Chelsea (6th) vs Norwich (10th)
Juan Mata is unlikely to start Chelsea's Barclays Premier League match against Norwich on Saturday. But the Spain winger, who completed his move from Valencia on Wednesday, could be on the bench at Stamford Bridge. Fellow new boy Oriol Romeu is in contention to start, but the match comes slightly too soon for David Luiz (thigh), while Petr Cech and Michael Essien (both knee) remain sidelined and Daniel Sturridge serves the final instalment of his three-match ban.
Norwich will be without defender Daniel Ayala, who is set to miss up to eight weeks with a knee injury. Playmaker Wes Hoolahan (hamstring) will be monitored, centre-back Leon Barnett returns after a one-match ban, as manager Paul Lambert is set to make changes from the side thrashed 4-0 at home in the Carling Cup on Tuesday night. Striker James Vaughan and centre-half Elliott Ward are still sidelined after picking up minor knee injuries during pre-season.
Norwich have failed to register in five of the last seven games against Chelsea. The last two times Norwich have visited Stamford Bridge, they’ve run out 4-0 losers. Expect the same scoreline in tonight’s game as Chelsea will be too strong for the newly promoted side. I can see Chelsea winning this match easily by 3-0, 4-0 or 5-0.
Swansea (16th) vs Sunderland (13th)
Garry Monk and Ferrie Bodde are the only absentees as Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers goes in search of a first Barclays Premier League win against Sunderland on Saturday. Defender Monk is once again ruled out by an ongoing foot problem, although he played for the reserves on Thursday night, while midfielder Bodde has had treatment in Holland after suffering a niggle in his recovery from his most recent knee injury. Rodgers is expected to stick with the majority of the side that drew with Wigan Athletic last weekend after being unimpressed by the performance of those given a chance in the shock Carling Cup defeat at Shrewsbury.
Summer signing John O'Shea will make his competitive debut for Sunderland. The former Manchester United defender has finally shaken off the hamstring injury which has sidelined him for five weeks and manager Steve Bruce has indicated he will play at the Liberty Stadium as the Black Cats attempt to secure a first victory of the Barclays Premier League season. Bruce faces a decision over his goalkeepers after replacing Simon Mignolet with Keiren Westwood for the Carling Cup defeat at Brighton in midweek, but Craig Gordon, Fraizer Campbell and David Meyler (all knee) are still sidelined.
The sides have met six times with Swansea winning four and the other two ending in draws, although their last clash dates back to March 1983. Swansea are hard to beat at the Liberty Stadium, having not lost there in their last nine league games. Swansea, in my opinion, may just come away with all three points here.
Liverpool (5th) vs Bolton Wanderers (8th)
Liverpool will be without midfielder Raul Meireles for Saturday's Barclays Premier League match with Bolton at Anfield. Meireles suffered a collarbone injury in the Reds' Carling Cup second-round victory at Exeter City on Wednesday and manager Kenny Dalglish expects him to be sidelined for a few weeks. Dalglish will check on the condition of Glen Johnson (hamstring), while Steven Gerrard (groin) is still working his way back to fitness.
Marcos Alonso has become the latest Bolton defender to be hit by the club's injury jinx. The former Real Madrid man faces eight to 12 weeks out after suffering a broken metatarsal in the Carling Cup victory over Macclesfield. He joins Tyrone Mears (broken leg), Sam Ricketts (Achilles) and Gretar Steinsson on the sidelines, although the Icelander could come into contention for the visit to Anfield after suffering bruising to his foot against Manchester City. Tuncay Sanli will hope to retain his starting role after scoring on his debut against Macclesfield in midweek, but Ricardo Gardner may miss out again as he struggles to overcome a groin problem.
Liverpool have won nine out of the last 10 Premier League meetings between the two sides, and this will be their 10th consecutive victory if they should take three points from Bolton. The two teams have faced each other 58 times in league games at the Reds' home ground. The hosts have won 32, the opposition 10, while the remaining 16 ended in a draw. Kenny Dalglish's men have lost only one league game in their last 10 outings at Anfield. That defeat came towards the end of last season, when Tottenham managed to carve out a 2-0 victory. Liverpool looks odds on to beat Bolton but there is no value in it. Expects both team to score in this game, Liverpool win 2-1 or 3-1. Go light on Over 2.50 goals.
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