All games kick-off Saturday 3pm unless stated otherwise
Fulham v Reading
(Nigel Adkins watches Reading’s game with QPR last week – Nigel French/PA Wire/Press Association Images)
Betting: 7/10 (home), 11/4 (draw), 4/1 (away).
Injured: Fulham – Mladen Petric. Reading – Jimmy Kebe and Jason Roberts.
Doubtful: Reading – Hope Akpan and Adam Federici.
If you thought Reading were bad against QPR last week, one can only begin to imagine how diabolical they’ll be now that their relegation is actually confirmed.
They come up against a Fulham side who themselves seemingly have little to play for, having reached the 40-point mark that normally is enough to ensure a team’s safety.
Consequently, we are left with one of the least attractive fixtures imaginable – one of those dreadful end-of-season games where both teams’ players invariably look like they wish they were on their holidays already.
Fulham, though, playing at home and not feeling quite so demoralised as their opponents presumably do, should win this game comfortably.
Verdict: Fulham
Norwich v Aston Villa
(Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke scores his side’s third goal of the game – Andrew Matthews/EMPICS Sport)
Betting: 6/4 (home), 9/4 (draw), 15/8 (away).
Doubtful: Norwich – John Ruddy. Aston Villa – Ciaran Clark and Karim El Ahmadi.
All of a sudden, it seems the sky’s the limit for Villa, after they hit six against Sunderland earlier in the week.
They could very well be brought back down to Earth however, against a Norwich side that have often exceeded expectations at home this season and are unbeaten in their last seven league matches at Carrow Road.
In a game destined to be described as a ‘relegation six-pointer,’ both sides know that a win would effectively assure them a place in the top flight next year.
Therefore, caution will surely be the prevailing tactic, given what’s at stake, and a draw consequently seems the most likely outcome.
Verdict: Draw
Swansea v Man City
(Chelsea’s Frank Lampard celebrates his goal against Swansea City – Sang Tan/AP/Press Association Images)
Betting: 15/4 (home), 13/5 (draw), 3/4 (away).
Injured: Swansea – Roland Lamah.
Doubtful: Swansea – Chico Flores.
Another game that doesn’t exactly set pulses racing – Swansea are sitting comfortably in ninth, while City are also effectively in limbo, though they’d ideally like to make second place virtually certain with a win today.
To equate the Welsh side with mid-table mediocrity seems unfair though, given how much they’ve overachieved under Michael Laudrup and his limited resources.
Equally, to suggest this will be an easy three points for City seems disingenuous, as United, Liverpool and Chelsea, among others, have struggled at the Liberty Stadium this year.
That said, Roberto Mancini’s side showed impressive graft to beat West Ham in their last match, and a few minutes of madness against Tottenham aside, have been playing rather well lately.
Verdict: Man City
Tottenham v Southampton
(Gareth Bale, who comes up against his former club today, receives his Players’ Player of the Year award from Sky Sports presenter David Jones – EMPICS Sport/EMPICS Sport)
Betting: 1/2 (home), 16/5 (draw), 11/2 (away).
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TV: Setanta Sports 1, 2.30pm
Doubtful: Tottenham – Mousa Dembele.
Suspended: Southampton – Gaston Ramirez and Danny Fox.
If Tottenham are to continue to harbour serious hopes of a Champions League spot, then this game is undoubtedly a must-win encounter.
They’ve shown characteristics of late that seasoned fans will identify as ‘typical Tottenham’.
As has been the case so often in the past, a heroic victory (against Man City) was followed by a decidedly underwhelming performance.
Consequently, today’s match is similarly hard to predict, on account of their notoriously erratic form in these situations, though the home crowd should push them over the line against a Southampton outfit who are achingly close to guaranteeing survival.
Verdict: Tottenham
West Brom v Wigan
(Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez – Dave Thompson/PA Wire/Press Association Images)
Betting: 7/5 (home), 12/5 (draw), 15/8 (away).
Injured: West Brom – Chris Brunt and Goran Popov. Wigan – Maynor Figueroa.
Doubtful: Wigan – Antolin Alcaraz.
Suspended: West Brom – Marc-Antoine Fortune.
Wigan are running out of chances – currently on 32 points, they will surely need at least three wins from their four remaining fixtures in order to stay up.
Roberto Martinez is renowned for pulling off unlikely triumphs, but helping Wigan avoid the drop this time would surely represent his greatest achievement of all.
They face tough opponents in the form of Steve Clarke’s West Brom.
It’s doubtful that Wigan’s less-than-reliable defence can cope with the threat of strikers of the quality of Shane Long and Romelu Lukaku, so a draw is surely the best they can hope for.
Verdict: Draw
West Ham v Newcastle
(Newcastle United’s Moussa Sissoko dejected as referee Andre Marriner shows Yohan Cabaye the red card against Liverpool – Owen Humphreys/PA Wire/Press Association Images)
Doubtful: West Ham – James Tomkins and George McCartney. Newcastle – Fabricio Coloccini.
Suspended: Newcastle – Mathieu Debuchy.
Having appeared safe a few weeks back, a couple of disastrous performances have thrown Newcastle right back into the relegation dogfight.
They come up against a West Ham team who have ultimately had a very good first season back in the Premier League, and will presumably be eager to finish the year on a high.
The Magpies have a poor record at Upton Park, only winning once in their last five attempts there.
Moreover, it’s doubtful that their players – many of whom seem quite moody and prone to failures of temperament – will relish confronting the aerial bombardment that the Hammers’ style invariably constitutes.
Verdict: West Ham
QPR v Arsenal (5.30pm)
(Queens Park Rangers’ Jermaine Jenas shows his dejection after a missed chance against Reading – EMPICS Sport/EMPICS Sport)
TV: ESPN, 4.45pm
Betting: 6/1 (home), 7/2 (draw), 4/9 (away).
Injured: Arsenal – Lukasz Fabianski and Abou Diaby.
Doubtful: QPR – Andros Townsend.
Suspended: Arsenal – Olivier Giroud
Just like their rivals Tottenham, Arsenal also have a match today that is vital to their Champions League prospects, and which they are expected to win.
However, football is not always so simple. Ostensibly, QPR have no hope in this game, but they have often come alive at the most unexpected moments, and frequently against talented opposition to boot.
Arsenal, on the other hand, cannot always be trusted to overcome inferior opposition with ample ease, as Blackburn proved in the FA Cup earlier this season.
That said, anything other than a Gunners victory would still represent a huge shock.
Verdict: Arsenal
Liverpool v Everton (Sunday, 1.30pm)
(Marouane Fellaini, Everton – Martin Rickett/PA Wire/Press Association Images)
TV: Sky Sports 1, 1pm
Betting: Evens (home), 5/2 (draw), 11/4 (away).
Injured: Everton – Phil Neville.
Doubtful: Liverpool – Fabio Borini. Everton – Darron Gibson.
Suspended: Liverpool – Luis Suarez.
This is surely one of the least enticing Merseyside derbies of recent memories, with neither side having much to play for.
Nonetheless, Liverpool proved with their 6-0 defeat of Newcastle the other week that they are not prepared to rest on their laurels.
Similarly, Everton have continued to play with a competitive spirit, even as their top four hopes have faded.
The Toffees are ahead of Brendan Rodgers’ side in the table, though the Anfield club are in terrific form, so don’t expect the recent trends in this fixture to be reversed on Sunday.
Verdict: Liverpool
Man United v Chelsea (Sunday, 4pm)
(Manchester United’s Robin van Persie scores from the penalty spot against Arsenal – Adam Davy/PA Wire/Press Association Images)
Betting: 6/5 (home), 12/5 (draw), 9/4 (away).
TV: Sky Sports 1, 3.30pm.
Injured: Man United – Danny Welbeck.
Doubtful: Man United – Paul Scholes.
A game that could have been so thrilling had United not secured the Premier League title so comfortably, instead it cannot help but feel a little anti-climactic.
That said, Chelsea remain in a keenly contested three-way Champions League qualification race with Spurs and Arsenal, and will be grateful that Alex Ferguson’s men have already wrapped up the title.
Given that the Stamford Bridge outfit sit in third and have a game in hand on Arsene Wenger’s side, they seem to be in pole position, though a loss to United would create renewed doubt about their top four hopes.
United represent formidable opposition, though their relatively poor recent record of just two wins in five suggests they have gone off the boil a little following their league triumph.
Who will win this weekend’s Premier League games and why*
All games kick-off Saturday 3pm unless stated otherwise
Fulham v Reading
Betting: 7/10 (home), 11/4 (draw), 4/1 (away).
Injured: Fulham – Mladen Petric. Reading – Jimmy Kebe and Jason Roberts.
Doubtful: Reading – Hope Akpan and Adam Federici.
If you thought Reading were bad against QPR last week, one can only begin to imagine how diabolical they’ll be now that their relegation is actually confirmed.
They come up against a Fulham side who themselves seemingly have little to play for, having reached the 40-point mark that normally is enough to ensure a team’s safety.
Consequently, we are left with one of the least attractive fixtures imaginable – one of those dreadful end-of-season games where both teams’ players invariably look like they wish they were on their holidays already.
Fulham, though, playing at home and not feeling quite so demoralised as their opponents presumably do, should win this game comfortably.
Verdict: Fulham
Norwich v Aston Villa
Betting: 6/4 (home), 9/4 (draw), 15/8 (away).
Doubtful: Norwich – John Ruddy. Aston Villa – Ciaran Clark and Karim El Ahmadi.
All of a sudden, it seems the sky’s the limit for Villa, after they hit six against Sunderland earlier in the week.
They could very well be brought back down to Earth however, against a Norwich side that have often exceeded expectations at home this season and are unbeaten in their last seven league matches at Carrow Road.
In a game destined to be described as a ‘relegation six-pointer,’ both sides know that a win would effectively assure them a place in the top flight next year.
Therefore, caution will surely be the prevailing tactic, given what’s at stake, and a draw consequently seems the most likely outcome.
Verdict: Draw
Swansea v Man City
Betting: 15/4 (home), 13/5 (draw), 3/4 (away).
Injured: Swansea – Roland Lamah.
Doubtful: Swansea – Chico Flores.
Another game that doesn’t exactly set pulses racing – Swansea are sitting comfortably in ninth, while City are also effectively in limbo, though they’d ideally like to make second place virtually certain with a win today.
To equate the Welsh side with mid-table mediocrity seems unfair though, given how much they’ve overachieved under Michael Laudrup and his limited resources.
Equally, to suggest this will be an easy three points for City seems disingenuous, as United, Liverpool and Chelsea, among others, have struggled at the Liberty Stadium this year.
That said, Roberto Mancini’s side showed impressive graft to beat West Ham in their last match, and a few minutes of madness against Tottenham aside, have been playing rather well lately.
Verdict: Man City
Tottenham v Southampton
Betting: 1/2 (home), 16/5 (draw), 11/2 (away).
TV: Setanta Sports 1, 2.30pm
Doubtful: Tottenham – Mousa Dembele.
Suspended: Southampton – Gaston Ramirez and Danny Fox.
If Tottenham are to continue to harbour serious hopes of a Champions League spot, then this game is undoubtedly a must-win encounter.
They’ve shown characteristics of late that seasoned fans will identify as ‘typical Tottenham’.
As has been the case so often in the past, a heroic victory (against Man City) was followed by a decidedly underwhelming performance.
Consequently, today’s match is similarly hard to predict, on account of their notoriously erratic form in these situations, though the home crowd should push them over the line against a Southampton outfit who are achingly close to guaranteeing survival.
Verdict: Tottenham
West Brom v Wigan
Betting: 7/5 (home), 12/5 (draw), 15/8 (away).
Injured: West Brom – Chris Brunt and Goran Popov. Wigan – Maynor Figueroa.
Doubtful: Wigan – Antolin Alcaraz.
Suspended: West Brom – Marc-Antoine Fortune.
Wigan are running out of chances – currently on 32 points, they will surely need at least three wins from their four remaining fixtures in order to stay up.
Roberto Martinez is renowned for pulling off unlikely triumphs, but helping Wigan avoid the drop this time would surely represent his greatest achievement of all.
They face tough opponents in the form of Steve Clarke’s West Brom.
It’s doubtful that Wigan’s less-than-reliable defence can cope with the threat of strikers of the quality of Shane Long and Romelu Lukaku, so a draw is surely the best they can hope for.
Verdict: Draw
West Ham v Newcastle
Betting: 13/10 (home), 23/10 (draw), 21/10 (away).
Injured: Newcastle – Massadio Haidara.
Doubtful: West Ham – James Tomkins and George McCartney. Newcastle – Fabricio Coloccini.
Suspended: Newcastle – Mathieu Debuchy.
Having appeared safe a few weeks back, a couple of disastrous performances have thrown Newcastle right back into the relegation dogfight.
They come up against a West Ham team who have ultimately had a very good first season back in the Premier League, and will presumably be eager to finish the year on a high.
The Magpies have a poor record at Upton Park, only winning once in their last five attempts there.
Moreover, it’s doubtful that their players – many of whom seem quite moody and prone to failures of temperament – will relish confronting the aerial bombardment that the Hammers’ style invariably constitutes.
Verdict: West Ham
QPR v Arsenal (5.30pm)
TV: ESPN, 4.45pm
Betting: 6/1 (home), 7/2 (draw), 4/9 (away).
Injured: Arsenal – Lukasz Fabianski and Abou Diaby.
Doubtful: QPR – Andros Townsend.
Suspended: Arsenal – Olivier Giroud
Just like their rivals Tottenham, Arsenal also have a match today that is vital to their Champions League prospects, and which they are expected to win.
However, football is not always so simple. Ostensibly, QPR have no hope in this game, but they have often come alive at the most unexpected moments, and frequently against talented opposition to boot.
Arsenal, on the other hand, cannot always be trusted to overcome inferior opposition with ample ease, as Blackburn proved in the FA Cup earlier this season.
That said, anything other than a Gunners victory would still represent a huge shock.
Verdict: Arsenal
Liverpool v Everton (Sunday, 1.30pm)
TV: Sky Sports 1, 1pm
Betting: Evens (home), 5/2 (draw), 11/4 (away).
Injured: Everton – Phil Neville.
Doubtful: Liverpool – Fabio Borini. Everton – Darron Gibson.
Suspended: Liverpool – Luis Suarez.
This is surely one of the least enticing Merseyside derbies of recent memories, with neither side having much to play for.
Nonetheless, Liverpool proved with their 6-0 defeat of Newcastle the other week that they are not prepared to rest on their laurels.
Similarly, Everton have continued to play with a competitive spirit, even as their top four hopes have faded.
The Toffees are ahead of Brendan Rodgers’ side in the table, though the Anfield club are in terrific form, so don’t expect the recent trends in this fixture to be reversed on Sunday.
Verdict: Liverpool
Man United v Chelsea (Sunday, 4pm)
Betting: 6/5 (home), 12/5 (draw), 9/4 (away).
TV: Sky Sports 1, 3.30pm.
Injured: Man United – Danny Welbeck.
Doubtful: Man United – Paul Scholes.
A game that could have been so thrilling had United not secured the Premier League title so comfortably, instead it cannot help but feel a little anti-climactic.
That said, Chelsea remain in a keenly contested three-way Champions League qualification race with Spurs and Arsenal, and will be grateful that Alex Ferguson’s men have already wrapped up the title.
Given that the Stamford Bridge outfit sit in third and have a game in hand on Arsene Wenger’s side, they seem to be in pole position, though a loss to United would create renewed doubt about their top four hopes.
United represent formidable opposition, though their relatively poor recent record of just two wins in five suggests they have gone off the boil a little following their league triumph.
Verdict: Draw
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