Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Premier League Mid-Week 33: Top four in action - SBNation.com

With teams having to make up fixtures due to European and FA Cup play, fans get four bonus mid-week games on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Having won 3-1 with a late comeback against Norwich, Arsenal have surged into third place and a Champions League spot -- albeit only a point ahead of Chelsea and Tottenham. They can consolidate their position in the top four with a fifth consecutive victory against Everton, though given that the Toffees are themselves only four points behind Arsenal, they could defy their disappointing away record and become only the second team to win at the Emirates this year.

In a game which will act as a dress rehearsal for the FA Cup final, Manchester City will look to close the gap on league leaders Manchester United further against a Wigan side still in the bottom three, though who have recently hit their annual purple patch, and have won four of their last five games in all competitions. Still, it's hard to see Roberto Martínez's team continuing their streak here, with only City's cross-town rivals United having won at the Etihad in the league this season.

Speaking of United, they'll be hoping to maintain their comfortable 15-point advantage over their neighbours by winning away at West Ham -- a side they narrowly beat 1-0 with a first minute goal at Old Trafford in November. West Ham have been in patchy form this season, and after two consecutive draws are hovering in mid-table. They're still not completely safe from relegation, though have a seven-point gap over Wigan at the moment and should comfortably survive, regardless of this result.

Chelsea will look to cement their position in the Champions League places with a win away at Craven Cottage in this variant on the West London derby. After a worryingly barren spell near the end of last year, Martin Jol has stabilised Fulham recently and a win here would see them move above Swansea into ninth place. The last four league meetings between these sides have ended in draws, and with Chelsea having won away only once this year, it's not as predictable a game as you might expect.

Via: [Live Football] NK Inter Zapresic - NK Istra 1961 - Croatian League

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