Birmingham City v BoltonManchester United v Arsenal
Manchester City v Reading
Stoke City v West Ham United
Saturday, March 12
Birmingham City v Bolton
Verdict: Following their magnificent League Cup Final win over Arsenal, Birmingham City's focus turns to the league. Their second consecutive league loss, on home soil, to West Brom on Saturday (1-3) condemned the Brummies to 18th position on the table. Bolton will attempt to reach a Cup final for the first time since their defeat to Middlesbrough in the League Cup, back in 2004. Bolton's amazing come from behind 3-2 win against Aston Villa on the weekend made it five games unbeaten in all competitions.
It's a fact that Birmingham City has won more Cup fixtures this season than league games. Scottish manager, Alex McLeish, has a dilemma on his hands with injuries and his team's perilous predicament in the league making this a game his team probably didn't need right now. With a tough midweek fixture at Everton, I expect McLeish to field his strongest team for that game and field a weakened team for the FA Cup fixture just three days later. Bolton lie in a comfortable 7th position on the league table and have no major injuries to contend with. In addition to having extra days rest on their opponents, Owen Coyle can afford to field a full strength team (minus Daniel Sturridge who is ineligible). With two consecutive away Cup wins at Wigan Athletic and Fulham, I give Bolton every chance of claiming their third consecutive EPL scalp and rewarding their fans with a day out at Wembley.
Pick: Bolton dnb @1.95 (betinternet, 10 units)
Birmingham City 2 - 3 Bolton
Manchester United v Arsenal
Verdict: Arsenal will look to bounce back from their recent dissapointments after bowing out of the Champions League, midweek, losing 4-3 to Barcelona on aggregate. This, in addition to the League Cup Final loss to Birmingham City, a fortnight ago, has the Gunners reeling. Manchester United are not fairing any better themselves, losing two league games in a row to big rivals Chelsea and Liverpool respectively.
Despite the absence of Cesc Fabregas and the fact that they played just 3 days ago, Arsenal has the perfect chance to bounce back against what is expected to be a depleted Manchester United team. Injuries and a Champions League tie against Marseille (0-0 after first leg) on Tuesday leaves Sir Alex little choice but to field a weakend squad for this game. The injury to Nani is especially a big blow to the Red Devis as he has been their most impressive player this season. Taking everything into account, I give Arsenal a good chance to at least force a replay at The Emirates.
Pick: Arsenal +0.5ah @1.95 (188bet, 10 units)
Manchester United 2 - 0 Arsenal
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