Lawro's predictions | ||||||||||||||||
 HOW DID LAWRO DO LAST TIME?
PREMIER LEAGUE PREDICTIONS (All kick-offs are 1500 GMT unless specified) SATURDAY Man City v Middlesbrough (1245 GMT)
I cannot see anything but a home win here. Manchester City might not have got all their presents from Santa that they were hoping for but they are going to improve. Middlesbrough are not good on the road - they have not won an away game in the league since early November - and have found themselves in a bit of trouble. They are on a bad run but it will turn and there are plenty of other sides in a similar position, so it is too early to panic. Verdict: 2-0 Blackburn v Aston Villa
Rovers manager Sam Allardyce is still unbeaten and I think that will continue this weekend. The players will be full of confidence after their recent run and because they are at home. Allardyce has instilled a bit of steel in them and the Roque Santa Cruz situation has now been put to bed until the summer - when he will likely leave - and Sam will be looking to get the best out of him. Villa are on a fantastic run away from home, with seven league wins on the bounce, but that has to come to an end at some stage. Verdict: 1-1 Chelsea v Hull
Chelsea looked really ordinary last Sunday against Liverpool. I know Frank Lampard should have stayed on the pitch, but they struggled going forward and barely managed a shot on goal. They have brought in Ricardo Quaresma, who seems like the sort of player in need of an arm around him and Chelsea boss Phil Scolari could be the man to do that. Hull have signed one or two players who will need a bit of time to gel in the side, but they need to go to Stamford Bridge and just dig in. Teams that have gone there this season with five across the midfield have often caused Chelsea problems. Verdict: 2-0 Everton v Bolton
Everton's recent performances have been really good, but it will be interesting to see whether they have the legs to win this one. They will have to recover from playing extra-time in Wednesday's FA Cup win over Liverpool, while Bolton have had the week off after their good win over Spurs. Everton should win but we will see if they have anything left in the tank against a Bolton side that looked doomed in October, fantastic in November but have been up and down since. Verdict: 1-1 Sunderland v Stoke
Stoke just cannot win away and their route away from the bottom three clearly lies with their home form. They have a few fixtures coming up against the likes of Portsmouth, Bolton, Middlesbrough and Newcastle that will be crucial for them. Sunderland look like they are starting to gel, with Kenwyne Jones and Djibril Cisse up front now getting more support from a midfield that has more quality and an improving defence. Verdict: 2-0 West Brom v Newcastle
West Brom are going through the sort of spell where they seem to have identified the fixtures at home that are winnable. They lost to Manchester United, Chelsea and Aston Villa but other than that their results in the league have been decent since mid-December. I am just not convinced at all about Newcastle. They looked so flat in the first half last weekend against Sunderland, which is strange for a derby game and says more about the sort of characters they have than the manager. Verdict: 2-1 Wigan v Fulham
Steve Bruce has done a super job with Wigan and I fancy them to win this. Bruce knew he was going to lose Wilson Palacios and Emile Heskey and he made sure he had replacements lined up. And he has brought in players with something to prove. Fulham have come unstuck on the road - they are without an away win in the league this season - but they also have a very good manager. Both Bruce and Roy Hodgson have enjoyed a good 12 months and that should continue. Verdict: 2-1 Portsmouth v Liverpool (1730 GMT)
I do not understand talk of Pompey boss Tony Adams having three games to save his job. Either the board think he can do the job or not and he has had the rug pulled from under his feet with the sales of Jermain Defoe and Lassana Diarra. He got a few players in and the likes of Peter Crouch and Jermaine Pennant will have a point to prove against former club Liverpool. Liverpool look like they will not have Steven Gerrard fit and Fernando Torres did not appear to be moving very well towards the end of the Everton defeat. I think they will find Pompey a tough place to go. Verdict: 1-1 SUNDAY Tottenham v Arsenal (1330 GMT)
Arsenal are becoming the draw kings - they've had three in a row - but there is a lot at stake in this north London derby. There is extra intrigue with Robbie Keane and Andrey Arshavin possibly involved and I think it is very important for Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp not to lose. Arsenal have kept going without pulling up any trees. They are a very good team, they are just a very good team with failings. They still have a decent chance of finishing in the top four - they are just not capable of winning the league any more. Verdict: 1-1 West Ham v Man Utd (1600 GMT)
West Ham are arguably the form team in the division alongside United. They have really improved and I have been surprised by how well manager Gianfranco Zola has done. When he first took over they lost a few games and it looked like he was going to have to sell, sell, sell. But he has done really well and long may it continue as he is showing that nice guys can be successful. But I am not sure whether they can trouble the United defence and with players coming back I think the reigning champions are going to be difficult to stop. They love to lead the table and when they get out in front they do not slip up very often. Verdict: 0-2 Mark Lawrenson was talking to BBC Sport's Andrew McKenzie | ||||||||||||||||
2009년 2월 6일 금요일
[EPL25R] Lawro's predictions
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