Fulham are only one place above the drop zone and their form has been getting increasingly poor since the start of the season, granted they are suffering from some key injuries which could be blamed for the issues, however excuses are not going to get them anywhere.
Fortunately Dembele is back in full training although he is unlikely to actually be fit enough to play in this particular game. Still, seeing some players return to the Fulham side is certainly good news for the home team. Fulham have only won one of their last 14 games in the league which speaks volumes for their recent performances, however with the Hammers as their opposition they may actually have a chance at winning this match up.
The Hammers' season is nothing short of terrible at the moment, however their injury concerns are nothing short of cataclysmic. In terms of a positive note West Ham fans have the return of Rob Green to look forward to after he has recovered from a minor hip operation and there is the possibility that Berhami may be able to play despite being written off earlier this week.
Blackburn vs Stoke
Blackburn should see the return of Olsson, who has been given the all clear and should be fine to play against Stoke. Blackburn should in theory have the edge simply due to the fact that the away side’s record on pitches other than their own is not one to be all too proud of, winning only two of them so far this season.
However, Blackburn will have to worry about the fitness of their new captain Chris Samba, who picked up a minor knock midweek and will be given a last minute fitness test to see if he will be available to play.
Stoke’s only injury is Sidibe, which is some cracking news seeing as having a practically fully fit side may just be what they need to romp to victory against their opposition. Traditionally, Stoke have not done to well on Boxing Day, losing both of their last two fixtures since they have been in the Premiership. In their last outing they did take a bit of a thrashing from Blackpool but in terms of performance however this was their first loss in seven games.
Stoke have been a little bit unlucky this season, hitting the woodwork a total of ten times which is more than any other Premiership club.
Blackpool vs Liverpool
Blackpool are going to be without their captain Charlie Adam as he serves a single match ban. However, he is simply one of many players that Blackpool will have to do without if they are going to manage to win this match.
There is every chance that this match will not even be played seeing as there are worries that the pitch will be frozen, Blackpool’s ground will be given a midday check to see whether the match will go on or not. The odd thing about Blackpool is that they are dangerous from all areas of the pitch and the leaders in scoring from outside of the box this season.
Liverpool will be welcoming back Steven Gerrard. The Reds have been pretty poor away from home lately, only taking five points from away matches since the start of the season, which doesn’t bode well for their chances of taking three points from this match, assuming that it is even played and is not called off due to the bad weather conditions.
Bolton vs West Brom
Mark Davies will be available for selection again after serving his one match ban and Lee is likely to play his last match for Bolton before heading off to Qatar to play in the Asian Cup.
The Trotters' main worries lie in their inability to keep a clean sheet, the side have only kept one since the start of the season and have never really looked likely to keep any more. They have been pretty impressive in the dying minutes of the game scoring ten goals in the last 15 minutes of matches which is more than any other Premiership club.
The Baggies away form is not indicative of a win for Brom. They’ve managed to win two away matches this season which, whilst not being the worst in the Premiership, is not something which is going to make them favourites for this match-up. West Brom are actually just as bad at the back as Bolton, having only kept one clean sheet all season, so if nothing else we should be expecting to see some goals in this match up.
Everton vs Birmingham
Arteta should be returning to the side after completing his suspension, although Anichebe will be absent following his sending off against Man City. The home side game off the back of a good victory against a team which should be contending for the Premiership title this season. The win will have come as a much needed moral boost considering the side have been wallowing at the bottom end of the table for most of the season.
Jagielka is doubtful ahead of the match with a thigh complaint. This match could be very hard to call depending on if Everton play the same way they did against Man City or go back to the poor performances which they have given in recent weeks.
Hleb could make an appearance for Birmingham after almost a month of being absent. When it comes to Boxing Day games, Birmingham tend to do pretty well. The Blues have not actually won a match away from home this season and with Everton starting to look like more of a convincing side again, the odds that match will end in a draw are probably more favourable.
Man Utd vs Sunderland
Vidic and Anderson should be available after having recovered from viruses, which had them tipped as being unfit to play. There is also the possibility that Michael Owen may be given a game after having recovered from a hamstring problem which kept him sidelined since October.
United are hoping to gain their fourth consecutive league win which would keep them at the top of the table. Ji-Sung Park is the man to watch seeing as he has scored four times in the last four matches, and let’s face it, Sunderland are a little bit outmatched in this match, which should give him even more opportunity to grab a goal.
Sunderland are missing a lot of players from this match: they’re missing Cattermole through suspension, a string of players through injury and then Welbeck is ineligible to play against his parent club to boot.
Generally speaking, this match does not tend to go well, since Steve Bruce has managed Sunderland his side has never beaten United. In the last 15 meetings the have lost 11 times and drawn four of the matches. This match is not likely to go Sunderland’s way and if it does it will certainly come as something of a shock to most football fans.
Newcastle vs Man City
Newcastle may be hoping that, after seeing the way that City played against Everton, they could get an easy ride through this match. The fact is that City haven’t been playing at their best for some time now and are on very poor form for a team which intends to contend for the title this season.
Newcastle have the advantage of Coloccini and Williamson returning to the side after serving their three match bans, reinstating the more experienced centre backs may be the best way to make sure that there are now slip ups which could cost them the match. Harper is also likely to return to the side after having overcome a shoulder injury which had caused some concern.
Man City were made to look a little foolish by Everton last week and things turned a little bit sour towards the end of the game resulting in a sending off for each side which means that City will be without Toure, although De Jong will be returning after serving his own ban.
In theory, Man City have the best away record in the Premiership, equalling the same amount as points taken away from home as Arsenal, but with a better goal difference.
Wolves vs Wigan
These two sides are sitting rather uncomfortably in the relegation zone and neither are showing a great deal of signs which would indicate that they are going to climb out of it any time soon. The fact is that the two sides have not been playing particularly well against anybody.
On the bright side for Wolves, they will actually see a few players returning to the side: Jarvis, Berra and Jones should be able to play, which will be quite handy considering the fact that a total of 11 players out as it stands. Wolves have lost five of their last seven matches in the Premiership, seeing as this is McCarthy’s 500th match in as a manager it would be a bit of a sour occasion if they lose at home.
Wigan will be lucky to even pick up a single point from this match with their away record as poor as it is, the Lactics have only managed one win from the last ten matches that they have played in the league. If the away side loses then it will be their 100th Premier league defeat, and in all honesty it probably will be, seeing as there almost certainly is no chance of them actually winning.
Aston Villa vs Tottenham
Despite the fact that Villa are only a few points lower than Tottenham there is quite a lot of places which separate them. There has also been something of a gulf in the two sides performances.
Villa are probably going to be without their captain Young, on the other hand Petrov and Delph could be involved, having recently been given a full bill of health the problem of course being that it is debatable as to whether or not they are fully fit. In the last 11 matches Villa have only managed to win two games leaving them in a rather poor position in the league.
Tottenham should be hoping to take some points from this match, even if they don’t manage to win a draw must be on the cards. Spurs could see the return of Jenas, Kaboul and Van De Vaart, who are going to be fit and should be able to play.
Tottenham have only managed to win one game outside of London and that was against Stoke, who didn’t put up much of a challenge. Tottenham have managed to lose eight points from winning positions this season, making them the worst team in the Premiership for fumbling potential victories.
Arsenal are actually quite lucky that their match against Stoke was cancelled as it has given Fabianski and Diaby the time that they needed to return to full fitness, leaving Arsenal with only four injured players. Considering how bad their injury list was just a few weeks ago this is a great step in the right direction for the club.
This is of course going to be a fiercely competitive match as are all meetings between these two sides, not simply because of the London rivalry, but the fact that there isn’t much separating the two sides in terms of points and the top of the table is set to become very closely competed towards the end of the season.
Chelsea are simply not quite achieving what they should be, six points from seven games is nothing short of abysmal for a side which is supposed to be amongst the best in Europe and were supposed to be the title favourites at the start of the season.
On the other hand, Chelsea have only lost two of their last 18 matches against Arsenal in all competitions. This match could go either way, there is obviously Chelsea’s poor form to consider however these sorts of games have a habit of being surprising.
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