Post by Admin on Mar 6, 2014 22:48:26 GMT 5.5
GW 29 PREVIEW
By Shreyas(shreyas_4)
By Shreyas(shreyas_4)
West Bromwich Albion vs Manchester United
League Form:
WBA: LDLDD
MUN:WLDDW
David Moyes’ Manchester United stop start season continues after their victory at Sehlrust Park was followed by a dismal performance in Greece against Olympiacos in the Champions League round of 16. And the pressure is building on united’s manager as some newspapers are already throwing in names of possible replacements. March is going to be a big month for the defending champions as it includes home fixtures against Liverpool and Manchester City, but their immediate task in hand isn’t an easy one either. West Brom are a very stubborn side at home as the last 4 games at The Hawthorne’s has ended in 1-1 draws against Everton, Liverpool Chelsea and Fulham. The Baggies are only 1 point off the drop zone and are in desperate need of 3 points and will look to capitalize on United’s misfortunes this season. The Red Devils will miss defenders Jonny Evans and Phil Jones and winger Nani this week and may not have Javier Hernandez as well who suffered a knee injury while playing for Mexico on Wednesday night, they could however return Brazilian full-back Rafael after missing two matches due to a head injury against Arsenal. The home side will be without defenders Billy Jones and Diego Lugano as well as suspended striker Nicolas Anelka. United will look to avenge their home defeat they suffered earlier on this season, but it ended an incredible 5-5 in the corresponding fixture last season which was Sir Alex Ferguson’s last game in charge of Manchester United.
Prediction: WBA 0-2 MUN
Cardiff City vs Fulham
League Form:
CAR: WLDLL
FUL: LDLDL
The relegation battle is heating up with only 10 or so games remaining in the Barclays Premiere League, and Saturday’s fixture between the bottom two sides is going to be a very important match for both teams who have been suffering terribly in terms of both form and results. New manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been so far unsuccessful in turning around the fortunes at the Welsh capital even with the new signings such as Wilfred Zaha and Kenwyne Jones. Fulham meanwhile have lost Clint Dempsey who has returned back to his parent club Seattle Sounders and after the 3-1 home defeat to Chelsea last week, manager Felix Magath believes Fulham can turn their form around in Wales. The Bluebirds could return Craig Noone back into the squad who missed the trip to White Hart Lane due to injury. And new sigining Kostas Mitroglou could also feature for Fulham after suffering a hamstring problem against West Brom. Cardiff City won the reverse fixture 2-1 but that was when the Blue Birds were flying high at the beginning of the campaign.
Prediction: CAR 1-0 FUL
Crystal Palace vs Southampton
League Form:
CRY:WLWLD
SOU:WDWLL
Crystal Palace’s revival under new manager Tony Pulis continues after they picked up a point at the Liberty Stadium following their defeat to Manchester United. Now they stumble upon Mauricio Pochettino’s Southampton side who are looking to consolidate their top half finish. The Saints come into this tie on the back of two consecutive defeats to West Ham and Liverpool and will be looking to get back to winning ways on Saturday. The Eagles might be without Damien Delaney and striker Marouane Chamakh while there are no injury worries for the travelling Southampton side. It was May 2005 when these two sides last met in the Premiere League at the Selhurst park, and a stoppage time goal by Danny Higginbottom led to both teams sharing the points on that day.
Prediction: CRY 1-1 SOU
Norwich City vs Stoke City
League Form:
NOR: LDLWD
STK: WDDLW
Stroke City travel to Norwich after taming yet another big team at The Britannia this season. Their 1-0 winning victory over Arsenal has pulled them up to 13th place in the league table and 6 points off the relegation zone. Home side Norwich City will look to put behind their poor showing against Aston Villa at the weekend and continue their good home form as they try to push towards safety. Injury concerns for Chris Houghton’s side as Martin Olsson Robert Snodgrass and Ricky van Wolfswinkel might miss out due to a shoulder, wrist and knee injuries respectively along with injuries to Leroy Fer and new signing Jonas Gutierrez who are long side-lined for further more weeks. It ended 1-0 at Carrow road when these two sides met last season and the Norwich supporters will be hoping for a similar result this time around.
Prediction: NOR 1-0 STK
Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspurs
League Form:
CHL: WWDWW
TOT: DWWLW
Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspurs might not be the fiercest of rivalry in London but this latest encounter is of huge significance at the top of the Barclays Premiere League table. With Arsenal and Manchester City in FA Cup action this weekend, and second-placed Liverpool not playing in the League again until 16 March, Jose Mourinho's side have the opportunity to build a strong lead at the summit.The omens are certainly on the hosts' side, as Spurs have not won at Stamford Bridge in any competition since February 1990 - a run that stretches over 26 matches.Chelsea, who are unbeaten in 74 home League fixtures under Mourinho, also boast the best home record in the Barclays Premier League this season, with 38 points from a possible 42, but Spurs can point to having taken more points (29) on the road than any of their rivals. Danny Rose , Etienne Capoue and Kyle Walker remain doubts for Spurs while there are no major injury worries for The Blues. The spoils were shared in September's meeting at White Hart Lane and it ended in a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge last season where in-form Emmanuel Adebayor scored the second goal for the North London club.
Prediction: CHL 1-0 TOT
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