English Premiership Correct Score Predictions: Week 13 – 28/11/09

Note: these fixtures have already been played. For this weeks predictions, click here.

Saturday, 28 November 2009

Aston Villa v Tottenham - Fourth placed Spurs travel to Aston Villa on the back of their highest ever top flight victory, a 9-1 win over Wigan. Five goals for Jermain Defoe helped Tottenham to that fantastic goal tally, the first time any club has scored nine in England’s highest league since 1995. Harry Redknapp’s men will be brimming with confidence for a match against fifth placed Villa, who managed to sneak a 1-1 draw away at Burnley. Both teams have Champions League ambitions, and will be keen to take all three points. Verdict 1-1.

Blackburn v Stoke - Two successive wins have helped Blackburn to climb to mid-table, moving away from the relegation zone and into eleventh place. The 2-0 win at Bolton gave Blackburn their first away points of the season, and will have helped manager Sam Allardyce’s recuperation from heart surgery. Stoke beat bottom of the table Portsmouth to move into ninth position, just a point behind big-guns Liverpool. Verdict 1-1.

Fulham v Bolton – Bolton remain rooted in the relegation zone after a third successive defeat. The 2-0 loss at the Reebok leaves the Trotters third from bottom, with only eleven points from twelve games. Despite being six places higher in the league, Fulham themselves have only fifteen points following the weekend’s defeat at Birmingham. Both teams will believe that this is a winnable match, giving the prospect of an exciting, open match at the Cottage. Verdict 2-2.

Man City v Hull - Manchester City remain outside of the European spots after an exciting 2-2 draw away at Liverpool. City were unable to hold on to a 2-1 lead, resulting in a sixth straight draw. Mark Hughes side will need to get back to winning ways if they are to challenge for a Champions league spot, and will have few easier chances than in a home fixture against Hull. Verdict 3-1.

Portsmouth v Man Utd- Portsmouth looked to have turned the corner in October, with two league wins, and progression in the Carling cup. Frustratingly for their fans, this sequence of positive results dried up all too quickly, and they remain stuck at the bottom of the league after defeats to Stoke and Blackburn. Manchester United may choose to rest a few players after a midweek European fixture, but will be determined to win this match in case Chelsea slip up against rivals Arsenal. Verdict 0-2.

West Ham v Burnley -West Ham missed the chance to overtake fellow strugglers Hull after throwing away a two goal lead in their last game, leaving them dangerously close to the relegation zone. Burnley too missed the chance to take all three points after conceding a late equaliser at home to Aston Villa. Despite a solid run of results at home, the Clarets have been disappointing on the road, and Gianfranco Zola will hope to take advantage of this at Upton park. Verdict 2-1.

Wigan v Sunderland - Christmas may be bleak for the Wigan team on several fronts this year – the embarrassment of a 9-1 defeat at Tottenham led to Wigan players refunding the travelling fans who had witnessed their shocking capitulation. If they are to avoid any more payouts, the Latics will need to up their game for the visit of Sunderland, who sit seven places above them in the table. Luckily for Wigan, Sunderland may well be without top scorer Darren Bent, who suffered a hamstring injury in the Black Cats excellent 1-0 win at home to Arsenal. Verdict 0-0.

Sunday, 29 November 2009

Arsenal v Chelsea- Arsenal suffered a surprise defeat at the weekend, failing to score for the first time this season. The 1-0 defeat at Sunderland left them eight points adrift of leaders Chelsea, who visit the Emirates on the back of a 4-0 thrashing of Wolves – their fourth straight win. Verdict 1-2.

Everton v Liverpool- Both Merseyside teams will be playing predominantly for pride this weekend, with title ambitions all but over for another year. The Reds have won just one game in their last ten outings, leaving them in danger of missing out on European qualification. The Blues too have struggled, with a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester United leaving them fourteenth in the league. Verdict 1-2.

Wolverhampton v Birmingham -Wolves conceded four for the second successive weekend, with a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea leaving them second from bottom. Wolves have failed to win in their last eight games, and risk becoming separated from the pack. Birmingham continued to climb the table with a 1-0 win over Fulham, the three points taking them up to thirteenth in the table. Verdict 2-2.