English Premier League: EPL Week 13 Preview and Predictions

The English Premier League provided yet another weekend of fireworks and drama that culminated in a ventilating match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.

No one believed the Reds had a chance to beat the Blues on their home ground despite them having done just that back in February in their previous meeting of 2011. Maxi Rodriguez and Glen Johnson were the spoilers for the Blues as the Reds walked away 2-1 victors.

Manchester City knocked off the only other unbeaten team in the league with their defeat of Newcastle Untied.

Swansea City were unable to deny another victory to Manchester United as the Red Devils continue to maintain pace with their cross-town rivals at the top of the table just hoping for the Sky Blues to stumble so they can begin to regain ground.

Tottenham continued to build their resume for a top-four place as well with a comfortably deserved victory over Aston Villa.

Lastly, Arsenal took a late victory from Norwich City after it looked like the Canaries might have pulled off a draw or a late upset, but were denied by another Robin van Persie brace this season.

This week, the top clubs are again at each other with Liverpool hosting Manchester City and Manchester United taking on Newcastle United. The Chelsea Blues enjoy an easier round this week against Wolverhampton Wanderers after two weeks of disappointments.

Once again, here we go for another action-packed weekend in the EPL as Week 13 is only days away.

Stoke City vs Blackburn Rovers

Stoke City currently sit in the lead of their UEFA Europa League table and at least a draw against Dynamo Kiev at the Britannia Stadium on Thursday could almost guarantee their place in the next round, while a victory guarantees group victory completely.

With the tough home-and-away schedule that has pushed them to the brink due to their Europa League involvement, they could be able to take advantage of a relaxed squad on Thursday night in order to have their strongest side ready for a must-win match against Blackburn Rovers.

In the last six games, Rovers have managed three draws and three losses, hardly ideal for a club that wants to at least stay up in the EPL. Steve Keane continues to have the belief of the owners, but as for the fans, they want him out yesterday.

Match Prediction: Stoke City 2 - 1 Blackburn Rovers

Predicted Stoke City Starting XI: Asmir Begovic, Marc Wilson, Jonathan Woodgate, Ryan Shawcross, Andy Wilkinson, Jermaine Pennant, Rory Delap, Wilson Palacios, Matthew Etherington, Peter Crouch, Jonathan Walters.

Predicted Blackburn Rovers Starting XI: Paul Robinson, Michel Salgado, Scott Dann, Chris Samba, Gael Givet, Steven Nzonzi, David Dunn, Mauro Formica, Ruben Rochina, Yakubu, David Hoilett.

Players to Watch: Jonathan Walters and Yakubu

Bolton Wanderers vs Everton

Bolton shocked the EPL with a 5-0 demolition of Stoke City in the weekend before the international break. However, this past weekend they were back to losing ways against West Bromwich Albion.

Everton notched another three points last weekend thanks to Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines both getting on the score sheet against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

However, two defenders leading the Blues to victory only continues to highlight their lack of an attacking prescience up front.

Match Prediction: Bolton 1 - 2 Everton

Predicted Bolton Wanderers Starting XI: Jussi Jaaskelainen, Paul Robinson, Gary Cahill, Zat Knight, Dedryck Boyata, Nigel Reo-Coker, Martin Petrov, Fabrice Muamba, Chris Eagles, Kevin Davies, Ivan Klasnic.

Predicted Everton Starting XI: Tim Howard, Tony Hibbert, Sylvain Distin, Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines, Seamus Coleman, Royston Drenthe, Jack Rodwell, Tim Cahill, Leon Osman, Louis Saha.

Players to Watch: Kevin Davies and Seamus Coleman.

Chelsea vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Chelsea thought that they could pull off a late victory over Liverpool as their second half looked to be heading that way in the first 20 minutes, but the Reds turned the table slowly and it would prove fatal to Andre Villas-Boas' side.

The Blues should have little trouble with Wolverhampton Wanderers, and the thought of a third straight loss at the Bridge is more than they could handle.

Match Prediction: Chelsea 4 - 1 Wolves

Predicted Chelsea Starting XI: Petr Cech, Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry, Alex, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, Raul Meireles, Juan Mata, Ramires, Daniel Sturridge, Fernando Torres.

Predicted Wolverhampton Wanderers Starting XI: Wayne Hennessey, Stephen Ward, Christophe Berra, Roger Johnson, Richard Stearman, Stephen Hunt, Jamie O'Hara, Karl Henry, Matt Jarvis, Kevin Doyle, David Edwards.

Players to Watch: Fernando Torres and Jamie O'Hara.

Manchester United vs Newcastle United

Manchester United continued to improve their defensive record with another clean sheet against Swansea City for a quiet third victory in a row. But, a win is a win in the EPL and the Red Devils will hope to build on their streak when they host Newcastle United.

The Magpies have had a flying start to their season, but the games like last week's against Manchester City and this week's against United are the ones that define your season. If they are to be considered for a legitimate top-four place, they have to beat the best teams in the league.

Match Prediction: Manchester United 2 - 2 Newcastle United

Predicted Manchester United Starting XI: David De Gea, Phil Jones, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Ji-Sung Park, Darren Fletcher, Anderson, Nani, Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez.

Predicted Newcastle United Starting XI: Tim Krul, Danny Simpson, Steven Taylor, Fabricio Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Gabriel Obertan, Yohan Cabaye, Ismael Cheik Tioté, Jonás Gutiérrez, Leon Best, Demba Ba.

Players to Watch: Javier Hernandez and Demba Ba.

Norwich City vs Queens Park Rangers

Norwich City will feel hard done by to not have taken a late draw from Arsenal at Carrow Road. But, they have to quickly refocus their view on fellow promoted club Queens Park Rangers.

Rangers and Norwich both have been much better than expected and are continuing to look likely of staying up. With similar records in their last six matches, it will be a real toss-up as to which club takes the victory.

Match Prediction: Norwich City 3 - 3 QPR

Predicted Norwich City Starting XI: John Ruddy, Leon Barnett, Kyle Naughton, Marc Tierney, Russell Martin, Bradley Johnson, David Fox, Wesley Hoolahan, Anthony Pilkington, Grant Holt, Steve Morison.

Predicted Queens Park Rangers Starting XI: Patrick Kenny, Luke Young, Anton Ferdinand, Clint Hill, Armand Traore, Shaun Derry, Joey Barton, Alejandro Damian Faurlin, Jay Bothroyd, Heidar Helguson, Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Players to Watch: Anthony Pilkington and Heidar Helguson.

Sunderland vs Wigan Athletic

Sunderland have had better results in the last six matches than their first with two wins, two draws and two losses earning Steve Bruce's side eighth points. Granted, they are much better than that, but it is at least a step in the right direction.

Wigan earned their first points after a long string of losses with a hard-fought draw against Blackburn Rovers in the most recent bottom-two basement battle in the EPL. Sunderland is not much higher and if Wigan can clip a win against their old manager, it would be sweet revenge.

Match Prediction: Sunderland 2 - 2 Wigan

Predicted Sunderland Starting XI: Simon Mignolet, John O'Shea, Wes Brown, Titus Bramble, Kieran Richardson, Sebastian Larsson, David Vaughn, Jack Colback, Ahmed Elmohamady, Stephane Sessegnon, Nicklas Bendtner.

Predicted Wigan Athletic Starting XI: Ali Al Habsi, Gary Caldwell, Anton Alvarez, Maynor Figueroa, Emmerson Boyce, Albert Crusat, David Jones, Ben Watson, Mohamed Diame, Victor Moses, Hugo Rodallega.

Players to Watch: Nicklas Bendtner and Hugo Rodallega.

West Bromwich Albion vs Tottenham Hotspur

West Bromwich Albion notched their third win in five games to add to a continued push up the table to their believe place in the middle of the pack.

Tottenham, meanwhile, maintained their top-draw performances with a convincing and deserved victory over Aston Villa at White Hart Lane on the previous Week 12 Monday night.

Match Prediction: WBA 1 - 3 Tottenham

Predicted West Bromwich Albion Starting XI: Ben Foster, Billy Jones, Jonas Olsson, Gareth McAuley, Steven Reid, Paul Scharner, Graham Dorrans, Chris Brunt, Jerome Thomas, Somen Tchoyi, Peter Odemwingie.

Predicted Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI: Brad Friedel, Kyle Walker, Younes Kaboul, Ledley King, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Luka Modric, Scott Parker, Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon, Jermaine Defoe, Emmanuel Adebayor.

Players to Watch: Peter Odemwingie and Emmanuel Adebayor.

Arsenal vs Fulham

Arsenal are on the hottest streak in the league right now, aside from Manchester City, with five straight victories and 15 points from their last 18 possible. Robin van Persie's league-leading 13 goals are a testament to the importance the Dutchman has been so far for Arsene Wenger as his defense is still not doing the job.

Fulham continue to have a frustrating start after having slumped to another draw last weekend against Sunderland. Two wins in their last six games is not enough for Martin Jol or his squad.

Match Prediction: Arsenal 3 - 1 Fulham

Predicted Arsenal Starting XI: Wojciech Szczęsny, Laurent Koscielny, Per Mertesacker, Thomas Vermaelen, Andre Santos, Mikel Arteta, Alex Song, Aaron Ramsey; Gervinho, Robin van Persie, Theo Walcott.

Predicted Fulham Starting XI: Mark Schwarzer, Zdenek Grygera, Brede Hangeland, Chris Baird, John Arne Riise, Moussa Dembele, Danny Murphy, Dickson Etuhu, Clint Dempsey, Andrew Johnson, Bobby Zamora.

Players to Watch: Robin van Persie and Clint Dempsey.

Swansea City vs Aston Villa

Aston Villa started the season off really strong, but since their first defeat at the hands of Manchester City six weeks ago, they have only been able to take four points from their last 15 possible. The Villains have to make a change to stay in a good position for the second half.

Swansea nearly managed to pull off a shocker against Manchester United at home last weekend, but it was not meant to be as the defending champions managed to net a late winner.

Match Prediction: Swansea 1 - 0 Villa

Predicted Swansea City Starting XI: Michel Vorm, Neil Taylor, Steven Caulker, Ashley Williams, Angel Rangel, Nathan Dyer, Leon Britton, Kemy Agustien, Joe Allen, Danny Graham, Scott Sinclair.

Predicted Aston Villa Starting XI: Shay Given, Alan Hutton, James Collins, Richard Dunne, Stephen Warnock, Chris Herd, Stiliyan Petrov, Emile Heskey, Charles N'Zogbia, Darren Bent, Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Players to Watch: Danny Graham and Darren Bent

Game of the Week: Liverpool vs Manchester City

Liverpool shocked everyone that doubted them last weekend against Chelsea. Kenny Dalglish opted for Maxi Rodriguez and Craig Bellamy in the starting lineup over Stewart Downing and Andy Carroll and it proved a good gamble.

But it would be Glen Johnson who stole the show for the Reds as he took center stage with his late individual effort to give his side the victory.

Manchester City defeated the only other unbeaten team last weekend when they knocked Newcastle United out of their high seat and back to reality. After seeing the Reds beat Chelsea and should have beaten Manchester United, it is proven they can get up for big games and could be a surprise club that could take down the Citizens.

Match Prediction: Liverpool 2 - 2 Manchester City

Predicted Liverpool Starting XI: Pepe Reina, Martin Kelly, Martin Skrtel, Daniel Agger, Jose Enrique, Lucas Leiva, Dirk Kuyt, Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing, Craig Bellamy, Luis Suarez.

Predicted Manchester City Starting XI: Joe Hart, Micah Richards, Vincent Kompany, Joleon Lescott, Gaël Clichy, Gareth Barry, Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri, David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko.

Players to Watch: Luis Suarez and David Silva.

Conclusion

Another weekend is nearly upon us and there is no doubt that this one will be just as exciting or more so than the last.

Both of the league-leading Manchester clubs will be tested once again, and Liverpool will have the chance to truly prove they are improving when they take on the Sky Blues at Anfield in front of a packed Kop.

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out more on Bleacher Report and at the links below. You can follow me on Twitter @thedailyatz and Facebook or visit my Website.