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Chelsea and Manchester United, the two teams that have shared the Premier League trophy for the last six years, go head to head at Stamford Bridge on Sunday in a match that could well be very important in the destination of the 2010/11 Premiership crown. There would be no better time for the Blues to end their winless run that to register a victory against their fiercest Premier League challengers. Elsewhere Arsenal will be looking to get their title hunt back on track at home Stoke and Roy Hodgson faces up against his old side Fulham, hoping to win three points for Liverpool at Anfield. You can see this week’s predictions in full on the next page, with Martin Lipton and Shaun Custis’ predictions below…

Will you back Chelsea or Man United with your FREE £20 Bet?

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Martin Lipton:

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Shaun Custis:

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Do you agree with the Premier League predictions made this week?

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Continued on Page TWO Holy Crap – it’s live fantasy football! Become part of Chelsea v Manchester United and play Picklive for FREE Watch and bet live – spices up any game!

Football Writers’ Association Predictions – 18-19 Dec

Overall standings

1. Steve Bates -84

2. Martin Lipton – 83

3. Andy Dunn – 81

4. Shaun Custis – 79

5. Des Kelly – 79

6. Glenn Moore – 75

7. Danny Fulbrook – 72

8. Patrick Barclay – 68

–

December standings:

1. Steve Bates – 11

2. Martin Lipton – 10

3. Andy Dunn – 9

4. Glenn Moore – 9

5. Patrick Barclay – 8

6. Shaun Custis – 8

7. Des Kelly – 8

8. Danny Fulbrook – 6

–

Patrick Barclay (The Times)

Home Team

Away Team

Arsenal

V

Stoke

H

Birmingham

V

Newcastle

H

Blackburn

V

West Ham

H

Blackpool

V

Tottenham

A

Wigan

V

Aston Villa

A

Liverpool

V

Fulham

H

West Brom

V

Wolves

D

Chelsea

V

Man United

D

Man City

V

Everton

H

Leeds

V

QPR

A

Liverpool v Fulham: Roy’s old boys to suffer an Anfield backlash

Des Kelly (Daily Mail)

Home Team

Away Team

Arsenal

V

Stoke

H

Birmingham

V

Newcastle

D

Blackburn

V

West Ham

H

Blackpool

V

Tottenham

A

Wigan

V

Aston Villa

H

Liverpool

V

Fulham

D

West Brom

V

Wolves

H

Chelsea

V

Man United

A

Man City

V

Everton

H

Leeds

V

QPR

D

Blackpool v Tottenham: Combine the fact that Blackpool are stronger away from home than in their own back yard and fifth-placed Tottenham need to win this type of game if they are going to give any credence to Harry Redknapp’s claim they are genuine title contenders and it all points to an away win.

Shaun Custis (The Sun)

Home Team

Away Team

Arsenal

V

Stoke

H

Birmingham

V

Newcastle

H

Blackburn

V

West Ham

D

Blackpool

V

Tottenham

A

Wigan

V

Aston Villa

D

Liverpool

V

Fulham

H

West Brom

V

Wolves

H

Chelsea

V

Man United

D

Man City

V

Everton

H

Leeds

V

QPR

H

Arsenal v Stoke: The Gunners weren’t great at Old Trafford on Monday but should get back on track with victory over The Potters.

Continue to PAGE THREE for more Premier League predictions…

Andy Dunn (News of the World)

Home Team

Away Team

Arsenal

V

Stoke

H

Birmingham

V

Newcastle

H

Blackburn

V

West Ham

A

Blackpool

V

Tottenham

A

Wigan

V

Aston Villa

H

Liverpool

V

Fulham

D

West Brom

V

Wolves

A

Chelsea

V

Man United

A

Man City

V

Everton

D

Leeds

V

QPR

H

Birmingham v Newcastle: Alan Pardew got off to a great start in an emotionally-charged game against Liverpool but this will be a tougher assignment. Still smarting over the dismissal of Chris Hughton, there might be a sense of deflation and Birmingham can capitalise.

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Martin Lipton (The Mirror)

Home Team

Away Team

Arsenal

V

Stoke

H

Birmingham

V

Newcastle

H

Blackburn

V

West Ham

D

Blackpool

V

Tottenham

D

Wigan

V

Aston Villa

H

Liverpool

V

Fulham

H

West Brom

V

Wolves

D

Chelsea

V

Man United

A

Man City

V

Everton

D

Leeds

V

QPR

H

Blackburn v West Ham: One team without a manager, one team maybe set to lose theirs. One point each. And not a match to remember, either.

Steve Bates (The People)

Home Team

Away Team

Arsenal

V

Stoke

H

Birmingham

V

Newcastle

H

Blackburn

V

West Ham

D

Blackpool

V

Tottenham

A

Wigan

V

Aston Villa

H

Liverpool

V

Fulham

H

West Brom

V

Wolves

A

Chelsea

V

Man United

A

Man City

V

Everton

H

Leeds

V

QPR

H

Wigan v Aston Villa: Roberto Martinez masterminded Wigan to a good draw at Everton last week and I’m predicting the Latics to sneak a win over Villa who have found it tough on their travels this season.

Glenn Moore (The Independent)

Home Team

Away Team

Arsenal

V

Stoke

H

Birmingham

V

Newcastle

D

Blackburn

V

West Ham

D

Blackpool

V

Tottenham

A

Wigan

V

Aston Villa

A

Liverpool

V

Fulham

H

West Brom

V

Wolves

H

Chelsea

V

Man United

D

Man City

V

Everton

D

Leeds

V

QPR

D

Chelsea v Man United: Two teams bouyed by their last result but both desperate to avoid defeat. A stalemate beckons.

After a superb performance and result against title rivals Chelsea on Monday night, Arsenal once again failed to beat a smaller team in the Premier League. Arsene Wenger felt the need to make EIGHT changes to the Gunners line-up tonight, which had a number of fans scratching their heads in bewilderment (including myself).

Arsenal fell behind after referee Lee Probert awarded Wigan a penalty which Ben Watson converted. Having gone behind, Arsenal (as usual) awoke and struck back with two goals through Andrey Arshavin and Nicklas Bendtner before the end of the first half. The Gunners were not playing well by any means, but they had their noses in front. Their win percentage grew after Charles N’Zogbia was sent off following a head-butt on Jack Wilshere in the 77th minute. From that point, it seemed like Arsenal were on their way to bag the three points, unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Arsenal’s defensive frailties were once again visible after failing to clear a corner which resulted in Sebastien Squillaci heading the ball into his own net.

We came away with a 2-2 draw, but I for one knew that Arsenal were going to struggle due to Wenger’s team selection. The overall performance was nowhere near the one they displayed on Monday night and to the fans frustrations (including my own), Arsenal have once again failed to take advantage of Manchester United’s dropped points.

So I ask my fellow Arsenal fans: what are the five things we learnt about the Gunners last night?

Read more Arsenal blogs at the NEW Gunnersphere website

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For a lot of people, the New Year is a time for new beginnings…and it seems many football clubs have decided to take the same approach.

Despite the festivity that engulfs the country this time of year, many managers find themselves out of a job. Since Christmas Day, a little over two weeks ago, 11 managers across the four leagues have left their club. But what is it that has lead Chairmen to get rid of their managers at such a vital part of the season? What reasons have they given for deciding to go with a ‘different approach’? I’ve ‘bolded-up’ the reasons so it’s easier to compare each departure.

The mass exodus began on December 29th when Brian Laws was shown the door by Burnley. The reason for his departure was that the club wanted ‘a different direction’ as they looked for a return to the Premier League. However, it is worth pointing out that Burnley are ninth in the league, two points off the play-offs and lost just once this season.

Just a couple of hours later, ‘sacking fever’ reached neighbours Preston, who said farewell to Darren Ferguson. With the club bottom of the league, five points adrift of safety, the board felt a new manager ‘might bring better fortune’. ‘Fergie Jr’ took charge in January last year, but had only won 13 out of 49 games. Former Hull boss Phil Brown has been hand the task of avoiding relegation.

New Year’s Day was the scene of the next sacking, when Crystal Palace boss George Burley left the club following their 3-0 defeat to rivals Millwall. Despite only seven months in charge, Burley was unable to steer Palace clear of the relegation zone. The reason for his departure – simply ‘things didn’t work out’.

Another New Year hangover that was worsened was that of Mark Stimson, who was relieved of his duties by Barnet. The club is in danger of slipping out of the Football League after they slipped to 23rd in League Two. Chairman Tony Kleanthous says he was left with ‘no alternative’. To be fair, he probably has a point. 91st in the Football League isn’t exactly a great place to be.

After having a few days to recover from New Year hangovers, the departure lounge reopened on the January 4th. First to leave was Walsall boss Chris Hutchings. Sitting bottom of League One, eight points adrift of safety, it’s fair to see why he is now jobless. Chairman Jeff Bonser praised his professionalism, but said football is a ‘results business’ and they simply ‘weren’t achieving’.

Just a few hours later, fellow League One side Charlton decided that Phil Parkinson’s time was up. Now, this is a sacking I can’t fully understand. The club stated that ‘clearly improvement is needed on the field’. OK, Charlton haven’t won in the league since November, but they are still fifth in the league, just five points off automatic promotion. It just seems a little harsh to me.

The trio of departures was completed when Paul Simpson was sacked by Stockport. Simpson, who only took charge six months ago, had won just three times in 19 games – a run which had seen the side slip towards the bottom of League Two. The club said that although they were thankful for his services, a change was ‘necessary’. Fair enough.

Roy Keane’s time at Ipswich ended on January 7th. Chief Executive Simon Clegg said ‘the club had not made the expected progress’ with Keane in charge. You can see his point, with the club languishing in 19th in the Championship this year. Paul Jewell, who has won promotion twice, has been handed the reigns.

The biggest departure without doubt came on January 8th, when Roy Hodgson left Liverpool, an exit that had been predicted by many. A season spent mainly in the lower half of the table, has seen Hodgson popularity nose-dive dramatically. Owner John W. Henry said that ‘both parties thought it in the best interests of the club’ if he left, but Hodgson himself said he was ‘very sad’ at not being able to continue to help the team. Will ‘King Kenny’ bring anything different to a demoralised Liverpool side?

Kevin Dillon was next to go when he left Aldershot on January 10th. Sitting 20th in League Two, many feel the club are underachieving – a belief shared by the board. Dillon left – by mutual consent, of course.

The sackings were rounded up by the 11th on the 11/1/11 when Gary Johnson left Peterborough United by ‘mutual consent’. With the club sitting seventh in League One, most would say there were on target for a decent season, so why would he want to leave? It has emerged that Johnson and the Chairman ‘did not see eye-to-eye’ and were unable to work together any more.

So there we have it, 11 sackings in just over two weeks. Most of them do seem fair enough, with a change at the helm inevitable if the clubs are to fight their way out of relegation trouble. However, there are the unlucky ones like Parkinson, who was dismissed possibly harshly, and Johnson, who can count himself unfortunate that his relationship with his Chairman wasn’t ‘pally’ enough.

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I think it’s time to end this article now – by mutual consent.

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When Manchester United went to White Hart Lane for the league fixture with Tottenham earlier this month, manager Sir Alex Ferguson admitted that he wished United had done more to bring Gareth Bale to Old Trafford. The Welshman has evolved into one the brightest talents in word football, and now Ferguson is preparing a move to ensure another young star doesn’t slip through his fingers, with a last minute attempt to buy much coveted Southampton wonder-kid, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The 17-year-old has been widely expected to join United’s Premier League rivals Arsenal, after boss Arsene Wenger recently spoke of his desire to bring him to the Emirates. It wouldn’t be the first time Ferguson has lost out on to his old adversary on a transfer target either. As well as Bale, Fergie also tried to snap up Aaron Ramsay from Cardiff, but he chose to opt for North London instead after United wanted to loan the Welshman back to Cardiff for another season.

United never did enough for Ramsay to choose Old Trafford. He was shown around the Carrington training ground by Gary Neville, where as Wenger personally saw to it that the youngster got everything he needed. Similarly, United only offered £5 million for Bale when there was clearly competition.

So if Ferguson is serious about taking this opportunity, he needs to make Chamberlain believe he is going to be the new Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford, and he must also ensure they outbid anyone else. Say what you want about the ethics of big clubs taking other sides young products away, but Chamberlain has made himself a wanted man. He has had his head turned by the bright lights of the Premier League, trophies and European football. Southampton simply cannot compete.

The problem that comes with going for a player who is wanted by some of the biggest clubs in the world, is that his price tag is going to rocket. Any attempt to buy him is going to cost United £10 million, and then the rest on top probably. It certainly represents a gamble. Bale has proved his worth and so has Walcott, but the latter took his time and many other clubs would have given up on the winger long ago.

It is believed that Chamberlain would prefer to follow in Theo Walcott’s footsteps and move from St Marys to Arsenal but you can bet that, if Ferguson wants the midfielder, he will surely do more to get his man.

Is it a gamble worth taking? Only time will tell. Chamberlain certainly has the potential to be another top player but his next move is going to be surrounded by the media with incredible intensity. I’ll bet the United manager is willing to take that risk though if it means he doesn’t lose out on yet another world-class prospect.

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Newcastle manager Alan Pardew was frustrated his side could not capitalise on their midfield dominance in their 0-0 draw against Blackburn.

With Blackburn United’s bogey side in recent times – having lost their past six to Rovers – a point pre-match would have pleased Pardew.

But the Newcastle boss said their performance deserved more over their mid-table English Premier League rivals.

“We stood up to a Blackburn side who were determined to put a bad run behind them and we got a well-earned point today,” Pardew told Sky Sports.

“We’re just so disappointed we didn’t come away with something bigger than we got. Jose Enrique today was magnificent, probably the best player on the pitch.”

“But we just didn’t get a break – something to fall for us – and unfortunately we didn’t get the win which perhaps we deserved.”

Pardew credited his side’s defence with the result, with defender Mike Williamson coming in for particular praise. The 27-year-old copped a kick to the face and incurring a blood nose in separate incidents.

“We’ve been strong defensively since I’ve been at the club and I’ve worked really hard on that. So that first half against Arsenal (when they leaked four goals) was a freak for us,” Pardew said.

“(Mike) Williamson, in particular, has stepped up to the Premier League this year and proved what a great signing he is and he did well today.”

Blackburn boss Steve Kean was also full of praise for his back four for maintaining a clean sheet.

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“We really need to get a foundation of a clean sheet, we set that as the first target today. We thought we’d get more attempts on goal, but it was just one of those days,” Kean told Sky Sports.

“In the last three games we’ve been getting double-figure shots on goal but today it wasn’t our day and we will have to respect a point.”

“I felt we were edgy from the first minute and a little bit frantic. We rushed our passes and never got started. We never got any rhythm into our play.”

Mircea Lucescu paid tribute to his Shakhtar Donetsk players after their 3-2 victory away to Roma in the Champions League knockout stages.

Simone Perrotta gave hosts Roma the lead in the 28th minute at the Stadio Olimpico, but goals from Brazilian trio Jadson, Douglas Costa and Luiz Adriano put the visitors in command.

France international Jeremy Menez pulled one back for Roma, but it is the Ukrainian side who will hold the advantage ahead of the return fixture at the Donbass Arena on March 8.

“The result is great and we deserved it,” Lucescu said.

“We were lucky Roma were so nervous. Fans can only imagine how difficult it was on the pitch, but we’re a highly organised team and fast on the counterattack.”

“I knew the level of my players and I was completely confident they would give their all to achieve this result. This is how we repay our fans and our president.”

“We should attack at home because Roma will also go forward. They will probably play a different game, hit us on the counterattack, but in any case they’re a very strong side.”

Roma coach Claudio Ranieri was left to rue his team’s lapse in concentration immediately after taking the lead.

“We started very well; we were doing everything we had too in the early stages,” Ranieri said.

“We knew they could be dangerous on the counterattack because their players have pace and technique. Then we scored, but 45 seconds later they equalised.”

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“Small things like this can turn games around. We played well tactically, but we should have been more careful immediately after taking the lead. Then (Douglas) Costa scored a great goal, while the third was just unfortunate.”

“We have to accept the result but I’m satisfied with my players, especially in the second half because they reacted and tried to come back from 3-1 down, a result which could have left us on our knees.”

“We weren’t lucky tonight but we won’t give up because it could be the other way around in Ukraine.”

Barcelona playmaker Xavi offered a blunt assessment of Arsenal following his side’s 4-3 aggregate victory in the Champions League on Tuesday.Leading 2-1 heading into the round-of-16 second-leg match at the Nou Camp, Arsene Wenger’s side failed to register a single shot on goal in the match, with an own goal from Sergio Busquets their only moment of joy in a 3-1 defeat.Stand-in captain Xavi got his name on the scoresheet for the La Liga outfit as did Argentinean ace Lionel Messi, who opened the scoring just before half-time with an exquisite chip before wrapping the fixture up with a second from the penalty spot.Xavi said the English Premier League club showed little attacking intent in the game, and claimed he had expected more from them.The game swung in the 56th minute as Dutch striker Robin van Persie was ordered off for a second caution when he fired a shot on goal moments after the referee had blown the whistle for offside – a ruling that incensed Wenger.Xavi, however, feels the decision to dismiss van Persie was warranted.”Arsenal really didn’t want to play football. All they cared about was defending. The red card did affect the game, but the decision was right in my opinion,” the Spain midfielder said.”This is a fair result – we were the superior team both in the away game and at home. There’s justice in football. They had clearly come here to defend. They didn’t even have one single shot on goal. I expected a lot more from them to be honest.””(Javier) Mascherano and (Sergio) Busquets are simply amazing for the team, while Leo (Messi) once again stepped up to make the difference.” “The only thing that could have been better was our finishing. We should have scored more and we suffered too much. We could have killed the game a lot sooner.” Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, meanwhile, claimed responsibility for the loss after his careless backheel in first-half stoppage time led to Messi’s opener.Fabregas took to his Twitter page to express his remorse.”Great support from the Arsenal fans. I take full blame for the result tonight,” Fabregas wrote.”One of the worst moments of my life. I apologise.”

Lille recaptured the top spot on the Ligue 1 table with a last-gasp 2-1 win over visiting Valenciennes as Paris Saint-Germain lost ground.In a thrilling finish, Belgian starlet Eden Hazard struck in the dying seconds to deny Valenciennes a point and send Lille three points clear of Stade Rennes at the head of the table.

Lille started poorly and looked bereft of creativity without suspended midfielder Florent Balmont, but nevertheless took the lead in the 39th minute through Moussa Sow.

The Senegal international, who leads the Ligue 1 scoring table with 18 goals this term, latched on to a well-placed feed from Hazard and fired a powerful shot from the right that took a deflection on its way past Valenciennes goalkeeper Nicolas Penneteau.

The visitors started to find their feet in the second half and drew themselves level in the 59th minute on a clever bit of play from Renaud Cohade, who feigned a dash and slotted the ball between two Lille defenders for a cool finish from Gregory Pujol.

Valenciennes looked to have secured a well-earned point as the game reached injury time, but Lille captain Rio Mavuba had other ideas and found Hazard unmarked in the penalty area with a terrific cross, and the Belgian striker made no mistake with his finish.

It was Valenciennes’ first league loss in two months, and leaves the visitors 14th on the table and a mere three points from the relegation zone.

Elsewhere, PSG had to settle for a point after drawing 2-2 in the capital with Montpellier.

France international Guillaume Hoarau put the hosts ahead in the 11th minute, and two minutes later Montpellier defender Mapou Yangambiwa deflected a cross into his own net to put PSG 2-0 up.

But an Oliver Giroud brace in the second half ensured Montpellier could leave the Parc des Princes with their pride intact, the former Tours striker scoring two minutes after the restart and again in the 59th minute.

The result leaves PSG fifth on the table, three points behind third-placed Lyon and eight adrift of Lille.

Monaco climbed out of the relegation zone for the first time in 2011 with a 1-0 victory at Bordeaux.

Adriano’s 22nd-minute winner was enough to earn the struggling side just their second away win of the season, the Brazilian defender rising highest head a corner past Bordeaux custodian Cedric Carrasso.

It can’t be easy to be Gerard Houllier right now. The world is very much against him and regardless of whether it is or isn’t his own doing, it’s not a nice position to be in. Following Aston Villa’s 1-0 home defeat by Wolves, the manager was greeted by a sea of boos. This soon transformed into a chorus of “We want Houllier out!” and it was clear that fan feeling towards Houllier was at an all time low. Villa too, are at something of a nadir, resting as they do just one point clear of the relegation zone. They are placed rather precariously at the ledge just beyond the edge, ready to drop into the precipice below.

Houllier’s post-game interview was somewhat fascinating as he attempted to weigh up the consequences of another disappointing result in combination with the wealth of poor feeling projected his way amongst fans. He started off rather well – “[The fans] are not happy with me and I’m not happy with what we are doing,” before going on to confess that “the hostility was not something I have really faced before.”

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Unfortunately, he went on to say, “The fans need to support the team”. Which, regardless of context just seems callous, provocative and generally misjudged. No fan likes to hear their support or loyalty questioned, particularly by a manager who seemingly refuses to acknowledge or bear responsibility for his own mistakes.

Surely after everything that’s happened, Houllier is in a better position than most to attest to the passion prevalent throughout Villa fans. There’s nothing wrong with being dissatisfied with the current position of the club – Villa deserve better. To have a dig at the fans for voicing this dissatisfaction seems to me to be a step too far. Particularly as it was clear that the fan’s dissatisfaction was levelled at him and not at the team.

The trouble with Houllier is that he has acknowledged that there are various problems within the squad whilst at the same time refusing to tackle them head on. With Villa in their current position, it’s not good enough to merely wait for the summer and attempt to fix things. At the moment it appears the fan’s image of Houllier is of a man at one removed from his team, of somebody not fully committed to the Villa cause and it seems that every other day brings further evidence that this could be the case.

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It’s Houllier, not the fans who ends up looking passionless. Something has to change.

Read more of Harry’s articles at the excellent ‘This Is Futbol’

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Manchester United reached the Champions League semi-finals and kept their treble dream alive as they beat 10-man Chelsea 2-1 on Tuesday.Sir Alex Ferguson’s men progressed 3-1 on aggregate thanks to goals from Javier Hernandez and Ji-Sung Park in an irrepressible display at Old Trafford.

It was a terrible night for Chelsea, who scored through substitute Didier Drogba, but had Ramires sent off and saw their Champions league dream ended yet again.

United beat Chelsea in the final in Moscow in 2008 and this result was another famous victory for Ferguson?s side who are also top of the English Premier League and through to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

In this tie they should have gone ahead after 26 minutes when Rooney?s excellent cross was turned home by Hernandez, only for the goal to be harshly ruled offside.

But they grabbed the all-important goal two minutes before half-time to take a 2-0 advantage in the tie.

It was a clever touch from Irishman John O?Shea that set Ryan Giggs free on the right side, and the veteran midfielder danced into the area before crossing low for the predatory Hernandez to stretch and slide home at the far post.

It was just desserts for United, who showed real energy and desire to get at the Chelsea defence with Rooney, Hernandez, Park and Nani all showing pace, energy and zip.

Chelsea, though, had started the stronger, surprising their hosts with a new ?christmas tree? formation that featured Fernando Torres up front on his own and Nicolas Anelka in a deep-lying creative role.

Anelka had the first real chance of the game, curling an effort just wide, and also went close with another shot from 20 yards. But the best opportunity fell to Frank Lampard early on when he side footed straight to van der Sar when well placed.

Chelsea lived to rue that miss as United took the advantage and by half-time Ancelotti had seen enough ? ruthlessly substituting Torres for Drogba at half-time.

The Ivorian quickly made a difference, seeing one shot fly narrowly wide and a free-kick saved by van der Sar. But Chelsea?s night was effectively over when Ramires, already booked in the first half, lost balance as he clattered into Nani and was sent off.

The decision was perhaps harsh but in many ways it had been coming – Chelsea thundering into a series of tough challenges that left the Old Trafford crowd irate. They simply couldn?t cope with the pace and trickery of Nani, Rooney and Hernandez.

Drogba did equalise after 76 minutes, turning superbly on a long pass from Michael Essien. But United replied within 60 seconds when Park drilled home a left-foot strike to clinch United a place in the last four and leave Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti under intense pressure.