Premiership Predictions - Week 9

This weekend, 22nd and 23rd of October, sees all the Premiership sides in action, with a few cracking games to keep a close eye on. Arsenal face Stoke, in what is always a fiercely contested game, and the big on, Manchester United hosting rivals City in the derby.

Wolves 0-0 Swansea @ 3.45

Two sides who are struggling on the whole this season, 16th and 13th respectively, and a draw seems the likeliest option. However, both teams do have potential match-winners, notably in Fletcher for the hosts, and Sinclair for Swansea.

Aston Villa 2-0 West Brom @ 2.08

Another derby this weekend, to add to the other two on Sunday. Villa have been good this season at home, making themselves very hard to beat. West Brom are improving, shown with a win last weekend, but this could be one step too far for them.

Bolton 1-1 Sunderland @ 3.35

Again, two sides who have had very poor starts, meaning they'd both be more than happy with a point. Both have only collected a meagre 6 points from the opening 8 games, and Sunderland especially are under the pump. Expect defences, involving Cahill, Brown and O'Shea, to come out on top here.

Newcastle 2-0 Wigan @ 1.61

Newcastle have been a revelation this season, using their defence's superb performance as a catalyst for some great results. Their opponents this weekend sadly haven't been quite as good, in-fact they've been dreadful. This should be routine, expect starlet Ben Arfa and goal machine Ba to be at the fore-front of anything good for the hosts.

Liverpool 3-0 Norwich @ 1.32

This one should be fairly straight-forward for Kenny's men, who looked impressive last weekend against Manchester United. Norwich do look alright this year, but as shown by their performance at Old Trafford the other weekend, they lack goals. With Gerrard back, this should be simple.

Arsenal 2-0 Stoke @ 1.56

Stoke have achieved some great results against Arsenal in recent years, due to their contrast in style. However, Stoke will have played on the Thursday, and have lost their last two league games comfortably after being in this position. As for Arsene Wenger's men, it's 5 wins in 6 now, and expect this to be a 6th in 7.

Blackburn 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur @ 1.96

Blackburn appear in need of some divine intervention to right their shocking form, and surely it won't come here against a Spurs side with 13 points from their last 16 possible. Adebayor offers their attack a new dimension, and Blackburn's shoddy defence will most likely have no answer. Comfortable away win on paper, although we all know football isn't played on paper and Blackburn will hope to spring a surprise. Yet, the planned protest against Steve Kean won't help their cause.

Fulham 1-1 Everton @ 3.3

A hard one to call this, but a draw seems the safest pick. Fulham are moving through the gears at the moment, as shown with their 6-0 demolition of QPR, but Everton are always hard to beat. Andy Johnson could be key for the hosts against his former club, could be be the difference?

Manchester United 2-1 Manchester City @ 2.18

The big one, and it's sure to be a classic. United are always so impressive at home, but will ever improving City have a trick up their sleeves to shock their famous rivals? Aguero could be just that trick, after his last gasp winner in mid-week for the blue half of Manchester. United though, boast an embarrassing array of riches, and Rooney is the jewel in their crown. United to shade it, just, with their midfield having the experience needed to combat City's attacking players.

QPR 1-3 Chelsea @ 1.4

QPR are getting better as they adapt more to life in the Premiership, but Chelsea should be too strong for them here. Sturridge and Mata's movement and skill will be un-matched at Loftus Road, and this should be enough for Chelsea to earn the 3 points. QPR will need forceful midfielders to try to close down the space and put the tackles in, and it appears they lack it, with exception to Joey Barton, who will be key.

So, that's it for this week. Will they come up? We certainly hope so, but some games there look extremely hard to call! Remember, as always, you can keep up to date with events through our Twitter feed. Check back tomorrow for a pre-view on the World Cup Final between hosts New Zealand and France in Auckland. Thanks for reading!