This weekend sees the FA Cup semi-finals take place, with Chelsea playing Liverpool on Saturday, and Middlesbrough playing West Ham on Sunday, here are my predictions for both semi-final, and for this weekends premiership fixtures.
Chelsea vs Liverpool (at Old Trafford): Both teams have been on good form recently, so this should be a very exciting match. Chelsea need only a single point to win the league, so their should field a strong team, and this is Liverpools last chance for silverware. My Prediction: 3-2 Chelsea.
Middlesbrough vs West Ham (at Villa Park): Compared to the other semi-final teams, neither side here has hd particularly good form of late, and with Middlesbrough still in the UEFA Cup (also at the semi-final stage) this could be a very close match. My Prediction: 2-1 West Ham.
Premiership Fixtures
Arsenal vs Tottenham: This is an absolutely massive match for both teams, with a place in the Champions League the prize for the winner (assuming Arsenal don’t win the Champions League). It is also the last North London derby at Highbury, with the gunners moving to the Emirates Stadium next season. My Prediction: 2-2 draw.
Bolton vs Charlton: Both teams here have a slight chance of sneaking into 7th position in the league, which could possibly reward them with a UEFA cup slot (but only if Middlesbrough can win the UEFA Cup). Bolton have had a tremendous slump in form of late, gaining only 1 point from their last 6 games, and they will want to try and reverse that trend here. My Prediction: 2-0 Bolton.
Everton vs Birmingham: A tricky away fixture for relegation threatened Birmingham, especially with Portsmouth at home to already relegated Sunderland. My Prediction: 2-1 Everton.
Newcastle vs West Brom: The big news for this fixture is that Michael Owen has been included in the Newcastle squad, which is pleasing from an England point of view. Newcastle have won 4 matches on the bounce, and against a poor WBA squad they are likely to make it 5 in a row. My Prediction: 3-0 Newcastle.
Portsmouth vs Sunderland: After last weekends setback at Charlton, Portsmouth will be keen to win this match, especially with Birmingham and WBAs tricky away fixtures. Sunderland have nothing to play for but pride now, however they may decide that they’d like to play Pompey again next season. My Prediction: 2-0 Portsmouth