Wacky EPL Wednesday LIVE:

Wacky EPL Wednesday LIVE:

What an action packed Wednesday night for English football!

The top three clubs all in action as 1st placed Manchester United face Wigan, Manchester City host West Brom and Arsenal face Wolves.

QPR vs Swansea is the 8pm kick-off from Loftus Road.

Yesterday's EPL Result:
Blackburn Rovers 2 Liverpool 3
It was an overcast dark night, as 19th placed Blackburn hosted 8th placed Liverpool in an important match for both sides.
Liverpool started off well, with two quick fire goals from midfielder Maxi Rodriguez in the 13th and 16th minute.


Then, goalkeeper Doni got a straight red card for a late tackle inside the box on winger David Holiett.
Blackburn's penalty was taken by Yakubu and 3rd choice goalkeeper Brad Jones stepped up and saved striker Yakubu's weak shot. 
Everyone thought it would be over for Blackburn, before top-scorer Yakubu halved the lead in the 36th minute.
Yakubu redeemed himself after his early penalty miss with a goal in the 61st minute from the penalty spot to level the match-up.
Liverpool striker Andy Carroll scored late on in the 92nd minute from a header to give The Reds all three points luckily in the LAST minute. 

Striker Andy Carroll heads the ball past goalkeeper Paul Robinson to give Liverpool all 3 points at Ewood Park.

Important: Andy Carroll celebrates his first goal since January, and what a vital goal it proved to be in the last minute.

19:45pm kick-offs:

Manchester City vs West Bromwich Albion:

Team line-ups:

Man City: Hart, Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy, Silva, De Jong, Barry, Nasri, Aguero, Tevez.

Subs: Pantilimon, Zabaleta, Milner, Pizarro, Dzeko, Johnson, Kolarov.

Big news for City, is that Carlos Tevez starts his first match for Manchester City this year after all the news and controversy around him. Can he make a positive impact?


Yaya Toure is out from the knee knock suffered on Sunday against Arsenal, so Nigel De Jong is recalled along with David Silva.

West Brom: Foster, Jones, Dawson, Olsson, Shorey, Cox, Mulumbu, Scharner, Andrews, Dorrans, Long. 

Subs: Daniels, Tchoyi, McAuley, Odemwingie, Hurst, Fortune, Roofe.

Star striker Peter Odemwingie can only make the WBA bench along with goalscorer Marc Fortune who scored in the 3-0 win at the weekend.

Wigan Athletic vs Manchester United:

Team line-ups:

Wigan: Al Habsi, Alcaraz, Caldwell, Figueroa, Boyce, McCarthy, McArthur, Beausejour, Moses, Di Santo, Maloney. 

Subs: Pollitt, Crusat, Ben Watson, Gomez, Sammon, Diame, Stam.

FACT: Wigan have not scored against Manchester United in 512 minutes of EPL football.

Man Utd: De Gea, Jones, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Valencia, Giggs, Carrick, Young, Rooney, Hernandez. 

Subs: Amos, Smalling, Park, Nani, Welbeck, Cleverley, Pogba.

Nani, Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley are all on the bench for United. 

Wolves vs Arsenal:

Team line-ups:

Wolves: Hennessey, Zubar, Stearman, Bassong, Ward, Kightly, Henry, Davis, Jarvis, Edwards, Doyle. 

Subs: De Vries, Ebanks-Blake, Fletcher, Johnson, Berra, Milijas, Forde.

Top-scorer Stephen Fletcher is on the bench for Wolves.

Interesting or what?!

Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Djourou, Vermaelen, Andre Santos, Arteta, Song, Walcott, Ramsey, Benayoun, van Persie.

Subs: Fabianski, Rosicky, Park, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Squillaci, Jenkinson, Chamakh.

Defender Laurent Koscielny starts a two-match ban after getting his 10th yellow card of the season against Manchester City on Sunday.
Kieran Gibbs is injured, so Andre Santos and Johan Djourou are brought back into the frame. 
Aaron Ramsey also starts, ahead of Tomas Rosicky who played on Sunday.

The 20:00 kick-off:

QPR vs Swansea City:

Team line-ups:

QPR: Kenny, Onuoha, Ferdinand, Hill, Taiwo, Mackie, Barton, Diakite, Buzsaky, Taarabt, Zamora. 

Subs: Cerny, Gabbidon, Campbell, Bothroyd, Young, Smith, Wright-Phillips.

Joey Barton starts for QPR, after being dropped the whole of last month (let's not get into detail).
Shaun Wright-Phillips is surprisingly only on the bench for Rangers though.

Swansea: Vorm, Rangel, Caulker, Williams, Taylor, Sigurdsson, Britton, Allen, Routledge, Graham, Sinclair. 

Subs: Tremmel, Tate, Dyer, Monk, McEachran, Moore, Gower.

On-loan Chelsea midfielder Josh McEachran and Nathan Dyer both start from the bench for Swansea, as Danny Graham and Scott Sinclair are given recalls after being rested in the 2-0 defeat to Newcastle on Easter Friday.

LIVE Commentary/Clockwatch of all 4 matches:

19:45: The three matches have all kicked off.

19:51:

The Ethiad Stadium,

Manchester City vs West Bromwich Albion:

Striker Sergio Aguero breaks the deadlock in the 6th minute for the home side! 1-0 to City! He hit the ball from the edge of the box and it fell into the bottom corner of the net.

Super start by Manchester City, who have come out of the blocks running (unlike the 1-0 defeat on Sunday to Arsenal).

19:53:

Molienuex,

Wolves vs Arsenal:
Winger Theo Walcott ran with a lot of pace into the box before defender Christopher Bassong who tripped him up and held onto him before he fell to the ground.

The referee points to the penalty spot and brings out one of his cards.... IT'S RED!!

He had no choice, Walcott was about to score.

Early shower for you: Bassong tackles Walcott inside the penalty area, to get sent off and a three-match ban. 

19:54: 

Striker Robin Van Persie puts the ball on the spot, runs up to the white spot before stuttering.....

He chips the ball towards goal, WHAT A CHEEKY GOAL!!!!!!

1-0 to The Arsenal!

Dangerous: Striker Robin Van Persie celebrates his 27th goal of the season against Wolves with the rest of his team-mates.

FACT: RVP has broken the record, and now he is the first player to score against 18 teams in the EPL in one season since Ian Wright.

Lethal.

19:56:

Molienuex,

Wolves vs Arsenal:

GOAL!

2 goals in 2 minutes.... Theo Walcott with pace from the kick-off to confuse the defenders before cooly slotting past Wayne Hennessey.

The Arsenal fans including (me!) were still celebrating RVP's cheeky penalty finish. 2-0, and Wolves are in trouble in the first 10 minutes of the match.

Go like the wind: Walcott finishes off a great run against Wolves in the 10th minute with a firm hit to make it 2-0.

20:01: The match at Loftus Road has started between QPR and Swansea City.

20:04:
DW Stadium,
Wigan vs Manchester United:
The home side are NOT struggling to contain the defending champions here... still goalless but if anyone would be the first to score, it would probably be Wigan. 


20:07:
Molienuex,
Wolves vs Arsenal:
'You don't know what you're doing' is the chant going around the ground. 2-0 to the away side.


20:10:
Loftus Road,
QPR vs Swansea:


Possession:
QPR 32% : Swansea 68%
Not really a surprise from Swansea, who love to pass the ball around to frustrate their opposition. Still 0-0 though, and the away fans are chanting, 'Boring, boring Swansea'.




20:13:
DW Stadium,
Wigan vs Manchester United:


LOL.
Good refereeing by Phil Dowd.
Clumsy challenge by Johnny Evans on striker Franco Di Santo. Yellow card given to the young United defender, but Di Santo is also booked, for an imaginary wave of the card.


20:16:
DW Stadium,
Wigan vs Manchester United:
Controversy at the DW here.
Striker Victor Moses heads the ball into the net from a corner but the goal is disallowed as defender Gary Caldwell apparently blocked goalkeeper David De Gea.

Controversy: Striker Victor Moses's header was disallowed as (bottom left) Caldwell blocked goalkeeper David De Gea.

20:35:
HALF-TIMES:


Wigan Athletic 0 Manchester United 0
Goal-less draw at The DW. 


Wolves 0 Arsenal 2
FACT: Three of the last five players who have been sent off in the first ten minutes of the match in the EPL have been facing Arsenal.


Manchester City 1 West Brom 0
Aguero has scored the only goal of the game to put City 1-0 ahead in the 6th minute. 


20:46:
Loftus Road,
QPR vs Swansea:


GOAL!
The deadlock has been broken, just before half-time.
A free-kick was whipped into the box, and midfielder Joey Barton was in the right place at the right time to tap into the net.

Leading by example: Captain Joey Barton celebrates with the QPR fans after scoring against Swansea just before half-time. 

20:48:
HALF-TIME:


QPR 1 Swansea 0
Joey Barton has put the hosts ahead just before half-time.  


20:52:
The 7:45pm kick-offs have all re-started, for the second half.


20:52:
DW Stadium,
Wigan vs Manchester United:
United SUB:
Ashley Young OFF
Tom Cleverley ON 


20:57:
DW Stadium,
Wigan vs Manchester United:
Well, well... The title race is certainly not over yet.
Striker Shaun Maloney (who is involved in controversy with Ivanovic), has put the hosts ahead in the 50th minute.
A clean strike from 20 yards out which De Gea could not have saved at any rate.


20:59:
The Ethiad Stadium,
Manchester City vs West Brom:
Fans are erupting in Manchester!
First, news of United losing to Wigan before striker Sergio Aguero doubles the lead and his tally for the night in the 52nd minute with a simply tucked away finish.


21:03:
Loftus Road,
QPR vs Swansea:


Double substitution for Swansea:
Nathan Dyer and Alan Tate on for Wayne Routledge and Neil Taylor.


21:06:
The Ethiad Stadium,
Manchester City vs West Brom:


Nice passing between midfielder Samir Nasri and striker Sergio Aguero, before striker Carlos Tevez (who else!) clinically finishes the ball into the net.

Striker Carlos Tevez cooly scores past goalkeeper Ben Foster to make it 3-0 to Manchester City against West Brom.

1st of the season: Tevez salutes the City fans after his 6-month controversial ban from playing for City (after failing to come off the bench to play a match).  

There is only 1 Carlos Tevez!
Stadium announcer reads out Tevez's name, and the fans make a big cheer.


21:09:
The Ethiad Stadium,
Manchester City vs West Brom:
GOAL!
Playmaker David Silva with a neat chip over goalkeeper Ben Foster's head into the net. 4-0 to City, no coming back for WBA in this match.

David 'Delightfully Silky' Silva: Makes it 4-0 to City with a chip over Ben Foster into the net.

'That's the one': David Silva celebrates his goal for City to thrash West Brom 4-0.

Manchester City substitution:
Carlos Tevez is coming off for Adam Johnson.
Warm reception for Tevez, who scored his first goal for City this season. Fringe player and winger Johnson who could leave City in the Summer for up to £10million to go to Newcastle or Sunderland replaces him.


21:12:
Loftus Road,
QPR vs Swansea:

A controversial decision goes in QPR's favour, as striker Jamie Mackie runs from an offside position to win the ball from Anton Ferdinand before taking a shot which deflects off Angel Rangel into the net. 2-0 to QPR.


21:16:
Molienuex,
Wolves vs Arsenal:
GOAL
Midfielder Alex Song finds fellow midfielder Yossi Benayoun who picks the ball up on the edge of the box before curling the ball towards goal, and it beats keeper Wayne Hennessey.
3-0 to The Arsenal, and the three points are all wrapped up now if there was any doubt!

21:25:
Loftus Road,
QPR vs Swansea:


Midfielder Akos Buzsaky ends Swansea's hopes of getting something out of this match with a 25 yard drive which beat Michel Vorm.
Game over, and 3-0 to the home side.


21:40:
FULL-TIME:
Manchester City 4 West Brom 0
Aguero (2), Tevez and Silva all scored for the home side to give City faint hope of winning the title race against rivals Manchester United. 
They are now only 5 points behind, with the Manchester derby coming up in late April.


Wigan Athletic 1 Manchester United 0
FACT: Wigan have won their first match against Manchester United since their existence as a club.

Not just yet: Manchester United have not won the Premier League title yet after a 1-0 shock defeat to Wigan.

Wolves 0 Arsenal 3
Yossi Benayoun, Robin Van Persie and Theo Walcott were all on the scoresheet for The Gunners, as they strengthened their hold on 3rd place and a Champions League spot next season.

Deadly hit: On-loan midfielder Benayoun wraps up the three points for Arsenal against Wolves with his 4th goal of the season.

21:52:
FULL-TIME:
QPR 3 Swansea 0
Buzsaky, Barton and Mackie all scored for QPR, as they move 2 points away from the relegation zone and surely you have to think they can do enough to stay in the Premier League next season after their 3-0 win against a tough Swansea side.


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Today's EPL Results:

Today's EPL Results:

12:00:

Newcastle 1 Sunderland 1

The interesting North-West Derby came from The Sports Direct Arena as 6th placed Newcastle hosted rivals Sunderland (in 13th place).


On loan striker Nicklas Bendtner scored the opening goal for the away side after 25 minutes from the penalty spot.

Striker Nicklas Bendtner slots home for Sunderland after 25 minutes from the penalty spot to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Midfielder Stephane Sessegnon got a straight red card though for Sunderland and was sent off - which meant they had to play 32 minutes with 10 men.
Striker Demba Ba missed a penalty in the 83rd minute, which could have proved fatal for the home side's chances, but fellow forward Shola Ameobi equalised in the 90th minute for Newcastle to earn a point.

Last gasp: Shola Ameobi equalises for Newcastle at home to salvage a point against their rivals Sunderland.

There were 8 yellow cards and 2 red cards in this derby match, which showed that tempers flared like mad!

Derby Day: Both sets of players arguing after Sunderland's Sessegnon was sent off after elbowing midfielder Cheick Tiote.

Alan Pardew (Newcastle) and Martin O'Neil (Sunderland) face off after Newcastle celebrate their late equaliser....

14:05:

Fulham 5 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0

14th placed Fulham hosted 17th placed Wolves at Craven Cottage in a slight mis-match at the middle of the table.


Fulham were pressing Wolves since the first whistle, taking at least 6 shots in the first 20 minutes of the match.
Striker Pavel Pogrebnyak finally got the breakthrough after 36 minutes from a corner (with a header) past Wayne Hennessey.

Striker Pavel Pogrebnyak fires Fulham in-front after 36 minutes at Craven Cottage.

He doubled his tally for the day, 8 minutes later and the scoreline was 2-0. 

Pogrebnyak adds his second of the match, 8 minutes later to make it 2-0 to Fulham against Wolves.

Midfielder Clint Dempsey made it 3-0 to the hosts after half-time (56th), before Pogrebnyak got his hat-trick after Hennessey fumbled a shot straight into his path to tap into the net for 4-0. 

Three for the day: Pogbrebnyak scores his hat-trick to make it 4-0, and makes scoring look easy peasy.

Dempsey rubbed salt into the wounds to make it 5 for Fulham in the 83rd minute.
Wolves took their first shot on target in the 92nd minute. If that stat does not tell you something about Wolves' performance today, I do not know what will..
Fulham shoot up into 8th place with 36 points (only three behind 7th Liverpool), while Wolves drop into the bottom three, in 18th place with only 22 points from 27 matches.


FACT: Pavel Pogrebnyak has now scored 5 goals from 3 matches in his Fulham career, which is a record for Fulham players in the EPL.

16:10:

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Manchester United 3  

3rd placed Spurs hosted 2nd placed Manchester United at White Hart Lane. 

Striker Emmanuel Adebayor had a goal disallowed in the middle of the first half after claims he handled the ball (which he did!)
Wayne Rooney broke the deadlock for the away side to score his 19th goal of the season, just on the stroke of half-time with a powerful header from a corner. 
Winger Ashley Young doubled United's lead in the 60th minute, before virtually ending Tottenham's match and hopes, 9 minutes later!
Striker Jermain Defoe scored a consolation for Spurs in the 87th minute to give the home fans something to shout about, but the match finished 3-1.


United drop the gap from 5 to 2 points behind rivals City in 1st place, while Spurs (who were title contenders just a few weeks ago) are now 13 points behind 1st placed City and have to fight North London rivals Arsenal for 3rd place.

Ashley Young curls the ball past Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel from 25 yards out to make it 3-0 to United at White Hart Lane.

BREAKING NEWS:

Manager Andre Villas Boas has 'parted company' with Chelsea, with owner Roman Abramovich (unsurprisingly) ruthlessly wielding the axe. Assistant Roberto Di Matteo has been appointed interim manager until the end of the season. AVB who is 34, was only appointed eight months ago and cost billionaire owner Abramovich £13.3million to prise away from Portugese side FC Porto.

AVB: Was always going to be under-pressure...

What can I say.... You cannot say that the sacking was not coming but harsh as Chelsea players were under-performing....

Good luck elsewhere AVB, you do not need Chelsea to succed, just like you did at Porto...

As for Chelsea, they have 11 matches to gel with Di Matteo and claim Champions League football from Arsenal, Liverpool (and don't right off Newcastle) who all want it..

Analysis:

5 star Fulham thrashed Terry Connor's men by 5-0 at Craven Cottage, showing how much work that the interim manager has to do if he wants to keep Wolves in the EPL next season.

United virtually end Spurs' title hopes with a effortless 3-1 win away from home to startle rivals City in 1st place that they are on their tails, only two points away.

Sunderland and Newcastle both produce a derby masterclass with every needed to get the adrenaline pumping on a Sunday afternoon. 

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The Weekend's EPL Fixture Previews:

The Weekend's EPL Fixture Previews:

Hello and welcome to Round 26 of this season's EPL.

We have nine tasty and interesting matches over the weekend including the North London derbies between Arsenal vs Tottenham and QPR vs Fulham.



Tomorrow (15:00 unless stated):

Chelsea vs Bolton Wanderers:

This match will be played at Stamford Bridge as 5th placed Chelsea host 19th placed Bolton.
Chelsea will be without captain John Terry for Saturday's game against Bolton after he was ruled out for up to six weeks with a knee injury.
Ashley Cole is likely to return at left-back after being left out of the starting XI against Napoli and Fernando Torres is expected to be available despite missing training during midweek due to illness.
Midfielder Juan Mata is ready despite suffering a suspected broken finger on Tuesday in Italy but full-back Jose Bosingwa is out after suffering a muscle injury.

Bolton midfielder Mark Davies is expected to be fit after a hamstring problem.
New striker Marvin Sordell is eligible for selection again after being cup-tied for last weekend's FA Cup fifth-round victory over Millwall.
Defender Joe Riley is a doubt due to a foot injury and forward Kevin Davies, who sustained medial ligament damage in his knee in early February, is unlikely to be ready to make his return to action yet.
Chelsea will hope to end their current poor form of late against a side who they thrashed 6-0 in the last meeting.

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has scored 11 goals this season for The Blues - joint highest goalscorer along with Daniel Sturridge...

Newcastle United vs Wolverhampton Wanderers:

This match will be held at The Sports Direct Arena as 6th placed Newcastle host 18th placed Wolves in a surprising mismatch (especially this season).

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew will welcome back key midfield duo Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye for tomorrow's clash with Wolves.
Tiote has missed Newcastle's last seven games because of his involvement in the ACON with Ivory Coast, while Cabaye has now completed his three-match ban.
Full-back Ryan Taylor is also available after missing the 5-0 defeat against Spurs with an ankle injury, but Leon Best and Sammy Ameobi (both knee), Steven Taylor (Achilles) and Sylvain Marveaux (groin) remain on the sidelines.

Wolves midfielder Karl Henry is available after a three-match suspension for his silly red card against Aston Villa.
Winger Michael Kightly is also back in contention after suffering a back injury against Villa in January.
Top scorer Steven Fletcher was unable to train earlier this week because of a virus and migraine but caretaker boss Terry Connor is optimistic he will be fit.
He will be managing his first match for Wolves in this season.

Stephen Fletcher: Scored 10 goals for Wolves this season. Top scorer.

FACT: Wolves have not kept a clean sheet in the last twenty two EPL matches.
Wow....

QPR vs Fulham:

This match will come from Loftus Road as London clubs QPR and Fulham go head-to-head.

Midfielder Samba Diakite who joined from Nancy (on loan until the end of the season) is in line to make his QPR debut.
Striker Bobby Zamora faces his old club after moving to Rangers for a sum of £8million in the January transfer window but fellow striker Djibril Cisse is suspended, while Heidar Helguson (groin), DJ Campbell and Luke Young (both hamstring) are still injured.
31-year-old forward Andrew Johnson will return to the Fulham squad after being out for several weeks with a left adductor injury.
Fellow strikers Pavel Pogrebnyak and Orlando Sa are also available, while defender Philippe Senderos returns after a grade two strain in his left adductor. Zdenek Grygera (knee) and Steve Sidwell (hernia) are the only first-team players unavailable.

This match will have a frosty atmosphere with former players facing each other and tempers flaring, Fulham will hope to win again (like they did in October 6-0) but it will not be straight forward against a rejuvenated QPR side who were busy during last month's TW.

Striker Bobby Zamora has scored for his new club QPR, and faces his old club Fulham tomorrow....

West Bromwich Albion vs Sunderland:

This match will be played at The Hawthorns as 14th placed West Brom host an in-form Sunderland side who have been influenced by the arrival of manager Martin O'Neil who replaced Steve Bruce who was sacked earlier in the season.
West Brom midfielder Keith Andrews is in strong contention to make his full debut in Saturday's home Barclays Premier League clash with Sunderland.
Albion's transfer deadline signing from Blackburn is favourite to replace the injured Paul Scharner (rib) after impressing as a substitute and scoring during the 5-1 win over his former club Wolves.
Skipper Chris Brunt (ankle) is close to fitness but fellow midfielder Zoltan Gera (knee) remains a long-term absentee as the Baggies search for their first home win since November.
Nicklas Bendtner could return to the Sunderland after recovering from a facial fracture.
The striker has returned to training wearing a protective mask, although was ineligible to play against parent club Arsenal in the FA Cup last weekend, as were fellow loan signings Wayne Bridge and Sotirios Kyrgiakos.
Midfielder David Vaughan is back in training after an ankle problem, but the match is too soon for him, and only defenders Wes Brown (knee) and Titus Bramble (Achilles/calf) remain on the long-term casualty list.


FACT: Manager Martin O'Neill has only lost three matches in charge of Sunderland since the 10th of December 2011.
Staggering feat, without buying any players, Steve Bruce was messing about then!

Martin O'Neill: The epicenter of Sunderland's success this season.

Wigan Athletic vs Aston Villa:

This match will be played at the DW Stadium as Wigan host Aston Villa.
Aston Villa welcome striker Gabriel Agbonlahor back after he had back and hamstring problems which meant that he has missed Villa's last three matches.
Chris Herd could also be involved after coming through an hour in a reserve match unscathed. The midfielder has been out for around two and a half months with ankle ligament damage.
McLeish said he had a few other players with minor injuries who may not recover, but declined to name individuals.
Defender Richard Dunne (shoulder) and Ciaran Clark (knee) are both long-term casualties.
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez has a fully-fit squad.
Striker Callum McManaman has recovered from a back problem while a number of players were able to overcome colds and viruses during the club's recent trip to Oman.
Midfielder Mohamed Diame may be set for his first appearance since returning from ACON duty.

Manchester City vs Blackburn Rovers: LIVE at 17:30pm
1st placed Manchester City host lowly Blackburn at The Ethiad Stadium in a big mismatch with the two teams at two different ends of the EPL table.

Manchester City defender Micah Richards (knee) is fit for tomorrow's fixture against 17th placed Blackburn.
Richards required lengthy treatment during Wednesday's 4-0 Europa League win over Porto but completed the game while midfielder Gareth Barry, who was withdrawn to protect a muscle twinge, does not have a serious problem.
Defender Kolo Toure, midfielder Yaya Toure (both international duty at the African Cup Of Nations) and striker Mario Balotelli (suspension) return to domestic action after lengthy absences. Striker Carlos Tevez, now back in training, is not yet match-fit.
Blackburn midfielder David Dunn is a doubt due to a thigh injury.
Winger Junior Hoilett is fit, while defender Jason Lowe begins a two-match ban having picked up his 10th booking of the season against QPR and fellow defender Gael Givet is still suspended also.
Centre-back Christopher Samba, who has not played since January 2 and last month handed in a transfer request, appears poised to leave Rovers to join Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala. 


Manchester City should and probably will thrash Blackburn who lack flair in every part of the pitch apart from the wing - where Holiett will be given a rough time against the likes of Richards and Kompany....

Striker Sergio Aguero has scored 20 goals for Manchester City this season - third highest goalscorer in the EPL.

Sunday (13:30 unless stated):

Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur:

This tasty North London fixture at The Emirates on Sunday is my featured match between 4th placed Arsenal and 3rd placed Tottenham.

Tottenham forwards Emmanuel Adebayor (knee) and Rafael van der Vaart (calf) have trained this week and are expected to be fit for Sunday's north London derby at Arsenal.
Full-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto (groin) and midfielder Luka Modric (illness) missed last week's FA Cup game but should also be available to play at the Emirates.
Defender Ledley King (knee) faces a late fitness test, midfielder Sandro is a major doubt due to a calf injury, and William Gallas (calf) and Tom Huddlestone (ankle) are long-term absentees.
Arsenal defenders Laurent Koscielny (knee) and Kieran Gibbs (groin) face fitness tests ahead of the game.
Midfielder Aaron Ramsey (ankle), defender Francis Coquelin (hamstring) and centre-half Sebastien Squillaci (groin) are all sidelined.
Defender Carl Jenkinson recovered from a back problem and played for the reserves in midweek, but centre-back Per Mertesacker (ankle) is a long-term absentee, along with full-back Andre Santos (ankle), midfielders Abou Diaby (hamstring) and Jack Wilshere (ankle).

Striker Emmanuel Adebayor faces his old club away from home along with some interesting comments made by player from both teams so it has the making of a hostile atmosphere.
Tottenham feel they are the best team in London, and beat Arsenal 2-1 in their last meeting so The Gunners will be looking for revenge at home but they may struggle against an in-form Spurs side.


Robin Van Persie vs Gareth Bale:
Over £80million worth of Talent..... 

Tottenham midfielder Gareth Bale has scored 11 goals this season. 2nd highest midfield goalscorer in the EPL.

Robin Van Persie: 28 goals in all competitions this season..... highest goalscorer in the EPL.

FACT:
Tottenham have won three of the last four meetings against rivals Arsenal....

Norwich City vs Manchester United:

Defender Rio Ferdinand will return to the Manchester United squad for Sunday's trip to Norwich.
Ferdinand was rested for yesterday's Europa League match against Ajax but manager Sir Alex Ferguson will look to the 33-year-old to bring some stability to a back four that struggled badly at Old Trafford.
Wayne Rooney (throat) is a doubt, whilst there is also speculation Tom Cleverley has suffered a recurrence of his ankle injury.
Defender Zak Whitbread could return to the Norwich first-team as he recovered from a hamstring injury, but his fellow defender Daniel Ayala continues to miss out.
Marc Tierney (groin) and Jonny Howson (knee) are both on the comeback trail, but Sunday's match will be too soon for them.
FACT: Manchester United have won 8 out of last 13 EPL away matches, and have kept the most clean sheets (12)

Stoke City vs Swansea City: LIVE at 15:00pm

Stoke boss Tony Pulis will make a significant amount of changes from the side knocked out of Europe last night for Sunday's clash against 11th placed Swansea. The Potters boss left nine first-team players at home for the 1-0 defeat by Valencia, including the likes of Peter Crouch, Jon Walters and Matthew Etherington, and all are likely to come in as Stoke look to arrest a run of four straight league defeats.
Centre-back Robert Huth serves the final match of a three-game ban but midfielder Rory Delap is available after having his red card against Crawley overturned last week, while Pulis could give Asmir Begovic a start in goal ahead of Thomas Sorensen.
Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers has a near full-strength squad to pick from.
Midfielder Joe Allen has returned to full fitness after missing their last match against Norwich.
However, Kemy Agustien looks set to miss out after he picked up a knock in training and fellow midfielder Andrea Orlandi (hamstring) is also a doubt.
Right-back Curtis Obeng could be in line for his debut following his recent arrival from Wrexham.
Either side could move up to 9th place with a win (provided results go their way), with Stoke having the advantage resting their first-team players yesterday against Valencia.

Sunday:

 Carling Cup Final:

7th placed Liverpool face Championship club Cardiff City in a mismatch at Wembley.

Luis Suarez will be hoping to prove a danger against Cardiff aswell as Craig Bellamy who will be played against his hometown.

Cardiff City vs Liverpool: LIVE at 16:00pm

The Bluebirds hope to become the first Welsh side to win the Carling Cup against a Liverpool squad who have not won a trophy in 6 years since they won the League cup in 2006.

FACT: Cardiff have beaten Liverpool 5 out of the last 6 times.....

Interesting fact....

TRANSFER NEWS UPDATE:


Zenit St. Petersburg have confirmed the signing of Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin on a loan until the end of the season.
Bye! You will be more effective in Russia (hopefully it will be permanent in the Summer)


Blackburn Rovers have confirmed the departure of defender Christopher Samba to Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala for an undisclosed fee thought to be around £7million.


Their defence is sure to crumble now, if it had not already before.... now that their star player has left, many more will probably follow and leave.

Are you watching Arsene?

See you tomorrow everyone for the Saturday Special following six matches.
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