Liverpool v Cardiff

Anfield Road

21-12-2013 @ 14.35 UK

Liverpool can with a win put them first in the Premier League should Arsenal lose against Chelsea. The opponent is Cardiff who are currently fifteenth in the table with seventeen points after winning 1-0 against West Brom last week. Both sides are likely to stick with the starting XI as last round, which means Sterling, will start in the attack for Liverpool again. Liverpool is currently unbeaten in their last three Premier League matches before Saturdays meeting with Cardiff which in they will be favorites. The last meeting between the two sides was a Capital One Cup match in 2012 which Liverpool won 5-4 after penalties.

Manchester United v West Ham

Old Trafford

21-12-2013 @ 15.00 UK

Manchester United have a good take on West Ham with seven victories to one in the last ten matches. However, the last meeting between the two sides ended in a 2-2 draw at Upton Park. Manchester are  unbeaten in their last two matches and are currently eight in the Premier League while West Ham are seventeenth after their draw against Sunderland last week. The seat is hot under Sam Allardyce, and he will hope that his side can create a result against a Manchester United struggling to find their form. That said, Manchester will go into this match as favorites.

West Bromwich v Hull

The Hawthorns

21-12-2013 @ 15.00 UK

West Bromwich Albion (4-2-3-1): Myhill; Jones, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell; Yacob, Mulumbu; Amalfitano, Sessegnon, Brunt; Long.

Injuries: None. Doubts: Nicolas Anelka (Illness), Victor Anichebe (Illness), Ben Foster (Lack of match fitness). Bans: None. 

Hull City (3-4-1-2): McGregor; Chester, Davies, Bruce; Elmohamady, Livermore, Huddlestone, Figueroa; Meyler; Graham, Sagbo.

Injuries: Sone Aluko (Achilles), Stephen Quinn (Hamstring). Doubts: None. Bans: None. 

West Brom sacked Steve Clark after six matches without victory, and this will be the first without a manager for the side. With only two points from the relegation zone,  the Baggies are in need of a victory against Hull on Saturday. However, Steve Bruce and his side will give them a hard time as they with a win and other results going their way can go two positions up in the table. Bruce will most likely stick with the same side that have drawn in the last two matches. However, they should get three points this time.

Sunderland v Norwich

Stadium of Light

21-12-2013 @ 15.00 UK

Sunderland might have gotten a boost after winning against Chelsea in the Capital One Cup last night. However, they have still only won two matches in the Premier League this season placing them last in the table. The opponent on Saturday, Norwich, are unbeaten in their last two matches after winning against West Bromwich and drawing against Swansea last week. Looking at the table, Norwich are favorites, but the last ten matches have been equally shared with four wins for both sides and a single draw. Norwich are still without Ricky van Wolfwinkel and will have to put their trust in Hooper for this match. However, it is time for the former Celtic striker to shine for Norwich.

Stoke v Aston Villa

Britannia Stadium

21-12-2013 @ 15.00 UK

Stoke and Aston Villa have a history of draws as six of the last five matches between the two sides have ended without a winner. However, Villa won the last meeting 3-1 and are favorites against the Potters on Saturday. Stoke are unbeaten in their last two matches while Villa haven't lost in three, but only one point is separating them before this match. Stoke might make a change in their starting lineup ahead of a busy winter period meaning Wilson Palacios could replace Steven N'Zonzi. Aston Villa will have to do without Agbonlahor as he is out with a ban, making room for Kozák.

Fulham v Manchester City

Craven Cottage

21-12-2013 @ 15.00 UK

Manchester City can go into top three before the tight Christmas programme with a win against Fulham on Saturday. Fulham is still struggling in the bottom of the table, and their chances for a win are not any better on Saturday. The Cottagers have not won against City since 2009 and given their opponents form this will end in a win for the visitors. Amorebieta might return for the Fulham side and push Senderos out on the bench while Aguero is out with an injury for City.

Crystal Palace v Newcastle

Selhurst Park

21-12-2013 @ 15.00 UK

After two wins Crystal Palace lost the London derby against Chelsea last week, and will get in trouble against Newcastle on Saturday. The Toons have won the last five matches against Crystal Palace dating all the way back to 2002. Newcastle have come back from their poor start of the season, and especially Loïc Remy is a pleasure to watch on the pitch. The French will be a key player on Saturday in what should be a comfortable win to the Toons.

Southampton v Tottenham

St Mary's Stadium

22-12-2013 @ 13.30 UK

Swansea v Everton

Liberty Stadium

22-12-2013 @ 15.00 UK

Everton are unbeaten in impressing nine matches before visiting Swansea at Liberty Stadium on Sunday. Kevin Mirallas is expected back in the starting Xi after Gerard Deulofeu picked up an injury last week. For Swansea,  the season have been a mix of up and downs, and they are currently positioned 10th in the Premier League. However, according to the two clubs past meetings the Swans shouldn't expect to get three points on Sunday as they have not won against Everton since 2002.

Arsenal v Chelsea

Emirates Stadium

23-12-2013 @ 20.00 UK

A clash between the two London giants is what we can expect on Monday. After the defeat against Manchester City,  last week Arsenal have to get three points against Chelsea if they want to keep the rivals and Liverpool in a distance. With Jack Wilshere out with a ban Theo Walcott is expected to start on the wing while the rest of the team probably will be unchanged. Chelsea lost against Sunderland last night but are expected to come to Emirates with a better starting lineup. This is one of the big tests for Arsenal and will show if they are contestants for the trophy this season.

Tottenham is looking for a new manager after Andre Villas-Boas left the club by mutual consent. The question is now who will take over the seat at White Hart Lane.

According to Oddschecker.com four managers are favorites to take over the job. Great Dane Football Blog is taking a look on the four names.

Glenn Hoddle

Odds: 10 

The former Tottenham midfielder with 377 caps for the club is the favorite for the job according to Oddschecker. The 57-year old manager was in charge of Tottenham from 2001-2003, where he brought them to the League Cup final, which the Spurs lost against Blackburn. Beside managing Tottenham, the Englishman have been in charge of Swindon, Chelsea, England, Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers but have been without a managing job since 2006. The fact that he has a past in Tottenham speaks for Hoddle as he is a name in the club. However, as he has not been coaching for some time it can be argued that the football world has changed since 2006 and that he might not get the best out of the squad.

Michael Laudrup

Odds: 7

Michael Laudrup has made a name for himself in English football since taking over Swansea, and he has been linked with Tottenham several times the last couple of months. Already in his first season, in Wales, Laudrup managed to bring a trophy to Swansea, and the coach clearly have a talent for finding cheap players to develop with Michu as one example. Given Tottenham have spent a fortune in the summer, they could need a man as Laudrup to find the bargain deals. Furthermore, Laurdrup is still a big name in Spain why he might be able to get some Spanish stars to Tottenham. What speaks against Laudrup is his history of changing between clubs as soon as something goes against him and that he has a couple of years left of his contract with Swansea. That said, Tottenham should have the money to buy him out of that contract.

Fabio Capello

Odds: 6

With clubs as Real Madrid, AC Milan and Juventus as well as the English national team on his C.V. Fabio Capello would be a scoop for the Spurs. Capello will bring in some international experience and will be able to bring big names to White Hart Lane. On the other hand, the Italian is not known for bringing young talents forward. Furthermore, given Russia will be playing in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil he might not want to leave his job. Despite this, Capello would be a great name for Tottenham, and they might be able to persuade him to come back to England - this time to manage a club.

Tim Sherwood

Odds: 4

According to oddschecker.com, the interim manager at Tottenham Hotspur is also the favorite to take over the job in the long term. The Technical Coordinator knows the club from the inside and has had his daily routines around the players and have been a part of the staff under the last couple of managers. He, therefore, knows the game and the pressure in the club. What speaks against Sherwood is his lack of experience as a manager as well as his name in the football world. He is not a man capable of bringing big names to Spurs as it is right nor. However, if Spurs are ready to let him have a go this season he can turn out to be the future man. For now,  he has the next couple of matches to impress the Tottenham board.

Both Southampton and Tottenham started the season in great form, but have since fallen back to mid-table positions, and for one of the managers this caused him the job. Sunday the two sides clash in what we believe can be Match of the Week.

Southampton FC v Tottenham Hotspur

St Mary's Stadium

Premier League Round 17

22-12-2013 @ 13.30 UK

How are the two teams form?

Southampton have played 1-1 in their last two Premier League matches against Newcastle away and Manchester City home. However, the Saints have now won since the 4-1 victory against Hull in the start of November.

After winning two Premier League and one Europa League match followed up the the humiliating 0-5 defeat against Liverpool yesterday, Andre Villa-Boas was sacked this morning. Despite a promising start and a great investment in the squad, the team never seemed to find the right form.

However, on Sunday it speaks for three points to Spurs as they have won the last two meetings between the sides.

What are the probable line ups?

Artur Boruc is out with a hand injury while Southampton also will have to look away from Nathaniel Clyne, Kelvin Davis and Daniel Fox who are all suffering from a knock. The last player on the Saints' injury list is Victor Wanyama who is struggling with a leg injury. For Tottenham, Emmanuel Adebayor is out with a knee injury while Younes Kaboul is suffering from a thigh injury and Harry Kane is sidelined with a bad knee. Furthermore, Jan Vertonghen is out with an ankle injury, and Paulinho is serving a ban.

Gazzaniga

Chambers - Fonte - Lovren - Shaw

Cork - Ward-Prowse

Lallana - Davis - Rodriguez

Osvaldo

__________________________________________

Soldado

Lennon - Holtby - Chadli

Sandro - Dembele

Walker - Dawson - Chiriches - Rose

Lloris

What to expect from this match?

Despite winning the last two matches against Southampton, Tottenham are in my eyes not favorites in this match. They have just sacked their manager, which can be a good thing, but I don't see them changing their play in a week. That said, Southampton have not won since November and with their current form this could easily be the third draw in a row. However, as both sides needs three points to be even close to the top of the table they will have to come out and play some attacking football. Osvaldo and Lallana are the two players with most potential for goals in my opinion why Tottenham will have to mark them tightly. If they are capable of during so, the Saints will have problems in front. I expect this match to end as a draw, possibly 2-2.

What are the odds?

William Hill has Southampton as favorites with a 17/11 bet while BetVictor gives back 2 on a Spurs victory. However, most of the bookmakers predict a draw with a 23/10 at SkyBet and Unibet.

After three years playing with his brother Lee, Marc Rochester Sørensen took the next step with a transfer to the Danish Superliga club FC Vestsjælland. This week we keep an eye on the talented attacking player.

"We complement each other; for example we talk a lot about how we can improve and do better for the team. On the pitch,  we find eachother easier and know what each of us are going to do next because we are brothers. It was a great advantage when we played together," Rochester Sørensen says.

“It was a great experience. When I came to HB Køge, I would never have thought I would play Superliga and 1. Division so soon, but when it happened it was very teaching and developing for me both mentally and as a footballer.

“I needed some new challenges, and I thought FC Vestsjælland sounded interesting. When I talked with the director, Gert [Hansen], he told me about the visions and ambitions. Furthermore, it was a great possibility for a young player as me to play in the Superliga," the striker says.

“It would be so cool to play with Lee again and have him close to me, so it would be great if he could find his way to me again.”

“In many aspects,  we are much alike, but we are also very different. Lee is the more aggressive player and is a bit more verbal where as I am more the silent type that let’s my feet do the talking.”

“It’s a challenge to compete with players who have played on a higher level, but also great to play with players who knows the game and have been a part of it for many years. It is a positive challenge, but I can also use them off the pitch and use their advices," the talent says.

“There have been some fight in the living room, and it have not always been pretty to watch.

“But, I can’t say much when we are at the position as we are now, but I look back on the years when we always won," the Rochester ends.

The Januar transfer window is soon upon us, and a Danish striker has already been linked with a move to Crystal Palace. During the summer window Andreas Cornelius, Jores Okore and Nicklas Helenius joined the Premier League. Today, we take a look at five players potential for a move to the EPL.

The young winger was close to signing with Brøndby in the summer, but didn't pass the medical test. Brøndby claimed that a knee injury from earlier in his career was now causing problems. However, it was only the medical staff at Brøndby who saw it as a problem. Instead, Larsen stayed in Odense where he has been on of the profiles so far this season. Eighteen matches, six goals and three assists so far have also brought him into the Danish national team where he so far has played four matches. The winger is a man for the future in Danish football and wishes to play in a better league at some point. January might be a possibility for him to go abroad, but Odense are probably not willing to let him go at the moment.

Lasse Nielsen have been a part of the Aalborg Superliga squad since 2006 and had his debut in 2008. Despite being only 25, the central defender has a routine as a 32-year old with his 172 matches for Aalborg. So far it has only been to one match for Denmark for the defender, but he has the potential for many more especially if he can come to a bigger club. Despite Aalborg wanting to keep their club man, Nielsen have already announced he will leave the club next summer when his contract ends. Therefore, Aalborg can have some interest in selling the defender this winter, and with Nielsen hoping to play in England, the Premier League is a possibility. Some of the smaller clubs as West Brom, Hull or Crystal Palace, could be a club for the defender.

He was the 'Keep an eye on'-talent on this blog a few weeks ago. Since then he was announced as the profile of the Superliga this year by the managers in the league. Kasper Kusk probably the hottest name in Danish football at the moment, and will soon be history in the Danish Superliga. The winger is known for his dribbling skills and his ability to find the goal. However, he still lacks some in the physical play. The Danish national manager Morten Olsen has called up Kusk for duty a couple of times this season, and with a move to a bigger club, the talent might be able to take the step towards becoming the first choice.

The right-back have been one of the forces behind Esbjerg's success in the Europa League this season, and have made him a future prospect for Denmark in the future. Ankersen have said that he wants to leave Esbjerg this winter and not for another Danish club. The Premier League could be a possibility as he will fit well into the English style of football. Furthermore, his ability to score goals as a left back should make some managers want him for their side. In fact, one of Ankersens goals was nominated for the Puskas award this year.

The English media have already given Simon Makienok the predicate as the Danish Peter Crouch given his physics. The striker is known for his ability in the air while he is lacking when it comes to speed. He is a regular starter in Brøndby and is often called up for duty at the Danish national team as a support for Bendtner. The striker was linked with a move to Russian football in the summer but declined himself. Instead, Crystal Palace have been mentioned as the next stop for the striker as they are looking to bring in some Danish dynamite to the attack.

Only twenty days to the opening of the transfer window, and a Danish striker is linked with a move to the Premier League! Here are the Thursday transfer rumours!

Everton are ready to make a move for Icelandic striker Alfred Finnbogason and sell Nikica Jelavic (The Mirror) - Probability: Medium

Chelsea and Manchester are both monitoring Rennes midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko (insidefutbol.com) - Probability: Low

West Ham are poised to make a move for Inter Milan forward Diego Milito (The Mirror) - Probability: Low

Crystal Palace could make a move for Denmark's equivalent to Peter Crouch - Brondby striker Simon Makienok - if they fail to buy the real thing from Stoke (The Mirror) - Probability: Medium

At the same time, Stoke are keeping an eye on Ducth forward Luuk De Jong this January (The Mirror) - Probability: High

Monaco is ready to make a bid for Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany (Express) - Probability: Low

Hull manager Steve Bruge wants to sign Seb Larsson and is eyeing up a £5m swoop for the Sunderland midfielder (Mirror) - Probability: High

Wolfburg midfielder Diego is a Southampton target and has opened the door for a move to St Mary's (The Mirror) - Probability: Medium

Arsenal are closing in on Real Sociedad winger Antoine Griezmann (Metro) - Probability: Low

Manchester City v Arsenal

City of Manchester Stadium

14-12-2013 @ 12.45 UK

Newcastle v Southampton

St James' Park

14-12-2013 @ 15.00 UK

Everton v Fulham

Goodison Park

14-12-2013 @ 15.00 UK

Chelsea v Crystal Palace

Stamford Bridge

14-12-2013 @ 15.00 UK

Cardiff v West Bromwich 

Cardiff City Stadium

14-12-2013 @ 15.00 UK

West Ham v Sunderland

Upton Park

14-12-2013 @ 15.00 UK

West Ham (4-3-3): Jääskeläinen; Demel, Tomkins, Collins, McCartney; Diamé, Morrison, Noble; Cole, Maiga, Jarvis.

Injuries: Andy Carroll (Foot), Mladen Petric (Calf), Winston Reid (Ankle), Ricardo Vaz Te (Shoulder). Doubts: Stuart Downing (Achilles), Razvan Rat (Hamstring). Bans: Kevin Nolan

Sunderland (4-4-2): Mannone; Bardsley, O'Shea, Brown, Dossena; Larsson, Ki, Colback, Giaccherini; Altidore, Fletcher.

Injuries: Carlos Cuéllar (Hip), Keiren Westwood (Knock). Doubts: None. Bans: None.

Pressure is on Big Sam as West Ham is dangerously close to the relegation line before meeting Sunderland on Saturday. The Hammer have lost their last two Premier League matches but are expected to get a result against Sunderland. However, the Black Cats have won the last four matches between the two sides and have a historical overtake. This might, however, not be enough to help Sunderland get the three points they desperately need in their battle to stay in the Premier League.

Hull v Stoke

KC Stadium

14-12-2013 @ 17.30 UK

Aston Villa v Manchester United

Villa Park

15-12-2013 @ 13.30 UK

Norwich v Swansea

15-12-2013 @ 13.30 UK

Carrow Road

Tottenham v Liverpool

White Hart Lane

15-12-2013 @ 16.00 UK

While Tottenham have lost their position in the top of the Premier League Liverpool have held on to the second in the table. The late match on Sunday is a chance for Spurs to take a step towards top three, given they are beginning to find their form again they might be able to get three points. As mentioned, Liverpool are second in the table and are unbeaten in their last two matches. On Sunday,  they are without Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge, making room for Joe Allen on the midfield. Liverpool won the last meeting between the two sides, but Tottenham have actually won 5 of the last ten matches.