Hull City v Manchester City
KC Stadium
15-03-2014 @ 12.45 UK
Hull City (3-4-1-2): McGregor; Bruce, Davies, Chester; Elmohamady, Livermore, Huddlestone, Figueroa; Meyler; Jelavic, Long.
Injuries: Robert Brady (Groin), Joe Dudgeon (Knee), Paul McShane (Ankle) Doubts: Curtis Davies (Knock), Lake Livermore (Thigh) Bans: None.
Manchester City (4-4-2): Hart; Zabaleta, Demichelis, Kompany, Kolarov; Nasri, Touré, Fernandinho, Silva; Aguero, Negredo.
Injuries: Matija Nastasic (Knee) Doubts: Stevan Jovetic (Hamstring) Bans: None.
Manchester City will have to shake off the disappointment from losing against Wigan in the FA Cup, and possibly being sent out of the Champions League tonight against Barcelona, before meeting Hull at KC Stadium. Hull might be able to benefit from Manchester City playing a hard midweek match, but the Tigers have not won at home in four matches. Meanwhile, City are unbeaten in their last two Premier League matches and are the favorites on Saturday where three points are needed to keep up with top three in the table.
Swansea v West Bromwich
Liberty Stadium
15-03-2014 @ 15.00 UK
Swansea City (4-2-3-1): Vorm; Rangel, Williams, Chico, Davies; De Guzmán, Britton; Dyer, Shelvey, Hernández; Bony.
Injuries: Garry Monk (Knee) Doubts: Kyle Bartley (Hamstring), Wilfried Bony (Illness), Pablo Hernández (Hamstring), Michu (Ankle), Jonjo Shelvey (Hamstring), Michel Vorm (Illness) Bans: Chico.
West Bromwich (4-2-3-1): Foster; Reid, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell; Mulumbu, Morrison; Thievy, Gera, Berahino; Anichebe.
Injuries: Chris Brunt (Knee), Billy Jones (Hamstring), Diego Lugano (Knee), Goran Popov (Neck) Doubts: Steven Reid (Knee), Claudio Yacob (Hamstring) Bans: Nicolas Anelka.
Swansea have won the last match against West Brom and have now won five of the last ten meetings with the Baggies. The Swans are favorites for this match as well with West Bromwich not winning in their last eight Premier League matches compared to Swansea not winning in three. Pepe Mel has been out reinsuring the fans that his side will not be relegated, but a loss against Swansea can send them into the relegation zone. Michu is reported to be close to a comeback and can come in play on Saturday.
Fulham v Newcastle
Craven Cottage
15-03-2014 @ 15.00 UK
Fulham (4-2-3-1): Stekelenburg; Riether, Heitinga, Hangeland, Riise; Sidwell, Karagounis; Dejagah, Holtby, Richardson; Mitroglou.
Injuries: Fernando Amorebieta (Muscle), Matthew Briggs (Hernia), Damien Duff (Knee), Scott Parker (Knee) Doubts: Ashkan Dejagah (Knock), William Kvist (Hamstring) Bans: None.
Newcastle United (4-2-3-1): Krul; Debuchy, Taylor, Williamson, Dummett; Anita, Tioté; Sissoko, de Jong, Gouffran; Remy.
Injuries: Hatem ben Arfa (Knock), Gabriel Obertan (Knee), Ryan Taylor (Knee), Davide Santon (Knee) Doubts: Gael Bigirimana (Ankle), Fabricio Coloccini (Lack of match fitness), Robert Elliott (Knee), Loïc Remy (Ankle) Bans: None.
Fulham are still stuck in the bottom of the table without a win in nine Premier League matches but can perhaps take a step towards security with a win against Newcastle at Craven Cottage. Newcastle are unbeaten in two matches but are suffering from a number of injuries in the defends prior to this match. The last two meetings between the sides have ended in a 1-0 win to Newcastle, both at St James Park, but the Toons form is rather doubtful with a mix of ups and downs at the moment. Alan Pardew will be serving his first day of his seven match ban, and it will be interesting to see if this will have any influence on his squad.
Southampton v Norwich
St Mary's Stadium
15-03-2014 @ 15.00 UK
Southampton (4-4-1-1): Boruc; Chambers, Fonte, Lovren, Shaw; Davis, Wanyama, Schneiderlin, Rodriguez; Lallana; Lambert.
Injuries: Kelvin Davis (Knock) Doubts: Jack Cork (Ankle), Jos Hooiveld (Eye) Bans: None.
Norwich (4-4-1-1): Ruddy; Martin, Yobo, Bassong, Olsson; Snodgrass, Tettey, Johnson, Redmond; Hoolahan; van Wolfswinkel.
Injuries: Elliott Bennett (Knee), Leroy Fer (Hamstring), Jonás Gutiérrez (Calf), Michael Turner (Hamstring) Doubts: None Bans: None.
In the last ten matches between the two sides, the number of victories have been equally shared with three to each club and four draws. The last three matches have ended with a 1-0 win to Norwich and two draws, and this weekend's meeting might as well end in a draw. The two sides are not the most scoring and especially Norwich is letting more goals in than their strikers can score; so far there is a negative 22 goal difference. Southampton won their last Premier League match against Crystal Palace while Norwich drew against Stoke, and that might just be the difference that gives The Saints the favorite role on Saturday.
Sunderland v Crystal Palace
Stadium of Light
15-03-2014 @ 15.00 UK
Sunderland (4-1-4-1): Mannone; Bardsley, Brown, O'Shea, Alonso; Bridcutt; Johnson, Colback, Ki, Borini; Altidore
Injuries: Kieren Westwood (Shoulder) Doubts: Wes Brown (Knock), Craig Gardner (Knock), Jozy Altidore (Knock), Valentin Roberge (Knock) Bans: None.
Crystal Palace (4-1-4-1): Speroni; Ward, Dann, Delaney, Parr; Jedinak; Puncheon, Dikgacoi, Ledley, Bolasie; Murray.
Injuries: Marouane Chamakh (Hamstring) Doubts: None Bans: None.
Sunderland can bring themselves over the relegation line with a win against Crystal Palace who, on the other hand, can find themselves under the line after this round. Crystal Palace have not won in their last three Premier League matches, and their mission to stay in the Premier League seems to be in danger if they can not take three points at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland, on the other hand, have lost their last two Premier League matches and will be keen to show their home supporters that Palace cannot come to their ground and expect any points.
Everton v Cardiff
Goodison Park
15-03-2014 @ 15.00 UK
Everton (4-2-3-1): Howard; Coleman, Stones, Distin, Baines; Barry, McCarthy; Mirallas, Osman, Pienaar; Lukaku.
Injuries: Darron Gibson (Knee), Phil Jagielka (Hamstring), Arouna Koné (Knee), Lacina Traoré (Hamstring), Bryan Oviedo (Broken leg) Doubts: Steven Pienaar (Knock) Bans: None.
Cardiff City (4-1-4-1): Marshall; Fabio, Caulker, Turner, John; Medel; Noone, Mutch, Kim Bo-Kyung, Campbell; Jones.
Injuries: Mark Hudon (Hamstring) Doubts: Andrew Taylor (Knock), Ben Turner (Knock) Bans: None.
Cardiff are going into a hard battle against Everton, who have not lost in four consecutive home matches and are 7th in the Premier League. Cardiff are just under the relegation line, but can with a win, bring themselves out of the danger zone and with a win against Fulham last week, they are hoping to build on their form. Everton are out of the FA Cup and only have the Premier League to play for why they will not let their fans down. The Toffees are hoping to qualify for Europe, and Cardiff is just a step on the way.
Stoke v West Ham
Britannia Stadium
15-03-2014 @ 15.00
Stoke City (4-2-3-1): Begovic; Cameron, Shawcross, Wilson, Pieters; N'Zonzi, Whelan; Odemwingie, Ireland, Arnautovic; Crouch.
Injuries: Oussama Assaidi (Knee), Robert Huth (Knee) Doubts: None Bans: Charlie Adam, Jonathan Walters.
West Ham United (4-2-3-1): Adrián; Demel, Collins, Tomkins, McCartney; Noble, Taylor; Jarvis, Nolan, Downing; Carroll.
Injuries: Marco Borriello (Hamstring), Joey O'Brien (Shoulder Dislocation) Doubts: Ricardo Vaz Te (Lack of match fitness) Bans: None.
Stoke and West Ham are both on 31 points in the table and are 11 points behind Southampton on the 9th. After four wins in a row, West Ham lost against Everton last round and will be eager to get back on track with a win against The Potters, which should be possible. That said, Stoke has been best at home, and their defends will be hard to break down for West Ham's front line why a single goal can be enough to win this match.
Aston Villa v Chelsea FC
Villa Park
15-03-2014 @ 17.30 UK
Aston Villa (4-3-3): Guzan; Bacuna, Baker, Vlaar, Bertrand; El Ahmadi, Westwood, Delph; Weimann, Benteke, Agbonlahor.
Injuries: Chris Herd (Personal reasons), Libor Kozák (Broken leg), Charles N'Zogbia (Achilles), Jores Okore (Knee) Doubts: None Bans: None.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Cech; Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Azpilicueta; Ramires, Matic; Schürrle, Oscar, Hazard; Eto'o.
Injuries: Ashley Cole (Knock), Tomas Kalas (Leg), Marco van Ginkel (Knee) Doubts: Luiz (Knock), Fernando Torres (Groin) Bans: None.
Number one takes on number 11 in the late match Saturday, where Chelsea faces Aston Villa at Villa Park. Aston Villa have not won against Chelsea in four matches; last time was in 2011, and will be under pressure on Saturday. Chelsea are seven points ahead of number two and will go into this match hoping for another three points to keep Liverpool and Arsenal in a distance. The Pensioners are almost in their best formation against Aston Villa and should be able to take a comfortable win.
Manchester United v Liverpool
Old Trafford
16-03-2014 @ 13.30 UK
Manchester United (4-4-1-1): De Gea; Rafael, Smalling, Jones, Evra; Mata, Carrick, Fellaini, Januzaj; Rooney; van Persie.
Injuries: Jonny Evans (Calf), Javier Hernández (Knee), Nani (Hamstring) Doubts: Rafael Bans: None.
Liverpool (4-3-3): Mignolet; Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Flanagan; Coutinho, Gerrard, Henderson; Sterling, Sturridge, Suárez.
Injuries: Sebastián Coates (Knee), Enrique (Knee) Doubts: Lucas (Knee), Mamadou Sakho (Hamstring) Bans: None.
Manchester United are 11 points behind Liverpool and at the moment struggling to get a position opening for European football next season. Meanwhile, Liverpool is playing one of their best seasons in a decade and are favorites for a win at Old Trafford on Sunday. The Sterling, Sturridge and Suárez frontline will give Manchester United problems, and with Robin van Persie not playing up to his best at the moment we might see Liverpool take a comfortable win.
Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal
White Hart Lane
16-03-2014 @ 16.00 UK
Tottenham Hotspur (4-1-4-1): Lloris; Walker, Vertonghen, Kaboul, Naughton; Sandro; Lennon, Paulinho, Bentaleb, Eriksen; Adebayor.
Injuries: Etienne Capoue (Ankle), Vlad Chiriches (Back), Erik Lamela (Thigh), Danny Rose (Knee) Doubts: Michael Dawson (Hamstring), Moussa Dembélé (Hamstring) Bans: None.
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs; Flamini, Arteta; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Cazorla, Podolski; Giroud.
Injuries: Diaby (Knee), Kim Källström (Back), Mesut Ozil (Hamstring), Aaron Ramsey (Thigh), Theo Walcott (Knee), Jack Wilshere (Foot) Doubts: Nicklas Bendtner (Knee), Kieran Gibbs (Ankle), Nacho Monreal (Foot), Yaya Sanogo (Knock) Bans: None.
The players always gives that little extra and tackles that harder in the North London Derby, and with two crowds battling each other outside the pitch, this match can be a hot affair. The last three matches has been very tight and ended with a one or two goal victory to one of the sides, but back in 2012 Arsenal won two consecutive matches against their rivals 5-2. Sunday's match can also turn out to be a goal show as both sides have the strikers capable of finding the net. The Gunners will go into the match knowing that a victory is crucial in their battle for the trophy, and with their 4-1 win against Everton in their back they will be full of confidence. However, Spurs are in as much need of points as Arsenal are if they want to stay in the top, and are not going to give Arsenal any help on Sunday.
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