Barclays Premier League - Gameweek # 10 - Preview

Gameweek number 10 is upon us this week. Now, the time for first impressions is over. Managers generally ask for themselves to be judged after ten games. This gameweek features the marquee clash when Arsenal entertain Liverpool and there is the mouthwatering Welsh derby between Cardiff and Swansea for the first time in the Premier League. Here is a preview of all the fixtures.

NEWCASTLE UNITED VS CHELSEA

The odds of Alan Pardew being the next Premier League manager to go are shortening. Pardew, though sitting on a fat eight year contract, is said to have problems with owner Mike Ashley’s friend and Newcastle’s ‘director of football’ Joe Kinnear . The fans dont like Pardew but they would still prefer him over Kinnear (who the fans dread will be the automatic choice if Pardew goes).

As for Chelsea, they will be looking to build their momentum. Boy oh boy, they do look to be building an ominous head of steam. Even the £50 Million man Fernando Torres is finally looking like the player that Chelsea thought they were getting from Liverpool two years ago. Newcastle’s derby rebound against Chelsea’s momentum will be fascinating to watch

Man To Look Out For - Fernando Torres. ‘El Nino’ has scored three goals in the last two games and he made the first goal against Man City. Another performance here will surely heighten Chelsea’s belief that he is back.

FULHAM VS MANCHESTER UNITED

Martin Jol’s position is again precarious after Leicester taught them a thing or two in the Capital One Cup . The odds are shortening on Jol going too. And his team, apart from that one win against Crystal Palace , look like they are sleepwalking.

Moyes’ Manchester United on the other hand are slowly coming back. After an awful start to the season, Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez inspired United to a comeback win last week and youngster Adnan Januzaj was brilliant in midweek. But defence still remains a worry. Does he go with the youngsters Jones and Evans or the stalwarts Ferdinand and Vidic? Perhaps a mixture of the two

Man To Look Out For - Javier Hernandez. "Chicharito" scored three goals in his last two games while Robin Van Persie has been misfiring (compared to his high standards) . And Rooney seems to enjoy playing with the Mexican more. Tough choices lie ahead for Moyes.

HULL CITY VS SUNDERLAND

Is Hull’s fairytale start fading away? After a dream start to their campaign, Hull City’s season is slowly hitting some road bumps, particularly at White Hart Lane it would seem. The Tigers lost narrowly to a Roberto Soldado penalty last week and were desperately unlucky to lose again at White Hart Lane on penalties in the Capital One Cup . However, their return to the top flight has been encouraging so far and a home game against Sunderland is exactly the kind of fixture that is a must win if they are to stay in the Premier League.

Gus Poyet’s Sunderland meanwhile are finally off rock bottom having gained their first win of the season in last week’s Wear-Tyne derby. Poyet’s men are four points off safety and a win here would get teams in and around the relegation zone really worried.

Man To Look Out For - Steven Fletcher - The Scotsman was on the mark against Newcastle last week and his form will be crucial for Sunderland’s survival

MANCHESTER CITY VS NORWICH CITY

Life was so smooth for Joe Hart around a year back . Manchester City had won their first title and were parading around stadium as Champions and their goalkeeper symbolised everything that was so good about them in their triumph. But now Hart has become so error prone that he has been left out of the first team and Pellegrini looks to make life different after a mixed start at Manchester City. But Sergio Aguero’s form is something the manager will be chuffed about.

Chris Hughton’s Norwich City desperately need a break. They have played Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and now Manchester City in recent weeks and their form is woeful. They are dropping like a stone at the moment. Even a point here would be invaluable.

Man To Look Out For - Costel Pantilimon - The Romanian is the new first choice for Manchester City and a solid outing will do him a world of good.

STOKE CITY VS SOUTHAMPTON

Mark Hughes and Stoke City look to go on a home run that has characterised Stoke’s recent spell in the top flight. The Potters have found solidity of the Pulis era hard to come by this season. However, their cynicism still remains. The goals are still struggling to come by . But last week’s performance at Old Trafford is a huge reason for optimism.

Southampton meanwhile are in dreamland. The Saints are fifth in the table. Talk is in the South coast air about a potential European spot but before they get carried away, they need to see off Stoke. Their win over Fulham was excellent and they need to settle on a system - they have been varying Osvaldo , Lambert or a combination of the two upfront.

Man To Look Out For - Adam Lallana. The Southampton Captain and England international has been brilliant this season and might just be the difference between one point and three against Stoke.

WEST BROMWICH ALBION VS CRYSTAL PALACE

West Brom really took a beating at Anfield last week. However the Baggies have proved more than capable of recovery . They endured a bad start to the season but recovered to get an unlikely win at Old Trafford and a point at home against Arsenal. Teams heading to the Hawthorns, though, will be glad that they are facing Victor Aninchebe and not Romelu Lukaku. The former really needs to get his act together.

It is all going wrong for Palace. Holloway out of the way, loads of new signings, rock bottom of the table. How they could do with Wilfried Zaha now. The England winger is yet to feature for Manchester United and Palace’s lack of creativity puts into consideration if they could have pushed a loan deal for him. Palace need results and they need it now.

Man To Look Out For - Nicolas Anelka - The Frenchman has been an under-rated Premier League legend. Now at West Brom, his CV reads Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Madrid , Chelsea among other clubs. He knows where the net is.

WEST HAM UNITED VS ASTON VILLA

In a clash of the two teams who wear Claret and Blue, the Villains from the midlands travel to East London to face a West Ham side that is seeking home dominance. Sam Allardyce always makes fortress out of his home stadiums but the Boelyn Ground hasn’t quite lived up to his expectation. His striker crisis is well documented but he needs few points on Saturday to keep them adrift of the drop zone, especially if teams below them get results.

Villa meanwhile will be wearing a shocking third kit tomorrow. But Aston Villa have seemed much more comfortable playing away from home this season. They need a win after their no show against Everton last week. Their team shows so much promise but ultimately seems to deceive.

Man To Look Out For - Christian Benteke. The Belgian lost a direct battle against his compatriot and rival for the national team striker spot, Romelu Lukaku. He missed a penalty and saw Lukaku score one and shine. He needs to pull his act together.

ARSENAL VS LIVERPOOL

The marquee clash number one of the weekend features table topping Arsenal against third placed Liverpool. The Gunners were tentative in the Capital One Cup in midweek. However they were quite impressive in their resistance last week, albeit against Crystal Palace. Arsene Wenger’s next two games read away at Dortmund and Manchester United. A loss here would be terrible.

Liverpool’s strike partnership Suarez and Sturridge seem to be working telepathically. The potential return of Coutinho adds a scary dimension to a great Liverpool side. But their defence is still a bit creaky and Mignolet and his defenders don’t inspire confidence while playing the ball out of the back. They need to focus and not fluff their lines come tomorrow.

Man To Look Out For - Daniel Sturridge. The England international is the top scorer in this season’s Premier League and will focus on putting a few past Arsenal’s sometimes shaky defence.

EVERTON VS TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

What an acid test this is for Roberto Martinez’s high flying Everton. The Toffees have shown no signs of missing David Moyes and have been very impressive this season. Romelu Lukaku has proved an inspired signing while Ross Barkley has been no less than sensational. The return to form of Steven Pienaar and Leon Osman provides a multipronged threat from the Merseysiders.

Tottenham and Andre Villas Boas have quietly gone about getting their results. They have stayed within three points of leaders Arsenal and are making a habit out of getting gritty 1-0 wins. Gareth Bale’s swashbuckling swagger has been missed but Andros Townsend’s emergence is a real boost especially with Erik Lamela taking his time to adapt to the Premier League.

Man To Look Out For - Christian Eriksen. Where is the lad these days? After such a promising start to his Tottenham career , The Dane is now gone a bit quiet. A win at a tough place like Goodison needs moments of genius. Step forward Eriksen?

CARDIFF CITY VS SWANSEA CITY

This is what the entire Welsh country has been waiting for. In the second marquee clash of the weekend, Cardiff City and Swansea City face off in the battle of supremacy for Wales. Cardiff have found out that every week in the Premier League isn’t going to yield wins over the likes of Manchester City and are now hovering close to the drop zone. A repeat of early season heroics would be very welcome on Sunday when they face their bitter rivals.

Swansea have had a decent enough season. While their European exploits have stolen the headlines, they have to now concentrate domestically. They are just three points above the relegation zone and you can never say never in football. Swansea will be looking to prove that they are the bigger brother in Wales . Their league cup triumph overshadowed Cardiff’s promotion last season . Can they win the first derby of the season?

Man To Look Out For - Jordon Mutch. The midfielder is renowned for his long range efforts and already scored at Stamford Bridge this season. High time for a derby hero in Wales.