Games kick-off at 3pm unless stated otherwise.
West Ham v Chelsea (12.45pm)
TV: Sky Sports 2
Betting: 11/4 (home), 23/10 (draw), 21/20 (away).
Doubtful: West Ham – George McCartney, Andy Carroll.
Injured: Daniel Sturridge, John Terry and Frank Lampard.
West Ham produced a respectable performance against Man United on Wednesday, making Alex Fergsuson’s men sweat, despite the early setback of going a goal down in the first minute.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have been less than convincing under Rafa Benitez so far, but should have the required quality in this instance.
The Hammers have nonetheless only lost once at home all season, so don’t expect this to be an easy game for the visitors.
And Juan Mata was surprisingly benched for the side that played Fulham, so provided he is restored to the starting line-up, Chelsea should have just about enough to prevail and at least temporarily appease the Benitez haters.
Verdict: Chelsea
Arsenal v Swansea
Betting: 4/9 (home), 10/3 (draw), 13/2 (away).
Injured: Arsenal – Laurent Koscielny. Swansea – Danny Graham and Pablo Hernandez.
Doubtful: Arsenal – Bacary Sagna, Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski. Swansea – Chico Flores.
Arsenal are invariably criticised for their supposed lack of mental strength, so it was interesting to hear Arsene Wenger praising them for displaying this quality against Everton earlier in the week.
Yet they still did not have enough to beat Everton, while Swansea gained an impressive victory over high-flying West Brom.
Somewhat surprisingly though, the Gunners currently sit only one point ahead of their Welsh counterparts in the table.
However, Arsenal haven’t lost in the league to Swansea since 1982, and with home advantage, even Wenger’s most ardent defenders would surely accept that anything other than a win today is unacceptable for a side with top-four ambitions.
Verdict: Arsenal
Fulham v Tottenham
Betting: 2/1 (home), 9/4 (draw), 7/5 (away).
Injured: Fulham – Simon Davies, Alex Kacaniklic and Bryan Ruiz. Tottenham – Scott Parker, Younes Kaboul and Benoit Assou-Ekotto.
Suspended: Fulham – Brede Hangeland. Tottenham – Emmanuel Adebayor.
Two wins on the bounce mean AVB’s Tottenham are now undoubtedly back in form.
And while Spurs’ season has been marked by inconsistency, Gareth Bale has been one of the few reliable performers in the side, and was again maginificent against Liverpool.
Fulham were also far better last week, in comparison with previous form, earning a 0-0 draw with Chelsea.
Nevertheless, Tottenham have won the past five league encounters against their fellow London club, and the Cottagers haven’t won in six games, so those runs are likely to continue if Bale can grab hold of this match, just as he did against Liverpool.
Verdict: Tottenham
Liverpool v Southampton
Betting: 4/9 (home), 10/3 (draw), 13/2 (away).
Doubtful: Liverpool – Joe Cole. Southampton – Danny Fox.
Southampton have finally begun to show some form of late, beating Newcastle and being desperately unlucky to only draw with Norwich, on account of an awful error from goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga.
Liverpool, meanwhile, continue to be hampered by their over-reliance on Luis Suarez.
While the Uruguayan has been phenomenal so far, their ostensible need to start him in every game means he is at risk of burning out before the season’s end if a suitable back-up isn’t found promptly.
That said, Liverpool are unbeaten in their last four games at Anfield, and the Saints have been decidedly weak on their travels, losing five out of a possible six, so the hosts should have enough to overcome their opponents.
Verdict: Liverpool
Man City v Everton
TV: Setanta Ireland
Betting: 8/15 (home), 3/1 (draw), 11/2 (away).
Injured: Man City – James Milner, Micah Richards, Jack Rodwell and Gael Clichy.
Doubtful: Everton – Nikica Jelavic and Leighton Baines.
City have not lost at home in the Premier League since December 2010, though their opposition that day was David Moyes’ Everton.
The Toffees proved yet again that they can compete with the biggest teams in the league, drawing 1-1 with Arsenal in the week.
City, meanwhile, secured a typically solid but unspectacular 2-0 win against Wigan.
Everton seem to have the Indian sign over the Eastlands club, having won eight of their last ten Premier League encounters, though a win for them today would still constitute a major surprise.
Verdict: Man City
QPR v Aston Villa
Betting: 11/10 (home), 23/10 (draw), 5/2 (away).
Doubtful: QPR – Julio Cesar. Aston Villa – Ron Vlaar.
The type of game that QPR and Harry Redknapp need to be winning if they are to have any hope of avoiding relegation, as Villa have only won once in their past 15 away matches.
QPR have a good record against them, and while they ultimately only picked up one point out of a possible six, there have been encouraging signs in their recent games against Sunderland and Man United.
It will be interesting to see if Darren Bent plays a part in the action, with Paul Lambert having this week strongly denied rumours that he was set to leave the club.
QPR, on the other hand, should be boosted with Park Ji-sung likely to shake off a recent injury and return to their side, while the Harry factor should be enough to earn them a point.
Verdict: draw
West Brom v Stoke City
Betting: 11/10 (home), 23/10 (draw), 13/5 (away).
Doubtful: West Brom – Zoltan Gera. Stoke – Peter Crouch and Michael Owen.
Injured: West Brom – Ben Foster.
West Brom finally suffered the setback that many people had been predicting for a while now during the week.
The decision to drop Shane Long from the starting line-up proved unsuccessful, so expect the Irishman to feature from the start this time.
Stoke appear destined for another season of mid-table comfort, having beaten Newcastle in mid week.
West Brom have been formidable at home though, only conceding five goals in total at the Hawthorns this season, so the smart money’s on them triumphing today.
Verdict: West Brom
Reading v Manchester United (5.30pm)
TV: ESPN UK
Doubtful: Reading – Danny Guthrie and Jimmy Kebe.
Injured: Reading – Alex McCarthy and Jem Karacan. Man United – Nani and Antonio Valencia
United have looked unconvincing on occasion away from home this season, losing to both Norwich and Everton.
Reading, though, have only won once at the Madejski Stadium over the course of their campaign, and so are unlikely to pose Alex Ferguson’s men too many problems.
That said, Brian McDermott’s men are unbeaten in their last four home matches and have a reasonable record against United in the league (two draws, two losses).
However United, with Paul Scholes back from suspension, should win this one.
Verdict: United
