Premier League preview

Man to Watch: Gary Cahill. The centre back is improving with every game and could be crucial in subduing the threat of Christian Benitez. There are even rumours that Juventus are keen on him following a glowing report from Fabio Capello.

Prediction – Due to the home advantage, Birmingham victory: 1-0

Blackburn Rovers v. Aston Villa

Blackburn are another team who have been struggling in the most competitive Premier League season ever. Their defeat to Everton last weekend highlighted their lack of class and a proper goalscorer up front as they struggled to breakdown a frail looking Everton defence. This could be a real issue against a Villa defence that has been very solid so far this season.

Man to Watch: David Dun. The midfielder is a constant creative force in the Blackburn team and will be vital if they are going to have any chance against the league's best defence.

Villa have looked very good this season. Despite a slight blip against Wigan on the first day of the season they have gone about their business very efficiently. Gabby Agbonlahor is in good goalscoring form as he continued his streak against Cardiff on Wednesday. Villa have the best defence in the league at the moment and this will be a great advantage against a fairly blunt Blackburn attack.

Man to Watch: Gabriel Agbonlahor. The striker is irresistible at the moment scoring in each of his last 4 games.

Prediction – Business as usual for Aston Villa: 2-0

Liverpool v. Hull

Liverpool have rediscovered their form after the defeat at home to Aston Villa and convincing victories over Stoke and Burnley at Anfield also suggest they have learned how to break down stubborn teams at home. There are question marks over the defence especially following the two sloppy mistakes that gifted West Ham their goals but despite this it is unlikely that Hull will cause them too many problems and the Reds will be looking to pour yet more misery on the Tigers' season.

Man to Watch: Fernando Torres. Although he is reportedly not fully fit, the striker has been scoring goals and his performance against West Ham showed that he is nearly back to his best.

Hull have started this season terribly. The team looks weak and overly dependant on Stephen Hunt going forward and Boaz Myhill in goal. Had the keeper not performed so well last weekend Birmingham could have scored several more. Against teams with real quality in attack the defence leaks goals, they couldn't cope with an inform Darren Bent at Sunderland and Jermain Defoe tore them apart at Tottenham. Saturday's game at Anfield could prove to be a similar encounter.

Man to Watch: Stephen Hunt. The midfielder has started his first season at Hull well and against Birmingham was the only Hull player who looked like scoring and creating problems.

Prediction – Liverpool should record a comfortable victory: 3-0

Stoke v. Manchester United

After their last gasp win against Manchester City, United should be high on confidence coming into this game. Rio Ferdinand's injury issues are a growing concern and based on the shocking mistake he made against City he is clearly nowhere near his best and it is doubtful whether he will play on Saturday. United's defence is their weakest point at the moment but Stoke probably won't challenge it too much; at the other end of the pitch this is a game where United may miss the spark Ronaldo brought as Stoke will be well organised and difficult to break down.

Man to Watch: Wayne Rooney. Rooney has been reveling in his new forward role at United and is on a good scoring streak.

Stoke are famously difficult to beat at home. Their fantastic crowd act as an extra man and the effect of this brought them within inches of a taking a point from Chelsea a couple of weeks ago. At home they are always well organised and committed and could frustrate their opponents. However, United will pressurise them for 90 minutes and wear them down and it could be a repeat of the Chelsea game with United stealing a late winner.

Man to Watch: Ryan Shawcross. The young defender has been drawing much praise and he will be central in Stoke's attempts to nullify the United attack.

Prediction – United should win but it could be a difficult game for them: 2-1

Tottenham Hotspur v. Burnley

After a fantastic start to the season Tottenham have now experienced the level they intend to reach with heavy defeats to Manchester United and Chelsea. A convincing win in the Carling Cup will have repaired their confidence and they will go into this game looking for a dominant victory. The talent they have, particularly in attack, should make this game at White Hart Lane a simple one.

Man to Watch: Jermain Defoe. He is still England's in form striker and looks likely to score whenever he gets the ball at the moment.

Burnley have been very solid at home but on the road it's been a different story. Tuesday's defeat away at Barnsley in the Carling Cup illustrated this perfectly. The club have also been hit by injuries to Martin Paterson and Chris McCann both of whom are important first-team players. The journey back from London could be a very long one.

Man to Watch: Brian Jensen. He could have a very busy day against an in-form Tottenham attack.

Prediction – I can't see anything other than a Tottenham victory: 4-0

Wigan v. Chelsea

Wigan's two encounters with the Big Four' this season have been painful to say the least. A 5-0 drubbing by Manchester United in their third league game followed by a 4-0 defeat at the Emirates last weekend will not inspire Wigan with much confidence coming in to this game with Chelsea. As a result it's likely that Wigan will aim to sit deep and defend despite being at home just to avoid another humiliation. Conceding an early goal in this game could lead to a full scale capitulation.

Man to Watch: Chris Kirkland. The keeper will undoubtedly be playing a crucial role in the game on Saturday and will be vital in keeping the Latics in the game.

Chelsea will be boosted by the news that Drogba's injury against Tottenham last weekend was nothing serious and the striker should be fit to play against Wigan. The Blues will be keen to keep their winning streak going and will see the game as an opportunity to grab 3 points. While no game in the Premier League is an easy one, this should be a fairly comfortable outing.

Man to Watch: Didier Drogba. The big striker is the Chelsea's talisman and can create havoc in the opposition's defensive line.

Prediction – Barring a shocking upset, this will be a Chelsea win: 0-4

Fulham v. Arsenal

Fulham will have a good deal of confidence going into this game. They have been much better at home than away, and despite fielding a weakened team in the Carling Cup they managed to push a virtually full strength Manchester City team into extra-time. The majority of the first team will be well rested, but they seem to be struggling to find consistency and a good rest before the Wolves game last week had little effect.

Man to Watch: Clint Dempsey. The American is a creative and goalscoring force in the Fulham team and will be involved in all of their attacking moves.

After the controversy of their defeat to Manchester City and their shocking start against Standard Liege, Arsenal have bounced back strongly with a clinical if not spectacular victory at Wigan and an encouraging performance by their youngsters in the Carling Cup. With their confidence growing the Gunners will definitely see this game as a good opportunity for 3 points, especially if they can maintain the scoring form they found against Wigan.

Man to Watch: Cesc Fabregas. The Spanish wizard conducts all of Arsenal's play from the middle of the pitch.

Prediction – Arsenal lost here at the start of last season but that doesn't seem likely to happen again: 1-2

Sunderland v. Wolverhampton

Sunderland's recent home form has been good, especially the trouncing of Hull, and a good win in the Carling Cup will be a further boost. Darren Bent seems to be continuing his goal-scoring run, bagging one last weekend in the defeat to Burnley, and could cause Wolves problems. Following that defeat they will be looking to comeback strong with a good home win over their potential relegation rivals.

Man to Watch: Darren Bent. He has been Sunderland's top striker this season following his move from Tottenham and will be looking to get amongst the goals again.

Wolves put in a good performance against Fulham last weekend at home to win 3 points but their away form, despite an early win at Wigan, has not been good and they couldn't win in their Carling Cup match against what was mainly a Manchester United reserve side. The ability of their defence is being questioned after they conceded 3 against a Blackburn side that had been on their biggest scoring drought for a hundred years. The players will be fired up though for Mick McCarthy's return to Sunderland and that could prove important.

Man to Watch: Kevin Doyle. With Sylvain Ebanks-Blake still not fully fit for Sunday Doyle has to try to fill the goal void. His performance could be the difference between a loss and at least a point.

Prediction – Sunderland to win: 2-1

Manchester City v. West Ham

Manchester City have had a great start to the season. In recent matches they have trounced Arsenal, were unfortunate to lose at Old Trafford and progressed to the next round of the Carling Cup. Adebayor, their key striker at the moment, is still suspended, but Craig Bellamy looks to be taking his chance to step up and stake his claim for a place in the team.

Man to Watch: Craig Bellamy. Bellamy's fine performance against United last weekend shows he is ready to fight for his first team place and even if he doesn't start this match he could make a big impact from the bench.

West Ham are on a poor run of form at the moment. Tuesday's cup match was not as close as extra time would suggest with the West Ham goal coming against the run of play. Their last two away league games have been disappointing as they failed to produce anything going forward but Alessandro Diamanti seems to be adapting to English football and Carlton Cole is improving all the time. However it is unlikely that they will be able to cause too much trouble against a City side with a point to prove to the footballing world.

Man to Watch: Alessandro Diamanti. The Italian looks to be a real handful going forward.

Prediction – Manchester City to win: 2-0