Premier League: Five things to look out for

JOE looks ahead to this weekend in the Premier League and considers what matches to watch and avoid, who might surprise and who probably won't.

By Conor Hogan

Surprise Package: Aston Villa

As impressive as Chelsea have been so far this season, their loss to Manchester City showed that they are far from invincible.

While the Blues hammered Aston Villa 7-1 at Stamford Bridge in 2009/2010, in the corresponding fixture at Villa Park, the Birmingham side were the victors 2-1, thanks to goals from centre-halves James Collins and Richard Dunne.

The Birmingham side tend to raise their game against the big sides, especially at Villa Park. They managed three wins and two draws against the so-called Big Four last season.

Whipping Boys: Wigan

Newcastle were unlucky (some will argue robbed) not to come away with a result in their 2-1 loss to Manchester City. Chris Hughton’s inconsistent Magpies are due a result, and showed they are capable of scoring goals in their 6-0 victory against Aston Villa in August.

Their opponents this weekend will be the even more inconsistent Wigan Athletic. They defeated Wolves in their last match, but interestingly haven’t picked up two league victories in a row under Roberto Martinez. When Wigan lose it is often by a massive score line. If Andy Carroll is provided with decent service, that could be the case again this weekend.

Game not to miss: Everton v Liverpool

Most people thought that, by the time the first Merseyside derby came along, Liverpool and Everton would be hovering near the Champions League places rather than the relegation zone.

Everton are on the way up, however, after winning 2-0 away to Birmingham at fortress St. Andrews. Liverpool, meanwhile, have reached their nadir after being shocked at home to minnows Blackpool.

In a week where the Liverpool takeover saga finally veers towards conclusion, the players will be under pressure to perform. A draw in theses sorts of games always seems like the likely result, though such a scoreline will probably keep Liverpool in the relegation zone at the end of the weekend.

If, as is expected, the takeover is completed this weekend, the ire of the Liverpool fans will quickly turn away from messrs Hicks and Gillett and towards Roy Hodgson if he can't inspire a quite rapid rise up the table.

Game to miss: Wolves v West Ham

The bottom two clash in a match few would describe as one for the neutral, as the two teams have put the ball in the net a mere total of 12 times in 14 games. Of the two teams, West Ham are in slightly better form and will be hopeful of picking up the win. With the way results have been going for Wolves in recent weeks, relegation seems inevitable.

Another quite missable game is Blackburn’s match against a Sunderland side reliant on Darren Bent, which is likely to end in a low scoring draw.

What about the rest:

Two continually improving sides, Bolton and Stoke City, meet at the Reebok Stadium. The two sides are being looked at as potential Europa League darkhorses, especially Stoke who gained more Premier League points in September than any other team.

Tottenham make the short trip to Craven Cottage to take on draw specialists Fulham – and once again this match looks destined to be all square. Blackpool will hope to pull off another massive shock, this time at home to second place Manchester City.

Manchester United will hope to learn from the lessons of Arsenal, and avoid a home loss against West Brom. Despite being in third place in the league, the Red Devils have in varying matches looked vulnerable in defence and toothless in attack. Arsenal will hope to get their season back on track against Birmingham after two consecutive losses.

Fixtures:

Saturday, 16 October 2010

Arsenal v Birmingham, 15:00

Bolton v Stoke, 15:00

Fulham v Tottenham, 15:00

Man Utd v West Brom, 15:00

Newcastle v Wigan, 15:00

Wolverhampton v West Ham, 15:00

Aston Villa v Chelsea, 17:30

Sunday, 17 October 2010

Everton v Liverpool, 13:30

Blackpool v Man City, 16:00

Monday, 18 October 2010

Blackburn v Sunderland, 20:00