SATURDAY (Kick Off 3pm BST/10am ET unless stated):
Sunderland v Southampton (12:45 BST/7:45 ET):
Both sides have won two of their last six games but the feeling is better at the Stadium of Light than at St Mary’s right now. An unwelcome distraction recently off the field will not help much with the Chairman unsure if he will stay at the end of the season.
Gus Poyet must be feeling good at the moment though after getting nine points from the eighteen on offer. That and a Semi Final first leg advantage over Manchester United means they are in good form right now. That could also be the distraction though, and with the second leg taking place a few days later will the Black Cats have one eye on that game? Prediction: 1-1.
Arsenal v Fulham:
Four wins from four for the Gunners see Arsene Wenger’s side in pole position going into game day 22. Last season at this point Arsenal were in sixth position with only 34 points and went on to get another 39 points in their final seventeen games. If they were to do similar in these last seventeen games they would end up with 87 points and a good chance of the title.
Fulham just got through against Norwich City in the FA Cup on Tuesday after a replay and they looked good, but Norwich are poor. So far this season they haven’t been that great against the bigger teams and I do not expect it to change at the Emirates. Prediction 3-0.
Crystal Palace v Stoke:
When Tony Pulis came in at Crystal Palace he had an immediate affect on the defense. He made them tougher to beat and a little more potent up front. That new found resilience though didn’t last too long though and three goals in the last six league games means they are still not scoring enough while nine in the other end is just too many for a jump up the league. That said, there is still a bunching up of teams at the bottom, so a win against Stoke could see them propel up the league with a few good wins. These home games need to be circled as key games as Palace attempt to stay up.
Stoke have made a good loan signing with John Guidetti from Manchester City adding to their attacking options. I think this will be good if Stoke can win this game but really it is more important they do not lose. Prediction: 0-0.
Man City v Cardiff:
If you look at Manchester City’s last few League games and you will see nothing but wins since the away game at St Mary’s at the beginning of December. Even then, that was a tied game, and at home the Norwich game at the end of last season was the last time they dropped points at home.
Cardiff have already got the best of their opponents earlier on in the season on their own patch but there have been many changes with the Welsh outfit since then. The new manager came in and pulled an FA Cup victory out of the bag while initially behind but then suffered a defeat at home to a struggling West Ham. After this game they next face Manchester United in the league before going back to Wales to host Norwich. The key month for Solskjaer will be February’s results, where they face a lot of their rivals, and where his side are after that as to whether the Tan gamble was worth it. Prediction 3-0.
Norwich v Hull:
The chief executive of Norwich has said that death would be preferable to relegation but on recent form it would seem that relegation, along with death and taxes, is unavoidable. It will be interesting to see how this loan signing of Jonas Gutierrez works out for the Canaries.
For Hull City there are off field pressures on them also with the owner throwing his toys from the pram if his bid to change the sides name is not approved , he will walk away. That is a shame as Hull City are actually in quite a healthy position this season but instead of kicking on and consolidating a top ten position they could slide back down the league. Currently only five points above relegation, this will be a nervy time for the tiger fans. Prediction 2-0.
West Ham v Newcastle:
Andy Carroll is back, West Ham win 2-0 and get themselves out of the relegation zone. All is happy in the Hammers world, for now. The disruption from Fulham over the proposed transfer of Ravel Morrison would be unwelcome but the complaint to the FA has been lodged and hopefully they can leave it with them.
Alan Pardew and Newcastle have gone three League games without a point and will be looking at this game to rectify that. What odds would you get for ex Newcastle hero, Andy Carroll getting the winning goal in this one though. Prediction 2-1.
Liverpool v Aston Villa (17:30 BST/12:30 ET):
A month ago Liverpool were top of the League. Two defeats over Christmas to top four rivals now mean they are in fourth position and points away from the top three. Now that Gerrard is back it will be interesting to see if they can start that assault on those top three once more.
For the visitors it is just a case of damage limitation at this point. Benteke has found his scoring touch again and despite not getting a point against Arsenal on Monday they were a completely different side after they scored their goal. The Villains are not safe from relegation but Saturdays late game will not make or break the season. Prediction: 3-1.
SUNDAY
Swansea v Tottenham (13:30 BST/8:30 ET):
Both clubs are in the Europa League and both clubs have suffered in the League thanks to that competition. Swansea clearly have had more stress put on their squad thanks to the European competition. Two points in the last six League games is nowhere no good enough and points are becoming more important now.
For Spurs the situation is a little more stable with the League form under Tim Sherwood much better than their hosts. A win here would be helpful in keeping them in and around the top six but in reality I do not see them being any higher when May arrives. Prediction: 1-1.
Chelsea v Man Utd (16:00 BST/ 11:00 ET):
Another tough game for Manchester United but at least it is away from Old Trafford. Chelsea are currently chasing the top two and may be five points behind the top side when this game kicks off.
If there are wins for Arsenal and Manchester City on Saturday then the pressure for a win will be that much more on Jose Mourinho’s shoulder than that of David Moyes. For Manchester United it has been the away games where the fans do not get on the team. If they could get a win at Stamford Bridge then I think that would give the club and Moyes a big boost for the rest of the season. Prediction 1-2.
MONDAY
West B v Everton (20:00 BST/ 3:00 ET)
This will be new boss Pepe Mel’s first game in charge of his new side. When they kick off on Monday they could be in the relegation zone, or certainly close. A new manager can give the side a boost, as we saw in the cup with Cardiff, and it will be interesting to see how this game plays out.
Roberto Martinez is possibly one of the best managers in the Premier League right now and is showing right now exactly what he can do with the right players. If Spurs win their game on Sunday then it will drop Everton down a place but still could be in the top four at the end of the game. Leighton Baines is set to sign a new deal at Everton which is good news and you certainly wouldn’t write them off of a top four place come the end of the season. Prediction 1-2.
Jason is a Freelance Soccer Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @PACityboy and www.facebook.com/jasonbardwell1979.
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