Match to catch
Two teams at opposite ends of the form scale meet at White Hart Lane on Sunday, when Andre Villas-Boas’ misfiring Tottenham host resurgent Manchester United. Rumours have circulated this week that Spurs boss Villas-Boas needs a result against the champions to save his job following last weekend’s humiliation at Manchester City and, while that may be a little premature, the Portuguese will be feeling the pressure until his cast list of expensive attackers find their feet. United have gone quietly about their business in recent weeks and, despite conceding a last-minute equaliser at Cardiff last week, find themselves at the top of the form table and safely into the Champions League knockout stages. Prediction: Spurs 1 United 2.
Keep an eye on
Southampton took an impressive four points off Chelsea in the league last season and there’s no doubt the Saints have improved drastically since then, so Blues fans will be wary of taking anything for granted at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Jose Mourinho’s side have only produced the goods in fit and starts so far this campaign and this will be a big test against a well-organised side who will be dangerous on the counter-attack. Prediction: Chelsea 2 Southampton 1.
For the purists
These are nervous times for fans of Norwich City, who have seen their team finish 12th and 11th in their first two seasons back in the Premier League but are now concerned at seeing the team heading in the wrong direction. The injury-hit Canaries have just four points from their last seven matches and are only one point above the relegation zone. On Saturday they host a Crystal Palace side buoyed by a rare victory last weekend and now under the management of Tony Pulis for the first time, but defeat would surely be unthinkable for Chris Hughton and Norwich. Prediction: Norwich 0 Palace 0.
Showing form
Manchester City, and Sergio Aguero in particular, have been finding the net for fun recently. In their last five games – which includes the shock 1-0 defeat at Sunderland – City have bagged an incredible 22 goals, while their classy Argentinian hitman has conjured 15 strikes in his last 12 appearances. Those numbers will make difficult reading for Swansea as they hope to avoid becoming the latest lambs to the slaughter at the Etihad on Sunday. On this form, it’s hard to see Swansea stopping City’s impressive march, especially if star man Michu fails to recover from injury in time. Prediction: Man City 3 Swansea 0.
Need a win
Four successive, demoralising defeats have left Martin Jol’s Fulham in the league’s bottom three and struggling to find a reason to be optimistic about their chances for the rest of the season. On Saturday they go to fellow strugglers West Ham – themselves without a win in five games – for what could be a crucial clash. Defeat would leave Jol in grave danger of losing his job. Prediction: West Ham 1 Fulham 0.
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