All games kick off 3pm Saturday unless stated otherwise.
Premier League
Arsenal v Norwich
Betting: 1/4 (home), 5/1 (draw), 10/1 (away).
Doubtful: Arsenal – Tomas Rosicky. Norwich – Mark Bunn and Anthony Pilkington.
Suspended: Arsenal – Per Mertesacker.
Arsenal have received heavy criticism over the course of the season, however a recent run of 22 points from a possible 27 games has silenced the naysayers, temporarily at least.
Their Champions League qualification hopes are now firmly in their hands, and a win today will bring them a point ahead of rivals Spurs with the same number of games played.
Norwich, who stand in their way, also have plenty to play for, given that they remain only four points clear of the relegation zone.
A victory today would almost guarantee their safety, however they are priced at 10/1 with good reason, in light of the Gunners’ terrific current form.
Verdict: Arsenal
Aston Villa v Fulham
Betting: 13/10 (home), 23/10 (draw), 21/10 (away).
Injured: Fulham – Ashkan Dejagah.
Doubtful: Aston Villa – Ciaran Clark. Fulham – Eyong Enoh.
Suspended: Fulham – Steve Sidwell.
Having looked almost certain candidates for relegation a few weeks back following a series of dire performances, Villa have responded superbly, winning four of their last seven games.
The Villains come up against a Fulham side sitting comfortably in tenth, having themselves sporadically flirted with the prospect of a relegation battle in recent months.
Therefore, given that the London side have little to play for, while a win would be a major boost to Villa’s survival hopes, it could be argued that Paul Lambert’s men are actually favourites in this particular contest.
Nonetheless, Villa have the second worst home record in the league (after QPR), so it’d be no real surprise if Martin Jol’s men pick up at least a point.
Verdict: Draw
Everton v QPR
Betting: 4/9 (home), 7/2 (draw), 6/1 (away).
Injured: QPR – Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Doubtful: Everton – Tony Hibbert.
Suspended: QPR – Bobby Zamora.
David Moyes gave hints of discontent with his recent comments about Everton being an “ageing squad”.
The Scot has regardless delivered another solid if unspectacular season, which is all the more impressive given the club’s relative lack of spending in the transfer market in recent times.
They will be heavy favourites against a QPR team who are on the verge of being relegated.
Although while they aren’t expected to do much, Harry Redknapp’s men can at least take solace from the fact that they have a very respectable record against the Toffees, with only two losses in 11 matches and a 1-0 win at Goodison Park last season to boot.
Verdict: Everton
Reading v Liverpool
TV: Setanta Ireland.
Injured: Reading – Jimmy Kebe. Liverpool – Raheem Sterling, Fabio Borini, Joe Allen and Martin Kelly.
Doubtful: Reading – Hope Akpan.
Betting: 6/1 (home), 3/1 (draw), 1/2 (away).
Following a late-season surge, Liverpool had, until recently, looked like a good outside bet for a European spot.
However, just as they appeared to be turning a corner, they stuttered once more, with the recent loss to Southampton and the draw with West Ham.
Yet it is surely a good time to face Reading – having experienced a dreadful run of seven consecutive defeats, the Royals are now all but relegated.
Moreover, they have only ever beaten Liverpool once in the league – a 3-1 victory in 2007, with Stephen Hunt and Kevin Doyle among the goalscorers that day.
Verdict: Liverpool
Southampton v West Ham
Betting: 10/11 (home), 5/2 (draw), 3/1 (away).
Injured: West Ham – Joe Cole and Mark Noble.
Doubtful: Southampton – Luke Shaw, Jason Puncheon and Jay Rodriguez.
Southampton’s wonderful recent run of just one loss in their last 10 games has meant they’ve virtually ensured they’ll be playing Premier League football next year.
One of the key reasons for their terrific performances has been the displays of Jay Rodriguez, who has scored in three consecutive matches now, though he’s a doubt for today’s encounter.
The Saints also boast a good record against West Ham, and are expected to win this encounter, with the Hammers only having picked up three wins away from home all season.
They did, however, beat Southampton 4-1 earlier in the campaign, but Mauricio Pochettino’s team have the momentum now, and should consequently prevail.
Verdict: Southampton
Newcastle v Sunderland (Sunday, 12pm)
TV: Sky Sports 1
Betting: 19/20 (home), 5/2 (draw), 3/1 (away).
Injured: Newcastle – Fabricio Coloccini, Davide Santon and Cheick Tiote.
Doubtful: Newcastle – Steven Taylor, Hatem Ben Arfa and Yoan Gouffran. Sunderland – Carlos Cuellar, Danny Graham and Connor Wickham.
Suspended: Sunderland – Craig Gardner.
One of the more intriguing games of the weekend, both these sides could still potentially be relegated, though Newcastle have a chance to almost guarantee safety with a win on Sunday.
The presence of Paolo Di Canio makes the game even more interesting.
Sunderland were unlucky not to get anything in the manager’s first game in charge against Chelsea last week, but this will be a match where more is expected from his side.
The Italian has a reputation for bringing a positive short-term effect to clubs, and his influence should be enough to earn Sunderland a point, in what is likely to be a tight contest fraught with nerves.
Verdict: draw
Stoke City v Man United (Sunday, 2.05pm)
TV: Sky Sports 1
Betting: 5/1 (home), 11/4 (draw), 8/13 (away).
Injured: Man United – Ashley Young.
Doubtful: Stoke – Matthew Etherington and Marc Wilson. Man United – Nemanja Vidic, Paul Scholes, Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling
Having had a near-impeccable record until recently, Manchester United have narrowly come up short in a couple of big games of late.
And indeed, even in the less high-profile recent matches, such as their 1-0 win against Sunderland, they haven’t exactly been convincing.
Stoke are a team that Alex Ferguson’s men have usually dispatched with ease though, winning eight out nine Premier League games against them – and in fact, the Potters last beat United in the league in 1984.
And that trend is unlikely to be reversed tomorrow, with Tony Pulis’ side performing abysmally since the turn of the year, earning a total of just two wins from their last 16 games.
Verdict: Man United
FA Cup
Millwall v Wigan (Saturday, 5.15pm)
TV: ESPN
Betting: 7/2 (home), 13/5 (draw), 4/5 (away).
Doubtful: Millwall – Liam Trotter, James Henry.
Injured: Wigan – Ivan Ramis, Albert Crusat and Ben Watson.
The FA Cup tie that no one expected, and perhaps a sign more than anything else that big Premier League clubs no longer care as much about winning the FA Cup.
Indeed, both sides are struggling in their respective leagues, with Millwall 16th in the Championship and Wigan 18th in the Premier League.
Yet Latics boss Roberto Martinez insists that the FA Cup has not distracted them from their Premier League duties, and 13 league points from a possible 18 since their quarter-final win over Huddersfield seems to back up that assertion.
Wigan also have the better team on paper, and should thus qualify accordingly, barring a dramatic failure to perform on the big occasion.
Verdict: Wigan
Chelsea v Man City (Sunday, 4pm)
TV: ITV
Betting: 2/1 (home), 23/10 (draw), 7/5 (away).
Doubtful: Man City – David Silva.
Surely the most important game of the season left for City, a loss to rivals Chelsea on Sunday would inevitably put Roberto Mancini’s position as manager under renewed speculation.
However, on the other hand, should they win, they will fancy their chances against either Wigan or Millwall in the final, with the possibility of attaining a second FA Cup in three years.
Chelsea, though, have dominated the competition in recent seasons, and have the opportunity to triumph this year for the fifth time in seven attempts.
It’s extremely difficult to pick a winner between the two, as City hold the superior league position, though Chelsea have the greater recent experience of winning one-off games.
Verdict: Man City
