English Premier League: Top Teams Battle for Champions League Spots

With Manchester United occupied with the Carling Cup Final against Tottenham on Sunday, the remaining top five teams will all be eager to prove their point in this weekend's Premier League Fixtures.

Technically, the title race is still on, but it would take a miracle for Liverpool to catch the elusive Red Devils now. On the other hand, the Champions League spots are still up for grabs and Liverpool, Chelsea, Aston Villa, and Arsenal are all keen to book their places in next year's competition.

Arsenal vs. Fulham

Saturday, 3 p.m., Emirates Stadium

Arsenal

Arsenal drew 0-0 with Sunderland at home in its last league outing, making a run of four successive league draws and 12 straight matches without a loss.

In their last five matches, Arsenal have won one (vs. Hull City) and drew four (vs. Sunderland, Tottenham, West Ham, and Everton), earning themselves seven points from the 15 available. The Gunners found the back of the net four times and conceded twice in these matches, as they currently sit fifth in the Premier League, five points behind fourth-place Aston Villa.

Arsenal may very well welcome back Theo Walcott to their squad for this match after his lengthy layoff from a shoulder injury. Mikael Silvestre and Abou Diaby may also be fit for this match, although the Gunners will likely still be without Eduardo (hamstring), Adebayor (hamstring), Fabregas (knee), and Rosicky (hamstring).

Fulham

Fulham defeated West Bromwich 2-0 at home in its last league encounter.

In their last five league matches, Fulham have won two (vs. West Brom and Portsmouth), drawn one (vs. Wigan), and lost two (vs. Manchester United and Sunderland), earning themselves seven points from the 15 available. The Cottagers scored five and conceded five in these matches, as they currently find themselves eighth in the league, two points behind seventh-placed Wigan.

Fulham will be without defender John Paintsil for this match due to a one-match suspension from yellow card accumulation, but do not currently have any injury concerns.

Prediction

Fulham defeated Arsenal 1-0 earlier in this season at Craven Cottage, but the Gunners were victorious 2-1 in the corresponding fixture last season.

Both teams will go into this match in good spirits after some positive midweek results, with Arsenal defeating AS Roma 1-0 in their first-leg Champions League encounter, while Fulham came from behind to defeat Swansea in their fifth-round FA Cup Replay.

The win over Roma for Arsenal will likely inject the Gunners with some much-needed confidence, after yet another recent form slump in the Premier League that has seen the side miss out on much-needed points in the fight for a spot in next season’s Champions League. Also, the possible return from injury of some key starting players to the squad will make the Arsenal lineup even stronger and more confident.

Arsenal has not lost a single match at the Emirates to Fulham in the last six seasons, and this match looks unlikely to present anything different, with Arsenal currently holding the fourth-best home record in the league. Fulham has the third-worst away form.

Arsenal will go into yet another match as heavy favorites for victory as they continue their chase for a Top Four league spot; however, given their recent form, a draw with the solid Fulham side should not be entirely ruled out as a possibility.

Chelsea v Wigan

Saturday, 3 p.m., Stamford Bridge

Chelsea

Chelsea defeated in-form Aston Villa 1-0 away in its last league encounter, ending a run of two league matches without a win.

In their last five matches, Chelsea have won three (vs. Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Stoke City), drawn one (vs. Hull), and lost one (vs. Liverpool), earning themselves 10 points from the 15 on offer.

The Blues scored five goals and conceded three in these matches, as they currently sit back in third place in the league, three points behind second-placed Liverpool and one point ahead of fourth-placed Aston Villa.

Chelsea will be without Joe Cole (knee) and Michael Essien (knee), although Ricardo Carvalho may return from his hamstring injury for this match.

Chelsea will also be without Jose Bosingwa for this match, as he serves a one-match suspension due to yellow card accumulation.


Wigan Athletic

Wigan drew 0-0 away against Middlesbrough in its last league match, earning their fourth successive league draw and making a run of six matches without a league win.

In their last five matches, Wigan have won none, drawn four (vs. Middlesbrough, Fulham, Aston Villa, and Liverpool) and lost one (vs. Manchester City), gaining four points from the 15 available.

The Latics scored one goal and conceded two in these matches, as they currently sit seventh in the league, six points behind sixth-placed Everton and two points ahead of eighth-placed Fulham.

Wigan Athletic will be without Mido (groin) and Antonio Valencia (hamstring) for this match.

Prediction

Chelsea defeated Wigan 1-0 away at JJB Stadium earlier in the season, with the two sides sharing a 1-1 draw in last year's corresponding fixture.

It still remains to be seen how Chelsea will perform under new manager Guus Hiddink; however, with two important recent wins against two big clubs—Aston Villa and Juventus—it shows a promising potential for the Blues and their chances to revitalize their season and secure a Champions League spot for next season.

The Blues will likely be on a high after their important midweek win, while Wigan may be frustrated with their recent string of draws and lack of goal-scoring ability.

With the advantage of the home crowd also behind them, Chelsea will go into this match as strong favorites for victory. While a Wigan win looks extremely unlikely, the best that the Latics could probably hope for is that their defense—which has seen Wigan go three straight matches without conceding a goal—could try to dig their heels in at Stamford Bridge and grind out a goalless draw.

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