SPURS-LIVERPOOL PREVIEW

                                          


All of a sudden, White Hart Lane is noisy again. A step in the right direction certainly. Three straight wins in all competitions has pulled the fans to AVB's side once again. The 4-1 mauling of Anzhi meant Spurs went through their entire group unbeaten with maximum points from all games played. the RS9 brand shone brightly around the Lane on Thursday night with a hat-trick to its name. If Soldado can replicate that performance in five EPL games on the spin, then Spurs will climb up the League standings without much fuss.

Sunday's visitors, Liverpool, lie 2nd in the League, thanks largely to the unplayable Luis Suarez. The gunslinger has scored six goals in his last two games and is on 15 in just 10 starts in the League. The Uruguayan bad boy is the best footballer in the Premier League at the moment and no one can argue to the contrary. The loss of Daniel Sturridge  has been a blessing in disguise for the 18 time English Champions who can rely on Suarez to fire in the goals needed to claim a top 4 spot at the end of the season. The title is a realistic target too. If results go their way this weekend, they could find themselves just two points off top spot, but they could also be eight points adrift if things turn upside down.

AVB, like Moyes, is doing very well in European competitions and took some burden off him in recent weeks with two very important ways away at Fulham and Sunderland. Lewis Holtby is showing why he was much sought after by the Spurs hierarchy last season with some very exemplary displays bar the slaughtering at the Etihad. The Bale effect has disappeared into thin air but they are a team in transition and 6th place is not bad at this point. A win on Sunday and they'll be lying in and around the top four.


PROBABLE LINE-UPS

SPURS

Lloris,  Walker, Dawson, Vertonghen/Chiriches, Rose, Sandro/Dembele, Paulinho, Eriksen, Lamela, RS9, Lennon

Spurs will stockpile the midfield and depend on the driving force and power of Moussa Dembele, the creative talent of Christian Eriksen and the direct running ability of Aaron Lennon. In central defence, only Captain, Michael Dawson is fully fit which means AVB will have to choose between Jan and Vlad for the second CB position. Danny Rose is back fit and should slot in immediately into the left back position. Hugo Lloris comes back in as goaltender with Brad giving way.

LIVERPOOL

Mignolet, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Flamagan, Lucas, Henderson, Allen, Sterling, Coutinho, SUAREZ

Steven Gerrard is probably out for six weeks after picking up a hamstring injury in last weekend's 4-1 dismantling of West Ham. He'll be greatly missed. It gives Allen and Henderson the opportunity to shine and give Rodgers more selection headache. Philippe Coutinho is the chief provider of assists in Gerrard's absence and will be supported by Raheem Sterling. SUAREZ is likely to put one in the back of the net every game he plays and should continue in that fashion on Sunday. Simon Mignolet is proving match after match why Liverpool and Brendan were right to ship Reina off with some of the most incredible saves ever. His one handed save could easily be compared to the likes of Ubaldo Fillol and Lev Yashin. Am I exaggerating?


Liverpool-Spurs has also provided some of the best entertainment in the League. Sunday will surely be a step up from what we have been seeing/experiencing. The roof will be blown away of course.



Ohireime  P Eboreime
@ohiskaka1990

ASTON VILLA-MANCHESTER UNITED PREVIEW

                                                                


Nobody in his right mind will admit to have predicted the scenario we are currently seeing. The Villains lie in 10th place, three points off Sunday's visitors, Manchester United, whoa re an unusual ninth position. A Villa win will mean bye bye to any slim title hopes still harboured by the red army. Even the most passionate Villa fan will still be in shock that fifteen games into the season, Villa are only adrift of Manchester United by three points.

After collecting just two points from a possible twelve in League play, United relieved some of the pressure put on them by themselves with a hard fought 1-0 win over Shakhtar on Tuesday. An insipid and de-motivating performance which left only one sweet memory-United won the group and will avoid the big dogs at least for one round in the Champions League. Morale depleting losses against Everton and Newcastle at Old Trafford have further piled the pressure on David Moyes who seems to be bereft of any technical/tactical know how we all thought in possessed in abundance. Even Everton fans who sang his name for ELEVEN YEARS have said that Roberto Martinez has achieved in four months what Moyes could not put together in more than one decade. A disgrace to his service to the Merseyside outfit. Now at a much bigger club, he has taken the red army from winners to also-rans in the space of 16 weeks and there might be more tears shed as the months roll by. No one would have envisaged such a dismal run in a Tournament United have owned for twenty years now. Now,another record is at stake. Moyes has broken all the existing records v teams around United in the League. It seems he has read his own riot act. Delivering poor results seem to be his stock-in-trade.

MUFC fans will take solace from the fact that their beloved club won four out of six matches vs credible opposition in Europe, but the PREMIER LEAGUE is the biggest trophy in the World to every Manchester United fan.. Even if it hasn't been won every time, it has been contested for with blood, sweat and tears. Being discarded by teams like Newcastle cannot be accepted again.

Aston Villa suffered defeat at Craven Cottage last Sunday but will look to bounce back this Sunday on their home turf. They are aware of what lies at stake and the form of Benteke is a thing of great worry for Paul Lambert, even though he tries his very best to hide it. Without the Belgian star's goals this season, they would have been nowhere and his strikes last terms saved them from relegation. Gabby Agbonlahor doesn't score often but has his heart on his sleeve every time he wears the colours of Villa. He cannot be relied upon to score the goals. Villa know they need to WIN.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

ASTON VILLA

Guizan, Bacuna, Clark, Herd, Baker, Delph, El Ahmadi, Westwood, Weimann, Agbonlahor, Benteke

Christian Benteke will be given another chance to end his longstanding goal drought on Sunday against the red devils. Villa are still without Captain, Ron Vlaar (calf), Libor Kozak (ankle) and Joe Bennett (back). Antonio Luna 9groin) could recover in time, while the match might come too soon for Charles N'Zogbia who is still suffering from a problem with his calf.


MANCHESTER UNITED

DDG, Rafa, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Fellaini, Anderson, Nani, Valencia, ROO, RVP

Adnan Januzaj may be rested after two full games in four days, while the likes of RVP, Evra, Vidic and Nani will most certainly be restored to the starting line-up after sitting out the midweek European game. Wayne Rooney is the best player in United colours this season and should partner the recuperating RVP in attack. United have to find their groove back and only the R-R combo can do it.


Rewind to last season and it was Villa who bore the brunt of the R-R wizardry when they teamed up to good effect to put three past the Birmingham based club on the way to sealing the 13th EPL crown for SAF and the club. Van Persie scored one of the League's greatest hat-tricks with some unbelievable finishes. A repeat of that will be music to the ears of the inconsolable supporters of the defending champions.


Ohireime P Eboreime
@ohiskaka1990

MANCHESTER CITY-ARSENAL PREVIEW

                                                  


Arsenal's title credentials will be tested to the limit when they travel to Manchester City on Saturday in the midday kick-off. Arsene Wenger's men will face a City side unbeaten at home in the League and brimming with confidence after coming from 2-0 down to defeat Bayern Munich 3-2 at the Allianz Arena. The defending Champions went 2-0 up within the first quarter of an hour, until David Silva, Aleks Kolarov and James Milner came up with the goals Pellegrini required to be victorious over Pep Guardiola for the VERY FIRST TIME in his managerial career.

City have been in dominant form especially at home in the League, winning all seven fixtures and scoring 27 goals in that stretch. They have only let in 2...One of them a fantastic free kick by Wayne Rooney in the 4-1 clobbering of Manchester United. Recently, it was Spurs that collected a sound thrashing. Kun Aguero, Jesus Navas and Alvaro Negredo all had their names on the score sheet in what still remains one of the most one-sided matches I have ever seen.

Arsenal task has been made the more difficult judging by their last performance in the Champions league where they were beaten in Naples. City are yet to be prevented from scoring in 60-odd home games and it will be difficult to see how Per and Kos stop the Kun-Negredo combo from netting at least one goal. The North Londoners sit five points clear of the chasing park and are aware that there is no room for lapses in concentration. With the big London derby coming up next, anything less than a draw could be detrimental to the lingering hopes of finally ending their EPL title drought.


PROBABLE LINE-UPS-

MANCHESTER CITY

Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Kolarov, Fernandinho, Toure, Silva, Nasri, Aguero, Negredo

Possibly the strongest starting eleven Manuel can put out with injuries to Richards (wouldn't have started ahead of Zabaleta anyway) and Gael Clichy. It is not the Chilean's fault that Dzeko is rotting away on the subs bench. ALVARO NEGREDO has been possibly the best purchase made by City in the last three years. The Spanish attacker has proved his worth in four months and cannot be benched on current form. We all know who the chief supplier of goals is and he has returned to the set-up after an injury ravaged start to the season. David Silva is surely assured of a starting place ahead of anyone in the playmaker slot. Samir Nasri has done very well this season and should start against his former club and Sergio Aguero must lead the line as usual. Vincent Kompany was swept aside effortlessly by PABLO DANIEL OSVALDO in last weekend's 1-1 draw at St Mary's, but he is still the Leader of the team and strongman of the defence. He should get the nod alongside the vocal Demichelis. Both should be comfortable against Olivier Giroud who is goal shy away from London. The Fernandinho-Toure midfield is as assured as any other in World football and should show that on Saturday. The presence of Fernandinho has allowed Gnegnery to maraud further up field and cause some damage. It has yielded the right results for the recently crowned BBC AFRICAN FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR and his club. He returns after sitting out the Bayern victory through suspension. Joe hart remains an able deputy to Roman shot-stopper, Costel Pantilimon. Role reversal.

ARSENAL

Szczesny, Jenkinson, Kos, Per, Gibbs, Arteta, Flamini/Wilshere, Ozil, Ramsey, Cazorla, Groud

Pretty much the same as we have seen from Arsenal all season. Aaron Ramsey is set to start after being rested in midweek as well as the imminent return of Jack Wilshere whose sore ankle must have healed in time to face the blue army. Lukas Podolski is set to return to the team after almost four months on the sidelines, but Bacary Sagna is still out with a hamstring injury. Mesut Ozil is set to battle it out with David Silva in a tale of two excellent lefties with some of the most unique passing skills ever witnessed/seen. Silva is no slouch and Ozil is different class. Aaron Ramsey can add to his 13 goals this season on Saturday which will further push his case up the ladder for him to be crowned PFA PLAYER OF THE YEAR cum May '14. On current form, he is among the best in the World in his position-which is currently unknown as he is deployed to several in every match. Mikel Arteta, who has assumed full responsibilities as team captain, since the ouster of Club Captain , Thomas Vermaelen, from the team, is accumulating too many red cards this season. Nevertheless, he is one of the most  effective players in the League can be relied upon to give the midfield the needed balance.


Wojciech Szczesny has been very dependable this season but almost brought back memories of his over confident self in the first half of the game in Naples. Luckily for him and Arsenal, the mistake amounted to nothing. With Pantilimon between the sticks for City, they have kept a few clean sheets along the way. Joe Hart might be facing deja vu. Roy Hodgson might be forced to look elsewhere for a replacement to the England  first choice goalkeeping jersey if this current situation does not change soon.


A game that pitches two of the best sides in Europe against each other. It is the viewers' dream to anticipate and finally watch some of the greatest footballers in the world slug it out for bragging rights. IT could be nine points-advantage Arsenal or three points-gap trimmed by City at the end of proceedings. What is required of us is to wait as events unfold. Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs and Everton will keep a close watch on this game as it has a bearing on their current positions in the League. As for Manchester United, this is beyond their reach at the moment. Focus should be on how to gather enough points before the new year. Who knows? Arsenal might be the first team to inflict on City, its first home loss...In football, nothing is certain.


Ohireime P Eboreime
ohiskaka1990