Premier League preview

Man to Watch: Barry Ferguson. The midfielder has been putting in some decent performances this season. Birmingham may look to push forward in this game and he will be necessary in bolstering the attack but also protecting the defence.

Prediction: 1-0

Hull v Wigan

- Hull look very poor at the moment and after last weekend's display at Anfield will be low on confidence. Their defending against Liverpool was truly woeful and Phil Brown will have been doing a lot of work on it. Further up the pitch though Geovanni's goal showed that if they get chances they can score. Against Wigan Phil Brown will be looking for a better performance from his team to help push them back up the league and ease the pressure on him.

Man to Watch: Stephen Hunt. He remains Hull's most convincing attacking player, and at home in a must win game his contribution will be important if Hull want to get anything on Saturday.

- In a direct contrast to Hull, Wigan's confidence will be sky high following their victory over Chelsea. This confidence however could prove their undoing and Roberto Martinez will be eager to ensure that his players don't get complacent in a potential banana-skin game at the KC stadium. Hugo Rodallega is improving every game and showed against Chelsea that if he is given space can really cause problems. Wigan's defence is looking solid as they coped well in the periods of Chelsea dominance conceding only from a poor piece of keeping by Chris Kirkland.

Man to Watch: Jason Scotland. The striker made his first start against Chelsea last weekend and was very impressive with his speed, power and confidence. A similar performance could terrorise a dodgy Hull defence.

Prediction: 0-2

Wolverhampton v Portsmouth

- This is almost certainly a relegation six pointer and so a win for Wolves at home could be crucial. Despite conceding five against Sunderland, Wolves looked good in attack and at times really troubled the Sunderland defence. At home on Saturday they should be confident as Portsmouth's defence is very shaky and they have a much weaker strike force than Sunderland. If they can replicate and improve on their last performance this should be a home win.

Man to Watch: Kevin Doyle. Wolves will look to get in the face of a Portsmouth side who are trying to rebuild their confidence. A good game from him could really trouble Pompey and take away any confidence they gained against Everton.

- Portsmouth's poor start continues. They looked much better against Everton but still those first points remain elusive. Their last minute signings are starting to click and if they can maintain the intensity they had last weekend things should start to pick up at home but an improvement in away form could take a bit longer. The disruption at the club behind the scenes is only making the situation worse and until that is sorted I don't think the on-pitch performances will improve.

Man to Watch: David James. James remains Portsmouth's key player following a summer of departures. He can organise the defence and provides a firm base for the team.

Prediction: 2-1

Man Utd v Sunderland

- Manchester United have been recording good results this season without actually playing particularly well. Defensively they look quite frail, as Wednesday's game against Wolfsburg showed, and going forward they seem to run out of ideas quickly against solid defences and are very reliant on the brilliance of Ryan Giggs to help them out. However Giggs surely can't be brilliant every game and if he has an off-day or is tightly marked it will be interesting to see how United cope.

Man to Watch: Ryan Giggs. Giggs is the man that Utd go to whenever they run out of ideas and he rarely disappoints. His movement and intelligence is as good as ever and he could carve up a shaky Sunderland defence.

- Sunderland have looked very good this season and seem to have found a superb attacking partnership in Darren Bent and Kenwyne Jones. Wolfsburg showed on Wednesday night that if you really attack United and give the defenders something to think about you can really cause problems and score goals and I'm sure Steve Bruce will have been watching closely and taking notes. However, Wolves managed to cause them problems at the back and this may mean Bruce sacrifices one of his strikers for more defensive cover.

Man to Watch: Darren Bent. If Steve Bruce does sacrifice a striker I imagine it will be Jones and therefore Bent will have to be sharp and on top form to give his side a chance going forward.

Prediction: 3-1

Arsenal v Blackburn

- Arsenal's display last week at Fulham was far from convincing and were it not for their rookie keeper they would have leaked goals. The defensive frailties which have featured this season have not gone away and they do look vulnerable at times. Thomas Vermaelen's signing has given them a real presence in the box for set-pieces and his goals this season highlight that. In attack Arsenal are as fluid as ever with Tuesday's Champions League a good example. On form Andrey Arshavin looks unstoppable and Cesc Fabregas still orchestrates the moves with his pinpoint passing. However the Gunners do tend to waste chances, an issue that was very obvious against Olympiakos and Wigan despite the 4 they did score.

Man to Watch: Cesc Fabregas. The midfield maestro continues to be the life force of his team and he orchestrates every attacking move.

- Blackburn's biggest issue this season remains the lack of a real goal-scorer. They have adopted a very direct approach and that seemed to work very well against Aston Villa and can be effective especially when big Christopher Samba finds his way into the penalty area. Like any Sam Allardyce side Rovers are pretty physical and this made things tough for the smooth passing game of Villa and could do the same against the lightweight Arsenal. Set-pieces remain Blackburn's biggest chance especially given Arsenal's lack of size and their dodgy defending in recent games.

Man to Watch: Christopher Samba. Christopher Samba is a large physical presence in the Blackburn defence and could be crucial in bossing a lightweight Arsenal side. He is also known for his ventures forward and again his size could cause problems in Arsenal's box.

Prediction: 3-0

Everton v Stoke

- Louis Saha is currently on a run of 10 goals in 10 games and will be the biggest threat to Stoke on Sunday. On top of this attacking threat Everton's defensive record is very strong and they performed well in Europe, beating Bate 2-1.

Man to Watch: Louis Saha. The striker is on a hot run of goalscoring form and this could definitely continue on Saturday. Stoke will be well organised and will have to be to keep on top of him.

- Although Stoke's power at home was broken by the mighty Ryan Giggs last weekend they are still looking a good side and there is no reason to panic. The crucial time is coming now as they have games against teams in a similar or lower league position to them. Their away form is not great as they have drawn against Bolton and Birmingham, teams they will feel they should be beating, and this game against Everton will be harder. Although they will most likely be well organised again they may struggle against an in form Everton side playing in front of their own fans.

Man to Watch: Ryan Shawcross. Everton will look to attack Stoke and Ryan Shawcross will have an important part to play in trying to neutralise Everton's strikers.

Prediction: 2-0

West Ham v Fulham

- This is a crucial game for West Ham. They have been struggling in the league this season; despite playing good football they haven't found the results. The first half performance against Man City, which Zola heavily criticised, was poor and they will look to bounce back from it. They have had little chance to perform at home, playing only Tottenham and Liverpool, both games they lost but performed well. This game will give them a chance to really establish themselves at home and I expect a strong performance.

Man to Watch: Carlton Cole. The big striker will be crucial as West Ham try to prove themselves at home. All of the team's attacks go through him and he does seem to be dangerous going forward when he's on form.

- Two things stand in the way of Fulham and victory in this game. Firstly they haven't won away from home in the league since beating Portsmouth on the opening day of the season. Secondly they come into this game following their clash with Basle. Although the last time they had a European game before a league game, Roy Hodgson fielded virtually a second team, Fulham still looked out-of –sorts in their game at Wolves and were beaten 2-1. This European hangover also occurred before that when they went away to Aston Villa and lost. However a good gritty performance in Europe will bring them into this game with good confidence.

Man to Watch: Danny Murphy. The midfield ace always seems to be in the middle of all attacks and demonstrated this with his goal against Basle. On top of this his set-pieces are always dangerous.

Prediction: 2-1

Chelsea v Liverpool

- Chelsea suffered a real reality check last weekend at Wigan and then gave a fairly average performance against APOEL Nicosia on Wednesday. In Cyprus they looked shaky all over the pitch and it can't have been a huge boost to their confidence. That said, they have real quality all over the pitch and Drogba will make a big difference. A real concern though will be Cech's suspension because Hilario does not have the match experience or the quality of Cech, which will be a problem against an in form Torres.

Man to Watch: Didier Drogba. Drogba is in great form at the moment and his goal in an otherwise poor Chelsea performance proved that he can score whenever. With Liverpool's current defensive problems he could cause chaos.

- Liverpool put in their worst performance for a long time on Tuesday night. While questions have already been asked about their defence, against Fiorentina they were poor all over. The side will undoubtedly be looking to bounce back against Chelsea and continue last season's good form against the rest of the Big Four.

Man to Watch: Fernando Torres. Liverpool's defence has been very dodgy recently and on Sunday attack could be the best way to handle this. If Torres can unleash his good form on Chelsea and give them something to worry about it could help neutralise the Chelsea offense.

Prediction: 1-2

Aston Villa v Man City

- In what is the first clash between the three rising powers of the Premier League, Aston Villa will be looking to draw first blood. The Villains run of wins came to a halt last weekend away against an exuberant Blackburn side thanks to a last minute penalty and they will want a better performance at home against their new league rivals City. Gabriel Agbonlahor is on a great scoring streak and could trouble the City defence with his pace and movement. The Villa defence however could prove crucial given their good record as they come up against a City strike force that keeps finding the net.

Man to Watch: Gabriel Agbonlahor. Villa are playing on their home patch against probably their greatest league rival, because of this they will want to attack and get in their faces and as the point of their strike force Agbonlahor will be crucial.

- Manchester City are flying in the league at the moment and the win at West Ham seemed fairly effortless. They will now be buoyed by the return of Adebayor who has looked unstoppable this season. They are looking very solid all over the pitch and, as Mark Hughes commented, they are also looking a danger from set-pieces too. They will need to be on top form to handle Villa's attacking ability but a win is very possible.

Man to Watch: Emmanuel Adebayor. The striker has looked a different player this season and may also be looking to prove his importance to the team following his suspension. Villa will have to deal with him if they want to get a result.

Prediction: 0-1

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