Weekend Football Focus

Ken Dyer|Matt Hughes|Paul Fielder|Evening Standard

14 April 2012

Aston Villa v WBA
Noon Sunday, Villa Park
Referee: Rob Styles (Waterlooville)
Facts: Gareth Batty's two penalties at St James' Park last week took his Premiership goal tally to six - his best ever.
It wasn't long ago that West Brom's future looked about as rosy as Howard Flight's but, unlike the Tory MP, the Baggies have hung on. Last weekend's win over fading Everton was a monumental result for Bryan Robson and something similar in this Birmingham derby could lift them clear of the dreaded bottom three. Villa, though, will be confident themselves after their convincing win over Newcastle.
Verdict: VOTE FOR ROBSON

Blackburn v So'ton
3pm Saturday, Ewood Park
Last season: 1 (Cole) 1 (Phillips)
Referee: Neale Barry (Lincolnshire)
Facts: Southampton are unbeaten in three away games. Peter Crouch has scored twice in two away games.
Mark Hughes is a youthful, relatively inexperienced but energetic manager for Blackburn. His mission was to keep the club in the Premiership and he looks as though he has succeeded. Harry Redknapp could do the same at Southampton, but needs a win badly here.
Verdict: POINT APIECE

Bolton v Fulham
3pm Saturday, Reebok Stadium
Away ticket info: £21 (£10-£16 concs). Tel: 0870 442 1234
Last season: 0-2 (McBride 2)
Referee: Dermot Gallagher (Banbury)
Facts: Fulham, who have kept clean sheets in their four most recent league visits to the Reebok, have gone five away matches without a win.
Booed off at half-time, cheered off at the end, that's the fine dividing line which managers such as Chris Coleman are subjected to these days. Coleman says it's water off a duck's back but the Fulham fans should not give him the bird as he's done a sterling job keeping the club up there. Bolton have no such worries.
Verdict: FULHAM FAIL THIS TIME

Chelsea v Birmingham
3pm Saturday, Stamford Bridge
Tickets: Sold out
Last season: 0-0 Referee: Chris Foy (St Helens)
Facts: Chelsea, who are now unbeaten in 33 home games, have kept just one clean sheet in nine matches.
After all the smoke and mirrors stuff on Wednesday night, Jose Mourinho will be back on public view, as his Chelsea side edge ever closer to the holy grail. The Blues will have one eye on the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich next Tuesday but are unlikely to slip up against Birmingham, who have done enough to stay up.
Verdict: CLOSER TO TITLE

Everton v C Palace
3pm Sunday, Goodison Park
Away ticket info: £25-£27 (£16-£18 concs). Tel: 08712 000 071
Referee: Uriah Rennie (Sheffield)
Facts: Despite scoring in each of their past 10 away Premiership matches, Palace have won just one of those games - at Birmingham in October.
Crystal Palace want Andy Johnson to stay even if they go down, which is about as likely as Nicholas Witchell being invited to Prince Charles's stag do. Last weekend's home defeat by Middlesbrough was a big blow to Palace's survival hopes. Everton, although faltering, are determined to stay ahead of their Merseyside rivals in the race for fourth.
Verdict: MISERY FOR PALACE

Man City v Liverpool
3pm Saturday, City of Manchester Stadium
Last season: 2 (Anelka, Fowler) 2 (Smicer, Hamann)
Referee: Mike Riley (Leeds)
Facts: Liverpool, who last lost an away game against Man City in 1995, have not scored in their past two away Premiership matches.
Liverpool face their biggest week of the season starting tomorrow when they visit a Manchester City side led, at least for the time being, by Stuart Pearce. The Reds are unlikely to rest until they have clawed their way above Everton in the Premiership table, but they also have a massive game in Turin next week, trying to protect their slim advantage over Juventus.
Verdict: CITY EDGE THIS ONE

M'boro v Arsenal
3pm Saturday, Riverside Stadium
Away ticket info: Sold out
Last season: 1 (Maccarone) 4 (Henry, Queudrue og, Pires, Ljungberg)
Referee: Phil Dowd (Stoke-on-Trent)
Facts: Boro have not won in three league games at home.
Arsenal know they have to win this one to stay ahead of Manchester United for second spot because Sir Alex's team play Norwich and that's about as certain a three points as you can get (sorry, Delia). Thierry Henry's hat-trick against the carrot-crunchers last weekend underlined his determination to stay the course, although Boro's former Gunner, Ray Parlour, will be doing his best to put a spanner in the works.
Verdict: HOORAY HENRY

Norwich v Man Utd
5.15pm Saturday, Carrow Road - live on PremPlus
Referee: Howard Webb (South Yorkshire)
Facts: Manchester United have won their past five games at Carrow Road - the last in 1995 when Paul Ince and Andrei Kanchelskis scored in a 2-0 victory.
It would be nice to think that miracles exist and Delia Smith's doomed side could really beat United but, as we know with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's touching show of pre-election unity, we have to return to the real world at some time or another.
Verdict: DAMAGE LIMITATION AT CARROW ROAD

Portsmouth v Charlton
3pm Saturday, Fratton Park
Away ticket info: Sold out
Last season: 1 (Sheringham) 2 (Fortune, Bartlett)
Referee: Graham Poll (Tring)
Facts: Portsmouth have collected just one point from their past six Premiership matches.
Most men past their prime head to the south coast to retire but David Pleat has a job to do, beyond simply proving that the well of managerial talent has truly run dry. The king of caretakers is back in football, with Pleat joining Frenchman Alain Perrin at Portsmouth. Pompey are looking like a hopeless cause.
Verdict: THE FALL AND FALL OF PLEAT AND PERRIN

Tottenham v Newcastle
4.05pm Sunday, White Hart Lane - live on Sky Sports 1
Tickets: £35-£55 (£18-£20 concs). Tel: 0870 420 5000
Last season: 1 (O'Brien og) 0
Referee: Steve Bennett (Orpington)
Facts: Tottenham are unbeaten in five at home, winning their past three Premiership home games.
The Newcastle circus stars Graeme Souness as the uptight lion tamer and Lee Bowyer as a caged animal, fighting his way to freedom. Pity Alan Shearer, the veteran ringmaster who scored the winner against Sporting last night, who's seen his beloved troup fall on such hard times. Tottenham should see off the Fight Club.
Verdict: SPURS BASH THE BRUISERS

COCA-COLA LEAGUE

Millwall v Crewe
3pm Saturday, The Den
Tickets: £17-£23 (£7-£13 concs). Tel: 020 7231 9999
Last season: 1 (Whelan) 1 (Ashton)
Referee: Paul Armstrong (Berkshire)
Facts: Crewe have gone 16 games without a win.
Millwall have no chance of reaching the play-offs so can begin building for next season, though how many of the current management team will be there in the summer remains to be seen. With little to play for on the pitch, the off-field civil war can begin in earnest so expect some confrontations between chairman Jeff Burnige and Dennis Wise over the coming weeks. Crewe are not quite safe and their desperation should earn them a point.
Verdict: CREWE CUT MILLWALL DOWN TO SIZE

Sheffield United v QPR
3pm Saturday, Bramall Lane
Away ticket info: £18 (£12 concs). Tel: 0870 112 1967
Referee: Graham Laws (Tyne & Wear)
Facts: Rangers have drawn four of their past five league matches at Bramall Lane. Sheffield United are unbeaten in six home games.
Ian Holloway this week described his QPR players as the ugliest in the league - a bit harsh coming from a bald, bearded Bristolian - but their promotion prospects certainly aren't very pretty. A run of one win from their past four games has seen Rangers fall five points behind tomorrow's opponents, who are still in with a shout.
Verdict: NOT SO PRETTY, OLLY

Watford v Leeds
3pm Saturday, Vicarage Road
Tickets: £22-£27 (£12 concs). Tel: 0870 111 1881
Referee: Nigel Miller (Co Durham)
Facts: Watford have now gone eight matches since a win. Leeds last visited Vicarage Road for a Premiership fixture in 1999 which they won 2-1 with their goals coming from Michael Bridges and Harry Kewell.
Winston Churchill may have made the odd decent speech but the old Harrovian knew sod all about football, so it's perhaps time that Adrian Boothroyd found himself another role model. The Watford manager's team-talks to date have been more Iain Duncan Smith than Churchill and, with the Hornets just one point above the relegation zone, D-Day is looming.
Verdict: NO PEACE FOR BOOTHROYD

West Ham v Coventry
3pm Saturday, Upton Park
Tickets: £24-£35 (£10-£17.50 concs). Tel: 0870 112 2700
Last season: 2 (Zamora, Connolly) 0
Referee: Iain Williamson (Berkshire)
Facts: No player other than Teddy Sheringham or Marlon Harewood has scored for West Ham for more than a month.
Like the Duracell Bunny, Teddy Sheringham just goes on and on, scoring goals, creating chances and displaying the only real sign of quality in a West Ham side that is as mediocre as it is meek. The veteran's 20th goal of the season hoisted the Hammers back into the play-off reckoning at Burnley on Tuesday and he should inspire them to a third successive win against struggling Coventry.
Verdict: READY, STEADY, TEDDY

Brentford v Bristol City
3pm Saturday, Griffin Park
Tickets: £13-£17 (£3-£12 concs). Tel: 0870 900 9229
Last season: 1 (May) 2 (Lita 2)
Referee: Joe Ross (London)
Facts: Striker Leroy Lita has scored eight in 10 games for Bristol City. Brentford last failed to score in a home game against Bristol City in 1997.
Like many bullying landlords Martin Allen has turned on his tenants, blaming London Broncos for the state of the Griffin Park pitch, conveniently forgetting that his team are not known for passing the ball on the floor. Allen's physical side are more like a rugby team than anything else and their strong-arm tactics should see off Bristol City.
Verdict: BEES SHOW THEIR RUGBY SKILLS

Rochdale v Leyton Orient
3pm Saturday, Spotland
Away ticket info: £15 (£9 concs), pay at the turnstiles
Last season: 3 (Holt 2, McCourt) 0
Referee: Carl Boyeson (East Yorkshire)
Facts: Orient have lost their past four at Spotland and have failed to score there since 2001. Rochdale have gone 14 home games without defeat

Having topped the table at the start of the season and then, for a long time, dreamed of at least a place in the play-offs, Leyton Orient are now struggling to stay in the top half and can't wait for their summer holidays. A trip to Rochdale is unlikely to lift Martin Ling's spirits.
Verdict: NO RESPITE FOR ORIENT

MORE ABOUT

Birmingham City FC

Weekend Football Focus

Read More