Relegation, CL rollercoaster battles

Saturday everton 2-0 sunderland 2pm Dick Advocaat is expected to be the messiah that Gus Poyet was last season. Poyet did give Sunderland the miracle they craved for but his mojo ran out this season, and, with it, his ability to keep the job. The Black Cats got a significant boost in their quest for survival last weekend when they beat Southampton. On the other hand, Everton finally felt the salt in a defeat when their six-game winning streak was halted away to Aston Villa. Roberto Martinez’s side will be hoping loanee Aaron Lenon, who will be playing his final game of the season at Goodison Park – he is ineligible to play when Spurs visit for the final game of the season – can sign off on a high. villa 1-3 West ham 4PM Christian Benteke has suddenly found his shooting boots and boy, he is that dangerous. It looks impossible for him not to score at Villa Park today, but it also looks to me like Aston Villa will still struggle against the Hammers. This is because West Ham, like Stoke City, play with their studs and lungs out. You need a lot of endurance to beat these bogey sides. Tim Sherwood, who has transformed Villa into a side that looks safe from the drop, will need this victory to avoid relegation. hull 0-0 burnley 4PM The relegation battle will be more exciting at the KC Stadium where Hull City entertain Burnley. The Clarets must win to have a chance of fighting for their survival, the Tigers must win to avoid a worse fight for survival. Whichever side of the coin you flip, you Sean Dyke and Steve Bruce biting their tongues nervously. The Clarets have lost their last four matches and, even if they beat Hull, will still need to win their last two fixtures against Stoke and Aston Villa to avoid returning to the Championship just 12 months after their promotion. Burnley have gone 569 minutes without a top flight goal and now Dyke wants them to invoke the Messi magic if they are to survive the drop. Burnley will be relegated today. leicester 2-2 saints 4PM There is a camaraderie at the King Power Stadium already. The mood is boisterous for the Foxes and as they host Southampton Saints today, Leicester will be playing for a win to book their green card to top flight for at least another season. The problem is the jinx. Manager Nigel Pearson has been ‘decorated’ with the often jinxing Barclays Premier League manager of the month award. Also, Ronald Koeman is not going to want to lose two games in a row because he still nurses ambitions of qualifying for Europe. n’castle 1-2 west brom 4PM The Magpies have gone eight games without a win. They have tried to change a manager but there is no one readily available at the moment. So John Carver, the caretaker orchestrating the stinking run of form, is still in charge. He will be without his two centrebacks in Mark Williamson and Daryl Janmaat. While Tony Pulis’ Baggies look to have secured their Premier League status for another season, Newcastle’s dreadful run means they have plummeted from the safety of mid-table to find themselves in the middle of the relegation mire. However, the Magpies can take some confidence from the fact that they ran out 2-0 winners at The Hawthorns in the reverse fixture. Ayoze Perez and Fabricio Coloccini scored that day, but can they again? Senegalese striker Papiss Cisse returns from his long suspension and could face the Baggies, who will rely on Victor Anichebe for fortunes. Anichebe has scored more goals against Newcastle than he has against any other club. Newcastle have only ever lost five home games in a row once before in their league history (October 1953 when they lost six on the trot). I will go for Baggies to win. palace 1-1 man utd 7PM Manchester United could confirm their Champions League qualification place this weekend with victory at Crystal Palace, if other results go their way. But first, they must put aside the brouhaha surrounding the agreement with Memphis Depey and focus on the task at hand... without Michael Carrick. Manager Louis van Gaal believes that the absence of England midfielder has been a significant factor in his side’s recent Premier League slump. Carrick, 33, suffered a calf injury during the 4-2 win over Manchester City on April 12 and has missed the last three matches, all of which United have lost – to Chelsea, Everton and West Bromwich Albion. The results have left United looking over their shoulder at the lurking Liverpool, who have slim hopes of catching their rivals in the race for Champions League qualification. At Selhurst Park today, the two sides who are on three straight defeats without scoring go head to head. It will be a draw. Sunday CHELSEA 1-2 LIVERPOOL 5PM Brendan Rodgers’ slim hopes of qualifying for Champions League rests squarely on other results first, then on himself. He has to pray that by the time his side take to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea, rivals Manchester United will have dropped points at Selhurst Park. Then he must beat Chelsea. Unlike United, Liverpool are counting on the new champions nursing hangovers or even resting some of their stars to leave the game open. But Jose Mourinho will not be thinking like that. To be crowned at home, Liverpool will mount a guard of honour to Chelsea and the Blues will want to complete it with a win. This means the Kop must sweat for any result. Other fixtures Stoke 2-1 Spurs arsenal 5-1 swansea gladbach 2-1 l’kusen dortmund 3-1 hertha ac milan 0-0 AS Roma barcelona 7-1 sociedad real 1-1 valencia man city 4-0 QPR paderborn 2-1 Wolfsburg cologne 2-3 schalke lazio 2-0 inter parma 2-1 napoli *Seaman is a Liverpool fan

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Relegation, CL rollercoaster battles