Premier League Preview - Week 10 – 30th/31st October
Nine games into the 2010/2011 Premier League season and the table is beginning to take shape. Chelsea have been in rampant mood so far and lead the way with Arsenal hot on their heels as they continue to score goals for fun. West Bromwich Albion are the surprise package so far, collecting 15 points already and just two points off the top four. It remains to be seen whether they can maintain their early season form in the coming months though and they will be wary of slipping down the league in the same way that Hull did two years ago.
Chelsea have opened up a five point gap over second place as they continue to steamroll their opponents at Stamford Bridge. However on their travels there have been signs of weakness. Their first defeat of the season came away at Manchester City before Aston Villa held them to a stalemate at Villa Park. This weekend’s assignment doesn’t get any easier for Chelsea as they travel north to face a Blackburn side who pride themselves on their impressive record at Ewood Park.
Should Chelsea slip up, those in pursuit will be desperate to close the gap, not least Arsenal who entertain local rivals West Ham United on Saturday afternoon. The Gunners have been ruthless in front of goal this season, averaging 3.5 goals a game at the Emirates stadium. The Hammers remain rock bottom of the Premier League and haven’t tasted success against Arsenal in the league for over three years.
With controversial off the field antics finally resolved, Manchester United got back to winning ways with a hard fought 2-1 victory over Stoke at the Britannia stadium. It was the first time the reigning champions had picked up all three points on the road this season, perhaps hinting that Sir Alex Ferguson’s side may be about to hit top gear. They will certainly have to be on form for the visit of Tottenham to Old Trafford on Saturday evening. Having broken into the top four and secured a place amongst Europe’s elite last season, Tottenham and manager Harry Redknapp now have their sights set firmly on bigger and better objectives.
Sunday provides two of the most anticipated derbies in English football, with Aston Villa and Birmingham locking horns before some of the most passionate supporters in the world come together for the Tyneside derby between Newcastle and Sunderland at St James Park.
Both Aston Villa and Birmingham have suffered with inconsistency this season. The former looking top four material at Villa Park but far from it on their travels while Birmingham have struggled to match the exploits they achieved last season when they finished ninth.
Aston Villa clearly have the edge over their local counterparts winning the last six meetings between the two and in manager Gerard Houllier they have the perfect man to guide them to a seventh, the Frenchman experiencing plenty of Merseyside rivalry during his time at Liverpool.
Liverpool made the first step of what looks likely to be a long recovery process with a 2-1 victory over Blackburn last week and will be after another three points when they travel to Bolton on Sunday. Reds boss Roy Hodgson would have been pleased to see the name of his star striker Fernando Torres on the score sheet for just the second time this season after a largely disrupted start to the campaign for the Spanish international.
Game of the weekend: Newcastle vs. Sunderland
One of the highlights of the footballing calendar, the two dominant forces of football in Tyneside do battle when Newcastle face Sunderland on Sunday afternoon. A game that never fails to live up to expectations has been largely dominated by Newcastle in recent years, with just one defeat for the Magpies in the last nine Tyneside Premier League derbies.
Blast from the past:
Saturday 25th April 2009 – Manchester United 5-2 Tottenham
Manchester United moved back to the top of the Premier League after coming from two goals down to eventually defeat Tottenham 5-2 thanks to a sensational second half comeback. Tottenham dominated the opening exchanges and deservedly went in 2-0 up at the break with goals from Darren Bent and Luka Modric. Cristiano Ronaldo converted from the penalty spot to pull one back before four goals in a 12 minute spell courtesy of Ronaldo, Rooney (2) and Berbatov completed the remarkable comeback.
On this day : 10 years ago – 2000/2001
Chelsea hit Coventry for six with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink netting four in the 6-1 victory. Emile Heskey came back to haunt his former club, scoring the winning goal as Liverpool narrowly saw off Leicester to move into third.
Five years ago - 2005/06
Charlton continued their remarkable start to the season, coming from behind to beat Portsmouth 2-1 at Fratton Park and move back into second. Chelsea dropped their first points of the season as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Everton at Goodison Park.
One year ago - 2009/2010
Chelsea moved top of the Premier League after demolishing Blackburn 5-0 at Stamford Bridge while Liverpool recorded a memorable 2-0 victory over fierce rivals Manchester United, Fernando Torres and David Ngog with the goals.
Week 10 fixtures
Saturday 30th October
Arsenal vs. West Ham – 15.00
Blackburn vs. Chelsea - 15.00
Everton vs. Stoke - 15.00
Fulham vs. Wigan - 15.00
Wolves vs. Manchester City - 15.00
Manchester Utd vs. Tottenham- 17.30 – Live on ESPN
Sunday 31st October
Aston Villa vs. Birmingham – 12.00
Newcastle vs. Sunderland - 13.30 - Live on Sky Sports
Bolton vs. Liverpool - 16.00 - Live on Sky Sports
Monday 1st November
Blackpool vs. West Brom – 20.00 - Live on Sky Sports
See the full list of OLBG's free Football Tips here.
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