Preview Of Today's Games

We start today's preview with this interesting fixture. The reverse of this fixture saw Stoke City come out on top with a 3-2 victory. What made it bad was that at half-time, Arsenal trailed 3-0 and worse, Stoke City scored 3 goals from just 4 shots on target (with the first  goal coming inside the first 19 seconds). Arsenal are having what some experts are calling their worst season ever with 33 points from 20 games which is their worst tally in the league since the 94/95 season and they finished 12th in the league that season. But thanks to their home record-especially against Stoke City, this game could well end up in their favour. Arsenal have lost just one of their last 27 Premier League games at the Emirates Stadium(W18 D8 L1), The Gunners have won their last 12 home games in a row against Stoke City and to make it worse Mark Hughes has NEVER won a Premier league game away in the Emirates Stadium as an opposition coach(awful right). Stoke City fans will pray that striker Peter Crouch will be in-form to add to his 8 premier league goals against Arsenal which is his joint best tally against any opponent(along with Blackburn). There is good news for Arsenal with the return of Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey both returning from injuries and Olivier Giroud who is back from  a suspension. So we'd have to wait and see how this one goes.

This game has been dubbed as the 'battle for 3rd place'. With Manchester United going into this game with 37 points, a point more than their visitors today and currently 3rd place, 1 above the Saints, it is indeed a battle for 3rd place. The reverse of this fixture at the St. Mary stadium saw United emerging 2-1 winners despite a resilient performance from the Saints. Manchester United have won 16 and drawn 3 of their last 19 games at Old Trafford. Robin Van Persie has scored 7 goals in 7 Premier league appearances against the Saints. and with striker Radamel Falcao getting his scoring boots on with 3 goals in the 3 games he's started so far, the Saints can only wish he doesn't start today and the last time the Saints won at Old Trafford was in January 1988(how bad can it get?). The Saints too have got some key stats that could work in their favour-The Saints are unbeaten in their last 5 games in all competition, and they are the only team in the current season to drop fewer points from a winning position (2) so they better try and score first. And in a campaign where they have a rookie EPL coach and lost some of their key players but have managed to be 4th place at this stage, one can only say they have had a great season so far. Though their record against United at Old Trafford is bad, we can only wish them goodluck.