EPL quick picks. Due to time constraints, FULL round analysis will not be available. Saturday, 20 December
Blackburn v Stoke City
Summary: Sam Allardyce's Blackburn take on battling Stoke City in a game which promises to be a tough contest synonymous with English football. New manager, former Bolton and Newcastle man Allardyce, will look to revitalise his troops after they went down without a wimper in their 3-0 defeat at Wigan. Stoke were just as uninspiring but atleast they managed to gather a share of the spoils in their dull 0-0 stalemate at home to Fulham. The home team will hope hear that the appointment of a new manager will give them a sufficient motivational boost to break their 6 game losing streak and slowly work their way out of the relegation zone. Stoke City on the other hand are one of only two Premier League sides not to register a single win on their travels, the other been Fulham. Encouraging news for Blackburn is that Swedish midfielder Martin Olsson returns to the side, leaving only Grella and Reid as notable absentees. The visitors are not so lucky with a host of players missing in the like of Sidibe, Kitson, and Lawrence with doubts cast over several others.
Pick: Stoke City have proved a stubborn side this season, especially in recent times, with only one defeat in their last 7 Premier League encounters. They are however on a winless streak of four which can likely be attributed to a string of injuries which has debilitated the side. An 84th minute winner against West Brom was their last victory and have since reeled off 3 consecutive draws with their fine home form deserting them against Fulham and Hull City. Blackburn so far have faced the toughest home fixture list in the competition, having played the 'Big 4' plus the impressive Hull City to condemn them to a poor home record of 1-2-5. Sam Allardyce is a great motivator above all else and will surely get his team in the right frame of mind for this encounter against a poor away side. Stoke's form has tailed off a bit in recent weeks so Blackburn have a good chance to get their new manager's tenure off to the perfect start.
Pick: Blackburn -0.25
Blackburn 3 - 0 Stoke City
Sunday, 21 December
West Bromwich Albion v Manchester City
Summary: Only 6pts seperates these two sides as rock bottom West Brom tackle Abu Dhabi's fantasy team, Manchester City. On Matchday 17, West Brom were given a crude lesson on their travels as they succumbed to a 4-0 belting at Sunderland. By all accounts, the score may have been even more embarassing for the Brommies as they went into halftime at three adrift. The home team have now conceded 13 goals in their last 6 Premiership encounters which will be causing manager Tony Mowbray a host of headaches. Manchester City's winless streak, since their impressive 3-0 win against Arsenal, continued against Everton as they were narrowly defeated following a last minute Tim Cahill header. City have only conceded 3 goals in their last 6 competitive fixtures (all competitions) but worryingly for the Citizens, they have only scored at an average of a goal a game. West Brom have a clean bill of health except for long term absentees, Neil Clement and Ishamael Miller. The visitors have more cause for concern with Benjani and Garrido doubtful for the clash. On the positive front, Brazilians Robinho and Elano returned to action last week and should start at The Hawthorns.
Verdict: Tony Mowbray has hinted in giving some fringe players an opportunity to prove themselves as West Brom try to arrest a 10 game winless streak. The West Brom manager has also admitted that maybe he was at fault in not signing more experienced, seasoned Premiership players in comparison to Stoke and Hull City. Manchester City manager, Mark Hughes, must be feeling the weight of expectation on his shoulders as his side continue to misfire. To be fair to the Sky Blues, they have faced a tough run games in recent times and despite not winning, they have far from disgraced themselves. In their recent fixtures against Everton and Fulham, two well drilled sides, they weren't allowed time and space on the ball. Players like Robinho, Elano, Wright-Phillips and Ireland thrive on space and against a West Brom side who aren't particularly well at pressuring the ball player, the visitors are likely to get alot of joy from the aforementioned and in turn play their passing game. Taking this into account in addition to Manchester City's recent defensive stability leads me to lean towards the away side here.
Pick: Manchester City -0.25
West Brom 2 - 1 Manchester City
Monday, 22 December
Everton v Chelsea
Summary: Two teams with contrasting records clash at Goodison Park, Liverpool, this evening as Chelsea look to take full advantage of Liverpool's stumble against Everton. Everton have the worst home record in the Premier League with only a single victory in eight while Chelsea have the best away record of any team with eight straight victories and a +20 goal difference, very impressive indeed. If the game was played on statistics alone, then Chelsea would be a certainty to take all 3 points here but their recent form has been far from spectacular with a 2-3-1 record (in all competitions), including last week's 1-1 stalemate against East London rivals West Ham. Although Everton have only faired a little better in recent times with a 3-1-2 record, they can take heart from improved performances and last week's comprehensive 1-0 win at Manchester City. In terms of injuries, Everton are hopeful to regain much needed attacking power in the form of Saha and Anichebe, while Yakubu is a long term absentee. Chelsea's Essien is definitely out while Malouda is touch and go.
Verdict: Everton have now strung three good performances in a row, and it is no coincidence, since Mikel Arteta has been moved into the middle of the park by Scottish manager David Moyes. In their last home game, Everton had outplayed Aston Villa for the most part but an uncharacterstic error from Jagielka gifted the Birmingham team a 3-2 win. Despite the home team's poor record, Chelsea are likely to face their toughest away trip of the season to date as they are not firing on cylinders at the moment. Chelsea lack genuine wingers so Everton will have an opportunity to stifle the midfield with 5 men across the park. Everton's second half performance against Manchester United (25/11, result: 1-1) was very impressive and the Merseysiders are finally beginning to replicate that sort of form for the full 90 minutes. If they can manage something similar here, then Chelsea may very well have their hands full.
Pick: Everton +1
Everton 0 - 0 Chelsea
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