Beyond MLS: EPL's 'Best of the Rest'
Some lesser-hyped clubs angle for spot in upper tier
Manchester City v. Newcastle United (Saturday, 7:45 a.m. ET, Setanta)
Michael Owen has decided to undergo duel operations for his groin and hernia problems. Owen did play in the Magpies' 3-1 win against West Ham last weekend, but he'll now miss the next several weeks in the hopes that the surgeries will allow him to be healthy for more than just a month or two at a time.
Newcastle travels to Manchester to play City in a battle of clubs in the top quarter of the table. Sven-Goran Eriksson's club played a thrilling match with Fulham on Saturday, the sides exchanging goals until deciding a 3-3 draw was a fair result. Martin Petrov had two goals for Man City.
Man City captain Richard Dunne is confident his team is the best besides the top four in the EPL, but to prove it, he'll need to lead his team to a victory against Newcastle, another club vying for the same position. Dunne knows a top-four team wins a game like last Saturday's at Fulham, so his club is not quite there yet but is perhaps close.
Without Owen, Newcastle will need last year's top scorer, Obafemi Martins to return to form. He missed several chances against West Ham and had a sure goal kicked away by a defender in a 2-0 Carling Cup defeat at Arsenal. Man City is returning home after a game-winning goal from little-used Georgios Samaras in a 1-0 Carling Cup victory against Norwich City.
This match might be decided by how the Magpies new back line deals with Man City's testing attack. Fulham's back four, especially newly-signed Aaron Hughes, looked out of sorts on Saturday, and Erikkson has to hope that Habib Beye, David Rozenhal and Claudio Cacapa have the same success against Elano and Petrov as they did against Hammers Dean Ashton and Carlton Cole.
Chelsea v. Fulham (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, Fox Soccer Channel)
In a season where it seems nothing has gone right, Chelsea's 2-0 loss to Manchester United on Sunday was a compelling bit of corroboration. First, John Obi Mikel gets a dubious red card in the first half-hour at Old Trafford. Then, the players' -- and assistant manager Steve Clarke's -- reactions to the call were vehement enough to receive sanction from the FA. Then, Carlos Tevez scores the ice-breaker in first-half stoppage time at a moment well after the confirmed added time was to have ended. A late Saha penalty added insult and a second goal in United's 2-0 win, and now Avram Grant's stay may be curtailed because he doesn't have the proper coaching credentials.
At least Chelsea should be able to count on picking up three points from Fulham, a team so charitable defensively that they are second-to-worst in the league in goals allowed and haven't had a clean sheet all season. And they also had just one road win all of last season, none so far this season. It's hard to imagine the Whites sneaking out of Stamford Bridge without surrendering at least a pair, and a Fulham attack that has been strong enough to stand second in the league in goals scored will be hard-pressed to find the net twice against Chelsea's strong defense.
This looks like a two-loss week for Fulham, who dropped a 2-1 Carling Cup fixture to Bolton on a 115th-minute winner at Craven Cottage. Chelsea is coming off a 4-0 win at Hull in their Carling Cup third-round match.
Birmingham City v. Manchester United (Saturday, 12:15 a.m. ET, Fox Soccer Channel)
Yes, Manchester United had a "horrifying" 2-0 loss to Coventry at Old Trafford on Wednesday, their first home loss to a lower-division side in 12 years, led by a brace by 5-foot-5 Michael Mifsud. And, yes, United only earned two points from their first three matches, but in between they won five straight, including Sunday's 2-0 snoozer against Chelsea.
The loss in the Carling Cup is surely disappointing, but Sir Alex Ferguson has his sights set much higher than the League Cup. He has to be disappointed, though, that the young players in which he showed so much confidence in pre-match notes failed so miserably on the pitch. Still, none of that will matter when the Red Devils go for a fifth successive EPL win at Birmingham City.
City, who were trounced 3-0 by Blackburn in their Carling Cup fixture, look for their second consecutive result against one of the big four after a scoreless match at Liverpool on Saturday. In fact, Birmingham has done quite well against the league's elite, playing even at Chelsea into the second half on opening day before losing 3-2.
Any points they can take from Man United keeps Birmingham further away from the relegation zone - City is currently three points ahead of the last relegation spot - and imperils Manchester United's bid for top of the league, as they are two points shy of Arsenal having played and the Gunners have a match in hand.
Everton v. Middlesbrough (Sunday, 9 a.m. ET, Fox Soccer Channel)
It's another week and, with it, another defense of goalless striker Andy Johnson by an Everton manager. This time it was assistant manager Alan Irvine insisting that Johnson "has not become a bad player all of a sudden." But, after a fast start, Everton has gotten just four points out of their last five EPL matches, a streak capped by Aston Villa's 2-0 win on Sunday. The Toffies have scored just three goals in those five matches to fall to 10th in the table, so Everton would like tangible proof that Johnson hasn't fallen off.
Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate is happy to welcome back a quartet of senior players, including Mido and Gary O'Neil, all apparently recovered from a variety of ailments. Southgate is committed to picking up Boro's third win of the season at Goodison Park, and with Everton's recent form, the idea doesn't seem as far-fetched as it would have five weeks ago.
Tottenham Hotspur v. Aston Villa (Monday, 3 p.m. ET, Setanta)
You have to appreciate the steadfastness of Spurs chairman David Levy, who is insisting that the club is not negotiating any sort of severance package with maligned manager Martin Jol. The Dutch manager, for his part, maintains that getting rid of him would be a mistake after consecutive fifth-place finishes. But after a draw to league bottom Bolton last weekend, Jol better get wins and quickly.
Aston Villa will not be quick to give the wins away. Villa took out Everton 2-0, and other than a curious 1-0 defeat to Leicester in the Carling Cup, they has been in good form. The Villans will, however, have to make do without striker John Carew, who, after scoring the game-winner against Everton, will be out until November after scans showed ligament damage in his knee.
Derby County v. Bolton Wanderers (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET)
For a team that looks to be in a fight to stay up, Bolton is in a precarious position. After a 1-1 away draw in their UEFA Cup opener, they are a good bet to advance to group play, which means six extra matches at least. Then Bolton went to Fulham and managed a 2-1 extra-time win despite being outplayed. A fourth-round match in the Carling Cup will be an unwelcome addition to the schedule of a team that must focus on league play to stay up.
Billy Davies and Derby County have been written off by most of the experts and a 5-0 loss at Emirates did little to dissuade their opinions. But a home win over Sammy Lee's club would likely take Derby out of the relegation zone and perhaps allow the idea of salvation to flourish. Lee's personal salvation ought to start with a second road win in four days for the Wanderers.
Portsmouth v. Reading (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET)
Injuries continue to plague U.S. international Bobby Convey. He was anticipating his first start in 11 months at Fratton Park on Saturday -- his last start came there too -- but, after limping out of practice on Thursday, the winger is not expected to be fit for the match. Convey did suit up for a 4-2 Carling Cup defeat that saw Liverpool's Fernando Torres torch Reading for three goals.
Portsmouth had the better of Reading last year in a 3-1 home win, and Harry Rednkapp's side will be looking for another three points, as Pompey are in good form after a Nwankwo Kanu's game-winner on Saturday made Portsmouth the first team to defeat Blackburn in league play since April 15.
Sunderland v. Blackburn Rovers (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET)
The Black Cats have put some space between themselves and the relegation zone with four points in their last two matches. Sunderland, though, will play Saturday without reckless midfielder Dickson Etuhu, who has already picked up five cautions in the team's eight games, and with the suspension came a reprimand from manager Roy Keane to clean up his act.
Sunderland faces a Blackburn squad suddenly off form after a pair of losses, one in UEFA Cup play and the other against Portsmouth. Rovers did pick up a tidy 3-0 win against Birmingham in Carling Cup play, a competition that Mark Hughes is gunning for, seeking his first trophy as a manager. Blackburn's search for a road result would be aided by a first goal from Benni McCarthy.
Wigan Athletic v. Liverpool (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET)
Despite Torres' treble against Reading, Rafa Benitez has not indicated whether the Spaniard will start on Saturday at Wigan. Benitez continues go with a deep rotation system that inclues strikers Dirk Kuyt, Andrei Voronin and Peter Crouch. Skipper Steven Gerrard has compared Torres to Reds legend Ian Rush, who tallied 104 goals over eight seasons at Liverpool from 1988-96.
The Latics are looking for their first win since a 3-0 triumph against Sunderland five weeks ago. Wigan, though, remains securely in the middle of the table, defying the oddsmakers -- for now.
West Ham United v. Arsenal (Saturday, 10 a.m. ET)
With all the goals at Emirates lately, you could have missed the consecutive clean sheets that 30-year-old Spanish keeper Manuel Almunia has kept in place of injured Jens Lehmann. The German keeper remains out with an elbow injury, and Almunia -- along with several Gunners fans -- are calling for the replacement 'keeper to retain his job even after Lehmann is fit.
After a 3-0 win against Boro two weeks ago, West Ham laid an egg in a 3-1 loss up north to Newcastle. They'll try to find the mark back at home, in search of a fourth consecutive win over their North London rivals.
Brendon Desrochers is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
