Gabriel's Weekend Predictions: Week Five

Welcome all, to a weekly feature in which I predict this weekend's matches, in the Premier League and the Championship. Here goes...

Premier League

Norwich vs. Aston Villa

Will Lambert win on return to Norwich?

Both teams come into the game having only managed one shot on target in their last match, which makes me think this will be a low-scoring contest. Norwich put in a slightly disappointing performance at Spurs last week, only having 32% possession. Chris Hughton cited the quality in the Spurs team as a factor in their win and took the ‘not our day’ line, but I feel the money Norwich have spent this summer, the performance could have been better. Villa lost at home to Newcastle, and all of a sudden that opening day win at Arsenal seems like a long time ago. With a key defender in Jores Okore now out for nine months, I get a sense that they’ll be very reliant on Christian Benteke once again, and it’s up to Norwich to keep him quiet. 1-0.

Liverpool vs. Southampton

Can Sturridge make it 5 goals from 5?

Liverpool drew at Swansea last time out, but overall they’ve made an excellent start to their quest for a Champions League place – it’s far too early to talk about them as title contenders. Southampton have amassed a below-par two points from three games against Sunderland, Norwich and West Ham, where they should have been expecting to pick up five or six with the squad they have. Liverpool to remain top of the table on Saturday with a win, and place a little bit more importance on Southampton’s game against Crystal Palace next week. 2-0.

Newcastle vs. Hull

Ben Arfa - a match-winner

After Newcastle’s no-show defeat against Man City on the opening day, and a lacklustre draw with West Ham, I didn’t expect them to pick up back-to-back wins. But that’s exactly what they’ve done and now they will reach an average of two points per game, if they beat a Hull side who have made a steady start to life in the Premier League. So far they don’t look like they’ll concede many goals this season, but the main issue is whether they can find a goalscorer in their ranks, Danny Graham is yet to score for them and missed a number of good chances against Cardiff. It might be difficult to build his confidence in front of goal. On that basis, I’d have to fancy Newcastle to keep a clean sheet, because they’ve only conceded one goal since the opening day, so they’ll get a 1-0 win.

West Brom vs. Sunderland

Who will win early battle at the bottom?

An early bottom-of-the-table clash, with the added spice of Stephane Sessegnon having his work permit granted in time to play against his old club. Sunderland lost at home to Arsenal, the fact that they lost 3-1 with just 32% possession and two shots on target suggests they were beaten comfortably, but there were a number of worrying moments for Arsenal. After Sunderland equalized, they were on the front foot and looked like scoring, even at 2-1 they had a disallowed goal. The problem is, things just don’t seem to be falling Sunderland’s way at the moment, whereas West Brom battled for a good point at Fulham, and their squad is freshened up with Sessegnon now added. With home advantage I’ll go with West Brom to win 2-1, but neither side could afford to settle for a draw.

West Ham vs. Everton

Carroll injured - West Ham to struggle for goals?

This might be West Ham and Everton’s third goalless draw of the season, both teams would be content with a point. It’ll be key for West Ham to avoid getting into a series of defeats at this stage, so the pressure on Mladen Petric to replace Andy Carroll can be temporarily reduced. On the other hand, it’s key for Everton to make sure they maintain some of the momentum from beating Chelsea last week, which would dissipate if they lost this match. Both teams are struggling for a reliable goalscorer at the moment. Lukaku is a good loan signing for Everton, but he’ll be under a lot of pressure for someone as young as 19, he’ll be expected to score goals which wasn’t necessarily the case at West Brom. This goes down as a 0-0 draw in my book.

Chelsea vs. Fulham

Does Juan Mata, Mata Juan bit to Mourinho?

I was shocked that Chelsea lost 2-1 at home to Basel on Wednesday, I didn’t see it coming at all. Chelsea fans seem to be concerned about the omission of Juan Mata from the team, and I feel the problem Chelsea are having, is that the squad is almost too big and lacks structure. They’ve signed players willy-nilly this summer, Abramovich had a lot to do with the signing of Willian. I predicted with Mourinho back, he’d soften his grip of the club’s transfer policy, but it seems I was wrong. Fulham with their experience, will provide an unexpectedly difficult test, and I might stick my neck out and say they’ll grab a point. They can capitalise on the potentially shell-shocked atmosphere at Stamford Bridge with a moment of quality from Taarabt or Berbatov, and grab a shock 1-1.

Arsenal vs. Stoke

Giroud - improved season ahead?

Olivier Giroud is in fine form for Arsenal, having already scored five goals from five games. After what was a bit of a transitional season for the Frenchman last year, he’s already scored a third of the number of goals he scored last season, in an eighth of the number of games. With Mesut Ozil in behind him this season, I’d back him to reach the 20-mark. Stoke have started the season well, but Arsenal are in my opinion the best passers in the league, and with the pitch at the Emirates so wide, I think they’ll create a lot of shooting opportunities. Erik Pieters is a left-back who likes to move forward, so I can see Theo Walcott having a field day on the right, Arsenal to win 3-0.

Crystal Palace vs. Swansea

Can 'Olly's boys climb out bottom three with a win?

With Norwich and Villa playing each other, Palace will take themselves out of the drop zone with a win, and Swansea might fancy their chances against last season’s play-off victors, so I can see a game with goals. Swansea have had to cope with a European trip to Valencia this week, so they’ve only had a day to prepare for the match, seeing as they will have been travelling and resting on the Friday. Crystal Palace made a decent account of themselves at Old Trafford last week, with the first goal conceded being a wrongly-awarded penalty, and so far they’ve at least looked competent in the Premier League. I think it’ll be an entertaining draw here. 2-2.

Cardiff vs. Tottenham

A tough trip awaits Spurs

Most people seem to have this down as a routine win for Spurs, but I think Cardiff might get a point. The atmosphere their fans created against Man City played a big part in the goals they scored, and they also managed to keep at bay a top ten team like Everton on their own turf. If they can send three quality teams away from the Welsh capital without a win, that will do their confidence a lot of good. Spurs were playing at home in Europe, and at the time of writing, are expected to have a comfortable time against Tromso, but it’ll still be an adjustment to go from resting from the match on Friday, to playing in a very competitive game at Cardiff. It’s a 1-1 draw for me.

Man City vs. Man Utd

Who will run out victors in Manchester Derby?

A massive game for both clubs, and a win for either team would make either manager a lot more popular with their new clubs. Manchester City will be boosted by the return of Vincent Kompany to central defence, having had an eventually comfortable evening in the Czech Republic on Tuesday. United got their Champions League campaign off to a good start, beating Leverkusen 4-2, but in all honesty I can’t see the midweek games having too much of an impact. Both teams will have had five days to get ready for the match, and the players should be at their physical peak. The key battle will be between Yaya Toure and Fernandinho against Fellaini and Carrick in the centre of the park, which will be an intriguing contest. I don’t tend to be bold when it comes to predictions for the big games, I’ll sit on the fence and say a 1-1 draw.

The Championship

Charlton vs. Millwall

Lomas - changing opinions?

I would find it quite funny if Millwall won this game, because those Millwall fans who were protesting against Steve Lomas just five days ago would all of a sudden have to reassess him. I still think he's got a lot of work to do, though. One win doesn't change people's opinions overnight, and the key thing for this game is that his side pick up a result. The match against Blackpool won't mean much if they then lose this South London derby, so I can see a strong defensive display from the Lions. Charlton have only managed four shots on target in their previous two games, and striker Yann Kermorgant is only just returning from injury. Millwall to grab a 0-1 win, which would mean their fans will need to think twice before chanting 'Lomas Out' again.

Barnsley vs. Watford

Flitcroft's side could go bottom with defeat

Watford haven't quite hit the heights of last season, only scraping a victory over Doncaster on Tuesday, with what sounded like a dodgy penalty in the closing stages. Their away form has been a little disappointing so far, taking just four points from a possible nine on the road, and it was their counter-attacking strength when playing away that made them a force in the promotion race last season. This is as good an opportunity as ever for them to put that right, though, because their passing quality is excellent and because Barnsley's defence presses quite high up, so they'll be vulnerable to Watford's through balls. With the Tykes second-bottom, the fixture list isn't smiling at the hosts, as they have to play Leicester, Reading and QPR in their next few games, so this isn't the sort of game they can afford to lose, and 'take confidence from the performance'. It's vital they pick up a result, and I could see Watford taking advantage of their desperation, to come away with a 1-3 win.

Birmingham vs. Sheff Wed

Will Lingard impress on Birmingham debut?

Birmingham have conceded the first goal in all but one of their opening games, and Sheffield Wednesday have scored the first in each of their last four, although the Owls are yet to pick up their first win of the season. With both teams perching precariously outside the relegation zone on goal difference, the losers of this game are likely to drop under the red line on Saturday night, so I’m seeing a low-scoring draw. The loan signing of winger Jesse Lingard, highly rated by some of the Manchester United fans, should help Birmingham’s goal scoring efforts in the next few weeks. 1-1.

Blackburn vs. Huddersfield

Rhodes to score against old club?

If there were odds of 0/1 for Jordan Rhodes to score on Saturday, I'd probably still bet on it. Prolific goal poachers like Rhodes, who base their game mainly on being able to put the ball in the back of the net, seem to have a certain arrogance in their mentality. An inward belief that they're the best player on the pitch, which means they tend to thrive on high-pressure situations. It doesn't come much bigger than facing your old teammates, so I would bank on Rhodes grabbing a goal to add to his tally of six goals from his last four games. Talking of goalscorers, let's not forget about James Vaughan, who's exceptional start to the season continued on Tuesday night with the important opening goal against Charlton. In what I expect will be a battle of the poachers, I would back Jordan Rhodes- err.. I mean Blackburn, to come out on top. 2-1.

Blackpool vs. Leicester

Victors of Bloomfield Road go 2nd

A first defeat of the season for Blackpool came on Tuesday night, in the unexpected form of Millwall. I've said since the beginning that once the Tangerines lose a game, it's going to be difficult for them to remain amongst the promotion-chasing pack with teams like Forest, Watford, and Saturday's opponents Leicester, sniffing around. The Foxes bounced back from their defeat at Charlton very well with back-to-back home wins, and after this game, Autumn offers them a favourable set of fixtures, with Barnsley, Yeovil and Doncaster coming up in the next two weeks. I'll go with a Leicester win, and I think at this point Blackpool's early promotion hopes may start to fade away. 1-2.

Brighton vs. Bolton

Can Freedman's side get first win at the AMEX?

Bolton continue to sit bottom of the table, having taken just a point from two home games against midtable sides in Leeds and Derby. Looking at Dougie Freedman's post match comments after the draw with Derby, he signified his determination to 'put it right', but I felt his words had a twinge of desperation. When results aren't going your way, the one thing you want is your manager to remain calm. A trip to the south coast isn't exactly the perfect remedy either. Brighton might not have scored in their last two games, but they've only conceded one goal in their last five, and previously held two of the promotion clubs on their own turf. Although, the loss of Leonardo Ulloa will weaken their attack slightly. If as I predict, Brighton win this 1-0, next week at home to Yeovil is an absolute must-win in terms of Freedman's job safety as Bolton Wanderers manager.

Derby vs. Reading

Not-so Pride Park

Remarkably, Derby have only taken one of their eleven points on home soil. They have taken the second-lowest percentage of their points from home matches in the Championship, despite relying largely on home form last season. The visiting Royals might well take advantage of that, because they're looking quite solid at the moment, having taken seven points from their last three games, and keeping a clean sheet in all of them. Nigel Adkins seems to have made the team more solid at the back, and when teams deny Derby space at Pride Park, their forwards start to drop deeper and find it difficult to work openings. Reading might pinch a handy 1-2 away win in their quest for promotion.

Doncaster vs. Nottm Forest

Will Macheda loan move boost Doncaster?

Federico Macheda has only played thirty minutes for Doncaster, but he's already spoken of his hopes to extent the one month loan. I think the move will benefit all parties; Macheda hasn't scored a career goal since December 2011 and needs regular game time, Doncaster have only averaged a goal per match so far, they could do with another forward, and if Macheda starts scoring goals, United will make more money from him - I don't think he has the potential to make it in a Devils shirt ultimately. With Doncaster not having won since gameweek two, Nottingham Forest will go to the Keepmoat expecting a win, motivated by the possibility of breaking into the top two should results go their way. But their defence at the moment isn't looking like quite the immovable object it was in the first few weeks, Forest have conceded six goals in their last three games. They might be a little frustrated at having dropped points at home to Middlesbrough on Tuesday, so Doncaster could take a point. 1-1.

Leeds vs. Burnley

In-form Danny Ings

This should be a really interesting game. I talked about Rhodes and Vaughan earlier as goalscorers who do well under pressure, and you can definitely put Danny Ings in that category. So far he's dealt with the burden of filling Charlie Austin's boots perfectly, having already scored seven goals, including two clinical finishes against Birmingham on Tuesday night. Leeds could really do with someone like Ings in their push for the play-offs, because from their last three games they only got 23% of their shots on target, scoring just the one goal. They have players in the team who can create chances, but six goals from seven games so far is a goal tally that Brian McDermott will look to improve. A bit like Derby, Leeds haven't started too well at home this season, despite having a really good record at Elland Road in their last campaign. Burnley will go into this game with the more momentum after their 3-0 win on Tuesday, and I reckon they can please their fans with another win, and a fourth clean sheet of the season. 0-1.

Middlesbrough vs. Bournemouth

Key Man - Albert Adomah

The main area Bournemouth have struggled in these first few weeks, has been in aerial battles. According to Who Scored?, they've only won 39% of their headed duels, whilst Middlesbrough have won 61%, so you would expect Middlesbrough to dominate in the air. The other thing is Bournemouth play quite a conservative game when it comes to tackling, and Borough like to operate with a 4-5-1 formation, therefore I think they'll make the extra man in the centre count. They could see some joy down the right side with the pace of Albert Adomah, who has already contributed to a third of Middlesbrough's goalscoring successes this season. Bournemouth rely on fullback Charlie Daniels to get forward and provide width, so Middlesbrough may see some space to exploit down their favourite right side. I'll go with a 2-1 home win.

Yeovil vs. QPR

Tough task for Johnson's side

A 'QPR win to nil' is the sensible bet for this one. A Yeovil team who have scored three goals from seven games have the unenviable task of playing a QPR side who have kept five consecutive clean sheets. I'm beginning to quieten down on my pre-season tip of QPR to struggle this season. Although I'm a loather of Harry Redknapp, I know deep down that after such a strong start, they've probably got the experience to cement their place at the top as the season goes on. Obviously anything can happen in one game, but I can't see Yeovil getting anything. As much as anything else, they'll be hoping that the teams just above them playing each other, Birmingham and Wedneday, Charlton and Millwall, share the points so that the relegation battle stays compact at this early stage. 0-2.

Wigan vs. Ipswich

Will Wigan's experienced players cope with fixture congestion?

It'll be a test of Owen Coyle's managerial abilities how he manages to rotate his squad over what will become a very congested fixture pile-up. Playing in the Europa League on Thursday nights is always going to be difficult, because once you've spent Friday travelling and recovering, you've just got Saturday to prepare for the match on the Sunday. The key for Wigan will be to keep themselves in and around the play-off places until Christmas, and in the second half of the season they'll be able to focus entirely on the league if they're out of the cup. This will be a difficult game for the Latics, because Ipswich are currently celebrating back-to-back wins, and as always a Mick McCarthy side isn't going to give their opponents much space in the final third. A tight 1-1 draw, which Ipswich would be slightly happier with.

Gabriel's Weekend Predictions: Week Four

Care for international breaks? Neither do I. In all honesty I’ve lost my passion for England, until we move on the old guard of Gerrard and Lampard, and begin to blood the youngsters early as the successful teams do, we’re only going to go downhill. Even if we qualify for the World Cup in Brazil, at this rate we would be lucky to make it out of the group stage.

All the more reason then, to be pleased at the return of club football. In the Premier League games, there's a key match in the potential relegation dogfight as promoted sides Cardiff and Hull go head-to-head, Liverpool will be hoping to continue their perfect start to the season at Brendan Rodger's old club Swansea, and under pressure Di Canio faces an Arsenal team starring Ozil for the first time.

As for the Championship,  there’s a meeting between this seasons’ seaside surprise packages Bournemouth and Blackpool, Bolton must come off the bottom of the table when they host Leeds, and whilst ‘six-pointer’ is too grandiose a term for so early in the season, Sheffield Wednesday and Yeovil will want to hoist themselves away from that red line, with a win over their potential competitors. In addition, it’ll be interesting to see how Leicester, Nottingham Forest and Watford react to their first setback in the promotion race, they all lost last time out. Here's my preview of all the action...

Premier League

Man Utd vs. Crystal Palace

Last season’s champions by eleven points? At home against the second division play-off victors? Surely this is going to be a massive win for United? Well, possibly not. After losing to Liverpool, the pressure is entirely on David Moyes and Manchester United to ward off the press, because Palace have got that first win under their belt, they don’t need to get anything from this game, no pressure on them at all. Inevitably more United players were away on international duty midweek, and Moyes might also have his first Championship League game on Tuesday in the back of his mind. Experienced players like Ferdinand, Vidic and Evra need to be handled carefully ahead of the Man City game. Palace will come to Old Trafford with bags of enthusiasm and I’m sure they’ll relish the challenge, but I’ll back Moyes to continue that Red Devils tradition of being able to grind out the result. 1-0.

Aston Villa vs. Newcastle

I don’t think I’m the only one who finds Agbonlahor’s tackle on One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson quite funny. It was hardly a malicious challenge, and Tomlinson looks out of place on a football field. It’s a pity that this overshadowed what should have been an afternoon dedicated to Stiliyan Petrov. One win will count as a good return from Villa’s first three games, all in the space of eight days against Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. It was a hard start but to be nowhere near the drop zone, and to have only lost games by one goal, will provide encouragement for Paul Lambert. Newcastle might have kept back-to-back clean sheets, but that perhaps has had more to do with poor attacking displays from West Ham and Fulham than Newcastle’s defending. Their second half performance against Fulham was strong and they probably deserved the goal, but because of the potential for French cliques in the dressing room, I’m not sure this Newcastle team will be so strong when they concede first in games and the morale is knocked. Benteke will provide a much sterner test of their defence, Aston Villa to win 2-0.

Fulham vs. West Brom

West Brom have gambled £12.5 million on deadline day, for two experienced attacking players in Anichebe and Sessegnon. It was the right decision in my view, I said from the start that the squad the Baggies had might struggle, and the fact that they are yet to score a league goal suggests they are missing Romelu Lukaku. Martin Jol himself admitted that Fulham lacked energy in their defeat against Newcastle, but the problem is, Jol doesn’t strike you as the kind of manager who will instil energy in his players! The new players at West Brom though, will be very keen to get off to a good start, and I think the whole team will fight for that first win of the season. Fulham didn’t perform as well at home last season as they normally do, and in a record stretching from their previous campaign, they’ve lost their last five matches at Craven Cottage. I’m tipping this to be a sixth. 1-2.

Hull vs. Cardiff

Both promoted clubs have made positive starts to the season, considering a tough opening set of fixtures each. For Cardiff to get four points on the board is an achievement, although I can’t help feeling they will struggle on the road this season. They only won ten away games in the Championship, which isn’t particularly good.  Hull might be in the bottom three, but that doesn’t reflect the start they’ve had. A first win of the season at home to Norwich was sandwiched by respectable defeats at Chelsea and Manchester City, where they were always unlikely to pick up points. Eighteen of Hull’s twenty-three wins last season came by just one goal, which is a good thing in my opinion. They have an ability to grind out results and hold onto important leads, I think they’ll want the win a bit more than Cardiff, who after good results at home, could perhaps afford rest on their laurels. 1-0.

Stoke vs. Man City

A difficult game for Manchester City, but one Manuel Pellegrini needs his side to win if they want to develop some consistency early on. Man City have had more players out on international duty, and importantly, they’ll be without centre-backs Vincent Kompany and Martin Demichellis, which gives Stoke a great chance of getting a goal. I think they’ll grab a point as well. Mark Hughes might have changed their style of play, but the positive aspects of Pulis’s time in charge can still be applied. The height in Stoke’s team will still be there, perhaps making it difficult for City’s smaller, more technical players to find a way through, and they’ll still be a threat from set pieces. The last four times this fixture has been played, the score was a 1-1 draw. Any guesses what I’m going for? 1-1.

Sunderland vs. Arsenal

Paolo Di Canio’s public criticizing of his own players isn’t going to win him many friends within the squad, I’m not quite sure what he hopes to achieve. Considering the atmosphere within the Sunderland camp could also be a little fractious given the overhaul of players, it seems like a very bizarre thing to do. After a twelve day wait, Arsenal fans finally get a chance to see Mesut Ozil in a red shirt. Ozil has unquestionably added to the quality of Arsenal’s squad, although there’s a question mark in my mind as to whether Wenger would have signed him for £42 million had fans not been voicing their discontent at the club’s lack of spending. It seems like a transfer to appease the fans as much as anything else. Having said that, I think the creativity in this Arsenal team will demolish Sunderland, which doesn’t look like a happy camp. I’ll go as far as 0-4.

Tottenham vs. Norwich

A steady start for Norwich, four points from three games with the first win confirmed last week. When you spend as much as Norwich have this summer, the key thing is that you start solidly, and don’t get locked into a succession of defeats, which can be difficult to break out of with the more exotic, foreign players. Chris Hughton will be satisfied with that start, it gives the new signings some breathing space to settle in. For Tottenham, a congested fixture period ensures before the next international break, with seven games in the space of twenty three games. I think they’ll cope reasonably well though, with the money received for Bale they’ve improved the squad’s strength in depth, even if playing in the Europa League for another season won’t be ideal. 2-1.

Everton vs. Chelsea

Three draws, against teams they would typically be expected to beat, isn’t the start Roberto Martinez wanted, but performances have been positive and Everton need to have patience with him. I said in the summer that the Toffees would struggle without Moyes for the first few months, as Martinez will oversee a transition to a free-flowing, flexible playing philosophy, from Moyes’s more rigid approach. The change won’t happen overnight, so I would actually expect to see Everton in the bottom half of the table until around October. Chelsea got their title bid off to a strong start with seven points, and the players will have had time to get over the disappointment of losing in the Super Cup to Bayern Munich, from a winning position in extra time. I think Chelsea will be far too clinical in the final third for this Everton team in transition, Mourinho’s men press their opposition far up the pitch so it’ll be difficult for the Toffees to get comfortable on the ball, and become accustomed to the way Martinez wants them to play. 0-3.

Southampton vs. West Ham

Andy Carroll is going to be a big loss for West Ham, it’s unfortunate because I’ve always rated him, his ability to hold the ball up and bring forward runners into the game is key to the way his team play. It might be difficult for new boy Mladen Petric to step up to the plate so quickly after signing. Southampton have got off to a mixed start, with a win, a draw and a loss. In a similar way to Norwich, not starting with two or three defeats gives the new players that chance to settle into the squad before the pressure builds. I don’t think there’ll be many goals, but with Carroll out for West Ham and Southampton’s big signing Dani Osvaldo arguably due a goal, the Saints are the more likely to get one. 1-0.

Swansea vs. Liverpool

A 100% start to the season for Liverpool was capped off by beating bitter rivals United, and looking at their immediate run of fixtures, all six games are ones I would expect them to win. It would be pre-mature to say they have the squad depth to sustain a title challenge, we should find out more about their capabilities this season in the next few weeks. As for Swansea, it was important they kickstarted their season with a win at West Brom last week, but I’m sticking to my view that they will struggle with relegation this season. Bony and Michu haven’t scored for three games, and the Europa League starting with Swansea only sixteenth will create a lot of pressure for the foreign players the Swans have in their team. Liverpool will continue their perfect start to the season with a 0-2 win.

Championship

Burnley vs. Blackburn

Burnley and Blackburn come into the game having won by three goals in their last match, both are amongst the higher scoring teams in the division, with Danny Ings and Jordan Rhodes getting into their goalscoring stride. For those reasons both sides might look to attack, I don’t think it’ll be your average local derby where the teams are a little bit afraid of losing. I’m prepared to bet Blackburn will get their goals through the left side. Burnley’s right-back Kieran Trippier loves to bomb forward and try to support the attack, so Blackburn’s loanee from Josh King, can exploit the potential gaps at the back with his pace. Burnley have started the season surprisingly well, but I find teams who are overachieving and playing pretty, flowing football don’t tend to do as well on derby day, because playing against your rivals requires more of a rigid mentality. Blackburn might want the win a little bit more, although they’ve won their last two by big margins, they’re still only midtable and there’s work to be done if they want to achieve promotion. The other thing is Burnley seem to struggle against counter-attacks, Blackburn have a young, energetic midfield which could take advantage of that. 1-3.

Bolton vs. Leeds

I don’t think I’m the only one who’s surprised by how poorly Bolton have started. For a team who were 8/1 for promotion at the start of the season to be bottom of the table is very disappointing, but the one thing you’d say is that the international break came at the right time for them. After a very difficult set of opening games, for September the Trotters have three winnable home matches, the others being against Derby and Yeovil. The return of Darren Pratley should help Bolton’s cause, this is the opportunity for Freedman to turn things around. As for Leeds, it’s been a mixed start to the season, and far too early to judge how well they’ll do. My gut tells me that they need an out-and-out goalscorer, a tall target man like free agent Carlton Cole would be perfect because of the width they have in the team. Without a reliable striker though, they might find it tough in this game, because I would expect Bolton to be dogged defensively, they’ll be desperate to scrape a first win of the season to take themselves off the bottom. 1-0.

Bournemouth vs. Blackpool

A clash of the overachieving seaside towns.  Both Bournemouth and Blackpool have made excellent starts to their seasons. Having just been promoted from League One, Bournemouth have taken a couple of drubbings but they’ve managed to win three of their first five matches, they’ve gone into every game with an admirably attacking mentality. A near-perfect start for Blackpool who have taken thirteen points, they sit top of the league and to beat the division’s stronger teams like Reading and Watford is impressive. I still don’t think they have the depth in the squad to keep up their form for much longer though, likewise Bournemouth’s philosophy of putting teams under constant pressure will be difficult to sustain when the fixtures start to pile up and fatigue sets in. If we look at the table again in January, I would expect to see both teams in a lower position than they are at the moment. 1-1.

Huddersfield vs. Doncaster

Huddersfield have started the season with good home form, winning three of their first four matches at the Galpharm in all competitions. This match will only be Doncaster’s second away game of the season, after their match against Charlton was abandoned. The Dons’ main threat is normally 6’3” target man Chris Brown, but Huddersfield have a lot of height in their defence which should be able to negate his threat. Also, the Terriers operate with an attacking 3-5-2 system, against Doncaster’s preferred 4-4-2. A 3-5-2 system tends to do well against 4-4-2 because they have a numerical advantage in the key areas of defence and midfield. Huddersfield to continue their strong home record with a 2-1 win.

Ipswich vs. Middlesbrough

Looking at the stats, this game screams 1-1 draw to me. Both teams have both scored, and conceded, an average of 1.2 goals per game in their league games, both have the look of a team that will sit midtable for the majority of this season, and both drew their last match 1-1. Three times this season Ipswich have dropped points from a winning position, three times this season Middlesbrough have gained points from a losing position. Both teams like a 4-5-1 formation, but the problem is they’re aren’t always adventurous enough, and find it difficult when it comes to making that killer pass, or getting people into the box. Ipswich and Middlesbrough: welcome to a season of midtable mediocrity. 1-1.

Leicester vs. Wigan

Leicester lost at Charlton last week, and the concerning thing from their point of view, is having conceded six goals in their last three games. Considering I didn’t expect them to reach the play-offs for the second time when the season started, ten points from five games is a pretty good return, but we’ll see whether they are play-off material in the next few games. Wigan got an important second win of the season against Nottingham Forest last time out, which caps an inconsistent start to the season. I might back Wigan to pinch a win here. Four of Wigan’s last six goals came from set pieces, and the two goals Leicester conceded at Charlton were set pieces, so I think that advantage might just give Wigan the edge. 1-2.

Millwall vs. Derby

This is the biggest game of Steve Lomas’s managerial career so far. James Henry has, rightly in my opinion, publicly urged Millwall fans to lay-off their manager, who used to play for rivals West Ham. Henry’s outburst does suggest the players are still motivated to play for Lomas, but it’s difficult to see his comments having much of an impact though, only wins will change the Millwall fans’ minds. All of this pressure and friction hanging over the New Den is likely to take the pressure off Derby County, which could suit them. Nigel Clough has a lot of young players in that squad, and from my experience young teams tend to do well in away games where the onus is on the opposition to attack. Derby’s one strength is that they move the ball around well, whereas Millwall take a very route one approach, so I would expect the Rams to dominate possession. That will frustrate Millwall, who could be forced into desperate and rash challenges as the game goes on. Derby will have enough about themselves to win 0-2.

Nottm Forest vs. Barnsley

Barnsley got their first win of the season against Huddersfield before the international break, but I still think relegation is in store for them. They’ve really struggled defensively, having conceded thirteen league goals from five games, the 3-at-the-back idea hasn’t worked particularly well so far. The problem with that system is it can leave you quite exposed on the flanks, and that’s where Nottingham Forest are strongest. They tend to target the left side with Reid and Cohen combining, and that will cause Barnsley a problems. 2-0.

QPR vs. Birmingham

As a Birmingham fan going to this game on Saturday, maybe blind faith plays a part in my prediction, but I genuinely believe we’ve got a chance of winning. QPR have had virtually their whole squad out on international duty over the past two weeks, whereas our team have had a long time to prepare for this match in training. We’re a very hardworking side, whereas QPR have a more experienced, old team. This makes me think that if we press them high up the pitch and prevent them from settling into their rythym, they might not have the pace to hit us on the break, and the small pitch at QPR means there won’t be much space for them to exploit in behind. If we play aggressively against QPR, I have a feeling we can come away with an unlikely victory. 0-1.

Sheff Wed vs. Yeovil

Both teams’ position in the table will look concerning to fans, as Wednesday are without a win so far, whilst Yeovil are yet to pick up points since the opening day. On balance, I can see a scrappy game with not too many goals. Sheffield Wednesday have five men in midfield which will make it difficult for Yeovil to create chances, and at the moment the forwards they do have don’t look capable of putting them away, as they’ve only scored one goal this season. A goalless draw is certainly possible, but I’ll say Wednesday to scrape the win with home advantage. 1-0.

Watford vs. Charlton

I didn’t expect Watford to lose at Blackpool last time out, and as with Leicester and Nottingham Forest it’ll be an interesting test of their promotion credentials, how they respond to defeat. Even though they’re only seventh, they remain my tip for promotion, because some of the football they play can be breathtaking, they’ve just had some difficult games. Charlton got that important first win over Leicester which takes them well clear of the drop zone for now, it means they can go into this game without ‘needing’ to get a result. If they lost this game, and took four points from their next two against Huddersfield and Millwall, I’m sure Chris Powell would be happy. 2-0.

Reading vs. Brighton

It will be slightly disappointing for Oscar Garcia not to beat Millwall last time out, and that missed opportunity to take three points isn’t exactly what he’ll want hanging over the players minds during the break. On the other hand, Reading put their bizarre 6-0 drubbing in the cup at Peterborough to one side by winning at Yeovil last time out, which keeps them in the short-term play-off picture. Both are quite attacking teams so hopefully it’ll be a good game on TV on Sunday, although I feel it would take another season or two of stability for these clubs to get back into the Premier League. 3-2.

Gabriel's Weekend Predictions: Week Three

I'm going to predict this weekend's Premier League and Championship matches in a weekly feature. Here goes...

Premier League

Man City vs. Hull

I said in my Man City season preview that I thought Pellegrini would struggle at City, and after their defeat to Cardiff, I’m glad I took that stance. Saying that they had Kompany out and it was Cardiff’s first home game, for me, is an excuse. If you want to win the title, you’ve got to be able to get by without your key players and handle the pressure, that’s the type of game that you need to be able to grind out a win from. After beating Norwich, Hull have their first win of the season which is an important confidence booster, I stand by my prediction that they’ll surprise everyone and end up midtable. I think they’ll put in a very spirited performance against Man City, it’ll be by no means a walkover, but I just think City might have the rotating attacking options to win the game in the second half. 2-1.

Cardiff vs. Everton

A great result for Cardiff last week. I predicted 0-0 for that game and spent Saturday night worrying about whether I’d been too generous saying they’d get a point, in fact I hadn’t been generous enough! A result like that should give the team massive confidence going forward, and playing at home I think they might actually be too powerful for an Everton team in transition. They didn’t put in a poor performance against West Brom, but will still be getting used to Martinez’s more fluent style of play, so it’s possible they’ll have a few disappointingly off-colour results in the first few weeks.  This will be one of them, 2-0.

Newcastle vs. Fulham

It sounds like it was a very flat atmosphere at St. James Park when they drew with West Ham, and I think Fulham might take advantage of that. Although the Cottagers haven’t got much creativity in central midfield, what they have in Berbatov, Ruiz, Bent and Taarabt, is attacking players who can make a difference with a single moment of quality. Fulham don’t have to be incessantly creating chances, or controlling the game to win this, due to the poor atmosphere it could easily take one lapse of concentration from Newcastle’s point of view, and Fulham can grind out a win. 0-1.

Norwich vs. Southampton

Two of the surprise biggest summer spenders go head-to-head, in an intriguing fixture. Both teams disappointed a little last week, with Norwich losing against Hull, Southampton only managed a draw at home to Sunderland. The big money signings at these respective clubs might take time to bed in, but with so much invested in the squad, these club’s ought to be looking towards the top half, rather than the relegation battle. 1-1.

West Ham vs. Stoke

It’s been a very solid start for West Ham, kicking off with four points and back-to-back clean sheets, and I can see them getting another one. Stoke might have scored two goals last week, but that was against promoted side Crystal Palace, and the Potters are yet to have an out-and-out striker score in seven matches, since the start of pre-season. I mentioned Norwich and Southampton as potential top half clubs and you can add West Ham to that group, because they were so strong at home last season, and they’ve only improved their squad this summer. For Stoke, a more reliable goalscorer and a stabilised approach is required before they can be put under that bracket. 2-0.

Crystal Palace vs. Sunderland

After the Stoke game, Holloway commented: ‘we gave a good account of ourselves… in the second half we ran out of steam’. That, for me, is not good enough for a club that wants to compete in the Premier League. It’s not enough to ‘pass the ball around nicely at times’, you’ve got to have that competitive edge to see the big results out. Even though it’s very early in the season, I think this unlucky mentality in the Palace team could see them get sucked into a cycle of defeats. I’d go with Sunderland to win this game but that’s not to say I think they’ll be safe, their new influx of players will still take time to gel and September will provide some testing fixtures for them. 1-2.

Liverpool vs. Man Utd

The more I think about this, the more inclined I am to go with Liverpool. With ex-Everton manager David Moyes now in charge of Manchester United, and Liverpool having a 100% record, the Reds will have never wanted to beat United more. I think the atmosphere at Anfield will be intimidating, I can see the home fans cheering every tackle whilst in attack, they have potential to cause United problems. They’ve got a lot of weedy, clever players who operate in behind the defence which could cause the height of Vidic and Ferdinand difficulties in terms of pace and knowing which runners to track. My money is on Liverpool to pull off a surprise derby win, the fact that they’ve taken ten points from their last five Anfield meetings with United tells you just how much these games mean to them. 2-1.

West Brom vs. Swansea

There’s a couple of problems developing with West Brom, even this early in the season, and I’m sticking with my season preview tip for them to struggle with relegation. On the Anelka issue, I’m sure I speak for everyone sparing my thoughts for Eric Manasse’s friends and family, but on the professional side, you wonder where the goals will come from for West Brom. It may well be worth Steve Clarke giving a chance to young striker Saido Berahino, who scored a hat-trick in the cup midweek against Newport County. Another problem for Clarke is that Ben Foster has been ruled out for three months, and they’ll either have to persist with an inexperienced goalkeeper in Luke Daniels, or bring in a new one on a short-term deal, for whom it could take a while to settle. Given these goings on at West Brom, I would have to fancy Swansea, who will be keen to kickstart their season with a win and have that bit more firepower up front. 0-2.

Arsenal vs. Tottenham

You can question why Wenger played a first choice team against Fenerbahce on Tuesday, despite holding a 3-0 away goal lead, but I think it was by default. Arsenal still lack that strength in depth, which comes back to the issue of no transfers, and personally I don’t hold Wenger responsible for that. Whoever handles contract negotiations is to blame in my opinion, and on the playing side, three straight wins suggest Wenger still has the respect of his players. As for Tottenham, I’ve been bored to tears all summer with Sky Sports constantly droning on about the Bale to Madrid deal, and it’s carried on this week. People give Daniel Levy praise for being a good businessman, but if negotiations were taking place on the Bale deal, I think he’s haggled for too long. If a bid anywhere near the region of £80 million came in for an, in my eyes overrated player in Gareth Bale, I would accept it instantly. It’s a hugely inflated price and getting the deal done quickly gives you the chance to rebuild the squad, bring in new players, and give them time to settle. In the event that this saga is a complete myth, or that Spurs have absolutely no intention of selling Bale full stop, then surely you’d come out publicly and say that? I can’t understand the delay, and I think on this occasion Levy has done his club a disservice, dragging too much attention onto the team. Largely for that reason, and also because Arsenal will have had an extra two days to prepare for this match, I’m going to go for a Gunners 2-1 win.

Championship

Leeds vs. QPR

People have been talking about the strength in depth of QPR’s squad, but Harry Redknapp only made six changes for the match against Swindon, and they lost 2-0. The signing of Matt Phillips will help them, but the age of QPR’s squad is, in my opinion still too high for them to sustain their promotion challenge. Vitally, it looks like Leeds will keep hold of Ross McCormack because the last news on him possibly leaving was two weeks ago, and his four goals already suggest that his mind is very much on the pitch. 1-1.

Barnsley vs. Huddersfield

Once they had M’voto sent off, it was an utter capitulation for Barnsley at Blackburn, as their defence was torn apart. But that wasn’t the only time Barnsley’s defending has been poor in these first few weeks, and up against a striker with the power of James Vaughan the form he’s in, Barnsley are definitely going to struggle. These teams stayed up when playing against each other on the final day of last season, but I feel their respective fates will be known long before the final day of this. 0-3.

Birmingham vs. Ipswich

Darren Randolph should return to the Birmingham goal after a gashed hand, but my main worry with Blues is where our goals will come from if Chris Burke keeps being left out. For me he's our best player, he'll chip in with a lot of goals and Clark needs to find a way of shoehorning him into the team. From an entirely unbiased viewpoint I think Ipswich will win, because they've had a week to prepare for the game, whereas most of our team has had to play 120 minutes in the Capital One Cup. Last season, Ipswich never lost back-to-back matches under Mick McCarthy, and on six out of ten occassions, they kept a clean sheet in the match following a defeat. Like McCarthy or loathe him, those statistics tell you how good a disciplinarian he is, and I think Ipswich will bounce back with a hard fought win. 0-1.

Blackburn vs. Bolton

I've had a look back at some of my predictions so far, and I've noticed that every week I say Blackburn to win. Although they got an important 5-2 win over Barnsley last time, their overall form so far hasn't been good, so I might shake it up a bit this week. I've got a little bit of sympathy with where Bolton are, they've had a number of injuries and have had to play two of the relegated sides, plus top of the table Nottingham Forest. Hardly an ideal start, and I the squad they have is, on paper, a lot better than 21st. It's a case of fight or flight for the Trotters, players like Jay Spearing and Matt Mills need to step in and replace the experience of the injured Darren Pratley and now David Wheater in the spine of the team. I can see Bolton battling to get that overdue first win of the season, 1-2.

Blackpool vs. Watford

This time last year, Blackpool were top of the Championship table, having won each of their first three matches - and Ian Holloway was still in charge. Twelve months, four manager changes and a 15th placed finish later, the scenario is strikingly similar. I don't think Blackpool will be anywhere near the promotion places in the second half of the season, although their win over Reading last week tested my opinion. Their squad looks thin, and from the outside, it seems like a strange decision to loan out defender Caprice when they're short of defenders, and loan in striker Delfouneso when they have plenty of attackers. Watford have fought back from behind in important games against Reading and Forest, and the one thing you'd say about them is that they always threaten in attack, eleven goals from four games tells itself. At some point Blackpool are going to get a bit of a reality check, and Watford with their attacking prowess, might just be the team to provide it. 0-3.

Brighton vs. Millwall

The main circumstances in which I'd fear for Brighton on Saturday, would be in the pub brawl afterwards! I get a feeling that Oscar Garcia has turned things around very quickly at the AMEX. Two weeks ago, he had lost his first three games, but now back-to-back wins puts Brighton up to 10th. What were they ever worried about?! The point at Sheffield Wednesday last week at least stopped the rot for Millwall, but watching Steve Lomas in his interviews, he just strikes me as a bit of a lightweight. For someone taking over as manager of Millwall, particularly in his circumstances, you need to have a very firm, disciplined approach and create a profile as a tough person not to be 'messed with'. He doesn't seem to have done that, and with only one point so far, he's now going to struggle to get the respect of his players, let alone the fans. 2-0.

Charlton vs. Leicester

Joint-bottom hosts joint-top. Deeply contrasting starts to the season for these teams, Leicester have got off to an impressive start, whilst Charlton seem to be suffering from a mild dose of second season syndrome. The strange thing is though, it really wouldn't surprise me if Charlton won this game. Although Leicester have won their last three, their defence has been exposed in the last couple of games and they fielded a lot of their first choice players against Carlisle. Charlton need to start picking up some points, they'll be desperately scrapping for their first win of the season, and I have a sneaky feeling they'll get it. 2-1.

Derby vs. Burnley

To run out 5-0 winners against Brentford, who are doing well in League One, will be a big confidence booster for Derby's young players, and braces for strikers Chris Martin and Connor Sammon should create healthy competition for places up front. Burnley did beat Lancashire rivals Preston 2-0 on Tuesday night, but after eight goals in two games for Derby, I would say the momentum favours the Rams at the moment. On the League Cup Show, Steve Claridge said that they've got a good chance of reaching the play-offs this season. Personally I still think bigger investment in experienced players is required before they can be considered much more than a midtable club, but they might edge this one 2-1.

Doncaster vs. Bournemouth

The first match of the season between two of the promoted clubs from League One, and both teams have adapted to Championship life with ease so far. Bournemouth have taken an admirably bold approach, which in the games against Watford and Huddersfield left them exposed at the back, but they've proven that they can score goals at this level. The signing of young Malmo striker Tokelo Rantie, who has a career record of 33 goals in 72 games, will only improve that. Doncaster have made an attacking start to the season as well, scoring eight goals and conceding three if you count the Charlton game, which they were unfortunate to have abandoned. But on the Tuesday after that game, it was their first choice players who lost at home to Leeds in the cup. I can't see either side having any difficulties with relegation, I think Bournemouth will get their first away point of the season, and Rantie will bag a goal on his debut in a high-scoring game. 2-2.

Middlesbrough vs. Sheff Wed

A mixed start to the season for Middlesbrough with a win, a defeat and two draws. It's still very early in the season, but I would be surprised if they did much better than midtable. The new signings in Varga, Adomah and Whitehead have been underwhelming so far, and Albert Adomah is the only new player to chip in with so much as an assist. Wednesday missed an opportunity to ease the pressure on themselves when they failed to win at home to Millwall last week, but new signing Kamil Zayatte has been a key part of their defence in recent games. Both teams line-up with just the one 'out and out' striker, so the game could be quite a scrappy midfield battle, and because the Riverside doesn't tend to draw big attendances, I don't think this will be a noteworthy game. 0-0.

Wigan vs. Nottm Forest

After their 4-0 win at Barnsley on the opening day, I thought Wigan would be at the top of the table by now, right where Nottingham Forest are. Playing forty six games in a season is difficult enough, but add to that having to play in the Europa League on Thursday nights will be a tough ask for the Latics when September comes. The key was whether they could start well to build momentum, but with twenty seven changes made to the squad this summer, they've not quite been able to do that. It can be considered a good point for Nottingham Forest at Watford,  and with a set of very winnable fixtures between now and the next international break, they could conceivably afford to drop points here and still be in a decent position in the promotion race. Looking at the squads, I actually think Wigan have slightly more quality, it could work in their favour that Nottingham Forest are top, because they know they'll have to put in a committed performance to win. I'm tipping this to be the game that the new players at Wigan pull together, I can't help feeling Nottingham Forest are due a defeat. 2-0.

Yeovil vs. Reading

In my opinion, people have overreacted to Yeovil's controversial goal against Birmingham. It is considered common courtesy for a player to throw the ball back, but people need to accept that morality plays very little part in football. Footballers will do anything to gain an advantage for their club, and what Yeovil did was no better or worse than someone diving for a penalty. They were desperate for an important goal late in a match, and also, surely it's up to the referee to stop play? Debates aside, their penalty shoot-out loss means it's effectively four straight defeats for Gary Johnson's team, and it could soon be five, because I reckon Reading will come into this game like a team possessed. After getting thumped 6-0 at Peterborough, with a strong side at that, Nigel Adkins will get his team psyched up for this game. He's proven he's a great motivator at Southampton, so I'm sure Reading will bounce back in emphatic style. 0-4.