Premier League Predictions- Week Eleven

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Each week, I will now post my predictions for the weekend, and see if i can get more right than BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson.

This week, for the 26/27 February, the predictions below stand.

		This week's predictions Score Lawro Edward Aston Villa v Blackburn 4-1 2-0 4-1 Everton v Sunderland 2-0 2-1 2-0 Man City v Fulham 1-1 2-0 3-0 Newcastle v Bolton 1-1 2-1 2-1 Stoke v West Brom x-x 1-0 2-0 West Ham v Liverpool 3-1 1-1 1-2 Wigan v Man Utd 0-4 0-2 0-3 Wolves v Blackpool 4-0 3-1 1-1

I expect the big winners this weekend to be Manchester United. An away tie with Wigan after their goal-less draw with Marseille midweek could be good preparation for Tuesday's tie with Chelsea.

United's form against Wigan has been excellent, with United beating the Latics 2-0 earlier in the season and scoring 5 in both games against the side last season.

In fact, United have won their last twelve against Wigan, who have only hit four goals in those games.

It will be crucial that they take any chances that they might create on the re-laid DW pitch, something which was necessary after the game against Blackburn.



James McCarthy scored twice as Wigan beat Blackburn in their last home game, but the Champions could go four points clear with a win.

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The key men for Unites, as usual, will be the forwards, with Dimitar Berbatov looking to score his first goal for a month for the side.

Berbatov was influential in helping United secure a victory at Blackpool one month yesterday, but his lack of goals have paved the way for Nani and Wayne Rooney to start hitting the target; something they both did as United won the Manchester derby 2-1.

Rooney and Nani have clicked into gear at the right time as Sir Alex Ferguson looks to seal a record breaking 19th league title.

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The other big winners this weekend could be Aston Villa.

It's not often I select Aston Villa as the team to watch but games against Blackburn are usually entertaining affairs.

Villa have knocked Rovers out of both the FA Cup and the League Cup for two successive seasons, but the North West outfit have won the last three in the league, conceding only one goal.

Rovers away form has hit a sticky patch with the 4-3 loss to Wigan last weekend and they will be hoping to come away from the Midlands with something, but you wonder when Darren Bent, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young will ifnally click up front and put someone to the sword.








Agbonlahor scored the last time Villa beat Rovers in the league.




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Young scored twice in the Carling Cup against Blackburn and Villa's home record against Blackburn is generally good, having won four of their last six meetings ahead of today's tie, which could see Houllier's side rise above Blackburn in the table, and away from the relegation zone, something they are currently three points clear of.



Blackburn have ambitions of their own and Roque Santa Cruz (left) will be looking to score his first goal for the side since he re-joined them on loan from City.





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Quite possibly the biggest game of the weekend comes between Wolves, bottom of the league, and Blackpool, buoyed by their morale boosting win over Tottenham.

Wolves are in danger of being cast adrift at the bottom and a win today wouldn't guarantee them a place out of the relegation zone.

Since the turn of the year, they have only beaten Chelsea and Manchester United in the league and games against those around you count double come May.



Maybe Jamie O'Hara, who scored last weekend against West Brom, can change their fortunes as he nearly managed with Portsmouth last season, but the team will have to pull through together.

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Their hopes will be boosted by the fact Charlie Adam starts a two game ban for ten yellow cards, but the last time he missed a game through suspension, Blackpool beat Sunderland 2-0 away.

Despite this, the Tangerines have just beaten Spurs and that is no mean feat, and possibly two more top flight wins might be enough to secure what was an unlikely top flight survival.



The key man today could again be DJ Campbell, who netted midweek, and now has nine league goals for Blackpool this term, but any points would certainly help Blackpool's cause as we head into the business part of the season.

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It'll be a good battle between two of the games more entertaining managers.

Good luck to everyone's teams this weekend.

Villa Pulling to Safety and Beyond

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Aston Villa and Gerard Houllier might well have finally found some inspiration for their season.

Two wins in a week, against Manchester City and Wigan have given the Frenchman breathing space after Villa's backboard made their support public.

It's safe to say, the change in fortunes could well be down to the sense of excitement Darren Bent has brought back to Villa Park.

Since James Milner left in the summer, the Villa faithful have been waiting for someone; Ashley Young, Stuart Downing, Gabriel Agbonlahor, to inspire the team and it hasn't happened, despite the form of Marc Albrighton.

It seems that the lift from Darren Bent's potential £24 million transfer has had a positive effect on the squad, with him scoring the winner on debut and playing a part in their win at Wigan.



Darren Bent had only ever scored once at Villa Park, for Spurs, but netted on his home debut.

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Aston Villa are one of those teams who thrive on confidence and it seemed the turning point over the last few months was when they threw away a 2 goal lead against current league leaders Manchester United at home, to leave Villa Park with only a point.

Since that, the side, captained by Stiliyan Petrov, have exited the Carling Cup at the hands of their near rivals Birmingham City and had only won once in 10 attempts in the league before the new striker pounced at weekend to hand them a 1-0 win, their first clean sheet in any competition since October.

Villa have now risen to 13th in the Barclays Premier League after a troublesome winter, but could they really kick on from here?

The answer, of course, is yes, given what we expect from the Midlands outfit.

I wouldn't be surprised to see them reach the top half come May, a target they are only 2 points off with 14 games to play.

No doubt, Gerard Houllier's side were in a false position but it will be interesting to see whether the manager now starts to win over the fans, something he has failed in achieving since he took over from Martin O'Neill.

Darren Bent might have gone some distance to helping him on that front and he will score goals, no matter who he plays with and it's about time the Villains had a top quality poaching striker, the last of whom questionably being Milan Baros, who left for the New York Red Bulls in April of 2007.

£24 million seems a lot in the current climate, but in a similar way to the Charlie Adam situation, every place in the Premier League, and survival, is worth so much that minimal transfer fee's don't make that much difference in the long run if the club remains in the top flight.

I am very much of the belief that Charlie Adam is worth more than £4 or even £10 million to Blackpool over the next 4 months if they can guarantee another year in the top flight and Bent is the same, on a different level.

He ups the bar and Villa will benefit from it.

Houllier can do the business, and he's had time to make necessary changes which he couldn't after he arrived at the end of the summer transfer window.

It looks as though Richard Dunne has found some form at the right time again, with the Republic of Ireland international seemingly out of sorts at the start of this season; a shadow of the player he was last season.




Villa's defence has been at sixes and sevens all season.


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It's a huge problem that no-one has brought the best out of Steven Ireland this season as well, but the team have pulled together and, with spirit high in the camp, I can't see there being any problems on their side of Birmingham this season.

Where do you think Villa will finish? How many goals can Darren Bent score this season? Please discuss below.

Derby Draw Day

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It's been some time when I recall all four of Sunday's Premier League games ending in draws.

No doubt Match of the Day 2 will reveal how long it's been tonight, but I don't have 60 hours to check the records and see when, or if, it has happened.

I have to admit, I've watched all three televised games today and I was disappointed with the football on show, aside from the Merseyside derby.

Usually with derby football, there are tackles flying in left, right and centre but, aside from Rafael, it wasn't anywhere near as heated as I expected.

The first televised game was at St Andrews where one of the more predictable draws was played out between two sides who can't keep clean sheets or score goals.

It was good to see David Bentley return to the first team to make his debut for the Blues, and I was impressed with his temperament and crossing ability, which he has showed throughout his career.

Perhaps Birmingham could have counted themselves unlucky to have come away with only a point, given the chances they missed, notably from Matt Derbyshire, who I like as a player.

The Birmingham derby never really got going between two teams struggling for form.

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At the other end, it was James Collins who hit the target for Gerard Houllier's side, which sums up their problems, given that the front pairing of John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor only have 3 goals between them this season.

If you don't score goals, you will struggle to stay up and something has to change for these teams, although I think Birmingham, as Blackburn did a few years ago, will benefit hugely from Bentley's deliveries, and that will be a huge boost for them heading into the second half of the season.

Admittedly, I haven't yet seen the Tyne Tees dervy but I've had a read online and read the BBC Live text and it sounded like another drab game, with the highlight being the Sunderland mascot chasing a Magpie, the nickname of Newcastle, around the Stadium of Light and failing to get rid of it.

Something to watch tonight again on Match of the Day, no doubt.

A beach ball went un-noticed last year at the Stadium at Light when Sunderland scored, but a magpie was not welcome today in the North East in the intense derby atmosphere.

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Aside from that, another good result for Newcastle under Pardew. He might have taken some criticism with taking over after Hughton under the circumstances but it seems he's settled well and kept the dressing room and Kevin Nolan, who scored his fourth goal against Sunderland this season, happy.

It was good to see Asamoah Gyan get back on the score sheet from a neutral point of view and Steve Bruce will again be delighted that his side found confidence to rally and claim a draw.

Two derby defeats against your bitterest rivals in one season, no matter of league positions, would be demoralising and worrying, for any Premier League manager, given the current sacking rates.

Still, the point looks good for both teams who have no need for looking over their shoulder in what promises to be a good season in Tyneside.

The best game of the day, rather predictably, was the Merseyside derby, with Liverpool and Everton playing out the day's entertaining game at Anfield, with a 2-2 draw.

Interestingly, Steven Pienaar wasn't included prior to his ominous move, but Kenny Dalglish's first point as Liverpool manager round two couldn't have come in better circumstances, with his side 2-1 down just after half time, despite leading through a Raul Meireles effort early on.

Sylvain Distin scored his first league goal for Everton since March 2007 earlier today.

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On the other side, Everton manager David Moyes must be delighted that his team are unbeaten against their rivals this season, and the Scotsman must hope that there are better things on the horizon for a team who have only won twice in their last 12 league games.

Jermaine Beckford might have finally found his feet in the Premier League and it shows some good signs that Moyes was prepared to let Yakubu out on loan to Leicester for the remainder of the season, another sure confidence boost after his goal made it 2-1 today.

It will be interesting to see how Liverpool respond from their first point in four league games, ahead of their games against Wolves and Fulham, with Dalglish still searching for a first win. Surely that will come but Liverpool played better football today, even without their captain, than they have been doing of late, despite conceding two goals.

Maybe times are changing at the club but it's already a season which should be written off by all involved with the club.

The last game, and perhaps the most anticipated, was Manchester United travelling to Spurs.

I would mention anything, but I really can't and, aside from Rafael van der Vaart and Gareth Bale, there was precious little good about the game, which ended 0-0.





Willem Korsten scored twice when Spurs last beat Man United over ten years ago.





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United remain unbeaten this season and return to the top of the table with games in hand, after City beat Wolves 4-3 in a cracker at Eastlands yesterday.

Spurs, on the other hand, move down to fifth after Chelsea's victory over Blackburn who can hopefully complete a better Super Sunday next week when they face West Brom at Ewood Park in the only game.

How Much Trouble are Aston Villa in?

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What a difference 5 months has made for Aston Villa.

Firstly, their manager, Martin O'Neill resigns barely a week before the season starts after a dispute with owner Randy Lerner over transfer policies.

Then, Villa's best and most influential player, James Milner, moves on to Manchester City with Stephen Ireland coming the other way.

Combine these with Bulgarian Stiliyan Petrov's knee injury, from which he has only just returned, and it has been a miserable season for the Midlands side.

Last season, under O'Neill, Aston Villa finished 6th in the Premier League after playing some open, attractive football.

Most would have thought Gerard Houllier, with his experience at Liverpool, would have managed to carry that over in a team which has been punching above its weight over the last few years.

That has not been the case and this season has been written off on all fronts - except the concept of a relegation scrap that Villa aren't used to.

Houllier has had a tricky honeymoon period at Villa Park and has a lot to turn around quickly.



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It's the stark contrast to what they're used to that has left the fans in a position where they are starting to turn on the 63 year old former France boss.

There is no question that he has the same squad base that O'Neill succeeded with, but this season has been a strange one throughout the Premier League, and Everton are another side who have struggled early doors.

The main problem that Houllier was left at Villa was that he has not been able to make his mark on the squad, after joining on 8th September, after the summer transfer window.

If he can hold on until January, maybe he has something special up his sleeve but Villa may need something better than El-Hadjo Diouf, Salif Daio and Bruno Cheyrou, all of whom he signed in his Anfield days.

This season, he has already praised Emile Heskey to the highest degree, but his former Liverpool striker has only scored two Premier League goals this season and is hardly prolific. Heskey is not the answer to the problems.

I'm near certain, however, that he will be given some scope to find a combative central midfielder, with Ireland failing to reproduce anything like the form we saw form him at Eastlands two seasons ago.

If you look at the current central midfield options, Petrov aside, Barry Bannan and Jonathan Hogg are short of experience, Ireland of form and both Nigel Reo-Coker and Steve Sidwell seem to have fallen out of favour.

You do wonder, this season, how much of a pickle Villa would be in if Marc Albrighton hadn't burst onto the scene at 100 miles an hour.



Marc Albrighton has scored 4 of Villa's 20 league goals this season and has been their best player at times.


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Indeed, Aston Villa sit 15th in the Premier League table after a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City. only one point away from Wigan in 18th, and the situation has quickly become precarious surrounding whether Villa are ready for the long relegation battle that lies ahead if something doesn't take a change for the better.

Two wins out of their last 13 league games sounds like a drastic situation and so it has proved, with everyone bar West Ham winning more games in the same period.

So, what should Villa do?

Firstly, I think it's vital that they keep hold of Ashley Young during the transfer window.

There have been rumours that Harry Redknapp might test Villa's resolve with a £15 million bid, bit I'm not sure he's needed at White Hart Lane and if he goes, it shows that something is wrong behind the scenes at the club.

Secondly, Houllier needs to spend and spend well. I'm not sure how much money is available for the gaffer, but it's vital that they buy an experienced, talented central midfielder because Robert Pires is not the answer on the pitch.

Someone like Charles N'Zogbia would surely raise hopes, but he's too much of a winger, a position which the Villains have covered, and maybe they need a good second striker to partner Gabriel Agbonlahor too.

One thing is for sure, the injury situation has got no better at Villa Park and maybe it's time they looked at their training methods and took them back to basics.

The injury situation has been an excuse at Villa Park for some time and now the fans are tired of their side not performing.

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Otherwise, if nothing changes, the answer might lie with the manager and you wonder, on current evidence, whether Houllier is the right man to lead Villa forward.

At the moment, the answer is no and, although there have been too many managers sacked for little reason this season, the Frenchman would have little place to hide because no team is too good to go down, and the Premier League might prove that this term, although I expect the situation to be resolved.