Game : Manchester United vs West Ham

Venue : Old Trafford, Manchester.

After dropping points against Everton, Manchester United will be keen to get back to winning ways when they host Gianfranco Zola’s West Ham in a midweek Premiership fixture. The Hammers have lost four of their last five games, and face a real test at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

United played well against Everton, and could easily have been three or four goals ahead by half time. Marouane Felliani eventually cancelled out Darren Fletcher’s opener and earned the Toffees a point. Carlos Tevez is expected to start after being on the bench for the last few games, and that means Dimitar Berbatov will have to make way unless Ferguson chooses to go with a wild, unlikely, three striker strategy. Michael Carrick, who was injured against Newcastle, is in line for an early return against his former club. Carrick’s last United goal also came against the Hammers, in the 4-1 win in May. Wes Brown may make way for Rafael or Gary Neville at right back, but the rest of the defence is unlikely to be tinkered with. Ryan Giggs is expected to start ahead of Anderson and Park, with Ronaldo on the right wing.

West Ham managed to hold Arsenal for seventy five minutes at Upton Park, but the introduction of Togo international Emmanuel Adebayor changed the game. Julien Faubert first put the ball into his own net, and as the Hammers strove forward for an equaliser, Adebayor scored to put the game beyond their reach. West Ham played a 4-3-3 against Arsenal, with Carlton Cole playing as main striker, and Craig Bellamy and David Di Michele playing off him. That will be disturbed as Cole got himself sent off against Arsenal. Dean Ashton, Kieron Dyer, Jonathan Spector and Danny Gabbidon continue to remain on the sidelines, with Mark Noble also joining them recently. The Hammers have only won once away this season, when they beat Fulham at Loftus Road. West Ham are only three points behind United in the table, but United have an extra game in hand.

The odds that most bookies offer seem to suggest that the Hammers will get a real hammering. Paddy Power has them at 12/1, with United quoted at a very enticing 2/9. Blue Square have West Ham at 11/1, with United again quoted at 2/9. United to win this 3-1, with Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez and Bellamy on the scoresheet.

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Game : Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur

Time : 8pm GMT.

The 143rd North London derby takes place on Wednesday, with bottom of the table Tottenham Hotspur taking on Arsene Wenger’s young Gunners. It has been a horrendous start to the season for Spurs- their worst ever in a century to be precise. Spanish manager Juande Ramos has been fired, and chairman Daniel Levy has brought in Pompey boss Harry Redknapp to White Hart Lane. Asking Redknapp for a win may be asking too much though. David Pleat, Glenn Hoddle, Jacques Santini, Martin Jol and Juande Ramos did not manage to win a single North London league derby.

Arsenal are four points off leaders Liverpool, and have nineteen points from their nine games. They beat city rivals West Ham 2-0 at the weekend, with Emmanuel Adebayor having a hand in both the goals. Adebayor is expected to start against Spurs, after being benched for the game against the Hammers. Mikael Silvestre and William Gallas had a decent outing against West Ham, and will continue in defence with Clichy on the left and Sagna on the right. Nicklas Bendtner, scorer of the winner when the two teams met at the Emirates last December, will have to do with a spot on the bench. Wenger has many young attacking options, with the likes of Vela and Walcott available for selection. The midfield looks strong, with the likes of Fabregas, Song and Diaby in it.Manuel Almunia, who saved Robbie Keane’s penalty in last season’s corresponding fixture, has looked composed in goal, in comparison to Spurs’ Heurelho Gomes, who has been guilty of some unexplainable eccentricity.

Spurs restored some pride with a 2-0 win over Bolton- Harry Redknapp’s first win in his first game in charge. Roman Pavyluchenko and Darren Bent both got on the scoresheet, and that was good news for a Spurs attacking line which has been woefully out of form after the departure of Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane in the summer. Gareth Bale returns to the starting lineup after serving his one game suspension. Fellow defender Michael Dawson sits this game out- the second of his three game ban for his horrendous challenge on Stoke’s Mamady Sidibe. Spurs are also sweating on the fitness of Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate. Spurs have not won a single game on their Premier League travels, having lost three and drawn one.

Form doesn’t matter. Harry Redknapp knows all about the energy of derbies, with Portsmouth having played Southampton quite a few times. And along with the Merseyside and Manchester derbies, the North London derby is one of the biggest out there. However Spurs are still in rebuilding mode, and Arsenal, given their past record against Spurs, should win this by two or three goals, with Adebayor, Nasri and Vela scoring. Spurs are huge underdogs for this game given their current form- the odds reflect that. Paddypower has them at 13/2, and Bluesquare has them at 7/1.

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Injury hit Chelsea will look to keep their spot at the top of the Premiership table when they face Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Luis Felipe Scolari’s men, who drew with Romania’s CFR Cluj in their midweek European fixture, lead the standings with 14 points from six. But with fifth placed West Ham just two points behind them, Chelsea need to stick to their winning ways. There are big injury worries for Chelsea. The midfield duo of Michael Essien and Joe Cole are unavailable due to injury. Didier Drogba was stretchered off against Cluj and will have no role to play in this fixture. Defensive rock Ricardo Carvalho has not recovered from his medial ligament damage. There were also doubts over John Terry and Ashley Cole, but the England duo are expected to start. Centreback Alex is also a doubt, and Branislav Ivanovic will have to step in if required. In the absence of Drogba, Joe Cole, Salomon Kalou and Nicolas Anelka are Scolari’s best attacking options.

Aston Villa rested six first team regulars against Litex Lovech, and the 1-1 draw against the Bulgarians was enough for Martin O’Neill’s men to progress to the group stages of the UEFA Cup. Zat Knight and Carlos Cuellar, who played together in the heart of defence against Litex, may have to do with a spot on the bench as O’Neill reverts to his preferred central pairing of Curtis Davies and Martin Laursen. Gareth Barry and Stilian Petrov will be up against Frank Lampard and John Obi Mikel in the centre of the park. Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor will provide the pace required,with towering Norwegian striker John Carew expected to use his massive frame upfront.

Last season’s corresponding fixture was an eight goal thriller, with Zat Knight, Ricardo Carvalho and Ashley Cole all given the marching orders by referee Phil Dowd. Andriy Shevchenko, who grabbed a brace in that game, has returned to Italy. Both Laursen and Barry were on target for Villa in that game. Chelsea have not been defeated in their last 85 home games- an incredible record. Should Villa win this, they could go on top of the Premiership. We’ll probably see a high scoring draw 2-2. Agbonlahor and Carew to score for Villa, Lampard and Cole for Chelsea.

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After skipper William Gallas’ late strike earned them a point in Kiev, Arsene Wenger’s men travel to the Reebok Stadium to play against Bolton Wanderers in a weekend Premiership clash.

Arsenal were the better team in Kiev, but looked to be coming out of the Ukranian capital with nothing to show for their efforts with minutes left on the clock when Gallas scored that crucial goal. And while the long trip to Kiev might have left the Gunners tired, they will start favourites against a Bolton side who have simply struggled to get going this season. Arsenal cruised past Newcastle 3-0 and Blackburn 4-0 in their last two Premiership games in comparison to the Trotters, who have found the back of the net just once in their last three outings. Against Kiev, Arsenal made just one change to the team that beat Blackburn Rovers, bringing in Alexandre Song for Emmanuel Eboue. Should Wenger want to give Adebayor or Van Persie rest upfront, we could see Nicklas Bendtner and/or Carlos Vela start. Diaby, Rosicky and Eduardo continue to remain long term absentees. Silvestre is still struggling for fitness, while the status of Samir Nasri’s knee remains unclear.

Bolton have been a bit of a ”bother” team for Arsenal in recent times, especially at the Reebok. However if they play the same way they did against Fulham, then they are not going to pose much of a threat to the Gunners. Bolton had three players in midfield, but Fulham’s Danny Murphy and Jimmy Bullard simply dominated them. The Trotters were outplayed in every department and let Fulham run circles around them. One reason for Bolton being so goal shy in their recent games is their inability to create chances, and Megson would have let his players know that. We could see Johan Elmander back in action, for the former Toulouse hitman has started training. Ricaro Vaz Te impressed for the Reserves against Newcastle, and he will be an option for Megson to use should Elmander be unavailable.

Bolton have Manchester United away after hosting Arsenal. Should they be decimated by Arsenal, Megson will come under greater pressure. Arsenal should win this by two or three goals, with Fabregas, Walcott and Adebayor likely scorers.

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