NEWCASTLE V CHELSEA (12.45pm)

It is set to be an emotional afternoon on Tyneside as the Magpies play their first game since the sad and untimely death of former midfielder Gary Speed.

And, while the club’s planned tribute has been put back until the visit of Swansea on December 17 at the request of Speed’s widow Louise, there will still be a highly-charged atmosphere at St James’ Park with a 50,000-plus sell-out crowd guaranteed earlier in the week.

On paper it is possibly the last place Villas-Boas will want to take his embattled Chelsea side following a dismal run of form which has raised question marks over his future at Stamford Bridge only a few months after he replaced Carlo Ancelotti.

The Blues have lost five of their last nine games in all competitions, although they did thrash Wolves 3-0 at home in the league last weekend to remain 10 points behind leaders Manchester City.

Villas-Boas, who will have his skipper John Terry back from suspension for the game, will be encouraged by Chelsea’s good form against Newcastle as they have gone eight games unbeaten against them stretching back to May 2006.

However, Alan Pardew will feel it is the right time for his Newcastle side to take maximum points off the Londoners, despite again being without injured midfield talisman Cheick Tiote.

A point at Manchester United last Saturday means the Magpies have lost only once in 16 Premier League games and they are also formidable at home with just one defeat in front of their own fans so far in 2011.

A close game is in store and with the two sides sharing the spoils in both league fixtures last season, we expect that trend to continue on Saturday.

Prediction: Draw 90 Minutes @ 12/5
Value Bet: Ba 1st Goal 1-1 Scorecast @ 33/1

BLACKBURN V SWANSEA (3pm)

A game of massive importance for Steve Kean’s Blackburn at the wrong end of the Premier League sees Swansea arrive at Ewood Park on Saturday.

The Rovers boss has pin-pointed this game as his side’s ‘Cup Final’ following their Carling Cup exit at the hands of Swansea’s South Wales neighbours Cardiff on Tuesday as he bids to drag the team off the foot of the Premier League.

Kean opted to keep defensive trio Christopher Samba, Martin Olsson and Michel Salgado fresh for the game following their recovery from respective hamstring problems and he will no doubt hope they can make the difference.

Rovers, who are four points adrift of safety, have only won one game in 13 league outings to date; they have lost their last three games at Ewood Park and have gone 16 games without keeping a clean sheet.

However, Kean can take heart from the fact that Brendan Rodgers’ side arrives with the worst away record in the Premier League, with just two points from a possible 18, while they have failed to score in their last three winless games.

Striker Danny Graham and full-back Angel Rangel are notable absentees as the Swans aim for a first win at Ewood Park since September 1971.

Rovers have won 13 of the 16 previous home games against Swansea, who have remained unbeaten against teams in the bottom-half of the Premier League this term.

There are pros and cons for both sides which makes it difficult to pick anything between them.

However, we’ll give Kean the benefit of the doubt to rally his troops to pull out a result in what he has virtually admitted is a must-win encounter – but don’t expect it to be pretty!

Prediction: Home Win 90 Minutes @ 6/5
Value Bet: Yakubu 1st Goal 1-0 Blackburn Scorecast @ 25/1

ASTON VILLA V MAN UNITED (5.20pm)

The late Premier League game is historically an away-day banker for Sir Alex Ferguson’s United at Villa Park, where they have not lost since the opening day of the 1995-96 season.

However, the Red Devils go into this latest game on the back of some suspect results at Old Trafford with draws against Benfica and Newcastle followed up by Wednesday’s shock 2-1 Carling Cup exit at the hands of Crystal Palace.

United fans will argue that the team which was defeated by the Eagles contained 10 changes, but the first-choice players have hardly been firing on all cylinders despite them suffering only one defeat in 16 league games.

They have scored just one goal in each of their last six league games, while Wayne Rooney (7/2 First /Last Goalscorer) has not found the target in the last seven.

Villa boss Alex McLeish will look to put one over on his former Aberdeen manager and improve a league record of just one win in 29 matches against United.

However, his side are not in the greatest form going into the match with just five points taken from their last six outings.

Skipper Stiliyan Petrov is set to return to the midfield engine room, whilst McLeish will hope Darren Bent (7/4 Anytime Goalscorer) can add to the five goals he has scored at Villa Park so far this season.

The last three games at Villa have ended in draws, but we fancy United to nick the three points given that the match kicks off later and they will have the incentive of trying to stay within five points of neighbours Manchester City who are well fancied at 2/11 with Totesport to defeat Norwich in the 3pm kick-off.

Prediction: Away Win 90 Minutes @ 8/11
Value Bet: Man United To Win 2-1 Correct Score @ 6/1

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