EPL Preview: McLeish Hoping To Seize the Advantage in the Relegation Six-Pointer

Birmingham vs. West Brom

The Premier League weekend kicks off with the relegation six-pointer after Birmingham takes on West Brom. West Brom come into this match searching for their first win since new manager Roy Hodgson took over.

Since the former Liverpool manager has taken the helm, West Brom have drawn their two matches, and will be looking to improve on that result against Birmingham at St Andrews. It is a place that will definitely be buzzing after the club lifted a major trophy for the first time in a while in the form of the Carling Cup. Even though Alex McLeish has said that survival remains the priority, the celebration mood will certainly be seen at St Andrews.

Birmingham looked to be slipping into the relegation zone, but two wins in their last three matches have lifted their position albeit slightly. Even though the threat of relegation still remains, Alex McLeish will be hoping that the players will use the confidence gained by hoisting the Carling Cup in the league.

McLeish will be missing a number of players including the likes of Barry Ferguson and Craig Gardner for the match. West Brom, meanwhile, will be looking to make the most out of Carlos Vela's recent form.

Arsenal vs. Sunderland

The Carling Cup defeat against Birmingham was especially hard to take for Arsene Wenger given the fact that he has not lifted a major trophy for over six years. The wait for silverware will have to continue for at least another few months, but Wenger will surely realise that Arsenal must win against Sunderland in order to have any chance against Manchester United in the Premier League title race.

The Gunners are just four points behind Manchester United, with a game in hand. Manchester United's defeat at Chelsea has definitely given Arsenal a major boost, and if they win this one, they could be just one point behind United.

Sunderland, on the other hand, have just slipped to their third consecutive defeat against Everton and this away fixture will not provide any relief for Steve Bruce if performances don't improve. Sunderland's massive injury list has certainly not helped in this regard, and it does not seem to be improving for this game either.

Arsenal will also be without a number of key players including the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie. However, Aaron Ramsey could play a part from the substitute's bench.

Bolton vs. Aston Villa

Gerard Houllier has been at Aston Villa for a short time, but play has seemed to have taken a turn for the worse after the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup. Houllier is under extreme pressure in order to deliver results, especially after spending a lot of money in the January transfer window.

Even though Houllier rested a number of first-team players, the 3-0 defeat was something that was totally out of the blue. He is expected to restore a number of the first-team players, which should make a significant difference against Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium.

Bolton, meanwhile, is on a good run of form, which has seen them win two matches in the last six. Even though this is nowhere near the form of a few months ago, it is more than enough for Owen Coyle's side to be floating in the top half of the table.

Daniel Sturridge, signed on loan from Chelsea in the January transfer window, has been nothing short of sensational. He scored four goals in as many games and is expected to lead the line for Bolton. Richard Dunne is the major injury blow for Aston Villa.

Fulham vs. Blackburn

Fulham will be looking to build on their draw against Man City, which was extremely sweet for Mark Hughes given that it was against the man chosen to replace him at the Eastlands helm. He will be looking to continue that against a Blackburn side that is slipping down the table at a rapid pace.

Blackburn have not won in their last four matches and it has culminated in the team dropping to the 14th position. The poor form of the club is made even worse by taking a look at their record of no away wins in the last 14 attempts.

Steve Kean, who took over for Sam Allardyce, is under intense pressure to deliver the results once again. The away match against Fulham is certainly not the ideal destination for it, given that Fulham are usually good at home. However, this could be the right time to play Fulham given that they are missing a number of players, including Steve Sidwell and Bobby Zamora.

Blackburn are also missing the likes of Roque Santa Cruz and Ryan Nelsen, but seem to have a much better team than Fulham at the moment, which could work in their favour.

Newcastle vs. Everton

Everton were left shocked after the FA Cup defeat at the hands of Reading, which was even more shocking considering that Everton had come into that match after beating Chelsea. The boos at the end of the final whistle more than confirmed the displeasure of the home fans at Goodison Park.

David Moyes will be looking to get things back on track once again as they face Newcastle at St James' Park, which has not been so great for Alan Pardew so far. In fact, barring the away victory at Birmingham, none of the recent matches have finished in favour of Alan Pardew.

However, he will be looking to take the maximum advantage out of the home support, especially having just won only one match in their last six. With a victory, Everton could be finally getting back into the top half of the table, which is something that they have been attempting since the start of the season.

Shola Ameobi is set to return to the Newcastle starting lineup, in what could be a major boost for Alan Pardew. Everton, meanwhile, will be without both Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini.

West Ham vs. Stoke

West Ham have been trying to get out of the bottom three since the start of the season, and they could finally be having the chance to do that against Stoke. They are in such a position after the fantastic victory over Liverpool last weekend.

It was certainly a surprising victory and Avram Grant will be looking to take the huge boost in confidence that surged throughout the squad into the match against Stoke. Stoke, meanwhile, have been on an extremely poor run of form that has seen them lose the race for the Europa League places.

Tony Pulis, however, would have not worried about losing the Europa League places—but he will surely be worried about dropping into the relegation battle. Avoiding defeat at any cost will be the sole priority for Pulis, although he would happily welcome a victory. Matthew Upson has given a major boost—along with the Liverpool win—by declaring himself fit for the match. The return of Robbie Keane seems to be a little bit doubtful. Matthew Etherington could be back for Stoke, although it is not fully certain. Scott Parker will be one to look out for in the match.

Man City vs. Wigan

With the hopes of winning the title all but vanished, Man City just have the task of now defending the third position in the Premier League table. However, it is going to be extremely tough given that Chelsea are getting back into form and are just two points behind City with a game in hand.

Hence, City will have to make the most out of their games in hand and the match against Wigan is certainly an important one for this reason. Wigan have not been in the best of form lately. In fact, they have never been so in this season and Man Utd fully took advantage of this last weekend.

Roberto Martinez will be aware of the fact that if Wigan lose to Man City, they could be looking at relegation as a real possibility—this after West Ham and Wolverhampton have all picked up points in the last few matches.

Man City will be without Kolo Toure for the match as the Ivorian is suspended for failing a drugs test. Wigan will be without Emmerson Boyce, but he remains the only major casualty for Martinez as of now.

Joe - livescoredaily.com - live scores