Manchester United will be looking to continue their march towards the title, while there are several big games in the battle to beat the drop.
Man Utd face Fulham; Blackpool host Arsenal; Chelsea meet Wigan
Manchester United will be looking to continue their march towards the title, while there are several big games in the battle to beat the drop.
As crunch time approaches virtually every team in the division has something to play for, with as many as a dozen sides arguably still in the relegation mix and the rest jostling for European positions.
Manchester United lead the way after taking a giant stride towards a record 19th league crown by coming from behind to beat West Ham 4-2 last weekend as rivals Arsenal and Chelsea slipped up. Wayne Rooney was the hero of that success, and also scored against the Blues in the UEFA Champions League, but he will be suspended for Saturday's home clash against
Fulham after unsuccessfully appealing against a two-match ban for his foul-mouthed hat-trick celebration at Upton Park. The Cottagers will be keen to take advantage of Rooney's absence as they look to build on an impressive victory over Blackpool that catapulted them away from danger.
Blackpool remain very much in trouble, just one place and a point above the bottom three, and face a daunting task this Sunday when
Arsenal travel to Bloomfield Road for a game that can be seen live on
Sky Sports HD1. The Gunners' spirits will not be as high, though, as when they beat the Seasiders 6-0 at Emirates Stadium back in August, following a disappointing run of recent results. Arsene Wenger admitted his players lacked energy in the goalless draw with Blackburn last weekend that left them seven points adrift of Manchester United in the title race.
Sunday's second game, also live on
Sky Sports HD1, pits
Aston Villa against
Newcastle in a crucial fixture for Gerard Houllier's side. There were signs of encouragement in the 2-2 draw with Everton last weekend but Villa remain precariously placed just above the relegation zone. The Magpies did pick up a vital three points courtesy of a 4-1 victory over Wolves, but will now be determined to push on and finish the season strongly.
Back to Saturday, and the weekend's action kicks off with a lunchtime match between
Wolves and
Everton, which can be seen live on
Sky Sports HD2. Mick McCarthy's men have earned plaudits for their performances this term but currently find themselves second bottom of the table and in need of a major boost. The Toffees have shown how quickly a team can clamber clear of difficulty after moving up to seventh on the back of a five-game unbeaten run, and can close to within a point of Merseyside rivals Liverpool with a win at Molineux.
Written off
Wigan are the only side beneath Wolves and have been written off in many quarters, despite claiming a creditable 0-0 draw with Tottenham last weekend that kept them in contention for survival. Next up for the Latics are
Chelsea, whose faint title hopes receded further after being held by Stoke. Carlo Ancelotti's team then slipped to a home defeat in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Manchester United and will be desperate to produce a morale-boosting performance ahead of the return leg at Old Trafford.
Tottenham are also halfway through an eagerly-awaited European tie but, unlike their fellow Londoners, have very little chance of overturning a deficit. Having suffered a nightmare 4-0 defeat to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, Spurs' priority will have shifted back to the scrap for fourth and Harry Redknapp will be demanding a positive response as his men seek to narrow the gap on Chelsea and Manchester City, who meet Liverpool on Monday.
Stoke are the visitors to White Hart Lane in their final league game before the FA Cup semi-final against Bolton.
While the Potters have performed well since booking their spot in the last four,
Bolton have lost two in a row and need to make sure their good work in the league from the start of the season does not go to waste. It will not be easy to get back on track, however, as
West Ham travel to the Reebok Stadium looking to put last weekend's dramatic defeat to Manchester United behind them and climb back out of the bottom three.
There is a bona fide relegation 'six-pointer' at Ewood Park, where
Blackburn will take the positives from their draw with Arsenal as they look to end a six-match winless run against
Birmingham. Alex McLeish's Blues are behind Rovers only on goal difference, with both teams just two points above the trapdoor, but the Carling Cup champions do have a game in hand and registered an important victory over Bolton last time out.
Two teams heading in opposite directions in recent weeks have been
Sunderland and
West Brom, who lock horns at the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats have surprisingly slumped down to 12th following one point from seven games and will be overtaken by the Baggies if they lose on Saturday. Roy Hodgson has yet to taste defeat since taking charge of the Midlands club but is staying focused on the scrap for survival rather than the possibility of a top-half finish.
