Saturday gave us the first Big 4 encounter as Manchester United welcomed an Arsenal side that is in marauding form. Two of the best sides in England since the Premier League began have always been the recipe of a mouthwatering contest for fans and neutrals alike.
Yet, for the first 40 minutes of the game, it was one midfield playing the other. This apart from Fletcher's effort just under 10 minutes which he blasted wide after being set up by Wayne Rooney, and Arshavin's brilliantly guided ball (on a corner) which missed the post by mere inches.
It was near the 40th minute that the match really took off. Arshavin had the ball in the penalty area and tried to dribble across a diving Darren Fletcher. He got the ball away before Fletcher came crashing into his legs. A blind man would have given this a penalty.
But such is the way football treats you. Luck has rarely shown it's pretty face to Darren Fletcher and he welcomed it with open arms. It was on a similar night last year at the Emirates, that Fletcher had got the ball away from Cesc Fabregas inside the penalty box, but the referee saw otherwise. Cue the yellow card, and Fletcher was out of the CL Final. Clearly a player United sorely missed on that night and the evidence of this argument was provided by Fletcher against Arsenal. He tread on every blade of grass on the Old Trafford pitch, blocked every pass in a radius of 10 meters, strung together great offensive runs and hassled the Arsenal midfield for its possession.
Coming back to the 40th minute of the match. Arsenal were soon in possession and it was the Russian maestro who collected a pass 30 yards out and sent a screamer past Ben Foster to hand Arsenal the lead. Foster should have done better with his save. Stronger hands would have seen the ball sail over the top post, but that strike deserved to rest at the back of the net. The goal sprang United into life and they bombarded the Arsenal goal till Half-Time, but 'that' pass into the final third was missing.
After the restart it was Arsenal who threatened first and Foster made amends of his earlier mistake, saving brilliantly from Van Persie who should have been on the score sheet just on the basis of his display. The two teams exchanged some good moves, but it was at the hour mark that things turned drastically bad for Arsenal. Ryan Giggs put a beautifully weighted through ball in the path of Wayne Rooney who burst through the Arsenal defense and tried to beat the keeper on the dribble but was brought down by Manuel Almunia. The Arsenal stopper could have few complaints about the penalty, clearly tagging Rooney, but maybe should have questioned his decision making. The referee took his own time to allow Rooney to shoot and when he blew his whistle, Rooney sent Almunia the wrong way and leveled the score.
United brought on Ji-Sung Park for the unimpressive Valencia (at 63 minutes) and a minute after the introduction of the Korean, the Red Devils won a free-kick in the middle of the Park. Ryan Giggs stepped up and floated in a beautiful cross in no-man's land only to find an unopposed Abou Diaby in the box who showed some sublime finishing skills to find the back of the net with his header. Too bad it was in his own net. Stretford End had erupted. And with United in the lead, it was going to be very tough for the Gunners to come back on level terms after this fiasco.
The heads had dropped, shoulders clammed up as Arsenal showed the body language of a team that had just conceded their 3rd goal without reply (cue the same CL semi-final from last year). A far cry from their display on the night. Diaby tried to make amends immediately after the restart but his shot just didn't match his run. At the other end United were threatening on the counter attack but showed exactly why they need a better performance from their midfield men. While Fletcher and Carrick control the ball well, they can't even match Giggs for passing. The veteran showing exactly why Sir Alex saves him for the big games.
In the closing stages of the game, both teams spurned brilliant chances - Berbatov, who came on at the 85th minute to replace Giggs, was teed up beautifully by Nani but sent his shot crashing wide, and then Van Persie put the ball in the back of the net only to see the offside flag raised for Gallas.
A very bemused Arsene Wenger was sent off with 30 seconds to go, for kicking a bottle in frustration. And he should have been frustrated. Arsenal got a result they didn't deserve and they only have themselves to blame.
I was talking to my friend, an ardent Gunner, and told him I predicted his team winning 2-1 at Old Trafford. But I also said that if United take the lead, they will not get beaten at home. They rarely do. United showed again that they can do the job on the night without coming within a country mile of their best.
And Arsenal are susceptible to giving it away and their history shows it. They will be brilliant for 85 minutes and then will have a period of 5 crazy minutes where they gift the game to their opponents and teams like United will punish you at such times.
When Arshavin scored, Martin Tyler very eloquently described the goal as "From Russia, with Love". I say the United's victory was "From Arsenal, with Love"
The season is still in its infancy and who knows who will have the last laugh. The Gunners have 30th January marked on the calendar as "Revenge Date".
Until Then, Bring in the Beers.
Showing posts with label Man Utd vs Arsenal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Man Utd vs Arsenal. Show all posts
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Premier League Preview Round 4
PREDICTIONS------------RESULTS
ARS 6 - 0 POR--------- ARS 4 - 1 POR
BIR 1 - 1 STO----------BIR 0 - 0 STO
HUL 2 - 1 BOL---------HUL 1 - 0 BOL
MANC 2 - 0 WOL------MANC 1 - 0 WOL
SUN 2 - 1 BLA---------SUN 2 - 1 BLA
WIG 0 - 1 MANU------WIG 0 - 5 MANU
WHU 1 - 1 TOT--------WHU 1 - 2 TOT
BUR 1 - 2 EVE---------BUR 1 - 0 EVE
FUL 0 - 2 CHE--------FUL 0 - 2 CHE
LIV 2 - 0 AST---------LIV 1 - 3 AST
I got 7 results CORRECT. 2 PERFECT scores.
Quite frankly, it should have been 8 correct and 3 Perfect scores. No thanks to the brilliance of Carlton Cole at both ends of the pitch, are Tottenham still on top of the Premier League table. On to the coming, and very exciting, weekend.
Chelsea vs Burnley
Kick-Off 12:45
Chelsea 1/7
Draw 7/1
Burnley 20/1
'The Blue Thunder' has been on quite a rampage and is driving fear into the hearts of their opponents. Something Burnley is not accustomed to. They don't fear anyone, that's for sure. But, they are modest and humble and in their managers' mind, they won't stand much of a chance to repeat last seasons' heroics. Chelsea look a well-oiled, well-crafted machine. Whether this will last the season, time will tell. Right now, they do look unbeatable. But then again, Hull at home and Sunderland away are not fixtures you would expect Chelsea to lose. They did well against Fulham as well. Burnley will be Burnt out by this weekend after 3 back - back victories (two impressive ones against Manchester United and Everton, one in mid-week against Hartlepool). But the one against Hartlepoool was won in extra-time and the team will find it tough to recover quick enough for the first game of the weekend. If Burnley prove me wrong, this is the last time I will doubt them.
Chelsea 3 - 0 Burnley
Blackburn Rovers vs West Ham United
Kick-Off 15:00
Rovers 6/5
Draw 9/4
Hammers 5/2
The Rovers gave a good account of themselves at the Stadium of Light last weekend but came up short against an inspired performance by Kenwyn Jones. But this game isn't happening away from home, it is at Ewood Park and that will give the Rovers some amount of confidence. Sam Allardyce had made the Reebok a fortress while he was at Bolton and he will has already started that mission at Blackburn. His team is hard to beat but then again, they don't have enough goals in them.
The Hammers had a great showing against a rampant Tottenham side and would feel hard done by the 1 - 2 loss to the Spurs. But they have bounced back since with the highly controversial come from behind victory over arch rivals Milwall in midweek. Through Balls to opposing strikers aside, Carlton Cole has been in good form and only under Gianfranco Zola will he ever be able to strike the ball like he did at the weekend. What a goal, Mr. Cole. This game doesn't have too much in it. Pedersen to score with a spot kick and West Ham to nick one at the end.
Blackburn 1 - 1 West Ham
Bolton vs Liverpool
Kick-Off 15:00
Bolton 6/1
Draw 3/1
Liverpool 8/15
Liverpool will want last weekend's result to look like a blip in their title campaign. But the fact remains they can't seem to cope with life without Alonso. God alone knows why Benitez was planning it last year. Further proof that he is a numpty manager, as far as the League is concerned. Liverpool's midfield plus strikers take the shape of what looks like a car tire. The only problem is, without Alonso threading the attacks together, this tire doesn't seem to be going straight but making donuts at the car park. If any Liverpool fan thinks am off it, please look at the odds being given to your club for a win. It's almost 1/2.
Bolton will be thrilled they are playing Liverpool at this stage. But they won't be over the moon. After being beaten by Hull last weekend, they went on to defeat Tranmere Rovers in their Carling Cup match in midweek. The derby victory will give them confidence but they just don't have anything attractive about them. It's a wonder why Reebok supports this team blindly. Gary Megson will send out a team to frustrate Liverpool and hit them on the counter attack. His only problem is Liverpool can match anything thrown their way by this team.
Bolton 1 - 2 Liverpool
Stoke vs Sunderland
Kick-Off 15:00
Stoke 11/8
Draw 9/4
Sunderland 11/5
Stoke will be thrilled coming back to familiar territory after an unhappy road trip which saw them thrashed at Anfield and return with the first goalless draw of the season at St. Andrews, a game where they should have been targeting all 3 points. They will be tired as well, needing an added half an hour to pull off a 1 - 0 against Leyton Orient in midweek. Tony Pulis will want to get a win against Sunderland at home to get the confidence back at the Britannia.
Standing in his way will be Steve Bruce's Black Cats who are high on confidence having won 3 of their last 4 games. One of the wins was on opening day at the Reebok, a ground similar in ferocity as the Britannia. Kenwyn Jones is in sublime form and is linking up well with new boy Darren Bent. Paulo Da Silva had a great debut midweek against Norwich in the Carling Cup and Andy Reid was also in great touch. Bruce said in his first press conference that his side need to score that vital SECOND goal to seal a game. He organises his teams such that they are hard to beat. And definitely, with a 2 goal deficit against the potters, he will come back smiling.
Stoke 1 - 3 Sunderland
Tottenham Hotspurs vs Birmingham
Kick-Off 15:00
Spurs 4/11
Draw 15/4
Birmingham 8/1
The Spurs are rampant this season. They have scored 14 goals in 4 competitive games. The latest against being a 5 - 1 hammering of Doncaster. The great thing about the game was that Harry Redknapp was able to field a relatively changed side to emphasize the depth of his Spurs. Although Birmingham will not be the ideal preparation for their next game against Manchester United, the hosts will want to put up a show for their home fans who will be in full voice after the Spurs' London derby win against West Ham.
Birmingham on the other hand couldn't have had a more up and down start to the season. They opened against the Champions, hosted a troubled Pompey and then an unimaginative Stoke and now they are going to London, almost walking toward certain doom and a hiding from a magical spurs team. James McFadden will be happy to work with fellow Scot Barry Ferguson but that partnership needs to blossom fast for Birmingham to have any chance of survival. Sadly, we are not going to see the best of it this weekend.
Tottenham 3 - 1 Birmingham
Wolverhamton Wanderers vs Hull City
Kick-Off 15:00
Wolves 11/10
Draw 9/4
Hull 11/4
Mick McCarthy's new start to life in the Premier League has not been one to forget. Simply because, it was disastrous the last time around. At least they have picked up a crucial win against Wigan and have advanced in the Carling Cup, albeit from penalties over League One side Swindon. Added to that, the injury to star striker Sylvan Ebanks Blake, the Wolves do look to have a topsy turvy ride resulting either in relegation come March, or a fight to the finish on the last day of the season. The Wolves have to realize that home form is crucial for any team to survive in the league, and they just don't look formidable enough at the Molineux, even against team that are likely to end up in the lower half of the table.
Hull City is one of those teams. In fact I would not be surprised if both these teams are relegated. Which is exactly what makes this tie interesting. Hull were great away from home last season, but their nervous end to the season proved why they needed to do just a little more at home games. And with the Wolves wanting to make a great impression in front of their own crowd this can turn out to be a 5 goal thriller, with Phil Brown's men doing just enough. By the way, this is the eternal optimist in me talking, don't be surprised if this game is a cagey donut affair.
Wolves 2 - 3 Hull
Manchester United vs Arsenal
Kick-Off 17:15
Man Utd 11/10
Draw 12/5
Arsenal 13/5
The fact that this game is the late kick-off on a Saturday night shows that the intensity in this once very heated rivalry has gone down among the fans. But not among the players. Arsenal will be hungry to avenge the 1 - 3 hammering at the Emirates in last seasons' CL Semi-Final. They won't be too thrilled about the fact that they couldn't delay the inevitable (United's Premier League Title, 3rd in a row and managed only a goalless draw at OT in their penultimate match of last season) either. And they have good reasons to feel confident. They are in the CL group stage after a masterclass against the Bhoys. They showed Everton how to play football and managed to smash 4 past a listless Pompey defense. They will expect the 3 points at OT - something very few teams will look at when the play the champions this season.
Manchester United on the other hand will be thanking their stars that Vidic is back... no, no... Owen scored... no, no... United put away chances... no, no...somebody can take free-kicks in the post-Ronaldo era. Well, United have a lot to thank for the 0 - 5 beating they handed the Latics. But confidence in this camp might not match the high of the Gunners. Determination, yes - confidence, not so much. There is no doubt that United will create chances, and their defense looks as solid as ever. They will play a 4-4-2 with a midfield in mind to disrupt the Arsenal play more than to create ones of their own. Park, Fletcher and Giggs will definitely start. This game seems to have come too early in the season for the Champions. If this game was at the Emirates, I doubt United would have looked at it very differently (get 1 point and be happy). They can expect the OT crowd to be in full voice and only if they manage the first goal, will they have a chance at getting all 3 points.
Manchester United 1 - 2 Arsenal
Sunday
Portsmouth vs Manchester City
Kick-Off 13:30
Pompey 11/2
Draw 14/5
City 4/7
Shaikh vs. Shaikh Round 1. The long drawn takeover saga at Portsmouth is finally over and the smiles would have returned to the players faces... not Peter Crouch and Glen Johnson who chose to leave the club, but the current crop at Fratton Park who will keep their banks busy over the next few months as they join Britain's top tax payers. Al Fahim was involved in the takeover at City, so he knows a thing or two about how to turn a team that is rubbish into a European contender by buying the lesser stars of the premier league. But when it comes down to Paul Hart's men and their football, I don't think they have what it takes against Sparky's City.
The Sky Blues are off to a solid start with 2 wins in 2 games and a friendly victory over the reserves of Barcelona + Ibrahimovic. Adebayor already has 2 impressive goals to his name and his link up play with Carlos Tevez was great against the Wolves. Stephen Ireland just continues to impress but it is when the other team is running at them that City don't look all that impressive. Lescott has been added to the ranks as has Sylvhino, but the back 4 will take a few games to gel. Still, David Nugent and Kanu don't really seem to be the strike pair that drive fear into the heart of defenses. Maybe the takeover will inspire a euphoric response by the 11 men Paul Hart fields. Beyond that, there can only be 1 result and that is a City victory. But I would be lying if I wouldn't stick to my optimism.
Pompey 1 - 1 Man City
Everton vs Wigan
Kick-Off 15:00
Everton 8/11
Draw 13/5
Wigan 17/4
It seems like a funny coincidence that so many teams playing each other this weekend are separated by just a few spots in the table (United vs Arsenal is 4 vs 3, Wolves vs Hull is 14 vs 15 and Stoke vs Sunderland is 9 vs 6). It's no wonder than that we have Wigan taking on Everton in a relegation battle (bet you my life savings, which isn't much, that neither of these teams will be involved in this battle by March). Everton have had a pathetic start to the season to be kind to them. One can't blame the team though, look at Tottenham and how they started last year when Berbatov wanted to leave. Now with Lescott gone and the Latics going to Goodison Park, David Moyes should expect his side to catapult upward from Position 20 to at least take Wigan's 16th place.
For Wigan to avoid that, they have to try and make sure they lose by lesser than a 2 goal margin. And that should be a good return for Roberto Martinez's men, innit? NOT! Wigan have played some great football this season and had that Rodallega header gone in against United, it would have been 1 - 1 and a different headline for both sides. But since, Wigan have got embarrassed by championship side Blackpool by 4 goals to their solitary effort. What a story! First they smash Aston Villa at Villa Park, then they lose to Wolves, they put on a great show against United to take a 0 - 0 at half time to return with a 0 - 5 at 90+. How will they do against Everton? I hate predicting!
Everton 2 - 0 Wigan
Aston Villa vs Fulham
Kick-Off 16:00
Villa 8/11
Draw 13/5
Fulham 17/4
Any other weekend, this game would have been the pick of the draw. Wait a minute, Manchester vs London will be over, there are no real derbies this weekend and this is the last game before the 2 week timeout for the Premier League. Well, well, Aston Villa vs Fulham should turn out to be a cracker. Villa will be the wounded animal waiting to attack. After a stellar showing at Anfield, they did well to put 2 goals past Rapid Vienna, but frankly deserved to lose over the two legs. This will be the perfect platform to show that the opening weekend result was just a blip.
The cottagers on the other hand showed how much they missed Andy Johnson last weekend. They were fantastic against Chelsea in the first half and had enough chances to put one away and ask a few questions of the Chelsea 'character'. Alas they only have Bobby Zamora and Erik Nevland in attack. That is the problem for Fulham, their lack of depth, especially right up front. The quality of the strikers apart from Andy Johnson, is not quite there. They won a lot of 1 nils last year but most of those wins were at Craven Cottage. Villa Park, no chance.
Aston Villa 3 - 0 Fulham
All times are BST. All bets are from www.bet365.com.
ARS 6 - 0 POR--------- ARS 4 - 1 POR
BIR 1 - 1 STO----------BIR 0 - 0 STO
HUL 2 - 1 BOL---------HUL 1 - 0 BOL
MANC 2 - 0 WOL------MANC 1 - 0 WOL
SUN 2 - 1 BLA---------SUN 2 - 1 BLA
WIG 0 - 1 MANU------WIG 0 - 5 MANU
WHU 1 - 1 TOT--------WHU 1 - 2 TOT
BUR 1 - 2 EVE---------BUR 1 - 0 EVE
FUL 0 - 2 CHE--------FUL 0 - 2 CHE
LIV 2 - 0 AST---------LIV 1 - 3 AST
I got 7 results CORRECT. 2 PERFECT scores.
Quite frankly, it should have been 8 correct and 3 Perfect scores. No thanks to the brilliance of Carlton Cole at both ends of the pitch, are Tottenham still on top of the Premier League table. On to the coming, and very exciting, weekend.
Chelsea vs Burnley
Kick-Off 12:45
Chelsea 1/7
Draw 7/1
Burnley 20/1
'The Blue Thunder' has been on quite a rampage and is driving fear into the hearts of their opponents. Something Burnley is not accustomed to. They don't fear anyone, that's for sure. But, they are modest and humble and in their managers' mind, they won't stand much of a chance to repeat last seasons' heroics. Chelsea look a well-oiled, well-crafted machine. Whether this will last the season, time will tell. Right now, they do look unbeatable. But then again, Hull at home and Sunderland away are not fixtures you would expect Chelsea to lose. They did well against Fulham as well. Burnley will be Burnt out by this weekend after 3 back - back victories (two impressive ones against Manchester United and Everton, one in mid-week against Hartlepool). But the one against Hartlepoool was won in extra-time and the team will find it tough to recover quick enough for the first game of the weekend. If Burnley prove me wrong, this is the last time I will doubt them.
Chelsea 3 - 0 Burnley
Blackburn Rovers vs West Ham United
Kick-Off 15:00
Rovers 6/5
Draw 9/4
Hammers 5/2
The Rovers gave a good account of themselves at the Stadium of Light last weekend but came up short against an inspired performance by Kenwyn Jones. But this game isn't happening away from home, it is at Ewood Park and that will give the Rovers some amount of confidence. Sam Allardyce had made the Reebok a fortress while he was at Bolton and he will has already started that mission at Blackburn. His team is hard to beat but then again, they don't have enough goals in them.
The Hammers had a great showing against a rampant Tottenham side and would feel hard done by the 1 - 2 loss to the Spurs. But they have bounced back since with the highly controversial come from behind victory over arch rivals Milwall in midweek. Through Balls to opposing strikers aside, Carlton Cole has been in good form and only under Gianfranco Zola will he ever be able to strike the ball like he did at the weekend. What a goal, Mr. Cole. This game doesn't have too much in it. Pedersen to score with a spot kick and West Ham to nick one at the end.
Blackburn 1 - 1 West Ham
Bolton vs Liverpool
Kick-Off 15:00
Bolton 6/1
Draw 3/1
Liverpool 8/15
Liverpool will want last weekend's result to look like a blip in their title campaign. But the fact remains they can't seem to cope with life without Alonso. God alone knows why Benitez was planning it last year. Further proof that he is a numpty manager, as far as the League is concerned. Liverpool's midfield plus strikers take the shape of what looks like a car tire. The only problem is, without Alonso threading the attacks together, this tire doesn't seem to be going straight but making donuts at the car park. If any Liverpool fan thinks am off it, please look at the odds being given to your club for a win. It's almost 1/2.
Bolton will be thrilled they are playing Liverpool at this stage. But they won't be over the moon. After being beaten by Hull last weekend, they went on to defeat Tranmere Rovers in their Carling Cup match in midweek. The derby victory will give them confidence but they just don't have anything attractive about them. It's a wonder why Reebok supports this team blindly. Gary Megson will send out a team to frustrate Liverpool and hit them on the counter attack. His only problem is Liverpool can match anything thrown their way by this team.
Bolton 1 - 2 Liverpool
Stoke vs Sunderland
Kick-Off 15:00
Stoke 11/8
Draw 9/4
Sunderland 11/5
Stoke will be thrilled coming back to familiar territory after an unhappy road trip which saw them thrashed at Anfield and return with the first goalless draw of the season at St. Andrews, a game where they should have been targeting all 3 points. They will be tired as well, needing an added half an hour to pull off a 1 - 0 against Leyton Orient in midweek. Tony Pulis will want to get a win against Sunderland at home to get the confidence back at the Britannia.
Standing in his way will be Steve Bruce's Black Cats who are high on confidence having won 3 of their last 4 games. One of the wins was on opening day at the Reebok, a ground similar in ferocity as the Britannia. Kenwyn Jones is in sublime form and is linking up well with new boy Darren Bent. Paulo Da Silva had a great debut midweek against Norwich in the Carling Cup and Andy Reid was also in great touch. Bruce said in his first press conference that his side need to score that vital SECOND goal to seal a game. He organises his teams such that they are hard to beat. And definitely, with a 2 goal deficit against the potters, he will come back smiling.
Stoke 1 - 3 Sunderland
Tottenham Hotspurs vs Birmingham
Kick-Off 15:00
Spurs 4/11
Draw 15/4
Birmingham 8/1
The Spurs are rampant this season. They have scored 14 goals in 4 competitive games. The latest against being a 5 - 1 hammering of Doncaster. The great thing about the game was that Harry Redknapp was able to field a relatively changed side to emphasize the depth of his Spurs. Although Birmingham will not be the ideal preparation for their next game against Manchester United, the hosts will want to put up a show for their home fans who will be in full voice after the Spurs' London derby win against West Ham.
Birmingham on the other hand couldn't have had a more up and down start to the season. They opened against the Champions, hosted a troubled Pompey and then an unimaginative Stoke and now they are going to London, almost walking toward certain doom and a hiding from a magical spurs team. James McFadden will be happy to work with fellow Scot Barry Ferguson but that partnership needs to blossom fast for Birmingham to have any chance of survival. Sadly, we are not going to see the best of it this weekend.
Tottenham 3 - 1 Birmingham
Wolverhamton Wanderers vs Hull City
Kick-Off 15:00
Wolves 11/10
Draw 9/4
Hull 11/4
Mick McCarthy's new start to life in the Premier League has not been one to forget. Simply because, it was disastrous the last time around. At least they have picked up a crucial win against Wigan and have advanced in the Carling Cup, albeit from penalties over League One side Swindon. Added to that, the injury to star striker Sylvan Ebanks Blake, the Wolves do look to have a topsy turvy ride resulting either in relegation come March, or a fight to the finish on the last day of the season. The Wolves have to realize that home form is crucial for any team to survive in the league, and they just don't look formidable enough at the Molineux, even against team that are likely to end up in the lower half of the table.
Hull City is one of those teams. In fact I would not be surprised if both these teams are relegated. Which is exactly what makes this tie interesting. Hull were great away from home last season, but their nervous end to the season proved why they needed to do just a little more at home games. And with the Wolves wanting to make a great impression in front of their own crowd this can turn out to be a 5 goal thriller, with Phil Brown's men doing just enough. By the way, this is the eternal optimist in me talking, don't be surprised if this game is a cagey donut affair.
Wolves 2 - 3 Hull
Manchester United vs Arsenal
Kick-Off 17:15
Man Utd 11/10
Draw 12/5
Arsenal 13/5
The fact that this game is the late kick-off on a Saturday night shows that the intensity in this once very heated rivalry has gone down among the fans. But not among the players. Arsenal will be hungry to avenge the 1 - 3 hammering at the Emirates in last seasons' CL Semi-Final. They won't be too thrilled about the fact that they couldn't delay the inevitable (United's Premier League Title, 3rd in a row and managed only a goalless draw at OT in their penultimate match of last season) either. And they have good reasons to feel confident. They are in the CL group stage after a masterclass against the Bhoys. They showed Everton how to play football and managed to smash 4 past a listless Pompey defense. They will expect the 3 points at OT - something very few teams will look at when the play the champions this season.
Manchester United on the other hand will be thanking their stars that Vidic is back... no, no... Owen scored... no, no... United put away chances... no, no...somebody can take free-kicks in the post-Ronaldo era. Well, United have a lot to thank for the 0 - 5 beating they handed the Latics. But confidence in this camp might not match the high of the Gunners. Determination, yes - confidence, not so much. There is no doubt that United will create chances, and their defense looks as solid as ever. They will play a 4-4-2 with a midfield in mind to disrupt the Arsenal play more than to create ones of their own. Park, Fletcher and Giggs will definitely start. This game seems to have come too early in the season for the Champions. If this game was at the Emirates, I doubt United would have looked at it very differently (get 1 point and be happy). They can expect the OT crowd to be in full voice and only if they manage the first goal, will they have a chance at getting all 3 points.
Manchester United 1 - 2 Arsenal
Sunday
Portsmouth vs Manchester City
Kick-Off 13:30
Pompey 11/2
Draw 14/5
City 4/7
Shaikh vs. Shaikh Round 1. The long drawn takeover saga at Portsmouth is finally over and the smiles would have returned to the players faces... not Peter Crouch and Glen Johnson who chose to leave the club, but the current crop at Fratton Park who will keep their banks busy over the next few months as they join Britain's top tax payers. Al Fahim was involved in the takeover at City, so he knows a thing or two about how to turn a team that is rubbish into a European contender by buying the lesser stars of the premier league. But when it comes down to Paul Hart's men and their football, I don't think they have what it takes against Sparky's City.
The Sky Blues are off to a solid start with 2 wins in 2 games and a friendly victory over the reserves of Barcelona + Ibrahimovic. Adebayor already has 2 impressive goals to his name and his link up play with Carlos Tevez was great against the Wolves. Stephen Ireland just continues to impress but it is when the other team is running at them that City don't look all that impressive. Lescott has been added to the ranks as has Sylvhino, but the back 4 will take a few games to gel. Still, David Nugent and Kanu don't really seem to be the strike pair that drive fear into the heart of defenses. Maybe the takeover will inspire a euphoric response by the 11 men Paul Hart fields. Beyond that, there can only be 1 result and that is a City victory. But I would be lying if I wouldn't stick to my optimism.
Pompey 1 - 1 Man City
Everton vs Wigan
Kick-Off 15:00
Everton 8/11
Draw 13/5
Wigan 17/4
It seems like a funny coincidence that so many teams playing each other this weekend are separated by just a few spots in the table (United vs Arsenal is 4 vs 3, Wolves vs Hull is 14 vs 15 and Stoke vs Sunderland is 9 vs 6). It's no wonder than that we have Wigan taking on Everton in a relegation battle (bet you my life savings, which isn't much, that neither of these teams will be involved in this battle by March). Everton have had a pathetic start to the season to be kind to them. One can't blame the team though, look at Tottenham and how they started last year when Berbatov wanted to leave. Now with Lescott gone and the Latics going to Goodison Park, David Moyes should expect his side to catapult upward from Position 20 to at least take Wigan's 16th place.
For Wigan to avoid that, they have to try and make sure they lose by lesser than a 2 goal margin. And that should be a good return for Roberto Martinez's men, innit? NOT! Wigan have played some great football this season and had that Rodallega header gone in against United, it would have been 1 - 1 and a different headline for both sides. But since, Wigan have got embarrassed by championship side Blackpool by 4 goals to their solitary effort. What a story! First they smash Aston Villa at Villa Park, then they lose to Wolves, they put on a great show against United to take a 0 - 0 at half time to return with a 0 - 5 at 90+. How will they do against Everton? I hate predicting!
Everton 2 - 0 Wigan
Aston Villa vs Fulham
Kick-Off 16:00
Villa 8/11
Draw 13/5
Fulham 17/4
Any other weekend, this game would have been the pick of the draw. Wait a minute, Manchester vs London will be over, there are no real derbies this weekend and this is the last game before the 2 week timeout for the Premier League. Well, well, Aston Villa vs Fulham should turn out to be a cracker. Villa will be the wounded animal waiting to attack. After a stellar showing at Anfield, they did well to put 2 goals past Rapid Vienna, but frankly deserved to lose over the two legs. This will be the perfect platform to show that the opening weekend result was just a blip.
The cottagers on the other hand showed how much they missed Andy Johnson last weekend. They were fantastic against Chelsea in the first half and had enough chances to put one away and ask a few questions of the Chelsea 'character'. Alas they only have Bobby Zamora and Erik Nevland in attack. That is the problem for Fulham, their lack of depth, especially right up front. The quality of the strikers apart from Andy Johnson, is not quite there. They won a lot of 1 nils last year but most of those wins were at Craven Cottage. Villa Park, no chance.
Aston Villa 3 - 0 Fulham
All times are BST. All bets are from www.bet365.com.
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