Easter is upon us again and as we now have become accustom to the break not only brings us chocolate and a few lie-ins but also plenty of football action. No less than eight Premier League matches will take place on Saturday, all of which have some kind of importance.
This weekend could go a long way to sorting out matters at the top and bottom of the table. So we take a look at who will be allowed to enjoy their Easter eggs on Sunday and who might be spending a little bit longer in church to pray for divine intervention.
Manchester United v Everton (12:45pm)
No better place to start Saturday’s bumper offering than at Old Trafford and the home of the champions elect. United are laughing at the moment, every time they slip up their fellow title contenders fail to take advantage. They have now been gifted the chance to open up a nine point gap on Arsenal and Chelsea against the Toffees. Everton don’t like Old Trafford traditionally, failing to pick up three points at the Theatre of Dreams for nearly 19 years. David Moyes team have been in a good run of form but United are virtually unplayable at home this season and should pick up maximum points from the Merseysiders visit.
Match Bet – Man Utd to win with a -1 handicap @ 21/20
Aston Villa v Stoke City (3pm)
There has been very little talk about the itself game after Gerard Houllier was rushed to hospital during the week. Most of Friday’s press conference was concentrated on the well-being of the Frenchman but come 3pm all eyes will be on the Villa Park pitch. Villa are pretty much safe after their victory over West Ham last week took them past the 40-point mark. Stoke could join them in being safe with a win, but have a terrible record at Villa Park, failing to win a top flight game there since 1965. Having reached the FA Cup final last week and with Villa currently on the up it could be at least another year before Stoke taste victory at Villa.
Match Bet – Villa to win @ 4/5
Blackpool v Newcastle (3pm)
Life for Blackpool couldn’t get much tougher at the minute, they are seemingly in freefall and without a safety net to catch them they look Championship-bound. Last week represented a great chance for the Seasiders to move away from the drop zone but they blew it against Wigan. They now face a Newcastle side who passed the 40-point mark in midweek and looked good doing it. Whether they’ll take their eye off the ball now is debatable, but even if they do you have to question whether Blackpool are good enough to take advantage.
Match Bet - Draw @ 12/5
Liverpool v Birmingham (3pm)
Birmingham’s recent revival was stopped in its tracks at Chelsea on Wednesday, and they go from one tough away game to another with a trip to Anfield. The Reds have plenty of injuries to contend with at the moment but still looked very solid against Arsenal last Sunday. Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez are getting better with every game and for Blues the outlook is bleak. While the last seven games between these two clubs have been draws Birmingham will count themselves lucky to get anything out of this.
Match Bet - Liverpool half-time/ Liverpool full-time @ 11/10
Sunderland v Wigan (3pm)
Wigan haven’t waited until Easter weekend to get their resurrection underway as they look to continue a fabulous run of form against Sunderland. Having spent much of the season in the drop zone the Latics are now out and looking to claw back the Black Cats. The way things have gone for Steve Bruce recently it wouldn’t surprise many if his old team beat his current one at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland have injury problems galore and have beaten Wigan once in nine Premier League matches.
Match Bet - Wigan to win @ 11/4
Tottenham v West Brom (3pm)
Not many West Brom fans would have expected to come into this game with almost nothing to play for. However, last Saturday’s defeat to Chelsea aside, the Baggies have been flying of late and need just another couple of points to make sure of safety. While West Brom would take a point Tottenham will be desperate for three as they look to leapfrog Manchester City into fourth. Spurs have struggled against teams towards the wrong end of the table this season and put a lot into Wednesday’s exciting 3-3 draw with Arsenal. However, they should have enough to class to turn over West Brom.
Match Bet – Over 2.5 goals @ 4/6 and both teams to score @ 7/10
Wolves v Fulham (3pm)
Wolves’ current situation is looking bleak after tumbling to the bottom of the table last weekend. Mick McCarthy’s men looked as though they would escape the drop with a decent run of form last month but have been stopped in their tracks since Kevin Doyle picked up a season-ending injury. However, hope springs eternal and Wolves’ last six matches are against teams in the bottom half of the table. They are also facing a team in Fulham who haven’t won away this year. If Wolves are ever going to start a fightback against the drop then they need to beat the Cottagers on Saturday.
Match Bet - Wolves to win @ 11/8
Chelsea v West Ham (5:30pm)
If our predictions are correct then West Ham will kick this game off bottom of the league and seemingly without of prayer against a resurgent Chelsea. Much like Wolves the Hammers looked as though they would escape the drop at the start of the month but have crumbled recently, conceding a late winner to Villa last week in the latest in a line of setbacks. Avram Grant will have to produce a miracle if they are to get anything from Stamford Bridge. The Blues have taken 19 points from the last 21 available to them and look to be the best challengers to Manchester United’s hopes of winning the league.
Match Bet – Chelsea to win 3-0 @ 7/1
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