EPL Preview Week 32: Saturday's Matches

Chelsea vs Wigan

Chelsea will be coming into the match against Wigan Athletic hoping to provide some much-needed rest to their pampered stars, who are all set to face Man Utd in the second leg at Old Trafford midweek.

This is expected to be a match that will be a run out for a number of players, who haven't had the game time as they would have liked this season. Also, it will be perfect for a number of players like Yossi Benayoun and Alex, who are returning from injury. They are expected to feature in the match.

Hence, this provides the perfect opportunity for Wigan to get some away points that has not been seen in their locker for a long time. However, they seem to be slightly getting their form back as they have managed to avoid defeat in their last two matches. Even then, they still remain rooted to the bottom of the table.

Carlo Ancelotti is expected to make a number of changes to his side, with the likes of Mikel and Josh McEachran getting a rare run out in the midfield. Wigan will be capable of getting out of the relegation zone with a victory, though it seems highly unlikely at the moment.

Wolverhampton vs Everton

Mick McCarthy will be taking charge of Wolverhampton knowing that this could be the make or break match for his side since the match against Newcastle has left him deeply disappointed. The 4-1 result against Newcastle, something that not many could have predicted, was mostly due to the inept defending of his side.

A number of personnel and tactics changes are expected to be made for the Everton match, which will provide Mick McCarthy the opportunity to take his side out of the drop zone.

The 2-2 draw against Aston Villa is something that could have also disappointed David Moyes since they failed to take advantage of the home game. Now, they will be up against a spirited Wolverhampton side looking to get three difficult away points, which could provide them with a slight chance of catching Liverpool. It is going to be a massive motivation for Everton, given that Liverpool are just four points ahead of them in the table.

Also, Liverpool have a tough fixture against Man City on Monday night, which could probably see Everton close the gap on their rivals on Saturday. Kevin Doyle and Louis Saha are the two strikers who will be missing the match.

Blackburn vs Birmingham

Two relegation threatened sides will be facing up against each other at Ewood Park, knowing that this match is definitely a six-pointer.

However, it is the away side that will be quietly confident of victory, having just witnessed a victory over Bolton last weekend. Blackburn, on the other hand, have been extremely poor in the last few months. Consequently, their form has nosedived and so has their league position.

They are currently just two points ahead of the drop zone, which is going to be providing concern for the board at Blackburn, who appointed Steve Kean in favour of Sam Allardyce midway through the season.

Now, the decision is looking to be a wrong one, but Kean will have the opportunity to change things once again in his favour with a victory over Birmingham. Blackburn are yet to win any match for nearly two months now and it is something that Birmingham will be hoping to take advantage of.

If they do so, then it will be putting an end to the threat of relegation for the Midlands team once and for all. Birmingham will be without Scott Dann and James McFadden. Blackburn will be having no new injury problems to deal with.

Bolton vs West Ham

Bolton have been impressive under the stewardship of Owen Coyle this season, but their results have been not so good of late. Most of it is down to the two consecutive defeats that his side has had to deal with.

Defeats at the hands of Man Utd and Birmingham have definitely changed the complexion of the side, but they will be very happy to get back to their home ground for the match against West Ham. They will be facing a West Ham side that will probably be deflated following the loss to Man Utd.

West Ham were extremely good throughout the match, but were left to lick their wounds after the comeback victory by Man Utd.

Avram Grant, however, has said that he could be not be expecting any more from his team as they fought bravely against Man Utd. It is a loss that pushes them back into the relegation zone and Grant will be looking to pick up some away points at the Reebok Stadium.

Bolton will have the opportunity to overtake Everton and also close the gap on Liverpool with the victory, which is exactly the thing that will be on Owen Coyle's mind.

Man Utd vs Fulham

Manchester United's five straight victories in all competitions is something that has put them in contention for three trophies and they already have a major advantage in the Champions League match against Chelsea.

Even though the FA Cup final against Man City and the return leg against Chelsea is looming, Alex Ferguson will not be resting his stars against Fulham and will be hoping to continue the momentum of his team.

He will be, however, hampered by the loss of Wayne Rooney, who is going to be suspended for the match. It is something that is going to be severely affecting the team given that Rooney was hitting top form just at the right moment in time.

Fulham are usually poor away from home, but they will be hoping to take advantage of Bobby Zamora's return to form and first-team action to take something away from Old Trafford. Man Utd will be strengthened by the presence of Rio Ferdinand, who has returned to the team.

Sunderland vs West Brom

Sunderland will be clearly hoping that their luck changes against West Brom after the horrendous run of form has now meant that they are also involved in the relegation battle according to their manager, Steve Bruce.

Sunderland have failed to win any match in the last few weeks and it has been linked with the departure of Darren Bent. However, with a number of strikers like Gyan and Danny Welbeck in their ranks, Sunderland’s form is expected to improve in the near future.

They will be up against a West Brom side that is coming on back of a brilliant victory over Liverpool. More than the victory, it is the manner of the victory that is going to give Roy Hodgson's side great confidence. They will be taking on Sunderland knowing that the north-east side is in the worst possible on a form.

West Brom are yet to be defeated under new manager Roy Hodgson and it has seen them climb up to 13th position in the table. With just another victory, the relegation fears for West Brom could be well behind them. This could be the best possible motivation for any side and it is expected to be for Roy Hodgson’s West Brom.

Tottenham vs Stoke

Tottenham will be extremely sorrowful after their defeat against Real Madrid, which more or less hints at a departure from the Champions League competition for this season.

However, qualifying for the next season's Champions League is something that will be on Harry Redknapp's mind at the moment, but it is definitely not going to the plan after they are yet to win a match, after the victory over AC Milan a few weeks ago.

The hopes of upsetting Chelsea and Man City look to be beyond Tottenham with this kind of form and Harry Redknapp will be looking to gear up for the end of the season run.

They will be up against Stoke, who will have little to play for after their hopes of qualification for Europe is looking beyond them, while it is also the same case with the prospect of relegation as well.

However, Tony Pulis is not the sort of manager to relax, and it was clearly evident in the battling 1-1 draw with Chelsea last weekend. They are expected to cause some serious problems for Tottenham at White Hart Lane, which is something that is not new for Tony Pulis.

Joe - livescoredaily.com - live scores