Portsmouth v Everton (12:45) – Prediction: 1-3
Portsmouth are still without a single point this season, but they can count themselves unlucky in the last few games. They also managed to pick up a win mid-week in the Carling Cup. However, after Everton’s troubled start, following the Lescott transfer saga, since then they have been picking up results and have scored 11 goals in three games, with three clean sheets. Everton also have a number of big players returning. Yakubu is always a goal threat and he showed that in their cup game in mid-week. Portsmouth may be in with a shout, but Everton are playing really well at the moment and I cannot see the home defence being able to cope for the entire 90 minutes.

Birmingham v Bolton (15:00) – Prediction: 0-1
I think that this will definitely be a tight affair. Birmingham have looked strong defensively this season, but they do struggle going forward. Now that Benitez is fit for them, he could pose a threat to Bolton. The away side however, have managed to grind out three results in the last two weeks. First they beat Portsmouth in a 3-2 thriller, then scored late to deny Stoke three points last weekend, and finally in the Carling Cup they picked up a good win against West Ham. Bolton may not play the most attractive football in the league, but they can put teams under pressure. I think that they will just about steal the full three points in this game.

Blackburn v Aston Villa (15:00) – Prediction: 1-2
Everyone had Villa down as a team in crisis after the first game of the season where they lost at home to Wigan. Since then though, they have been picking up results, without actually playing that well. That has to be a good sign for them, considering what they could be like if they started to really get into their stride. Blackburn on the other hand have looked a little bit inconsistant. They have been without a few injured players, that are starting to come back now. I think they will be fine once the season picks up pace, but I cannot see them winning against Villa this weekend.

Liverpool v Hull City (15:00) – Prediction: 4-0
Already I am looking at Hull and worrying about their Premiership survival. Last season I remember Phil Brown getting on the mic at the end of their last league game and singing a song because it was so brilliant that they had managed to stay up. In truth their survival was never in their own hands. They lost their final game of the season, but so did Newcastle. If Newcastle had managed to get a point out of their game at Aston Villa then it would have been them staying up. Hull have also sold, in my opinion, their best defender in Michael Turner. They looked very ordinary in mid-week as Everton took them apart to win 4-0 at the KC Stadium. Liverpool were under early pressure after losing a few games, but now with Torres, Gerrard and Kuyt hitting a good run of form, then I can really see Liverpool giving Hull and Phil Brown more things to worry about.

Stoke v Manchester United (15:00) – Prediction: 0-1
Stoke have a much stronger squad this season and I think that they will be capable of much more than last season, especially in away games. However, in games against the big four, I cannot see them picking up any solid points. They have a chance of holding out for a draw, but I think that in the full 90 minutes, the big teams will have those moments of class to just out do Stoke. Stoke played well against Chelsea, but they still came away from the game with no points. United look a little big shakey at the back with Ben Foster in goal, and Rio Ferdinand looking off the pace of the game at Old Trafford against Man City last Sunday. I think it will be a close game with both teams having chances to win 1-0, in the end though, I think United will edge the game out.

Tottenham v Burnley (15:00) – Prediction: 3-0
Tottenham had a brilliant start to their Premiership season, but they have had two tough games against Man United and Chelsea in the last two weeks. However, they showed that they still had confidence, picking up a 5-1 away win in the Carling Cup against Preston in the week. Peter Crouch looked in good form with a hattrick. Burnley have also had a good start to their Premership season, where they remain unbeaten at home. Their away form on the other hand is not great, and I think that they could have similar success to Stoke last season. They will definitely struggle on the road, and I think that Tottenham have the players to cause them real problems. I predict a comfortable win for Spurs.

Wigan v Chelsea (15:00) – Prediction: 0-3
Wigan have struggled since their opening win against Aston Villa that had everyone raving about how well they could do this season. They looked very impressive against Villa, especially closing the ball down and putting the opposition under pressure. Since then though, they have not managed to recreate a similar performance. They have never beaten a big four club in over 30 attempts and have already been punished 5-0 and 4-0 against Manchester United and Arsenal respectively. Chelsea on the other hand look unstoppable at the moment. Under Ancelotti they look like a different team. When Scolari was incharge this time last year, he had an equally good start, however, under Ancelotti the team look hungry and determind. Didier Drogba will be a key player in their season, and after he was given the all clear following his injury scare last week, he will be a big player against Wigan.

Fulham v Arsenal (17:30) – Prediction 1-2
Arsenal looked good value in their win last weekend over Wigan, following their two disappointing results in Manchester. Arsenal are still without a few key players, such as Nasri and Arshavin, but they seem to be doing well enough with what they have. Eduardo has shown that he is still the same player following his injury, and Rosicky is finally back to being match fit. Fulham on the other hand do not look as steady as they did last season. Maybe the number of games piling up for them could be difficult to cope with. Their season began a lot earlier than most other teams, with Europa league qualifiers. I think that Fulham will have their chances, but ultimately, Arsenal will have more fire power.

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Chelsea vs Porto – Prediction 2-1
Porto are no pushovers as they clearly showed last season in their tie against Manchester United. Porto forced United to concede two away goals in a draw that ended 2-2. I think it can be expected that Porto will go to Stamford Bridge with a similar game plan. If you sit back and let Chelsea play their football then you are in trouble. However, if you take the game to them then they could find a few games in their, so far, polished team. Chelsea will be without a number of key players for this game. Both Drogba and Bosingwa are suspended following their behaviour in last years second leg semi final with Barcelona. They are also without Deco and Ferreira due to injury, along with Joe Cole, Zhirkov and Alex. It seems most likely that Kalou will get the nod to start in place of Drogba, and Ivanovic moves over to the right hand side. This has sometimes been a weakness for Chelsea, especially under the diamond formation which lacks width. Using the diamond requires the wing backs to get foward and supply some width to the team. Ivanovic is most a center back who will play at right back, but he lacks the pace and attacking flair that Bosingwa adds. Even with a few players missing, I think Porto will give Chelsea problems, but overall they will be too strong.

Besiktas vs Manchester United – Prediction 0-2
Turkey is not an easy place to go for your first game of the Champions League group stages and United can no doubt expect a hostile atmosphere. However, Besiktas have struggled to find any early form this season and have only won once in their previous five league games. Man United on the other hand are now reasonably injury free and will recall Rio Ferdinand to play in defence for the second game running. United had a reality check at the weekend when Jermain Defoe put Tottenham ahead inside the first minute of the game, but for the second game running United came from behind to take three points against a London club. (2-1 at home to Arsenal, 3-1 away to Tottenham) United will also look at Wayne Rooney to continue his fine run of form with six goals in six games for the Old Trafford club this season. Overall, I do expect the game to be difficult for United, but I think that they have the quality to take all three points.

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This summer Manchester United signed 16 year old Paul Pogba from French club Le Harve. At the time of the signing Le Harve President, Jean-Pierre Louvel, was publicly critical of United and alleged that United have offered money to Pogba’s parents in order to push through the signing. United denied that any such offers had been made and that the transfer was agreed within the laws set out by the world governing body, Fifa.

Since the announcement that Chelsea had breached the rules to sign Kakuta, a host of clubs have also been complaining about the signing of their own youngsters by large European clubs. Once again Jean-Pierre Louvel echoed his belief that Manchester United breached the rules in their signing of Pogba this summer. Now it appears that Man United have written to Le Harve threatening to sue the club if they continue to publish their accusations.

Interestingly enough, according to the BBC website, Fifa has received no complaint from Le Harve for the signing of Paul Pogba. From my opinion it looks like nothing more than sour grapes on behalf of Le Harve. Yes, the rules involving the signings of players under 18 need to be clarified and restricted, but the signing my very well be within the current rules of the game.

As it stands the signing of players under 18 is relatively cheap for large clubs because they have to pay less money to the original club for its development of the player. Therefore, the deal is a relatively small gamble. You take a chance on a youngster being the ‘next big thing’, but ultimately if they fail to show their potential then they have not cost the club a great deal of money.

However, the life of that player will definitely be altered. Moving across the world to a different country purely because of a football club, then finding out that you do not cut it at the club most be very difficult to deal with. I do not think that enough of these cases are talked about openly in the press. The press very much seem to focus on the affects of a player becoming hugely successful. An example would be Federico Macheda who signed from Lazio to Manchester United.

Lazio complained in the same way that Le Harve have complained this summer. But Macheda has already shown signs of becoming a world class player, leaving Lazio feeling robbed of a talented player. However, think about it from the point-of-view of the player for a moment, imagine uprooting your family and your life to move to a different country for a football team. Imagine if you fail to become a success, was it worth the uprooting and the large change in lifestyle?

Does a 16 year old really know what is best for them at that age? They see a big name like Real Madrid, Manchester United or Barcelona. But many of the players signed under youth contracts do not develop to become stars for those clubs. Players should have to remain within the same country under the age of 18 and then be allowed to decide whether or not they wish to pursue deals abroad.

Many clubs sit there blaming other specific clubs for the problem, but the truth is that almost all clubs are doing this. Every club wants the best players available to them and because of the state of the current rules this becomes very easy for larger teams. It is the rules that are wrong and that should be changed. Punishing clubs at this state will be a very pointless task. There is no doubt that Chelsea will appeal this decision and I would be at least 75% confident that the ban on transfers will be lifted.

Ammend the rules before punishing clubs.

<–!more–>The two positions ahead of the clash that had been most discussed were the goalkeeper and the striker to partner Wayne Rooney. Rob Green and Emile Heskey were given the nod and looked to prove themselves again for Wednesday’s qualifier against Croatia. The full line-up was as follows: Green; Johnson, Terry, Upson, Cole; Wright-Phillips, Lampard, Barry, Gerrard; Rooney, Heskey.

I found it quite interesting that Jermain Defoe was left on the bench and Heskey started up front with Wayne Rooney. Defoe has had a brilliant start to the season, which see’s Spurs having their best start to the Premier League season ever. Defoe was also very impressive in his last two England appearances, particularly against Holland where he came on in the second half and quickly changed the game.

Heskey has been struggling at Villa and he simply does not put in the goals. However, what he does offer is hold-up play, and when you have a team that includes Rooney, Gerrard and Lampard, sometimes you need a player that will hold-up the ball and allow other players to come into the game. Whether he will start come summer in South Africa, I doubt it. But there is still plenty of time for him to impress during the season.

Rob Green started the game in almost the worst possible way. A long ball from Slovenia bouncing towards his area which he came out and caught. However, replays showed that he was actually outside his area when he caught the ball. Which could have potentially been a red card offense within the opening ten minutes. With the goalkeeper being one of the few spots up for grabs, Green needed a perfect performance, and unfortunately, he did not get it.

Although England had lots of possession in the first half of the game they did not really create enough chances with it. Shaun Wright-Phillips had a good half and was always looking to take players on. Gerrard on the left hand side combined well once or twice with Rooney, but other than that he had a very quiet game. Barry played well and kept tracking back to win the ball back for England.

The first half penalty was very suspect indeed. I am not going to suggest that it should have been a penalty at all. However, lots of people are accusing Wayne Rooney of diving, the way I saw it was that Rooney and the defender were both pulling each others shirts, Rooney seemed to stick out a leg in a weak attempt to win the ball, the defender tumbled and Rooney was given a penalty. I do not think it was a dive, but it is not very often that a player will stand up and say ‘no, you got the decision wrong’.

Rooney had a great chance to put England 2-0, up after Frank Lampard professionally put away the penalty, Rooney had a clear sight at goal in the closing minutes of the second half but his volley only managed to find the post. Four changes were made at half time, with Defoe, Lennon, Carrick and Milner replacing Heskey, SWP, Lampard and Gerrard.

Defoe quickly looked sharp, but both Milner and Lennon strugged to make an impact on the game. Both players played well and did not really make any mistakes, but they weren’t quite cutting edge when it came to breaking down defenders. Also, the partnership of Barry and Carrick did not fit so well. Both players are more prone to play the holding role in midfield and when they were both playing together, neither of them understood who should go forward and link the play between the strikers.

Jermain Defoe extended his great run of form by putting England 2-0 ahead with a nice finish from just outside the box. One chance and one goal, Defoe seems to me to be finding the goalscorring form that servered Michael Owen so well for England. Defoe has pace, strength, and above all an eye for goal. Heskey is great at holding the ball up, but you win games with goals and Defoe should not be placed below Heskey in the pecking order.

England seemed to be plain sailing for most of the game, but Glenn Johnson seemed to be having a bit of trouble with his defensive responsibilities. There were a number of occasions where Slovenia managed to slid the ball in behind Johnson and leave England open to attack. Johnson was very good going forward, giving SWP and Lennon the overlapping option. His performance could be compared to the early days of Ashley Cole, brilliant in attack, not so good in defence. He would do well to take some tips from Cole on how to pick up his defensive game.

Finally, Capello may not be pleased with England’s overall performance, with the last five minutes ticking away, England were sloppy in defence and Slovenia equallised. Capello’s message for the game was concentration. It was about going out and getting a result for the full 90 minutes. They got the result, but the lapse in concentration at the end of the game will not have pleased the Italian. He knows that if England cannot concentrate for a full 90 minutes then they are going to have problems come South Africa in the summer.

After being red carded on Sunday in Newcastle’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, Joey Barton has been given a three match ban. This means he will play no part in the clubs remaining three games of the season. However, Newcastle have also choosen to suspend the troublesome player indefinately.

The club refused to comment on the lenght of the suspension, but many pundits are predicting that his appearance on Sunday may be his last for Newcastle.

Barton has already missed large amounts of the season due to suspension and injury. His appearance on Sunday was only his ninth of the season. I think that given the circumstances, Shearer and Newcastle would not have expected to win at Liverpool. However, I think that using Joey Barton was a good way of getting him some game time so that he may be of more use in the final three games.

When your team is dangerously close to relegation and with a huge game against Middlesbrough coming up, you have to consider think about your actions on the pitch because it may well affect the future of the club. For Joey Barton to be sent off in the situation that Newcastle are in then he is simply unprofessional and does not care about the future of the club. Anyone that really cared about the club would want to make sure that they can play in the biggest games that could make a difference.

Barton has had a troublesome time since moving from Manchester City to Newcastle. First he was charged with assault, then banned for 10 games due to a prior Man City training ground bust up with teammate Ousmane Dabo. Many called for Barton to be thrown out of the game. How many second chances can one player have?

There is no denying that he has talent. However, I have failed to see Joey Barton really shine on the pitch since he left Man City. A number of managers have tried to take him under their wing and have tried to help him to settle down.

During his short returning period at the club, Kevin Keegan was keen on giving the player a second chance. I think if Keegan had been able to stick around then maybe he could have had a more positive influence on the midfielder, maybe even encouraged him to become a little more mature on and off the pitch.

The current situation looks pretty bleak from a Newcastle point of view. Barton will now play no part in deciding the future of the club and whether the club stay up or do go down, it seems increasingly unlikely that he will remain at the club beyond this summer.

Liverpool were the more impressive side going into last weeks first leg. But they were dull and lacked any real creativity, which is unusually for them at Anfield. However, their performance at the weekend against Blackburn was very strong, the 4-0 scoreline could have been a lot more. And all that came with Steven Gerrard on the bench all game.

Chelsea have had an mixed season. They lost at home to Liverpool earlier this season and then again at Anfield in the league. Last week they took control of the game and gave themselves a huge advantage over Liverpool going into the second leg on Tuesday. At the weekend against Bolton, they were dominating the game. 4-0 up with 20 minutes remaining. Hiddink decided to rest Lampard and Drogba for Tuesday and within the space of eight minutes, Bolton had pulled the scoreline back to 4-3. Chelsea ended up clinging on to what should have been a comfortable victory.

Liverpool have a strong away form this season and Chelsea have not been their usually selves at home. The Stamford Bridge fortress has shown signs of crumbling and their away form has in some ways been their saving grace. Chelsea will also have to cope without John Terry in defence. Ricardo Carvalho is likely to partner Alex in defence, but Carvalho has only played 16 games all season and very few of those have been recently. He is very good player, but if he is lacking fitness and has to compete with Fernando Torres for the ball, there could be chances for Liverpool.

Liverpool know that they are going into this game seeking goals, so what might have been a defensive performance originally will now become an offensive game plan. When Liverpool are attacking and creating chances they are one of the best teams in the world. Chelsea have a solid squad, but there could be holes in their lineup.

Liverpool won at Chelsea once this season, with a 1-0 scoreline. They might not be favourites to win this match, but I definately think that they are in with a chance. Maybe a higher chance than some of the bookmakers are thinking.

Prediction: Chelsea 0-2 Liverpool

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Tottenham were very unlucky to lose last weekend, the red card was questionable but sometimes things like that happen in football and you can only move on to the next game. West Ham are playing some very good football under Zola and last weeks goals coming from youth players is an encouraging sign.

Tottenham’s last six league home games:
1-0 Chelsea [W]
4-0 Middlesbrough [W]
0-0 Arsenal [D]
3-1 Stoke [W]
1-1 Portsmouth [D]
0-0 Fulham [D]

West Ham’s last six league away games:
1-1 Blackburn [D]
0-1 Wigan [W]
2-1 Bolton [L]
0-0 Arsenal [D]
2-2 Newcastle [D]
1-4 Portsmouth [W]

Both teams have had nice runs of form lately. In my opinion a big part of Tottenham’s recent success is the role of Luka Modric. He has finally started to show his full potential. Along with Modric, Aaron Lennon and Robbie Keane have been the creative influences. West Ham have a great team spirit about them and score goals by passing the ball around. The loss of Carlton Cole through injury is bound to have an affect on them and I think this is a game where they could really miss him.

Tottenham have been a little more steady all over the pitch in the last few weeks and that includes the goalkeeper position. Gomes has been much improved since the arrival of Carlo Cudicini. West Ham have a small squad and a number of injury problems which has forced them to use youth players in the first team. This is the kind of game where you need your experienced players and I think that maybe their downfall.

Prediction: 2-1

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Man United have been sloppy in recent weeks and their season may be about to fall apart. First they lost at home to Liverpool, then instead of rebounding away against Fulham, they picked up a second defeat running. Last weekend the title looked to be slipping from them when they were 2-1 down against Aston Villa at home, however their 3-2 come back did not inspire them to put their bad run behind them. In mid week they looked tired and off the pace of the game against Porto who had United under pressure in the very early minutes of the game.

Sunderland are a team lacking consistancy. Sometimes they put on an excellent performance but the week after they are horrible. They have some very good players and a fairly large squad compared to teams like Everton. However, they may be a little worried about playing United, even though United are struggling a little bit right now. Even with the home advantage Sunderland have not beaten Man United in the league at the Stadium of Light since March 1997. United have won four and there have been two draws.

Sunderland’s last six league home games:
1-2 Wigan [L]
1-1 Tottenham [D]
2-0 Stoke [W]
1-0 Fulham [W]
1-2 Aston Villa [L]
0-0 Blackburn [D]

Man United’s last six league away games:
2-0 Fulham [L]
1-2 Newcastle [W]
0-1 West Ham [W]
0-5 West Brom [W]
0-1 Bolton [W]
0-1 Stoke [W]

Man United will be without Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans is also a doubt. Wayne Rooney suffered a rib injury against Porto but could still make the team. Sunderland could be without captain Dean Whitehead who is a doubt with a calf injury. Calum Davenport could be recalled to the lineup after missing the game with West Ham. Teemu Tainio could also return.

Man United do not lose many games in a season and although they are on a bit of a bad run at the moment I still think that they have enough to beat Sunderland. United have a lot of quality players and like last weekend, even when they aren’t having great games, they can still have moments of brilliance and score the goal you need to win. Sunderland do not have a good record against the so called big four, and I think they are still a long way to go before they are top half finishers in the Premiership.

Prediction: 0-2

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Portsmouth have not looked all like the same team that they were last season, however, they have looked stronger and more organised in recent weeks. They are by no means safe from relegation, but this type of match will be right up their street. West Brom on the other hand haven’t won away since the end of September and they have been making so many mistakes that they make it too easy for their opposition to win.

Portsmouth’s previous six league home games:
2-1 Everton [W]
0-1 Chelsea [L]
2-0 Man City [W]
2-3 Liverpool [L]
0-1 Aston Villa [L]
1-4 West Ham [L]

West Brom’s previous six league away games:
0-0 West Ham [D]
2-0 Everton [L]
2-0 Fulham [L]
2-2 Hull [D]
2-1 Aston Villa [L]
2-0 Chelsea [L]

Since replacing Tony Adams, Portsmouth have won two out of three home games and I can honestly see them picking up a third win in this game. West Brom were terrible last weekend at home to Stoke. They gifted Stoke an early first goal and they never really looked comfortable after that. In the Premiership if you make defensive errors then you get punished, and unfortunately for West Brom, they seem to have a problem with protecting their own goal.

Abdoulaye Meite could be recalled to the West Brom defence, while Jermaine Pennant could be fit to start for Portsmouth. Sean Davis is likely to still be missing for Pompey, while Glen Johnson is suspended.

I cannot look passed Portsmouth for this one. West Brom have all the requirements of a team that is about to be relegated. I’m sure they will put up a fight, but Portsmouth have too much quality in their side.

Prediction 2-1

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Hull have may have only won once in their last eight Premier Leauge games, however, their performances have been gradually improving. If they want to remain in the Premiership next season then they have to start picking up points in these vital games. The same thing can be said about Middlesbrough who are desperate for a win and three points. They are already five points adrift of safety and with games rapidly running out it seems more and more likely that they will be in the Championship next season.

Middlesbrough’s last six Premiership home games:
1-1 Portsmouth [D]
2-0 Liverpool [W]
0-0 Wigan [D]
0-0 Blackburn [D]
1-1 Sunderland [D]
0-1 Everton [L]

Hull’s last six Premiership away games:
1-0 Wigan
0-1 Fulham
0-0 Chelsea
2-0 West Ham
2-0 Everton
5-1 Man City

Middlesbrough have an uphill struggle to survive the drop, but it can be done as Fulham proved last season. Everyone had written them off and now look where they are this season. Boro may just need that one win to show the side that they are capable of Premiership survival. They definately showed their potential in their home win against Liverpool a few weeks back, but since then they have lost all concentration and been prone to defensive errors. Hull on the other hand have been a little bit unlucky in some of the recent games. They did however, hold out for a decent draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and also picked up a later winner against Fulham.

Middlesbrough will be without captain Emanuel Pogatetz who is injured for around three weeks and midfielder Gary O’Neil is on a two match ban. Hull could be without striker Daniel Cousin, but may welcome back George Boateng who has been out for three months. The reverse fixture of this game ended win a 2-1 win to Hull where all three goals came in the last 15 minutes.

I think that this could be a big three points for either team should they win. The pressure might be on a little too much and both sides may be looking for a draw. I think it is a game that Middlesbrough cannot afford to lose and that affects my prediction.

Prediction 1-1

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