Premier League fixtures. Arsenal vs West Ham

Three matches that have been postponed due to cup competitions will be played midweek.

Arsenal vs West Ham United

The Gunners made it past Wigan Athletic last Saturday to reach the FA Cup final and now face a difficult task to finish in the fourth place in Premier League. The Gunners have not won in the last four games and were thrashed by direct rivals Chelsea and Everton. Arsene Wenger is still haunted by long injury list, while Sam Allardyce will only miss Kevin Nolan, G. McCartney and Marco Borriello. The Hammers lie 11th in the table, but are not safe yet. Another motivation is Andy Carroll’s ambition to impress England manager Roy Hodgson, who is yet to name his final squad for Brazil Wordl Cup.

Arsene Wenger called his players not to lose concentration: “West Ham are in a comfortable position, that means they can play without fear. So we know that in these kind of games it’s very important that we have a good focus and a good tempo in our game.”
Sam Allardyce stressed on Arsenal’s packed schedule that could give his side an extra chance: “Certainly with Arsenal’s game load and some of the injuries they have, then yes they will be weaker than they possibly could be. If we can seek an advantage by those problems that they have then it gives us a better chance of getting a result.”

Kevin Friend will referee the London derby.

Everton vs Crystal Palace

Everton are the odd contenders for a Champions League spot and are just five games away from sensational season under Roberto Martinez. Well-organized Tony Pulis’ Crystal Palace are the first obstacle, considering they have won the last three matches and not conceded a single goal. Like West Ham, The Eagles lie on 37 points and are yet to secure participation in next season’s Premier League.

Roberto Martinez has expressed hope his side are capable of finishing in the top four this season: “We’ve got three games at home and at Goodison Park our form has been very good but we’re going to be heavily tested. You look at it on paper and Arsenal have got the best run-in, but the good thing about football is nothing works as it should be on paper.”

Manchester City vs Sunderland

Manchester City will be desperate to rehabilitate after giving away three crucial points to fellow title rivals Liverpool back on Sunday. However, the Citizens lost their key midfielder Yaya Toure till the rest of the season with a knee injury. Still, they must beat the rock-bottom Black Cats to stay in the title race and close the gap from the leaders to four points. Sunderland have not won since 1 February and lost seven of the last eight games.

Manuel Pellegrini was optimistic in commenting his side’s chances after the defeat at Anfield: “People talk about pressure and suchlike but that doesn’t really matter - just who wins the most games between now and the end of the season. We have to get back on track by beating Sunderland and West Brom.”
Sunderland could be cheered by the fact they have beaten their rivals back in November.