Not that it matters, but apparently Stephen Ireland has the flu as is doubtful for today's match at VIlla Park against Manchester United. He was unlikely to start over Barry Bannan or Ciaran Clark, but the midfielder's absence adds to a huge slate of misses for Villa, who will be without the likes of John Carew, Emile Heskey, Carlos Cueller, Habib Beye and, most importantly, call of Stiliyan Petrov, Nigel Reo-Coker, Steve Sidwell and Habib Beye. One, two - possibly all - of those players would have been helpful against United's midfield.
English Premier League Saturday: Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham And Liverpool Highlight Day’s Set
That's the day's first match. The second kick-off (10:00 a.m. Eastern) sees the league's fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh place teams in action. Manchester City and Birmingham City will test people's patience at Eastlands. Newcastle and Fulham may as well have a mirror between them at St. James' Park - both 4-4-2, direct teams in black and white kits. Bolton gets a litmus test match at the Molineux against a staunch if beatable Wolves, while Tottenhan and Blackburn engage in a less competitive version of Newcastle-Fulham.
The day’s real gems lie farther down the table. Wigan’s match at the DW against West Brom will feature two teams committed to progressive football, each playing slight variations of the same system. Brom is playing a version to the en vogue 4-2-3-1/4-2-1-3 while Wigan is playing the hypothesized counter-measure, a 4-1-2-3. Both teams will play football, too!
Blackpool's visit to Upton Park should be as exciting. Ian Holloway's team is committed to attacking football. Against a Hammers side that sometimes drifts into a pseudo-4-2-4, this could become a game of chicken. I suspect West Ham to blink first, if not at the onset.
And in the day's final match, Liverpool gets a chance to get back on-track - to rebound from their mid-week draw at the DW - when they go to Stoke. Liverpool is expected to have Sioritis Kyrgiakos back from injury while Stoke will see Ryan Shawcross return from suspension.
The action starts at 7:45 a.m. Eastern on ESPN2, where Ian Darke with have your favorite Americanisms ready for your listening pleasure.
| Day | Time (EST) | Home | Away | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | 7:45 a.m. | Aston Villa | Mancheser United | 2-0, United |
| 10:00 a.m. | Manchester City | Birmingham City | 1-0, Manchester City | |
| Newcastle United | Fulham | 1-1 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | Blackburn | 3-1, Spurs | ||
| West Ham United | Blackpool | 2-2 | ||
| Wigan Athletic | West Bromwich Albion | 2-2 | ||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | Bolton Wanderers | 2-1, Bolton | ||
| 12:30 p.m. | Stoke City | Liverpool | 2-0, Liverpool |
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