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| Wayne Rooney Climbing up hard. |
PART I: PRE-MATCH ANALYSES
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| Ashley Young Marked as £80m by Gerard Houllier after being pursued by Man Utd and Liverpool. |
Another frenzy Saturday opener as Aston Villa face Arsenal at the unbeatable Villa Park.
The Villans are yet to lose at their home ground, with a proud record of holding Chelsea and drawing Man Utd after a two goal lead. Things may go pretty tough for them though, with the absence of several key players including captain Stiliyan Petrov (long term knee injury) and Marc Albrighton (appendicitis). However, the arrival of ex-Gunners Robert Pires certainly helps them, both experience and tactics to play against the Frenchman's former employer.
On the other hand, Arsenal continues to miss Thomas Vermaelen and captain Cesc Fabregas for their title conquest. Koscielny is still very unreliable and this big hole may be greatly exploited by Gabriel Agbonlahor. Arsenal will have to rely on Fabianski and Nasri's marvel in both ends to get something from Villa.
I think Villa should be able to at least continue their unbeaten record at Villa Park.
Prediction: AST 1-0 ARS
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| Gareth Bale Needs to keep his mind cool after missing a penalty in the Champions League clash against Bremen. |
Well rested Liverpool is set to snatch something from White Hart Lane as the home side celebrates for their Champions League progress.
Van der Vaart remains a doubt for Tottenham but I don't think that would matter much as they now have a fit Defoe to lead the line. The latter will definitely reduce the number of chances wasted by the team with his clinical strikes.
On the other side, the skipper Steven Gerrard remains injured, but Lucas will be released from suspension to lock Modric's passes. However, it remains a concern whether Carragher and Skrtel/Kyrgiakos can guard Defoe and Crouch/Pavlyuchenko well and whether Glen Johnson can keep up with Gareth Bale's speed.
Liverpool's away form is too pathetic to win this, but I think there's a high chance of drawing. Expect goals from both sides.
Prediction: TOT 1-1 LIV
The Rest
- Bolton v Blackpool (3-1) - Captain K. Davies or Elmander again everyone?
- Everton v West Brom (3-0) - Captain Tim Cahill. Quite a big shock if he fails to give us something.
- Fulham v Birmingham (1-0) - Fulham needs to collect points against weak-at-away Birmingham.
- Man Utd v Blackburn (2-0) - Those with United's defender should prosper.
- Stoke City v Man City (0-1) - Tough match-up for City but they shouldn't slip.
- West Ham v Wigan (2-1) - May be the last game for Avram Grant so he should make it a happy ending.
- Wolves v Sunderland (0-2) - One goal each for Welbeck and Bent?
- Newcastle v Chelsea (0-2) - A great opportunity for Drogba and co to signal their return. UPDATE: Heavy snow at Tyneside so expect the game to be postponed.
PART II: SQUAD SELECTIONS
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| Tim Cahill I strongly believe that he will do this in the match against WBA. |
Captain Picks
- Tim Cahill - WBA is totally out of form.
- Elmander/K. Davies - It's so hard to believe Blackpool defence can hold them up at Reebok Stadium.
- Nani - Despite Rooney's return, he will still play the most important role at United until the former reaches his prime.
- Drogba/Malouda - Newcastle's defence is too fragile for them.
Buy-Ins
- Elmander/K. Davies/Lee - They lead Bolton's in-form attack.
- Rafael - Cementing a strong starting position at Man Utd.
- Rooney - If you believe that he will find his form fast.
Sell-Outs
- Fabregas - Injured.
- Gyan - Doubtful and lost his position to Welbeck.
- Elmohamady - Lost his starting position surprisingly.
Squad of XV
GK: Van der Sar
DF: Vidic, Baines, Ivanovic
MF: Cahill(C), Nani, Dempsey, Lee
F: Elmander, Davies K., Drogba
Subs (in order): Green, Hughes, N'Zogbia, Coleman
Captain: Cahill
Emergency Captain: Value
Starting XI Value: £84.1m
Total Team Value: £104.4m
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