English Premier League: EPL Week 12 Preview and Predictions

The English Premier League returns to action this weekend after an extra week hiatus for the UEFA European Qualifying Championship playoffs and international fixtures around the globe.

Ireland, Portugal, Croatia and the Czech Republic all punched their ticket for the 2012 Euro's while England pulled off an unlikely 1-0 upset in a friendly against Spain.

But now it is back to action in the league.

Arsenal get it all started as they take on impressive freshmen Norwich City at Carrow Road. Robin Van Persie continues to avoid contract negotiations and his resume for a possibly big January move keeps getting better and better.

Newcastle United will face their toughest test to date as they face off against the only other unbeaten club in the league when they travel to Etihad Stadium to battle Manchester City. The Magpies have put in a phenomenal start to the season, but it will show their character in how they approach this major fixture.

Wigan Athletic play host to Blackburn Rovers as the basement battle of the week will decide which one stays at 20th in the league.

Chelsea and Liverpool have a major duel at Stamford Bridge in the only Saturday game. The Reds stormed the pitch last season in this fixture to take a 1-0 victory courtesy of Raul Meireles. However, Meireles now has joined Fernando Torres in blue and it will be interesting to see both of them face off against their former club.

It is a great weekend of action to get us geared up for the final months of 2011, and there is no doubt we will see at least one of two major surprises before it is all over with.

Norwich City vs Arsenal

Both Norwich City and Arsenal have enjoyed rather good fortune as of late. With the Canaries having managed to continue clipping points here and there, they are holding onto a top 10 position. Anthony Pilkington continues to look like their signing of the season.

Robin Van Persie still has Arsenal on his back as he has hauled them back into the top half on 19 points thanks to his league-leading 11 goals. The Gunners need this away victory in a big way.

Match Prediction: Norwich 1 - 3 Gunners

Predicted Lineups

Norwich City Starting XI: John Ruddy, Leon Barnett, Kyle Naughton, Marc Tierney, Russell Martin, Bradley Johnson, David Fox, Wesley Hoolahan, Anthony Pilkington, Grant Holt, Steve Morison.

Arsenal Starting XI: Wojciech Szczęsny, Andre Santos, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Johan Djourou, Mikel Arteta, Alex Song, Aaron Ramsey; Gervinho, Robin Van Persie, Theo Walcott.

Players to Watch: Anthony Pilkington and Robin Van Persie

Everton vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Everton sits only a point above the drop zone in 17th place. It is definitely not the start to the season that David Moyes will have wanted to see, but he can only look at his squad for answers. There is no true striker capable of leading the line despite Louis Saha's up-and-down exploits.

Wolverhampton likewise are only two points up in 13th place with a long road ahead of them for the rest of the season. They need Matt Jarvis to regain his form from August, and the absence of Steven Fletcher only frustrates their attack more.

Match Prediction: Everton 2 - 2 Wolves

Predicted Lineups

Everton Starting XI: Tim Howard, Tony Hibbert, Sylvain Distin, Phil Jagielka, Leighton Baines, Apostolos Vellios, Phil Neville, Jack Rodwell, Tim Cahill, Leon Osman, Louis Saha.

Wolverhampton Wanderers Starting XI: Wayne Hennessey, Stephen Ward, Christophe Berra, Roger Johnson, Richard Stearman, Stephen Hunt, Jamie O'Hara, Karl Henry, Matt Jarvis, Kevin Doyle, David Edwards.

Players to Watch: Jack Rodwell and Jamie O'Hara

Manchester City vs Newcastle United

Manchester City are enjoying a banner season for the upstart big spenders after a few years of trying to piece together a squad capable of such. However, Newcastle have been quite a surprise to everyone and Tim Krul has been outstanding.

The Magpies have their work cut out for them, but if they win they will have the chance to pull ahead of Manchester United into second for at least a few minutes, unless the champions fall against Swansea City.

Match Prediction: City 3 - 2 Newcastle

Predicted Lineups

Manchester City Starting XI: Joe Hart, Micah Richards, Vincent Kompany, Joleon Lescott, Gaël Clichy, Gareth Barry, Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri, David Silva, Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko.

Newcastle United Starting XI: Tim Krul, Danny Simpson, Steven Taylor, Fabricio Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Gabriel Obertan, Yohan Cabaye, Ismael Cheik Tioté, Jonás Gutiérrez, Leon Best, Demba Ba.

Players to Watch: David Silva and Demba Ba

Stoke City vs Queens Park Rangers

Stoke City have had a tough run of it lately as the extra UEFA Europa League games are starting to wear on them. The conflicting scheduling between the EPL and their Thursday night games is really taking a toll on the players' performance. This two-week break may have been just the thing they needed.

Queens Park Rangers continue to improve and they could have a real chance of scrapping at least a draw from the Potters even at the Britannia Stadium.

Match Prediction: Stoke 2 - 2 QPR

Predicted Lineups

Stoke City Starting XI: Asmir Begovic, Marc Wilson, Jonathan Woodgate, Ryan Shawcross, Andy Wilkinson, Jermaine Pennant, Rory Delap, Wilson Palacios, Matthew Etherington, Peter Crouch, Jonathan Walters.

Queens Park Rangers Starting XI: Patrick Kenny, Luke Young, Anton Ferdinand, Fritz Hall, Armand Traore, Shaun Derry, Adel Taarabt, Joey Barton, Alejandro Damian Faurlin, Jay Bothroyd, Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Players to Watch: Jonathan Walters and Jay Bothroyd

Sunderland vs Fulham

Sunderland is only two points out of the drop zone as a rough start to their campaign has them scrambling to regain some dignity. In all honesty, you can almost blame most of it on a wholesale reshuffling of the squad over the summer.

Fulham likewise are in the unexpected tough start scenario with the Black Cats. The Cottagers are in 16th place right behind Sunderland and are in need of some good showings to push back up the table. They have the talent to be mid-table but have just not been able to bring it to bear when needed.

Match Prediction: Sunderland 1 - 2 Fulham

Predicted Lineups

Sunderland Starting XI: Simon Mignolet, John O'Shea, Wes Brown, Titus Bramble, Kieran Richardson, Sebastian Larsson, David Vaughn, Jack Colback, Stephane Sessegnon, Conor Wickham, Nicklas Bendtner.

Fulham Starting XI: Mark Schwarzer, Zdenek Grygera, Brede Hangeland, Chris Baird, John Arne Riise, Moussa Dembele, Danny Murphy, Steven Sidwell, Clint Dempsey, Andrew Johnson, Bobby Zamora.

Players to Watch: Conor Wickham and Clint Dempsey

West Bromwich Albion vs Bolton Wanderers

West Bromwich Albion followed a much needed victory against Aston Villa four weeks ago with two straight losses before the break. Roy Hodgson needs to get more out of his charges to hold his place in the table. The loss of his assistant manager, Michael Appleton, to Portsmouth will hopefully not have a negative affect on his side.

Bolton look to be finally putting a few things together on the pitch after they stormed to a 5-0 victory over Stoke City just before the international break. Owen Coyle needs that kind of fire from his squad for the rest of the season to give them hope of staying up after a horrid start to the season has seen them continue to languish in the drop zone.

Match Prediction: WBA 1 - 3 Bolton

Predicted Lineups

West Bromwich Albion Starting XI: Ben Foster, Billy Jones, Jonas Olsson, Gareth McAuley, Steven Reid, Paul Scharner, Graham Dorrans, Chris Brunt, Jerome Thomas, Somen Tchoyi, Peter Odemwingie.

Bolton Wanderers Starting XI: Jussi Jaaskelainen, Paul Robinson, Gary Cahill, Zat Knight, Dedryck Boyata, Nigel Reo-Coker, Martin Petrov, Fabrice Muamba, Chris Eagles, Kevin Davies, Ivan Klasnic.

Players to Watch: Peter Odemwingie and Ivan Klasnic

Wigan Athletic vs Blackburn Rovers

The basement battle of the week is between Wigan Athletic and Blackburn Rovers. Wigan have not really proven that they deserve to stay up anyway. In all honesty I expect them to probably almost be relegated in January and could sell off players like Ben Watson and Hugo Rodallega.

Blackburn Rovers are equally as unimpressive. However, unlike their fellow bottom dwellers, Rovers have shown some great attacking displays this season in both the league and the Carling Cup. Their problem is they just cannot keep others from scoring and beating them.

Match Prediction: Wigan 2 - 3 Rovers

Predicted Lineups

Wigan Athletic Starting XI: Ali Al Habsi, Gary Caldwell, Anton Alvarez, Maynor Figueroa, Emmerson Boyce, Albert Crusat, David Jones, Ben Watson, Mohamed Diame, Victor Moses, Hugo Rodallega.

Blackburn Rovers Starting XI: Paul Robinson, Michel Salgado, Scott Dann, Chris Samba, Gael Givet, Steven Nzonzi, David Dunn, Mauro Formica, Ruben Rochina, Yakubu, David Hoilett.

Players to Watch: Hugo Rodallega and Mauro Formica

Swansea City vs Manchester United

Swansea City is in the same boat with both Norwich City and Queens Park Rangers as having been much better than expected and only looking to improve. The Swans have excelled at times this season and found ways to compete against greater clubs. Those previous top drawer performances will be called into account when they host the defending EPL champs this weekend.

Manchester United, however, have looked a different team ever since Liverpool held them to a 1-1 draw at Anfield. The Red Devils stormed out of the gates, only to hit a slump in form as Manchester City pulled away from them at the top. If the Citizens manage to move even more than five points clear in the next month going towards Christmas, there will be questions of whether or not Sir Alex Ferguson can get his side back on top of the League before May.

Match Prediction: Swansea 1 - 2 Manchester United

Predicted Lineups

Swansea City Starting XI: Michel Vorm, Neil Taylor, Steven Caulker, Ashley Williams, Angel Rangel, Nathan Dyer, Leon Britton, Kemy Agustien, Joe Allen, Danny Graham, Scott Sinclair.

Manchester United Starting XI: David De Gea, Phil Jones, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Ji-Sung Park, Darren Fletcher, Anderson, Nani, Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez.

Players to Watch: Danny Graham and Javier Hernandez

Game of the Week: Chelsea vs Liverpool

Both Chelsea and Liverpool have found members of their side embroiled in Football Association charges and disputes this week. The Reds' Luis Suarez continues to fight racism allegations from Manchester United's Patrice Evra while Chelsea Manager Andrea Villas-Boas has his own hands full with the FA. 

Last season Liverpool shocked the Blues at home thanks to a winning goal from Raul Meireles on the day of Fernando Torres' debut at Stamford Bridge. This season Meireles has joined Torres at Chelsea and has the chance to play villain for the Blues in return.

It is uncertain if Jaime Carragher will be fit and Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger are most likely to have the center of defense to themselves. Luis Suarez should be in the lineup but is questionable after a knock to the back in international duty.

All in all it should be a thrilling encounter in London in the game of the week.

Match Prediction: Chelsea 2 - 3 Liverpool

Predicted Lineups

Chelsea Starting XI: Petr Cech, Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry, Alex, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, Raul Meireles, Juan Mata, Ramires, Danny Sturridge, Fernando Torres.

Liverpool Starting XI: Pepe Reina, Martin Kelly, Martin Skrtel, Daniel Agger, Jose Enrique, Lucas Leiva, Dirk Kuyt, Charlie Adam, Stewart Downing, Craig Bellamy, Luis Suarez.

Players to Watch: Raul Meireles and Luis Suarez

Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa

Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa round out the weekend on a Monday night in London. Until the Saturday and Sunday matches are played it is hard to tell what a win would do for Spurs as results for Newcastle, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool all have potential to affect where Harry Redknapp's charges sit on their match day.

Aston Villa need at least a draw after an up-and-down run of some frustrating results following the breaking of their unbeaten streak several weeks ago. The Villains still sit in the top half, but their team is starting to cool off and are suffering a slight dip in form.

Match Prediction: Tottenham 3 - 1 Aston Villa

Predicted Lineups

Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI: Brad Friedel, Kyle Walker, Younes Kaboul, Ledley King, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Luka Modric, Scott Parker, Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon, Jermaine Defoe, Emmanuel Adebayor.

Aston Villa Starting XI: Shay Given, Alan Hutton, James Collins, Richard Dunne, Stephen Warnock, Chris Herd, Stiliyan Petrov, Emile Heskey, Charles N'Zogbia, Darren Bent, Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Players to Watch: Gareth Bale and Darren Bent

Conclusion

Some great match ups this weekend will make it exciting to watch after having a forced two-week absence from the EPL.

Liverpool and Chelsea will be a tense battle, as will the Manchester City vs Newcastle United fixture. It should be a great week back as we start the counting down till the January transfer window.

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