EPL Preview: Sir Alex Ferguson Seeking Manchester Derby Delight

Man Utd vs Man City

The reverse fixture between Manchester United and Manchester City finished as a draw at Eastlands earlier in the season, and there is every reason for the fixture at Old Trafford to be the same way. This is because Manchester United recently lost their unbeaten run in the Premier League after their loss against Wolverhampton at the Molineux.

Manchester City, meanwhile, ended their poor run of form by finally beating West Bromwich by three goals, so  Sir Alex Ferguson can be expected to be extremely cautious in this fierce derby, as he will be looking to avoid consecutive defeats.

Even though Manchester United have a healthy lead at the top of the table, Alex Ferguson will know for sure now that it would amount for nothing if they lose once again in the Premier League. Chris Smalling will be starting as the partner to Nemanja Vidic after Alex Ferguson confirmed that Rio Ferdinand had not recovered from his injury.

Also, Jonny Evans is also missing for Manchester United, and Roberto Mancini will be looking to target the fragile defence of United. It is slightly made difficult by the loss of Emmanuel Adebayor in the transfer window and Adam Johnson due to injury.

Arsenal vs Wolverhampton

Arsene Wenger’s side created history for all the wrong reasons, as they managed to throw away a four goal lead against Newcastle United to end up drawing the match. It was a result that also brought an end to the five-game winning streak that Arsenal enjoyed up to the match.

Also, Arsene Wenger was clearly frustrated by the fact that his side did not take the chance to close the gap on Manchester United after the table leaders had a surprise loss at the Molineux afterwards.

The Newcastle result was one of those freak matches that will in no doubt make Arsene Wenger's men fight for their victory against Wolverhampton.

Ironically, the side that Arsenal will be facing at the Emirates is going to be the same Wolves side that beat Manchester United. Even though Mick McCarthy will be looking to produce the same kind of result, he will know that it will be mightily tough given that Arsenal have a fantastic home record.

Stephen Hunt will be the huge miss for Mick McCarthy, while he will be enthralled to have the services of Jamie O'Hara from Tottenham. The on-loan midfielder impressed massively against Manchester United and he is expected to start the game for Wolves.

Birmingham vs Stoke

Birmingham managed to rise above the bottom three of the Premier League table with a fine victory over West Ham United last weekend. The match also gave rise to Nikola Zigic as an important player for Birmingham after the tactical substitution from Alex McLeish brought out the best from the tall striker.

However, he will have to be at his best against Stoke City, who knows one or two things about physical presence. Alex McLeish also managed to bring the best out of Sebastian Larsson and David Bentley, and it is expected that he will be sticking to the same formation that his team finished the match against West Ham United with.

Stoke City managed to grab a victory in the final few minutes against Sunderland, and it was a victory that cemented their place in the top half of the table. Robert Huth proved to be the unlikely source for the victory against Sunderland, and Tony Pulis will be hoping that his defender does the job at the back well this time after conceding two goals against Sunderland. John Carew scored on his home debut, and he will be looking to build his goal tally for Stoke.

Blackburn vs Newcastle

Newcastle United played one of the most memorable matches in the Barclays Premier League against Arsenal last weekend. It was a game that will go down in the history books as one of the greatest ever comebacks.

Suddenly, the loss of Andy Carroll to Liverpool seems to be a distant memory, and the North East is once again buzzing. Even though Blackburn Rovers was also involved in a roller coaster ride of their own, they came out on the wrong side of a 4-3 match.

It might have taken the gloss out of Steve Kean’s reign so far at Ewood Park, but it has done no harm to the chances of Blackburn finishing in the top half of the table. This is because both Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers are locked-in on the same points tally, even though Blackburn have played a game more than their north-east opponents.

Roque Santa Cruz has given Blackburn the major boost ahead of the game by passing the fitness test. Alan Pardew does not have any good news in the striking front after Shola Ameobi has not recovered from his injury. His absence will mean that Leon Best will be getting the chance to impress once again.

Blackpool vs Aston Villa

Blackpool's form in the last few weeks has taken a nosedive, and it is not a coincidence that they find themselves just two points ahead of the relegation zone. It is the result of a run that started ever since the transfer window opened.

Ironically, Charlie Adam was at the centre of a transfer war between Ian Holloway and Gerard Houllier. Ian Holloway will certainly be having a grudge against Houllier. He will want his side to avenge the extremely low valuation of Charlie Adam and the subsequent transfer problems that followed.

Aston Villa, meanwhile, are definitely not in a better position than Blackpool, despite having decent enough form going into the match. After the signing of Darren Bent, they have lost just one game, and Gerard Houllier will be certainly be confident about beating the drop. Ashley Young and Darren Bent will be coming on the back of international action, and their fitness will be assessed before their participation in the match.

Blackpool will be desperately worried about the goalkeeping situation after coming into the game with only one recognised goalkeeper.

Liverpool vs Wigan

Kenny Dalglish has without a doubt revitalised Liverpool. He will certainly be aiming for the club's fifth consecutive victory and clean sheet when they face a Wigan side that is still battling against relegation. Even though Roberto Martinez’s side enjoyed a hard fought victory over Blackburn last weekend, it did little to improve their position in the Premier League standings.

They are still in the bottom three, albeit only on goal difference. Hence, there is every reason for Roberto Martinez going into this match on a positive note.

It will be interesting to see whether Kenny Dalglish will give Luis Suarez his first start in the Premier League after he was denied the chance to do so against Chelsea. Jamie Carragher was outstanding against Chelsea and he is expected to once again be at the centre of a defence that could be reverting back to the four defender system from the three defender one.

Even though Martin Kelly is expected to be fit for the match, Joe Cole will be once again missing for Kenny Dalglish. Wigan Athletic will be buoyed by the return of Gary Caldwell from injury, while James McCarthy could also feature.

West Brom vs West Ham

West Brom suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat at Eastlands, and it proved to be the final straw for Roberto di Matteo after he was sacked by the club immediately. Even though the club are without a manager going into the game, there are plenty of rumours that Roy Hodgson could be appointed before the start of the week.

The game will certainly come a little bit soon for caretaker manager Michael Appleton. West Bromwich Albion could have certainly done with the new manager effect against a West Ham side that has also recently suffered a demoralising defeat against Birmingham City.

Even though it did not raise any questions over the future of Avram Grant, it is expected that he will not last any longer if West Ham lose against West Brom. Many criticised the lack of tactical knowledge on the part of Avram Grant to recognise the changes in formation that Birmingham City made in the second half. Even though they lost, Avram Grant will be satisfied with the performances of especially Victor Obinna and Scott Parker. They both are once again expected to be involved in the match, but new signing Robbie Keane is a slight doubt for the game.

Sunderland vs Tottenham

It seems that Tottenham have finally managed to erase the memories of the defeat against Fulham after winning two consecutive matches. The win against Bolton Wanderers was especially important given that the Champions League qualification places competition was getting intense with Chelsea.

The injury time goal scored by Niko Kranjcar meant that Tottenham are now level on points with Chelsea, and given that Chelsea do not play until Monday, they have the perfect opportunity to get back into the top four.

The task of doing so will be slightly made it difficult by the fact that Sunderland are usually impressive at home. Even though they might have recently lost against Chelsea at the Stadium of light, their form has been nothing short of impressive at their home. Craig Gordon is expected to be fit after the slight knock that he suffered in the international match.

Rafael van der Vaart will be the greatest miss for Harry Redknapp after the Dutchman has been diagnosed with a hamstring problem. Gareth Bale and Ledley King are the other problems for Tottenham. Michael Turner and Lee Cattermole will be definitely missing for Sunderland.

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