With only two weeks remaining in the 2009 - 2010 version of the Barclays Premier League the destinations of all the major prizes are still unresolved. Chelsea or Manchester United for the title? Tottenham, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Liverpool for fourth? Mathematically, Tottenham could even snatch third spot from Arsenal! This weekend could see some of those issues resolved, or, most likely we will have to wait until the final whistles have sounded across the nation on Sunday, May 9th.
Undoubtedly, the game of the day on Saturday will take place at the City of Manchester Stadium where fifth placed Manchester City will host fourth placed Aston Villa. City are one point behind the Villans but do have a game in hand. In other big clashes against "top four" rivals, notably at home to Liverpool and away to Arsenal, Roberto Mancini has adopted a rather cautious approach, looking to avoid defeat rather than going for the win. Both those games offered little to the fans in the way of entertainment or goals but surely, this time, City will have to throw caution to the wind and play for all three points. But it won't be easy, as only Chelsea and Manchester United have conceded fewer goals on the road than Martin O'Neill's side. Also, Villa have great attacking strengths of their own with two raiding wingers in the form of Ashley Young and Stewart Downing, central strikers Gabriel Agbonlahor and John Carew, and, in midfield, the newly anointed PFA Young Player of the Year, James Milner. This should be an end-to-end thriller but, at the end of the day, a draw is the most likely result.
If things do finish all square in Manchester then Tottenham Hotspur could be the main beneficiaries when they entertain fourteenth placed Bolton Wanderers at White Hart Lane. Spurs have won their last five home matches and I am confident they will take all three points from this, their last home fixture of the season.
Elsewhere on Saturday, eighth placed Everton will continue their winning ways at Stoke, Birmingham will take maximum points from their home game against relegated Burnley and Portsmouth could share the spoils with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
On Sunday, Anfield is the venue for one of the most important games of the season. Liverpool will host first place Chelsea knowing that only victory will keep them in the race for fourth but would also have the unfortunate consequence of presenting bitter rivals Manchester United with their tie breaking nineteenth English championship title. Much has been said in recent weeks along the lines of Liverpool deliberately surrendering to Chelsea but with Fernando Torres missing from the line up it is hard to imagine that the Reds will have the necessary firepower to overcome a Chelsea side who scored seven unanswered goals on the last outing.
Whatever happens on Merseyside, Sir Alex Ferguson will know what is required of his Manchester United team when they take to the field away at tenth placed Sunderland. Of course, the Red Devils always play for victory but this season only two teams have left the Stadium of Light with a win. By Sunday night that number should have risen to three!
With West Ham United having finally secured their Premiership survival I expect them to play in the entertaining style expected of all Hammers teams and, with the pressure now off, they should be good for a point from their trip to neighbors Fulham.
In the first of two games on Monday, Arsenal will be playing for a guaranteed third place finish when they travel to Ewood Park to take on eleventh placed Blackburn. The Lancashire team have crashed at home only three times all season but the Gunners could have just enough left in their tank to return to London with all three points. Finally, Hull City have not managed a road victory in this entire campaign and Wigan will help them maintain that statistic at the DW Stadium.
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