston Villa can cause problems. The pace of Agbonlahor, in particular, will be a threat to Cardiff. If they can break well, Villa might just pick up a fifth away win of the season. 1-2.
Hull vs. Southampton
Hull have only lost three times at home this season, as Spurs recently became another top team to drop points at the KC. Goals from Long and Jelavic saw the Tigers win 2-0 at Sunderland on Saturday, which was an important result, after they were without a league win since the turn of the year. Southampton, on the other hand, are doing well in both league and cup. They have not been beaten since defeat to Chelsea on New Years’ Day, scoring sixteen goals in those seven games. Artur Boruc made a couple of mistakes in their draw with Stoke, but he is one of the Premier League’s better goalkeepers, and will gain Southampton more points than he loses. 1-1.
West Ham vs. Norwich
After looking all over the place at the back in January, West Ham have now kept three consecutive clean sheets, as the return of centre-backs James Tomkins and James Collins from injury has helped. Now arguably their best defender, Winston Reid is back in contention, but Allardyce might be tempted to stick with the pairing that has worked so well of late. They play a Norwich side who know how to keep a clean sheet themselves. The Canaries kept three from their last four, and have just become one of just four teams to avoid conceding against Manchester City this season. You sense there might not be too many goals in this one. 1-0.
West Brom vs. Chelsea
Two points from four games, and a drop from fourteenth to eighteenth, is hardly the ideal start for Pepe Mel as manager of West Brom. It is surprising that the club sold Shane Long without replacing him, because the Baggies have been struggling for goals since the start of the season. Despite Arsenal being top for most of the season, and Man City’s at times unstoppable attacking play, Chelsea have always been my tip to win the title. They went top for the first time since August with a 3-0 win over Newcastle. Eden Hazard will get all the credit for his hat-trick, but Cahill and Terry are forming a great centre-back partnership, which Roy Hodgson might want to think about. Chelsea’s defence have only conceded twice in their last eleven games, so you cannot see West Brom getting any joy trying to break it down. 0-2.
Arsenal vs. Man Utd
David Moyes’s episode at Manchester United is turning into a horror show, and becoming almost painful to look. You want to see British coaches succeed in the Premier League elite, but by the time Moyes has learnt his lessons, the pressure on him could be too strong. Against Fulham, United were constantly swinging crosses in, there was no sense of plan B, and had they won that match it would have papered over the cracks to some extent. But this match will be a case of which team can recover from their disaster quickest, because Arsenal lost 5-1 at Liverpool on Saturday. Their defence is not particularly bad in terms of consistency, but it still has tendencies to fall apart under pressure from time to time, and lacks leadership in the big games. Arsenal can end Manchester United’s hopes of a top four finish with a win here. 2-1.
Everton vs. Crystal Palace
After recent defeats at Champions League rivals Liverpool and Tottenham, Everton will now find it difficult to get fourth, but they have won each of their home games since Boxing Day. Even with a number of players, including new signing Lacina Traore still injured, they should beat Crystal Palace. The Eagles have lost more away games, ten, than any other side in the Premier League, including five of their last six, although four of those defeats were against sides in the top five. A positive for them was that two debutants scored in the win over West Brom, most notably youngster Tom Ince. Ince was very highly-rated at Blackpool and this could be a chance for him to work his way towards the plane to Brazil. 2-1.
Man City vs. Sunderland
After looking like an unstoppable attacking force in January, Manchester City have been found out by Chelsea and Norwich, who both managed to keep a clean sheet against them. The absence of Fernandinho has had a lot to do with that, he has that ability to break up play and pass it short to the more creative players, which City have benefitted from greatly. Sunderland fell to a home defeat to Hull, which was a result nobody quite expected, given their recent run of form. Adam Johnson had a rare poor game, up against Maynor Figueroa, and he will get much less time on the ball when playing his old club. Man City should resume their habit of winning at home. 2-0.
Newcastle vs. Tottenham
Goals are now becoming Newcastle’s problem, and a major concern for Alan Pardew. They have not scored in six of their previous seven games. Loic Remy will complete the last of his three match suspension, and his return could be key for Newcastle. They have had sixty-one shots in their last three matches, but not scored in any of them, which tells you a lot about their finishing. Their visitors, Tottenham, are very strong away from home, with just two defeats on the road this season. They kept themselves three points away from fourth place after victory over Everton. With Emmanuel Adebayor looking back to his best under Tim Sherwood, Spurs will get a tightly-fought victory. 0-1.
Stoke vs. Swansea
If you had offered Stoke fans four points from Manchester United at home, and Southampton away, they would have taken it gleefully, particularly after a run of four defeats. Both Peter Odemwingie and Peter Crouch netted in the draw at St. Mary’s, and if either of them can build on that, it could resolve Mark Hughes’s need for a clinical striker. Swansea beat Cardiff 3-0 in their first game without Michael Laudrup, but it is questionable whether Garry Monk will be able to build on that, and do a better job than Laudrup long-term. When a new manager comes in, it is common for the players to perform better, but complacency could soon be a danger for the Swans. 1-1.
Fulham vs. Liverpool
There is a thirty-point gap between these two clubs, with the side bottom of the table up against the side occupying fourth place, who just beat Arsenal 5-1. Even though Fulham rescued a draw against Man United, the stats do not look good for them. They can take some hope from the fact that Liverpool are not as strong on the road as they are at home, and have only won twice away since September. Fulham, much like they did in their draw at Old Trafford, may have to spend long spells soaking up pressure. If they push forward and try to press Liverpool, the chances are they will get completely beaten for pace, so it will need to be a disciplined, team effort from the Cottagers. Much of this depends on whether Liverpool score in the first half. If Fulham are chasing the game in the latter stages, they could get caught out on the break. 0-3.