The battle for top spot continues as Chelsea regained a slim two-point advantage on the league table heading into Week 33 of Barclays Premier League football. With all of the Premier League clubs now knocked out of the Champions League, the focus will now shift to two remaining pieces of silverware to be won this season. The FA Cup and the Barclays Premier League title. Because of the FA Cup semifinal weekend, the EPL schedule is a little different than usual. There are actually three matches next Wednesday, including a North London Derby between Spurs and Arsenal. My pick for match of the week is Everton at Aston Villa. Here I take a look at a few this weekends crucial matches, giving you insight on making your EPL soccer wager a winner.
It’s crunch time for both of these clubs if they wish to stay playing in the top flight next season. This will be the most important game of the year for these two sides as Burnley makes their trip to Hull City on Saturday. If ever there ever was a relegation six-pointer, this is surely it. Both clubs would be relegated if the season ended today, but Hull has a game in hand against everyone else in the relegation race. Burnley can’t afford a loss in this match, as that would mean a six-point gap between themselves and the Tigers. Even though a win on their home pitch may not guarantee the Tigers safety, it would put them in a better position and help their efforts to move out of the drop zone. Hull are the favorites and their home form has been good, while Burnley will look to rebound from 6-1 pounding by Manchester City last time out. I expect the Tigers to win this one by a goal difference.
West Ham vs. Sunderland
West Ham United will look to build on their one point gained at Everton, and put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone with victory against a Sunderland side who for the moment are well out of danger. The Hammers draw against Everton but a tourniquet on a run of six straight losses, for a side that have not won since February. Meanwhile, the Black Cat’s upset No. 5 Tottenham last weekend, wining their third in six outings. A victory this Saturday would be the ‘Cats first back-to-back league wins of the 2009-10 campaign, putting them one point out of breaking into the top 10. It won’t be easy as Sunderland has several of its top performers on the sideline. Skipper Lorik Cana is a doubt with a groin problem, while central defender Michael Turner is struggling with a combination of hamstring and tendon injuries. Midfielder Andy Reid’s season could be over as a result of a calf problem, while John Mensah, Allan Hutton and George McCartney are still listed as doubtful. Sunderland will be favored but with key injures will struggle to pull out the win as the match ends in a disappointing draw for the ‘Cats, but an important point from the Hammers.
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Stoke City
The Wolves will be look to bounce back after their four-match unbeaten streak came to an end at Arsenal in their last league outing when they kick off against Stoke City on Sunday. They are 15th in the division with five points between them and a relegation spot. Stoke, meanwhile, have recovered from a slump after stringing together back-to-back victories. Wolverhampton will be without midfielder Karl Henry after they opted against appealing over his red card at Emirates Stadium, while Stoke striker James Beattie is expected to remain on the sidelines as he continues to struggle with a knee injury. Stoke is currently in 14th place, but a home victory over Stoke City would edge Wolves even closer to safety. This should be a close contest as the teams are pretty evenly matched, ending with the sides drawing a point apiece.
Blackburn Rovers vs. Manchester United
The Red Devils will travel to Northwest neighbors the Blackburn Rovers after suffering two consecutive defeats. Last weekend they were defeated 2-1 by title rivals Chelsea, who took their place atop the table, before downing Bayern Munich in UEFA Champions League action only to be ousted on the away goals rule. With Chelsea in FA Cup action, this game presents the chance to reclaim top spot. Man U must not take the Rovers to lightly though, with Sam Allardyce’s charges in decent form. The Rovers are unbeaten in their last four fixtures and have their sights set on a top-10 finish. Furthermore, their home form has been excellent, with the club losing only one of their last 15 games at Ewood Park. The Red Devils will be without international star striker Wayne Rooney, so Dimitar Berbatov is expected to be recalled to take over. The Devils are still the better squad even minus Rooney as they pick up a precious three points to stay in the running for top spot on the table.
Liverpool vs. Fulham
The Reds will host Fulham at Anfield as both teams are coming off recent successes on Thursday that progressed both sides to the Europa League semi-finals. The end of the season is quickly approaching and Liverpool is running out of matches to claim a coveted fourth position. Liverpool dropped two points at Birmingham the last time out and a repeat against Fulham could end their payoff run. The Cottagers meanwhile ended a three game losing streak with a win over Wigan in their last appearance and currently sitting in 12th. The Reds are four points off of fourth-place Manchester City, who have a game in hand, so to say that Liverpool needs a win against Fulham this weekend is an understatement. Liverpool expect star striker Fernando Torres to be fit for Sunday’s match. Torres played on despite slight discomfort in his knee to score twice in Thursday night’s pulsating victory over Benfica in Europa League action. Look for the Reds to take advantage of a ferocious Anfield crowd to inch closer to a top four finish.
Manchester City vs. Birmingham
Finally, Manchester City will square off with Birmingham. The Blues are currently in the fourth and final position to claim a Champions League berth after they took full advantage of the Spurs’ slip-up in the previous round of fixtures. A win would give City some daylight putting a four-point gap between them and Tottenham with five matches remaining. They will need to capitalize on Birmingham’s recent struggles. The team has failed to win any of their last five matches and to further difficulties, will be without key player Joe Hart, who is prohibited to play against his parent club. The Blues should have mo problem adding to Birmingham’s woes with a solid victory at home.
There you have it some of this weekend’s critical EPL matches. On a side note. A victory for West Ham or Hull this weekend would confirm bottom table Portsmouth’s relegation from Barclays Premier League, ending a miserable season for the struggling Pompey.
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