Sunday Match-Ups Preview

By Taylor Fisher | 24th October 2008

Sunday Match-Ups Preview | read this item

Sunday looks to be an exciting day full of matches that everybody will be talking about. Can Chelsea stay their dominant selves? Will this be Juande Ramos’ last game managing Tottenham? We will soon find out, but until then, let’s see what this Sunday could bring to the table.

Sunday, October 26th

Kuyt Chelsea v. Liverpool (13:30): The match is by far the match to be watching this weekend. Records aside, whenever teams in the Big Four play each other, you know that something special is about to happen. With Liverpool’s flashy Fernando Torres out with an injury, will Dirk Kuyt be able to step up big for his club and steal one at Stamford Bridge? I don’t know if that is possible. Chelsea’s Salomon Kalou has been in great form as of late, having scored 2 goals just last week at Middlesbrough. I wouldn’t expect a draw from this game. Although both teams have yet to lose, Chelsea seems to be in much better form thus far, not to mention they are at home. This will be a hard fought game, but I would give Chelsea the win given their recent run.

Manchester City v. Stoke City (15:00): At first glance, it would appear that this game could turn in to a goal scoring bonanza for Manchester City. However, don’t be so quick to predict another 6-0 scoreline as they pulled against Portsmouth. Manchester City’s midweek match-up is at Middlesbrough, which seems to be the more formidable opponent. Don’t be surprised if City rest a few players to get ready for their game on Wednesday. I can still see them winning this game, but it will probably be closer than expected. Stoke could win this game though if they still have their momentum going from last week’s win against Tottenham.

Tottenham v. Bolton (15:00): To fire or not to fire? That is the question. Juande Ramos is boiling up in the hot seat right now. With no wins to his name 2 months into the season, why would we even think of predicting a Tottenham win? With a midweek match at Arsenal, Tottenham need all the momentum they can muster for that game. A match at home against a team such as Bolton could be exactly what the doctor ordered. The losing ends on Sunday! Look for this to be a big game for Tottenham. I can see Bent and Pavlyuchenko both stepping up and saying, “Enough with this nonsense!” Expect to see Tottenham’s first win of the season.

Wigan v. Aston Villa (15:00): Wigan at home would be a good choice for this match. Villa has a tough stretch ahead of them. Having played Ajax yesterday, they play two more games between now and Wednesday. Expect Villa to rest players after a tough game against Ajax yesterday, so they can be ready for their Wednesday match-up at home against Blackburn. I would choose Wigan and another goal by flashy Egyptian striker, Amr Zaki, who was this week’s Premiership Talk Wednesday Wonder. That should put them over the top and into the win column. This could be the first of two momentum building wins for Wigan as they make a visit to Fulham on Wednesday.

West Ham United v. Arsenal (16:00): West Ham have gotten off to a decent start this season. However, that is because they have had a pretty soft schedule up to this point in the season. They may have 12 points, but that’s because they have been beating the teams they are expected to beat. With Arsenal coming to town this week and then an away match against Manchester United on Wednesday, it looks like West Ham will have to wait until next weekend to get a win. Arsenal are expecting the return of William Gallas and Kolo Toure this Sunday, after both have been nursing injuries over the past week. This will probably lead to an easy away win for Arsenal at Upton Park.

Portsmouth v. Fulham (17:00): With a game yesterday against SC Braga and a midweek clash at Liverpool, Portsmouth will likely rest some keys players to prepare for Wednesday’s game. Meanwhile, expect Fulham to play all of their starters to try and gain momentum going into their Wednesday clash with Wigan at home. If all goes well for Fulham, they could sneak two wins out, but that seems unlikely given that Portsmouth has been playing much better than Fulham as of late. The more rested team will most likely win this won. Since Fulham hasn’t felt what winning feels like since the beginning of September, watch out, because they are hungry for a win. I would predict a surprising draw though.

I want to see what everybody thinks about these match-ups, so add your own input on these games by commenting on this article. You can even try your luck in the Premiership Talk Predictions Game!

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