Premier League Preview

Big games to look forward to....

Aston Villa versus Tottenham Hotspur
Two of the three Premier League great pretenders. It is these two clubs along with Manchester City that are threatening the established Big 4's monopoly of the Champions League positions. For Villa, their home form is key to their success as their away form has been inconsistent. A draw last weekend at Burnley was a good result against tricky opposition in a hostile environment but back at Villa Park they must look to lay down a marker against a team coming off the back of an amazing victory against Wigan. Tottenham in particular have had a fantastic start to the season, and a win here would really signal their intentions, though a draw would surely be deemed satisfactory.

Both managers have interesting selection choices ahead of the game. Villa were rescued last weekend by the much maligned Emile Heskey, who got a goal that was overdue to say the least. They also finally have Stewart Downing to call upon.

Defoe inspired Spurs to a famous result, alongside his former Portsmouth strike partner Peter Crouch and with another ex-Portsmouth player, Niko Kranjcar providing the service. Will Harry Redknapp remove one to make way for Robbie Keane? And how do you justify changing a team that has scored 9 (9!) goals?

Everton versus Liverpool
Where to start with this one. Everton are in poor form and will welcome a return to Goodison Park following away performances that saw a defence leak 3 goals in consecutive matches. Injuries have hampered their start to the season and they have now been overtaken as the team most likely to break the top 4. David Moyes is in a difficult position. With less money available to spend than Spurs, Villa, and City (obviously), one wonders if he has taken this team as far as he can. Recently the shape of the team has been odd and un-Everton like. Two up top against Hull was a strange choice for a team more accustomed to a 5 in midfield. Even last weekend against United they ended up with Cahill and Fellaini in wide positions where neither flourish.

A wounded Liverpool may well be the last team Everton would want to face now. Pool tend to rise to the occasion when little is expected of them (see the result against United as evidence, though the caveat is that that match was at Anfield). The pressure is mounting on Benitez following the weeks events, though at least they got the win, which following an incredible run of 1 win in 10 is not to be sniffed at. One point that must be noted is Benitez's almost bizarre treatment of star signing Aquilani. Despite making his debut in the Carling Cup nearly a month ago, he is still being used sparingly. One would have thought that an away match against minnows Debrecen would have been an ideal opportunity to start him, or use him for the last 30 minutes at a minimum. Not the case, and it will be interesting to see when he will finally be given the go ahead to kick start his Anfield career. On a postitive note, Ngog played relatively well midweek, though Liverpool fans will still be praying for the quick return of Torres.

Arsenal versus Chelsea
The second part of Super Sunday features a clash of the top 4 that will likely give some indication as to how each team will progress this season. Arsenal have been in good form in general, though defeat last week at Sunderland obviously impedes that somewhat. The most interesting thing to note is that while Arsenal's season has been going reasonably well, their results in the big matches have been poor - beaten by both Manchester clubs in the league, though they did beat Tottenham (they are yet to play Liverpool in the league). The timing of Van Persie's injury is unfortunate, and this will be a big test of their character.

How Chelsea perform at the Emirates may well rest on the players available to them. Missing a host of big names and swatting aside a poor Wolves team is a different matter entirely to doing the same to Arsenal away from home. However, with Lampard back in training, and Drogba and Ballack back in Champions League action this week, the signs are ominous.

Portsmouth versus Manchester United
A fixture United have often struggled in down through the years, and now with the added ingredient of Avram Grant. The last time Avram Grant faced this team he was denied a Champions League victory courtesy of John Terry's misplaced spot kick (or misplaced foot, depending on how you choose to view the incident). In many ways Paul Hart was an unlucky manager - he had no funds, was forced to sell his best players, shopped for bargain basement Championship level players, and then even when his team did play well (surprisingly frequently given their position), the results still failed to materialise. The writing was on the wall from the moment Grant came in as Director of Football. It remains to be seen how the players respond to the managerial change.

For United's part, there will surely be wholesale changes to the team that tasted defeat against Besiktas. Fringe players such as Welbeck, Macheda, Gibson, and Foster will surely drop out, along with any number of Neville, Rafael, Obertan, Anderson, and Park. United face a tricky test up against a set of players looking to impress their new manager.