Nervy evening awaits ambitious clubs

By Zain Alvi | 10th February 2010

Nervy evening awaits ambitious clubs | read this item

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On a cold Wednesday evening in February, temperature is nevertheless heating up very fast as some of the Premier League’s most ambitious clubs square off against each other. Liverpool’s visit to Arsenal is being advertised heavily as the marquee fixture of the midweek but let’s not forget, fourth-place contenders Aston Villa will also play host to reigning champions Manchester United while current leaders Chelsea will visit Everton at the Goodison Park.

It is only reasonable to consider this set of midweek fixtures as an extension of the remarkable brand of football on display this past weekend. Not only did the Premier League fans experience a nail-biting Merseyside derby, but Arsenal’s visit to Stamford Bridge was the ideal way to wrap up the round. Now, in the fallout from the weekend, Everton will seek to bounce back from their 1-0 derby defeat with an attempt to overcome an unstoppable Blues squad led by Carlo Ancelotti.

Meanwhile, there is obviously a lot more than just a rivalry that will be renewed at The Emirates stadium between Wenger’s Gunners and Rafa’s Reds. That is, as shocking as it may sound, Liverpool’s push for the third place will also be renewed despite a horrific performance for most of the season. An Arsenal defeat would obviously spell the end to any outside chance that the North Londoners possess in terms of claiming the Premier League title for the first time in more than half a decade.

Furthermore, a Chelsea defeat will hand Manchester United the lead in the title race albeit only at the condition that the Red Devils emerge victorious in an extremely challenging fixture at Villa Park. In retrospect, a United defeat accompanied with a Chelsea win will not only allow the Stamford Bridge outfit to become the runaway favorite for United’s title, but it will also heat up the race for the highly coveted fourth spot.

A draw in each of the aforementioned fixtures would obviously result in the maintenance of the status quo. In all fairness, however, most fans prefer to see another exciting twist in the tale as opposed to watching the status quo prevail. And as far as I am concerned, the proceedings in this season thus far pretty much guarantee that we can expect this evening to be dramatic, not static.

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