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 The English Premier League returns after giving way to the fifth round of the FA Cup with Chelsea heading the table by seven points from defending champions Manchester City. Behind the leading duo it's becoming congested, with the next five clubs separated by just five points. At the bottom of the standings, Leicester is in danger of losing touch with the pack, but Everton in 12th position is just six points ahead of Burnley in 19th. League leaders Chelsea take on relegation-threatened Burnley in week 22, while defending champions Manchester City host Newcastle, whose interim coach John Carver is auditioning for the full-time job. In the closely-packed group behind the top 2, two of the clubs, Southampton (4th) and Liverpool (7th) clash. At the foot of the table, Leicester take on Everton, Aston Villa meet Stoke and Hull (16th) entertain QPR (17th). Remember to make your Premier League Pickem predictions before the deadline of each game. Week 22's schedule begins on Saturday with six 10 AM ET kickoffs. The day's final game starts at 12:30 PM ET. There are three Sunday fixtures, the first at 7 AM ET, second at 9:05 AM ET and the week wraps up at 11:15 AM ET. Note that the Yahoo! Fantasy Premier League game's deadline is Saturday, 9 AM ET. Here we preview the ten games in the upcoming week of the English Premier League. The title of each game section is a link to pick the result of that game. Stoke City (10th) at Aston Villa (18th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) Stoke went through a six-game period from the end of November to the end of December where they lost four times but, despite recent difficulties, they've improved and pushed back up into the top half of the table. The Potters have collected four victories in their last eight, but in their last two they tied with Newcastle and lost to Manchester City. Aston Villa's dire performances have finally spelled the end of manager Paul Lambert. This home fixture will be Tim Sherwood's first in charge and he takes over a club that's languishing in the relegation zone. Villa hasn't won since week 14, a winless streak of ten games. They've lost on their last five encounters and have scored a paltry 12 goals. Head-to-Head Stats This season: Aston Villa 1-0 Stoke Last 6 (all competitions): Tied 2-2-2. Last 3 at Aston Villa (all competitions): Stoke lead 1-0-2. All-time (all competitions): Aston Villa lead 51-31-30. Team News Stoke (from): Begovic, Butland, Sorensen, Bardsley, Pieters, Teixeira, Wilkinson, Wilson, Wollscheid, Adam, Ireland, N'Zonzi, Palacios, Sidwell, Whelan, Arnautovic, Crouch, Diouf, Moses, Walters. Out (reason, expected return date): Bojan (ACL, Sep), Odemwingie (ACL, Jun), Muniesa (hamstring, Apr 4), Shawcross (back, Feb 28). Suspended: Cameron (one-match ban). Aston Villa (from): Given, Guzan, Steer, Bacuna, Baker, Cissokho, Clark, Herd, Hutton, Lowton, Okore, Senderos, Vlaar, Cleverley, Cole, Delph, Gil, Grealish, N'Zogbia, Richardson, Sanchez, Westwood, Agbonlahor, Benteke, Burke, Sinclair, Weimann. Doubts: Baker (knock), Senderos (thigh). Out (reason, expected return date): Kozak (broken leg, no date), Herd (MCL, no date). Burnley (19th) at Chelsea (1st) (Sat, 10 AM ET) For a brief moment, Burnley had edged out of the bottom three but dropped points against fellow strugglers has led to them dropping back down into the relegation zone. A victory over QPR was a big result but since then the Clarets have notched one point. They lost to relegation candidates Crystal Palace and Sunderland and tied with West Brom. Since losing to Tottenham on New Year's Day, which resulted in them being equal first place with Manchester City, Chelsea has been nearly perfect in the league. They've posted four wins and one tie in their last five league games. Chelsea suffered a shock FA Cup loss against League 1's Bradford, but they tied with PSG in the Champions League. Head-to-Head Stats This season: Chelsea 3-1 Burnley Last 6 (all competitions): Chelsea lead 4-2-0 (includes 1 League Cup game). Last 3 at Chelsea (all competitions): Chelsea lead 2-1-0 (includes 1 League Cup game). All-time (all competitions): Burnley lead 36-33-22. Team News Burnley (from): Gilks, Heaton, Duff, Keane, Lafferty, Mee, O'Neill, Reid, Shackell, Trippier, Ward, Arfield, Boyd, Jones, Kightly, Wallace, Barnes, Ings, Jutkiewicz, Sordell, Vokes. Out (reason, expected return date): Long (ACL, Oct), Marney (ACL, no date), Taylor (calf, Feb 28). Chelsea (from): Blackman, Cech, Courtois, Ake, Azpilicueta, Cahill, Christensen, Filipe, Ivanovic, Terry, Zouma, Cuadrado, Fabregas, Hazard, Matic, Oscar, Ramires, Willian, Costa, Drogba, Remy. Out (reason, expected return date): Mikel (knee, Mar 4). Arsenal (5th) at Crystal Palace (13th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) Arsenal has had their best run of results of the campaign since Christmas, with nearly half of their wins this term coming since then. They've racked up six wins in their last eight league games, helping them close in on the top 4. The defending FA Cup winners have advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Championship side Middlesbrough. Crystal Palace experienced the new manager bounce when Alan Pardew arrived to replace Neil Warnock. The Eagles won four in a row when Pardew took the reins, with a defeat at Everton ending the streak. They rebounded with a victory over Leicester and last time out in the league Palace fought back to tie 1-1 with Pardew's old club, Newcastle. Head-to-Head Stats This season: Crystal Palace 1-2 Arsenal Last 6 (all competitions): Arsenal lead 5-0-1 (includes 1 FA Cup game). Last 3 at Crystal Palace (all competitions): Arsenal lead 2-0-1 (includes 1 FA Cup game). All-time (all competitions): Arsenal lead 23-3-10. Team News Arsenal (from): Martinez, Ospina, Szczesny, Bellerin, Chambers, Gibbs, Koscielny, Mertesacker, Monreal, Cazorla, Coquelin, Diaby, Flamini, Gabriel, Gnabry, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ozil, Rosicky, Wilshere, Akpom, Giroud, Sanchez, Walcott, Welbeck. Doubts: Flamini (hamstring), Bellerin (ankle), Oxlade-Chamberlain (hamstring). Out (reason, expected return date): Arteta (ankle, Apr 11), Debuchy (shoulder, Apr 11), Ramsey (hamstring, Mar 1). Crystal Palace (from): Hennessey, Kettings, Speroni, Dann, Delaney, Fryers, Hangeland, Kelly, Mariappa, Souare, Ward, Bolasie, Guedioura, Jedinak, Ledley, Lee, McArthur, Mutch, Puncheon, Ameobi, Anderson, Campbell, Chamakh, Gayle, Sanogo, Zaha. Doubts: Jedinak (ankle). Out (reason, expected return date): Williams (groin, Mar 14), Thomas (muscular injury, no date). Unavailable: Sanogo (loanee; can't face parent club). Queens Park Rangers (17th) at Hull City (16th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) At the start of the month, QPR manager Harry Redknapp left his post, citing imminent knee surgery. Whatever the circumstances, Rangers had dropped back into the relegation zone after a winless streak of seven matches, including four defeats on the trot. However, last time out QPR recorded their first away victory of the campaign at Sunderland. Hull is another club that's been flirting with relegation for much of the season but has earned a little breathing space after winning their last contest. After defeating Everton, the Tigers dropped into the bottom three and lost three in a row. However, they earned a tie away to Manchester City and then they secured a valuable 2-0 win over Aston Villa. Head-to-Head Stats This season: Hull 1-0 QPR Last 6 (all competitions): Hull lead 2-1-3. Last 3 at Hull (all competitions): Hull lead 1-0-2. All-time (all competitions): QPR lead 15-14-14. Team News QPR (from): Green, McCarthy, Murphy, Caulker, Ferdinand, Hill, Traore, Yun, Barton, Doughty, Henry, Hoilett, Kranjcar, Phillips, Wright-Phillips, Austin, Taarabt, Vargas, Zamora, Zarate. Out (reason, expected return date): Faurlin (ACL, Jul), Dunne (MCL, May), Fer (MCL, Apr), Sandro (knee, Mar 4), Isla (knee, Mar 4), Onuoha (hamstring, Mar 4). Hull (from): Harper, Jakupovic, McGregor, Bruce, Davies, Dawson, Dudgeon, Figueroa , Lenihan, McShane, Robertson, Townsend, Brady, Diame, Elmohamady, Huddlestone, Livermore, Meyler, Quinn, Ramirez, Aluko, Hernandez, Jelavic, N'Doye, Sagbo. Out (reason, expected return date): Snodgrass (knee, May), Chester (dislocated shoulder, Apr 4), Rosenior (hamstring, Apr 4). West Bromwich Albion (14th) at Sunderland (15th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) Since they lost three on the bounce at the end of December, West Brom has become a tougher team to defeat. In their subsequent six league fixtures, the Baggies have only lost one further time, against Spurs. During that period they've won twice; beating Hull 2-0 in January and then in their last outing West Brom defeated Swansea, also 2-0. Sunderland still has the most ties in the division, racking up 12 so far this campaign, but they've only tied once in their last six encounters. During that span the Black Cats have lost four times, including a 2-0 defeat at the hands of fellow strugglers QPR. Sunderland has posted just one victory in their last eight games, against Burnley in week 20. Head-to-Head Stats This season: Sunderland 2-2 West Brom Last 6 (all competitions): West Brom lead 4-1-1. Last 3 at Sunderland (all competitions): Tied 1-1-1. All-time (all competitions): Sunderland lead 57-53-41. Team News West Brom (from): Foster, Myhill, Baird, Davidson, Dawson, Gamboa, Lescott, McAuley, Olsson, Pocognoli, Wisdom, Brunt, Dorrans, Fletcher, Gardner, McManaman, Morrison, Sessegnon, Roofe, Yacob, Berahino, Ideye, Nabi. Out (reason, expected return date): Anichebe (groin, Feb 28), Mulumbu (hamstring, Feb 28). Sunderland (from): Mannone, Pantilimon, Brown, Coates, Jones, O'Shea, Van Aanholt, Vergini, Alvarez, Bridcutt, Giaccherini, Gomez, Johnson, Larsson, Rodwell, Defoe, Fletcher, Graham , Wickham. Doubts: Defoe (calf). Manchester United (3rd) at Swansea City (9th) (Sat, 10 AM ET) Manchester United lost three of their first ten league matches and they was also knocked out of the League Cup by League 1 opposition but since then they've lost just one game in all competitions. United is currently on a four-game unbeaten streak in the league, consisting of three wins and a tie. They've also made the quarterfinals of the FA Cup. Swansea hasn't found any consistency this term after they were perfect through three weeks of the campaign. Since then, they've only won consecutive fixtures once, which occurred at the end of December. The Swans have won just one league game since, a surprise victory away to Southampton. Swansea has lost three of their last seven contests. Head-to-Head Stats This season: Swansea 2-1 Manchester United Last 6 (all competitions): Manchester United lead 3-2-1 (includes 1 FA Cup game). Last 3 at Swansea (all competitions): Manchester United lead 2-0-1. All-time (all competitions): Manchester United lead 11-8-5. Team News Manchester United (from): De Gea, Valdes, Lindegaard, Blackett, Evans, Jones, McNair, Rafael, Rojo, Shaw, Smalling, Blind, Di Maria, Fellaini, Herrera, James, Januzaj, Mata, Powell, Valencia, Young, Falcao, Rooney, van Persie, Wilson. Out (reason, expected return date): Carrick (calf, Mar 4). Swansea (from): Cornell, Fabianski, Tremmel, Amat, Fernandez, Naughton, Rangel, Taylor, Tiendalli, Williams, Britton, Carroll, Cork, Dyer, Fulton, Grimes, Ki, Montero, Routledge, Sheehan, Shelvey, Sigurdsson, Barrow, Emnes, Gomis, Oliveira. Out (reason, expected return date): Bartley (knee, Mar 4). Newcastle United (11th) at Manchester City (2nd) (Sat, 12:30 PM ET) Newcastle won five matches on the trot in October and November, six in all competitions, but they've only managed three victories since then. They've also had a change in personnel, with Alan Pardew moving to Crystal Palace and John Carver taking over until the end of the term. The Magpies have won one and tied two of their last three games. Manchester City has lost ground to title challengers Chelsea since the clubs were equal on points, goal difference and goals scored on January 1st. The defending champions have lost just one game since but they've tied four, including sharing the spoils with Burnley and Hull. Like their week 22 visitors, they've won one and tied two of their last three. Head-to-Head Stats This season: Manchester City 2-0 Newcastle Newcastle 2-0 Manchester City (League Cup) Last 6 (all competitions): Manchester City lead 5-1-0 (includes 2 League Cup games). Last 3 at Manchester City (all competitions): Manchester City lead 2-1-0 (includes 1 League Cup game). All-time (all competitions): Newcastle lead 71-63-58. Team News Newcastle (from): Alnwick, Krul, Coloccini, Good, Haidara, Janmaat, R. Taylor, Williamson, Aarons, Abeid, Anita, Cabella, Colback, Guiterrez, Obertan, Sissoko, Ameobi, Armstrong, Cisse, Ferreyra, Gouffran, Perez, Riviere. Doubts: Cabella (knee), S. Taylor (calf, no date), Tiote (knee, no date), Elliott (thigh, no date). Out (reason, expected return date): Dummett (knee, May), De Jong (collapsed lung, Apr 11). Manchester City (from): Caballero, Hart, Wright, Boyata, Clichy, Demichelis, Kolarov, Kompany, Mangala, Sagna, Zabaleta, Fernandinho, Fernando, Lampard, Nasri, Navas, Silva, Toure, Aguero, Bony, Dzeko, Jovetic. Out (reason, expected return date): Milner (knee, Mar 4). West Ham United (8th) at Tottenham Hotspur (6th) (Sun, 7 AM ET) For a period, West Ham was enjoying mixing it with the top 4 in the league. However, since hitting third place at the start of December the Hammers have seen a steady decline in their results and form. In the last eight league games, West Ham has recorded just one win, against struggling Hull. They've notched four ties in their last four encounters. After recording six wins and six defeats in their opening 15 league fixtures, Tottenham was lingering in mid-table. In the subsequent 10 matches, they've won seven, losing just twice. Victories include wins over Chelsea and Arsenal, though they lost last time out in the league against Liverpool. In the Europa League, Spurs tied 1-1 with Fiorentina. Head-to-Head Stats This season: Tottenham 1-0 West Ham Last 6 (all competitions): Tied 3-3-0 (includes 1 League Cup game). Last 3 at Tottenham (all competitions): West Ham lead 2-1-0 (includes 1 League Cup game). All-time (all competitions): Tottenham lead 60-47-35. Team News West Ham (from): Adrian, Jaaskelainen, Spiegel, Collins, Cresswell, Demel, Henry, Jenkinson, O'Brien, Potts, Reid, Tomkins, Downing, Jarvis, Kouyate, Lletget, Noble, Nolan, Song, Cole, Sakho, Valencia. Out (reason, expected return date): Carroll (MCL, no date), Nene (match fitness, no date). Suspended: Amalfitano (first game of three-match ban). Tottenham (from): Friedel, Lloris, Vorm, Chiriches, Davies, Dier, Fazio, Kaboul, Rose, Vertonghen, Walker, Yedlin, Bentaleb, Capoue, Ceballos, Chadli, Dembele, Eriksen, Lamela, Mason, Paulinho, Stambouli, Townsend, Adebayor, Kane, Soldado. Leicester City (20th) at Everton (12th) (Sun, 9:05 AM ET) Time is beginning to run out for Leicester, who is now four points behind the teams above them. The Foxes have won four times in the league to date, though two of those victories have come in the last seven games and they advanced to the FA Cup fifth round before losing to Aston Villa. Leicester is currently looking to end a four-game losing streak. Everton's form is well below the standards they set during their last campaign. The Toffees were last in the top half of the table in week 6 and they've posted just six wins in the league. They lost four in a row at the turn of the year and they've won one in their last nine in the league. However, Everton did win at Young Boys in the Europa League. Head-to-Head Stats This season: Everton 2-2 Leicester Last 6 (all competitions): Everton lead 2-0-4. Last 3 at Everton (all competitions): verton lead 2-0-1. All-time (all competitions): Everton lead 38-31-31. Team News Leicester (from): Hamer, Schwarzer, De Laet, Huth, Konchesky, Moore, Morgan, Simpson, Upson, Wasilewski, Albrighton, Cambiasso, Drinkwater, Hammond, James, King, Knockaert, Mahrez, Schlupp, Kramaric, Lawrence, Nugent, Ulloa, Vardy. Out (reason, expected return date): Wood (ankle, Mar 4), Schmeichel (Metatarsel fracture, Mar 4). Everton (from): Howard, Joel, Stanek, Alcaraz, Baines, Browning, Coleman, Distin, Garbutt, Jagielka, Stones, Atsu, Barkley, Besic, Gibson, Junior, Lennon, McCarthy, Kone, Long, Lukaku, Mirallas, Naismith. Doubts: Oviedo (hamstring). Out (reason, expected return date): McGeady (knee, Mar 1). Suspended: Barry (one-match ban). Liverpool (7th) at Southampton (4th) (Sun, 11:15 AM ET) Liverpool might not challenge for the English Premier League title this season but like last term they're experiencing an upturn in form during the second half of the campaign. Since losing to Manchester United in December, Liverpool has gone nine games unbeaten in the league, 13 in all competitions. They defeated Besiktas in the Europa League. Southampton was expected to fall away from the upper reaches of the division but they're still right in the mix in the battle for a top 4 place. The Saints did suffer a dip in form in November and December, where they lost four on the bounce but they've lost just once in the league since. Southampton has won six of their last nine league encounters. Head-to-Head Stats This season: Southampton 1-2 Liverpool Last 6 (all competitions): Tied 3-3-0. Last 3 at Southampton (all competitions): Southampton lead 2-1-0. All-time (all competitions): Liverpool lead 49-27-22. Team News Liverpool (from): Mignolet, Ward, Johnson, Jose Enrique, Lovren, Manquillo, Moreno, Sakho, Skrtel, Toure, Allen, Can, Coutinho, Henderson, Lallana, Markovic, Balotelli, Borini, Ibe, Lambert, Sterling, Sturridge. Out (reason, expected return date): Lucas (groin, Mar 22), Gerrard (hamstring, Mar 1), Jones (thigh, no date), Flanagan (knee, no date). Southampton (from): K. Davis, Forster, Gazzaniga, Clyne, Fonte, Gape, Gardos, Targett, Yoshida, S. Davis, Djuricic, Elia, Mane, McQueen, Reed, Schneiderlin, Tadic, Wanyama, Ward-Prowse, Gallagher, Long, Pelle, Seager. Out (reason, expected return date): Mayuka (groin, Jun), Alderweireld (Feb 28), Rodriguez (ACL, no date), Isgrove (knock, no date). Suspended: Bertrand (final game of three-match ban). |
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