Sunderland caretaker boss Kevin Ball is set to face another tough task in the dugout on Saturday afternoon, as Manchester United travel to Wearside hoping to build on
their midweek draw against Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League with a win on English soil.
Line Ups Chelsea's two changes from
the midweek draw against Juventus were to rest John Terry and Frank Lampard.
Troubled Championship side Blackpool host Cardiff City this evening with the Seasiders still in search of their first win of the season, although manager Jose Riga and his side will have taken plenty of heart from a hard - fought
midweek draw against in - form Middlesbrough.
Not exact matches
Arsenal have had a very intense start to the New Year which started with a dodgy
draw against Chelsea, and then culminated in an ignomious defeat in the FA Cup and a very satisfying away
draw at Chelsea in the Caraboa Cup semifinal in
midweek.
Chelsea's exhasuting 120 minutes
against Liverpool in
midweek looked to have taken their toll as they struggled to a 1 - 1
draw with Man City.
United travelled to Selhurst Park on Saturday on the back of two 0 - 0
draws —
against Manchester City in the derby last weekend, and
against Middlesbrough in the Capital One Cup in
midweek.
Likewise, Arsenal endured a frustrating outing
against Middlesbrough one week ago as they were held to a
draw, but they did return to winning ways
midweek as victory over Reading saw Arsene Wenger's side secure a place in the EFL Cup quarter finals.
Arsene Wenger has already admitted that he will be using some rotation after our gruelling
draw against PSG in
midweek, so let's look at the team he picked for that game....
Wolves were disappointing in
midweek, managing only a
draw at home
against struggling Hull, and they'll face an uphill struggle away at Cardiff who have won seven consecutive home league games.
It'll be the usual «meanwhile the gunners remain unchanged from the side that
drew blanks
against Besiktas in
midweek...».
Manuel Pellegrini takes his Manchester City side to Upton Park after a hugely disappointing
midweek Champions League
draw against CSKA Moscow, hoping to notch up another win in the Premier League and keep the pressure on title rivals Chelsea before their Sunday game
against Manchester United.
Juventus could have sealed a seventh consecutive title at home this weekend but for a 1 - 1
draw at lowly Crotone and Napoli's 4 - 2 fightback
against Udinese
midweek which reignited the Scudetto title race.
They are having issues at the back though as they have been struggling badly for clean sheets with one in their last seven league outings following a 1 - 1
draw at home
against Crystal Palace in
midweek.
He wasn't picked for Arsenal's hard - fought
draw at Chelsea or the
midweek Europa League game
against BATE Borisov, and started the home game
against West Brom on the bench.
Arsenal get the business done
against Dinamo Zagreb in
midweek Champions League action before squandering some more valuable Premiership points as they let Norwich City
draw level at Carrow Road.
Venue: Emirates Date: 17/04/2016 Kick Off: 15:00 (BST) Crystal Palace managed to continue their mini revival after claiming a 0 - 0
draw against Everton in
midweek and while the point was a welcome one, manager Alan Pardew would have been left a bit frustrated that his side were unable to claim all three on offer
against the
Match Predictions: After incredible run of 10 consecutive wins, Manchester City finally dropped points in
midweek game
against Celtic where they
drew 3 - 3 in one of the best games this season.
Southampton on the other hand got a massive 1 - 1
draw against Arsenal over the last weekend but they were undone but a very clinical Leicester City side in
midweek when they stumbled to a 4 - 1 defeat.
Liverpool vs Bournemouth Team News: Jurgen Klopp has come under some pressure after picking a under - strength side
against merseyside rivals Everton resulting in a 1 - 1
draw which lead to another 0 - 0
draw against West Brom in the
midweek.
Arsenal dropped more points in the title race following a 3 - 3
draw against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium in
midweek and the result was most certainly a very disappointing one for the Gunners.
Tottenham cost our
midweek column dearly after somehow rallying to claim a 2 - 2
draw with Juventus in the Champions League, while FC Porto's inability to score
against a rampant Liverpool on Wednesday also cost us a 3/1 winner.
Meanwhile, Thiago Alcantara has been ruled out of the game
against Augsburg with a knee injury he suffered in Spain's 3 - 3
draw with Russia in
midweek.
Chelsea will be pleased with their performance and
draw at Anfield
against Liverpool, which came as poor timing after a long trip to Azerbaijan in the Champions League in
midweek for them.
Chelsea
drew their last Premier League game
against Newcastle United and suffered further disappointment in the
midweek when FC Porto defeated the Blues in the Champions League.
Miller was in for the suspended Graham Dorrans while Ryan Jack kept his place after the club appealed
against his
midweek red card in the 1 - 1 home
draw against Kilmarnock which sealed Caixinha's fate.
Pacos de Ferreira 1 - 1 Newcastle United FC highlights: Premier League side, Newcastle United still looking to find their best shape in pre-season as they snatch a 1 - 1
draw against Portuguese outfit Pacos de Ferreira this
midweek.
The ex-Arsenal winger, who played for Villareal in their 0 - 0
draw against Manchester United
midweek, was questioned by popular Spanish journalist Guillem Balague about his old club and came up with these excellent answers:
Atalanta — who take on Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League in
midweek before an Italian Cup semi-final
against holders Juventus — slipped behind Milan after a 1 - 1
draw under heavy rain at Crotone.
After seemingly getting themselves back running well in the league, Arsenal picked up minor set backs as they haven't won in their last three games in the Premier League following their 0 - 0
draw against West Ham this
midweek.
Philippe Coutinho made his first start of the campaign following his cameo appearance in the 2 - 2 Champions League
draw against Sevilla in
midweek, but he largely struggled to make an impact on the playing field.
Ander Herrera will definitely miss out having picked up a red card in the 0 - 0
draw against Burnley last weekend, while Paul Pogba limped off with a thigh injury in the
midweek Europa League defeat to Fenerbahce.
KEY FACT: Brighton have lost their last seven games
against Chelsea in all competition MATCH ODDS: Brighton 9/2
Draw 11/4 Chelsea 8/13 bet365 Pick: Chelsea to win to Nil @ 11/8 ANDY SAYS: Has to be an away win, don't think Chelsea will be denied... 0 - 2 GRAEME SAYS: Brighton will push Chelsea here, but narrow away win... 1 - 2 SILKY SAYS: Comfortable away win, I don't see Chelsea struggling like they did
midweek... 0 - 3 FOOTBALLIndex — One to follow: Just outside the top - 50, Ross Barkley is sure to increase once his makes his debut
Real Madrid had a tough workout in
midweek against Spurs in the Champions League, having to fight back for a 1 - 1
draw.
Crystal Palace managed to continue their mini revival after claiming a 0 - 0
draw against Everton in
midweek and while the point was a welcome one, manager Alan Pardew would have been left a bit frustrated that his side were unable to claim all three on offer
against the 10 men.