Barclays Premier League football action returns after a week of Champions League and Europa League fixtures. Chelsea maintains a slim one-point advantage atop the league table as they continue to be the team to beat this season. My pick for match of the week has to be Liverpool at Manchester City. Here I take a look at a few this week’s top matches, giving you insight on making your EPL soccer wager a winner.
Everton: +375
Draw: +250
Manchester United: -142
Barclays Premier League title hopefuls No. 2 Manchester United will travel to Goodison Park to do battle with No. 9 Everton on Saturday. Man U is looking for a victory that will see them over take Chelsea at the top of the table, at least temporarily. United walked away with a 3-0 win the last times these two sides met in November. Everton’s overall Premier League record against United is 3-35. The Red Devils are coming into Saturday’s match having won six of their last eight games. Wayne Rooney, an Everton transfer in 2004, will lead his squad and heads into the contest in great form, with ten goals in his last eight appearances. United will continue to be without suspended Luis Nani and Rio Ferdinand. Ryan Giggs is out for another three weeks with a broken arm while John O’Shea is out indefinitely with a thigh muscle strain. Meanwhile, Everton are reaping the rewards of US international loan Landon Donovan, and you can be sure that he’ll play an important role against United. If the home side can hold off the reigning champions, they will be one step closer to a consecutive European berth. Phil Jagielka remains a long-term casualty for the Toffees, but is now joined on the sidelines by Marouane Fellaini who will miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury. Key midfielder Tim Cahill will also be out for three weeks after suffering a calf strain. I suspect Manchester United to continue their dominance, while Everton’s only hope will be to shut down a red-hot Wayne Rooney. Look for the Red Devils to take this one and a much desired three points.
Arsenal: -500
Draw: +250
Sunderland: +1100
No. 3 Arsenal will be hoping for a victory that will help to put their midweek 2-1 defeat to Porto behind them when they host No.13 Sunderland at Emirates Stadium on Saturday The Gunners are hoping that they can start by replacing goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, who had an embarrassing performance in net on Wednesday, with first-choice keeper Manuel Almunia. Almunia is undergoing a fitness test on his injured finger on Friday in hopes to be cleared to play in time for Saturday’s match. Arsenal will be without veteran defender William Gallas, who is out with a calf strain, along with midfielder Abou Diaby — out with a knee injury.
Sunderland have had an awful run of results in 2010, and it doesn’t look to be getting any better for them. The Black Cats could potentially be without six midfielders as they look to end a run of 12 Barclays Premier League matches without a win. After starting the season wining five of their first nine league games, the Cats have slide three points away from a relegation spot with just one win since November. With the end of the season fast approaching and the relegation zone getting closer and closer, this is the time that Sunderland needs to be taking points anywhere they can. If Arsenal still believes that they can contend for the title, they need to prove it on the pitch with big wins over lesser opposition. I expect the Gunners to win this one and take the points.
Wolves: +800
Draw: +400
Chelsea: -333
Top of the table Chelsea will travel to Molineux hoping to put a little breathing room between them and Manchester United, with a victory over struggling No. 16 Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Blues don’t look like they’ll be relinquishing first position any time soon, especially when facing teams down the lower end of the table. Chelsea has been rocked by the loss of two players ahead of their trip to Wolverhampton. Midfielder Frank Lampard will miss the match with a virus and Brazilian defender Alex is out with a knee injury he sustained in training on Thursday. He will undergo a scan on to assess the damage, but will most likely miss several matches. Chelsea shut out Wolverhampton 4-0 in their previous meeting back in November. Locked in a battle against relegation, the Wolves picked up a 1-0 win against the Tottenham Hotspur at Molineux in their last outing, lifting them out of the Barclays Premier League bottom three for the time being. Wolverhampton has scored only 21 Premier League goals this season, second fewest in the league. They will need to pick up their game with a much-needed victory at home, where their form hasn’t been too bad. The Wolves will rely on Reading transfer, Irish striker Kevin Doyle. Doyle has netted six goals in recent games and is leading the offensive charge effectively in a revamped 4-5-1 formation. Wolverhampton should pose no threat to a top form Chelsea, as the Blues are obviously favorites to win on Saturday. If Didier Drogba continues scoring the way he has been, there shouldn’t be a problem with Chelsea picking up three points in this one.
Manchester City: +150
Draw: +220
Liverpool: +170
No. 4 Manchester City will host No. 5 Liverpool in my pick for match of the week on Sunday. With only a point separating them it’s anyone’s guess which club will come out on top. City has had an up-and-down time with new manager Roberto Mancini. They are currently riding a six-match winning streak at home, since losing to Fulham last April. Midfielder Shaun Wright-Phillips is poised to make his 200th Premier League appearance for Manchester City. He has scored 34 goals in 199 league games for the club in two stints. City will be without midfielder Patrick Vieira, who will miss the match as he begins a three-match suspension. Vieira has been punished by the FA following a challenge on Stoke City’s Glenn Whelan during a match midweek. Martin Petrov will also be sidelined for up to four weeks with a knee injury, while Carlos Tevez is still in Argentina dealing with a domestic matter. Liverpool has overcome a horrible few months with a flurry of wins in the Premier League. They have earned 17 points from their last eight games, a tally surpassed only by Manchester United. However, Liverpool have only won one of their last six away matches – failing to score in four of them. They continue to be vulnerable on defense with so many injuries to key players. Midfielder Yossi Benayoun recovered from a broken rib that has sidelined him since 13th January, but is now undergoing a fitness test because of a back problem. Centre-back Sotirios Kyrgiakos serves the second of a three-match ban while striker Fernando Torres and fullback Glen Johnson are out with knee injuries. The teams played to a 2-2 draw back in November, so a draw here wouldn’t be a surprising result. Manchester City are winless against Liverpool in the last nine meetings, and thee two clubs have not been separated by more than one goal in their last 15 encounters. I expect a draw in this one, with both clubs splitting the points.
My other picks for the week are Tottenham over Wigan, Aston Villa over Burnley, Blackburn over Bolton, Stoke City over Portsmouth, and West Ham drawing with Hull City.
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