Weekday Picks:
Monday:
* Newcastle United v. Bolton -- (Live, FSC, 10 a.m.) The one guy Newcastle probably needs to fight to keep is Tim Krul, because the young Dutchman might be in demand. Bolton, through 31 games, have two draws. Two. That's the lowest total of any result for any club in the Premier League. The Trotters have a joint league-high 20 losses. The reason Owen Coyle's team is where it is, makes sense. .. Newcastle United 2, Bolton 1
* Everton v. Sunderland -- (Live, ESPN3, 10 a.m.) Took two games to separate these two in the FA Cup quarterfinals, and with reason since they're just so darn even. These two could be again fighting it out for a Europa League spot next year, too. .. Everton 1, Sunderland 1
* Tottenham v. Norwich City -- (Live, ESPN3, 10 a.m.) No other way to put this, absolute must-win for Tottenham. No excuses. Norwich, though, aren't a team to roll over and are loaded with goal-scorers. .. Tottenham 2, Norwich City 1
* Aston Villa v. Stoke City -- (Live, FSC, 12:30 p.m.) Somewhere in the world somebody out there can find something nice to say about this matchup. Not me. .. Aston Villa 1, Stoke City 0
* Fulham v. Chelsea -- (Live, ESPN2, 3 p.m.) All these weeks later, how much is that missed penalty by Clint Dempsey in the first meeting between these two is looming now. That point Chelsea clung to keeps them in the mix for the Champions League. Chelsea, despite it's eight-game unbeaten run, hasn't been all that impressive, rather more of the grinding out results type. Fulham certainly will be up for trying to stymie their West London rivals. .. Fulham 2, Chelsea 1
Tuesday:
* Blackburn Rovers v. Liverpool -- (Live, FSC, 3 p.m.) Maybe Liverpool will be in its giving mood once again? Not quite there yet, but eventually Kenny Dalglish is going to have to consider buying Andy Carroll a free ticket to the Springfield Mystery Spot. .. Blackburn 2, Liverpool 2
Wednesday:
* Wolves v. Arsenal -- Arsenal just need to avoid anyone getting hurt here. This would seem like a place for a letdown game, especially with Laurent Koscielny missing due to yellow card accumulation, but Wolves have already capitulated. Consider this another game where Theo Walcott will impress for Euro considerations. .. Wolves 0, Arsenal 3
* Manchester City v. West Brom -- On muscle memory, alone, City have to find a way to win this one. .. Manchester City 2, West Brom 0
* Wigan v. Manchester United -- (Live, FSC, 2:30 p.m.) In short, if Wigan beats Manchester United we will officially know the Mayans were right about 2012. .. Wigan 1, Manchester United 2
* QPR v. Swansea City --Wagering a guess here, QPR have spent, easily, five to ten times as much on transfers than Swansea City in the last nine months, yet QPR is nearly relegation and Swansea is a bright, young, fresh up-and-comer. One again it proves that a form of identity and direction over buying random players is the way to go. .. QPR 1, Swansea City 1