Things are heating up as we head into Week 30 of Barclays Premier League football action this Saturday and Sunday. Manchester United has leapfrogged Chelsea and now holds a two-point advantage atop the league table over the Blues and Arsenal who are knotted up for second. My pick for match of the week has to be Everton at Birmingham City. Here I take a look at a few this week’s top matches, giving you insight on making your EPL soccer wager a winner.
Tottenham Hotspur (4th) vs. Blackburn Rovers (12th)
The Hotspur currently sit in the fourth spot on the league table, level in points with Manchester City and having played an extra game. They will face a Blackburn side with a miserable record against the top clubs on the road. The Spurs have had significant problems at defense and midfield, with Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate both still sidelined and Aaron Lennon, Tom Huddlestone, David Bentley and Jermaine Jenas all unavailable for the upcoming match. Substitute goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini is also still out. Blackburn, have improved since mid-January and, other than a 3-0 defeat at Stoke City, has been much harder to beat in recent outings. Tottenham now look to be establishing some consistency while Blackburn has not won away since November. With the firepower at manager Harry Redknapp’s disposal, Spurs should clinch a comfortable win at home.
Birmingham City (8th) vs. Everton (9th)
Both of these clubs have improved and excelled in the second half of the season. The last time these two met the match concluded in a 1-1 draw. United States skipper Landon Donovan will play his last game for Everton before he is due to return to the US for the start of the Major League Soccer season after a highly successful two-month loan spell on Merseyside. However, there’s the possibility of Donovan staying longer if the MLS players go through with their strike, having voted in favor of action on Thursday. Meanwhile, Sebastian Larsson, James McFadden and captain Stephen Carr will be in contention for a return to City’s starting line-up a, as well as midfielder Lee Boywer, who has recovered from illness and should be available for Saturday’s match. With Everton’s injuries at midfield I would expect City to take this one at home.
Bolton Wanderers (14th) vs. Wigan Athletic (15th)
Bolton will go in search of their third win in four Barclays Premier League matches when they square off in a Reebok relegation showdown with Wigan. Wig beat a fading Liverpool 1-0 on Monday – a victory no one could have imagined. After beating the Reds first time in their history, the club has moved four points clear of the relegation zone and face a real six-pointer at the Reebok. After being massive underdogs against the Liverpool, the team is well aware the victory will have raised expectation levels ahead of the clash with the Trotters. Bolton will poised and ready and could benefit form the return of midfielder Tamir Cohen after serving a one-match ban following his dismissal at West Ham United the previous weekend. However, the Wanderers will be without fullback Sam Ricketts who is out with a ban after being red-carded in the 4-0 defeat at Sunderland on Tuesday. I expect the Wanderers’ momentum to carry them to a narrow victory on their way to picking up a much-needed three points.
Burnley (18th) vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (17th)
Burnley will face off against Wolverhampton with just a one-goal difference separating the two and keeping the Wanderers out of the relegation zone. Burnley need to reclaim their patch at Turf Moore as home advantage as accounted for all but one of the 24 points they have amassed so far in their debut Barclays Premier League campaign. Currently 18th with nine fixtures remaining, Burnley needs to rediscover their touch at home quickly if they are to save themselves from the drop. The may have some help as top-scorer Steven Fletcher could make his return from injury for Saturday’s contest. Fletcher, who has 11 goals this season, has missed the Clarets’ last two matches after breaking his hand while on international duty with Scotland. The Wolves are coming off a huge 1-0 victory against champions Manchester United at Molineux last weekend and will look to carry that momentum into the game against the Clarets. Striker Stefan Maierhofer will available after recovering from an ankle injury suffered in training, but the best the squad can hope for is a place amongst the substitutes. I expect this one to end in a 1-1 draw with both teams taking a point.
Chelsea (2nd) vs. West Ham United (16th)
Chelsea were knocked off the top of the Barclays Premier League by Manchester United last weekend but can reclaim top spot, if only briefly. Goaltending woes have plunged the Blues into a crisis. After losing first-choice goalkeeper Petr Cech with a calf strain in the 2-1 opening leg defeat at the San Siro, backup keeper Hilario succumbed to an abductor injury during last Sunday’s 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final victory over Stoke. The injuries have left the Blues with rookie keeper Ross Turnbull available for the Barclays Premier League clash with West Ham. Other injuries to note are fullback Jose Bosingwa (knee), midfielder Michael Essien (knee), left-back Ashley Cole (ankle) and defender Ricardo Carvalho (hamstring). West Ham needs 10 more points to beat the drop and will be looking to pick three of them at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. The Hammers’ disappointing 2-1 home defeat to Bolton last weekend leaves them on 27 points, three above the Barclays Premier League relegation zone with 10 matches remaining. Despite Chelsea’s questions in goal, they will be tough to beat at the Bridge. I expect a 2-0 win for Chelsea.
My other picks for the week are Aston Villa over Stoke, Manchester City drawing with Sunderland, Arsenal over Hull, and Manchester United over Fulham.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.