Premier League Preview – 20th/21st November
There have been plenty of talking points during the short international break with reigning Premier League champions and current league leaders Chelsea having had a week to forget. On Sunday afternoon, what looked like a routine three points on paper quickly turned into a nightmare for Chelsea who suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat at the hands of Sunderland, their first defeat at Stamford Bridge this season.
Things haven’t got any better for manager Carlo Ancelotti this week, receiving the news that centre back duo John Terry and Alex could be out of action for up to two months. In their absence, Branislav Ivanovic and Paulo Ferriera are most likely to fill in as they attempt to get their title defence back on track this weekend against Birmingham at St Andrews.
Birmingham spent most of last season inside the top half, resulting in a ninth place finish. However, after a contrasting start this time round, the Blues currently occupy 18th place and look set to be involved in a fight for survival.
Arsenal have a glorious opportunity to move to the top of the Premier League when they face North London rivals Tottenham in Saturday’s early kick off at the Emirates. The Gunners have long been the dominant force in North London, winning four of the last five Premier League meetings between the sides.
Despite just one win away from home this season, Manchester United remarkably are the only side still unbeaten in the Premier League and are now just three points behind Chelsea. They’ll be hoping to extend their unbeaten run when they entertain Wigan at Old Trafford on Saturday, a game that could see Wayne Rooney make his long awaited return to action.
The Latics have fought back admirably after 4-0 and 6-0 defeats to start the season, dragging themselves out of the bottom three for the time being. Roberto Martinez is aware the job is far from done though and any points they can take off the top four could prove vital come the end of the season.
Elsewhere, Bolton Wanderers have hit the ground running this season and are up to 5th place after picking up seven points from their last three games. They face Newcastle United, who have claimed some memorable scalps of their own this season.
Liverpool have failed to build on their 2-0 defeat of Chelsea, dropping points against Wigan at the DW Stadium before another lacklustre performance saw them beaten 2-0 by Stoke last Saturday. They return to Anfield on Saturday where they tackle West Ham United, who despite some promising performances this season sit rock bottom of the table.
There are two games on Sunday afternoon, the first sees Blackburn welcome Gerard Houllier’s Aston Villa to Ewood Park. Aston Villa must recover from the bitter disappointment of last Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United, having gone 2-0 up with just 15 minutes remaining. Their away record certainly hardly inspires confidence for Sunday’s encounter, registering just one win and four points on the road all season.
Finally, Fulham failed to score in 180 minutes of Premier League football last week and will be looking to end their goal scoring drought when they face Manchester City at Craven Cottage.
Game of the weekend: Arsenal vs. Tottenham
Saturday’s lunchtime kick off looks sure to be a fascinating one as the North London derby takes place at the Emirates. Tottenham have dropped to 7th after a promising start and must find a way to perform consistently in the Premier League. The Gunners have dominated this fixture in recent years, winning 10 of the last 12 meetings between the sides on home turf.
Blast from the past: Wednesday 29th October 2008 - Arsenal 4-4 Tottenham
Tottenham produced a devastating comeback in the closing minutes to earn a share of the spoils in a thrilling North London derby. Despite going a goal down, Arsenal were soon in command. Headers either side of the half-time interval from Mikael Silvestre and William Gallas gave the Gunners the lead before Emanuel Adebayor and Robin Van Persie all but wrapped up the points. Tottenham were far from done though, Jermaine Jenas curling home from long range to set up a tense finale before Aaron Lennon pounced on a rebound deep into stoppage time to give Tottenham a most unlikely point.
On this day : 10 years ago – 2000/2001
Manchester United ran out narrow 1-0 victors of the Manchester derby and moved five points clear at the top of the league as their closest challengers Arsenal lost 2-0 to Everton at Goodison Park.
Five years ago - 2005/06
Chelsea continued their dominance in the Premier League, extending the gap at the top to 10 points with a 2-0 victory over Portsmouth. Elsewhere, Manchester United came from a goal down to beat West Ham 2-1 at Upton Park and move into second above Wigan and Bolton.
One year ago - 2009/2010
Despite a dominant display by Everton, it was Liverpool who earnt the bragging rights on Merseyside, securing a 2-0 success over the Toffees at Goodison Park. Chelsea remained five points clear at the top after an impressive 3-0 victory over Arsenal.
Round 14 fixtures
Saturday 20th November
Arsenal vs. Tottenham - 12.45 - Live on Sky Sports
Birmingham vs. Chelsea - 15.00
Blackpool vs. Wolves - 15.00
Bolton vs. Newcastle - 15.00
West Ham vs. Blackpool - 15.00
Manchester United vs. Wigan - 15.00
West Bromwich Albion vs. Stoke - 15.00
Liverpool vs. West Ham - 17.30 - Live on ESPN
Sunday 21st November
Blackburn vs. Aston Villa - 13.30 - Live on Sky Sports
Fulham vs. Manchester City - 16.00 - Live on Sky Sports
Monday 22nd November
Sunderland vs. Everton - 20.00 - Live on Sky Sports
See the full list of OLBG's free Football Tips here.
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