English Premier League Preview: Nov. 14-15

As there are no Premier League matches this weekend, Steve Claridge and James Eastham are covering this Saturday and Sunday's last few World Cup Qualifiers in their Premier League Preview Show which is gonna happen on Nov. 14 & 15 .

As well as the World Cup Qualifiers there is also a full schedule of International including an enticing encounter in Qatar between England and Brazil.

SATURDAY, 14 NOVEMBER 2009

GREECE v UKRAINE

Greece won four and lost one of five home qualifiers. Both teams scored in four of Greece’s five home qualifiers. Greece finished second behind Switzerland in their group, one of the easiest of all European pools.

Theo Gekas was Greece’s top scorer with 10 goals in nine qualifiers. Ukraine finished second behind England after a great run of four wins and a draw in their final five qualifying games. They’ve kept clean sheets in their last four games. Andriy Shevchenko scored six goals in nine qualifiers.

PORTUGAL v BOSNIA

Ronaldo is out—although fans in Portugal would argue that he never plays well for his country. Reminds me of the John Barnes & England situation in the 1980s. Cristiano Ronaldo has scored no goals in seven World Cup qualifiers. Simao is actually Portugal’s top scorer with four goals in eight games.

Portugal finished second in their pool behind Denmark 5/10 had over 2.5 goals, 5/10 had under 2.5 goals. Portugal won two and drew two of four home games following a 2-3 home defeat v Denmark in their opening match. Bosnia’s star player is Edzin Dzeko.

He scored nine goals in their 10 qualifiers and is one of 30 players shortlisted for the prestigious Ballon d’Or award. Other key players include captain and centre-half Emir Spahic and Lyon playmaker Miralem Pjanic, one of the best young footballers in Europe. Pjanic has scored five goals in 18 appearances for Lyon this season

REP IRELAND v FRANCE

France finished second behind Serbia in their qualifying group, mainly because of a slow start and too many draws. Coach Raymond Domenech remains a hugely unpopular figure in his homeland but France have some outstanding individual players. Centre-half is the weakness in the France team.

William Gallas is a regular starter, but a succession of players have been tried without success alongside him. Franck Ribery is out through injury but Thierry Henry, Karim Benzema, Yoann Gourcuff, Andre-Pierre Gignac, and Sidney Govou are all available.

Ireland finished second behind Italy in their group—and were one of the few sides to go unbeaten through all 10 games. They drew home and away v Italy, showing their prowess against better sides. Robbie Keane was Ireland’s top scorer with five goals in 10 games.

RUSSIA v SLOVENIA

Russia had the best record of any second-placed team—seven wins, a draw and two defeats. Both defeats came against group winners Germany so Russia clearly had an excellent record against all but the very best opposition.

Russia’s goalkeeper, Igor Akinfeev, is one of the best young goalkeepers in Europe. Slovenia are a side virtually without a single household name. Ex-Marseille and West Brom centre-half Bostjan Cesar is one of the few familiar faces.

ENGLAND v BRAZIL

TV match: 5 PM on ITV1.

Under Fabio Capello, England’s friendly record is three wins, two draws, and a defeat. England’s only friendly defeat came away to Spain (0-2). England’s overall record under Fabio Capello is 12 wins, two draws and two defeats. England’s games have been high-scoring under Capello: 13 out of 16 have had over 2.5 goals and nine out of 16 have had over 3.5 goals.

Both teams have scored in nine of England’s 16 internationals. England are without a win in their last seven meetings against Brazil—they’ve had four draws and three defeats in that time. Brazil have qualified for next year’s World Cup as the top team in South America’s qualifying pool.

HUDDERSFIELD v WYCOMBE

TV match: 12.05 PM on SkySports 1.

Huddersfield are sixth in League One with 24pts from 15 games. Huddersfield have an excellent home record—five wins, two draws and no defeats. Wycombe are bottom of the table with just eight points from 15 games so far.

Wycombe have won just one of their opening 15 games. Away from home Wycombe have drawn three and lost four. Gary Waddock replaced Peter Taylor as Wycombe manager last month.

Nineteen-year-old Jordan Rhodes is Huddersfield’s top scorer with nine goals in 14 games. Huddersfield’s games have been high-scoring—10 out of 15 have had over 2.5 goals. Wycombe’s games have been low-scoring—10 out of 15 have had under 2.5 goals.

SUNDAY, 15 NOVEMBER 2009

SOUTHAMPTON v BRIGHTON

TV match: 4.30 PM on Sky Sports 1

Southampton are 22nd in League One—but their position is lower because of having 10pts docked because of going into administration. Southampton have 12 pts on the board but have actually won 22 pts on the pitch, a tally that would see them eighth in the table. Southampton have a solid home record—three wins, three draws and a defeat.

Southampton’s form is excellent going into this game—four wins and a draw in their last five games. Southampton have scored 15 goals in their last five games. Southampton have lost only one of their last 12 games—five wins, six draws and a defeat.

Southampton’s top scorer is their £1m summer signing Rickie Lambert, with 10 goals in 14 games. Both teams have scored in Southampton’s last seven games.