Well the season is well underway now and every weekend is bound to throw up some exciting games as well as a few surprises. This weekend will certainly be no different and here is our predictions for what to expect this weekend.
Man City v Everton: Having Kolo Toure back at the centre of defence is definitely a plus for Man City as they threw away a two goal lead against Fulham last week. Although Owen Hargreaves put in a good performance in the Carling Cup in the week, it is unlikely that he will get a start. While Man City are the money men of the Premier League at the moment, Everton are the complete opposite. However, despite their financial crisis they have still managed to rack up 7 points from their opening 4 games. Expect Everton to put up a strong fight but not quite strong enough.
Prediction: Man City 3-1 Everton
Arsenal v Bolton: Arsenal have become the laughing stock of English football recently, especially after the 8-2 embarrassment against Manchester United. The back four has been consistently shaky in recent years and even though they have signed Mertesacker, their defensive errors are still clear for all to see. Thomas Vermaelen is still unavailable, as is Jack Wilshere. With David Ngog and Gael Kakuta joining Bolton on transfer deadline day they certainly seem to have a stronger side than at the start of the season. Bolton also come off the back of a 2-0 Carling Cup win so could have the momentum to cause Arsenal some problems.
Prediction: Arsenal 1-1 Bolton
Chelsea v Swansea: With the 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford still fresh in their minds and that terrible miss from Fernando Torres dominating the headlines, both club and player will want to bounce back with avengance and Swansea could feel their wrath. Peter Cech will be fit to start despite being taken off with a head injury in mid week. Swansea finally got off the mark last week with a 3-0 win against West Brom but playing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge is never easy. Swansea do play some good football but Chelsea will be too strong for them.
Prediction: Chelsea 4-0 Swansea
Liverpool v Wolves: Liverpool fans could finally see their hero Steven Gerrard pull on the Liverpool shirt for his first start since March, which is bound to be a big boost for the club. It is expected that Martin Skrtel will come back into the team following his suspension and Martin Kelly is likely to return to right back. Wolves will be without Kevin Foley, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Ronald Zubar and Jody Craddock. However, captain Roger Johnson is set to make his return and Steven Fletcher is fit again following his groin strain. Wolves have had a good start to the season by their standards, but Liverpool will be looking to rectify the mistakes made against Spurs last week.
Prediction: Liverpool 2-0 Wolves
Newcastle v Blackburn: Newcastle will be without Davide Santon, Alan Smith, Haris Vuckic and Mike Williamson for the visit of Blackburn, while Shola Ameobi is also a doubt. However, the good news is that midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa could make his first start for Newcastle in almost a year. Meanwhile, Blackburn will be without David Dunn and Ryan Nelsen but David Goodwillie, Morten Gamst Pedersen and Michel Salgado are fit to make their return. Leon Best has been in impressive form for unbeaten Newcastle and his goal could nick the win for them.
Prediction: Newcastle 1-0 Blackburn
West Brom v Fulham: West Brom have made a very unimpressive start to the season and the 3-0 drubbing away to Swansea will have done nothing to ease fans worries. Striker Shane Long is suffering from flu but the club are hopeful he can shake it off before kick-off. Craig Dawson will once again start in defence in place of suspended Gabriel Tamas. Fulham are expected to see the return of Aaron Hughes and Andrew Johnson. However, Dickson Etuhu and Bjorn Helge Riise will definitely not take part. Fulham could still be feeling the effects of their long match against Chelsea in midweek, where they lost on penalties but could still manage a draw at the Hawthorns.
Prediction: West Brom 0-0 Fulham
Wigan v Tottenham: Wigan will be without their leading striker Hugo Rodallega, who is out for up to a month with a knee injury. Emmerson Boyce looks doubtful with a hamstring injury and Steven Gohouri and Antolin Alcaraz are definitely out. As for Tottenham. Well they are without Niko Kranjcar, Roman Pavlyuchenko, William Gallas and Aaron Lennon, with Benoit Assou-Ekotto looking doubtful with a throat infection. Tottenham are in good form of late and could be too strong for a Wigan side that they beat 9-1 back in November 2009.
Prediction: Wigan 0-3 Tottenham
Stoke v Manchester United: Stoke are without striker Kenwyne Jones, who picked up a hamstring injury in the Carling Cup in midweek. Matthew Upson put in a man-of-the match performance in that game, which could earn him a start against the champions. Rio Ferdinand looks set to make his return to the Man Utd starting line up and Javier Hernandez looks to have overcome his shin injury to also feature in the match. Despite his two goals in mid week, Michael Owen does not look to have any chance of start for United. Stoke are always a tough team to beat at Britannia Stadium but expect Manchester United to have just a little too much for them.
Prediction: Stoke 1-2 Manchester United
QPR v Aston Villa: QPR have acquired a rather interesting bunch of top flight players since their promotion to the Premier League and could be set to make a charge up the table. Injury prone Kieran Dyer is still out with a foot injury and Clint Hill has headed to Nottingham Forest on loan. Aston Villa will be without Darren Bent, who is out with a groin problem and Emile Heskey is also unavailable. However, Jemaine Jenas could be set to make his debut for the club. While QPR do have some top players in their side, they will need time to gel and Aston Villa are proving a difficult side to beat this season.
Prediction: QPR 2-2 Aston Villa
Norwich v Sunderland: Norwich will once again be without Zak Whitbread, who has a hamstring injury, while Elliott Ward and Dani Ayala are still out with knee injuries. Other than that, Norwich have no new absentees for the visit of Sunderland. Sunderland will be without Phil Bardsley, who will be serving his second of a four match ban. David Meyler, Craig Gordon and Fraizer Campbell are still not fit so will miss out. This one could be close but the home advantage may just give Norwich the edge.
Prediction: Norwich 2-1 Sunderland
