Bundesliga Weekend Preview: Round 21

Borussia Dortmund – Schalke

The return leg of the Ruhr derby will be held in Dortmund this Friday. BVB won their away fixture 3-1 thanks to a brace from Shinji Kagawa. Due to a metatarsal fracture, the Japanese playmaker will not have a chance to replicate his virtuoso performance; instead, the torch will be passed on to Mario Goetze. Dortmund will be keen to extend their eleven-point Bundesliga lead. Ahead of Friday’s showdown, Juergen Klopp has ruled out suspended defender Neven Subotic, as well as injured quartet Shinji Kagawa, Sebastian Kehl, Florian Kringe and Patrick Owomoyela.

After being humiliated in front of their home fans last fall, Schalke will hope to respond in equal fashion. Die Knappen strengthened late in the transfer window as Anthony Annan, Ali Karimi and Angelos Charisteas joined their ranks. Of the newcomers, only Annan is expected to earn playing time while the rest work towards fitness in training. Additionally, Tim Hoogland, Christoph Moritz, Angelos Charisteas and Levan Kenia will be unavailable to play due to injuries.

Hannover – Wolfsburg

Hannover lost for the second consecutive time last Friday, a dismal 2-0 result against Leverkusen. Having slipped to fifth place, the Saxons will aim for improvement in a tricky fixture against their new-look hosts. Jan Schlaudraff, Carlitos and Leon Andreasen have been ruled out of contention to play due to injuries.

After suffering a disappointing loss to Dortmund last week, Wolfsburg made a slew of late transfers on Monday. Die Woelfe are expected to come out a very different team on Saturday, and it will be interesting to see whether Steve McClaren can find a winning formula in such little time. All the new signings are expected to be available for selection, except for Koo Ja-Cheol, who will arrive in Wolfsburg on February 10. Assuming Simon Kjaer is pronounced fit, Tolga Cigerci will be the only injured representative of McClaren’s squad.

Nuernberg – Bayer Leverkusen

Their 2-0 win against Hamburg was a triumphant result for Nuernberg, who last week advanced further away from the relegation zone. At least in attack, the Bavarians have managed well in the absence of playmaker Ilkay Guendogan. They face an even tougher task against Leverkusen, and in addition to Guendogan, Mike Frantz and Albert Bunjaku will be unavailable due to injuries. As well, Andreas Wolf is suspended for accumulated cautions.

Leverkusen comfortably dispatched Hannover in their most recent match, and in doing so moved even closer to securing a Champions League spot. Die Werkself are playing with real confidence these days, and it shows. Jupp Heynckes will have a few tactical headaches as he makes his plans for Saturday’s match, but he will definitely be unable to call upon Tranquillo Barnetta and Benedikt Fernandez, who are unfit.

Mainz – Werder Bremen

Mainz rebounded from successive defeats with a win against Kaiserslautern last week. The Oh Fives are fourth in the Bundesliga table, but remain in striking distance of second place as they head into round 20. Last week’s win did come at a price, though: Adam Szalai suffered a severe knee injury and is set for a lengthy lay-off. Bo Svensson is also unfit, and will join the Hungarian in the stands.

After taking the lead against Bayern, Bremen collapsed by allowing three unanswered goals en route to their fourth loss in five games. Since then, the Hanseaten have brought in Samuel as cover in defence, although it will require a whole team response to turn around their fortunes. Ahead of this Saturday’s match, Thomas Schaaf has ruled out injured quintet Wesley, Naldo, Sebastian Boenisch, Daniel Jensen, Christian Vander and suspended goalkeeper Tim Wiese.

Koeln – Bayern Munich

The spring campaign has already had an emphatic high and dismal low for Koeln, who suffered a 3-0 defeat to St Pauli in their last match. Die Geissboecke are three points clear of the safety of 15th place, and will hope for a positive result against a Bayern side that has often struggled on the road. Kostas Giannoulis, Kevin McKenna and Sebastian Freis will miss out on the match due to injuries.

Last Saturday, a heroic second half comeback in Bremen saw Bayern win just their third away match of the year. Now third in the table, the Bavarians will seek another road win as they head to Koeln. They continue to be without long-term casualty Ivica Olic, as well as fellow injured players Diego Contento and Toni Kroos. Arjen Robben is questionable due to illness, but Franck Ribery could make his return as a substitute.

Hoffenheim – Kaisersautern

Last week, Hoffenheim went ahead early and held their lead for 86 minutes as they downed Schalke. The Sinsheim club sits eighth in the Bundesliga table now, and remain in the running for a Europa Leaue berth. As they prepare to face Kaiserslautern, the villagers will have to do without Manue Gulde and Chinedu Obasi, who are unfit.

Kaiserslautern lost their second consecutive match last week, a 1-0 result against Mainz. Die roten Teufel are just three points clear of the drop zone now, and are in danger of a quick relegation back to the 2. Bundesliga. They face tough, but manageable competition in the form of Hoffenheim but will have to do without injured trio Martin Amedick, Jan Simunek and Illiyan Micanski if they are to earn a positive result.

Borussia Moenchengladbach – Stuttgart

Gladbach earned their second win in three matches last week, but remain at the very bottom of the Bundesliga table. Die Fohlen now have a relegation “six pointer” as they face Stuttgart, who are only 17th on superior goal difference. Michael Frontzeck will hope to lead his team to its first home win, but will have to do so minus the services of unfit duo Roel Brouwers and Jean-Sebastian Jaures.

Fresh on the heels of a loss to Freiburg, Stuttgart signed Shinji Okazaki and Tamas Hajnal to bolster their faltering attack. The revamped Swabians face a critical match this weekend and will have a boost in the form of Hajnal, although Okazaki has been ruled as not yet prepared to play. In addition to the Japanese star, Johan Audel and Mamadou Bah will miss the match due to injuries.

Hamburg – St Pauli

Hamburg lost quite a bit of momentum last week as the Rothosen sunk to a 2-0 defeat in Nuernberg. Now back in the north, HSV have a difficult derby tie against cross-city rivals St Pauli. There were no changes to Armin Veh’s squad late in the transfer window, and the coach is expected to use a squad similar to that which featured last week. Heung-Min Son returns from the Asian Cup, but Romeo Castelen and Dennis Diekmeier remain sidelined with injuries. As well, Gojko Kacar is suspended following his recent red carding.

Relegation battlers St Pauli earned their biggest win of the season last week, a 3-0 result against Koeln. The Buccaneers are just three points clear from the drop zone, and will be especially motivated as they take on their city rivals. Coach Holger Sanislawski will have to do without Fabio Morena, Jan-Philipp Kalla, Marius Ebbers and Florian Lechner on Sunday.

Freiburg – Eintracht Frankfurt

Last week’s narrow win against Stuttgart lifted Freiburg to their tenth victory of the year, a result that deservedly lifted their standing to sixth place. Led by Bundesliga top scorer Papiss Cisse and in-form midfielder Johannes Flum, the Breisgau could advance into the top five with a win on Sunday. If they are to do so, they will have to manage minus the services of Jonathan Jaeger, Simon Pouplin, Pavel Krmas, Tommy Bechmann, Julian Schuster and Danny Williams, who are not fit.

Frankfurt lost their third consecutive match last week, and have now gone 273 minutes without scoring. Die Adler will hope to reverse their woes with a convincing performance against Freiburg. Ahead of the match, coach Michael Skibbe has ruled out injured quartet Ricardo Clark, Chris, Aleksandar Vasoski and Zlatan Bajramovic.

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Ligue 1 Preview Round 23

Stade Brestois – Nancy

Brest have failed to win in Ligue 1 since November, but they will be hopeful of picking up three points against a Nancy unit rather short of form at present.

Nolan Roux is hopeful of making his return to action for Alex Dupont’s home side, who will instead post Romain Poyet as their major injury absentee. Having lost their undefeated recorded at the Stade Francis Le Ble against 10-man Caen on their last outing at the venue, they’ll be aiming to quickly restore the home fans’ faith.

On the opposite side of the park, Nancy will quest for three points after a very disappointing series of results, which have seen them lose all three of their Ligue 1 matches in 2011. Pablo Correa’s side hit a nadir on Wednesday evening, when they were eliminated from the Coupe de France by second flight side Le Mans.

Caen – Lorient

After defeating Auxerre 2-0 last weekend, Caen will want to maintain their momentum when they host a Lorient unit who are certainly not renowned for their ability to travel successfully.

Goals from Benjamin Nivet and Kandia Traore guided les Malherbes to a vital victory at the Stade Abbe-Deschamps, and now that Franck Dumas’ side are outside of the relegation zone, they won’t want to slip back in. No new injury problems have been registered.

In midweek, les Merlus progressed into the last eight of the Coupe de France with a resounding 3-0 victory over Metz, but they’ve avoided defeat on only three road trips this season so shouldn’t go to Normandy overly confident. Alaixys Romao hopes to return to action after missing out on Tuesday.

Racing Club de Lens – Valenciennes

Under the charge of Laszlo Boloni, Lens have stirred and are now showing signs of avoiding a quick return to Ligue 2. On Saturday night, they host Valenciennes in an important foot-of-the-table relegation derby.

Last weekend, les Sang et Or gave a strong account of themselves when they went down narrowly against Ligue 1 leaders Lille. On that occasion they were largely focussed on defending, but they’ll doubtless be a little more aggressive come Saturday. Virtually a complete squad is available, though there are doubts over Eduardo, Eric Chelle and Adil Hermach.

VA continue to be hit with a significant number of selection problems, but they’ll have been hugely boosted by last Saturday’s 2-1 home victory over Lyon. Those three points have pushed the Nord club three points away from the drop zone, and a win against their near neighbours would be another huge boost for Philippe Montanier’s men.

Olympique de Marseille – Arles-Avignon

Last weekend, Marseille dropped a disconcerting eight points off the pace of Ligue 1 leaders Lille, and anything short of three points at home against an Arles side virtually consigned to relegation would be considered a massive blow for les Phoceens.

Didier Deschamps’ club have won only once in the league since the end of November and have really struggled to show the kind of form expected of title winners. Mathieu Valbuena and Cesar Azpilicueta remain absent, but Brandao should be ready to feature on Saturday night following a suspension and then an injury scare on Thursday.

With only eight points on the board after 21 games, the challenge of staying in France’s top flight will prove too much for ACAA, who are now 15 marks shy of safety. Faruk Hadzibegic’s side have failed to significantly strengthen over the winter transfer period and appear consigned to their fate. They have, nevertheless, never rolled over and will provide obstinate opponents unless an early goal is scored against them.

Montpellier – Saint-Etienne

Fresh from a morale boosting 2-1 victory over Nancy last weekend, Montpellier host a Saint-Etienne outfit who are also on the outside perimeter of the European zone.

Rene Girard’s side managed to welcome back Romain Pitau for their encounter in Lorraine last weekend, but they are still significantly weakened by physical problems, most notably to Turkish attacker Hasan Kabze. When Sainte come calling, John Utaka could be handed his debut for the hosts, having recently signed from Portsmouth.

Les Verts could boast Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Alejandro Alonso in their starting XI, both recently captured from Monaco. Additionally, Dimitri Payet will be involved in Christophe Galtier’s panel, despite briefly going AWOL after his proposed transfer to PSG broke down. Albin Ebondo is Sainte’s main injury worry as they attempt to leapfrog Saturday’s opponents.

Nice – Sochaux

Coupe de France quarter-finalists Nice will attempt to keep the relegation wolf from the door when they host a dangerous Sochaux side at the Stade du Ray on Saturday.

Eric Roy’s men edged out Drancy thanks to a goal from Anthony Mounier, but they’ll need to be on the ball to a greater extent to get the better of les Lionceaux. Injury problems continue to threaten the squad, with Eric Mouloungui and Didier Digard amongst those players troubled by physical complaints.

Sochaux are a team no stranger to injuries themselves. Francis Gillot has a clutch of players who will miss out at the weekend, though he hopes that Ryad Boudebouz is fit enough to play. The midfielder was absent for the embarrassing Coupe de France defeat against CFA2 side Chambery. As that 2-1 reverse suggested, the Doubs side don’t travel well, so even modest Nice are tough opponents.

Auxerre – Lille

Slowly being sucked towards the relegation zone, Auxerre need to pick up points desperately, but a home fixture against league leaders Lille would not appear to be the easiest solution to their problems.

Jean Fernandez’s side have been beset by injury problems of late, and they’ll be hopeful that Benoit Pedretti and Roy Contout can return from issues to ease their worries somewhat. There was certainly a lack of quality on offer as they went down 2-0 against Auxerre last weekend. Simon Pontdeme was signed after the transfer deadline as a ‘joker’ following a serious injury to Remi Riou.

While the home side are riddled with problems, the guests are expected to have a complete panel to select from. Though they went the distance in the Coupe de France against Nantes on Wednesday, it was a heavily rotated squad fielded by coach Rudi Garcia. LOSC will be aiming to at least maintain their four point lead in Le Championnat, having been made favourites for the first time this week.

Toulouse – Monaco

Toulouse continue to enjoy a lofty position in Ligue 1, though the congested nature of the league means that any run of negative results would see them quickly sucked down the standings. Equally, relegation threatened Monaco could quickly spring into the middle of the table.

Le Tefece were relatively inactive over the winter transfer period and are clearly content with their roster as it stands. There is a lack of firepower in Alain Casanova’s panel, and this was aptly displayed as the Pink City club went down 2-1 in Saint-Etienne last weekend, despite putting up a good performance.

Monaco have suffered from a similar problem this season, but after adding several players to their panel over the last weeks will hope to have remedied their issues. Though Moussa Maazou has already been ruled out for the rest of the season following a training ground injury on Monday, Georgie Welcome and Pascal Feindouno could both debut. Additionally, Mahamadou Diarra will again look to stand tall in the centre of the field.

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Eredivisie Preview Round 22

Friday
Ajax - De Graafschap
Saturday
Heerenveen - NEC
PSV - ADO Den Haag
Excelsior - AZ
VVV - NAC
Sunday
Vitesse - Feyenoord
Groningen - Willem II
Utrecht - Twente
Heracles - Roda

On Friday, Amsterdam giants Ajax take on relegation candidates De Graafschap. The Godenzonen recorded a 3-0 routine win over NAC last week and sit third in the table at the moment with 41 points from 21 games. After the departure of Luis Suarez to Liverpool, head coach Frank de Boer will be looking toward Mounir el Hamdaoui and Miralem Sulejmani to provide Ajax with goals. De Graafschap have every reason to be pleased with their season so far as they sit 12th in the table with 25 points. The Superboeren recorded a scoreless draw against Utrecht this week and will be hopeful of picking up another good result in the Amsterdam ArenA.

Heerenveen host Nijmegen outfit NEC on Saturday evening in what could be a difficult game for the Friezen. They were hammered 4-1 at home by Groningen last week and are the Eredivisie's number nine after 21 games. The away side haven't been too impressive either this term and are the league's number 11, trailing their opponents by four points. NEC do have the leading topscorer of the Eredivisie in their team though and Bjorn Vleminckx will be eager to add to his tally at Abe Lenstra stadium after scoring once in NEC's 1-1 draw against Heracles last week. Elsewhere, table toppers PSV host ADO Den Haag. The Eindhoven side lost Ibrahim Afellay to Barcelona in the winter transfer window and it remains to be seen whether they can cope without their skipper. The Eindhoven side beat Willem II 2-1 last weekend courtesy of a late Genero Zeefuik strike. ADO have been one of the surprises of the 2010-11 campaign with their attacking style of play and their good results. They proved to be way too strong for Excelsior last week and cruised to a 5-1 away win. The Residentieclub currently sit seventh in the league table.


Rotterdam outfit Excelsior will be looking to return to winning ways in the home match against 2008-09 champions AZ, but it won't be an easy game for the Kralingers. They were thrashed 5-1 by ADO Den Haag last week and sit only 16th in the league table after 21 games. AZ on the other hand will be brimming with confidence following their impressive 6-1 victory over VVV last Saturday. The Alkmaarders are the Eredivisie's number five at the moment. In Venlo, relegation candidates VVV await a difficult match against NAC. The hosts have been in abysmal form in the past couple of weeks and were beaten 6-1 by AZ last week. The Limburgers sit 17th in the table after 21 games and could really use a good result at the weekend to stay away from 18th spot. NAC haven't been too impressive this term and sit in mid-table with 13 more games to be played in the 2010-11 campaign. They were left without a chance by Ajax last week and had to settle for a 3-0 home loss. Consequently, the Breda outfit will be eager to return to winning ways in the Koel.

On Sunday, Arnhem side Vitesse host fallen Eredivisie giants Feyenoord in what will be a crucial game for the Rotterdam side. Vitesse climbed to joint 13th spot in the table following their impressive 5-2 home win over Roda last week and they'll be eager to add three more points to their tally at the weekend. Feyenoord put in a strong performance against Twente last Sunday, but they eventually left Enschede empty handed following a late Bryan Ruiz goal. They consequently dropped to 15th spot in the table and can't afford to slip up again in the Gelredome. Elsewhere, surprise package Groningen will have to deal with Willem II if they are to stay in the race for the title. The Pride of the North defeated Heerenveen 4-1 last week in a very entertaining game. Dusan Tadic and Tim Matavz both impressed for Groningen and head coach Pieter Huistra's men sit fourth in the league table with 40 points. Willem II on the other hand were on the verge of shocking PSV last week until Zeefuik left the Tilburgers behind empty handed. The Tricolores still sit last in the table, but their recent form will give them confidence that an upset is possible on Sunday.

Furthermore, ambitious side Utrecht meet reigning champions Twente. The Domstedelingen were somewhat disappointingly held to a scoreless draw by De Graafschap on Tuesday and currently sit eighth in the table. They did manage to beat Ajax twice though this season and are a force to be reckoned with, especially at home. Twente struggled for the full 90 minutes against Feyenoord last week until Bryan Ruiz came to the rescue with a goal well into stoppage time to help the Tukkers to the full three points. They are the league's number two at the moment, trailing table toppers PSV by only one point. The final match of the weekend will be the game between Heracles and Roda in Almelo. The hosts have been struggling to find their best form since the restart of the season and had to settle for a 1-1 draw against NEC last week. They currently sit joint 13th with 21 points from as many games. Roda have been in good form this season, but they were dealt a bit of a blow last Saturday as Vitesse thrashed them 5-2. The Limburgers still sit sixth in the league table though and will be eager to return to winning ways against Heracles.

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04-02-2011 20:30 Borussia D. - Schalke 04

Dortmund Aim To Entertain Home Fans With High-Tempo Game

Despite the absence of talismanic playmaker Shinji Kagawa, Dortmund have been in fine form this spring. Aside from a hiccup against Stuttgart, the league leaders have replicated their successes from the fall campaign, earning a 3-1 win against their closest rivals Leverkusen, and a 3-0 triumph against Wolfsburg.

Their consistency has led Kevin Grosskreutz to come out with a bold statement. On Tuesday, the winger told Bild: “Our team really is something special. You don’t see such a good team spirit very often. Everybody’s willing to help someone else, both on and off the pitch.”

“I have a feeling that we won’t lose a single match in the second half of the league season.”

In the fall, Dortmund hammered Schalke by a 3-1 margin, but that was with Kagawa as the central playmaker. The 21-year old predicted a brace and delivered it in that match; BVB will have to manage without him in their ranks this time around.

“We need to play the kind of football that keeps the opposition from showing their qualities,” coach Juergen Klopp said ahead of the derby. “Ant it helps to keep the tempo high…”

“We are fully aware that we have a great chance to give our fans a second Derby win of the season. They will play their part and create an exceptional atmosphere!”

Schalke Chomping At The Bit

Grosskreutz may believe BVB won’t lose a game this spring, but Schalke will do everything possible to prove him wrong. Die Koenigsblauen are bitter rivals of Dortmund and have something to prove after being so badly beaten in the Ruhr derby last fall.

Due to a few late moves in the transfer market, Schalke will be a changed team on Saturday. Anthony Annan was brought in to replace departed midfielder Ivan Rakitic, and veterans Ali Karimi and Angelos Charisteas were signed to provide depth to what has become a faltering attack.

Schake are indeed in a state of disarray, but derbies—and especially the Ruhr, which is often called the “mother of all derbies—always offer the chance to gather some momentum. Heading into Friday’s match, die Knappen have a good run of recent history to fall back upon; in their last games in Dortmund, they have only lost once.

“This record, we naturally want to keep,” Felix Magath told reporters

“After the 0-1 [loss] against Hoffenheim many players were obviously dejected,” he added. In training, you could fee that now they could hardly wait until the Derby.”

Always armed with a few tricks up his sleeve, Magath remained coy about his selection for the biggest domestic match of the spring: I will wait for the final impression.”

TEAM NEWS

Borussia Dortmund

Klopp is expected to make no surprises; his only change will be the use of Felipe Santana in central defence ahead of Neven Subotic, who is suspended having seen his fifth yellow card of the season. Shinji Kagawa, Sebastian Kehl, Florian Kringe, and Patrick Owomoyela have been ruled out.

Probable Starting XI: Weidenfeller – Piszczek, Hummels, Felipe Santana, Schmelzer – Bender, Sahin – Blaszczykowski, Goetze, Grosskreutz – Barrios

Schalke

Magath has been known to make surprise selections ahead of big games, but the coach is not expected to make any shocking selections this time. Either Anthony Annan or Kyriakos Papadopoulos will start in central midfield alongside Peer Kluge, while Christian Pander and Edu will duke it out for a starting berth on the left flank. Tim Hoogland and Christoph Moritz are both out with knee injuries, while Angelos Charisteas and Levan Kenia are both still working on achieving top fitness in training.

Probable Starting XI: Neuer – Uchida, Hoewedes, Metzelder, Schmitz – Farfan, Kluge, Annan, Pander – Huntelaar, Raul

Prediction

Based on form, Dortmund fans should celebrate their team’s first home win of the calendar year. It will be a tight, intense, fast-paced game, but Schalke need a bit more time to find their form. There are too many variables that have to all settle at the same time. BVB have been winning all year, and should take three more points on Friday.

Borussia 3-1 Schalke 04

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Premier League Opta Facts - 5-6 February

Stoke City v Sunderland

* In the five Premier League meetings between Stoke and Sunderland, no goals have been scored by the away team.
* Stoke have won their last three home games against Sunderland by a one-goal margin.
* Stoke have lost their last two league games by two goals to nil.
* Stoke have won their last two Premier League home games by two goals to nil.
* Sunderland have won their last two Premier League away games, they have not won three in succession since October 1999.
* Stoke have scored just six first half goals all season, fewer than any other side.
* Sunderland average only 0.63 points per game in February, the worst record of any side with more than one season in the Premier League.

Aston Villa v Fulham

* Fulham have only won three of the 19 Premier League meetings with Aston Villa.
* Aston Villa have won six and lost none of the nine home games against Fulham in the Premier League era.
* Gabriel Agbonlahor has scored three goals in his last two appearances against Fulham.
* Villa have kept only clean sheet in their last 15 Premier League games.
* If the Premier League had started on Boxing Day, Fulham would be sixth, level on points with Chelsea.
* Fulham have won every other game in their last seven games, if this run continues then they will fail to win this match.

Everton v Blackpool

* Only one of the last nine league meetings between Everton and Blackpool has ended as a home win.
* Everton have failed to score in their last four home league matches against Blackpool.
* There has only been one goal scored in the last four league matches between Everton and Blackpool at Goodison Park.
* Only West Brom have picked up fewer points than Everton since Boxing Day.
* Blackpool have scored as many away goals as Manchester United this season, 17.
* Only Wigan and Birmingham have scored fewer home goals than Everton (14) this season.
* Blackpool have conceded 11 goals in their last four Premier League games.

Manchester City v West Bromwich Albion

* West Brom didn't manage a single shot on target in their match against Man City at the Hawthorns in November, while City scored twice form just three attempts on target.
* There have been three red cards in the last four Premier League games between West Brom and Man City.
* City and West Brom have met twice this season, with the Baggies winning in the League Cup and the Citizens in the Premier League.
* City have won only one of their last four league games.
* Aleksandar Kolarov has been booked in his last two Premier League games.
* West Brom (6) and Manchester City (5) have collected 11 Premier League red cards between them this season.
* West Brom have averaged only 0.71 points per game in the Premier League in February, the third lowest total of any regular club.

Newcastle United v Arsenal

* Robin van Persie has opened the scoring in the 13th minute of each of Arsenal's last two away games which the Gunners have gone on to win 3-0.
* This is the third meeting between Newcastle and Arsenal this season, with the Gunners winning 4-0 away in the League Cup and the Magpies 1-0 away in the Premier League.
* Newcastle have won just two of the last 19 matches against Arsenal in all competitions.
* The Gunners have won only two of their last 10 visits to the three north east clubs in the Premier League.
* Newcastle have only scored five goals in their last 12 Premier League games against Arsenal, but those goals have earned them eight points.
* Newcastle have conceded exactly one goal in their last three league games.
* Arsenal have won five and drawn two of their last seven league games.
* The Gunners have leaked only one goal in five league games.

Tottenham Hotspur v Bolton Wanderers

* Bolton scored four goals from just six shots on target in their 4-2 win over Spurs at the Reebok back in November.
* Kevin Davies has scored six goals in his last five Premier League games against Tottenham.
* 14 players have scored for Bolton this season, more than any other Premier League side.
* Tottenham have kept clean sheets in their last three Premier League games at White Hart Lane; they have not kept four in a row since February 6 last year.
* Bolton have scored a total of only three goals in their last six league games.
* Wanderers have lost their last five Premier League away games in succession, their worst run since December 1995.
* Spurs have averaged seven corners per game this season, the highest rate in the league.

Wigan Athletic v Blackburn Rovers

* Six of the last seven matches between Wigan and Blackburn have ended as home wins.
* Roque Santa Cruz has scored five goals in four Premier League games against Wigan.
* Wigan have gone seven Premier League games without a win, their worst run since February last year.
* Blackburn have conceded a total of 19 goals in their last six Premier League away games, an average of 3.2 per game.
* Wigan have averaged only 4.0 corners per game this season, the lowest rate in the division.
* Blackburn would be fourth if only the first half of Premier League games counted.
* Wigan have scored only 13 second half goals this season, fewer than any other side.

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United

* Four of the five Premier League meetings between Man Utd and Wolves have been won by a single-goal margin.
* Four of the last five league games between Wolves and United at Molineux have been won by a 1-0 scoreline and the other game finished 1-1.
* Park Ji-Sung has scored three goals in two games against Wolves this season.
* Wolves have scored three equalising goals in the two games against Man Utd this season, but lost to a 90th minute winner in both matches.
* Man Utd have won 10 and lost just one of the last 12 matches against Wolves in all competitions.
* Wolves' only previous Premier League win against Manchester United came when they were bottom and United were top (January 2004).
* United can set a new club Premier League record of 30 games without losing if they avoid defeat in this game.
* Manchester United have conceded only five goals before half-time this season.


West Ham United v Birmingham City

* Birmingham have only won one of the last eight Premier League matches against West Ham.
* West Ham have used 31 different players this season, the joint-most along with Aston Villa.
* Birmingham have hit only 78 shots on target this season, fewer than any other side.
* Birmingham have won only 10 out of 50 Premier League games they've played on a Sunday.
* The Hammers have exactly the same record as they did after 25 league games last season: W5 D9 L11.
* At this point last season Birmingham had 10 more points than they do currently (24).
* West Ham have conceded more corners than any other side, 187.
* Robbie Keane has scored six goals in 11 games against the Blues in the Premier League.

Chelsea v Liverpool

* Fernando Torres scored seven goals in eight appearances against Chelsea for Liverpool.
* The last four Premier League games between Chelsea and Liverpool have all ended 2-0.
* Both sides have scored in only one of the last nine Premier League meetings.
* Liverpool have only scored seven goals in 18 Premier League visits to Stamford Bridge, failed to score in 12 of them and the only goal they have scored in the last six visits was an own goal by Bosingwa.
* Bruno Cheyrou was the last Liverpool player to score at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League in 2004; the Reds have gone nine hours and 57 minutes without one of their players scoring since.
* Raul Meireles has scored three goals in his last four Premier League games.
* Liverpool have not won four league games in succession since September 2009, a run that ended with an away defeat at Stamford Bridge.

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