Weekend Match-Ups Preview (Part 1)

By Taylor Fisher | 5th December 2008

Weekend Match-Ups Preview (Part 1) | read this item

Well, another exciting weekend of English Premier League football is upon us. Saturday is full of Big Four action, with several teams trying to slow them down as they try to break away from the rest of the table. Can this weekend’s action be any better than the exciting matches of the midweek Carling Cup and UEFA Cup showdowns? Let’s see what action is in store for us.

Saturday, December 6th

Fulham v. Manchester City (12:45): Motivation is going to be an important factor if Man City is going to win this game. City are coming off of barely three days’ rest, but an extremely important result against Paris Saint-Germain should raise their spirits. City will need their momentum to carry over into this match against Fulham if they are to have any chance. Fulham are playing on top of their game right now. They are currently riding a 4 game unbeaten streak, with their only loss of November coming to Everton on the 1st. It’s not like Fulham’s streak is because they are playing horrible teams, either. First they beat Newcastle, then Tottenham. Then they drew Liverpool at Anfield. Their last game they drew Aston Villa at Villa Park, so now it is time to bring the show home. I think that they will take advantage of City’s very few days of rest and win for the home crowd. Look for Fulham to capitalize early.

Arsenal v. Wigan (15:00): Some weeks they are hot, others they are just plain pathetic. How are we supposed to know what Arsenal team is going to show up before the match? One week they go out and beat Manchester United, and then the next two weeks they get crushed by Man City and Aston Villa. Then, just last week, they travel to Stamford Bridge and start off the game with an own goal, but then they come back and beat Chelsea 2-1. I don’t see how people can call them title contenders if their results are that shaky, but that is beside the point. Arsenal should easily take it to Wigan on Saturday at home. The fans will be going crazy after they beat Chelsea, so look for them to play well and win easy. Wigan isn’t a bad team, it’s just that they have very little chance of beating Arsenal at the Emirates. Wigan had an easy schedule over the past month, and they still didn’t get lots of points out of it. Now it’s time to play a big game, and I just don’t think they are prepared. Arsenal wins it.

Blackburn v. Liverpool (15:00): Can you say relegation candidate? No, I’m not talking about Liverpool. Blackburn is in a dark place right now. They can’t seem to catch a break. They haven’t won any league games recently, and to top it all off, they just lost 5-3 to Manchester United’s youngsters, plus Carlos Tevez and Nani in their Carling Cup quarterfinal match. Doesn’t seem like too bad of a loss, if they were playing their own youngsters, but they were playing full strength. Ouch! Liverpool, on the other hand, are sitting pretty up at number one on the table and trying to prove critics they have what it takes to win a title. They are playing good football right now, and they are doing it without the help of star striker, Fernando Torres, who is expected to be out for over a month again with a hamstring injury. I’m not counting them out though because everybody is playing their game. I expect Liverpool to win this one. Blackburn needs to get help – and quick.

Bolton v. Chelsea (15:00): Don’t count them out so soon. Bolton is on fire. In five November matches, they won four of them. Their only other result was a loss to Liverpool. Not too shabby. Their matches aren’t even close either. In their four wins, they outscored their opponents 10-2! They must be doing something right, and they better keep it up if they plan on beating Chelsea this weekend. This is my “Upset Alert” match of the weekend. Bolton could definitely pull it off, especially since Chelsea is coming off their home loss to Arsenal. Bolton will need to capitalize early and keep the pressure on if they are going to win this match. It is entirely possible. A win would be huge, especially since it could put them as high as 6th on the table. I have a feeling Chelsea will win this game, but watch out, because Bolton is definitely capable of winning this one.

Don’t forget to read Part 2 of this weekend’s preview for talk about the rest of Saturday’s games. Part 3 will be coming out tomorrow to cover the games on Sunday and Monday.

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