Week 25 of the Barclays Premier League offers up some intriguing match-ups.
Table-toppers Arsenal visit Anfield to take on Liverpool while sitting on a slim two-point lead over Manchester City and Chelsea. The Reds are eight points back of the Gunners, and if they have serious title hopes and want to make this a four-horse race, three points is a must.
The South Wales derby returns for round two this season as Swansea City hosts Cardiff City just days after the Swans parted ways with manager Michael Laudrup. And Manchester United faces bottom-of-the-table Fulham in a contest where the Red Devils desperately need a win to keep their alive their chances of securing a top four spot.
Below are the five games to keep close tabs on this weekend.
Saturday programming alert: Watch Liverpool vs. Arsenal (on Sportsnet 360, 7:30 am ET), Chelsea vs. Newcastle United (on Sportsnet 360, 9:30 am ET), Southampton vs. Stoke City (on Sportsnet World, 9:30 am ET) and Swansea City vs. Cardiff City (Sportsnet 360, noon ET). Also, watch Crystal Palace vs. West Bromwich Albion at 9:30 am ET exclusively on Sportsnet World Online | TV schedule
Liverpool vs. Arsenal
A lot of pundits questioned Liverpool’s tunnel-vision pursuit of additional attacking options during the January transfer window. It’s difficult to argue against what seemed like the logical choice of strengthening a defensive line that has proven to be a weak point. To wit: Kolo Toure’s disastrous gaffe that led to West Bromwich scoring the equalizer to draw 1-1 at the Hawthorns last weekend. The Reds have an alarming list of defensive errors this season which has directly resulted in dropped points. Nevertheless, Brendan Rodgers was unable to make a sizeable impact to his squad similar to last year’s January transfer coups that brought in Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho. It has the potential to be their eventual undoing as the finish line draws near.
Luckily, the ability to outscore the opposition (second-most in the league with 58 goals) has been Liverpool’s saving grace through the much heralded SAS partnership. However, against league leaders Arsenal, results have been quite below-par. The Gunners are unbeaten in their last four league games against the Reds, and haven’t lost at Anfield in the Premier League since a 4-1 trouncing almost seven years ago. Also, Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge have played 11 Premier League matches together this season and the only team to deny the duo a goal is Arsenal, winning 2-0 at Emirates Stadium back in September. The clubs will also meet in North London later this month, with the winner earning a spot in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Chelsea vs. Newcastle
Jose Mourinho chest-bumped his way from the visiting dugout all the way down the tunnel following Monday’s 1-0 win over Manchester City. Don’t let the score line fool you, as the game itself was surprisingly entertaining and end-to-end, with Mourinho electing to press the tempo through a dangerous counterattack instead of parking the bus. Nemanja Matic deservedly received special praise from his manager for a tremendous performance, bullying Yaya Toure with the help of David Luiz through the middle and effectively cancelling out the giant Ivorian’s influence. Mourinho basked in the spotlight like a prize fighter after a thrilling knockout, though his post-match thoughts of a possible three horse title race were classic Mourinho: “Two horses and a little horse that still needs milk and to learn how to jump. A horse that next season can race.”
Newcastle have won three of their last four top-flight matches against Chelsea (2-0 victory in the reverse fixture), but have failed to score in five of their last six league fixtures overall (four losses, one draw). Coming off their derby day defeat to rivals Sunderland, Alan Pardew’s side is low on confidence and more importantly goal-scorers (Loic Remy suspended and Papiss Cisse injured). Luuk De Jong produced very little on his Toon debut, and the Ameobi brothers rarely convey a serious scoring threat. The odds of Newcastle being the team to end Mourinho’s 72 match unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea boss is virtually non-existent.
Swansea City vs. Cardiff City
One day after receiving the dreaded vote of confidence, Swansea manager Michael Laudrup was sacked following a demoralizing 2-0 away defeat to West Ham. The Swans teeter just two points above relegation, winners of one of their last 10 league fixtures. Even more damning is their abysmal league record since hoisting the League Cup at Wembley almost a year ago—notching only eight victories in 35 matches (18 defeats). Relations between the Dane and club management had quickly deteriorated for various reasons, and the decision to part ways was the inevitable result. Long-serving Swan and former captain Gary Monk was named Laudrup’s successor for the foreseeable future. The 35 year-old recently-retired defender is currently completing his UEFA A License. It’s a huge gamble to put it bluntly, although Monk is highly regarded around Liberty Stadium, having represented Swansea in all four divisions as a player. In Swansea’s current state, experience matters
In the opposing dugout, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be keen on extending his side’s winning run (two games) and pulling the double over their heated rivals in the South Wales derby. Wilfried Zaha was a revelation on his Cardiff debut, assisting on both goals in the 2-1 comeback win over Norwich City. Former Swan Steven Caulker scored the match-winner in the reverse fixture (1-0) back in November, and will look to assist in earning the Dragons a third consecutive victory over their arch-nemesis (which would be a first in this derby).
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Manchester United vs. Fulham
When the final whistle sounded at the Britannia Stadium after yet another United defeat, the cameras caught David Moyes on the sidelines with an expression similar to a deer caught in the headlights. Even the deadly attacking trio of Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata—starting together for the first time—wasn’t enough to achieve maximum points, as Stoke City produced their first-ever home victory over the slumping defending champions. Both Jonny Evans (calf) and Phil Jones (head) left the game in the first half, heaping more onto an already full plate for Moyes. Whether it’s just bad luck, bad management or a combination of both, United faces the very real prospect of missing out on a Champions League place next season.
As bad as this campaign has been for United, life at Fulham has been a hundred times worse. The Cottagers are rooted at the bottom of the table—four points from safety—despite making almost a half dozen moves before the transfer deadline passed. There have even been various reports that Rene Meulensteen is already on borrowed time after only two months at the helm, with Alan Curbishley—currently Fulham’s technical director—said to be the first option. The midweek FA Cup defeat to Sheffield United at Craven Cottage only amped up the pressure for Meulensteen, and a trip to Old Trafford—a place where Fulham have won once in 12 league visits since reaching the top division in 2001—has come at the worst possible time.
Norwich vs. Manchester City
When is it ever a good time to face the overwhelming attacking force that is Manchester City? Lately, the answer to that question is never, with City finally hitting top gear—minus their recent defeat. They’ve already plundered a staggering 68 goals in 24 matches thus far in the league—averaging almost three a game—including seven in the reverse fixture against the Canaries. For the first time in 62 matches on home turf, the hosts were kept off the score sheet on Monday. The possibility of consecutive league defeats—which hasn’t happened in over three years—is an unlikely scenario given their opposition. However, one thing you can count on is plenty of goals, considering the last six fixtures between these two sides have produced a total of 37 goals.
Manchester City have won their last three Premier League trips to Carrow Road, and Manuel Pellegrini is expecting an immediate response from his players following the missed opportunity to go top of the table. Chris Hughton and Canaries supporters should be afraid.
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