Match Preview: Arsenal v Liverpool

Liverpool will be looking to immediately bounce back from their defeat to United by picking up a point or three at the Emirates. If Liverpool lose and Manchester United win this weekend, it will mean that Henderson's men will be 8 points adrift and effectively out of the race for 4th spot. Losing is not an option, but with questions over Sturridge's fitness Liverpool will have to up their game.  There is no doubt in their determination of late and some may argue that their defeat to United is simply a short-term blip.

Arsenal will be looking to put their Champions League heartache behind them, by re-qualifying for next season, subject to a strong finish in the Premier League. But who can stop them from finishing in the Top 4? They have conceded less than a goal a game at home this season (11) and have scored the joint most number of goals (33) on their own turf in the Premier League. They are spoilt for choice when it comes to attackers and their defensive unit hasn't been that bad either.

I think this will be a close match. As it's a Saturday lunchtime kick off, there will be some weary legs just a few days after the international football "break". We can't take Liverpool for granted - after all, they have the fourth best away record in the Premier League this season. But if Sturridge is less than 70% fit (as I suspect), they could struggle. I think Liverpool could nick a 1-1 draw here, but in truth they need a win. In their haste and without Skrtel's presence they may become complacent at the back. It's in part due to this reason that Arsenal could win 2-1 with the in-form Giroud scoring or Sanchez rediscovering his form.

With the above in mind, I would recommend the following FanFeud picks for #ARSLIV:

Olivier Giroud

Alexis Sanchez

Mesut Ozil

Aaron Ramsey

Raheem Sterling

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Match Preview: West Ham v Manchester United

Manchester United will be looking to leapfrog Southampton and gain 3rd spot, subject to a win at the Boleyn Ground.  However, West Ham are no pushovers, with the 6th best home record this season (58% win rate).  They like scoring goals at home (1.58 average this season), where as United don't always shy away from scoring goals on the road (1.27 average this season).

If the recent head-to-head scores are anything to go by, United should avoid a defeat against the Hammers.  Having said that, Carrick's expected absence could prove to be critical in making the Reds more vulnerable at the back.  West Ham would want to carry on their charge for a Europa League spot and fixtures like this could prove to be an acid test in showing what they are made of.

Downing has been a star for the Hammers this season.  But it must be noted that he has scored most of his fantasy points away from home. That isn't to say he automatically blanks in front of his own fans.  Rather, West Ham's defenders seem to score more fantasy points at home, despite keeping only 5 clean sheets.

www.asliga.com

On the other hand, Manchester United have kept 7 clean sheets (including 3 away). In spite of their defensive problems, they are conceding less than a goal a game on average which is quite remarkable.  Their 6 away draws indicates that they are hard to beat and also alludes to their inability to finish off matches whenever they are the visitors.

www.asliga.com

Based on all of the above evidence, this will be a close match.  I think Manchester United will concede, but won't lose.  West Ham must not simply sit back, or else they will face constant pressure from United's formidable attack.  West Ham could hope for a 1-1 draw, but it could end up as a 2-1 win for the Reds.  With this in mind, I would recommend the following FAN FEUD PICKS:

 

Robin Van Persie

Angel di Maria

Radamel Falcao

Wayne Rooney

Stewart Downing

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Match Preview: Chelsea v Manchester City

Tonight's match between Chelsea and Manchester City promises a lot from an attacking point of view.  However, with the absence of Yaya Toure, Diego Costa (and Cesc Fabregas being a bit of a doubt) it could in fact end up being a damp squib.

So far this season, Chelsea have been formidable at home (100% win record, 24 goals scored and 3 conceded), where as City have been fantastic on the road (64% win record, 25 goals scored and 11 conceded).  In effect, the team with the best home record is playing the team with the best away record and in the overall table they are 1st and 2nd respectively.

Source: www.asliga.com

It is no exaggeration to say that a Chelsea win could virtually seal the title race as they would gain a 8 points lead.  Conversely, a City win will reinvigorate the two-horse race with a 2 points difference.  Then again, it could easily finish 0-0 or 1-1 with the status quo being retained.

I believe that City are capable of breaching Chelsea's defence and vice versa.  Aguero missed a lot of the winter period due to injury, yet remains City's best goal scorer on the road by a comfortable distance.  If he plays to his best tonight, Chelsea would be hard pressed to keep a clean sheet.

Source: www.asliga.com

With the above in mind, I think there will not be any clean sheets in this encounter.  It probably won't be a goals fest either.  It will probably be a close 1-1 or a narrow 2-1 win.  For this reason, I am picking the following players as my FAN FEUD PICKS:

Sergio Aguero

David Silva

Eden Hazard

Didier Drogba

Oscar

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