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Predictions

Premier League previews: who will win today's games and why*

*We may not be psychic and take no responsibility for any ill-advised bets made this morning.

All games kick off at 3pm unless stated otherwise.

Wigan v Arsenal (12.45)

TV: Sky Sports 3
(Wenger’s side beat Reading in impressive fashion last week – Nick Potts/PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Injured: Wigan – Adrian Lopez, Gary Caldwell, Antolin Alcaraz and Ivan Ramis. Arsenal – Abou Diaby and Andre Santos.

Doubtful: Wigan – James McCarthy.

Betting: Home (7/2), Draw (11/4), Away (3/4).

Both these sides have experienced changes of fortune lately.

Despite achieving some decent results over the course of the season, last week’s loss to Norwich saw Wigan drop into the relegation zone.

Arsenal, on other hand, have recovered well from the embarrassing League Cup loss to Bradford, and their recent defeat of Reading means they’re now only two points off the top four.

If, as expected, Arsene Wenger sticks with a similar side to the one that hammered the Royals, their recent fine form should continue.

Verdict: Arsenal

Man City v Reading

TV: Setanta Sports Ireland

(Vincent Kompany is a doubt for today’s game – Dave Thompson/PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Injured: Man City – Samir Nasri, Mario Balotelli and Aleksandar Kolarov. Reading – Jason Roberts.

Doubtful: Man City – Vincent Kompany. Reading: Jem Karacan, Jimmy Kebe and Danny Guthrie.

Betting: Home (1/6), Draw (13/2), Away (15/1).

If ever there was a game you could bet your house on, this seems like an obvious candidate.

City have been solid for the most part this term, ruthlessly dispatching inferior teams with ample ease on a regular basis.

Reading, as anyone who saw last week’s defeat against Arsenal will tell you, have been truly dire at times.

So can the Royals shock their hosts and pull off an unlikely victory against all the odds? Stranger things have happened, I suppose.

Verdict: Man City

Newcastle v QPR

(Demba Ba is Newcastle’s top scorer this season – Steve Drew/EMPICS Sport)

Injured: Newcastle – Hatem Ben Arfa, Steven Taylor and Yohan Cabaye. QPR – Julio Cesar, Kieron Dyer, Park Ji-sung, Jose Bosingwa, Andrew Johnson and Bobby Zamora.

Doubtful: Newcastle – James Perch.

Betting: Home (11/10),  Draw (12/5), Away (5/2).

The second from bottom team in the league meet the side who are second from bottom on the form table based on the last six matches.

During the week, Alan Pardew blamed the Europa League on Newcastle’s disappointing season, as they currently hover perilously close to the relegation zone.

Harry Redknapp, meanwhile, has had a galvanising effect on QPR, with the club unbeaten since the ex-Spurs boss officially took over.

The outcome of this game depends largely on which Newcastle side turns up, but if the likes of Demba Ba are at their best, expect them to narrowly prevail.

Verdict: Newcastle

Southampton v Sunderland

(Sunderland have been on a poor run of form lately – Martin Rickett/PA Archive/Press Association Images)

Injured: Southampton – Adam Lallana.

Doubtful: Sunderland – Steven Fletcher, Adam Johnson, Danny Rose and Phil Bardsley.

Betting: Home (11/10), Draw (12/5) Away (5/2).

Both these sides sit just above the relegation zone, nonetheless the Saints have the far superior recent form.

Sunderland have only won one of their last 16 Premier League away matches, while their opponents have 11 of a possible 18 points from their last six matches.

Moreover, both will view it as the type of game they must win, if they are to avoid being dragged into a relegation battle during the latter half of the season.

Given the two sides’ records of late, Southampton are the clear favourites, though Martin O’Neill has a habit of overcoming the odds in key fixtures.

Verdict: Southampton

Tottenham v Stoke

(Jermain Defoe will be hoping to add to his goalscoring tally this afternoon – Nick Potts/PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Doubtful: Tottenham – Emmanuel Adebayor.

Compassionate leave: Stoke – Charlie Adam.

Betting: Home (8/13), Draw (14/5), Away (9/2).

Tottenham are likely to be in confident mood today, given their excellent home record and their current fourth-place standing in the league.

However, they have occasionally struggled to break teams down this season, and are going up against the side with the best defensive record in the league.

They unconvincingly beat Swansea last week, and will hoping for more this time around from Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor (provided he passes a late fitness test).

Stoke, on the other hand, will likely adopt a cagey counter-attacking style, as they once again rely on a big defensive effort.

Verdict: Tottenham

West Brom v Norwich

(West Brom have failed to score in over five hours of league football – Owen Humphreys/PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Betting: Home (evens), Draw (12/5), Away (14/5)

Injured: Norwich – Andrew Surman and John Ruddy.

Suspended: West Brom – Youssouf Mulumbu.

Doubtful: West Brom – Claudio Yacob and Ben Foster. Norwich – Grant Holt.

Two sides who consistently exceed expectations in the Premier League these days come up against one another.

While West Brom’s form has dipped of late, Norwich’s has soared.

Consequently, the visitors are unbeaten in ten games, while the Baggies haven’t scored in more than five hours of league football.

Ultimately though, the fact that Steve Clarke’s men have home advantage should earn them a share of the spoils at least.

Verdict: draw

West Ham v Everton

(Marouane Fellaini’s three-match suspension for headbutting an opponent begins today – Peter Byrne/PA Archive/Press Association Images)

Suspended: Everton – Marouane Fellaini.

Doubtful: West Ham – Yossi Benayoun and Jack Collison. Everton – Phil Neville.

Betting: Home (15/8), Draw (9/4), Away (6/4).

A fascinating encounter whose outcome is tough to predict.

West Ham have a very respectable home record, while Everton have only lost twice all season.

The visitors are missing the banned Marouane Fellaini, which is likely to be a considerable blow.

And David Moyes’ men have gained somewhat of a reputation as being draw specialists, so don’t be surprised if they do so again today.

Verdict: draw

Liverpool v Fulham (5.30pm)

TV: ESPN

(Liverpool are hopeful that Jose Enrique will be fit for today’s game – PA Wire/PA Wire/Press Association Images)

Injured: Liverpool – Oussama Assaidi. Fulham – Neil Etheridge.

Suspended: Fulham – Steve Sidwell.

Doubtful: Liverpool – Jose Enrique.

Betting: Home (4/7), Draw (11/4), Away (11/2).

By Brendan Rodgers’ own admission last week, Liverpool produced a below-par performance as they lost 3-1 to Villa.

Fulham have also been disappointing lately, winning only one of their last nine league matches.

Nonetheless, the London club still boast the fifth most prolific attack in the league, after Spurs, City, United and Arsenal.

However, a close to full-strength Liverpool side should be able to expose the visitors’ leaky defence.

Verdict: Liverpool

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