Aston Villa v Man Utd
They've lost to Chelsea, drawn with Liverpool and beaten Arsenal.Given that they lost at home to Middlesbrough before their superb win at the Emirates, the word is probably 'inconsistent' and four defeats in their opening 13 league games shows that Villa, despite showing plenty of promise, are a long way from the finished article. And that's why United might just put them in their place on Saturday. As well as United desperately needing the points to try and keep pace with Chelsea and Liverpool, there is also the little matter of recent history which shows that Sir Alex Ferguson's men have won the last 14 matches against Villa - an astonishing record. Cristiano Ronaldo has netted five times in the last six meetings against Villa and is very much back in the groove again with six goals in his last five United starts.
Verdict: Aston Villa 1 Man Utd 3
Chelsea v Newcastle
Chelsea's home record (W3-D2-L1) is far inferior to their incredible away record (seven straight wins). However, Newcastle have been hopeless on the road this season, taking just two points out of 18, so it's hard to get away from a routine home win. Adding to that belief is the fact that Chelsea have won six straight at home against Newcastle in the Premier League so the visitors appear to have nothing in their favour. The Magpies drew 1-1 at OldTrafford and haven't lost by more than a single goal since Joe Kinnear took over and increased their fighting spirit. They've also lost by the minimum margin on their last three visits to Stamford Bridge so may give Chelsea a closer game than many are expecting.
Verdict: Chelsea 2 Newcastle 1
Liverpool v Fulham
Taking into account the full season stats and Liverpool don't look a great bet at 10/11 to beat Fulham by two goals or more. Despite the Reds winning 10 Premier League games this season, Liverpool (-1) has only collected on three occasions. However, there's a feeling now that Rafa Benitez's men are really starting to dominate games rather then rely on heroic comebacks as they were earlier in the campaign. Liverpool have won their last two PL games by the necessary two-goal margin (home to West Brom and away to Bolton) and Saturday's opposition have taken just one point out of 15 on the road. Liverpool have won six of the last eight Premier League meetings against Fulham and all of those were by at least a two-goal margin. And with Fernando Torres coming back to full fitness, the hosts should be able to put away more of the numerous chances they've been creating.
Verdict: Liverpool 2 Fulham 0
my personal analysis and views on the above 3 games.
