Archiv » becomes more important with Jack Wilshere (ankle)

Arsenal (8th place, at WBA) - Does a Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund put the Gunners back on track? Two straight league losses demand a swift league turnaround. Centre-half Laurent Koscielny (Achilles) is available after six weeks on the shelf, replacing the out-of-position Nacho Monreal. Koscielny is essential and becomes more important with Jack Wilshere (ankle) and Mikel Arteta (calf) out for considerable time. Mathieu Flamini and Aaron Ramsey are now the only natural holding midfielders. Olivier Girouds early return from a broken leg takes pressure off Alexei Sanchez. The Chilean has been the lone source of consistent quality. Arsenal must be more ruthless in attack, rather than just content with possession against a team difficult to breakdown. The counter-attack killed Arsenal in their 2-1 loss to Manchester United. West Brom is dangerous playing said role. Aston Villa (16th, at Burnley) - A must-win for Villa. After a promising start (10 points from four), Villa has only picked up two points from eight, scoring just two goals across that span. Now they deal with the distraction of assistant manager Roy Keane leaving the team the day before match-day. Key players Christian Benteke (suspension), Fabian Delph (shoulder), and Ron Vlaar (calf) remain out. Burnley (19th, vs. Aston Villa) - Two wins in a row ahead of this potential letdown match against another side in the relegation conversation. Last seasons Championship Player of the Year Danny Ings is coming off back-to-back two goal performances; on international duty with the England U-21s and a first half double in a win at the Britannia. Chelsea (1st, at Sunderland) - Six points clear but some risk involved this weekend. The Black Cats have beat Chelsea the last two times out; a Capital One defeat last season and Sunderland delivering a crushing blow in a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge last April, Chelseas last league loss. Its a trap game coming off a pair of easy wins. Fixture list congestion lay ahead, with midweek-weekend fixtures until the New Year. Jose Mourinho will have to start rotating his back four. Hes relied heavily upon Ivanovic-Terry-Cahill-Azpilicueta. The unit has remained remarkably healthy, as has the entire squad. Crystal Palace (15th, at Swansea) – Good vibes after a boss 3-1 win over Liverpool. Marouane Chamakh and Dwight Gayle did well up front, and continue to be strengths when involved. Surprising for Palace is a porous defensive record. The Eagles have the second worst goals against (21). Defenders Damien Delaney (calf) and Adrian Mariappa (knee) will miss the trip to South Wales, against a team manager Neil Warnock claims is the best hes seen this season. Everton (9th, at Spurs) - Everton and Spurs are both coming off Thursday night Europa League wins. They are also level on 17 points. Romelu Lukaku has scored in his last three games played with club and country and is back on track after a lethargic start. There will be selection issues for Roberto Martinez with a quick turnaround between games. Leighton Baines, Gareth Barry, Steven Pienaar, and Steven Naismith will all make the trip to London and will be assessed before kick-off. Hull City (17th, at Manchester United) - Saturday will be the 700th Premier League managerial game for Steve Bruce. Its fitting being played at Old Trafford. Bruce has never defeated his former team, while Hull City is on a horrid stretch, losing three straight. No team has given away more points from leading positions than Hull City (11). Bruce will be without Abel Hernandez (personal), but will have Mohamed Diame (knee) back in the team. Leicester City (18th, at QPR) - Games as such are crucial to Premier League survival. Its a battle between relegation dwellers and two familiar teams from the League Championship. The Foxes beat QPR 1-0 both times out last season. Thankfully Nigel Pearson has ignored Emile Heskeys pleas to sign the former Leicester striker with his team goalless in five. Patience must be preached. The 5-3 win over Manchester United is ancient history. They must prove capable of playing high-energy football on a weekly. Liverpool (12th, vs. Stoke City) - Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool are grasping at straws. The desperation is legit. A 2-2 Champions League draw with Ludogorets Razvad showed the many frailties in the team. Liverpool players insist it was an improved display. It was not. Its striking how far internal expectations have fallen, so quickly. They rely too much on 19-year old Raheem Sterling for any kind of creative spark. Yet the critics focus on goalkeeper Simon Mignolet. The Belgian has made mistakes, but no more/less than the team in front. Rickie Lambert has scored in back-to-back and should start up front. Tensions will be high at Anfield. Liverpool is winless in November, and if they fail to win against a team that hasnt triumphed at Anfield in 29 visits, it may cost Rodgers his job. Manchester City (3rd, at Southampton) - A battle between 2nd and 3rd place. Its surprising City remains in the top four after a nondescript start. Superior individual performances have covered up a lack of cohesion. How many more times will Sergio Aguero come to the rescue? His hat-trick against Bayern Munich gave City a Champions League lifeline. Aguero has scored half (12) of Citys goals in league play. Sunday will be Agueros 100th league appearance. Much of the criticism is put on Yaya Toure, which is overblown. His match winner against Swansea showed what a force he is. Too much reliance on Aguero and Toure, especially with David Silva (knee) out of the line-up is problematic against a team that boasts balance throughout the starting XI. Manchester United (4th, vs. Hull City) - United have seen through a difficult stretch and sit fourth. Its an incredible achievement considering the managerial change, squad turnover and dealing with 40 injuries already. Ander Herrera (ribs) and Jonny Evans (ankle) played with the reserves midweek and in contention. As are Radamel Falcao (calf), and defender Marcos Rojo (shoulder), suprising considering the severity of injury to the latter. Look for United to stick with a 3-5-2, with Angel Di Maria as attacking midifielder. Its a good position for the Argentine, who has more assists (20) than any other player in Europes top five leagues in 2014. Ashley Young was good at outside left last week and should deputize the position while Luke Shaw (ankle) is out. United has been in survival mode over the opening months. Its time for the team to form an identity and start playing top football. The quality has been poor, the play pragmatic. Newcastle United (5th, at West Ham) - Five league wins in a row for Alan Pardew and all hard feelings have been forgotten. The current streak is remarkable. They havent conceded a goal in November and havent lost a competitive match since September. Captain Fabricio Coloccini and Paul Dummett have come together to form a balanced partnership. Incredibly, Newcastle is the only team without a goal in the first half-four of any match. West Ham is a tricky opponent and is just one point behind. Colocinni (calf) and goalkeeper Tim Krul (knock) will be game-time decisions. Queens Park Rangers (20th, vs. Leicester) - Last place but have shown signs of life at home. All eight points earned have come at Loftus Road. Charlie Austin has scored four goals in his last five home games. Leicester City is a must-win. QPR has been dreadful defensively, and may welcome Rio Ferdinand back into the starting XI with Richard Dunne out (accumulation). Ferdinand hasnt played for nearly two months (suspension). Eduardo Vargas (personal) returns and adds quality in service and pace. If the team keeps proper defensive shape and the midfield deals with the Foxes high pressure, the game could be a turning point. Southampton (2nd, vs. Manchester City) - A point last week at Villa Park should be deemed not good enough. Three points was required with a difficult period arriving. Manchester City this weekend, followed by Arsenal and Manchester United is as difficult a stretch as any. Everton and Chelsea are among the fixtures to come in the festive period. 26 points in second place is outstanding. The talent in the team is plain to see. No team has given up fewer shots on target (25). Its fair to say we will know by the New Year whether the current form is sustainable and if Champions League football next season is a realistic possibility. Stoke City (11th, at Liverpool) - A bounce-back game for Stoke after the embarrassment of losing at home to Burnley. A promising month featuring a draw with West Ham and win over Spurs was given back with last weekends loss. Time to prove they are a top-half of the table team. Mark Hughes brought more skill than strength to Stoke in the summer, but it has seldom been evident. The all-important Victor Moses (thigh) will miss the next six weeks. And sickness has run through the team, with goalkeeper Asmir Begovic among affected. Sunderland (14th, vs. Chelsea) - An undefeated November has helped bury the ugliness of an 8-0 embarrassment in October. No team has more draws (7) than Sunderland. They have beat Chelsea the last two times theyve played, which will give the team confidence ahead of the visit from the league leaders. The Black Cats play at a high pace, and are often times their own worse enemy; out of control and mistake-ridden. Costel Pantilimon has settled things in goal. Swansea City (7th, vs. Crystal Palace) - Its talent versus athleticism at the Liberty. While onlookers rave about the strong spine, no team uses the wings better than Swansea. Nathan Dyer, Wayne Routledge, and Jefferson Montero have speed that few can deal with. Swansea was unlucky to leave the Etihad empty-handed. Batefimbi Gomis missed a late half-break, and Gylfi Sigurdssons deflected free kick just missed the far post in the 2-1 loss to City. Wilfried Bony has scored in five of his last six league games. The team however remains vulnerable on set pieces, conceding more than any other side (9). Tottenham Hotspur (10th, vs. Everton) – Its difficult to get a read on Spurs. They havent won back-to-back league games since the first two of the season. Spurs are through in the Europa League; its now time to get their domestic season on track. No team has more losses at home (4). Nacer Chadli, Etienne Capoue and Emmanuel Adebayor are among those back training. Three of Tottenhams five wins have come through goals in the 90th minute. West Bromwich Albion (13th, vs. Arsenal) - WBA didnt have a chance last time out, falling behind two goals and down a man in the first half-hour at Stamford Bridge. They have lost two straight and West Brom players have failed to score in a month. Saido Berahino is available despite his arrest for DUI. The all-important James Morrison (sickness) and Sebastien Pocognoli (hamstring) are major doubts. West Ham United (6th vs. Newcastle) - Unlucky losers last time out against Everton. The game was full of life, representative of the combative nature of the Hammers this season. West Ham has already beat Manchester City and Liverpool at home. Injuries up front mean Andy Carroll will likely feature against his former club. Stewart Downing (knee) looks set to return, but Winston Reid (suspension) will be a big loss. 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