Newcastle vs. Stoke
Newcastle sits fifth in the Premier League table having won their previous five games and is looking to claim fourth spot by displacing Tottenham Hotspur. Their opponents are Stoke City- the side fourteenth in the table. Stoke has recorded just one win in their previous five fixtures along with three draws and a solitary loss. The difference in points between the two sides is 17.
Stoke lost the reverse fixture 1-3 this season. Demba Ba unsurprisingly scored two goals to put his team in a 0-2 lead. Jonathon Walters got one back from the spot for Stoke before Demba Ba restored parity from the penalty spot. This fixture last season ended 1-2 in favour of Stoke. Kevin Nolan opened the scoring. Kenwyne Jones equalized in the 67th minute. A James Perch own goal cruelly handed Stoke the points.
Newcastle this season is a much different proposition than that of last season. The additions of Papiss Demba Cisse and Demba Ba have given them a frightening forward line. Hatem Ben Arfa’s triumphant return from injury has helped them to no end. Expect Newcastle to take this one especially considering that this game gives them a chance to close in on third placed Arsenal.
Prediction: Newcastle 2-0 Stoke
QPR vs. Tottenham
QPR having beaten Arsenal will be hopeful of a second victory in a London derby. They take on a Spurs side that only has one win to its name in the last six matches. At one point this season, Spurs had reached dizzying heights. They had been contending for the title. Much has changed since then. Arsenal has taken over third place and Spurs has been left contending for the final Champions League spot against Newcastle and Chelsea.
QPR has recorded three wins and three loses in their previous six matches. Those results can be considered quite good for a side trying to survive in the top flight. QPR currently sits in seventeenth spot in the table. They have beaten Liverpool this season as well as Chelsea. QPR does not get intimidated easily. They are never beaten until the final whistle in a match as Liverpool will tell you.
The reverse fixture ended 3-1 in Spur’s favour this season. Gareth Bale and the extremely talented Dutchman Rafael Van der Vaart put Spurs ahead by two goals. Jay Bothroyd got one back for QPR. The game was ended as a contest in the 72nd minute when Gareth Bale scored his second and his side’s third.
Spurs has enough in their ranks to overcome QPR. They know that Arsenal’s loss has given them the opportunity to close the gap on the Gunners. However, considering that Spurs is coming into this match on the back of a 1-5 hammering at the hands of Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, the team morale might not be at its best. QPR certainly has plenty of fight in them.
Prediction: QPR 2-1 Tottenham.
