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All eyes on Premier prize

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It’s coming to the business end of the Premier League campaign and teams at the top and the bottom of the table are desperate for points (Barclays Premier League – totesport).

Who will be the players that will step forward and help their club lift the trophy or avoid the drop in the coming weeks?

The battle for survival has rarely been closer with just seven points difference between rock bottom and 10th place in the Premier League table.

With a new stadium just around the corner it would be disastrous for West Ham United to drop down into the Championship.

Only a few weeks ago it looked like the Hammers (7/4 to be relegated) would struggle to stay up this season but their inspirational skipper Scott Parker has been instrumental in their turnaround of fortunes.

The former Chelsea and Newcastle United midfielder has been tireless in the middle of the park, which has not gone unnoticed as England boss Fabio Capello started the 30-year-old in the Euro 2012 qualifying win over Wales last weekend.

West Ham have to face Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea before the end of the season and Parker will be essential to their chances of survival.

Another side struggling at the bottom of the table is Wolves (7/4 to be relegated) and their position has not been made any easier as striker Kevin Doyle has been ruled out for the rest of the season, after he picked up knee ligament damage on international duty with Republic of Ireland.

Step up potential England midfielder Matt Jarvis, who has been a stand-out player for Wolves this term.

The 24-year-old could make his England debut against Ghana on Tuesday night at Wembley, which would be well deserved if he makes it onto the hallowed turf.

Jarvis’ pace and creativity will be crucial for Wolves as they hope to continue their unbeaten run of four games and avoid a return to the Championship.

Despite winning the Carling Cup this season, Birmingham City (6/4 to be relegated) could consider this a campaign to forget if they finish in the bottom three.

After tremendous effort in the Carling and FA Cup they must now focus on Premier League survival and the experience of Kevin Phillips could be key.

The veteran striker has been a super sub for Blues this season in cup football but Birmingham boss Alex McLeish could use the former Sunderland goal machine to bring a bit of spark to the side as they hope to climb up from 19th place in the league.

At the top of the table, chasing the title are rivals Manchester United and Arsenal, with both sides desperate for silverware this season.

United (1/2 to win the Premier League) will be looking to their Portuguese star Nani for the creativity to unlock sides between now and the end of the campaign.

The former Sporting Lisbon star has admitted that his confidence has been knocked since he was injured by a Jamie Carragher tackle in the 3-1 defeat at the hands of arch rivals Liverpool.

Nani will have to put that behind him as United look to beat Liverpool’s 18 league titles.

As for Arsenal (11/4 to win the Premier League) they have failed to win any silverware since 2004 and upcoming star Jack Wilshere will be desperate to end the barren spell.

The 19-year-old has been outstanding for the Gunners in the heart of midfield and has not looked out of place in the international stage either.

If the north London club are to overtake United at the top of the table, they will have to hope Wilshere does not burn out before the end of the season, as his work rate and passing can unlock any defence in the Premier League.

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Black Stars out to shine

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Having come through the game that mattered at a canter against the Welsh on Saturday Fabio Capello and co turn their attention to Ghana and a chance to experiment.

Gareth Barry will lead out a much-changed England side from the one that won in Cardiff and it will be a great chance to see who can stake a claim for a regularly place in Capello’s side. Ghana proved to be no pushovers at the World Cup and will provide a stern test for an inexperienced England side.

The majority of football fans will be looking at this game and just hoping none of their team’s players come back with any injuries, given the period of the domestic season we are entering. As usual Capello will look at the game as a chance to experiment ahead of June’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland.

The Italian will also hope that the Black Stars provide more of a test to his team than a largely toothless Wales did. Having released John Terry, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Ashley Cole and Michael Dawson due to their Champions League commitments it was always going to be something of a scratch side.

Despite all the changes England are still 8/13 to beat Ghana on Tuesday, with the Black Stars priced at 9/2 while the draw is on at 13/5. The odds for Ghana look appealing when you consider they went further than England at the World Cup and had it not been for Asamoah Gyan’s missed penalty they would have made it through to the semi-finals. The African nation established themselves as a good side at the tournament and have name a decent looking squad for the trip to Wembley.

The midfield options for Ghana look particularly impressive and Scott Parker and Jack Wilshere might have their hands full against the likes of Anthony Annan, Kwadwo Asamoah, Sulley Muntari and Kevin-Prince Boateng. Ghana coach Goran Stevanovic is less likely to see this game as a training exercise and will probably field a strong looking team.

With the internationally inexperienced Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill playing a centre-half for England Ghana might fancy their chances of at least getting on the score sheet and both teams to score at even money might be worth a look.

You’d think England will be too strong for Ghana in the end but as they proved at the World Cup you can never discount the Black Stars. Those who do pull on the Three Lions shirt will have to be prepared to match Ghana’s work rate and you’d think the fringe players in the team will be willing to do that. Already Capello has revealed Leighton Baines will join Cahill and Jagielka in making up part of the back four. Parker and Wilshere are likely to play at the heart of the midfield as they look to oust Steven Gerrard and Lampard.

The Italian has also given the nod to Andy Carroll to start up front, potentially alongside Darren Bent, who has been in a rich vein of form for his country recently. The Villa striker has scored three in his last three appearances for his country and might be worth a look to make it four from four. Bent is evens to score anytime and 4/1 to get the first goal.

Having got an easy ride on Saturday expect Ghana to give England a stern test at Wembley. While the result of the match won’t matter so much to Capello it will be important for the fans to see their team record another win as they try and restore some faith in the side after the World Cup.

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Revenge on Group C cards

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The focus remains on the international scene on Tuesday with more Euro 2012 qualification matches taking place and there is certainly money to be made for those who think there may be shock or two with only game not having an odds-on favourite.

Alternatively it could be seen as a day for home comforts with only two away sides favourites to pick up the three points, Serbia and Spain, although the selection is for Slovenia to enjoy their trip to to Windsor Park to take on Northern Ireland.

The two teams cannot be split in the match betting with both available at 8/5 and the draw on offer at 11/5, but Slovenia have enjoyed their travels in Group C so far and can come away with the three points.

Nigel Worthington’s men had enjoyed an unbeaten start to the campaign, winning in Slovenia before holding Italy at Windsor Park, but a draw in Faroe Islands was followed by a defeat to Serbia and the Irish have now slumped to fifth in the table.

Injuries and suspensions have now become a factor though with Kyle Lafferty, David Healy and Aaron Hughes joining Steve Davis on the sidelines, while Manchester United defender Jonny Evans is a doubt with a groin problem.

The disappointing 3-0 defeat to Scotland in the Nations Cup has also affected the coach’s thinking with Worthington opting to now give youth its head.

After a gutsy first-half in Serbia, which saw Northern Ireland lead 1-0 at the break thanks to Gareth McAuley’s header from a free-kick, the second period was one-way traffic and the defence failed to hold out.

Very little was created from open play and with more onus on attacking in front of their own fans but with limited options, the Irish may struggle to open up Slovenia and leave themselves exposed at the back.

Slovenia have come away from Belgrade with a draw, which was not behind closed doors, while they won in Estonia, and following a tight affair with runaway Group C leaders Italy on Friday, Matjaz Kez’s men can bounce back with a win.

Serbia will of course have taken heart from the second-half performance against the Irish and are expected to justify 7/10 favouritism when they travel to Estonia.

The Baltic State have already lost twice away, while they only beat Faroe Islands 2-1 at home, and Vladimir Petrovic’s men will be looking to avenge a home defeat in the reverse fixture and should have enough ammunition to get the three points.

Turkey will be relieved to get back on home soil following a double defeat in October, losing 3-0 in Germany before a succumbing to a shock 1-0 defeat in Azerbaijan.

Guus Hiddink’s men will be determined to get their campaign back on track and can even climb into second place in Group A with a win – which they are expected to do at 8/15 – with Austria missing the key trio of Franz Schiemer, Mark Janko and Zlatko Junuzovic

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Sides gear up for basement battle

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Bet on the Premier LeagueThe current two-week international break has taken the focus off the Premier League, but there will be up to 12 managers all looking ahead to next weekend when a return to hostilities will spark the eight-game run-in to what is the tightest relegation battle in the history of the league.

Trying to pick three teams who will be occupying those relegation places when the final whistle of the campaign blows on Sunday May 22 is arguably an impossible task, but one I will endeavour to try and do.

Stoke City look comfortable in mid-table but are only five points clear of the drop zone, while Newcastle and Fulham are just below them, one and two points worse off respectively.

However, I don’t envisage any of that trio to drop into the mix, while Aston Villa, who are one of four sides on 33 points and just one point clear of the bottom three, should also be safe.

Gerard Houllier’s men have been hit by talk of dressing room unrest, bust-ups between players and coaching staff, and they lost 1-0 to Wolves last time out, making it just one win in their last six league games.

But I find it difficult to believe that a team dotted with several regular England internationals cannot secure sufficient points in their final eight games, which include home dates against Stoke and Wigan.

This leaves Blackburn, Blackpool and West Brom, who are also on 33 points with Villa. Add to this West Ham and Wolves, who are both on 32 points, Birmingham on 31 and bottom side Wigan on 30.

The three to go are:

WIGAN (4/11 Relegation)

Roberto Martinez’s side boosted their chances of survival with a 2-1 win against Birmingham last time out.

However, this was only their second win in 12 league games, while they also have a significantly worse goal difference than all of their rivals which effectively makes them another point worse off.

BLACKPOOL (13/10 Relegation)

Ian Holloway’s side has been like a breath of fresh air in the Premier League and they looked all set to spend at least a second season in the top-flight after a barnstorming start.

But the wheels have come off since Christmas, with two wins in 13 outings in 2011, and their all-out attacking style is now being used against them as opposition sides hit them on the counter-attack.

They still have to play Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United, but do have winnable home dates against Wigan, Newcastle and Stoke.

But I feel the Tangerines will fall just short of salvation.

BIRMINGHAM (6/4 Relegation)

Picking the team to finish in the third and final relegation spot was extremely difficult given that West Ham and West Brom has some very tough prospects in their final eight games, while Blackburn are on a slippery slope with one win in eight which has already raised question marks about Steve Kean’s tenure at Ewood Park.

Wolves, who are one of the in-form teams with eight points from four games, have lost influential striker Kevin Doyle to a knee injury and this could hamper their survival bid.

However, those sides should just have enough to scramble home which leaves Alex McLeish’s Carling Cup winners facing the prospect of playing in the Europa League as a Championship outfit.

The Cup win against Arsenal could turn out to be a killer for the Blues as they have had a hangover ever since, with just one point from a possible 12 picked up, not to mention a myriad of first-team stars sat in the treatment room.

That has left McLeish relying on the same group of players in their recent hectic fixture schedule and it has clearly caught up with them.

First-team coach Peter Grant feels the break has come at the perfect time to get some players back but I feel they are stuck in a rut now and defeats to the likes of West Brom and Wigan in recent games will be what the fans look back on as significant in their demise if they do go down.

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England to slay the Dragons?

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England’s Euro 2012 qualifying campaign hit the buffers with a goalless draw against Montenegro last time out, with Fabio Capello’s men currently in second place in the Group G table. Can they bounce back at the first attempt and take the points against Wales on Saturday? (England 2/5 to beat Wales).

The pressure has been on Capello and his England squad ever since their woeful showing at the World Cup last summer, which culminated in the 4-1 drubbing to Germany in the last 16.

Sweeping changes were promised but, while a few new faces have appeared, it is the players that failed so miserably in South Africa who have been given the task of qualifying for the next big tournament.

Victories over Bulgaria and Switzerland seemed to suggest that all was rosy once again in the camp but the 0-0 draw with the Balkan side put the pressure right back on the Three Lions (England 1/6 to win Group G).

As ever with the England team, events off the pitch have dominated the headlines with John Terry’s reinstatement as captain threatening to overshadow the entire match.

But, having received the backing of the squad, it will be full steam ahead to try and beat the Welsh this weekend (England 9/1 to win Euro 2012).

England will be without the injured Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard but the players that Capello has at his disposal should be good enough to win this match, with Wales devoid of the one player who England would have feared, after Gareth Bale’s withdrawal from the Dragons’ squad due to injury.

England have been buoyed by the return to form of Wayne Rooney and will look to the Manchester United man for goals in Cardiff, while Darren Bent will want to add to the goal he scored against Denmark if given the nod at the Millennium Stadium.

England have a good record against Wales, having beaten them twice in qualification for the 2006 World Cup, and they have had no trouble in scoring goals in recent matches, with seven in two qualification matches before the Montenegro stalemate.

They have scored at least one goal in each of their last 13 games, apart from against Montenegro and Algeria, and it is hard to see Wales keeping them out for the entire 90 minutes with the attacking threat throughout the side.

Aaron Ramsey has been handed the captain’s armband for the home side and much will be expected of Arsenal’s 20-year-old star, while veteran Craig Bellamy will always be a threat up front, but the loss of Bale will have been a real body blow to Gary Speed’s squad ahead of the fixture.

The Spurs man has proved himself on the biggest stage this season and will have surely been a handful for England’s back four in the Welsh capital.

Despite having lost all three qualifiers, the new boss knows that derby games can throw up strange results and, roared on by what will be a vociferous crowd, he will hope to take at least a point from Saturday’s encounter.

However England are tipped to win this one comfortably and emulate their rugby union counterparts who kicked off their successful Six Nations campaign by beating Wales on their own patch.

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Worthington’s men set for Serb test

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Friday night throws up some intriguing international fixtures as nations across the continent look to go one step closer to securing a place in Euro 2012.

Northern Ireland currently sit in fourth place in Group C but could go up into second spot if they can pick up three points against Serbia (Serbia 1/2, draw 3/1, Northern Ireland 6/1).

This will be a tough test for head-coach Nigel Worthington and his side as they travel to Serbia in a challenging away fixture.

The Serbs have underperformed in the qualifiers so far and have not yet picked up a win in front of their home fans and will be desperate to do so on Friday night.

Northern Ireland have shown great improvement in the qualifiers this term and a draw away from home would be a great result to keep them in the hunt for Euro 2012.

Slovenia host Italy in the other Group C clash with the Azzurri looking to increase their three-point lead at the top of the table (Solvenia 13/5, draw 9/4, Italy 11/10).

The Italians have put the disappointment of the World Cup in South Africa behind them and will once again be a force in Euro 2012.

Italy should win this one against a Solvenia side who lack any real attacking threats.

France also look like they have turned a corner after a shambolic World Cup and they will be looking to continue their good form against Luxembourg on Friday (Luxembourg 25/1, draw 8/1, France 1/25).

Manchester United’s Patrice Evra and Bayern Munich’s Frank Ribery return to the side following their suspensions for their parts the training strikes in South Africa.

They will add some extra quality to a side that have improved under manager Laurent Blanc and Les Blues should comfortably pick up another three points here.

Defending European champions Spain will hoping to maintain their 100% record in Group I as they host the Czech Republic (Spain 2/9, draw 4/1, Czech Republic 10/1).

Spain cruised to a 4-0 victory in their last qualifier against Liechtenstein but the Czechs will be a more difficult proposition.

However, at home and with the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta pulling the strings in the midfield and David Villa up front, Spain should have enough to win this one.

World Cup finalists the Netherlands travel to Hungary to also maintain their perfect record in qualification (Hungary 11/2, draw 11/4, Holland 4/9).

Hungary are battling in second place in Group E and have been competitive in qualifying.

The Dutch will be without Arjen Robben and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar for the trip to Hungary but with the likes of Wesley Sniejder and Robin Van Persie in their ranks they should head home with three points.

Austria take on Belgium in Group A as both teams look to chase down Germany at the top of the table (Austria 7/5, draw 23/10, Belgium 19/10).

The last time these two sides met it finished 4-4 in Brussels and hopefully the return game will be just as exciting.

Austria have made some big improvements in qualification and should just have the edge over the Belgians.

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Friday night Football League action

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barry fryWith the Euro 2012 qualifiers taking centre-stage this weekend there are no Premier League or Championship games to look forward to, but fear not – there is a full League One and League Two programme with six fixtures from the two respective leagues taking place on Friday night.

Peterborough United could well be on course for an immediate return to the Championship and the Posh are just two points adrift of an automatic promotion spot with a game in hand (Peterborough 13/8 to be promoted).  Darren Ferguson’s men have won three of their last four games on their travels and on Friday they travel to relegation threatened Bristol Rovers.

The Pirates have a shocking home record and have managed just one win in their last six at the Memorial Stadium, losing five. Rovers are four points adrift of safety and need to start picking up results but they will struggle against a strong Posh outfit who are in fine form. Bristol Rovers may enjoy the home advantage but Peterborough are favourites at 10/11 and they should be able to take all three points and continue their assault on the top two.

Hartlepool United have been a strange team this season, beating those they would be expected to struggle against and suffering some surprising defeats – including a 5-2 reverse – after going 2-0 up – at Walsall last time out. The Pools welcome this season’s League One surprise package Rochdale to the Victoria Stadium on Friday in what could well be a very tight and interesting contest.

At 7/5, the Hartlepool victory looks good value, especially considering their home advantage, but Rochdale certainly have a chance and cannot be discounted. However, both teams have problems keeping clean sheets and the Pools’ 19 home games so far this season have yielded an astonishing 52 goals (26 for, and 26 against) and 7/10 on both teams to score looks great value in light of this statistic.

There are two League Two fixtures on Friday night as Lincoln City host Rotherham and Torquay travel to Northampton. I would have suggested Lincoln, at 17/10, appear good value to get the better of an out-of-sorts Rotherham. However, the Millers axed Ronnie Moore as manager earlier this week and it is always difficult to predict how a team will react in that situation.

Northampton are still involved in the relegation fight but the Cobblers should be able to retain their league status as they’re seven points clear of Barnet in 23rd place, who seem destined for the drop and are in woeful form.  In contrast, a victory for Torquay on Friday night would move them ahead of Wycombe in third and the lure of automatic promotion for the Gulls could well inspire them to victory at Sixfields on Friday (Torquay 4/1 to win promotion from League Two).

Torquay’s away record is not particularly impressive, with two wins, two draws and two losses from their last six games, but they should be too strong for Northampton.  The Cobblers have lost three and won once in their last four on home soil and could be set for more misery on Friday, with Torquay priced at 13/8 to take a maximum three-point haul.

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Pearce faces tough Danish test

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An England Under-21 side weakened by injuries will have it all to do when they come up against their Denmark counterparts in a tough-looking friendly in Viborg.

The Danes will be hosting the European Under-21 Championships in June, although they have been drawn in a different group to Stuart Pearce’s team, who are 6/5 to win Thursday’s match.

Denmark qualified for the tournament as hosts, but England struggled to join them, finishing as runners-up to Greece in Group Nine before sealing their place in the finals with a narrow 2-1 play-off success against Romania.

With another friendly against Iceland on Monday to prepare for, Pearce selected a big squad for the double-header although five early withdrawals have lessened his options.

Jack Rodwell, Gary Hooper, Mark Davies, Henri Lansbury and Alex Smithies have all dropped out as Pearce continues to ponder his options as he attempts to pick a 23-man squad for this summer’s extravaganza.

Celtic striker Hooper’s injury is particularly unfortunate as the prolific former Scunthorpe United star was set to win his first cap for his country, while Huddersfield goalkeeper Smithies has returned to his club with a slight injury.

Everton’s Rodwell is probably the highest-profile absentee, although Jack Wilshere – a regular in the Under-21 side until recently – is now an established fixture in the senior squad.

The withdrawals could hand chances to the likes of Ipswich Town teenager Connor Wickham and Chelsea starlet Josh McEachran, who were part of last year’s Under-17 Championship winning team.

England’s last game was February’s disappointing 1-0 defeat to Italy in Empoli while Denmark, 9/5 to win the match and 11/5 to draw, are coached by Keld Bordinggaard, although ex-Dundee and Celtic midfielder Morten Wieghorst will take on the role after this summer’s tournament.

The Danes were beaten 2-1 by ten-man Spain last month but are an attractive side that includes the likes of Villarreal’s Nicki Bille Nielsen and Jens Stryger Larsen of Brondby.

Reading goalkeeper Mikkel Andersen is also among their ranks while the goals are most likely to come from Lille’s Emil Lyng or Soren Frederiksen of Copenhagen.

Last month, Fabio Capello’s senior side were forced to come from behind before beating Denmark 2-1 in an international friendly, but the youthful Danish side could have the edge in this one – they 11/2 to win it 1-0 – as Pearce continues to juggle his resources.

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Spain set for Czech battle

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Attention this weekend turns to the international scene when qualification for Euro 2012 resumes in earnest with a host of teams in action on Friday, including world champions and 7/2 outright tournament favourites Spain who host Czech Republic as the top two in Group I go head to head.

Spain have won their opening three matches in the campaign to lead the group by three points, but were made to work in their last outing as Scotland fought back from 2-0 down, only for Fernando Llorente to score with 11 minutes left to secure the three points.

The Czechs suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Lithuania in their first match but have bounced back to see off both Scotland and Liechtenstein and can make life hard for the home side on Friday night.

It is difficult to see past 2/9 favourites Spain in the match betting, given their record of 17 successive qualifying victories and 22 unbeaten, while they have won their last nine competitive matches since that shock defeat to Switzerland in the World Cup.

However, Czech Republic do boast an impressive head-to-head record against Spain, leading 7-5 with one draw, and will try to make themselves hard to beat on Friday so Draw/Spain at 16/5 in the Half-time/Full-time market looks tempting.

Austria look a big price at 7/5 to see off Belgium in Vienna, given the fact they were leading 3-2 in Brussels before Paul Scharner was sent off in the reverse fixture last time out.

The hosts hit back through Marvin Ogunjimi and Nicolas Lombaerts to seemingly win the game, before the 10 men of Austria snatched a point in injury time through Martin Harnik.

Austria have only lost once in 13 games to Belgium and never in Vienna, with a record of four wins and a draw, while they have now won their last five competitive home fixtures and can keep on the coat-tails of Germany at the top of Group A with the win.

The top two in Group C also go head to head with Slovenia looking to join Italy on 10 points when they clash in Ljubljana on Friday, although the visitors are the Evens favourites in the match betting.

However, Slovenia are fancied to upset the odds at 13/5 having won one and drawn one of only two previous meetings on home territory, while it is also expected to be a low-scoring encounter – four of the five results between the two sides have ended 1-0, with the other being a 1-1 draw.

Holland at 4/9 and France at 1/25 look nailed on to see off Hungary and Luxembourg respectively, even though both are away from home, while Northern Ireland’s unbeaten start to the campaign looks to be coming to an end.

Nigel Worthington’s men (6/1 – match betting) followed up a credible draw against Italy with a not-so impressive draw against Faroe Islands and will have their work cut out against a Serbia side desperate for the win.

What may work in the visitors favour is the fact that the match is being played behind closed doors following the riots in Genoa, but having lost only one match previously and none at home, Serbia are expected to justify 4/9 favouritism.

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Who will claim the title?

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With the international break now meaning there are no more Premier League fixtures until early April, now seems like a good time to take a look at the title race with Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea still in with a shout of glory come May.

United remain favourites at 1/2 with totesport to wrestle the trophy off Chelsea (11/2) and claim a record-breaking 19th top-flight title but Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have stuttered in recent weeks and do not look anywhere near as dominant as some of the all-conquering sides the Scot has assembled at Old Trafford over the past 15 years or so.

Saturday’s late 1-0 win over Bolton underlined the fact that they cannot be compared to some of the free-scoring attacking sides that have graced the Premier League’s upper echelon’s recently while defeats at Liverpool and Chelsea prove they are vulnerable when the pressure’s on as well.

However, United remain five points clear of Arsenal – who have also once again proved the same-old weaknesses continue to hamper them in recent weeks – and probably just about possess the all-round strength needed to out-muscle their rivals in the run-in.

If United do go on to win the title again it is doubtful the side will go down in the club’s folklore as one of the greatest ever but, as Saturday proved, sometimes winning ugly and getting lucky is just as an important quality to have alongside simply being the best team in the country.

To many neutrals, that tag really belongs to Arsenal but can the Gunners shake off their predictable demons and finally realise the title dream? Well, maybe they can actually. And at 11/4 with totesport, the price is tempting as well.

For all their pretty football, Arsene Wenger’s men appear dogged by familiar problems that seem to be preventing them from getting over the line in first place but they are well-placed in second with a game in hand and have yet to host United at the Emirates so the title could still be theirs for the taking.

They do struggle to do what champions do at this stage of the season and grind out results when up against it. As critics say it is simply not in their DNA. Saturday’s comeback at West Brom proved they can dig in and rescue a game but Manuel Almunia gifting the Baggies their second goal shows a long-standing problem – they have not got a top-class goalkeeper – remains unresolved.

That could well be addressed if Pepe Reina is brought in from Liverpool in the summer but, of course, it will be too late to help them in the current campaign. However, the return of Jens Lehmann may just be the Wenger masterstroke that steadies the ship and helps them go on to claim the top prize in a couple of months.

Finally, Chelsea are now back in the groove after their poor mid-season form and boss Carlo Ancelotti has not given up on the title as they sit nine points behind United with a game in hand.

The Italian says his side need to win their remaining nine games to get back involved in the race but, if they can build on the hard-fought win over Man City on Sunday, then do not rule the Blues out just yet – especially if they can get Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka to gel and wreak havoc up front in what’s left of the season.

So, with a less-than-formidable United stuttering, an extremely-talented Arsenal outfit hoping to dazzle again and a well-oiled Chelsea close to clicking back into top gear, we may just be about to experience the most exciting title battle in the Premier League for several years.

Prediction:

1 Arsenal
2 Manchester United
3 Chelsea.

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