Premier League Preview: Liverpool Vs Wigan

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Premier League match time dawns at Anfield as Liverpool get set to host Wigan on Saturday, February 12, in match week 27.

This is the second of a two-leg contest between the sides, with the first, hosted by Wigan on November 11, ending in a 1-1 draw.

Torres got the Merseysiders speedily ahead on 7 minutes, and exactly seven minutes soon after the interval, Rodallega got the Latics level at 1-1. Torres' opening strike was the result of poor defending by Wigan who committed the cardinal mistake of allowing Gerrard too much space, and the captain threaded a pass through to the Spain striker, even as Alcaraz was beaten by the pass and Caldwell was all too simple and easy for Torres to  get past and put the ball behind Al Habsi into the Wigan net.

Liverpool had been brilliant for about 20 minutes at the get started, and inexplicably appeared to go into a shell thereafter.

The draw left Liverpool fans fuming and renewing the call for Hodgson's head. Some of the criticism seemed warranted as Liverpool appeared to be in an overly defensive mindset following the interval, when Poulson was brought on for Meireles. Hodgson kept N'gog on the bench and did not even use him as a second half substitute.

Rodallega and N'Zogbia's pace harried the Red's back-line. Tom Cleverley was yet another Wigan player who had a fantastic day at the office. Liverpool came back to life in the last 10 minutes and their efforts helped create chances for Torres and Gerrard, creating it all the even more baffling as to why they did not attempt it earlier.

Head to head, Liverpool lead Wigan 7-1 in 11 games played among them, with the remaining three matches ending in stalemates.

In their last league games, Liverpool have registered  five wins, 4 losses and a draw Wigan have won and lost two each of their last 10, drawing the remaining 6. Of 13 house games, this season, Liverpool have won 8, drawn three and lost 2, when Wigan have won just two of 12 away games, though losing and drawing five every.

In match week 26, Liverpool beat Chelsea 1- away at Stamford Bridge, whilst Wigan beat Blackburn 4-three at home.

Their win against Chelsea has propelled Liverpool to 6th spot and with 13 match weeks to play, they could go nonetheless greater.

On current form, Wigan will want far more than a slice of luck to get away with any points from Saturday's game.

Liverpool's beginning eleven against Chelsea had Reina, Skrtel, Carragher, Agger, Kelly, Lucas, Meireles, Johnson, Gerrard, Maxi and Kuyt. Poulsen and Aurelio featured as substitutes.

Wigan had the following males in their starting eleven against Blackburn: Al Habsi, Boyce, Gohouri, Alcaraz, Figueroa, Diame, N'Zogbia, Watson, McCarthy, Moses and Rodallega. McArthur, Di Santo and Cleverley played as substitutes.

Premier League Preview: Manchester United Vs Birmingham

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Premier League match time returns to Old Trafford as Manchester United host Birmingham on January 22, in match week 24, in the second of a two-leg contest.

The initially leg game between the sides, hosted by Birmingham at St Andrews' Ground on December 28, 2010, was a 1-1 draw. Berbatov put St Alex's wards ahead on the hour, fed by a Gibson cross from the proper.

But United would feel justifiably aggrieved with the referee immediately after getting to concede a point on the back of Bowyer's equaliser in the 89th minute. As it transpired, Johnson's corner kick went off Zigic's arm to fall perfectly in location for Berbatov to score.

Birmingham have been difficult to beat at St Andrews, and which includes the game with Man United, they have conceded defeat at home just when in 28 games. Larrson was particularly industrious throughout the game for Birmingham, but was substituted by Hleb in the last 20 minutes. That said, it is tough to fathom why McLeish chose not to give a player of Hleb's obvious skill a spot in his starting eleven.

Possibly in deference to Birmingham's very good residence record, United played with an overly defensive 4-3-3 formation. The contrast between United's property and away records is startling. That apart, Sir Alex's squad have uncharacteristically thrown away leads in 3 other games this season, against Everton, Fulham and West Brom.

Head to head, in 9 league games between the sides, Man United have established a dominant 5- benefit more than Birmingham.

The Old Trafford squad have won four of their last five league games, in the present season, though Birmingham have won just as soon as in their last five games, though drawing and losing twice every single.

Sir Alex Fergusson's squad have enjoyed the most impressive house record of all teams this season, with 10 wins in 11 games hosted, with a draw in the remaining 1. Birmingham have not had a superb away record, winning just 1 of 10 games ion the road, when drawing five and losing four.

On present form, it would be extremely difficult for Birmingham to avoid Man United from banking full points from this game.

Man United had the following males in their beginning eleven against West Brom in match week 21: Kuszczak, Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Obertan, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson, Berbatov and Rooney. Da Silva, Hernandez and Gibson played as substitutes.

Birmingham's beginning eleven against Arsenal in match week 21 had Foster, Carr, Johnson, Dann, Ridgewell, Larsson, Ferguson, Gardner, Bowyer, Beausejour and Jerome. Zigic, Derbyshire and Hleb had been made use of as substitutes.

Premier League Preview: Liverpool Vs Wigan

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Premier League match time dawns at Anfield as Liverpool get set to host Wigan on Saturday, February 12, in match week 27.

This is the second of a two-leg contest in between the sides, with the very first, hosted by Wigan on November 11, ending in a 1-1 draw.

Torres got the Merseysiders easily ahead on 7 minutes, and specifically seven minutes right after the interval, Rodallega got the Latics level at 1-1. Torres' opening strike was the result of poor defending by Wigan who committed the cardinal mistake of permitting Gerrard too significantly space, and the captain threaded a pass via to the Spain striker, even as Alcaraz was beaten by the pass and Caldwell was all too uncomplicated for Torres to  get past and put the ball behind Al Habsi into the Wigan net.

Liverpool were brilliant for about 20 minutes at the start, and inexplicably appeared to go into a shell thereafter.

The draw left Liverpool fans fuming and renewing the call for Hodgson's head. Some of the criticism seemed warranted as Liverpool appeared to be in an overly defensive mindset following the interval, when Poulson was brought on for Meireles. Hodgson kept N'gog on the bench and did not even use him as a second half substitute.

Rodallega and N'Zogbia's pace harried the Red's back-line. Tom Cleverley was an additional Wigan player who had a terrific day at the office. Liverpool came back to life in the last 10 minutes and their efforts helped develop chances for Torres and Gerrard, creating it all the more baffling as to why they did not attempt it earlier.

Head to head, Liverpool lead Wigan 7-1 in 11 games played among them, with the remaining three matches ending in stalemates.

In their last league games, Liverpool have registered  5 wins, 4 losses and a draw Wigan have won and lost 2 each of their last 10, drawing the remaining 6. Of 13 property games, this season, Liverpool have won 8, drawn three and lost two, whilst Wigan have won just two of 12 away games, although losing and drawing 5 each and every.

In match week 26, Liverpool beat Chelsea 1- away at Stamford Bridge, though Wigan beat Blackburn 4-three at residence.

Their win against Chelsea has propelled Liverpool to 6th spot and with 13 match weeks to play, they could go nonetheless greater.

On existing form, Wigan will need additional than a slice of luck to get away with any points from Saturday's game.

Liverpool's starting eleven against Chelsea had Reina, Skrtel, Carragher, Agger, Kelly, Lucas, Meireles, Johnson, Gerrard, Maxi and Kuyt. Poulsen and Aurelio featured as substitutes.

Wigan had the following males in their starting eleven against Blackburn: Al Habsi, Boyce, Gohouri, Alcaraz, Figueroa, Diame, N'Zogbia, Watson, McCarthy, Moses and Rodallega. McArthur, Di Santo and Cleverley played as substitutes.

Premier League Preview: Sunderland Vs Tottenham

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Premier League match time is set to return to The Stadium of Light when Sunderland host Tottenham on Saturday, February 12, in a second-leg game in match week 27.

The 1st leg, hosted by Tottenham, at White Hart Lane, on November 9, ended in a 1-1 draw. Van der Vaart put the hosts ahead on 64 minutes, and three minutes later, Gyan brought the game back to level terms for Sunderland.

Post-match speak centred around Van der Vaart's perceived handling of the ball before scoring his aim for Tottenham. Spurs' fans could effectively have retaliated that Sunderland captain Cattermole had been let off for a similar offence the previous week, and what goes round, comes round.

It was an ordinary game, in particular for Spurs, whose manager Redknapp had been tom-tomming his side's title pretensions. Their 18 million pound signing Bentley was particularly disappointing. Gareth Bale was a different player from whom much was expected oin the day, Onuoha had the measure of the Welshman. Gallas was a different Spurs player who had a mediocre day. In truth, Sunderland were dominant in the last 10 minutes, and Spurs hung on to salvage a point.

Some of Redknapp's decisions were questionable. For instance, he took off Pavlyuchenko, 1 of his few players to have had a decent game, right after the initial half. In comparison, Crouch has been a non-performer for the most portion, but makes it additional beginning elevens.

For Sunderland, Gyan underlined his importance to the team immediately after having been ignored in his starting elevens by Steve Bruce.

Head to head, Tottenham have established a 12-5 lead more than Sunderland in the last 20 league games in between the sides.

In their last 10 league games, the Black cats have won and lost four each, though drawing the remaining two. Tottenham have won 5 of their last 10, whilst drawing 4 and losing just the one. In 13 home games this season Sunderland have registered 6 wins, 5 draws and 2 losses of 12 away games, Tottenham have won 5, drawn three and lost 4.

In match week 26, Sunderland lost three-two away at Stoke Tottenham beat Bolton 2-1 at home.

On present form, Sunderland will need home benefit and more to cope with Tottenham's attack.

Sunderland's starting eleven aganst Stoke comprised: Gordon, Onuoha, Mensah, Ferdinand, Bramble, Bardsley, Henderson, Muntari, Sessegnon, Richardson and Gyan. Malbranque and Zenden played as substitutes.

Tottenham had the following males in their beginning eleven against Bolton: Gomes, Corluka, Gallas, Dawson, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Jenas, Van der Vaart, Crouch and Defoe. Pienaar, Kranjcar and Pavlyuchenko featured as substitutes.

Premier League Preview: Arsenal Vs Wolves

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It is Premier League match time at the Emirates on Saturday, February 12, when Arsenal host Wolves, in match week 27.

This is the second of a two-leg schedule, with the first leg game among the sides, hosted by Wolves, on November 10, ending two- in the visitors' favour.

Chamakh scored arguably the fastest goal of the league season to put Gunners ahead, and he rounded off the match with a 90th minute strike.

Fabianski was brilliant on the day and capped his performance with a brilliant save in injury time. Wolves played particularly nicely and put a lot of pressure on the Arsenal defence. They created a lot of probabilities, and dominated the very first half with 6% possession to Arsenal's 44%. In truth, they were all over the Gunners, closing down space and attacking in numbers.

Refereeing took the spotlight with Arsenal's fans left bemoaning a rough tackle by Henry on Arshavin, with the referee picking out to turn a blind eye. But Fabregas was also guilty of an equally rough tackle on Ward the Arsenal captain was off-colour on the day. Ward was carried off on a stretcher and referee Mark Halsey awarded Fabregas a yellow when a red card may not have caused any raised eyebrows.

On the strength of this showing, Wolves do not deserve to be in the relegation zone, and with luck they need to be converting their wonderful form to outcomes. Kevin Doyle and Berra had been especially unlucky to see fantastic scoring opportunities coming to nought, with Fabregas playing his role in between the Arsenal posts. The Arsenal back line was harried by Hunt and Jarvis who effected some impressive crosses, only to have Foley and Doyle's headers go wide.

Head to head, the sides have met thrice in the league with Arsenal registering a clean sweep of wins.

Of their final 10 league matches, Arsenal have won 6, drawn three and lost the remaining one Wolves have won 4 of their final 10, although losing the remaining 6. Arsenal have won 8 of 12 home games, this season, though losing three and drawing the one.

In match week 26, Arsenal drew 4-4 away at Newcastle Wolves beat Manchester United two-1 at home.

On current form, this should be a challenging fought game, with Arsenal edging it on the back of property benefit.

Arsenal's beginning eleven against Newcastle had Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny, Djourou, Clichy, Walcott, Wilshere, Diaby, Fabregas, Arshavin and Van Persie. Eboue, Squillaci and Rosicky had been applied as substitutes.

Wolves had the following males in their beginning eleven against Man United: Hennessey, Zubar, Stearman, Berra, Elokobi, Henry, Milijas, Hammill, O'Hara, Jarvis and Doyle. Ward, Ebanks-Blake and Foley featured as substitutes.

Premier League Preview: Tottenham Vs West Ham

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White Hart Lane is set to witness Premier League match time with Tottenham due to host West Ham in match week 30 on Saturday, March 19, in the second game of a two-legged encounter.

The initial leg game, hosted by West Ham on September 25, 2010, ended 1- in the hosts' favour. The Upton Park squad began the season disastrously and a string of defeats saw the London club in the cellar on the points table. The win against Tottenham was the 1st of their Premiership campaign, extra than a month right after the season began.

The win confirmed that the Hammers were lastly on an upswing, coming as it did in the wake of a Carling Cup victory over Sunderland in mid-week, preceded, in turn, by a draw at Stoke. Frederick Piquionne gave the starved Hammers fans trigger for celebration, when on the half-hour, the striker scored what was to prove the match-winner. The aim itself was the culmination of a sequence of events that began with a run down the flank by West Ham's Dyer. A tackle by Hutton in the Tottenham back-line yielded a corner that Mark Noble took. As the ball drifted in, Piquionne beat Corluka in an aerial battle for the ball and the West Ham striker's header lodged itself in the left corner of the Tottenham net, past a hapless Cudicini.

Grant's men are finally out of the relegation mine and will want to stay out, and any points from the forthcoming second leg game will assist their cause.

Head to head, Tottenham have registered a 10-5 advantage in the last 20 league games played in between the sides, with the remaining 20 matches drawn.

In their last 10 league games, Tottenham have registered 6 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss West Ham have won 4 of their final 10, when losing 3 and drawing the remaining three. Of their 13 house games this season, Tottenham have won 7, drawn 5 and lost 1, although West Ham have won two of their 14 games on the road, though losing 6 and drawing the remaining 6.

In match week 29, Tottenham drew three-3 away against Wolves West Ham won 3- against Stoke at residence. On present form, Tottenham have an edge, owing to residence advantage.

Tottenham's beginning eleven against Wolves had the following players: Gomes, Hutton, Dawson, Gallas, Assou-Ekotto, Pienaar, Jenas, Sandro, Modric, Defoe and Pavlyuchenko. Bale, Lennon and Kranjcar were applied as substitutes.

West Ham had the following men in their beginning eleven against Stoke: Green, Tomkins, Upson, da Costa, Bridge, Noble, Parker, Hitzlsperger, Piquionne, Cole and Ba. Gabiddon, O'Neil and Obinna featured as substitutes.

Premier League Preview: Manchester United Vs Birmingham

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Premier League match time returns to Old Trafford as Manchester United host Birmingham on January 22, in match week 24, in the second of a two-leg contest.

The initial leg game among the sides, hosted by Birmingham at St Andrews' Ground on December 28, 2010, was a 1-1 draw. Berbatov put St Alex's wards ahead on the hour, fed by a Gibson cross from the perfect.

But United would really feel justifiably aggrieved with the referee immediately after having to concede a point on the back of Bowyer's equaliser in the 89th minute. As it transpired, Johnson's corner kick went off Zigic's arm to fall perfectly in location for Berbatov to score.

Birmingham have been tough to beat at St Andrews, and such as the game with Man United, they have conceded defeat at property just when in 28 games. Larrson was very industrious during the game for Birmingham, but was substituted by Hleb in the last 20 minutes. That stated, it is difficult to fathom why McLeish chose not to give a player of Hleb's obvious skill a location in his starting eleven.

Perhaps in deference to Birmingham's beneficial house record, United played with an overly defensive four-3-3 formation. The contrast between United's property and away records is startling. That apart, Sir Alex's squad have uncharacteristically thrown away leads in 3 other games this season, against Everton, Fulham and West Brom.

Head to head, in 9 league games between the sides, Man United have established a dominant 5- advantage over Birmingham.

The Old Trafford squad have won four of their final five league games, in the existing season, although Birmingham have won just as soon as in their last 5 games, when drawing and losing twice every single.

Sir Alex Fergusson's squad have enjoyed the most impressive house record of all teams this season, with 10 wins in 11 games hosted, with a draw in the remaining 1. Birmingham have not had a good away record, winning just 1 of 10 games ion the road, whilst drawing 5 and losing 4.

On existing form, it would be extremely tough for Birmingham to stop Man United from banking full points from this game.

Man United had the following men in their beginning eleven against West Brom in match week 21: Kuszczak, Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Obertan, Fletcher, Carrick, Anderson, Berbatov and Rooney. Da Silva, Hernandez and Gibson played as substitutes.

Birmingham's starting eleven against Arsenal in match week 21 had Foster, Carr, Johnson, Dann, Ridgewell, Larsson, Ferguson, Gardner, Bowyer, Beausejour and Jerome. Zigic, Derbyshire and Hleb were employed as substitutes.

Premier League Preview: Arsenal Vs Wigan

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Premier League match time dawns at the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal get ready to host Wigan on January 22 in match week 24.

This is a second leg meeting in between the sides, this season the initially that was played in Wigan's residence ground, the DW Stadium, on December 29, 2010, was a two-2 draw. The game exposed the Gunners' porous defence, as the hosts went into the lead on 18 minutes, off a penalty taken by Watson, after N'Zogbia was brought down by Koscielny.

Arsenal drew level on the back of  Arshavin's strike in the 39th minute, and appeared heading for a comfortable victory when Bendtner put them ahead five minutes later, off an assist from Arshavin.  Squillaci's own goal on 81 minutes brought the hosts level, and a point from a game the Latics were not expected to win.

Although Wigan would have been pleased with the result, for Arsenal it was a poor game on countless counts. Inexplicably, Wenger created 8 changes to the squad that had beaten champions Chelsea in their previous game.

Apart from a weak back-line, the Gunners were also much less useful in midfield. Djourou would have been a greater alternative to Squillaci in defence. Likewise, getting Denilson in midfield did not translate into superior control  for Wenger's men.

There was no holding midfielder and that meant that Arshavin was pushed back into a defensive mould, a role he does not relish Arsenal missed the services of Clichy and Johan.

Wenger was also peeved with a handball from Wigan in the penalty area on 89 minutes that referee Wilson chose to ignore. But in the finish, Wigan deserved a point from the game for their perseverance.

Head to head, in 8 league meetings among the sides, the Gunners have established a five-1 benefit over the Latics.

In their final 5 league games, Arsenal have won 3 though drawing the remaining two Wigan have had 1 win and 3 draws though losing the one remaining game in their final five.

Arsenal have had a reasonably decent house record this season with 6 of 10 games won, when losing three and drawing the 1. Wigan's away record has been much less impressive, with 2 wins in 10 games on the road, whilst drawing and losing 4 games each and every.

In their newest game away against West Ham in match week 23, Arsenal won by a three- margin Wigan's final game at household against Fulham ended in a 1-1 stalemate.

On current form, Arsenal need to prevail over Wigan, on January 22.

Arsenal's starting eleven against West Ham had Szczesny, Eboue, Djourou, Koscielny, Clichy,  Song, Wilshere, Walcott, Fabregas, Nasri and Van Persie. Denilson, Arshavin and Gibbs were employed as substitutes.

Wigan had the following men in their starting eleven against Fulham: Al Habsi, Stam, Caldwell, Alcaraz, Gohouri, Watson, N'Zogbia, Thomas, Diame, Figueroa and Rodallega. Di Santo and McArthur played as substitutes.

Premier League Preview: Aston Villa Vs Blackburn

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Premier League match time dawns at Villa Park, as Aston Villa get ready to host Blackburn on Saturday, February 26, in match week 28.

This is the second of a two-leg encounter the first hosted by Blackburn on November 21, 2010, was won 2- by the hosts. Pedersen put Blackburn ahead on the break and followed it up with a second aim 6 minutes past the hour. Villa were in reality the greater team on the day, but for the two Blackburn strikes. Villa had early scoring opportunities by means of Young and Downing, but Robinson among the posts for Blackburn rose to the challenge. Barry Bannan in particular had a brilliant game and revealed his tremendous prospective with his passing range, time spent on the ball and ability to preserve a calm head.

If Villa could be faulted, it would be in their patchy defending against set pieces. Both of Blackburn's objectives resulted from set pieces the initially resulting from a free-kick gifted away to Blackburn when Warnock brought down El Hadji Diouf. As things transpired, the consequent zero cost-kick taken by Pedersen, missed Ryan for whom it was meant and beat the advancing Friedel and lodged itself into the leading corner of the net. The second goal was scored off a Diouf corner Pedersen was set up by Nelsen who latched on to the rebound following Chimbonda's shot was blocked.

The win was a ideal welcome for the new owners of the club, Venkatesh and Balaji Rao, who were in attendance.

Head to head, in the last 20 league encounters among the sides, Villa have established a 10-7 lead over Blackburn, with the remaining 3 ending in draws.

In their final 10 games, Villa have registered 2 wins, and four every of draws and losses. Of their final 10, Blackburn have won three, lost five and drawn 2. Of 13 household games this season, Villa have won and drawn 5 each, though losing the remaining 3. In 13 games on the road, Blackburn have ended on the losing side on 9 occasions, even though winning three and drawing the remaining one.

In match week 27, Villa drew 1-1 away at Blackpool, when  Blackburn were involved in a goalless stalemate with Newcastle, at dwelling.

On present form, this promises to be a tough-fought game, with Villa enjoying an edge on the back of household advantage.

Villa had the following men in their starting eleven against Blackpool: Friedel, Walker, Dunne, Cuellar, Clark, Agbonlahor, Makoun, Reo-Coker, Downing, Young and Bent. Collins, Heskey and Bradley had been employed as substitutes.

Blackburn's beginning eleven against Newcastle comprised the following men: Robinson, Salgado, Samba, Nelsen, Olsson, Hoilett, Nzonzi, Jones, Dunn, Kalinic and Santa Cruz. Roberts, Pedersen and Emerton featured as substitutes.

Premier League Preview: Sunderland Vs Tottenham

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Premier League match time is set to return to The Stadium of Light when Sunderland host Tottenham on Saturday, February 12, in a second-leg game in match week 27.

The 1st leg, hosted by Tottenham, at White Hart Lane, on November 9, ended in a 1-1 draw. Van der Vaart put the hosts ahead on 64 minutes, and 3 minutes later, Gyan brought the game back to level terms for Sunderland.

Post-match talk centred around Van der Vaart's perceived handling of the ball prior to scoring his objective for Tottenham. Spurs' fans could possibly well have retaliated that Sunderland captain Cattermole had been let off for a comparable offence the previous week, and what goes round, comes round.

It was an ordinary game, specifically for Spurs, whose manager Redknapp had been tom-tomming his side's title pretensions. Their 18 million pound signing Bentley was particularly disappointing. Gareth Bale was a further player from whom considerably was expected oin the day, Onuoha had the measure of the Welshman. Gallas was another Spurs player who had a mediocre day. In truth, Sunderland were dominant in the final 10 minutes, and Spurs hung on to salvage a point.

Some of Redknapp's decisions had been questionable. For instance, he took off Pavlyuchenko, one of his few players to have had a superior game, following the very first half. In comparison, Crouch has been a non-performer for the most part, but makes it even more starting elevens.

For Sunderland, Gyan underlined his importance to the team soon after having been ignored in his starting elevens by Steve Bruce.

Head to head, Tottenham have established a 12-5 lead over Sunderland in the final 20 league games among the sides.

In their final 10 league games, the Black cats have won and lost four each and every, even though drawing the remaining two. Tottenham have won five of their final 10, when drawing four and losing just the one. In 13 home games this season Sunderland have registered 6 wins, 5 draws and two losses of 12 away games, Tottenham have won five, drawn three and lost 4.

In match week 26, Sunderland lost three-two away at Stoke Tottenham beat Bolton 2-1 at property.

On present form, Sunderland will require house benefit and much more to cope with Tottenham's attack.

Sunderland's beginning eleven aganst Stoke comprised: Gordon, Onuoha, Mensah, Ferdinand, Bramble, Bardsley, Henderson, Muntari, Sessegnon, Richardson and Gyan. Malbranque and Zenden played as substitutes.

Tottenham had the following men in their starting eleven against Bolton: Gomes, Corluka, Gallas, Dawson, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Jenas, Van der Vaart, Crouch and Defoe. Pienaar, Kranjcar and Pavlyuchenko featured as substitutes.

Premier League Preview: Liverpool Vs Wigan

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Premier League match time dawns at Anfield as Liverpool get set to host Wigan on Saturday, February 12, in match week 27.

This is the second of a two-leg contest between the sides, with the initial, hosted by Wigan on November 11, ending in a 1-1 draw.

Torres got the Merseysiders speedily ahead on 7 minutes, and specifically seven minutes following the interval, Rodallega got the Latics level at 1-1. Torres' opening strike was the result of poor defending by Wigan who committed the cardinal mistake of allowing Gerrard too much space, and the captain threaded a pass through to the Spain striker, even as Alcaraz was beaten by the pass and Caldwell was all too effortless for Torres to  get past and put the ball behind Al Habsi into the Wigan net.

Liverpool were brilliant for about 20 minutes at the start, and inexplicably appeared to go into a shell thereafter.

The draw left Liverpool fans fuming and renewing the call for Hodgson's head. Some of the criticism seemed warranted as Liverpool appeared to be in an overly defensive mindset after the interval, when Poulson was brought on for Meireles. Hodgson kept N'gog on the bench and did not even use him as a second half substitute.

Rodallega and N'Zogbia's pace harried the Red's back-line. Tom Cleverley was one more Wigan player who had a superb day at the workplace. Liverpool came back to life in the last 10 minutes and their efforts helped develop probabilities for Torres and Gerrard, producing it all the far more baffling as to why they didn't try it earlier.

Head to head, Liverpool lead Wigan 7-1 in 11 games played between them, with the remaining 3 matches ending in stalemates.

In their last league games, Liverpool have registered  five wins, 4 losses and a draw Wigan have won and lost 2 each of their last 10, drawing the remaining 6. Of 13 residence games, this season, Liverpool have won 8, drawn 3 and lost two, while Wigan have won just two of 12 away games, though losing and drawing five every single.

In match week 26, Liverpool beat Chelsea 1- away at Stamford Bridge, when Wigan beat Blackburn four-3 at household.

Their win against Chelsea has propelled Liverpool to 6th place and with 13 match weeks to play, they could go nonetheless higher.

On existing form, Wigan will will need additional than a slice of luck to get away with any points from Saturday's game.

Liverpool's starting eleven against Chelsea had Reina, Skrtel, Carragher, Agger, Kelly, Lucas, Meireles, Johnson, Gerrard, Maxi and Kuyt. Poulsen and Aurelio featured as substitutes.

Wigan had the following men in their starting eleven against Blackburn: Al Habsi, Boyce, Gohouri, Alcaraz, Figueroa, Diame, N'Zogbia, Watson, McCarthy, Moses and Rodallega. McArthur, Di Santo and Cleverley played as substitutes.