With the victory over Aston Villa just behind them, Arsenal are straight back into action tonight as they play at home to Wigan Athletic in the quarter finals of the Carling Cup. As it stands the bad weather in London means that there is a chance that the game won't go ahead, but I'll preview it as if it will.
The Carling Cup is a competition Arsenal have not taken seriously in a long time, but it would seem that things have changed this season. In previous years Arsene Wenger has played very young and inexperienced teams in this competition, but his policy has changed this season. The team that is chosen tonight will have a lot of changes from the one that beat Aston Villa 4-2 on Saturday, but it will not contain the amount of inexperience that it has in previous years.
A win will pit Arsenal through to a two legged semi final, which will be played on midweek nights in January, with a possible final to follow on a weekend in February. They are fixtures that a team competing for the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup could do without, but the lack of a trophy for almost six years would seem to be playing on the manager's mind. Some people would argue that winning the Carling Cup isn't winning a major trophy, but it would seem that the manager doesn't think so, this season at least.
The team should see a number of changes from Saturday, but a few players will have to play again. Wojceich Szczesny is sure to start in goal in my opinion, with a back four of Kieran Gibbs, Emmanuel Eboue, Laurent Koscielny and Johan Djourou. Eboue has made a remarkable recovery from his injury, which we were told would keep him out for up to two months, and it's quite incredible to believe that he was only injured a week ago. The other defenders are all certainties to start, as Gibbs needs games, and we only have two fit centre backs.
In midfield the only certain starter for me is Denilson, and the choice of the other two players might well show the manager's ambitions in this competition. I think that Jack Wilshere will probably play, and the other spot is between Alex Song, Samir Nasri and Tomas Rosicky. I have a sneaking suspicion that Nasri will get the nod, as the player to pull the strings in midfield.
The attacking trio will more than likely consist of Theo Walcott, Carlos Vela and Nicklas Bendtner, but the boss might spring a surprise and actually give Robin Van Persie a start at last. He was brought on as a sub in the defeats to Newcastle and The Spuds, but it is surely about time that he was given a chance to show the fans what they have being missing. If he was able to play half a game for Holland two weeks ago, then surely he can manage the first hour for Arsenal tonight.
Wigan find themselves in the bottom three in the Premier League, and they have scored less goals than any other team in the league so far this season. With Arsenal only being outscored by "Manure" so far, they have to be odds on to bag a few goals tonight. The teams that played in the previous two games in this competition this season have turned in excellent performances. The 4-1 away victory over The Spuds, and the 4-0 away win over Newcastle were two of the best displays for Arsenal so far this season. Those two victories were away from home of course, where Arsenal's domestic form has been excellent so far this season.
It's Arsenal's home form that has caused concern so far, with three defeats in seven league games. The boss is very hopeful of sorting out those problems at home, and tonight should be a perfect opportunity to start that improvement. There's a home game to come in the Premier League on Saturday when Fulham pay Arsenal a visit, and three points in that game are vital. For me one of the biggest problems at home has been the lack of urgency that Arsenal seem to have in those games. It's as if they believe that the victory will arrive no matter what, and as a result they don't put in the effort that is required to achieve that victory.
Despite the fact that the team won't be the strongest one available tonight I predict a 3-0 win for Arsenal, and I would love to see RVP get his name on the score sheet. I would also love to see Jay Emmanuel Thomas get a run of at least 30 minutes as I'm dying to see exactly what he can do. It won't be an easy victory as Wigan play a good brand of football, but if Arsenal can bring the attitude and commitment that is expected of them in home games, then I'm sure they can look forward to the semi final draw.
Wigan beat Arsenal in a two legged semi final of this competition a few years ago with a last minute goal, and it's time for Arsenal to extract a little bit of revenge for that night at Highbury. They went on to lose the final to "Manure" if I remember correctly, and as it stands "Manure" are the holders of the Carling Cup, having won it twice in a row. What's the chances of Arsenal drawing them in the semi finals, if they overcome West Ham in tonight's other quarter final.
If the game is to be called off it will be because of the conditions outside the ground being too dangerous. The very same thing happened with the home league game against Bolton last season, and that was a night time kick off too. With 60,000 people converging on the ground it can be difficult to ensure the safety of all of them in freezing conditions, and the darkness doesn't help. Hopefully the game will go ahead, as the next possible date to play it is a few days before the very busy Christmas campaign gets underway.
In other news I forgot to report yesterday that Arsenal got a home tie against Leeds United in the third round of the FA Cup. As it stands the game will be played on Saturday the 8th of January, but that could be subject to change if the TV companies decide to air it live.
The value of Aaron Ramsey going out on loan to Nottingham Forest was seen last night as he played for the last half hour of their defeat away to Leicester City. With Arsenal's reserve team only having one game in the month of December, he had to go somewhere that he could continue his comeback at a rate that will see him available to Arsenal as soon as possible. I hope the game went well for him, and that we will see him back at The Emirates in January in tip top condition.
If you're going to tonight's game I hope that it goes ahead, and you enjoy the game. I know how cold The Emirates can be on a cold night, and I'm sure everybody will be wrapped up very tight, and possibly have a drink or two beforehand for medicinal purposes of course.
That's it for today.
See You Tomorrow.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Arsenal Back To Winning Ways Against Aston Villa.
To start with today I have to apologise for the lack of a match report yesterday, but I had severe problems with my broadband connection and it proved to be impossible. As a result I will have to run through my thoughts on Saturday's match today, and I'll give you a quick breakdown of how the fantasy football is working out too. There's a Carling Cup match at home to Wigan Athletic tomorrow night, and I'll preview that tomorrow.
The team was exactly as I had predicted which meant that only Lukasz Fabianski, Sebastien Squillaci, Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky kept their place from the team that lost away to Braga on Tuesday night. The players to come in were Bakary Sagna, Gael Clichy, Laurent Koscielny, Alex Song, Andrey Arshavin, Samir Nasri and Maraoune Chamakh. Interestingly enough Wojceich Szczesny was on the nench, which meant that there was no place for Manuel Almunia.
Personally I thought that Johan Djourou should have played, but it would seem that he is seen as Arsenal's fourth choice centre back. I would imagine that he will get a game against Wigan tomorrow night though. It is still very obvious that Thomas Vermaelen is badly missed at the heart of the defence, but there is no word of when he will return.
The game started very well for Arsenal, as they took control from the very first minute against an Aston Villa team that looked a little inexperienced. The most notable inclusion in that Villa team was ex Arsenal player Robert Pires, as he made his debut after signing for them recently. As the first half progressed Arsenal continued to miss chance after chance, and the feeling that they might pay for it grew bigger by the minute.
Thankfully Villa managed to miss the only real chance that came their way in that first half, and Arshavin made them pay for it in the 39th minute. A long ball from Fabianski was misjudged by two Villa players, and Arshavin took control of it halfway inside their half but on the left sideline. He cut in from the sideline towards the Villa box, as the defenders backed off. Eventually they attempted to challenge him inside the box, but he cut inside again, and put the ball through the legs of a defender and into the far corner of the net off Brad Friedel's outstretched hand.
With halftime approaching Arsenal had a well deserved lead, and things got even better for them only sis minutes later. Friedel did very well to touch a Chamakh header around the post for a corner, and Arshavin took it from Arsenal's right hand side. He hit it to the back of the box, where Nasri was on hand to volley into the net. The volley took a slight deflection on it's way, but it was beautifully struck, and I think it was going in anyway. Half time arrived very soon after that, and it was looking very good for Arsenal.
However, nobody was taking anything for granted after last week's second half collapse against The Spuds. Sure enough things took a turn for the worse after only 52 minutes when Ciaran Clark got too much space on the edge of the Arsenal box and volleyed the ball home to reduce the lead. I thought that the goal should have been disallowed as Fabianski had his view of the shot blocked by John Carew, who was in an offside position as he picked himself up after taking a knock. Of course the Arsenal defenders should have closed Clark down instead of backing off him, but they never seem to do things the easy way.
The feeling of dread came over me as I thought about all the chances that had been missed in the first half, and how fragile the players' confidence must be now. Thankfully Arsenal managed to regain their two goal lead only four minutes later. Rosicky played a lovely through ball for Chamakh, and he managed to slip it past the advancing Friedel to make the score 3-1. Villa had changed things around at half time though, and they were putting Arsenal under some pressure.
That pressure paid off after 70 minutes when a corner was headed on by Richard Dunne, and Clark headed it in off the underside of the bar. The Arsenal players on the line tried their best to keep the ball out of the net, but it was to no avail. With 20 minutes to go it looked like it was going to be a case of same old Arsenal, always blowing it, as Villa pushed for an equaliser.
There was one more goal in the game, and it came in the third added minute, when Wilshere headed a Chamakh pass into an empty net after yet another flowing move from Arsenal. The final whistle went soon after that, much to the relief of the traveling Arsenal fans, and all of those watching on TV. It put Arsenal on top of the Premier League table for a couple of hours, until "Manure" demolished Blackburn later in the day.
It was a much needed win as Arsenal's confidence had been dented by the two defeats in the last week. The team played very well in attack, and could have scored as many goals as "Manure" did against Blackburn in my opinion. It means that Arsenal now have 17 points from eight away league games, and that's a very impressive record. If only the problems with the home form could be sorted out then Arsenal would have a much better chance of winning the league. The defence still looks vulnerable, and it seems like Arsenal are always in a battle to outscore their opponents. A few 1-0 victories in the style of the Arsenal teams of former years would be a welcome change at times.
On to the Fantasy football update, and thankfully my team made a little bit of progress this week. With Nani as my captain I manged to do pretty well, although if I had Berbatov as captain I would have done quite a lot better. The league I'm running in conjunction with 11Gunners is now ranked 43rd out of over 217,000 leagues, and there's a lot of competition for the prizes for the first three teams in the league.
Special praise has to go to David Price and his team "awayboyz" who got 101 points this week, thanks to his inspired choice of Berbatov as his captain. Just to show how quickly things can change in fantasy football, he was outside the top 500,000 teams after week 10, but he is now inside the top 10,000. That gives me hope for my team, and I know that all I need is a couple of inspired transfers and I will be back in with a chance of winning one of my trophies. Here's a look at the top 10 in our league.
Here's the highlights from Saturday's game.
That's it for today.
See You Tomorrow.
The team was exactly as I had predicted which meant that only Lukasz Fabianski, Sebastien Squillaci, Jack Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky kept their place from the team that lost away to Braga on Tuesday night. The players to come in were Bakary Sagna, Gael Clichy, Laurent Koscielny, Alex Song, Andrey Arshavin, Samir Nasri and Maraoune Chamakh. Interestingly enough Wojceich Szczesny was on the nench, which meant that there was no place for Manuel Almunia.
Personally I thought that Johan Djourou should have played, but it would seem that he is seen as Arsenal's fourth choice centre back. I would imagine that he will get a game against Wigan tomorrow night though. It is still very obvious that Thomas Vermaelen is badly missed at the heart of the defence, but there is no word of when he will return.
The game started very well for Arsenal, as they took control from the very first minute against an Aston Villa team that looked a little inexperienced. The most notable inclusion in that Villa team was ex Arsenal player Robert Pires, as he made his debut after signing for them recently. As the first half progressed Arsenal continued to miss chance after chance, and the feeling that they might pay for it grew bigger by the minute.
Thankfully Villa managed to miss the only real chance that came their way in that first half, and Arshavin made them pay for it in the 39th minute. A long ball from Fabianski was misjudged by two Villa players, and Arshavin took control of it halfway inside their half but on the left sideline. He cut in from the sideline towards the Villa box, as the defenders backed off. Eventually they attempted to challenge him inside the box, but he cut inside again, and put the ball through the legs of a defender and into the far corner of the net off Brad Friedel's outstretched hand.
With halftime approaching Arsenal had a well deserved lead, and things got even better for them only sis minutes later. Friedel did very well to touch a Chamakh header around the post for a corner, and Arshavin took it from Arsenal's right hand side. He hit it to the back of the box, where Nasri was on hand to volley into the net. The volley took a slight deflection on it's way, but it was beautifully struck, and I think it was going in anyway. Half time arrived very soon after that, and it was looking very good for Arsenal.
However, nobody was taking anything for granted after last week's second half collapse against The Spuds. Sure enough things took a turn for the worse after only 52 minutes when Ciaran Clark got too much space on the edge of the Arsenal box and volleyed the ball home to reduce the lead. I thought that the goal should have been disallowed as Fabianski had his view of the shot blocked by John Carew, who was in an offside position as he picked himself up after taking a knock. Of course the Arsenal defenders should have closed Clark down instead of backing off him, but they never seem to do things the easy way.
The feeling of dread came over me as I thought about all the chances that had been missed in the first half, and how fragile the players' confidence must be now. Thankfully Arsenal managed to regain their two goal lead only four minutes later. Rosicky played a lovely through ball for Chamakh, and he managed to slip it past the advancing Friedel to make the score 3-1. Villa had changed things around at half time though, and they were putting Arsenal under some pressure.
That pressure paid off after 70 minutes when a corner was headed on by Richard Dunne, and Clark headed it in off the underside of the bar. The Arsenal players on the line tried their best to keep the ball out of the net, but it was to no avail. With 20 minutes to go it looked like it was going to be a case of same old Arsenal, always blowing it, as Villa pushed for an equaliser.
There was one more goal in the game, and it came in the third added minute, when Wilshere headed a Chamakh pass into an empty net after yet another flowing move from Arsenal. The final whistle went soon after that, much to the relief of the traveling Arsenal fans, and all of those watching on TV. It put Arsenal on top of the Premier League table for a couple of hours, until "Manure" demolished Blackburn later in the day.
It was a much needed win as Arsenal's confidence had been dented by the two defeats in the last week. The team played very well in attack, and could have scored as many goals as "Manure" did against Blackburn in my opinion. It means that Arsenal now have 17 points from eight away league games, and that's a very impressive record. If only the problems with the home form could be sorted out then Arsenal would have a much better chance of winning the league. The defence still looks vulnerable, and it seems like Arsenal are always in a battle to outscore their opponents. A few 1-0 victories in the style of the Arsenal teams of former years would be a welcome change at times.
On to the Fantasy football update, and thankfully my team made a little bit of progress this week. With Nani as my captain I manged to do pretty well, although if I had Berbatov as captain I would have done quite a lot better. The league I'm running in conjunction with 11Gunners is now ranked 43rd out of over 217,000 leagues, and there's a lot of competition for the prizes for the first three teams in the league.
Special praise has to go to David Price and his team "awayboyz" who got 101 points this week, thanks to his inspired choice of Berbatov as his captain. Just to show how quickly things can change in fantasy football, he was outside the top 500,000 teams after week 10, but he is now inside the top 10,000. That gives me hope for my team, and I know that all I need is a couple of inspired transfers and I will be back in with a chance of winning one of my trophies. Here's a look at the top 10 in our league.
 1 | Leave-Ma-Arcelona | Gurdeep Jugpal | 49 | 867 |
| 2 | Laverick 'N' Sons | Stephen Laverick | 44 | 852 |
| 3 | THE UNDERDOGS | mike booton | 55 | 850 |
| 4 | In Arsene We Trust | Sam Griffiths | 57 | 848 |
 5 | Izadie F.C | nazrul nazri | 64 | 839 |
| 6 | RipRoarinReds | Cole Friedlander | 43 | 833 |
| 7 | ~ S E V E N ~ | Anurag Prateek | 55 | 828 |
| 8 | Herk City | Mark von Herkomer | 59 | 828 |
| 9 | awayboyz | David Price | 101 | 827 |
 10 | MahindraUtd | Ankeet Mahindrakar | 52 | 825 |
Here's the highlights from Saturday's game.
That's it for today.
See You Tomorrow.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Arsenal's Visit To Villa Previewed.
After successive defeats against The Spuds and Braga, Arsenal make the trip to Aston Villa today for a Premier League clash. It's an early kick off and that gives Arsenal the opportunity to move to the top of the table for the second week in a row. Let's just hope that the commitment, attitude and concentration of the players can hold up this week.
According to Arsene Wenger the squad hasn't lost any more players since Tuesday night, with the exception of Cesc Fabregas of course. His latest hamstring injury has ruled him out for a minimum of two weeks, but I have a funny feeling it could be a good deal longer than that. He needs to recover from three years of continuous football, with virtually no breaks, or he will continue to get injured at his current rate.
In typical Arseblog style I had a dream about Arsenal last night, and it didn't go too well for Lukasz Fabianski. I woke up this morning thinking that he needed to be dropped, before I realised that it was only a dream. I can only hope that today's game goes a lot better than the version in my dream.
On to the team selection, and I would imagine that the boss will pick his strongest team possible despite an impending Carling Cup quarter final on Tuesday night against Wigan Athletic. Fabianski should play in goals, despite the fact that Manuel Almunia made his comeback for the reserves on Tuesday against Wolves. It will be interesting to see if Wojceich Szczesny keeps his place on the bench though.
The back four should consist of Bakary Sagna, Gael Clichy(if he has recovered from his back injury), Johan Djouru and Laurent Koscielny in my opinion. Of course we will probably see Sebastien Squillaci in the team instead of Djourou, but as I said last week I think Djourou should play judging by his current form. Whoever plays I think it's time for Arsenal to leave one of their centrebacks behind when they push up for corners or free kicks, to prevent teams from taking them apart with a high ball on the break. It's not as if Arsenal score from too many of those set pieces anyway.
In midfield Alex Song should play the holding role, but I want him to actually play it, and stop wandering forward. For me Denilson is clearly not up to the job, but he is being asked to fill in when song does a "Crocodile Dundee" and goes walkabout. In front of him I hope to see Jack Wilshere and Samir Nasri, but I have a horrible feeling that Denilson will play. For me Nasri is the player to replace Cesc while Cesc is injured, and he has to see it as an opportunity to claim that role for the next few weeks.
The attack will probably be led by Marouane Chamakh, although I do have a sneaking suspicion that Robin Van Persie was held back during the week to ready him for this game. On either side of whichever central player leads the line I would expect to see Andrey Arshavin and Tomas Rosicky.
It's a line up that is well capable of beating an Aston Villa side that has a fair deal of inexperienced players in it. All Arsenal need to do is show what they showed against The Spuds in the first half last Saturday, but they need to do it for the entire 90 minutes. If Arsenal can show the qualities that they did in those 45 minutes I have no doubt that they will win. I'm predicting a2-0 win, with Nasri running the show and scoring one of the goals.
November has been a very bad month for Arsenal, but they are still third in the league, and only two points off the top. Both of the teams above Arsenal have been well below their best this season, and if it remains that way then the Premier League title really is there for the taking. Of course those two teams may manage to find some real form, and if they do the question is, can Arsenal keep pace with them. I sincerely hope that they can, but performances like the second half last Saturday and Tuesday night make it hard to keep the faith sometimes.
However as eternal optimist, and lifelong Arsenal fan I will keep believing that Arsenal will play their beautiful football, and brush all other teams aside in their quest for world domination. My first memory as an Arsenal fan was on my fifth birthday, and with my 45th one pending I know that I've been a fan for 40 years at this stage. If things go horribly wrong I will still be there, as any true fan would be.
At the moment we are hearing a lot of complaints from fans who are claiming that Arsene Wenger has sold the club short and should go.
Sometimes for me Arsenal don't have enough control of their own destiny, and they need to take game by the scruff of the neck when the opportunity arises. In the 40 years I have supported them, Arsenal have played their very best football under Wenger, and it's so much better than the football we saw in previous days. I know it's been almost six years since Arsenal last won a trophy, but I am prepared to believe that things will come good, and the first of a host of trophies for this team is not far away.
Finally for today I have to mention that Aaron Ramsey has gone out on loan to Nottingham Forest until January 3rd. As Arsenal only have one reserve game in that team it makes sense for him to join a team that will have two games a week, more or less. He only made his comeback on Tuesday in that reserve game against Wolves, and he only played half of the game. I am sure that Forest will ease him back in, and hopefully they will return him in tip top condition in Januar
According to Arsene Wenger the squad hasn't lost any more players since Tuesday night, with the exception of Cesc Fabregas of course. His latest hamstring injury has ruled him out for a minimum of two weeks, but I have a funny feeling it could be a good deal longer than that. He needs to recover from three years of continuous football, with virtually no breaks, or he will continue to get injured at his current rate.
In typical Arseblog style I had a dream about Arsenal last night, and it didn't go too well for Lukasz Fabianski. I woke up this morning thinking that he needed to be dropped, before I realised that it was only a dream. I can only hope that today's game goes a lot better than the version in my dream.
On to the team selection, and I would imagine that the boss will pick his strongest team possible despite an impending Carling Cup quarter final on Tuesday night against Wigan Athletic. Fabianski should play in goals, despite the fact that Manuel Almunia made his comeback for the reserves on Tuesday against Wolves. It will be interesting to see if Wojceich Szczesny keeps his place on the bench though.
The back four should consist of Bakary Sagna, Gael Clichy(if he has recovered from his back injury), Johan Djouru and Laurent Koscielny in my opinion. Of course we will probably see Sebastien Squillaci in the team instead of Djourou, but as I said last week I think Djourou should play judging by his current form. Whoever plays I think it's time for Arsenal to leave one of their centrebacks behind when they push up for corners or free kicks, to prevent teams from taking them apart with a high ball on the break. It's not as if Arsenal score from too many of those set pieces anyway.
In midfield Alex Song should play the holding role, but I want him to actually play it, and stop wandering forward. For me Denilson is clearly not up to the job, but he is being asked to fill in when song does a "Crocodile Dundee" and goes walkabout. In front of him I hope to see Jack Wilshere and Samir Nasri, but I have a horrible feeling that Denilson will play. For me Nasri is the player to replace Cesc while Cesc is injured, and he has to see it as an opportunity to claim that role for the next few weeks.
The attack will probably be led by Marouane Chamakh, although I do have a sneaking suspicion that Robin Van Persie was held back during the week to ready him for this game. On either side of whichever central player leads the line I would expect to see Andrey Arshavin and Tomas Rosicky.
It's a line up that is well capable of beating an Aston Villa side that has a fair deal of inexperienced players in it. All Arsenal need to do is show what they showed against The Spuds in the first half last Saturday, but they need to do it for the entire 90 minutes. If Arsenal can show the qualities that they did in those 45 minutes I have no doubt that they will win. I'm predicting a2-0 win, with Nasri running the show and scoring one of the goals.
November has been a very bad month for Arsenal, but they are still third in the league, and only two points off the top. Both of the teams above Arsenal have been well below their best this season, and if it remains that way then the Premier League title really is there for the taking. Of course those two teams may manage to find some real form, and if they do the question is, can Arsenal keep pace with them. I sincerely hope that they can, but performances like the second half last Saturday and Tuesday night make it hard to keep the faith sometimes.
However as eternal optimist, and lifelong Arsenal fan I will keep believing that Arsenal will play their beautiful football, and brush all other teams aside in their quest for world domination. My first memory as an Arsenal fan was on my fifth birthday, and with my 45th one pending I know that I've been a fan for 40 years at this stage. If things go horribly wrong I will still be there, as any true fan would be.
At the moment we are hearing a lot of complaints from fans who are claiming that Arsene Wenger has sold the club short and should go.
Sometimes for me Arsenal don't have enough control of their own destiny, and they need to take game by the scruff of the neck when the opportunity arises. In the 40 years I have supported them, Arsenal have played their very best football under Wenger, and it's so much better than the football we saw in previous days. I know it's been almost six years since Arsenal last won a trophy, but I am prepared to believe that things will come good, and the first of a host of trophies for this team is not far away.
Finally for today I have to mention that Aaron Ramsey has gone out on loan to Nottingham Forest until January 3rd. As Arsenal only have one reserve game in that team it makes sense for him to join a team that will have two games a week, more or less. He only made his comeback on Tuesday in that reserve game against Wolves, and he only played half of the game. I am sure that Forest will ease him back in, and hopefully they will return him in tip top condition in Januar
Friday, November 26, 2010
Predictions For Premier League Gameweek 15.
It's that time of the week again when I attempt to predict the outcome of this weekend's Premier League games. Last week went fairly well for me as I got one correct result, four correct outcomes, and five incorrect outcomes. Crucially I made up 30 points on the leader of my league, and his lead doesn't look quite so unassailable now. Here's a look at the league table, with my team still in second place.
Aston Villa v Arsenal
The early game this week is at Villa Park, and it's a game both teams will think they can win. Aston Villa are unbeaten at home in the league this season, but they have drawn more games than they have won. Their defence isn't as good as it has been in previous seasons, but they will think that Arsenal are beatable considering their results of the last week.
Arsenal have the best away record in the Premier League, but they will be hard pushed to keep it in this game. They haven't lost a league game at Villa Park since 1998, and they will be looking to keep that record intact. A win will put Arsenal back on top of the league for a few hours at least, but it won't be easy with Cesc Fabregas injured. Luckily they have plenty of other flair players in their squad, but their problems lie at the back. As an Arsenal fan I always predict an Arsenal win, and this game is no different.
Prediction: 0-2
Bolton v Blackpool
Bolton are fifth in the league, and they have scored 26 goals in their first 14 league games. In Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander they have two strikers who are in excellent form at the moment. With 15 goals in seven home league games Bolton are a force to be reckoned with, and I can see them adding to that total in this game. Owen Coyle has done a very good job with them, and even though I'm not always fond of their tactics I am putting their players into my fantasy team.
Blackpool have played some very good football since being promoted, and they have won three of their away games so far. I'm sure they will approach this game like all their other games, and go for a win. That may not be the wisest policy against Bolton, but it's the only way that they know how to play. I can see Bolton winning, and keeping up the pressure on the teams ahead of them.
Prediction: 3-1
Everton v West Brom
Everton are languishing towards the end of the table despite playing some very good football recently. In Tim Cahill they have a player capable of scoring in any game, but they need other players to step up and score some goals too. They will see this game as an ideal opportunity to get three points and start their climb back up the table.
West Brom are going through a pretty bad run of results at the moment, and they need to change that very soon, or they will be in the bottom three. They play some good football, but they have lost their way recently, and it won't be easy in this game either. I'm predicting a win for Everton, and I'll be surprised if Cahill doesn't score.
Prediction: 2-0
Fulham v Birmingham
Fulham were soundly beaten at home by Man City last week, and they now find themselves outside the relegation zone on goal difference only. They need to win this game, but they have won only two games so far this season. Luckily for them those two games were at home, and they are at home in this game. I think they are missing the injured Bobby Zamora an awful lot, and if they don't start getting some points very soon Mark Hughes will be under pressure.
Birmingham had a magnificent result last week when they beat champions Chelsea 1-0 . They haven't won away from home yet though, and their defence isn't as tight as it was last season. They will be looking to build on last week's result, and climb further away from the bottom three. I can see this one ending up all square.
Prediction: 1-1
Manchester United v Blackburn
"Manure" have not being playing well this season, and they are conceding more goals than they usually do. However, they are still level on points with leaders Chelsea, and their home results have been excellent. In Nani they have a player who is scoring and creating plenty of goals and now that Rooney is back they will think that their form will pick up.
Blackburn were very pleased to beat Aston Villa 2-0 last week, but their form has been very up and down so far this season. It won't be easy for them to get a result in this game, but they will do all they can to put "Manure" under pressure. Morten Gamst Pedersen is finally back to his goalscoring ways after a couple of seasons where he seemed to have forgotten how to score, and he could cause "Manure" some problems. I can't see this game finishing any other way, than a "Manure" victory, which will put them on top of the table until Chelsea play on Sunday at least.
Prediction: 2-0
Stoke v Manchester City
Stoke RFC have had a very up and down season so far, but they are in good form at the moment. They are a tough team to beat at home, and they will put City under plenty of pressure at every opportunity.
Man City did very well to win 4-1 at Fulham last week, and only Arsenal have a better away record in the league than they do. In Carlos Tevez they have the top goalscorer in the league, and Stoke RFC will do well to keep him quiet. They are well set up to counter the aerial threat from Stoke RFC, and they will think that they can win this game. I think it will end all square though.
Prediction: 1-1
West Ham v Wigan
West Ham have won only one game all so far this season, and it looks increasingly likely that they will be relegated if that doesn't change very soon. They will see this as an ideal opportunity to change that statistic, as Wigan have scored only four goals away from home this season. If West Ham don't win the pressure on Avram Grant will be immense, and he could well face the exit door.
Wigan play some good football at times, but they lack that killer instinct in front of goal that is necessary. They are back in the relegation zone, and they need a result to turn things around. I have a funny feeling that Wigan might just sneak a victory in this game with Charles N'Zogbia doing the damage.
Prediction: 1-2
Wolverhampton v Sunderland
Wolves have played well recently, but it hasn't done them much good as they are only off the foot of the table on goal difference. They are five points adrift of safety, and they have started leaking a lot of goals recently. A win is a must for them in this game.
Sunderland are seventh in the table, and they have done very well since their thrashing by Newcastle. They fought hard at home to Everton last week, and got a draw fom the game. Their away form isn't great but they have drawn a lot of away games. I think this game will end up with the honours shared.
Prediction: 1-1
Newcastle v Chelsea
Newcastle are another team who have been up and down this season, and their home form has not been great. In Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan they have players who are very fond of scoring this season, and Chelsea have looked weak at the back in recent weeks. Newcastle have a few suspensions in defence, and it could prove costly for them.
Chelsea are still on top of the table, despite losing three of their last four league games. They have only scored one goal in those games, and they still have plenty of problems with injury and suspension. Didier Drogba is completely out of form, and there seem to be problems at the club. A defeat in this game would leave a lot of questions hanging over the team and the management, but I have a funny feeling they will sneak a win.
Prediction:0-1
Tottenham v Liverpool
The Spuds had a fantastic come from behind victory away to their local rivals Arsenal last week. It leaves them sixth in the league and challenging for a Champions League place. They have already qualified for the last 16 of this season's competition, and things are going really well for them. In Gareth Bale and Rafael Van Der Vaart they have two players who are in great form at the moment, and they are a serious threat to any team.
Liverpool have had a very up and down season, like so many other teams this season, but a win in this game by two goals would put them ahead of The Spuds. It would be a strange place for them to be in this season, but it could be just the tonic they need. With Steven Gerrard out they will be depending on Fernando Torres and Dirk Kuyt to score their goals. I have a funny feeling that Liverpool will get something out of this game, but I think it will be only one point.
Prediction:1-1
That's it for this week's predictions, but don't forget to read my preview of Arsenal's trip to Aston Villa tomorrow morning. Feel free to comment on my predictions, and tell me where you think I have gone wrong or right, as the case may be.
See You Tomorrow.
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Arsenal have the best away record in the Premier League, but they will be hard pushed to keep it in this game. They haven't lost a league game at Villa Park since 1998, and they will be looking to keep that record intact. A win will put Arsenal back on top of the league for a few hours at least, but it won't be easy with Cesc Fabregas injured. Luckily they have plenty of other flair players in their squad, but their problems lie at the back. As an Arsenal fan I always predict an Arsenal win, and this game is no different.
Prediction: 0-2
Bolton v Blackpool
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Blackpool have played some very good football since being promoted, and they have won three of their away games so far. I'm sure they will approach this game like all their other games, and go for a win. That may not be the wisest policy against Bolton, but it's the only way that they know how to play. I can see Bolton winning, and keeping up the pressure on the teams ahead of them.
Prediction: 3-1
Everton v West Brom
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West Brom are going through a pretty bad run of results at the moment, and they need to change that very soon, or they will be in the bottom three. They play some good football, but they have lost their way recently, and it won't be easy in this game either. I'm predicting a win for Everton, and I'll be surprised if Cahill doesn't score.
Prediction: 2-0
Fulham v Birmingham
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Birmingham had a magnificent result last week when they beat champions Chelsea 1-0 . They haven't won away from home yet though, and their defence isn't as tight as it was last season. They will be looking to build on last week's result, and climb further away from the bottom three. I can see this one ending up all square.
Prediction: 1-1
Manchester United v Blackburn
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Blackburn were very pleased to beat Aston Villa 2-0 last week, but their form has been very up and down so far this season. It won't be easy for them to get a result in this game, but they will do all they can to put "Manure" under pressure. Morten Gamst Pedersen is finally back to his goalscoring ways after a couple of seasons where he seemed to have forgotten how to score, and he could cause "Manure" some problems. I can't see this game finishing any other way, than a "Manure" victory, which will put them on top of the table until Chelsea play on Sunday at least.
Prediction: 2-0
Stoke v Manchester City
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Man City did very well to win 4-1 at Fulham last week, and only Arsenal have a better away record in the league than they do. In Carlos Tevez they have the top goalscorer in the league, and Stoke RFC will do well to keep him quiet. They are well set up to counter the aerial threat from Stoke RFC, and they will think that they can win this game. I think it will end all square though.
Prediction: 1-1
West Ham v Wigan
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Wigan play some good football at times, but they lack that killer instinct in front of goal that is necessary. They are back in the relegation zone, and they need a result to turn things around. I have a funny feeling that Wigan might just sneak a victory in this game with Charles N'Zogbia doing the damage.
Prediction: 1-2
Wolverhampton v Sunderland
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Sunderland are seventh in the table, and they have done very well since their thrashing by Newcastle. They fought hard at home to Everton last week, and got a draw fom the game. Their away form isn't great but they have drawn a lot of away games. I think this game will end up with the honours shared.
Prediction: 1-1
Newcastle v Chelsea
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Chelsea are still on top of the table, despite losing three of their last four league games. They have only scored one goal in those games, and they still have plenty of problems with injury and suspension. Didier Drogba is completely out of form, and there seem to be problems at the club. A defeat in this game would leave a lot of questions hanging over the team and the management, but I have a funny feeling they will sneak a win.
Prediction:0-1
Tottenham v Liverpool
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Liverpool have had a very up and down season, like so many other teams this season, but a win in this game by two goals would put them ahead of The Spuds. It would be a strange place for them to be in this season, but it could be just the tonic they need. With Steven Gerrard out they will be depending on Fernando Torres and Dirk Kuyt to score their goals. I have a funny feeling that Liverpool will get something out of this game, but I think it will be only one point.
Prediction:1-1
That's it for this week's predictions, but don't forget to read my preview of Arsenal's trip to Aston Villa tomorrow morning. Feel free to comment on my predictions, and tell me where you think I have gone wrong or right, as the case may be.
See You Tomorrow.
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