The Premier League

If you are on the lookout for games in next week’s Premiership fixture list that stand out due to the easiness of being able to predict the victor, then Manchester City versus Wolves is certainly one of them. Wolverhampton Wanderers only narrowly avoided their seventh defeat on the trot when they were able to come back from two goals down against newly promoted Swansea last week, which goes some way to showing what dire form Mick McCarthy’s men have been in so far this season. Manchester City, meanwhile, are top of the league having gone unbeaten over the entire season so far that has seen them drop just two points. (more…)

Next week Chelsea play host to Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in a match that will tell us plenty about the chances of the two teams over the coming season. Arsenal have had a shocking start to the season but appear to be starting to turn the corner recently and are unbeaten in six games since losing to Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane in the North London derby. Wenger admitted last week that following the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri in the summer, “half of the dressing room wanted to leave”, but he has managed to steer his sinking ship back towards port and they are finally starting to get some points on the board. They are still twelve points off of the top of the table and it will be a steep climb back to the nearer the top, but though the Arsenal faithful cannot realistically still harbour hopes of winning the league, they will certainly be aiming for fourth spot and qualification for next year’s Champions League. They will be hoping that Jack Wilshere returns as soon as possible from the ankle injury that has kept him out for the entirety of the season so far and also that Aaron Ramsey is able to continue his excellent form in central midfield that saw him score a last minute winner against Marseille in midweek. (more…)

Attempting to predict the result of this match if you are thinking of placing some money on who you think is going to win shouldn’t be too difficult. Everton have not beaten Manchester United at home or away for nearly a decade and the fact that Sir Alex Ferguson’s men are in scintillating form while David Moyes’ charges have yet to get their season really up and running will surely mean that this record continues. Everton lost their main playmaker and free kick taker on the last day of the transfer window when Arsenal signed Mikel Arteta for £10 million and because the transfer occurred at the last minute, Moyes had no time to replace him. He now has £10 million burning a hole in his pocket with no chance to invest until January and a gaping hole in the middle of his midfield. (more…)

Trying to decide who is going to win the Premier League this year has been made remarkably easier by the first nine weekends of the season. While at the beginning of the campaign I probably would have put my money on a Manchester Untied victory, the way that that Manchester City have started the season suggests that there will be no stopping them. Their 6-1 thrashing of their local rivals last weekend showed that they have the kind of attacking potential to threaten any defence in Europe and the quality of some of the build up play for their goals suggests that they might even be able to give Barcelona a run for their money in the Champions League. (more…)

Next Monday night Newcastle United visit Stoke City in what promises to be an enthralling football match. Alan Pardew’s men have started in the season in fantastic form and are still unbeaten in the league so far since August. Admittedly they have yet to play any teams of real quality other than their match against Arsenal on the opening day of the season, but that was when Arsene Wenger’s men were still suffering in the turmoil that followed Cesc Fabregas’ and Samir Nasri’s departures from the club for Barcelona and Manchester City respectively. Still, they have been playing some beautifully fluid football and the goal scoring form of Ibrahim Ba since the end of Ramadan has meant that they always possess a goal threat. Gutierrez is also becoming a world class player while the two Taylors – Ryan and Steven – have been forming a formidable partnership at the heart of Newcastle United’s defence. (more…)

In Fulham’s match against Everton at Craven Cottage next weekend, it will be fascinating to see which of these two mid-table teams comes out on top. Neither side will be near to qualifying for Europe or getting relegated come the end of this season and so this game will undoubtedly be a close encounter. Since Martin Jol’s arrival at Fulham he has turned them into an organised and creative outfit that can beat anybody on their day. The partnership of Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora up front always promises goals as both players are excellent finishers with decent pace. It is a classic example of the big-man-little-man combination involving Zamora winning aerial battles and Andy Johnson scampering onto his knockdowns. The quality that they possess in midfield, where Danny Murphy pulls the strings, should also stand them in good stead against an Everton side that have yet to recover from the loss of Mikel Arteta to Arsenal on the last day of the summer transfer window. (more…)

Manchester United welcome their arch-rivals Manchester City to Old Trafford next weekend for what promises to be a cracker of a match. The historic rivalry between the two sides means that these are always fiery encounters filled with incident and controversy. Last season saw Wayne Rooney’s spectacular injury-time winner in the form of an acrobatic bicycle kick and Sir Alex Ferguson will be hoping that his hotheaded striker can complete comparable feats this season to silence their noisy neighbours. Both teams have been in fantastic form so far this campaign and currently stand first and second in the league table with just two points separating them. (more…)

Everton play host to Manchester United on Saturday next week and if you are thinking of placing a bet on this game, then I would suggest that you definitely put your money on Manchester United. This is because Everton have not beaten United home or away for nearly a decade so despite the fact that the Merseysiders will be at home, it is quite likely that they will still be on the end of a right thrashing. United have been in imperious form so far this season with Wayne Rooney, Ashley Young and Phil Jones particularly outstanding, while Everton have been struggling since the departure of their playmaker and talisman Mikel Arteta for Arsenal on the last day of the summer transfer window. David Moyes consequently has a huge hole in the centre of his midfield as the fact that the transfer took place at the last minute meant that the Everton manager had no time to invest the £10 million fee in new players. (more…)

In the game next week between Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, I really can’t see any result being possible other than City giving Wolves a right thrashing. Mick McCarthy’s men were lucky not to lose their seventh game in a row last week when they came from two goals down against newly promoted Swansea to snatch a draw in the last minute, which goes some way to showing the awful form they have been in so far this season. They are stuck in the relegation zone and if they are going to get out of it then they are going to need to rapidly improve sooner rather than later. (more…)

England’s chances of winning Euro 2012 were dealt a massive blow in their last qualifier against Montenegro when Wayne Rooney lashed out in injury time and consequently received a straight red for violent conduct. Fears that he could receive a lengthy ban were validated a week later when UEFA announced the player would be suspended for three games, meaning that he will now miss all three of England’s group stage games in the tournament. Fabio Capello has even consequently spoken of not taking the player to the tournament at all, though I would imagine this is highly unlikely. Still, even if England are able to qualify for the knock-out stages without their best player and he is then able to return for the crunch matches in the tournament, it is far from ideal preparation. (more…)