That is the photo of William Gallas with a cigarette in his mouth(which if you didn't know, isn't allowed when you make £100,000 a week). Gallas has an autobiography coming out, and he made comments about how fractious the dressing room at Arsenal is. Now comes word that Arsene Wenger has stripped him of his captaincy, and that he might be dropped to the bench for the game with Man City. We'll know if this is true tomorrow.Saturday
Newcastle at Chelsea- Between giving up three goals in Ireland's midweek friendly, and this game at Stamford Bridge, I just hope Shay Given doesn't injure his back picking up all those balls. Lampard is doubtful, and Drogba begins serving his ban, but Joe Cole and Petr Cech should return. I don't have the space to list Newcastle injury concerns, but Ameobi/Owen/Martins will have a tough time breaking the Chelsea defense. Chelsea 3-0
Fulham at Liverpool- Torres is supposed to start, and Gerrard will miss this game with a groin injury. To call Fulham's away record awful is an insult to awful, and I think if they score a goal it will be a moral victory. Liverpool 3-0
Arsenal at Man City- Fabregas is suspended, Walcott is injured, Toure is doubtful and Gallas is being shunned. The only good news is the return of RVP, and he'll be delighted that Dunne and Gelson Fernandes are suspended, while Kasper Schmeichel is set to replace the injured Joe Hart. The Brazilians of City will be tired from their trip to South America, so it will be interesting to see what kind of pace this game has. Arsenal 3-2
Bolton at Middlesbrough- Two teams that manage to survive relegation year after year, this game will not be friendly on the eyes. Bolton's defense has been tough lately, but the Riverside is where Boro collect their points. Tuncay will try to keep the ball rolling. Boro 1-0
Hull at Portsmouth- Fratton Park was a fortress under Harry Redknapp's reign, and Tony Adams will want to see a return to that mentality. Many teams have taken Hull lightly, and this has helped them garner four away wins. Portsmouth have a number of injuries to contend with, but will hope that the Crouch-Defoe partnership can get back on track. Tie 1-1
West Brom at Stoke- A classic six-pointer, two newly promoted that was to stay in the Prem. It's a classic battle between the long ball tactics of Stoke, and the quick paced counter attack of WBA. Fuller is out for Stoke, and Morrison is out for WBA. If West Brom wins, they will find themselves level with Stoke, and Mowbray will be able to walk out with his sizable chin held high. West Brom 2-1
Man U at Aston Villa- Last week's defeat of Arsenal showed Villa to be a serious threat to the Big 4, and at Old Trafford they'll attempt to show how serious they are. A win would see Villa leap frog over the defending champions, but the red devils have the best home record this season. The Portuguese and Brazilians will be tired from their South American exertions, and Berbatov will be out with an injury. Agbonlahor and Young will want to show Capello that their inclusion in the England squad shouldn't be a temporary measure. Man U 2-0
Sunday
Blackburn at Tottenham- Two teams going in opposite directions, with 'Andsome 'Arry 'Oudini the king of North London, while Paul Ince may soon be on the dole. Modric will be out with an injury, while Emerton and Grella won't feature for Rovers. Santa Cruz and McCarthy will fancy their chances against the Tottenham defense, but Fraizer Campbell will want to continue his fine run of form and impress a certain northern club. Tottenham 3-2
West Ham at Sunderland- Things are not looking good for Zola, and it seems likely that he will be forced to sell everything that's not nailed down in the January transfer window. Sunderland have gone up and down the table, and will hope their T&T trio are not tired from their WCQ exertions. Tie 1-1
Monday
Everton at Wigan- Everton have started to look like the team that has been nipping at the heels of the Big 4 the last few years, and have excelled on the road. Steve Bruce's side have not looked good at home, and will be worried about a number of players dealing with knocks(minor injuries). By the time this game is played they could be in the drop zone, as if they need any more incentive to win. Everton 2-1
One Liners
- Ramos wants a return to the Premiership, I wonder how he feels about Newcastle
- Tony Adams says that his club could have signed Geovanni, he would have done better to actually put his foot in his mouth
- Schuster says he has no reason to think about resigning going into this weekend's match against Recreativo, I guess he can't read the Spanish papers
- Thiago Silva accuses Ronaldo of trying to break his leg, I can't even imagine Ronaldo doing anything untoward
- Scolari wants a new deal for Ballack, Abramovich waiting to see the price of oil
