EPL Preview: Festive Season in Football Continues

Chelsea v Bolton

Carlo Ancelotti suggested that Chelsea's trouble were over after the Tottenham game, but it seems that the situation has not improved one little bit after the 3-1 defeat at the hands of London rivals Arsenal.

Following the heavy defeat, Ancelotti said that his team needs to wake up if they are to retain the Premier League title, but already Manchester United have a six-point lead and they are usually strong in the second half of the season. So, it is really a case of prioritising for Chelsea at the moment and it remains to be seen if Carlo Ancelotti will choose to rotate the squad.

The Bolton Wanderers have no such troubles as they are flying high in the league in the sixth position, with just two points separating them from Chelsea.

It would have been unimaginable at the start of the season that Chelsea would need to avoid defeat against Bolton in order to remain ahead of them in the table.

Chelsea will once again be without Nicolas Anelka, who seems to have not recovered from the injury sufficiently. Gretar Steinsson misses out for Bolton Wanderers, while Martin Petrov and Sam Ricketts comeback from injury.

Chelsea - Bolton kicks off at 20:45 CET on Stamford Bridge

Wigan v Arsenal

Arsenal will be hoping to carry on the same form that resulted in an incredible display of attacking football that led to them beating Chelsea by three goals to one. Arsene Wenger understands that it is not beating Chelsea that wins league titles, but consitently delivering week-in and week-out against even the bottom teams.

Hence, he will not be underestimating the importance of playing Wigan Athletic, even though Roberto Martinez’s side come into this game in a bad run of form. It was a bad form that was turned with the victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, which helped the club move out of the relegation zone.

Arsene Wenger will be handicapped by Cesc Fabregas's absence. The Spaniard misses this game after picking up his fifth booking of the season. Furthermore, since Arsenal are playing after just one day following the Chelsea match, Arsene Wenger is more likely to rotate his squad.

Marouane Chamakh and Andrei Arshavin are the two players expected to be recalled to the side. Wigan Athletic do not have any major news in the injury front, with the likes of Franco di Santo and Emmerson Boyce still missing for Roberto Martinez.

Wigan - Arsenal kicks off at 20:45 CET on the DW Stadium

Liverpool v Wolverhampton

Liverpool will be fresh because they have not played a game since their draw in the Europa League. A number of postponements have meant that Liverpool will be much fresher and Mick McCarthy will be certainly kicking his luck for having to play Liverpool at this time.

This is because Wolverhampton Wanderers go into this fixture in the worst possible form after their loss to Wigan pushed them into the relegation zone. It is not quite sure how the two-day break will affect their performance against a side that has not played for over two weeks.

Also, Liverpool will be welcoming back Steven Gerrard from the injury he sustained during international duty. One of the main reasons for the poor performence at the moment is due to the lack of a number of first-team players like Kevin Doyle and Michael Mancienne.

Both will not be featuring in this match after it was revealed that they had not sufficiently recovered from the injuries. Liverpool also have Daniel Agger back, while Fernando Torres is most likely to be fully fit after having had two weeks to work on his fitness. Liverpool can move up to the eighth place in the Premier league table with a win and will be looking to exactly do that.

Liverpool - Wolverhampton kicks off at 21:00 CET on Anfield

Xavier @ mysportshub