EPL Preview: Make or Break Match for Gerard Houllier

Chelsea vs Aston Villa

Chelsea got their much-needed win against Bolton in midweek, which ended their run of six games without one. Now they face struggling Aston Villa at home, which will give Carlo Ancelotti a chance to get all three points yet again. Doing so would ensure that Chelsea will have overcome their worst run of form for over a decade.

Gerard Houllier will have other plans on his mind as he looks to steady the ship at Aston Villa, which has been locked by turbulent times of late—none more so than the thrashing at Eastlands in midweek.

Winning against Bolton Wanderers ensured that Chelsea stayed in the title race, despite their poor form. They will be looking to show to the Premier league that they still remain a force against Aston Villa.

However, they might have to do that without John Obi Mikel, who will miss the game due to knee injury. He has been ruled out for up to a month, and it adds to the injury woes that Carlo Ancelotti has had to deal with recently. Ashley Young has missed the last few games for Aston Villa, but Houllier is expecting him to be back for this game.

Chelsea - Aston Villa kicks off at 14:30 CET on Stamford Bridge

Wigan vs Newcastle

This is the closely fought encounter at the bottom of the table this weekend, and the victors of this match would emerge out from the relegation fears. All the money ahead of this match is going for Wigan Athletic after they impressed hugely against Arsenal in midweek. They had to play with 10 men for large parts of the game, but they still came away with a point.

Newcastle, meanwhile, failed to beat Tottenham despite having a man advantage. Alan Pardew kicked off things with the impressive victory against Liverpool, but they have gone haywire since then after consecutive losses in the festive period.

Roberto Martinez will be disappointed that he has to cope with the loss of Charles N'Zogbia, who is suspended following the red card against Arsenal. None of the absentees on the injury table have recovered for Wigan Athletic, indicating that they still without the full strength squad.

Alan Pardew will have Kevin Nolan back in the first team after he completed his suspension in the last two matches. His only worry is the fitness of Andy Carroll, who has impressed the lot during the first half of this season.

Wigan - Newcastle kicks off at 17:00 CET on the DW Stadium

Xavier - mysportshub.co.uk