The Reading v Southampton game could also yield goals with Rickie Lambert expected to score again.
So, its the 32nd match-day at the Premier League and with the business end approaching quickly, things will start to heat - even the slightest of errors could lead to loss of ground to opposition in football fantasy rankings.
Normally, I would start from the beginning but this is a week where the two Manchester teams go head to head against each other in a late-evening kick-off on Monday! Yep, that's right, Manchester United take on Manchester City at Old Trafford and it's a bit difficult to call this one.
Normally I would have put United as favourites by a couple of goals but more recently they haven't come out all guns blazing.
There are injury worries and form issues - Wayne Rooney falls in the former category and Robin van Persie in the latter. That said, it's also worth noting that the really good players have this uncanny habit of pulling up their socks when the going gets tough - one of them will get into the score-sheet with the assumption being that both will start.
For City, it will be down to Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero as David Silva looks to find some of his previous season form in the mid-field. It's no coincidence that Silva's poor form has occurred at the same time as City's slump - his ability to feed them through to the strikers was one of the most vital reasons for City's win last season.
The other game I would like to look at lies at the other end of the spectrum; Reading take on Southampton in an early kick-off on Saturday. Now Reading are already on their way down the relegation ladder, unless they can conjure up three or four wins in a row. Southampton were in that same zone some time ago but look to have pulled themselves out for now - they can hardly afford a defeat too.
This is why, you can rest assure that this will be a high-scoring encounter - one in which Reading will look to score and Southampton will net in on the counter. Rickie Lambert has almost passed unnoticed to 14 goals this season and has been one of the major reasons for the Saints' resurrection. He's been on the score-sheet in three out of the previous five matches and given the opposition defence, there's nothing to suggest he will stop.
Fulham's up against Newcastle away from home with Dimitar Berbatov striking read-hot form; he scored thrice in as many games going into the QPR match last week, where he smashed a couple more to make it 5 in 4. Berbatov had never scored in four successive matches and now that he's tasted blood, he could well go for the jugular against a seemingly weak-looking Newcastle United defence.
Norwich are up against Swansea as well and that's another encounter that could see a few goals, as could Liverpool's home game against West Ham. The Swans have fallen by the wayside in recent times, losing three in a row, which is what makes me wonder whether this could be a turnaround game for them, brought about by likes of Nathan Dyer and Wayne Routledge.
Then it's Liverpool taking on West Ham in a game that should see a refreshed and a recharged Daniel Sturridge getting a chance which is what makes him my striker to watch out. I wouldn't mind getting him on as my captain as well, with a look-in for Raheem Sterling who came off the bench last week.
Normally, I would start from the beginning but this is a week where the two Manchester teams go head to head against each other in a late-evening kick-off on Monday! Yep, that's right, Manchester United take on Manchester City at Old Trafford and it's a bit difficult to call this one.
Normally I would have put United as favourites by a couple of goals but more recently they haven't come out all guns blazing.
There are injury worries and form issues - Wayne Rooney falls in the former category and Robin van Persie in the latter. That said, it's also worth noting that the really good players have this uncanny habit of pulling up their socks when the going gets tough - one of them will get into the score-sheet with the assumption being that both will start.
For City, it will be down to Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero as David Silva looks to find some of his previous season form in the mid-field. It's no coincidence that Silva's poor form has occurred at the same time as City's slump - his ability to feed them through to the strikers was one of the most vital reasons for City's win last season.
The other game I would like to look at lies at the other end of the spectrum; Reading take on Southampton in an early kick-off on Saturday. Now Reading are already on their way down the relegation ladder, unless they can conjure up three or four wins in a row. Southampton were in that same zone some time ago but look to have pulled themselves out for now - they can hardly afford a defeat too.
This is why, you can rest assure that this will be a high-scoring encounter - one in which Reading will look to score and Southampton will net in on the counter. Rickie Lambert has almost passed unnoticed to 14 goals this season and has been one of the major reasons for the Saints' resurrection. He's been on the score-sheet in three out of the previous five matches and given the opposition defence, there's nothing to suggest he will stop.
Fulham's up against Newcastle away from home with Dimitar Berbatov striking read-hot form; he scored thrice in as many games going into the QPR match last week, where he smashed a couple more to make it 5 in 4. Berbatov had never scored in four successive matches and now that he's tasted blood, he could well go for the jugular against a seemingly weak-looking Newcastle United defence.
Norwich are up against Swansea as well and that's another encounter that could see a few goals, as could Liverpool's home game against West Ham. The Swans have fallen by the wayside in recent times, losing three in a row, which is what makes me wonder whether this could be a turnaround game for them, brought about by likes of Nathan Dyer and Wayne Routledge.
Then it's Liverpool taking on West Ham in a game that should see a refreshed and a recharged Daniel Sturridge getting a chance which is what makes him my striker to watch out. I wouldn't mind getting him on as my captain as well, with a look-in for Raheem Sterling who came off the bench last week.
