Big weekend in the Prem, as all leagues will shut down for two weeks for the international break on Monday. The marquee matchup must be Scolari's Chelsea vs. Ramos' Tottenham. The two teams have enjoyed very different starts to the season, and both will want to win the London derby.Bolton v. WBA: The Reebok is always a hard place to play, and West Brom have endured a difficult start to the season. Bolton have a number of injuries to contend with, and I imagine an ugly game ending in a 1-1 draw.
Everton v. Portsmouth: Two teams that thought they'd be doing a lot better, and two teams that are extremely thin at the moment. Jacobsen should feature for Everton, and hopefully shore up their backline. They should make the Goodison faithful happy, and continue Portsmouth's woes with a 2-0 victory.
Hull v. Wigan: A big game for Hull, they need points at home. Wigan have had a tough start, but have looked solid. With King forced to sit out due to his loan deal, I think Wigan could grab this 1-0.
Middlesbrough v. Stoke: Boro have also impressed early on, and the best you could say about Stoke is they've been lucky. Look for Boro to cruise 3-1 at home.
West Ham v. Blackburn: A win would go a long way to saving Curbishley's job, and if he is outmanaged by Ince it could be the end of his East London career. West Ham still have a number of injuries, and Blackburn looks like an attacking force, I think Blackburn in a 2-1 road upset.
Arsenal v. Newcastle: Both teams are welcoming back stars from injury, with Fabregas and Owen expected to start. Arsenal have looked stale, and Newcastle have shown some life. Class hould win out, Arsenal should prevail at home 2-1.
Chelsea v. Tottenham: In this week's London derby(there always seems to be one), the undefeated play the winless. It will be interesting to see what role Pavlyuchenko plays, and where Berbatov starts the game. Chelsea have looked strong, and should continue their home streak with a 2-0 win.
Sunderland v. Man City: Roy Keane's team has really been one of the surprises of the season. City will be tired from their midweek match, but SWP should have plenty of energy. This game could go either way, if Cisse scores Sunderland should expect to get something, 1-1 final.
Aston Villa v. Liverpool: Awwwwwkward. Barry plays against the team that wanted him, and that he wanted. Both teams had midweek games, but O'Neill will definitely want to avenge the Stoke defeat. Rafa will want to keep his side perfect, but without Gerrard that will be hard. A draw is the safe bet, 2-2.
The big news is the transfer of Louis Saha to Everton. Saha is definitely an underrated striker, and a foolish yellow card in the World Cup meant he was suspended for the final(what would have happened if he took that pk instead of Trezeguet?). He's also injured quite often, so it's an interesting choice for Moyes. That does make three signings in the past few days, and look for them to try and lock up one or two more players before the window closes. In a deal that didn't surprise anyone, Milner has moved to Aston Villa, also known as the England youth team, for £10 million. Portsmouth and Everton also made bids, but Milner has expressed his desire to play for O'Neill. With Young and Agbonlahor beside him, they an offensive force. Stoke also made a move, signing Sonko from Reading. This shouldn't surprise anyone given the fallout between Sonko and Coppell. It is also likely they will sell Doyle before the window closes.One Liners
- Man U loses to Russians, somewhere Abramovich is laugh/crying
- Nobody knows what is happening to Robinho, agent now considered as reliable as Baghdad Bob
- Director Danny Fiszman says Wenger has £30 million to spend, Wenger expected to bid on 2 year old octuplets from Suriname
- The American owners of Liverpool are having financing difficulties that will delay stadium, scousers are not capable of getting any redder in anger
