Cruelly denied its rightful place by a full programme of marvellous Premiership matches in midweek, the meander arrives pre-scout picks, to bring you my thoughts on where the clean sheets, goals and irritation will come this weekend..
Best For Clean Sheets….
Once again the top defences look strong options. Of the three top clean sheet fetchers, Liverpool’s trip to Spurs is perhaps the weakest fixture to back. Spurs’ form has been rejuvenated by Harry and 6 goals in the last two tells the tale. They could easily poach one against Rafa’s men but I’d still leave your Liverpool defenders intact; Liverpool showed at Stamford Bridge that they can withstand pressure to nick a win.
Chelsea’s home form hasn’t got near their results or performances on the road but you have to back them at home to Sunderland. Keane will likely throw a 90% fit Kenwyne Jones at them and last season Terry acknowledged him as his toughest opponent. Carvalho’s absence will cause further disruption but Alex has proved a worthy stand in. Things are looking a little bit more shaky than a week ago; you’ve still got to look at this fixture as a strong home clean sheet possibility though.
United also look strong at home to Hull. Brown’s men were dragged back down to earth against Chelsea on Wednesday and could easily be handed another lesson at Old Trafford. You’ve got to fancy Ferguson’s men to keep Hull occupied defensively for long periods so another United clean sheet looks likely with Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra bar far the safest options selection wise.
Elsewhere Arsenal look fragile at Stoke, although Wenger is set to change things at the back and could add more height to the side via Toure, Song, Diaby and maybe Bendtner. City could, despite recent defensive form, earn a clean sheet against goal-shy Bolton, although Hughes’ defence is in flux right now and, longer term, they still looks shaky with some tough games to come in a few weeks.
Portsmouth are a strong bet for home cleanie with Wigan in town. Bruce’s side are struggling, although it’s hard to imagine Zaki going a third game without a goal. Traore, playing on the left of midfield, is by far your best option – Kranjcar is still a couple of weeks from a starting role and Traore should keep his place somewhere in the eleven regardless.
Everton look fairly decent at home to Fulham, although their home form has been so dismal, I’m not backing a clean sheet, particularly with Johnson in town with a point to prove. Boro at home to West Ham and both West Brom and Blackburn, who meet at the Hawthorns, are my dark horses for shut outs if you’re looking for defensive cover on a budget.
Best For Goals….
There will surely be goals at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford but I’ll leave those out of the equation to spare myself from stating the obvious. Elsewhere however, I’m struggling to see us getting anywhere near the goal-fest we enjoyed in midweek.
Portsmouth could get a few against Wigan, although surely Bruce will look to tighten things up after the recent run. Bolton vs Man City doesn’t suggest more than a couple of goals, similarly West Brom vs Blackburn and Everton vs Fulham.
Our best bets could well be the Stoke vs Arsenal encounter where a clean sheet for either side look unlikely and Monday night’s game involving Newcastle and Villa.
Wenger’s front line is hard to call, given that he has previously suggested rotation and that they face Fenerbahce in midweek. I’ve a feeling that Bendtner will play a part, so either Van Persie or Adebayor could get a rest. A better option then could well be the Villa attack, with Carew likely to be restored alongside the in-form Agbonlahor. Villa aren’t playing well though despite results, so even investment here could be a gamble against a resurgent Newcastle.
Best For Frustration…
Many will be backing Everton to put a few past Fulham at Goodison but I’m not quite buying into the Everton revival just yet. Fulham’s defence is pretty sound – they won at home to Wigan on Wednesday and Johnson will be looking to get one over on his former club. This one has a dreaded 1-1 written all over it for me.
Similarly, there will be plenty backing Spurs given their performance at the Emirates on Wednesday. If they can notch early on against Liverpool, we should see an open game with a good few goals. If Rafa plays his normal game away from home though, we’ll see Liverpool strangle the midfield and nick a 1-0 win.
Finally, City have suffered of late and although Bolton are on an awful run – I’m still not expecting Hughes’ side to go on goal blitz at the Reebok. Owners of Robinho, Ireland and Wright-Phillips could well be in frustrating 90 minutes, with Hughes already acknowledging that his side have been too attacking away from home. I expect a tighter lineup and performance from City on Sunday then and they might just be content with a sneaky 1-0 win.