LIVERPOOL-ARSENAL PREVIEW

It's  crunch time for table toppers, Arsenal. The first of one of the most hectic fixture schedule of recent time starts on Saturday noon at Anfield where they take on Champions League chasing Liverpool. Arsene Wenger is well aware of how daunting the tasks that face them are. Manchester United (not so difficult nowadays), Bayern Munich and Liverpool (FA CUP) await the gunners in the coming weeks. Victory tomorrow will be the perfect start to what is billed to be the maker or breaker of a wonderful season to date.

                          

SAS gang

Brendan Rodgers knows that Everton and Spurs (who clash over the weekend at White Hart Lane) will be waiting for any slip-up to capitalise on, when Arsenal visit the North West. Not only that, there's also the small matter of revenge for the Merseysiders after Arsenal humbled them 2-0 at the Emirates late last year. The SAS partnership can do no wrong this season and with 37 League goals between them, expect at least one of them to register his name on the score sheet during the game. Their combined goals tally is more than 15 Premier League sides have mustered since the start of the season. Only Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and struggling Manchester United have managed to score more than SUA-STUDGE combined. Of course you can't add the club they belong to. Luis Suarez, the leader of the two man gang, has scored more League goals than anyone in European Football, including the 'gods' Messi, CR7 and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and he has played far less games than all of them. Oppositions have found it almost impossible to shut them out. Perhaps, Kos and Per could try on Saturday.

Arsenal returned to the summit of the Premier League on Sunday when they put Crystal Palace to the sword courtesy of a brace from the returning Alex Ox-Chambo. But it was the all round display of Spanish pocket launcher, Snatiago Cazorla that caught the eye for me. Everyone can sing about Ozil. For me, CAZORLA is the best player Arsenal can call upon any day. The League Leaders know that anything other than a win will open the door for Chelsea or Manchester City to climb up the ladder.

As if it wasn't wide enough already, Jose Mourinho and his unparallelled tactical ingenuity further widened the race for the Title, with victory over City at the Etihad. A feat that has been unachievable for a while now. If Liverpool defeat Arsenal, it will add a new dimension to the already multi-dimensional race for the 13/14 EPL Championship.


PROBABLE LINEUPS-

LIVERPOOL

Mignolet, Flamagan, Skrtel, Toure, Cissokho, Gerrard, Henderson, Coutinho, Suarez, Sterling, Sturridge

ARSENAL

Szczesny, Sagna, Per, Kos, Monreal, Arteta, Ox-Chambo, Wilshere, Cazorla, Ozil, Giroud,


Both teams very much pick themselves in fairness. Rodgers and Wenger don't spring too many surprises, except injury (ies) force their hand. Rodgers  will continue with the TRIPLE S forward line with Coutinho providing creativity from the middle and Henderson partnering the deeper lying Gerrard. Habib made a mistake at the Hawthorns, but will likely partner Skrtel in defence. young Flamagan will continue to deputise for Johnson and the ever present Mignolet will remain between the sticks.

Arsene will continue with Ox-Chmabo after he returned with a bang which means there will be no place for Tomas Rosicky yet again. Mathieu Flamini is suspended, so Arteta will play the holding role. The returning Jack Wilshere will take the place of Podolski who hardly touched the ball last Sunday. Yet again, Olivier Giroud will lead the line. He is a sure starter as he is the only option in attack. Can I hear your rants Bendtner fans?

Arsenal have done very well at Anfield in recent years. Tomorrow will be the toughest test they have faced in years as this Liverpool team is entirely different and more ambitious than the ones they have dominated in the last three or four years. With EL PISTOLERO in form, the balance has shifted a bit.


Ohireime P Eboreime
@ohiskaka1990

MANCHESTER UNITED V FULAHM PREVIEW

OLD TRAFFORD is no longer a fortress. The theatre of dreams has now become the theatre of nightmares since AUGUST 2013. The likes of West Brom, Newcastle, Swansea, Spurs and Everton have won there comfortably. Sot'on and Stoke have held their own, playing like the turf is theirs. There is no reason whatsoever for the cottagers to be wary when they travel to Old Trafford on Sunday to face the defenceless defending champions, Manchester United.



                                                      



We are in February and it is astonishing to see that Manchester United languish in 7th place on 40 points, haven lost EIGHT PREMIER LEAGUE GAMES. More devastating is the fact that there is a STRONG chance that the club WILL not qualify for Europe's premier club competition, the UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, next season. David Moyes, defiant as he might seem, is worried for his dear life and future as Manchester United boss. He has broken the wrong records and set unenviable feats. The Scot doesn't know hi surroundings yet and there isn't any time this season to make up for the lost points. Defeat at Stoke last weekend in a tepid, insipid performance was a crushing blow. The manager even made the defeat more awful and disheartening by saying 'they didn't deserve to lose'. Was he watching something else, while dishing out amateurish instructions on the sidelines? Clueless assertion I must admit. Stoke deservedly won that game and Mark Hughes got one over his former club, thanks largely to the excellent display of CHARLIE ADAM who is now used to whipping them home with his sweet left foot.

On Sunday, Fulham travel to Manchester United on the back of what is surely one of the most dismal runs in the Club's history. Former United manager, Rene Meulensteen is under pressure to deliver and fast too. The club lie at the basement of the LEAGUE TABLE with a paltry 19 points garnered from a possible 72. 17 games have been lost out of 24 and that is relegation form. Only a MIRACLE would prevent the cottagers from playing in the Championship next season. The Dutch manager left United in June after Moyes decided against retaining his services and then proceeded to Fulham in November en route Russia and Anzhi. Since he took over, Fulham have lost 9 out of the 16 games he has been in charge of, winning only 4. Defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in the F.A Cup replay on Tuesday added distress to misery. The West Londoners have hit rock bottom and need a lift to get back on track. A win at the Theatre will sure spark hopes of survival.

United know they cannot afford any slip ups from now till MAY. Last term, the 4th placed team ended the season on 73 points which means United must equal or better that total to have any chance of making it to the top tier of European Football next season. Normally, 33 points out of 42 wouldn't have been an unrealistic target for the United of all, but this present crop are a complete disgrace. In years gone by, no team in World Football would come to OLD TRAFFORD confident of taking points. Even in injury time, clubs aplenty would still be shivering at the prospect of one of those famous United comebacks. All that has gone with the wind now. MANCHESTER UNITED is now a shadow of its former self.

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

MANCHESTER UNITED

DDG, Rafael, Smalling/Jones, Vidic, Evra, Carrick, Fletcher, Adnan, Mata, Rooney, RVP

FULHAM

Stekelenburg, Riether, Hangeland, Bum, Richardson, Parker, Sidwell, Holtby, Dempsey, Bent, MITROGLOU

Moyes will be hoping Phil Jones is available after suffering concussion in the Stoke defeat. Evans is injured. The big news is that NEMANJA VIDIC is back after serving the customary 3-match ban for his dismissal v Chelsea. RVP has led the line very well since his return, notching two goals in his last two games. Wayne Rooney is slowly coming back to form and Juan Mata must improve, although his two sumptuous assists haven't gone unnoticed. The 37 Million Pound Spaniard is quality all round and can spearhead a United turnaround. The problem is in Midfield where Carrick has been poor by his lofty standards. Cleverley is no footballer and Darren Fletcher is fast recovering and improving with every game. That area MUST be sorted out in the Summer or it could be very disastrous.

MITROGLOU THE GREEK HUNTER

For Fulham, Rene will be hoping to unleash the Greek goal scoring demon, KOSTAS MITROGLOU. The ex-Olympiakos sharp shooter is the club's record signing.  He was registered after deadline day, so couldn't feature v Southampton last weekend. One of my favourite footballers will square up against United on Sunday, hoping to continue his good scoring form since he rose to prominence.  A fruitful partnership with Darren Bent will be a good way to start steadying the sinking Cottage ship. In defence, Senderos should stop football all together because he is awful at it. How he played for Arsenal and AC Milan, I cannot understand. Bum and Hangeland are almost certain to start, with Reither and Richardson either side of them.

Sunday's game is a must win for both sides. Fulham don't like drawing games. An outright winner must emerge. We await the outcome.


Ohireime P Eboreime
@ohiskaka1990