Manchester derby and Chelsea’s home fixture with QPR also dominate proceedings…
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1) Mario Balotelli… Again.
Premier League fans just can’t stop paying attention to the maverick Italian, who can be as brilliant as he can be awful. Having scored midweek versus Swansea, his manager will be desperate for him to find the back of the net at St. James’ Park – but he’ll need to seriously up his performance levels.
2) Balotelli’s new strike partner…
It looks like the 24-year-old could be paired with the strike partner he so desperately wants at the weekend. Brendan Rodgers has come out in the press praising Fabio Borini for his League Cup performance, and rumours are rife that he could get a chance to start on Saturday from the start.
3) Arsenal’s injury ridden back-four…
It doesn’t even seem like Arsene Wenger knows which back-four he’s going to choose for the clash with Burnley. Mathieu Debuchy and Laurent Koscielny remain long-term injuries, while Kieran Gibbs has been ruled out, too. Will Calum Chambers or Nacho Monreal partner Per Mertesacker at the heart of defence?
4) The Manchester derby…
Of course, all eyes will be on the first Manchester derby of the season on Sunday. For the first time, managerial behemoths Louis van Gaal and Manuel Pellegrini will face each other – and it’ll be mightily intriguing to see who comes out on top – especially considering both sides’ shaky form right now.
5) QPR’s 4-4-2 formation…
Harry Redknapp seems to have found a formulae that could save his QPR side from relegation – fielding an old fashioned ‘big man – little man’ strike pairing featuring Bobby Zamora and Charlie Austin. While it earned him against Aston Villa, will he have the bravery to use it against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge?
6) The Newcastle fans’ reaction to Alan Pardew…
Poor Alan Pardew has been booed and jeered all season by the Toon Army, but their Newcastle side has won its past two matches. If they take an early lead against Liverpool, surely the tirade of abuse will stop?
7) Tottenham on the ‘big pitch’…
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino came out last week blaming his side’s home woes on the size of the White Hart Lane pitch! Tottenham play Aston Villa away from home at the weekend though, and Paul Lambert’s men play on one of the biggest pitches in the country. Three points for Tottenham then, Mauricio…?
8) Saido Berahino v Leonardo Ulloa
While rangy Argentine Ulloa started the season superbly, his goals have dried up, while Baggies forward Berahino has found some terrific form. Both Leicester and West Brom rely heavily on their two star strikers for goals, but who’ll come out on top at the King Power?
9) Phil Jagielka’s pace…
Bizarrely, the Everton skipper was recently named the Premier League’s fastest player this season by EA Sports player analysis, much to the amusement of the footballing world. All eyes will be on him when he begins his first sprint versus Swansea on Saturday!
10) Tika-taka football at Stoke v West Ham…
A few years back, this fixture would almost guarantee itself to be shown last on Match of the Day because of the agricultural brand of football both sides insisted on playing. Now though, Stoke prefer to keep the ball on the ground under Mark Hughes, while Sam Allardyce’s Hammers are one of the top flight’s in-form teams, playing an exciting brand of football themselves.
