Barclays Premier League Gameweek 22 Preview
Barclays Premier League Gameweek 22 Preview
Thanks to the African Cup of Nations, several teams will be missing key players for almost a month. Hardest hit are Portsmouth and Chelsea with a host of important players away to represent their national sides. We anticipate several closely fought games this week, including a London derby between Chelsea and Tottenham, both back in action after their midweek clashes in the League Cup. This week also sees Newcastle travel to Manchester United without a manager and a relegation battle between Wigan and Derby. Rohit Sharma and Vivek Singh preview the upcoming EPL fixtures.
Saturday, 12 January 2008
Arsenal v Birmingham, 15:00 UK (20:30 IST)
Rohit - Arsenal will win it, Birmingham is still out of sorts and coming to Emirates and score more than Arsenal is a tough job.
Prediction: 2-0
Vivek - Arsenal might be missing several players, but they have enough firepower to blow away Birmingham at home.
Prediction: 2-0
Aston Villa v Reading, 15:00 UK (20:30 IST)
Rohit - Reading has been inspiring recently but away from home at Aston Villa its tough to imagine any other result other than a Aston Villa win. Their home form is too good for Reading. Reading is getting unpredictable at times, and I fancy them spoiling a clean-sheet for Villa.
Prediction: 2-1
Vivek - This one will be close. Villa are good at home while Reading have been scoring lots of goals away.
Prediction: 1-1
Chelsea v Tottenham, 15:00 UK (20:30 IST)
Rohit - This one has all the makings of a classic London Derby. Chelsea still has injuries to deal with and Tottenham strikers are scoring goals at will. I fancy a Spurs win here. Chelsea were matched by Everton in the Carling Cup and just won it in the end thanks to the injury time own goal by Lescott. Spurs went away to Emirates and came back with a point, and I wouln’t be surprised to see them coming out with all 3 points.
Prediciton: 1-2
Vivek - Quite possibly the match-up of the weekend. Spurs have quality strikers in Keane and Berbatov but their defense is a shambles. Chelsea are without key players so this should be a good match.
Prediction: 2-2
Derby v Wigan, 15:00 UK (20:30 IST)
Rohit - Derby has been improving recently and they have made some new signings. But I don’t think all will be playing their part in this bottom table fight. Derby has lost the last 6 games at home and Wigan managed to draw their last 2 away games, and I guess this has draw written all over.
Prediction: 0-0
Vivek - Derby will fight hard at home but I think Wigan will just about edge them out. It could turn out to be a fantastic bottom-of-the-table battle.
Prediction: 1-2
Everton v Man City, 15:00 UK (20:30 IST)
Rohit - This is another cracking game from the week. Everton were good against Chelsea in the midweek Cup tie and City’s poor away form would mean that Everton will safely get their 3 points. Petrov has been inspiring lately but it would be tough to score against this Everton defense.
Prediction: 2-1
Vivek - Everton has been in top form at home while City’s away form recently has been poor with just 6 points from their last 6 away games. Everton should win this one even with some players missing due to the African Cup of Nations.
Prediction: 1-0
Man Utd v Newcastle, 17:15 UK (22:45 IST)
Rohit - Without a manager, players missing for the African Cup of Nations, away at Old Trafford, United having no fresh injuries to deal with. I think it will be a regular win for United.
Predictions: 3-0
Vivek - Newcastle just lost their manager, again, and should pose no threat to a full-strength United side at Old Trafford.
Prediction: 2-0
Middlesbrough v Liverpool, 15:00 UK (20:30 IST)
Rohit -This is going to be a hard fought game. Boro will want to further damage Liverpool’s title ambitions and Rafa is under some serious pressure to perform, and this might not be the place he would prefer to go right after a meeting with the Liverpool owners. Boro is known to cause some upsets, and it might happen again. But I think Rafa would be making sure he returns with all 3 points. Steven Gerrard to score a late winner maybe?
Prediction: 1-2
Vivek - Off late, Liverpool has been struggling to pick up points and have fallen behind in the Premiership race. On their day, Boro can be a tough opponent at home and I think Liverpool will struggle once again. If Rafa includes key players such as Gerrard and Torres, they could get a narrow win.
Prediction: 1-2
West Ham v Fulham, 15:00 UK (20:30 IST)
Rohit - West Ham are flying high at the moment. Fulham’s new manager will still take some time to make some real impact. A win for West Ham here.
Prediciton: 2-0
Vivek - West Ham recently beat Man U at home and drew 0-0 with City in the FA cup so I don’t think Fulham will bother them. Should be a comfortable win for the Hammers
Predcition: 2-0
Sunday, 13 January 2008
Bolton v Blackburn, 16:00 UK (21:30 IST)
Rohit - Blackburn were embarrassed in the League Cup tie by beaten 4-1, and they would want to win this one. Bolton doesn’t really have a great defense, and scoring if not easy shouldn’t be a big problem for Blackburn who has Santa Cruz and Bentley in great form. Anelka is a threat but who knows! We might as well see him in a blue Chelsea shirt before the match!
Prediction: 1-2
Vivek - Bolton have been maintaining their mid-table position thanks to Nicolas Anelka, while Blackburn suffered a shock defeat in the FA cup last weekend. If Anelka is on song, we could be in for a tight game. However, Roque Santa Cruz and David Bentley might prove to be too much for Bolton.
Prediction: 1-2
Sunderland v Portsmouth, 13:30 UK (19:00 IST)
Rohit - Portsmouth will win this one. Their away form if anything to go by, is convincing enough that they’ll win here. Sunderland has been picking up points lately, but a Pompey defense would be tough to break down. Pompey has some key players missing in the squad, especially Utaka. But I feel they should come out with all the 3 points.
Prediction: 0-1
Vivek - Sunderland are in the drop-zone right now while Pompey have been in great form away from home. However, against a spirited Sunderland side, Pompey will struggle to cope with the absence of Mutari, Kanu, and Utaka. I predict a draw.
Prediction: 1-1
Leave a Reply