English Premier League: Saturday Matches Previews: Sept. 18, 2010

Stoke City vs. West Ham

Stoke have no new injury problems which will come as relief seeing as the squad doesn’t have a great deal of depth. Manager Tony Pulis may choose not to change the starting line up following Stoke’s first win of the season last weekend, leaving forward Eidur Gudjohnson warming the bench.

The Potters' defence is still the biggest talking point by far, with the side having not kept a clean sheet since the start of the season, indicating that there are problems at the back. However, as it genuinely seems like a lack of quality rather than a lack of training, there probably isn’t a great deal that can be done about this until the next transfer window.

West Ham now have the second worst start to a Premiership out of any team—ever—in terms of goal difference: -10 after four games is clearly nothing short of an embarrassment. The worst thing about this is that it was clearly an issue last season as well, and nothing has been done about it. Granted, West Ham do have plenty of injury concerns to blame for their poor performances.

The thing with this match is that, while the leaky defences may promise to give us plenty of goals, whether that actually happens considering both sides' lacklustre attacks is another matter.

Aston Villa vs. Bolton

Aston Villa generally do well in this fixture: They haven’t lost in their last seven matches against the Wanderers, and when it comes to home matches, they tend to absolutely decimate the side.

The Villains will be without striker John Carew, who picked up an injury on international duty for Norway, but they do have midfielder Stephen Ireland returning to the side. Whether he returns into the starting 11 is another matter. It seems likely that caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald may not want to juggle his side too much. A win would go a long way in making up for last weekend's embarrassing home defeat against struggling Stoke.

Bolton will be without defender Gary Cahill and keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen because of bans, not to mention the side's numerous injuries. Despite this, Bolton aren’t off to a bad start by their standards; a win here would see them on their highest point total after five matches in the last five years.

Bolton will be wanting to make up for the hammering they took at the hands of Arsenal last weekend to prove that it was just a blip and that they can go on to do something other than wallow in middle-of-the-table obscurity for a change.

Blackburn vs Fulham

Blackburn are eagerly awaiting the return of their captain, defender Ryan Nelsen, who should be returning to the side for this match. The team could also be seeing the comeback of right back Michel Salgado, pending a last-minute fitness test.

Blackburn are still searching for that elusive 1000th win in the top flight, which they’ve been trying to get for the past few weeks. Their home record is pretty good; they have only lost five of their last 32 games here.

Fulham’s hasn't managed an away win in the Premiership in the last 20 games, which is astonishing when you consider the fact that they did pretty well in the Europa League. Blackburn’s home record is not likely to be tarnished by a side that isn’t firing on full cylinders. Fulham did manage a reasonable win in their last game, but their performances haven’t been particularly exciting.

Odds are that this match will end in a draw, as neither side seems to have a massive edge over the other. If any side was going to push the boat out and get the win, it is likely to be Blackburn.

Everton vs Newcastle

This season isn’t looking too good for the Toffees. They had a decent draw against United last week, with a few last-minute goals saving the day for Everton, but the overall performance wasn’t one of a side that is supposed to be pushing for European qualification.

Everton don’t normally start well, and this home match is the perfect opportunity to get their campaign back on track against the newly promoted Newcastle. However, with midfielders Tim Cahill and Jack Rodwell and forwards Louis Saha and Victor Anichebe all missing, the home side may struggle.

Newcastle had a good start to their campaign, but it seems to have ended rather abruptly with last week’s debacle against Blackpool. They will be looking to make up for that, but with Everton likely to fight tooth and nail to pick up points, they will certainly have a battle and a half on their hands. There are rumours that there are going to be a few line-up changes after last weekend's fiasco, so this could be an interesting match. 

Tottenham vs Wolverhampton

Tottenham will be without midfielder Rafael Van Der Vaart, who is still struggling with a calf injury. However, they are likely to see the return of midfielder Luka Modric, their other main playmaker, so overall the side should be a little bit stronger than the one which only managed a draw against West Brom last weekend.

The Spurs are pretty good at the back and even better at home; this is probably going to be their strong point, as their opponents aren’t exactly God’s gift to the attack. One thing is certain, however: If they don’t manage a win in this match, it will be more than a little bit embarrassing.

The Wolves have not been a serious competitor for anything in a long, long time. Last week, they simply didn’t look like a side capable of taking on any of the Premiership's major powers.

This should be a dirty game. The Wolves have already conceded 74 fouls since the start of the season—a record high. This is a scrappy side which will look to bully Tottenham into submission. Unfortunately for them, this seems pretty unlikely to work.

West Brom vs Birmingham

West Brom have no new injury problems, and will see the return of midfielder Graham Dorrans, who missed their last match because of a family bereavement. Midfielder James Morrison is still serving his three-match ban, and defender Marek Cech and striker Ishmael Miller are still injured.

The Baggies just aren’t doing very well at all. It will be a miracle if they can stay up, assuming their form continues. They have won only three of their last 20 matches, which just isn’t enough to seriously compete in the top flight. This is their fifth season in the Premiership, and their best finish has been 17th.

Birmingham has been pretty unfortunate this season when it comes to conceding penalties, giving away three already—nearly one per match. The Blues will see the return of midfielder Alexander Hleb, but key striker Phillips is still struggling with a thigh problem.

Generally speaking, this fixture has gone Birmingham’s way; they are undefeated in the last four meetings between these sides. This seems likely to continue, as they are by far the better side on paper, and the Baggies aren’t exactly known for travelling well.

Sunderland vs Arsenal

Arsenal’s injury list is nothing short of horrific, but this doesn’t seem to have fazed the side a great deal, as they seem to be trampling most of the opposition they come up against this season. Defender Kieran Gibbs and midfielder Tomas Rosicky may sit out after playing in Arsenal’s thrashing of Braga midweek.

This should be a nice, easy match for Arsenal. There doesn’t seem to be anything in the Sunderland side that could really cause them any problems. The worst case scenario for Arsenal is they could end up with a draw. The only issue the Gunners may have is the fact that their defence seems to get a little bit travel-sick. They haven’t kept a clean sheet away from home in their last nine Premiership outings.

Sunderland are as always overly reliant on striker Darren Bent. Last time they won a match without him scoring was over a year ago. The Black Cats just don’t have enough attacking options, and unless they can muster something amazing, they are going to lose this match. Sunderland have been pretty tight at home, but will that be enough to fend off the attack?

Joe - livescoredaily.com - live scores and live sports