JOE looks ahead to this weekend in the Premier League and considers what matches to watch and avoid, who might surprise and who probably won’t.
Surprise Package: West Brom
We’ll be the first to admit that from taking a swift glance at the fixture list, there isn’t much upset potential this weekend – Blackpool and Wigan can’t really get points from their respective Sunday ties against Chelsea and City, can they? We’ll instead play it safe and bank on a West Brom victory over Birmingham in their 3pm Saturday kick-off.
Unlike their headline-hogging fellow promotees, the Baggies haven’t stuck six past Villa (Newcastle) or amassed two surprise away victories (Blackpool), yet WBA have overcome an opening weekend Chelsea drubbing to become an emerging force, especially at The Hawthorns.
In just two home encounters this season, West Brom recorded an impressive victory over Sunderland and a strong 1-1 draw against Spurs last week. Meanwhile, Alex McLeish’s Birmingham have been quietly impressive and currently hold fifth position, boasting no defeats thus far this season. We reckon Bromwich could be the surprise team to do just that come Saturday.
Whipping Boys: Blackpool
Every week we predict Blackpool to become whipping boys and every week they prove us wrong. Worse still, when we actually tried to give them credit (a ‘surprise package’ nod) a few weeks ago at the Emirates, they only went ahead and got brushed aside 6-0. We’re sick and tired of Blackpool confounding our expectations but we have to say we’re quietly confident that this weekend we will finally be proven right – the Seasiders simply haven’t got a chance away to a rampant Chelsea side.
It’s difficult to fully assess Chelsea’s initial impact this season due to a highly favourable fixture list, but with a goal difference of +16 after just four games we can safely say they do two things right – keeping things tight at the back and punishing sides going forward. We love Ian Holloway as much as anyone else and sincerely hope his side can stay up this season but we reckon Sunday could a dispiriting reality check for everyone donning a Tangerine shirt this weekend.
Game not to miss: Manchester United v Liverpool
Could it be any other? If Sir Alex thought it wise to drop alleged adulterer Wayne Rooney from last week’s hometown reunion against Everton, we struggle to comprehend the venomous reaction he can expect from Liverpool fans at England’s most heated derby, even if the tie isn’t really a local derby at all.
A United/Liverpool encounter is always worth a watch no matter the circumstances of each team’s league trajectory, yet despite the regular pleasure of watching Gary Neville winding up Reds fans, this year’s tie should be a particularly tense affair.
Antonio Valencia’s tragic ankle break this week has put a further dampener on a United side that is struggling to hold their nerve for 90 minutes and is relying heavily on its old guard. In contrast, despite being handed the thankless task of rebuilding a Europa League-standard Liverpool on a shoestring budget, it can be fairly said that Roy Hodgson’s side has yet to truly impress, while both side’s marquee strikers Rooney and Torres have both got off to surprisngly muted season beginnings. Who can truly ignore the criticism and capture three well-earned points? With these two sides, it’s never an easy prediction.
Game to miss: Stoke v West Ham
The ever-inventive Stoke take on Avram Grant’s already-doomed West Ham for Saturday’s early kick-off, though we at JOE recommend staying in bed at all costs. If you’re a glutton for punishment, however, Sky Sports 2 are broadcasting this mouth-watering tie LIVE, most likely purely because they are contractually obliged to.
What about the rest:
Arsenal’s brand-new central defensive partnership of Laurent Koscielny and Sebastin Squillaci should be tested at the Stadium of Light on Saturday as Darrent Bent looks forward to his first 90 minutes alongside his new Ghanian striker partner Asamoah Gyan.
After surprisingly not drawing at Wolves last week, Mark Hughes’ Fulham go away to Ewood Park, hoping for an absolute belter of a draw against Sam Allardyce’s Blackburn.
Gerard Houllier, meanwhile, still won’t be fully taking the reins at Villa Park just yet, he’s expected to finally disregard his FA work after this weekend’s deceptively handy home tie against Bolton. Emboldened by their last gasp fightback against Manchestered United last week, Everton will be hoping to keep their momentum going with a home challenge against Newcastle, who will also be out to impress after last week’s shock defeat to Blackpool.
Elsewhere, Spurs will be hoping to come away with a home result against Wolves without getting their legs hacked off by Karl Henry. Finally, expect Roberto Mancini to demonstrate his tactical nuances by going ultra-defensive for every foe that crosses his path, even if it’s an away trip to Wigan.
Fixtures:
Saturday:
12:45 Stoke v West Ham
15:00 Aston Villa v Bolton
15:00 Blackburn v Fulham
15:00 Everton v Newcastle
15:00 Tottenham v Wolves
15:00 West Brom v Birmingham
15:00 Sunderland v Arsenal
Sunday:
13:30 Man Utd v Liverpool
15:00 Wigan v Man City
16:00 Chelsea v Blackpool
