2012 Final Round EPL Betting Preview
Last round of the 2011 -2012 English Premier League and could this be Manchester City first title in 44 years or will Manchester United retain their crown. Nerve racking tension on Sunday when both teams play but with City having a superior goal difference, it will be very hard for Manchester United to make up the difference as both teams are favored to win. Below we have Sportingbet Australia EPL betting preview of some of the games this weekend. Click below on the game for this weekend’s EPL Betting odds from leading UK and European bookmakers.
Norwich vs Aston Villa
Swansea vs Liverpool
West Brom vs Arsenal
Wigan vs Wolverhampton
Tottenham vs Fulham
Chelsea vs Blackburn
Sunderland vs Man Utd
Stoke vs Bolton
Man City vs QPR
Everton vs Newcastle
Everton v Newcastle United – Goodison Park
While the vast majority of the media attention will inevitably be focused upon the title-deciding events unfolding in Manchester and Sunderland, the battle for fourth place will also go right down to the wire and Newcastle United remain very much in the mix.
Should the Magpies manage to pick up three points at Everton and either Spurs or Arsenal fail to do likewise in their respective games against Fulham and West Brom, the men from the north-east will be playing Champions League football next season.
And what an achievement that would be on the part of manager Alan Pardew who has enjoyed nowhere near the budget allocated to either Harry Redknapp or Arsene Wenger and yet has assembled a side that came flying out of the blocks at the start of the season and has not looked back since.
The likes of Yohan Cabaye, Cheik Tiote, Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse have proved to be magnificent bargain buys, Tim Krul has been outstanding in goal and unsung heroes such as Ryan Taylor, Danny Simpson and Mike Williamson have all played key roles in what has been a season to remember for the St James’ Park, or Sports Direct Arena if you prefer, faithful.
Unbeaten until early November, the Tyneside club did come a little unstuck over Christmas, but those who predicted that they would come down with the decorations were proved totally wrong as they swiftly roared back into form and they will head to Goodison Park on Sunday searching for an eighth win in ten games.
Pardew’s side threatened to poop Manchester City’s party for a large chunk of last week’s clash with the champions-elect, before eventually succumbing, but they did not appear to pick up any fresh injuries in that 2-0 home reverse.
Pardew has confirmed that Danny Simpson won’t feature on Sunday as he continues to nurse the ankle injury he picked up against Wigan, meaning James Perch will again deputise in the back four.
Everton, meanwhile, can also reflect on a reasonably successful season irrespective of whether they end it on a winning note.
Continuing what has become a set pattern in recent years, their financial limitations prevented the Toffees from doing much in the way of squad strengthening over the summer and they then made another awful start to the campaign before duly rallying, finding some form and ultimately earning a very creditable top ten finish.
They also managed to reach the FA Cup Semi-Finals along the way and the big question on the blue side of Merseyside in the coming weeks will be whether manager David Moyes decides that after more than ten years at the helm, he has taken the club as far as he can.
Yet even if the Scot is looking to leave, it’s hard to see exactly where he might go.
He has been touted as Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor at Old Trafford, but his fellow-countryman seems very unlikely to retire this year, especially if City pip United to the title and he was also strongly linked with a move to Tottenham, but with Harry Redknapp now missing out on the England job, that door seems to have been shut as well.
And those suggesting that he could make the short trip across Stanley Park to Anfield should Kenny Dalglish get dumped by the Reds in the near future will surely be dismissed by both sets of fans as mere mischief-makers.
So as it stands, Moyes may well stay put and will presumably be a little disappointed that the season is ending given that his charges have lost only twice in the league since early January.
That impressive run of form has coincided with the arrival of Nikica Jelavic from Rangers who has already helped himself to ten goals and should he replicate that form with Croatia at next month’s European Championships, may well be linked with a big-money exit from GoodisonPark.
Steven Pienaar has also been in sensational form since returning from Spurs on loan and the Toffees will surely make bringing the South African midfielder back on a permanent basis one of their main priorities in the off-season.
In terms of Sunday’s season finale, Phil Neville is again set to miss out due to a hamstring strain and Denis Stracqualursi may be preferred to James McFadden after an impressive cameo off the bench on last week’s 0-0 draw at Wolves.
Newcastle may have prevailed when the two sides met on Tyneside back in November, but they have only picked up three points once in their last nine trips to Goodison and the Toffees have lost just twice at home since the turn of the year.
The home side certainly won’t be lacking in motivation as they know that a victory would ensure a seventh-placed finish above Liverpool and they have it in them to foil Newcastle’s Champions League dreams by claiming a point.
Prediction: Everton 1-1 Newcastle United
Manchester City v Queens Park Rangers – Etihad Stadium
44 years have elapsed since Manchester City were last crowned the kings of English football.
Since then, 24 managers have come and gone, the men in sky blue have slipped down as far as League One, frequently teetered on the brink of bankruptcy, endured false dawn after false dawn and all the while had their faces repeatedly rubbed in it by their all-conquering rivals from across the city.
So regardless of the rights and wrongs concerning the virtually unlimited resources now provided by City’s Middle Eastern owners, it’s hard not to be glad for their long-suffering and superbly loyal supporters as they stand on the edge of glory.
But they do still have to seal the deal and City fans would be well advised not to dismiss Sunday’s visitors Queens Park Rangers as mere bit-part extras in an all-singing, all-dancing sky blue spectacular.
For the West Londoners have a massive incentive themselves, knowing that if Bolton win at Stoke and they fail to claim a point at the Etihad, they will be making an immediate return to the Championship.
There were wild scenes of celebration at Loftus Road last weekend as substitute Djibril Cisse popped up to grab a late winner against Stoke, but the same fans who jubilantly poured onto the pitch at the final whistle will head north on Sunday knowing that another ninety minutes of unbearable tension is in store.
The presence of Mark Hughes in the visitors’ dug-out will of course add an intriguing sub-plot to what is already shaping up to be dramatic afternoon.
The Welshman, of course, was famously enraged by the way Roberto Mancini succeeded him in the City hot-seat, claiming that the Italian broke the unspoken code of managerial conduct by shamelessly touting himself for the job and openly meeting with the club’s owners while Hughes was still in charge.
Then there are Hughes’ intrinsic links to Manchester United whose fans will be praying that their former favourite can do them the favour of all favours by securing the boilover that would almost certainly lead to the title heading, yet again, to the red side of the city.
The stats, however, suggest that the R’s chances of securing their own safety and dealing City the most savage of blows in the process, are slim to none.
Mancini’s men have been nothing short of formidable at home this term, winning seventeen of their eighteen league games, scoring 52 goals and conceding just ten in the process.
Rangers, meanwhile, have picked up only eleven points away fromLoftus Road all season, the last of their road victories coming way back in November when they beat Stoke 3-2.
They have also slipped into a curiously regular pattern of results dating back to their defeat at Bolton in early March, since when they have won every home game and lost each subsequent away game right up until last week’s victory over Stoke.
Another defeat on Sunday would maintain this solidly consistent level of inconsistency and could well condemn Hughes’ men to the drop.
In terms of team news for the visitors, midfielder Diakite Samba should make the travelling part after shaking off the effects of a virus and Hughes may well opt to take a more defensive approach than he did against Stoke, with Jamie Mackie possibly dropping down to the bench.
As for the hosts, it’s hard to imagine that Mancini will opt to tinker with the side that turned in such a polished and professional performance at Newcastle last time out.
That triumph in the north-east was City’s fifth on the bounce and again they appeared to come through the game without picking up any major injuries.
Mario Balotelli didn’t even make the bench at the Sports Direct Arena and it will be interesting to see if the eccentric Italian is included this weekend, with speculation growing in the north-west that his City days could be coming to an end.
Yaya Toure will look to continue his stunning run of late-season form, as will Gareth Barry as he aims to lock down a place in England’s European Championship squad, while Carlos Tevez will also be keen to end a fraught campaign on a high note.
Rangers did give the league leaders an almighty scare back in November when the visitors eventually scrambled to a 3-2 win at Loftus Road and indeed have not lost in their last three trips to City.
All of those games took place in the late 90s, however, when the hosts were a very different animal and while there may be some tension around Etihad Stadium during the early exchanges, Mancini’s men will ultimately get the job done.
And Rangers will be left sweating on news from the Potteries to determine whether they can join in with what should be a party to remember.
Prediction: Manchester City 2-0 Queens Park Rangers
Stoke City v Bolton Wanderers – Britannia Stadium
It was almost possible to taste the tension at the Reebok Stadium last weekend as Bolton Wanderers squandered a two goal lead against West Brom to strike a blow to their survival hopes that could ultimately prove fatal.
That result left Owen Coyle’s men knowing that they must pick up three points at the expense of Stoke City on Sunday and hope that QPR fail to secure anything from their daunting trip to Manchester City.
It may not be an ideal situation for the Trotters to find themselves in, but given that the chances of QPR shocking City are minimal, they at least know that if they hold up their end of the bargain, there’s every chance they will be enjoying top flight football again next term.
In fairness, Coyle’s men played well against West Brom until the nerves kicked in and seemed to paralyse them and having won more games on the road this term than they have at home, travelling to the Britannia shouldn’t faze them too much.
The visitors can also take at least some heart from the fact that they produced arguably their best performance of the season against the Potters back in November, trouncing them 5-0 at the Reebok.
They will be up against a Stoke side who looked a touch jaded at QPR last time out and little wonder given that Tony Pulis’ men have already played more than 50 games in all competitions, starting way back in late July.
Having won just one of their last eleven outings, the hosts are clearly ready for a little bit of r and r and it will be interesting to see if they can lift themselves sufficiently to down what will be a frenziedly-motivated Bolton side and sign off in front of their home fans on a winning note.
Pulis will retain Thomas Sorensen in goal ahead of Asmir Begovic in a bid to assist with the Dane’s preparations for the European Championships, Ryan Shotton may come in for Marc Wilson and Kenwyne Jones could get the nod up front ahead of Cameron Jerome who squandered several gilt-edged chances at Loftus Road last weekend.
And on the injury front, Jermaine Pennant and Salif Diao both remain major doubts.
Wanderers boss Coyle, meanwhile, will have to make at least one change at the back after David Wheater suffered a serious knee ligament injury in the draw withWest Brom.
Zat Knight is set to replace the luckless former Middlesbroughman, while up front, Coyle may be tempted to counter Stoke’s defensive physicality by pairing the abrasive Kevin Davies with the equally combative Ivan Klasnic.
That would mean David Ngog dropping down to the bench, but having scored only four goals all season, the $6 million Frenchman could have few complaints.
Darren Pratley seems unlikely to feature in the squad as he is yet to fully overcome a virus, but one man who is very much on the comeback trail is fellow-midfielder Chung-Yong Lee who made a welcome appearance off the bench last week having missed the entire season through injury.
In fairness to the Lancashire side, they have endured a wretched run of luck with injuries, losing the likes of Lee, Stuart Holden, Tyrone Mears and Fabrice Muamba for long periods of the campaign, as well as having to cover for the absence of defensive talisman Gary Cahill following his January switch to Chelsea.
Coyle is widely expected to retain his post even if Wanderers do slip through the relegation trapdoor and if they survive, he will surely look to dramatically overhaul his under-performing squad during the off-season.
Stoke certainly made QPR work hard for their victory last weekend and will be even more obstinate in front of their own fans, but if the visitors can learn the lessons from their draw with West Brom and keep their nerve, they are capable of securing the victory that should be enough to ensure a return trip to the Britannia next season.
Bolton to edge a tight one.
Prediction: Stoke City 1-2 Bolton Wanderers
Sunderland v Manchester United - Stadium of Light
Strange as it may sound, should Manchester United fail to retain their Premier League crown this weekend, it might actually benefit the club in the longer term.
Sir Alex Ferguson worked wonders to lead a very limited squad to the title last year and deserves plenty of credit for bringing them to the brink of glory again this term.
Yet a second successive league triumph would only serve to paper over the cracks that have been growing ever deeper since the Glazer family took over at Old Trafford.
Yes, the Americans did dig deep to fund the capture of Phil Jones and Ashley Young in particular, but United’s squad needed a more comprehensive overhaul last summer and the extra resources required to do that effectively clearly weren’t forthcoming.
The Red Devils have been crying out for a world class central midfielder for two years and yet none has arrived, forcing Ferguson to drag Paul Scholes out of retirement to ride to the rescue.
The likes of Anderson, Michael Owen, Dimitar Berbatov need to be shipped out and replaced with younger, hungrier talents who can carry the mantle as Scholes and Ryan Giggs finally fade gloriously from view.
Tom Cleverley, Danny Welbeck, Chris Smalling and Jones have the potential to be United stars for years to come, but the support cast needs to be improved and improved quickly if the club’s humiliating European experience earlier this term is not to be repeated on a regular basis.
As it stands, if United do somehow pip City to the title on Sunday, the Glazers will readily claim that the current squad’s success shows that things are ticking along rather nicely as they are, thank you very much.
And with Ferguson seemingly unable or unwilling to rock the boat, it would almost inevitably be a case of same old, same old again next season.
If they finish as runners-up, however, allied to their woeful displays in Europe, the level of concern within the club might just rise enough to prompt the kind of sweeping changes that are surely required if the Red Devils are to compete not only with their nouveau-riche neighbours, but also with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
But first and foremost, Fergie and co must focus their attentions upon Sunday and picking up three points at the expense of a Sunderland side for whom the end of the season cannot come soon enough.
Black Cats boss Martin O’Neill is another man eyeing a squad overhaul having seen his current charges labour to just a solitary victory from their last eleven games.
Fortunately for the Ulsterman, the upsurge in form that immediately followed his arrival at the Stadium of Light ultimately proved enough to steer the Wearsiders away from the danger zone and safely into mid-table, but he is not one to settle for mediocrity and will doubtless be pressing the board for a healthy injection of funds with which to put his mark on what essentially remains a squad assembled by his predecessor, Steve Bruce.
A top class striker is likely to be at the top of O’Neill’s summer shopping list given that eleven-goal leading scorer Nicklas Bendtner is poised to return to Arsenal once his loan spell expires and that the future of record-signing Asamoah Gyan remains very much up in the air following his bizarre mid-season loan move to United Arab Emirates-based club Al-Ain.
Question marks also remain over Connor Wickham who has thus far shown precious little to justify the massively-inflated $13 million fee Steve Bruce paid to bring him to the north-east from Ipswich.
Bendtner is set to regain his starting place for the United game after being replaced by Ji Dong-Won at Fulham last weekend, while in-form winger James McClean should be brimming with confidence having been selected in Ireland’s squad for next month’s European Championship.
Unfortunately for the home side, they are again set to be without long-term absentees Wes Brown, Seb Larsson and Kieran Richardson, while Wickham is also a major doubt due to an ankle injury.
In terms of early team news for United, Chris Smalling will undergo a late fitness test on a groin strain and Wellbeck is similarly battling an ankle injury in time to feature, but central defensive duo Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans should both be fit and available.
While United fans may have little faith in QPR’s ability to upset the apple cart at Etihad Stadium, they can at least travel to Wearside boosted by the knowledge that their side has established a 16-game unbeaten run against Sunday’s opponents dating back to 2000.
The visitors look nailed-on to beat a Sunderland side that seems to be well and truly on holiday already, but it’s unlikely to be enough for them to retain their crown.
And that could just pave the way for one of the most fascinating and potentially pivotal off-seasons in the club’s long and illustrious history.
Prediction: Sunderland 1-3 Manchester United
EPL Betting Preview Weekend – 6 May 2012
Big weekend of EPL action this Sunday as we arrive at the final games of the EPL season where Manchester City is in the driving seat to take out their first title in 40 years. However they have a tough assignment on Sunday when they take an in form Newcastle at the Sports Direct Arena. Below we have Sportingbet Australia EPL betting preview of some of the games this weekend. Click below on the game for this weekend’s EPL Betting odds from leading UK and European bookmakers.
Arsenal vs Norwich
Newcastle vs Man City
Wolverhampton vs Everton
Fulham vs Sunderland
Aston Villa vs Tottenham
Bolton vs West Brom
QPR vs Stoke
Man Utd vs Swansea
Blackburn vs Wigan
English Premier League Sunday 6th May 2012
Newcastle United v Manchester City – Sports Direct Arena
And now it all boils down to nerve.
Having put themselves in pole position to win what would their first title in more than forty years, Manchester City know that two more victories will be enough to pip Manchester United to the ultimate prize in English football.
Have the men in sky blue got the character and the mental strength required to get the job done and finally deal a potentially hugely significant blow to the rivals who have ridiculed them from a position of unquestioned power for so long?
Judging by their performance against United on Monday evening, the answer to that question is a resounding yes.
The scoreline may only have been 1-0, but that should not be allowed to disguise the fact that City were superior in every department, controlling virtually the entire game with the exception of a brief period immediately after the interval.
And this time it wasn’t the flamboyant genius of Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez or David Silva that proved key, it was the dogged midfield work carried out by unsung hero Gareth Barry, along with Yaya Toure, plus the defensive solidity supplied by the outstanding Joleon Lescott and the equally immoveable Vincent Kompany.
United may have erred on the side of caution with their team selection and tactical approach, but even when they threw caution to the wind late in the game City remained largely untroubled and endured few anxious moments before Etihad Stadium erupted at the final whistle.
Boss Roberto Mancini led from the front, happy to engage in a heated confrontation with Sir Alex Ferguson on the touchline in an incident that in many ways personified City’s new-found willingness to go toe-to-toe with the side that has dominated them for so long.
Mancini’s men undoubtedly have United on the ropes in terms of the title race and with their final game of the season at home to strugglers QPR, they know that victory over Newcastle United this weekend will move them to within touching distance of that long-awaited title.
Three points will be hard to come by at the Sports Direct Arena, however, as with the exception of last week’s bizarre thumping at Wigan, the Magpies have been the league’s form side.
Wednesday night’s hugely impressive 2-0 victory at Chelsea made it seven wins from eight games for Alan Pardew’s men who could still finish as high as third.
Papiss Cisse was Newcastle’s goal hero yet again at Stamford Bridge, helping himself to a brace to take his tally for the club to an astonishing thirteen in twelve games.
The Senegalese international may not be the hardest working striker going around, but there is no doubting the quality of his finishing and he will ask plenty of questions of City’s defence on Sunday.
Less positive for the home side is the news that key midfielder Cheik Tiote is regarded as a major doubt having been stretched from the field on Wednesday in the wake of an aerial collision with Jon Obi Mikel.
The Ivorian’s head injury will be assessed by the club’s medical staff later this week and Pardew will be desperately hoping he pulls up fit as his combination with Yohan Cabaye in central midfield has underpinned much of Newcastle’s success this term.
In terms of early injury news for the visitors, meanwhile, they appeared to come through the derby clash unscathed and Mancini may well opt to retain faith with the starting eleven that ultimately served him so well.
That will mean more time on the bench for Mario Balotelli, although the headline- magnet may well appear at some point on Sunday after, perhaps wisely, remaining unused against United.
Already on cloud nine in the wake of Monday night’s triumph, City’s army of travelling fans can take further heart from the fact that they have dominated the Magpies in recent years.
Eight of the last ten meetings between the two sides have ended in victory for the men in blue and you have to go back to 2005 to find the last time City left Tyneside empty-handed.
Newcastle will surely defend better than they did against Wiganlast week, but with glory in sight, it’s hard to see City being denied and they should just edge what promises to be a nerve-jangling afternoon in the north-east.
Prediction: Newcastle United 1-2 Manchester City
Queens Park Rangers v Stoke City – Loftus Road
Those punters who look for results patterns to guide them will be pleased to hear that Queens Park Rangers’ last nine games have shown a remarkable symmetry.
Since losing to Bolton and then subsequently beating Liverpool back in March, they have repeated that loss followed by a win, followed by a loss, followed by a win, followed by a loss pattern right up until last week’s 6-1 trouncing at the hands of Chelsea.
So bearing that in mind, they should return to winning ways on Sunday when Stoke City visit Loftus Road.
If only it were that simple.
Let’s face it, Stoke are not the kind of side you really want to be facing at this time in the season when only goal difference is keeping you out of the relegation zone.
The Potters may have nothing but pride left to play for, but rolling over is not an expression anyone would associate with boss Tony Pulis and the combative, fiercely competitive side he has assembled at the Britannia Stadium.
So the West Londoners will undoubtedly have their work cut out to pick up the three points on Sunday, yet, with a visit to champions-elect Manchester City looming on the final day of the season, anything other than a victory could well see them making an immediate return to the Championship.
Rangers have certainly looked more organised and tactically switched-on since Mark Hughes succeeded Neil Warnock back in January, but they have still not managed to win two consecutive games at any point during the campaign and Hughes has, at times, been guilty of blaming the officials in a bid to divert attention away from his own shortcomings and those of his team.
Some of their defending at Stamford Bridge last weekend was nothing short of laughable and they will have to show considerable improvement in that area to keep the likes of Peter Crouch and Jon Walters at bay on Sunday.
Hughes may be tempted to promote fellow-Welshman Danny Gabbidon from the bench to bolster his rearguard against the Potters and could well have Fitz Hall at his disposal once again following the former Southampton man’s recovery from the knock he picked up late last month.
As for Stoke, their season seems to have caught up with them in much the same way as it has with their mid-table companions, Swansea.
Their extensive involvement in the Europa League and domestic cup competitions means that they have already played more than 50 games this term and may at least partially explain why they have managed to win only one of their last nine outings.
With a home game to come against Bolton next week, the Potters will ultimately play a key role in deciding who exits the top flight, while they themselves could still finish in the top ten if they secure another two wins and results elsewhere go their way.
Even if they end up slightly below mid-table, Pulis can reflect upon another solid season, but has revealed that he is already busy trying to recruit at least one new striker to take some of the goalscoring burden off the bony shoulders of Peter Crouch.
Ironically, one of the men Pulis is said to be targeting is DJ Campbell who, in an intriguing twist, could be named on the bench for the Hoops against Stoke on Sunday.
Jermaine Pennant, meanwhile, has hosed down speculation that he could be set to leave the club by insisting that he in fact wants to sign a new two-year deal and on the injury front, popular utility man Andy Wilkinson may well return to the squad this week after overcoming a groin problem.
Home fans will take some encouragement from the fact that their side enjoyed one of their rare away successes at Stoke back in November and has also only been beaten once by the men in red and white in the last eleven meetings at Loftus Road.
This clash promises to be anything but easy on the eye and while QPR have so much more to play for, Stoke are exactly the sort of awkward opponents who can throw a spanner in the works by claiming a hard-earned point.
Prediction: QPR 1-1 Stoke City
Manchester United v Swansea City – Old Trafford
Sunday 6th May 2012
The colour of Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson’s face resembled that of his side’s famous shirts in the wake of Monday night’s potentially disastrous defeat at the hands of Manchester City.
And there seems little doubt that the Scot’s legendary hairdryer treatment would have been stripping the paint off the walls in the changing rooms at Etihad Stadium following the curiously lack-lustre display from the Red Devils that left the title City’s to lose.
Having felt the full force of their manager’s wrath, an on-field backlash from the players can be expected and that could spell bad news for Sunday’s visitors Swansea City.
Brendan Rodgers’ men have enjoyed a superb first season in the Premiership, comfortably securing a mid-table position and delighting the purists with their Barcelona-esque short passing game.
The gruelling campaign, however, appears to have caught up with the Welsh side who have won only one of their last seven games and conceded four goals to relegated Wolves in their most recent outing.
So it promises to be a tricky afternoon for the Swans at Old Trafford against a fired-up United side who won 1-0 when the sides last met at the Liberty Stadium back in late November.
Fortunately for the visitors, they did not appear to pick up any fresh injury concerns in last week’s goal-fest with Wolves and Rodgers could well name an unchanged side.
He will certainly stick with the system that has brought them such great success and neither he nor his players will abandon their passing principles regardless of the quality of the opposition, which should make for an open, attractive game.
One possible change for the Swans could come down the left where the more defensively-minded Neil Taylor may replace Andrea Orlandi, while Leroy Lita is likely to come off the bench to test out United’s central defenders with his robust physical presence.
The hosts, meanwhile, will surely opt to field a more attacking side than they did against City when they understandably set up simply to avoid defeat rather than take the game to their nearest and not so dearest rivals.
Antonio Valencia is expected to return to midfield and Danny Welbeck is also set to be restored to the starting line-up if he recovers from a slight ankle problem, with Wayne Rooney pushed up alongside him.
Rafael may replace Phil Jones following the Englandman’s shaky display against City and the Brazilian could well be joined in the back four by Jonny Evans who is likely to overcome a bruised foot and replace Chris Smalling alongside Rio Ferdinand.
By the time this game kicks off, United will know how City have fared at Newcastle and should Roberto Mancini’s men have stumbled on Tyneside, Old Trafford will be no place for the faint-hearted.
Swansea will probably still enjoy more possession than United even though they are limping towards the finishing line, but the home side have everything to play for and it’s all but impossible to see them failing to bounce back with a win.
Prediction: Manchester United 3-1 Swansea City
Monday 7th May 2012
Blackburn Rovers v Wigan Athletic – Ewood Park
Most Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic fans would have looked at this fixture at the start of the season and identified it as a likely relegation six-pointer.
And those who didn’t may well have been those pessimists who believed their side would already have been consigned to the Championship by the time the penultimate game of the campaign rolled around.
As it stands, victory for the visitors will all but seal their survival, while anything other than a win for Rovers will surely leave them preparing for trips to Oakwell and London Road rather than Old Trafford and Anfield next season.
Even a draw would do little for Steve Kean’s men who looked to be edging to safety following successive wins over Wolves and Sunderland back in March, before a run of six defeats in seven games sent them plunging back into the bottom three.
In complete contrast, Wigan looked gone for all money as they headed into March bottom of the league and facing the most difficult run-in of all the division’s strugglers.
Improbable victories over Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, Stoke and Newcastle followed, however, as Roberto Martinez’s men suddenly found the form that had eluded them all season and if momentum really is such a vital commodity at this stage of a campaign, no-one has more of it than the Latics.
Last week’s demolition of in-form Newcastle was as impressive as it was startling, with a side that has looked toothless in front of goal so often this term suddenly transforming into a rampant attacking unit that had the Magpies’ much-vaunted defence at sixes and sevens right from the outset and could easily have won by an even more emphatic margin.
Victor Moses starred with two goals, while Chilean midfielder Jean Beausejour also caught the eye, as did Shaun Maloney and his strike partner Franco Di Santo who has endured a tough time in English football to date and will be keen to impress on Sunday against the side that sold him to Wigan back in August 2010.
It’s hard to imagine that Martinez will choose to make any major changes to his winning side, although the influential Hugo Rodallega could get the nod to start after recovering sufficiently from a knee injury to make the bench last week.
The hosts, meanwhile, failed to muster a single shot on or off target in their dismal 2-0 defeat at Spurs last weekend, a fact that will hardly fill their disgruntled fans with optimism bearing in mind that after the Wigan clash they visit Chelsea on the final day of the season.
The game really does look to be up for manager Steve Kean who seems to have been on the brink of being sacked since back in August and will surely finally get the chop as and when Rovers’ fate is sealed.
Even with virtually all of his senior players available, Kean has little room for manoeuvre in terms of his team selection this week and will simply pin his hopes on the likes of Yakubu and Junior Hoilett rediscovering their touch in the final third.
David Goodwillie, Ruben Rochina and Anthony Modeste may come into the reckoning for starting berths up front, but boasting only four Premier League goals between them, they are unlikely to cause any sleepless nights for the Wigan rearguard.
Indeed Goodwillie may not be in the correct frame of mind to play even if he does get the nod having been found guilty of assault earlier this week and handed a 12-month probation order.
And in other off-field news, controversial club owners Venky’s have been forced to deny reports that they will sell Rovers should they go down, insisting that they will still be in charge at Ewood Park come the start of next season.
That claim will further darken the mood of may Rovers fans who feel the chicken business tycoons are running the club into the ground and the atmosphere on Sunday could well turn ugly pretty quickly should Rovers find themselves trailing early in the piece.
It really is all over bar the shouting for Rovers and Wigan look a decent bet to earn what would be their first ever win at Ewood Park and finally put the home club out of their misery in the process.
Prediction: Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Wigan Athletic
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