JOE looks ahead to Sunday’s showdown at Stamford Bridge, wonders if West Brom can add to Arsenal’s agony and the battle at Goodison Park between the Duffer and Seamus Coleman.
By Frank McCann
Surprise Package: West Brom
After a tough couple of weeks for Arsenal, a trip to the Hawthorns is not something they will be looking forward to.
West Brom are fighting for their Premier League lives, currently sitting in 16th place. The Baggies have found themselves improving under the tutelage of Roy Hodgson, with an impressive 3-1 victory over Birmingham at St.Andrews showing that they are heading in the right direction.
With all of Arsenal’s injury concerns, the Baggies can take comfort in knowing they are virtually at full strength with only Carlos Vela missing, who is unable to play against his Parent club.
West Brom are a difficult team to beat when they’re at home. Having defeated Arsenal at the Emirates earlier this season, you can expect them to approach Saturday’s game with no fear and with the confidence of getting a result.
This could be a key weekend in the Premier League title race, especially if the Gunner’s are to slip up at the Hawthorns.
Game not to miss: Chelsea v Man City
With only a couple of points between the two clubs, a win for either side could end the other’s fading hopes of capturing the Premier League title.
Chelsea are currently nine points behind leader’s Manchester United, having played a game less. If United were to slip up again, Chelsea would be right on their tails having still to play the Red Devils at Old Trafford. So it’s vital that the Blues continue to string wins together.
Manchester City are currently two points ahead of Chelsea, having played a game more. The Eastland’s side will travel to Stamford Bridge with fond memories, having beaten Chelsea 4-2 in last season’s high profile encounter that seen Wayne Bridge snub John Terry’s handshake.
With both teams looking to claim all three points, you can expect a high energy contest, with plenty of chances being created at each end.
Should be a good way to spend your Sunday afternoon!
Game to miss: Stoke v Newcastle
With both teams looking fairly secure for another season in the Premier League, it seems that there won’t be an awful lot up for grabs at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Stoke have secured their first FA Cup semi-final place in 39 years, while Newcastle are finding their first season back in the top flight relatively straight forward, so expect both teams to play a rather reserved game.
You can expect plenty of attacking from Newcastle, however, Stoke are a very hard team to break down, so goals will be at a premium.
Stoke could possibly steal the points with a set piece, with the highlight of the game most likely to be another long throw by Rory Delap. Yawn.
Irish Interest: Everton v Fulham
Damien Duff and Seamus Coleman go head-to-head when Fulham travel to Everton this weekend.
After a difficult few years at Newcastle, it looks like Duff is finally back to his best. The Irish international has been in terrific form as of late, bagging three goals in his last two appearances.
Following the departure of Roy Hodgson, it took the Duffer a while to adjust to Mark Hughes’s methods, but has finally found comfort in Sparky’s system.
The Duffer will be hoping to continue his good form on Saturday afternoon, where he will be aiming to find the net for a third game in a row.
Seamus Coleman could possibly replace John O’Shea
With John O’Shea picking up an injury on Tuesday night, it could be a big weak for Seamus Coleman’s international prospects.
With O’Shea nearly certain to miss the Macedonia clash, Coleman will be hoping to nail down a starting position at right-back after he was included in Giovanni Trapattoni’s squad.
It has been a big year for Coleman, who has been one of Everton’s star performers this season, coming a long way since moving to Merseyside from Sligo Rovers in January 2009.
As for the game, you can expect to see a fairly open affair, with both Duff and Coleman involved in plenty of play down the wings. Everton are more likely to take all three points, maybe sneaking it through their set-pieces.
What about the rest?
In the early kick-off, Spurs will take on West Ham with both sides badly needing to register a win. The Hammers had a brief spell out of the bottom three, but are once again back in the danger zone. A cameo from Robbie Keane last weekend was good to see, but he still looked well off the pace with his side going down 3-2 at Stoke. Tottenham will be desperate to get three points as they are beginning to fall behind in the race for fourth place. Currently three points behind Chelsea, the North London side will have to start stringing wins together if they are to get into the Champions League again next season…providing they don’t win it of course!
Wolves travel to Villa Park looking to build on their good performance against Spurs during the last gameweek. Mick McCarthy’s men have a tendency to pull off big results when least expected. However, they will fancy their chances of gaining points against a very inconsistent Aston Villa side.
It’s a big weekend for Ian Holloway’s Blackpool, who are getting closer and closer to the relegation zone. After some excellent displays in the first half of the season, it’s looking like the Tangerine’s are running out of gas. However, their game against Blackburn is an opportunity to collect some badly needed points.
Manchester United have injury worries in defence ahead of their game against Bolton. With John O’Shea and Rafael Da Silva picking up knocks against Marseille in mid-week, United’s backline looks very weak, with Rio Ferdinand also sidelined. Bolton will be in great spirits following their FA Cup quarter final victory over Birmingham last weekend. Expect a tight game at Old Trafford.
Wigan are the one team in the Premier League that look all but doomed. Roberto Martinez’s side will have to start picking up points soon, otherwise they will be certain to relegated. Birmingham visit the DW Stadium on Saturday, hungry for victory after a disappointing cup exit last weekend.
Sunderland will host Liverpool at the Stadium of Light on Sunday. Having picked up a well-earned point at the Emirates a fortnight ago, the Blackcats want to build on their good performances against the league’s bigger names. However, Liverpool will be full of confidence following their comprehensive win over rival’s Manchester United in the last gameweek.
Fixtures:
Saturday 19th March
Tottenham v West Ham 12:45
Aston Villa v Wolves 15:00
Blackburn v Blackpool 15:00
Man Utd v Bolton 15:00
Stoke v Newcastle 15:00
West Brom v Arsenal 15:00
Wigan v Birmingham 15:00
Everton v Fulham 17:30
Sunday 20th March
Sunderland v Liverpool 13:30
Chelsea v Man City 16:00
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