Arsenal V Sunderland

The return of Eduardo midweek was a huge boost to Arsenal and this was very evident and created a buzz amongst the fans. He chipped in with 2 goals and immediately people were thinking of what might have been if he had never been injured in the first place. Unfortunately he is out for a further two weeks with a strain he picked up so it’s back to square one for Wenger again. Arsenal have a good record against the Mackems and have won 4 of the last 5 games at home to them. At the stadium of light earlier in the year the Gunners were very lucky to come away with a point after a late late equaliser from Fabregas if I remember rightly. He is also out injured and joins a list that includes Rosicky, Silvestre,Adebayor,Diaby,Walcott and the previously mentioned Eduardo. That’s a big list of casualties but Wenger will be hoping that newly signed Arshavin can make an immediate impact.
Gunners are in iffy form at the moment but have still pulled 24 points from a possible 36 at the Emirates. Crucially they have not been losing games and are now just 4 points off Chelsea.
Sunderland are in 11th position but still need to gather points to ensure safety. They have amassed 13 points from a possible 36 on their travels and have only kept one clean sheet in that time. Sbragia claims to have got the morale up in the dressing room but going to the Emirates with only one clean sheet so far is a daunting test. Defender Phil Bardsley is suspended so either Davenport or Tal Ben Haim is set for a debut. Mcshane is back from Hull and Tainio appears to be fit again.

Verdict
3 points is a must for Arsenal, there has been much made of the fact that there are a few Arsenal players not ready to hang around if they don’t finish in the top 4 and they really need to start picking up points, especially at home. They have a lot of injuries but still have a lot of class in their team. I have nothing against Sunderland as a team but take them away from home and they look unconvincing. Wenger is looking ahead to the champions league next week but its vital his team go into that clash with some form of confidence.
Arsenal to win 2 – 0

PICK
Arsenal –1.25 (2.05 @ bet365) 6 points

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Aston Villa V Chelsea

This will be a massive game and it will have a huge bearing for a few teams. For Arsenal, just below these teams a draw is possibly the best result and the same could be said for Liverpool and Manchester United who are just above them. It’s a 12:45 kick off so its interesting to see how will Villa cope with the pressure of a huge tv audience watching. O Neill has done a fantastic job at Villa and they deserve to be playing champions league football next year. I just hope it’s not at the expense of my beloved Gunners.
About the tie though and Chelsea do not like playing Aston Villa and haven’t won here in 5 attempts. Gus Hiddink is the new gaffer at Chelsea till seasons end and players will be keen to impress him and get a regular starting berth.
This is a very tricky game to call, Villa have had lots of games lately and they have looked tired at times in recent games. They were well beaten by Everton last weekend and had to settle for a draw at home to CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Cup in midweek. At times they have even looked more comfortable away from home this season. Heskey and Milner are out but Sidwell is back from suspension.
Regarding away form the same can be said of Chelsea, who have won more games away from Stamford bridge than at home. Ashley Cole is suspended while Alex, Essien and Ricardo Carvalho are both doubtful. Hiddink hasn’t revealed too much about team selection though it is believed he will stick to similar lineouts from the last few weeks.

Verdict
Im weary of the draw but I think Chelsea have more plus points going for them coming into this one. They are better away from home and while trying to impress a new boss they should be able to take advantage of a slightly weakened Villa team. Martin Laursen is out for Villa and they look unsteady without him in the center of defence. Its been a long time since Chelsea were quoted at these kind of prices to beat a team out side the big 3.
I just cant see Villa winning so il take Chelsea draw no bet just in case of the draw.

PICK
Chelsea draw no bet ( 1.65 @ 10bet) 6 points


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Manchester United V Blackburn

You know what, theres not much point in me going into huge detail here. Man Utd are simply a cut above everyone else and the premiership its theirs to lose at this stage. Their home record is simply amazing and they have only dropped 2 points so far. You just get the feeling watching them (especially against the lower teams) that they can always step up a gear if they need to. They haven’t conceded in 14 games and even with a champion’s league coming up they can call on a bench full of stars that won’t weaken the team one bit. Rooney is back from injury, Vidic is on for player of the year and Scholes and Giggs are playing like they did 10 years ago. Man Utd's last 10 league games record reads DWWWWWWWWW (impressive right!)
Blackburn are in the danger zone but are capable of getting out of it. However they will probably stand a better chance in their next 2 games against Hull and Everton. They do have a reasonable record against United but realistically its damage limitation at Old Trafford tomorrow. They have been dodgy defensively and can’t afford to give any chances away tomorrow.

Verdict
Ronaldo, Rooney, Berbatov. Theres just far too much attacking talent in this United squad to see Blackburn causing any real threat. With their defence looking unbeatable it should only be a case of how many.

Man Utd – 1.5 goals ( 1.88 @ bet365) 6 points