All games kick-off at 3pm on Saturday unless stated otherwise
Chelsea v West Brom
(Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez during the press conference at Chelsea FC Training Ground - Lewis Whyld/PA Wire/Press Association Images)
Betting: 2/5 (home), 7/2 (draw), 15/2 (away).
Injured: Chelsea – Yossi Benayoun.
Ineligible: West Brom – Romelu Lukaku.
Having already slipped up last week and given Tottenham the opportunity to go ahead of them, Chelsea will be well aware of the importance of a win today.
They face a West Brom side who have impressed at times this season, but will be without star striker Romelu Lukaku, who is ineligible.
Therefore, expect Chelsea to react in the best possible way to recent problems by overcoming the Baggies today.
Verdict: Chelsea
Everton v Reading
(Leon Osman celebrates against Oldham during the week – Jon Super/AP/Press Association Images)
Betting: 2/5 (home), 7/2 (draw), 15/2 (away).
Injured: Reading – Alex McCarthy, Jason Roberts.
Doubtful: Everton – Marouane Fellaini, Tim Howard.
Suspended: Reading – Pavel Pogrebnyak.
By this stage, most commentators have written off Everton’s chances of Champions League qualification.
However, a good late-season run could still put them in with a chance of upsetting the odds.
This home fixture against Reading though is precisely the type of match they need to be winning.
And the good news for David Moyes’ men is that they have never been beaten by Reading at Goodison Park in the Premier League.
Conversely, the bad news is that they have lost three of their last four games with the Royals.
Verdict: Everton
Manchester United v Norwich
(Ryan Giggs has signed a contract extension with United – Nick Potts/PA Wire/Press Association Images)
Betting: 4/11 (home), 4/1 (draw), 15/2 (away).
TV: Setanta
Injured: Manchester United – Phil Jones, Paul Scholes. Norwich – Alex Tettey.
Those predicting an easy United victory today should remember that Norwich have already pulled off a shock by winning the reverse fixture earlier this season.
Moreover, don’t be surprised to see Alex Ferguson field a weakened team, with one eye on their Champions League midweek game against Real Madrid.
So Norwich are likely to have it easier than most teams who face United.
Nevertheless, the Canaries haven’t won at Old Trafford since 1989, and don’t expect that trend to change today.
Verdict: Manchester United
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Southampton v QPR
(QPR have looked unconvincing of late – Anthony Devlin/PA Wire/Press Association Images)
Betting: 10/11 (home), 13/5 (draw), 3/1 (away).
Injured: QPR – Bobby Zamora.
Doubtful: QPR – Tal Ben Haim.
QPR go into this match having had less than ideal preparations, with reports of a boozy trip to Dubai likely to be fresh in people’s memories.
However, few managers are more accustomed to pulling off results in such perilous situations as Harry Redknapp.
That said, Southampton have performed impressively in their home games of late.
QPR, on the other hand, have only scored four goals in their last 10 games and have been dire in general, irrespective of the odd favourable result since Redknapp took over.
Verdict: Southampton
Stoke City v West Ham
(Glenn Whelan has been a virtual ever-present in Stoke’s midfield this season – Adam Davy/EMPICS Sport)
Betting: 11/10 (home), 23/10 (draw), 13/5 (away).
Injured: West Ham – Kevin Nolan.
Suspended: Stoke – Robert Huth.
Doubtful: Stoke – Matthew Etherington, Michael Owen. West Ham – Mark Noble.
The prospect of the two sides who statistically play the least amount of football in the Premier League (i.e. their games contain more stoppages than any other teams) meeting is hardly an enticing one.
Their close proximity in the table suggests they are relatively evenly matched though, so expect a competitive game at the very least.
Stoke have performed impressively at home this term, losing just once against Chelsea in January.
West Ham, on the other hand, have earned just one point from 24 in their most recent away games, which suggests Tony Pulis’ side are strong favourites for this match.
Verdict: Stoke
Sunderland v Fulham
(Giorgos Karagounis is expected to feature against Sunderland today - Adam Davy/EMPICS Sport)
Betting: 11/8 (home), 9/4 (draw), 21/10 (away).
Injured: Sunderland – Lee Cattermole, Danny Rose. Fulham – Mahamadou Diarra.
It’ll be interesting to see whether Sunderland opt to persevere with the 4-4-2 formation they employed last week, having played 4-5-1 for most of the season.
Martin O’Neill’s men have struggled for goals as a result of the latter strategy, and will be up against it again today, facing a Fulham team who have recorded back-to-back clean sheets.
They have a poor record against Fulham in recent years, though they did manage a rare win against them in this season’s reverse fixture.
However, the Black Cats are in poor form, losing their last three matches in a row, so a draw is surely the best outcome they can hope for this afternoon.
Verdict: Draw
Swansea v Newcastle
(Swansea won the League Cup by beating Bradford in the final last week – Nigel French/EMPICS Sport)
Betting: 23/20 (home), 12/5 (draw), 12/5 (away).
Verdict: Draw
Doubtful: Swansea – Michel Vorm. Newcastle – Fabricio Coloccini, Hatem Ben Arfa.
This is perhaps the toughest of the weekend games to predict.
Swansea have been the far more impressive side this season, but could conceivably be at risk of suffering a hangover from their recent League Cup triumph.
Newcastle have had an underwhelming season, but have shown signs of life since making some astute purchases in January.
In addition, the Welsh club have been invariably excellent at home this year, but Alan Pardew’s team are surely good enough to earn a point against them.
Wigan v Liverpool, Saturday 5.30pm
(Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard sits dejected during the club’s recent Europa League tie - Martin Rickett/PA Wire/Press Association Images)
TV: ESPN
Betting: 10/3 (home), 13/5 (draw), 17/20 (away).
Injured: Liverpool – Fabio Borini, Martin Kelly.
Doubtful: Wigan – Ryo Miyaichi. Liverpool – Daniel Sturridge.
Liverpool have an exceptional record against bottom-half teams, having won nine, drawn two and lost only one, so they’ll hardly by daunted by the prospect of today’s match.
Nonetheless, Wigan are notoriously unpredictable, and notwithstanding the Anfield club’s 3-0 win over them in November, have normally caused them serious problems in recent encounters between the two.
Moreover, it was around this time last year that the Latics began to put an astonishing run together, which enabled them to pull off an unlikely escape from relegation.
But given Liverpool’s clinical record against the smaller teams, the smart money’s on them to prevail this evening.
Verdict: Liverpool
Tottenham v Arsenal, Sunday 4pm
(A stunning last-minute strike from Gareth Bale helped Tottenham beat West Ham last week – Adam Davy/PA Wire/Press Association Images)
TV: Sky Sports 1
Injured: Tottenham – Clint Dempsey, Younes Kaboul, Sandro, Tom Huddlestone. Arsenal – Bacary Sagna, Kieran Gibbs.
Doubtful: Arsenal – Abou Diaby.
Betting: 13/10 (home), 12/5 (draw), 21/10 (away).
Come the end of the season, Sunday’s match might well be looked back upon as a pivotal game.
The two sides are in a race to finish in the top four, with one likely to miss out, provided Man City and Chelsea finish the season strongly.
The pre-match talk has been dominated by Gareth Bale, with the Welshman having scored an incredible eight goals in his last six games, so much will depend on whether Arsenal can contain him.
Tottenham have been consistently flaky against the top sides over the years, so expect Arsenal to earn a point despite Bale’s brilliance.
Verdict: Draw
Aston Villa v Manchester City, Monday 8pm
(Yaya Toure’s return to the Man City team has been a significant boost for the club – Barrington Coombs/PA Wire/Press Association Images)
TV: Sky Sports 1
Betting: 6/1 (home), 14/5 (draw), 8/15 (away).
On the face of it, this game should be a straightforward win for Man City.
Villa have perpetually struggled this year, and currently find themselves in the relegation zone.
City, meanwhile, recently secured a good win over Chelsea, with Yaya Toure seemingly back to something like his best form.
But Mancini’s men have already struggled against the likes of Southampton and QPR this season, so don’t be too shocked if they fail to win this match comfortably.
Premier League previews: Who will win this weekend's games and why
All games kick-off at 3pm on Saturday unless stated otherwise
Chelsea v West Brom
Betting: 2/5 (home), 7/2 (draw), 15/2 (away).
Injured: Chelsea – Yossi Benayoun.
Ineligible: West Brom – Romelu Lukaku.
Having already slipped up last week and given Tottenham the opportunity to go ahead of them, Chelsea will be well aware of the importance of a win today.
Their task won’t be made easier by Rafa Benitez’s much-publicised outburst during the week, while widespread rumours of dressing-room unrest have made matters worse.
They face a West Brom side who have impressed at times this season, but will be without star striker Romelu Lukaku, who is ineligible.
Therefore, expect Chelsea to react in the best possible way to recent problems by overcoming the Baggies today.
Verdict: Chelsea
Everton v Reading
Betting: 2/5 (home), 7/2 (draw), 15/2 (away).
Injured: Reading – Alex McCarthy, Jason Roberts.
Doubtful: Everton – Marouane Fellaini, Tim Howard.
Suspended: Reading – Pavel Pogrebnyak.
By this stage, most commentators have written off Everton’s chances of Champions League qualification.
However, a good late-season run could still put them in with a chance of upsetting the odds.
This home fixture against Reading though is precisely the type of match they need to be winning.
And the good news for David Moyes’ men is that they have never been beaten by Reading at Goodison Park in the Premier League.
Conversely, the bad news is that they have lost three of their last four games with the Royals.
Verdict: Everton
Manchester United v Norwich
Betting: 4/11 (home), 4/1 (draw), 15/2 (away).
TV: Setanta
Injured: Manchester United – Phil Jones, Paul Scholes. Norwich – Alex Tettey.
Those predicting an easy United victory today should remember that Norwich have already pulled off a shock by winning the reverse fixture earlier this season.
Moreover, don’t be surprised to see Alex Ferguson field a weakened team, with one eye on their Champions League midweek game against Real Madrid.
So Norwich are likely to have it easier than most teams who face United.
Nevertheless, the Canaries haven’t won at Old Trafford since 1989, and don’t expect that trend to change today.
Verdict: Manchester United
Southampton v QPR
Betting: 10/11 (home), 13/5 (draw), 3/1 (away).
Injured: QPR – Bobby Zamora.
Doubtful: QPR – Tal Ben Haim.
QPR go into this match having had less than ideal preparations, with reports of a boozy trip to Dubai likely to be fresh in people’s memories.
However, few managers are more accustomed to pulling off results in such perilous situations as Harry Redknapp.
That said, Southampton have performed impressively in their home games of late.
QPR, on the other hand, have only scored four goals in their last 10 games and have been dire in general, irrespective of the odd favourable result since Redknapp took over.
Verdict: Southampton
Stoke City v West Ham
Betting: 11/10 (home), 23/10 (draw), 13/5 (away).
Injured: West Ham – Kevin Nolan.
Suspended: Stoke – Robert Huth.
Doubtful: Stoke – Matthew Etherington, Michael Owen. West Ham – Mark Noble.
The prospect of the two sides who statistically play the least amount of football in the Premier League (i.e. their games contain more stoppages than any other teams) meeting is hardly an enticing one.
Their close proximity in the table suggests they are relatively evenly matched though, so expect a competitive game at the very least.
Stoke have performed impressively at home this term, losing just once against Chelsea in January.
West Ham, on the other hand, have earned just one point from 24 in their most recent away games, which suggests Tony Pulis’ side are strong favourites for this match.
Verdict: Stoke
Sunderland v Fulham
Betting: 11/8 (home), 9/4 (draw), 21/10 (away).
Injured: Sunderland – Lee Cattermole, Danny Rose. Fulham – Mahamadou Diarra.
It’ll be interesting to see whether Sunderland opt to persevere with the 4-4-2 formation they employed last week, having played 4-5-1 for most of the season.
Martin O’Neill’s men have struggled for goals as a result of the latter strategy, and will be up against it again today, facing a Fulham team who have recorded back-to-back clean sheets.
They have a poor record against Fulham in recent years, though they did manage a rare win against them in this season’s reverse fixture.
However, the Black Cats are in poor form, losing their last three matches in a row, so a draw is surely the best outcome they can hope for this afternoon.
Verdict: Draw
Swansea v Newcastle
Betting: 23/20 (home), 12/5 (draw), 12/5 (away).
Verdict: Draw
Doubtful: Swansea – Michel Vorm. Newcastle – Fabricio Coloccini, Hatem Ben Arfa.
This is perhaps the toughest of the weekend games to predict.
Swansea have been the far more impressive side this season, but could conceivably be at risk of suffering a hangover from their recent League Cup triumph.
Newcastle have had an underwhelming season, but have shown signs of life since making some astute purchases in January.
In addition, the Welsh club have been invariably excellent at home this year, but Alan Pardew’s team are surely good enough to earn a point against them.
Wigan v Liverpool, Saturday 5.30pm
TV: ESPN
Betting: 10/3 (home), 13/5 (draw), 17/20 (away).
Injured: Liverpool – Fabio Borini, Martin Kelly.
Doubtful: Wigan – Ryo Miyaichi. Liverpool – Daniel Sturridge.
Liverpool have an exceptional record against bottom-half teams, having won nine, drawn two and lost only one, so they’ll hardly by daunted by the prospect of today’s match.
Nonetheless, Wigan are notoriously unpredictable, and notwithstanding the Anfield club’s 3-0 win over them in November, have normally caused them serious problems in recent encounters between the two.
Moreover, it was around this time last year that the Latics began to put an astonishing run together, which enabled them to pull off an unlikely escape from relegation.
But given Liverpool’s clinical record against the smaller teams, the smart money’s on them to prevail this evening.
Verdict: Liverpool
Tottenham v Arsenal, Sunday 4pm
TV: Sky Sports 1
Injured: Tottenham – Clint Dempsey, Younes Kaboul, Sandro, Tom Huddlestone. Arsenal – Bacary Sagna, Kieran Gibbs.
Doubtful: Arsenal – Abou Diaby.
Betting: 13/10 (home), 12/5 (draw), 21/10 (away).
Come the end of the season, Sunday’s match might well be looked back upon as a pivotal game.
The two sides are in a race to finish in the top four, with one likely to miss out, provided Man City and Chelsea finish the season strongly.
The pre-match talk has been dominated by Gareth Bale, with the Welshman having scored an incredible eight goals in his last six games, so much will depend on whether Arsenal can contain him.
Tottenham have been consistently flaky against the top sides over the years, so expect Arsenal to earn a point despite Bale’s brilliance.
Verdict: Draw
Aston Villa v Manchester City, Monday 8pm
TV: Sky Sports 1
Betting: 6/1 (home), 14/5 (draw), 8/15 (away).
On the face of it, this game should be a straightforward win for Man City.
Villa have perpetually struggled this year, and currently find themselves in the relegation zone.
City, meanwhile, recently secured a good win over Chelsea, with Yaya Toure seemingly back to something like his best form.
But Mancini’s men have already struggled against the likes of Southampton and QPR this season, so don’t be too shocked if they fail to win this match comfortably.
Verdict: Manchester City
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