Saturday 14th March 2009
Arsenal scraped through to the Champions League quarter-finals by the skin of their teeth on Wednesday night, but the fact that they came through in the end will be a massive boost to their morale and confidence. Add to that a fourteen game unbeaten run in the league and you see that Blackburn face a daunting task.
Blackburn earned a crucial 2-1 win at Fulham in mid-week to drag them out of the bottom three. They will try to make life as difficult as possible for The Gunners but it is hard to see past a home win.
SoccerNews prediction: 2-0
Eleventh plays tenth in what in any other season would be a meaningless mid-table scrap. This year, however, despite their league positions the two teams find themselves just five and six points above the drop zone respectively.
Bolton went to Stoke in mid-week with only one defeat in five games and showed their inconsistency by being beaten 2-0. Fulham have looked solid all season but have now lost three in a row. Both teams find it hard to score.
SoccerNews prediction: 0-0
In what should be a home banker sixth takes on sixteenth at Goodison Park. Everton sit four points behind Arsenal and seven behind Aston Villa but only one defeat in seventeen games sees them as the form team.
Stoke are fighting for their lives and every time they look as though they may be struggling they get an important win. They’ll fancy themselves to get something here. I don’t.
SoccerNews prediction: 2-1
This really is a proverbial six pointer. Newcastle are only out of the drop zone on goal difference and after a promising little recovery they have won just one game in twelve and are beginning to look like they may be in free-fall.
Hull are a further four points better off but their 1-0 win at Fulham last time out was there first win in thirteen games.
SoccerNews prediction: 1-1
I guess you could say this is quite a big game! No love lost between these two and Wayne Rooney’s comments about growing up hating Liverpool and that nothing has changed won’t have added to the friendly and cordial atmosphere there will be at Old Trafford.
A win for United would put them ten points clear of Liverpool with a game in hand and surely end Liverpool’s interest in the title.
Although Liverpool were great and United weren’t, they both had excellent European results in mid-week. United are unbeaten in sixteen games in the league conceding only two goals. At home, they haven’t dropped a point since the opening day of the season.
Liverpool’s away record shows four draws and two defeats and their recent form has been patchy with only five wins in twelve games. Having said that, there has only been one defeat.
It’ll be a full-on encounter but it probably won’t be pretty!
SoccerNews prediction: 1-1
Two pretty poor teams take each other on at The Riverside. They both sit in the relegation places and are both in pretty dire form.
Boro have just one win in sixteen whilst Pompey are little better with three wins in their last sixteen. In a game that neither side looks capable of winning there can only be one prediction.
SoccerNews prediction: 1-1
Two teams here that are going OK, but will both still be keeping a wary eye on what is going on beneath them.
Sunderland are thirteenth, four points above the drop zone but will want to halt a run of three games without a win. Wigan are three points better off than Sunderland, but will be getting more and more concerned by their winless run which now stretches to eight games.
SoccerNews prediction: 1-0
Sunday 15th March 2009
Villa are only three points ahead of Arsenal now in the final Champions League qualifying place after a run of three league games without a win and five in all competitions. They have had a relaxing, ‘bonding’ trip to Dubai in the week and Martin O’Neill will be desperate for that to have revitilised his men.
Despite only being beaten three times in their last ten games, Tottenham are still only four points above the drop zone. They will be looking to get at least a point from this one.
SoccerNews prediction: 2-1
A revitilised Chelsea take on an improving Manchester City. Both sides had decent European performances in mid-week and will be full of confidence.
Guus Hiddink is yet to taste defeat as Chelsea boss and he is unlikely to do so in this one. City have had some decent results recently but just one win away from home all season tells you all you need to know.
SoccerNews prediction: 2-0
Monday 16th March 2009
After three league games without a win, Gianfranco Zola’s men have steadied the ship with two excellent 1-0 wins at home to Manchester City and away at Wigan. They are currently sitting in seventh place and have opened up a four point gap on those below them. That is a great achievement.
West Brom, on the other hand, are rock bottom and six points from safety. Six league games without a win, including four defeats in a row have left them needing to get something from this game. They won’t.
SoccerNews prediction: 2-0
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