Nonetheless there might be potential for profit in this game. City played like a team who believed 'the only thing we can't do is lose' when they played Arsenal last month. They were quite effective that evening and I expect a similar performance here, so a bet on the draw at odds of 9/4 or better might pay dividends.
Arsenal welcome Wolves to the Emirates this week-end. Wolves will be on a high after halting United's 29 run and hold a remarkable record against the top clubs this year. They have beaten 5 of the top 7 clubs in the Premiership already this year, so Arsenal beware! The reality is that Wolves are anchored towards the foot of the table and have lost 5 of their last 6 away from home. They simply should not have enough to cope with Arsenal's firepower. For their part the Gunners will be keen to recover from their calamitous collapse last week. I expect them to put a few past Wolves and would suggest that you pick 2 from Arshavin, Walcott, Fabregas & Van Persie (slight doubts for Fabregas & van Persie who both missed mid-week internationals).
Confidence will be sky-high in the Liverpool camp right now. They've won their last 4 league games and put in an excellent performance against Chelsea last week-end. Suarez is likely to start as a lone striker and might be worth considering - he scored off the bench on his debut. I do expect Liverpool to win this game but am not sure it'll be a goal fest. Wigan play defensively away from home and have only scored 18 in 12 games. I'd pick from Reina, Johnson, Carragher and Agger and hope that Liverpool shut them out.
Blackpool vs Aston Villa is sure to be an entertaining affair, both on and off the pitch. The two managers are at loggerheads over Houllier's pursuit and subsequent valuation of Charie Adam and this will add a little spice to proceedings. Blackpool will come out all guns blazing and will try to get at Villa. This will probably get them one or more goals, but the only problem is that they are very adept at conceding the too. The Seasiders conceded 5 last week-end and are on a run of 5 straight defeats. Villa will keep things tight and have the pace to get them on the break. Bent and Young scored for England mid-week and may be worth including.
Bolton are on a bad run of late, having lost 5 of their last 7 games. A win by Everton would see them leapfrog Bolton in the table. Saha is in fantastic form for Everton, scoring 4 last week-end and 8 in his last 6 games. Fellaini, Coleman and Cahill are all likely to go well also.
On Valentine's Day Chelsea visit Craven Cottage. Torres & Luiz will slot into the Chelsea team and are sure to bolster their assault on a top 4 finish. Even Ancelotti has given up on a win at this stage. I think they'll recover from a weak performance last week-end and Fulham will leave broken-hearted. Get your fill of Chelsea players.
Roy Hodgson will need to find his feet at West Brom in advance of this game. With so many teams involved in the relegation battle, winning these battles will prove crucial come May. I fancy the Baggies to shade it and Brunt & Odemwengie have done well together in the past. If the Hammers are defeated then they can take comfort in the fact that they'll have the Olympic stadium will offer the best facilities in the Championship
Now the more difficult choices.... Tottenham make a tough trip north to face Sunderland. Tottenham have a few injury worries ahead of this game. Van der Vaart, Bale and Modric are all doubts and Tottenham's chances will hinge on their being available. With these doubts over the game I'd sidestep this one.Blackburn v Newcastle and Birmingham v Stoke is a tight one to call. I have no opinion on either game.
On a general note, I think you should check out the set piece takers for each club. It's an excellent resource and might help you to make more informed decisions when picking your teams.
That's all for now from TotelFootball. Enjoy your footy this week-end!!!