EPL Predictions; Derby du Rhône!
By Sam McPhee
Fresh off the international “break” in midweek, we head right back into the thick of EPL action. The league race is heating up as Man U dropped their first match of the season & Arsenal (despite a “moral loss”) & Man City gained ground on the Red Devils. Can the peloton chase down & close the gap further on Man U this week? Or will Man U survive the Manchester Derby & PWN the Man City Top 4 N00bs?
Saturday’s Matches
Arsenal-Wolverhampton Wanderers
Chad Arsenal 3-Wolves 1
The biggest question in this match is how will the Gunners respond after their 4-0 collapse in the north of England? Wenger will have his squad focused knowing that Man City could very well beat Man U giving Arsenal a chance to gain points two weeks in a row. Van Persie will score yet again!
Corey Arsenal 2-Wolves 0
Wolves are clearly the best team in England now. If it’s all about trends these days, then beating the club at the top of the table clearly means you’re better than them right? If you’re only as good as your last game, well Wolves are mint then, I guess… or not. Arsenal blew a 4-goal last week but won’t do that in this match. Mainly because they’ll only score 2. This one has the potential to get pretty chippy too so it should be “fun.”
Liverpool-Wigan Athletic
Chad Liverpool 2-Wigan 0
After Liverpool’s matchup v Torres they could be in for a let down but luckily they draw Wigan who is battling to get out of relegation. King Kenny we not slip up here.
Corey Liverpool 2-Wigan 0
Liverpool have turned it around! Carroll & Suarez have yet to really play yet & King Kenny has turned it around. One pundit claimed Liverpool may not lose for the rest of the season. Reminds me of a different version of the Liverpool song, You’ll Never Walk Alone, remixed into a new 2011 anthem, You’ll Never Be Hyperbolic Alone. Kenny, play El Perro Langosta!
Manchester United-Manchester City
Chad Manchester United 3-Manchester City 2
This derby should be quite the match! United is coming off their first loss of the EPL season and Manchester City is just 5 points behind. A win here and the Citizens could give Man U a scare for the rest of the season. It will not happen though as Berbatov will bag the game winner for the Red Devils.
Corey Manchester City 3-Manchester United 2
From no losses to 2 in a row? You bet! And if I’m wrong, I’m wrong but I think City, & Tevez specifically, have enough & will be up for this derby match. The United camp have been quiet this week because Ferguson has probably been keeping all the players in the attic trying to spindle the straw of last week’s performance into gold against Man City. Or I put Man City winning because Chad took Man U!
Sunderland-Tottenham Hotspur
Chad Sunderland 2-Spurs 2
Spurs have been playing somewhat well despite their injuries and are in the race to qualify for Champions League football for a second year in a row. It will be this years Champions league play though that Tottenham will have on their mind (vs AC Milan on Tuesday) that will cause them to only earn a point.
Corey Sunderland 2-2 Spurs
Spurs are reeling from injuries & the use of the Olympic Stadium defeat at the hands of West Ham & Karen Brady. I smell a draw in this one. Or that may just be the wretched form of Strikers in the Spurs camp that I smell. Either way, Spurs will need to be wary of Asamoah Gyan who has played well in his first season in England.
Birmingham City-Stoke City
Chad Birmingham 1-Stoke 1
Corey Birmingham City 1-Stoke City 0
Blackburn Rovers-Newcastle United
Chad Blackburn 2-Newcastle 2
Who’s leg will Barton try to break this week? Highlights at 10!!!
Corey Blackburn 2-Newcastle 1
Newcastle makes the biggest signing EVAR in Shefki Kuqi!
Blackpool-Aston Villa
Chad Blackpool 2-Aston Villa 2
Corey Aston Villa 3-Blackpool 1
West Bromwich Albion-West Ham United
Chad West Brom 1-West Ham 2
Corey West Brom 1-West Ham 0
Sunday’s Matches
Bolton Wanderers-Everton
Chad Bolton 2-Everton 1
Corey Bolton 1-Everton 1
Monday’s Matches
Fulham-Chelsea
Chad Fulham 1-Chelsea 1
Chelsea will continue with their 4-3-3 and they will lose out on points again but this time Torres will at least play a full 90, hooray for £50m!
Corey Chelsea 2-Fulham 0
Chelsea were blanked last time out against a determined (but boring to me; get over it Liverpudlians) Liverpool side as the attacking triumvirate of Torres, Drogba & Anelka didn’t seem quite to fit together. Fulham led by American Clint Dempsey are starting to churn out some results but I don’t see them getting one against Chelsea even at Craven Cottage. Would love to be wrong though!
BONUS PICK!
If any of you play Football Manager, like Chad & myself, you’ll know it’s accurately called “digital crack.” I am currently managing Ligue 1 side, AS Saint-Étienne, in FM09. AS Saint-Étienne play their arch-rivals, Olympique Lyon this Saturday at home in the Derby du Rhône. So, with that, a free bonus pick for the Derby du Rhône:
Olympique Lyon 2-1 AS Saint-Étienne
Lyon had a downright HORRIBLE start to their season at one point lying in the relegation zone of the Ligue 1 albeit after only a handful of games. They have turned that form right around & now see themselves in 6th place behind… AS Saint-Étienne. So this derby has the added storyline of being a 6-pt. match. As well as Dimitri Payet has played for Les Verts, including being monitored by French national team manager Laurent Blanc & being on Liverpool’s radar, I think Lyon’s experience will be enough to get past Saint-Étienne. Look for former Les Vert, Bafétimbi Gomis to put in a determined performance against his former employers & get a goal, maybe two.