Recommendations for Barclays Premier League Matches (27 August 2011)

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.

Arsenal Considering Move For Lucho Gonzalez

Arsenal is reportedly considering making a move for Marseille playmaker Lucho Gonzalez in their pursuit of midfield reinforcements.

According to The Telegraph, the north London club wants Gonzalez on a season-long loan, but Marseille would rather receive a fee of £5 million to ensure a permanent move to the Emirates Stadium.

Gonzalez, it is claimed, is could fill the void left by former Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas, who finally secured a move to Barcelona earlier this month.

The 30-year-old Argentina international, however, is just one of many potential acquisitions for Arsene Wenger as the Arsenal boss strives to replace both Fabregas and Samir Nasri.

Marvin Martin of Sochaux is thought to be a player Wenger is seriously considering making a move for, while Arsenal have been credited with a bid for Rennes enforcer Yann M'Vila.

Wenger is also keen to sign a centre-back with experience in the Barclays Premier League, and it emerged on Friday Arsenal had made an offer for Bolton defender Gary Cahill.

Chelsea In Shock Swap Deal To Land Former Blue

Chelsea are considering a shock bid to bring Arjen Robben back to Stamford Bridge and they will offer Bayern Munich Florent Malouda to seal the deal.

Blues boss Andre-Villas Boas is eager to add some flair in wide areas of his team and he recently had a £17.5m bid rejected for Porto winger Alvaro Pereira, with the Primeira Liga champions insisting the Uruguayan was not for sale.

The Portuguese tactician is now considering his options and has turned his attention to former Blue Arjen Robben.

The flying Dutchman enjoyed a successful spell at the West London club from 2004 to 2007, in which he helped Chelsea win two Premier League crowns, a Carling Cup double and an FA Cup before he left for an ill fated spell at Real Madrid.

But the 27-year-old has arguably demonstrated the best form of his career since joining Bayern in 2009, and now his former London employers are plotting a sensational player-plus-cash bid involving Malouda in an attempt to re-sign the former Stamford Bridge favourite.

Villas-Boas left Malouda out of his starting line-up for Chelsea's first home game of the season but he brought him on in the first half - and was rewarded as the Frenchman netted the winner against West Brom.

But it is understood the former Porto chief is not keen on the 31-year-old attacker, who he believes is past his best.

Italian giants Juventus are understood to have enquired into the availability of Malouda earlier this week, but their interest could be in vain if Villas-Boas uses the Frenchman as bait to land Robben.

Newcastle Set For Crunch Talks Over Lyon Defender

Newcastle will hold crunch talks with Lyon this weekend to decide the future of defender Aly Cissokho.

According to reports in France, the two sides will meet in an attempt to finally agree on a fee for the 23-year-old, who could fly to Newcastle for a medical on Monday.

Lyon are holding out for £9m while Newcastle are still understood to be £2m short.

The French club is also keen to receive most of the money up front while Newcastle is hoping to base the fee around performance-related add-ons.

But with both sides keen to reach an agreement, they hope the weekend’s meeting will help to finalize the deal.

Liverpool Complete Deal For Uruguay Centre-Back

Uruguay defender Sebastian Coates has arrived on Merseyside to have his medical with Liverpool after Nacional accepted a £7million offer for the centre-back.

The fee has now been agreed between the two clubs and Liverpool are hopeful that the deal can be completed in the coming days as Coates completes his medical and discusses personal terms.

The 6ft 6ins defender was voted the young player of the tournament as Uruguay won the Copa America and has been hotly tipped to be a star of the future.

It is a major coup for Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish as the giant defender had been watched on a number of occasions by Premier League rivals Manchester City.

Despite being unable to offer European football, Liverpool have managed to convince the 20-year-old to choose Anfield, thanks in large to star striker Luis Suarez.

The prolific forward was instrumental in helping Uruguay win the Copa America and regularly told Coates of what it is like to to play in the Premier League.

The Reds have still not declared that the deal has been completed as they still need to obtain a work permit. This should not be too much of a problem as the defender played every game of the Copa America.

The defender also gave an emotional farewell to the supporters of Nacional as he revealed he would love to one day return to the club.

“For the fans I can only give words of gratitude, they have always treated me fantastically and supported me in the hardest times,” said Coates. “I will wear the Nacional jersey again, however, and I hope when this happens I get the same great backing.”

Arsenal Target Unsettled Man City Star As Next Signing

Arsenal is eyeing up a move for Manchester City's Adam Johnson as part of their recruitment drive.

The Gunners have left it late to do any serious business largely due to the uncertainty surrounding their European prospects this season. Following Wednesday night's 2-1 win over Italian side Udinese, their participation in the Champions League has been confirmed and the ability to attract top players has been made easier.

While moves for the likes of Real Madrid's Kaka, Lille's Eden Hazard and Rennes' Yann M'Vila have been touted, manager Arsene Wenger has long held Johnson in high regard. He tried to sign him before he went to City but now with the player far from guaranteed a first team place at the Etihad Stadium, he could be more successful this time round.

Ironically, it is the arrival of a player from Arsenal that has cast the former Middlesbrough player's future in doubt after Samir Nasri joined the big-spending club earlier this week for £24m. Johnson recently stated that he was happy at the club but he will know that his international ambitions will be hindered should he find himself regularly warming the bench for his club.

A bid of £14m is likely to be enough to bring him to London.

Wright-Phillips Set For Move Talks

Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips is to hold discussions with QPR and two other clubs over a potential move, his agent has confirmed.

The 29-year-old has fallen down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium as a result of their huge investment on players in recent years.

Wright-Phillips has also been linked heavily with Bolton over the summer. Agent Wayne Lindsay told Press Association Sport: "There have been three bids accepted, one from QPR, and at some point he will be speaking to all those clubs."

Wright-Phillips is one of a number of players at City, also including Craig Bellamy, Nedum Onuoha, Wayne Bridge and Roque Santa Cruz, who appear surplus to requirements.

All could potentially move on before next Wednesday's transfer deadline while another player, Emmanuel Adebayor, joined Tottenham on loan on Thursday.

England international Wright-Phillips rejoined City for a second spell in 2008 in the hope of reviving his career after a frustrating three years with Chelsea.

Yet despite a good relationship with current City boss Roberto Mancini, he has been unable to win a regular first-team place.

Arsenal And Tottenham Fight For Highly-Rated Ajax Midfielder

Arsenal and Tottenham are set to fight it out for highly-rated Ajax midfielder Vurnon Anita, according to sources in Holland.

The Holland international was an key member of the Ajax side that clinched their first league triumph in seven years last season and his impressive form has seemingly not gone unnoticed in North London.

Ajax has been approached by Arsenal and Tottenham over the availability of the youngster, who predominantly operates as a holding midfielder.

The Amsterdam club is reluctant to part with Anita and tied him down to a new two-year deal in May but there is a £12m release clause stipulated in his contract.

The 22-year-old's previous deal was due to expire next summer and he was previously linked with a move to Liverpool for as little as £6million.

Anita, a youth product at the Eredivisie club, made his Ajax debut in March 2006 before establishing himself as a regular in the side at the start of the 2009/10 campaign.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has turned his attention to Anita having growing frustrated in his pursuit of Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra.

While Gunners manager Arsene Wenger has money to burn following Cesc Fabregas's £30m departure to Barcelona and the £24m sale of Samir Nasri to Manchester City.

Barton Completes QPR Switch

Midfielder Joey Barton has become Queens Park Rangers' first signing since their takeover by Malaysian entrepreneur Tony Fernandes, the Premier League club said on Friday.

Barton, who was released by Newcastle United in the close-season, signed a four-year deal with the west London outfit who were promoted to the top flight as second tier champions last season.

"It's been quite a whirlwind, so to get things finally sorted and draw a line under it all is a great relief," Barton said on the club website.

"The ambition of the club really impressed me.

"The gaffer is talking about adding two or three more bodies and that, combined with the potential of the club and the new owners' ambitions, bodes really well for the future."

Barton, who won his first and only England cap in 2007, is no stranger to controversy and was jailed for assault in 2008 while at Newcastle.

The 28-year-old was also given a suspended four-month sentence for attacking team mate Ousmane Dabo in 2007 during a spell at Manchester City.

"He's coming here to show people what he can do. He wants to get back into the England team," QPR manager Neil Warnock said on the club website.

"He's very enthusiastic. People will say one or two things about him, but they've said stuff about me in the past too, so I won't worry about that."

Fernandes, who is also owner of the Team Lotus Formula One outfit and AirAsia airline, completed his QPR takeover last week and promised to take the club to new heights.

QPR have been linked in the British media with moves for Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips and West Ham United midfielder Scott Parker.

Gago Set For Roma Talks

Roma have beaten Manchester City to the services of Fernando Gago, report Sky Sport Italia.

Real Madrid’s Argentine has been linked with the Giallorossi in recent days and it seems that an agreement has been virtually reached.

It’s understood that the international’s agent is on his way to Italy in an effort to conclude negotiations.

Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini did admit after the Europa League exit to Slovan Bratislava that he was working on signing some new midfielders.

Fiorentina’s Riccardo Montolivo has also been paired, even if the Viola insists they’ll only sell him to a foreign club.

Estigarribia Has Juve Medical

Le Mans midfielder Marcelo Estigarribia has undergone a medical with Serie A side Juventus.

The Le Mans midfielder is believed to have passed medicals with two other clubs, one of which is thought to be fellow Serie A side Lecce, after arriving in Italy on Wednesday.

However, the Paraguay international, who has also attracted interest from Rangers following his impressive displays in the Copa America this summer, has set his heart on a move to Turn.

Estigarribia has spent the last 18 months on loan at Newell's Old Boys after out-growing Le Mans, who was relegated from Ligue 1 in 2010.

The French club has negotiated a €5million deal with Juventus, but the player may initially move on loan.

Santa Cruz Off To Spain

Sky Sports sources understand that Roque Santa Cruz is to undergo a medical at Real Betis on Saturday.

The Manchester City striker has been linked with a number of clubs this summer, with it clear that he has no future at Eastlands.

The Paraguayan has slowly slipped down the pecking order at City since signing from Blackburn in 2009.

Having found himself out of favour, Roque Santa Cruz returned to Ewood Park on loan last season.

He was unable to earn a permanent move to Rovers but is expected to be offloaded by City before the transfer window slams shut.

Betis have been touted as his most likely destination, and they are closing in on a deal.

The Primera Liga new boys are looking to piece together a squad that is capable of keeping them in the Spanish top flight and believe Santa Cruz could provide the goals to see them safe.