English Premier League Preview, Fixtures, Picks: Where ‘Winter Break’ Is A Euphemism

This weekend's not a great start. The closest thing the league has to a battle of contenders is Blackpool's visit to Manchester City. The Tangerines are only two points off a (potential) Europe spot, and given the other teams in the Top Five face clubs that sit 14th or worse, the first weekend of the new year could give us more consolidation than competition.

10. Sunderland versus Blackburn Rovers, Stadium of Light (Sunderland), Saturday, 10:00 a.m. Eastern, FoxSoccer.tv - Sunderland's last five matches: 1-0, 0-0, 1-0, 0-2, 0-2, shutout twice in their last three home fixtures. Combine that with a Blackburn side that's shed Sam Allardyce but not his football and you have a recipe for a mid-morning nap, particularly with Sunderland joining Bolton in a return-to-Earth phase.

9. Birmingham City versus Arsenal, St. Andrews' Stadium (Birmingham), Saturday, 12:30 p.m. Eastern, Fox Soccer Channel - Behold the power of Alex McLeish's downtrodden tactics. The Scot can take Arsenal and make them depressing. The worst team to watch in all four major European leagues, Brum won't look at Wigan's Wednesday success and say "we should pressure Arsenal's back line!" No. McLeish will be more philosophical and say "pressure is relative. If they come to us, distance is still eliminated." I'm sure Hume would be proud.

8. Wigan Athletic versus Newcastle United, DW Stadium (Wigan), Sunday, 11:00 a.m. Eastern, Fox Soccer Channel - Wigan is not only out of the drop, they're two teams above it thanks to a four match unbeaten streak. In their draw against Arsenal on Wednesday, you could see the formula that will trouble Newcastle. Hyperactivity from Hugo Rodallega and the other attackers could make the likes of Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor inept on the ball, and without a true creative presence in the middle to make the Latics play for their overzealous nature, Wigan could be mid-table by Monday.

7. Tottenham Hotspur versus Fulham, White Hart Lane (London), Saturday, 10:00 a.m. Eastern, FoxSoccer.tv - Spurs had an early season tendency to fall behind, and if they do so on Saturday, we'll be in for a dire match. Nothing like and hour of Danny Murphy dropping deep only to play a square ball to Simon Davies. I'll be sure to tell my grandkids. Thankfully, Spurs seem to be over their early season benevolence, and with Fulham having only one away win thus far this season, a confident Tottenham should be a winning Tottenham.

6. Stoke City versus Everton, Britannia Stadium (Stoke-on-Trent), Saturday, 10:00 a.m. Eastern, FoxSoccer.tv - This match is ranked in the bottom half, so you might assume it's going to be below-average entertainment. Oh, no. This should be an eminently watchable game. It's low ranking is owed to lack of significance more than lack of excitement. While Stoke and Everton are two of the more robust teams in the league, they aren't afraid to go at an opponent. The match will be physical, direct, but also ambitious, with some speculating a collision between the heads of Robert Huth and Marouane Fellaini could spark another Big Bang (sorry - I get paid by the large hadron collider reference).

5. Liverpool versus Bolton Wanderers, Anfield Park (Liverpool), Saturday, 10:00 a.m. Eastern, FoxSoccer.tv - If Wolves and Blackpool and Northampton can win at Anfield, surely Bolton can, right? And if they do, that's four losses in five for Liverpool, including two at home. While the Reds' style of play may make for a surprisingly drab Bolton match, the drama of Liverpool (read: Hodgson) on the brink will make this match bearable.

4. West Ham United versus Wolverhampton Wanderers, Upton Park (London), Saturday, 10:00 a.m. Eastern, FoxSoccer.tv - It's a six-pointer! Just like every other match, but since both these teams are in the drop zone, this becomes a Six Pointer. Folklore, ladies and gentlemen, but quizzical idioms aside, this should still be a great match. West Ham midfielder Scott Parker has already equated this with a must-win, but with Wolves having just taken three at Anfield ... nevermind. That doesn't mean anything. Regardless, this game will have the open, slug-it-out quality of a good Championship match, something that we don't see enough in the watch-your-backside world of Premier League football.

3. Chelsea versus Aston Villa, Stamford Bridge (London), Sunday, 8:30 a.m. Eastern, Fox Soccer Channel - Remember the theme song to One Day At A Time, or have you never used a rotary dial telephone? Take a listen below and join my pain:

This is it (this is it)! This is it (this is it)! This is it (this is it)! This is it (this is it)! This is it (this is it)!

That's what rings through my head every time I watch Chelsea limp through an opening 45 only to have some shining (if irregular) moments of clarity in the second half. On Wednesday, it was Michael Essien bulling through Bolton's permissive midfield, eventually forcing a through ball to Didier Drogba, leading to Florent Malouda's goal. One [half] at a time (one [half] at a time)!

1. West Bromwich Albion versus Manchester United, The Hawthorns (West Bromwich), Saturday, 7:45 a.m. Eastern, ESPN2/ESPN3.com -