English Premier League: Saturday Match Previews Nov. 13 , 2010

Aston Villa vs Manchester United

The Villans will be without a total of nine injured players for their meeting with Manchester United on Saturday. The fact is that even with a full squad, the home side would have struggled to find a win in this match, and with several key players out, there is not a great deal of hope that this fixture will be going their way.

Aston Villa have only won once in 27 games against Manchester United, which highlights the way everybody expects this match to go—very badly for the home side; even a point would be a decent result here.

Manchester United have something of an injury crisis themselves, with five players injured, and with several more doubtful it seems likely that they themselves will have some difficulties keeping their run of form. Still, the away side do have the benefit of more depth on their squad which could be just what they need to clinch the three points, which are essential if they intend to keep the pressure on Chelsea in the title race.

Manchester City vs Birmingham

Mancini has said that he is going to make some changes to the starting lineup, with Johnson looking likely to see a return. Balotelli is still suspended, and Adebayor will hope to feature. City are unbeaten in their last ten home games against Birmingham, so their record against the away side was already established before they received their massive cash injection.

It has been 30 years since Man City last lost to Birmingham in the top flight, and with the gulf in class between the two sides about as big as it has ever been, that record looks to stay as it was.

Keith Fahay is hoping to make a starting appearance after his goal against Stoke, and Murphy may make an appearance after returning to training midweek. Birmingham have only won three of their last 14 matches in the Premiership, and whilst they aren’t too badly placed in terms of points this season, that has more to do with other teams' performances rather than their own skill. The middle of the table is as close as it has ever been, and if Birmingham are going to turn around their fortunes against City, three points would go a long way.

Newcastle vs Fulham

Joey Barton starts his three-match ban after admitting to a charge of violent conduct during the midweek defeat against Blackburn Rovers. This is not the first time that the player has been in trouble for violence and he is starting to get something of a reputation for this sort of incident, both on and off the pitch. Ameobi faces a late fitness test ahead of the match.

Newcastle find themselves in a rather unexpected position in the Premiership, Whilst they aren’t expected to hold the fifth place position for long, a win here—which is perfectly possible—could keep them there for the foreseeable future.

Fulham have no fresh injury concerns, which is a relief for a side who are struggling to find their usual form. Biggs is expected to fill in for the injured Salcido again after he impressed in his first start. Fulham have not won any of their last 24 away matches, and it would be rather impressive if they managed to find a victory here, all things considered. This is more than likely going to end up in Newcastle’s favour, although if Fulham play their cards right they may just about manage to scrape a draw.

Tottenham vs Blackburn

Robbie Keane will miss the match as will Huddlestone, and Tottenham’s injury list seems to be ever increasing. Some players are resorting to more unorthodox methods to get themselves fit again, with Pavlyuchenko undergoing “intensive acupuncture” in a bid to be ready for the match this Saturday.

Tottenham were booed off the pitch after their last performances, when they only managed to achieve a solitary point from Sunderland and Bolton. Now this may seem a little unfair considering the fact that the side is missing a lot of key players. Spurs have only lost two of their last 13 matches with Blackburn, although this could very well be their third with the way they have been playing.

Blackburn will be looking to take all three points from a wounded Tottenham who just don’t even look like the same team that they were two weeks ago. Rovers have picked up in recent weeks—they had only picked up two points in the whole of October—and from their last two matches they have collected all six points, which is certainly something of a turn around. This is probably going to go their way based on the results of both of these teams recently.

West Ham vs Blackpool

West Ham will wait until the last minute to asses the fitness of striker Carton Cole. After all, they really do need someone to pick them up a few goals. The side have been without a win in their last six Premiership matches. Whilst this has mainly been the fault of a shoddy defence, that issue doesn’t look as if it will resolve itself any time soon, so a few more goals in their favour is going to be their best chance of picking up the points. Even though it seems too soon to write them off, considering how tight the Premiership is this season, if they don’t turn their fortunes around in the next few weeks things might look an awful lot different.

Blackpool are still in a very credible position, despite losing to Aston Villa mid week, the side do look more than just a little bit more capable than the "Hammers" and their away performances haven’t been terrible. They have every chance in picking up a win here despite all their issues. A win for Blackpool would more than likely see them solidly in the top half of the table, a feat which they will be more than eager to achieve.

Wigan vs West Brom

Gohouri has completed his one-match ban and should return to the starting lineup for Wigan, although a place on the bench is a possibility. Wigan have no fresh injury worries, so as long as their players slowly return to availability then their worries should be over pretty soon. The "Lactics" have the worst scoring record of any team in the top flight; they are the only side to have failed to reach double figures, and their inability to score is largely responsible for the side being in the bottom three at this stage in the season. That isn’t to say that if they can manage to win here it won’t change anything—one win would see them in a much more comfortable position.

The "Baggies" aren’t known for their gleaming away record, mainly because they don’t have one. They have only won one of their last 22 away games, which is not something to be proud of. They also haven’t kept a clean sheet in 10 matches, so this could be a good opportunity for Wigan to get some goals scored—and maybe their lucky break double figures in the sense of their overall goals scored.

Wolverhampton vs Bolton

Wolves are probably going to have to do without Ward, who has done damage to his shin after their 2-0 defeat to Arsenal. Doyle also picked up an injury against the "Gunners," breaking a bone in his hand. Wolves have lost seven of their last nine matches which has left them in a rather precarious position, second from bottom of the table. The home side don’t look too likely to take any points from this match, especially if Bolton bring the same sort of performance to the table that they did against Tottenham. This match is going to be a struggle, and they will be lucky if they can come out of it with a point.

Bolton have failed to keep a clean sheet since the opening day of the season, but that hasn’t stopped them from putting in some great performances against Tottenham and Everton in their last few matches, taking a very credible four points from the two games—certainly not an easy feat. They haven’t been great away from home, but four draws in their last four matches is by no means a bad record. A win here could be in the cards, but if not, another solid draw away from home wouldn’t go amiss.

Stoke vs Liverpool

Shawcross is again available after completing the one-match ban which kept him absent in Stoke’s midweek match against Birmingham. Stoke have lost five of their last 12 home games, and all of these have been against teams who are classed as some of the bigger clubs in England, a mantle which Liverpool are supposedly on. Stoke have had some serious problems when it comes to defending, however, only keeping one clean sheet in their last thirteen matches. It seems quite probable that Liverpool (Torres or Gerrard) will manage to put another one past them. If they manage a draw out of this match that is probably the best they could hope for.

Drawing against Wigan midweek was a poor result. However, Liverpool are at least in the top half of the table, despite their rather late start to picking up points this season. They may just about be able to scrape a win from this match if things go their way early on.

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