Premier League Saturday, Gameweek 24: Open Thread

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I can’t remember the last time I had a chance to watch Liverpool play in the early Saturday kick-off, so it’ll be a treat to see them play in the early match against a Wolverhampton Wanderers side who are cruising after they recent victories against Chelsea and Liverpool. To me, this will be a true test of where Liverpool stands right now. Do they deserve to be higher in the table, or are they playing on a level of a Wolves who are second bottom in the table. And can Kenny Dalglish get his first win for Liverpool or is Mick McCarthy able to do the double over the Reds?

It’s the first of several matches on Saturday. Newcastle United against Tottenham should be an entertaining affair. Spurs seem to have trouble on the road so I wouldn’t be surprised if Alan Pardew’s side can continue their good form by picking up a home win here.

In the other matches, many are predicting that Arsenal are going to score a bevvy of goals against Wigan but the one thing about Wigan is that you should never count them out. I don’t think Wigan will win the match, but they’ll give Arsenal a run for their money.

Blackpool against Sunderland should be a treat to watch especially to see how Sunderland cope without Darren Bent, and to see if Blackpool will wilt under the pressure after clubs have been moving in for Charlie Adam.

Fulham against Stoke has a nil-nil draw written all over it. Everton against West Ham United will be a good test to see whether the Hammers have any life left in them. And Manchester United should cruise to a home victory against Birmingham City.

In the last but most important match of the day, high-flying Manchester City travel to Villa Park for a match that will feature the debut of Darren Bent in claret and blue. Houllier is banking a lot of his chips on the England international to bang the ball into the back of the net, and all eyes will be on him to see if he can prove in quick measure that he’s worth the millions that Randy Lerner spent on him. It’ll also be interesting to see who the starting eleven will be for City and whether Edin Dzeko will get the nod to partner Carlos Tevez up front. I certainly hope so since I can’t remember the last time I was so excited about a new player in the Premier League as I’ve been about Dzeko.

You know the drill. Before, during and after the matches today, feel free to post your questions, rants and observations in the comments section below. Let’s hope it’s another great day in the Premier League.