Wolves v Newcastle preview

Newcastle face Wolves at Molineux hoping to maintain their unbeaten start to the Premier League season.

The Magpies go into the game sitting in fourth place in the table after three wins and three draws in their opening six games.

Much of their current form can be owed to strikers Leon Best and Demba Ba.

Ba had not scored until last weekend, when he netted a hat-trick in the 3-1 win over Blackburn, while Best has also claimed three goals this term.

But it is not just in attack where the Magpies have had success this season; they are the only side in the league not to have conceded two or more goals in a game.

In stark contrast, Wolves have struggled since their encouraging start to the season and have lost their last three games.

Mick McCarthy's side have conceded seven goals in those three games while scoring just once - a consolation strike away to Liverpool in last week's 2-1 defeat at Anfield.
Team news

Defender Richard Stearman had to be withdrawn from the game on Merseyside due to a toe injury which could also keep him out of Saturday's clash.

McCarthy admitted the full-back was a major doubt for the clash and if he fails to make the starting line-up, 19-year-old defender Matt Doherty will deputise.

Striker Steven Fletcher is fighting for a place in the starting XI after scoring against Liverpool as a second-half substitute last week after recovering from a groin injury.

But the midlands club are still without a host of players, including Ronald Zubar, Kevin Foley, Jody Craddock and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake.

Newcastle are set to hand a debut to deadline day signing Davide Santon, who is in the squad after recovering from a knee injury.

The Italian defender made the move from Inter Milan in August and completed 90 minutes in a reserve game against Swansea in midweek.

Striker Shola Ameobi is a doubt for the clash as he looks to recover from a shoulder injury while defender Mike Williamson is a month away from making a return to action.

Possible starting XIs

Wolves: Hennessey, Doherty, Johnson, Berra, Elokobi, Hunt, Henry, O'Hara, Jarvis, Fletcher, Doyle

Newcastle: Krul, Simpson, S Taylor, Coloccini, Santon, Obertan, Tiote, Cabaye, Gutierrez, Ba, Best

Source: www.skysports.com

Sunderland v West Brom preview

Bruce seeking home comforts as Baggies visit

Sunderland face West Brom at the Stadium of Light on Saturday with Black Cats boss Steve Bruce eager to put a difficult week behind him.

It started with a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Norwich on Monday evening before defender Titus Bramble was arrested and then bailed for an alleged sexual assault and possession of a Class A drug.

The 30-year-old was swiftly suspended by the club until the police investigation is completed with Bruce keen to switch the attention back to matters on the pitch.

Not that things are much better on the field. The north east club are back in 15th with just five points from their opening six games.

That poor form stretches back into last season, particularly at the Stadium of Light.

They have won just three matches at home since the turn of the year, with one of those against Stoke a fortnight ago.

That 4-0 win over the Potters looked to have got Sunderland's stuttering season going, before this week's defeat at Carrow Road set them back once again.
The club's home displays proved to be the backbone of a solid start to the last campaign and Bruce is hoping a return to that form will lead to an early season revival.

Things haven't been much better for West Brom either. Roy Hodgson's men have won just once all season and currently sit second bottom in the table.

The former Liverpool boss is desperate for the club to avoid a repeat of last year, where a mid-season slump, which led to Hodgson replacing Roberto Di Matteo, meant they needed a remarkable run of results to keep themselves in the Premier League.

That feat, of course, was famously achieved but the Baggies will be keen not to make life difficult for themselves in the final third of the season by picking up some early points to lift them up the table.

Recent history suggests that Sunderland could be the ideal opponents for the Midlands club. The Baggies have taken more points away from home against the Wearsiders - seven - than against any other Premier League opponent and have won their last three games against the Black Cats.
Team news

Bramble will definitely miss the game after being suspended by the club until an investigation into allegations of sexual assault and possession of a Class A drug has been completed.

Midfielder Sebastian Larsson has been playing after having pain-killing injections in a broken toe and his condition will be assessed, while striker Connor Wickham (groin) is a doubt and Craig Gordon and Fraizer Campbell (both knee) continue to work their way back to fitness.

West Brom central defender Gabriel Tamas is available for selection after completing a three-game suspension. But he faces a battle to regain his place following an impressive performance by summer signing Gareth McAuley in last weekend's goalless home draw with Fulham.

Defender Craig Dawson is expected to recover from the illness which meant he was unable to train on Thursday, but midfielder Zoltan Gera and striker Marc-Antoine Fortune are still sidelined through injury.

Possible starting XIs:

Sunderland: Mignolet, Brown, Richardson, O'Shea, Turner, Larsson, Gardner, Vaughan, Elmohamady, Sessegnon, Bendtner.

West Brom: Foster, Olsson, Shorey, McAuley, Brunt, Reid, Thomas, Dorrans, Mulumbu, Long, Odemwingie.

Source:www.skysports.com

Everton vs Liverpool preview

Old foes Everton and Liverpool will lock horns once more at Goodison Park on Saturday in the 216th Merseyside derby.

For David Moyes it is the chance to build on some steadily improving home form that has seen the Blues recover from that shock opening game defeat to QPR to go unbeaten in their last four games in all competitions in front of their own supporters.

They also have fond memoires of last season's home encounter with Liverpool, when they strolled to a comfortable 2-0 win thanks to goals from Mikel Arteta and Tim Cahill.

It is a very different Liverpool team though that will take to the field on Saturday, complete with a new - or should that be familiar - man in the dugout.

Reds boss Kenny Dalglish is preparing to return to Goodison Park as Liverpool manager for the first time since 1991.

Back then Dalglish famously quit the Anfield club just days after a tumultuous 4-4 FA Cup tie with the Toffees, citing the pressure of the job and the strain it had taken on him over the years.

His return last January was equally dramatic and the intervening nine months has seen him stamp his authority on the squad with a number of big money incomings and notable departures
The situation could not be more different across Stanley Park, with Toffees boss Moyes forced to work on a shoestring budget, raising nearly £15million in player sales over the summer but only bringing in three loan signings.

Despite the financial disparity the Blues could go above their old rivals with a win on Saturday, with a game in hand.

Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt and Everton's Tim Cahill appear to relish this fixture more than most and the pair have five derby goals to their name. The Australian has scored more derby goals than any other Everton player since the war.

The game could hinge on referee Martin Atkinson, who faces the unenviable task of trying to manage the Premier League's most volatile encounter. This match-up has seen 19 red cards since the start of the Premier League, more than any other fixture.

Atkinson showed six yellows and two reds the last time he was on duty in a Merseyside derby, at Anfield in February 2010.

Therefore the derby spoils could hinge on who keeps their head in the white hot atmosphere of a packed Goodison Park on Saturday lunchtime.
Team news

Cahill is a doubt for Everton after he sustained a shin injury in a challenge with Manchester City's Vincent Kompany last weekend. The Australian hasn't trained all week but Moyes will leave it as late as possible before deciding on the 32-year-old's fitness.

Striker Louis Saha is pushing for a recall after appearing as a substitute against City last weekend but fellow forward Victor Anichebe remains side-lined until December.

For Liverpool, skipper Steven Gerrard looks likely to start from the bench as he edges his way back to full fitness. The England man has played just 25 minutes of competitive football since recovering from a groin operation.

Glen Johnson is out with hamstring strain while Daniel Agger will also miss out as he recovers from a rib injury.

Possible starting XIs

Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Baines, Jagielka, Distin, Rodwell, Fellaini, Osman, Coleman, Cahill, Saha.

Liverpool: Reina, Enrique, Carragher, Kelly, Skrtel, Kuyt, Downing, Lucas, Adam, Suarez, Carroll.

Source: www.skysports.com

Premier League preview

Bragging rights up for grabs in Merseyside and North London

There are massive derbies at the beginning and end of this weekend's action, while in between Manchester United and Manchester City will jostle for superiority at the top of the table.

It is already shaping up to be a fascinating 2011/12 Premier League campaign but every team in the division will be looking to learn from what they have done in the opening few games and push on to better things.

The likes of Bolton, West Brom and Blackburn may be the most desperate for points as they strive to pull clear of trouble, but others in mid-table will also be looking up rather than down.

Everton and Liverpool are two sides that will certainly hope to finish higher than their current positions, of 11th and fifth respectively, but local bragging rights are also hugely important and that is what supporters will be concerned about as Goodison Park provides the setting for the 216th Merseyside derby on Saturday lunchtime. The Toffees can climb above their rivals with a home victory but it will be no easy task against a Reds side that could welcome back Steven Gerrard for a first start of the season, with the match live on Sky Sports HD2.

North London neighbours Tottenham and Arsenal lock horns in the second major derby of the weekend, a match which can be seen live on Sky Sports HD1 on Sunday afternoon. Spurs have been in impressive form since the transfer window slammed shut and will fancy their chances of piling more pressure on the Gunners. Arsene Wenger has enjoyed one of his less stressful weeks of the season following back-to-back wins in the Premier League and Europe, and a win against Spurs would provide a massive boost for his 13th-placed side.

Manchester City are another team in need of a boost after a week dominated by negative headlines about Carlos Tevez, who Roberto Mancini says refused to play against Bayern Munich in their UEFA Champions League defeat. Not much has gone wrong for City in the Premier League so far this season but it has been suggested that the Tevez row could damage their title hopes. City will be determined to prove otherwise and they could go top on Saturday by winning at Ewood Park against a Blackburn side whose manager Steve Kean has come under plenty of media scrutiny himself.

Wake-up call

If City are to reach the summit there would have to be a slip-up from Manchester United, and Sir Alex Ferguson does not expect that to happen after admitting their surprise 3-3 draw with Basel should provide a wake-up call to his troops. Basel were not expected to get anything from their trip to Old Trafford and neither are newly-promoted Norwich, who have risen into the top half on the back of two straight victories but know they face a different class of opponent this Saturday.

Chelsea trail the Manchester duo by three points ahead of their clash with bottom club Bolton at the Reebok Stadium on Sunday, which can be seen live on Sky Sports HD1 before the North London derby. The Blues will be without the suspended Fernando Torres as they seek to stay in touch with the leaders and inflict a sixth straight defeat on the Trotters, who have been cursed by rotten luck with injuries and this week learned Stuart Holden will be sidelined for another six months.

Just above Bolton in the standings are West Brom on four points, and the Baggies will not want to delay their ascent up the table any longer. Roy Hodgson takes his men to the Stadium of Light this Saturday to face a Sunderland side that has shown glimpses of potential but no consistency and are hovering just above the danger zone at present.

Newcastle have made an unbeaten start to the season to take up a place in the top four and, while even the most optimistic of fans will not expect the Magpies to stay there, they will be hoping the run continues at Molineux this weekend. Wolves also began well this term but struggled to maintain that form and are now on a three-match losing streak.

West London rivalry

Wigan have also lost three in a row to slide into the bottom six and face a difficult challenge to return to winning ways against an Aston Villa side that has yet to taste defeat. Villa have drawn five of their six games, though, and will now be looking to build on that solid platform by collecting more three-point hauls.

Back to Sunday and another derby, this time in West London between Fulham and Queens Park Rangers. Martin Jol's Cottagers are the only team without a victory in the Premier League this season and would love to break that duck in their first match against QPR since 2001. QPR will be equally determined not to let that happen and are in buoyant mood after performing well since Tony Fernandes' takeover.

Stoke continued their bright start to the season last weekend by becoming the first side to take points off Manchester United, and will now be keen to underline their European credentials when they travel to the Liberty Stadium to meet Swansea. Brendan Rodgers' men are currently just a point outside the relegation zone but won their last home game against West Brom.

Source: www.skysports.com