This week’s Premier League predictions

Norwich 1-1 Chelsea 

Gary Cahill is set to make his debut for the travelling side which will give the team a boost in the central defence, but should they be more focused on improving their recent scoring record? The last time any Chelsea forward found the net was back in December. Home side Norwich will give the Londoners a run for their money at Carrow Lane as they hope to extend their run of three games unbeaten in the league. However, the last time these two met ended in misery for The Canneries as they fell to a 3-1 defeat. 

Everton 1-0 Blackburn

Everton have gone three league games without a win and have picked up just one point in the meantime. Despite having only found the net 21 times this season, David Moyes will see his team as favourites to grab only their second home league win of 2012. Blackburn come into this game off the back of an impressive 3-1 victory over Fulham and will be hoping this is the start of a good run of form as they intend to pull themselves out of a relegation scrap. The visiting side have also recently appointed a new and, most vitally, an experienced assistant manager in the name of Eric Black.

Fulham 1-2 Newcastle

It was a very disappointing time at Ewood Park last week for Martin Jol’s Fulham team and he will expect his team to get back to winning ways. Before their loss at Blackburn The Cottagers put together a good run of four games without a loss, including a 2-1 victory over Arsenal. With Newcastle’s goal scoring machine still unavailable Alan Pardew will be hoping for his make shift front men to continue with the goals. It will be a tough one for Leon Best and the young Sammy Ameobi but if one of them can’t step up then the visitors have faith of Jonas Gutierrez and Hatem Ben Arfa putting in a good shift. 

QPR 2-0 Wigan

This is a massive game for both teams who are desperate to climb out of the bottom three. QPR were unlucky not to pick up a point on Tyneside last week as Mark Hughes is set for his first game in front of the Rangers fan’s at Loftus road. Travelling side Wigan are without a win since 10^th December and have recently been knocked out of the FA Cup by League One team Swindon. Roberto Martinez will know the importance of this match up and will do his upmost to come away with at least a point. 

Stoke 0-0 West Brom

Stoke have a great home record which sees them without a loss in their last five matches at the Britannia Stadium. Their last match was an impressive draw away to Liverpool and manager Tony Pulis will be hoping his team can build on their recent good performances. Visitors West Brom come travelling without a win this year and o the back of a 2-1 loss to Norwich. A win will be top priority as they have steadily started to fall closer to the relegation places.

Sunderland 1-2 Swansea

Martin O’niel’s good run of form ended last week after his Sunderland side fell to a 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge. They face a tough test on Saturday against a Swansea team very much in the limelight. The Welsh outfit come to the Stadium of Light after an impressive performance and victory against Arsenal. All eyes will be on Leon Britton. 

Wolves 0-3 Aston Villa 

This will be Wolves’ second midlands derby encounter in a week after their cup exit to Birmingham on Wednesday night. Mick McCarthy hasn’t picked up three points since December 4^th and will be wary that his team lay just one point of the relegation zone. Apart from Aston Villa’s recent win at Chelsea they have been lacking in the goals department. But Alex McLeish will relish this encounter on Saturday. 

Bolton 1-3 Liverpool

Bolton have won just once at home all season and this poor form is why they sit 19^th in the league table. After their 3-0 loss at Old Trafford last week the moral will be at a low and they will not be looking forward to the sight of Kenny Dalglish’s men. This will be the game where Liverpool re-discover their goal scoring form after two games without finding the net. 

Man City 2-0 Tottenham

This will be the game of the weekend as the league leaders meet third place. Although City are without influential players like Kompany and Toure, Roberto Mancini’s men will prove too strong for their visitors. Spurs are on a good run of form of late and will easily fancy their chances of upsetting the title race. Manager Harry Redknapp believes his London outfit can take the home side by surprise but it will take a lot more effort than they put in against Wolves last week. 

Arsenal 0-2 Man United

Arsenal have to forget about their loss to Premier league new boys Swansea as they face the challenge of a United side in attacking form. Henry was in contention to come straight into the starting line up for this match but he has had to undergo a late fitness test after an injury scare to his calf. Alex Ferguson has said in the week that he doesn’t expect a game anywhere near like it was last time when his team ran out 8-2 winners in Manchester at the beginning of the season. Striker Wayne Rooney will be the one to watch on Sunday as he has managed to score six goals in his last six outings against the Gunners.

Swansea outclass the pass-masters

Nine years ago today Swansea City was a small Welsh team that sat 24^th in the English Conference table and played in front of a 12,000 capacity stadium; who, if anyone, would have predicted that they would not only be picking up three points against three times Premier League champions Arsenal but respectively out-playing them. 

Their win on Sunday in front of the 20,000 faithful fans saw The Swans climb into the top half of the Premiership after an all English score sheet from the home side produced the goods. It will be interesting to see if Fabio Capello, who was present at the Liberty Stadium this weekend, will include such Swansea stars as Scott Sinclair and Danny Graham in his next England squad. 

One Swan starlet that will require a lot of attention and analyses from Capello is 29-Year-old Leon Britton. Britton returned to the Welsh outfit at the beginning of this season after a short period at Sheffield United and has made a huge impact on the way Swansea have constructed their style of game play this year. 

It is astonishing to see some statistics that surround the midfielder’s performance this season:

In comparison to all other European clubs Leon Britton has the highest pass success rate with 93.3%, higher than Barcelona’s midfield maestro Xavi. Britton has made a total of 1127 passes so far this season. 

Joining Britton in the table of top 5 European passing expects is fellow Swans midfielder Joe Allen, who has been as impressive with a pass completion percentage of 90.3%. 

Passing has been an integral part of Brendon Rogers’s tactical play and Swansea’s success this campaign; 11,065 passes have been totalled in the Premier League by the Welsh outfit with 85.2% of them reaching their proposed target, the third best behind Manchester City and Arsenal. 

When it came to the match against Arsene Wenger’s men on Sunday I wasn’t exactly expecting a walk-over from the Gunners but I was certainly taken back by how easy Swansea found space and played a simple pass-and-move game. They carefully carved Arsenal open in passages of the match and had the determination for a quick response to cancel out Theo Walcott’s equaliser within 45 seconds. 

However, manager Rogers played down his side’s impressive victory and stated that his side are just attempting to keep on track with their points target and avoid a relegation battle. I think it is fair enough to say that Swansea will be running out onto the pitch in the 2011/2012 campaign as a top flight team. 

With John McEachran expected to sign on loan from Chelsea soon it seems like The Swans have captured another midfield passing prospect to add to their team sheet. It is safe to say that they’ve certainly come a long way in the Premier League since their 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in the opening game of the season. 

Ryan Condon

Ryancondon@hotmail.co.uk

@ryanjc91