The return of RVP, the renewal of Newcastle and Liverpool rivalry may lack some bite and all the relegation dog fight.
RVP returns a champion
Nobody has ever called The Emirates a hostile environment to play in but Arsenal’s home ground could be a bit spicy on Sunday. Manchester United come to town for the big Super Sunday game and while the Red Devils are already the champions, the sight of Robin van Persie in a different red might exorcise the lungs of the Gunners faithful.
You can talk all you want about how Arsenal fans should respect the returning Dutchman for all he did for the club during his time at the club but his excellence for United this term, culminating in the title, was hard to watch for most Arsenal supporters. While some will surely give him a warm reception, he will likely get a fair bit of grief, even if that vitriol may be better aimed at those on the Arsenal board.
As for the game it is hard to call. United’s record against Arsenal of late has been fantastic, with 10 wins from the last 11 games between the sides. Arsenal ground out a gritty 1-0 win in May 2011, when United still had the title to play for, so maybe a more relaxed United will let Arsenal grab all three points in their quest for Champions League spots.
One thing is for sure, at 11/10, RVP to score at any time looks like a very good bet.
Black and white and red all over again
The late game on Saturday between Newcastle and Liverpool will give all the TV stations an excuse to trot out all those incredible 4-3 highlights from years ago. But the more recent history of this game is fairly exciting too.
Newcastle lost 5-1 at home in 2008, Newcastle won 3-1 in 2009, and in their last game at St James’ Park, in April 2012, the home side won 2-0, Andy Carroll was awful and Pepe Reina was sent off for headbutting James Perch.
Will this game live up to those levels of excitement? Shorn of Luis Suarez for very well documented reasons you have to wonder if Liverpool will be up for this one. Newcastle very much have to be with relegation still a real possibility and we reckon they can get the win they need against a Liverpool side who are surely wishing this season was already over.
Drop zone
QPR play Reading on Sunday but with both almost guaranteed to go down that game is more like a Championship preview than a relegation six-pointer. Sky will still hype it but you can comfortably ignore it.
Instead it is Monday night’s game that should be the real cracker. Aston Villa host Sunderland and now that everyone has decided that Paolo Di Canio is great (as Tiger Woods said, winning really does take care of everything) this is a stiff test for Paul Lambert’s side.
One more win will surely keep the Black Cats alive for another year while Villa need a win to pull away from Wigan. On form you would have to plump for the visitors but Lambert has already labelled this game a ‘must win’ for his side. A risky strategy, especially with the defence he has.
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