SATURDAY

Man Utd v Chelsea (1245 BST)

Man Utd have suffered a massive blow after losing top scorer Wayne Rooney to injury. It means Dimitar Berbatov will definitely play and maybe Federico Macheda, who made such an impact on the title race last season, could be involved.

Seemingly there are no such worries up front for Chelsea, who have rattled in 12 goals in their last two games.

But it will be close - I can see this being a draw. And I think that would be acceptable for United, who will want to absorb the loss of Rooney and ensure they do not lose to their title rivals.

Birmingham v Arsenal

Birmingham have lost their last couple of games so they will want to make this one as tight as they possibly can.

They went on their exceptional run when they were set up not to be beaten and they will want to start playing like that again.

Arsenal are playing very well and there is the Eduardo factor to consider, too, as St Andrews is where the Gunners striker suffered a horrific injury a couple of years back.

A Villa win at home should be a banker against a Sunderland side that has stuttered so far this year, but the form book is a funny thing and recent results show this contest is far from a foregone conclusion

After an impressive start to the season and some big wins against the Premiership’s hot shots, Sunderland couldn’t buy a win in 2010 until March. Now a mid-table finish is the best they can hope for.

But the team does not lack determination. They punished Birmingham 3-1 at the Stadium of Light on Saturday and held the billionaires of Manchester City to a one-one draw in the previous game week.

Aston Villa v Wolves (1245 GMT)

Prediction: 2-1

I thought the extra games from the Carling Cup and FA Cup might start to affect Villa as happened last year, but they've got the scent of fourth place in their nostrils, have a stronger squad this time, and Martin O'Neill can change things around a bit if he wants.

It was a really good away win at Burnley for Wolves but I don't see them getting anything here. I think they will be OK this season though, they just seem to be able to nick a win when they really need to and I think they will do just enough to stay up.

Aberdeen v Dundee Utd

What can you say about Aberdeen? They really need to help their manager out a bit. They keep saying that they're behind him and now they need to show it.

They have to go at their opponents, but what a hard game to do it in - the New Firm derby.

Dundee United had a great comeback last week. I think they will be going into this game full of confidence.

Tottenham v Blackburn (kick-off 1245 GMT)

Blackburn have not been very successful on the road this season. Manager Sam Allardyce is likely to keep them up by virtue of their home form. Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez's comments about Blackburn's negative style of play following the Reds' 2-1 win over Rovers at Anfield will not bother Allardyce.

In many ways it is a back-handed compliment. They will make it hard for Tottenham, as they did at Anfield, but ultimately the home side will have too much for them.

Hamilton v Aberdeen

Hamilton have been scraping out every point recently, but they're not scoring goals. They need to start putting the ball in the net to drag themselves away from the relegation zone.

For Aberdeen, this is a game where it's going to quickly become make or break for them. They could get sucked into a relegation battle if they don't get something from it.

SATURDAY - PREMIER LEAGUE

Arsenal v Burnley

Home win - everyone knows about Burnley's away form, they've only got one point on the road and they've started to lose home games too. Their away form was like that when Owen Coyle was there too, so I'm not worried about them getting on to the slippery slope - they're already on it. They're going to be reliant on other teams as their form has dipped.

Arsenal, on the other hand, have got the bit between their teeth and are still in title race, as they will think Manchester United and Chelsea will drop points.

Arsenal vs Burnley

All of a sudden Arsenal are in with a realistic shout of taking the Premiership title from under the noses of top teams Manchester United and Chelsea. Nothing other than a win over second-from-bottom Burnley will do for the Gunners.

With so much at stake, and Arsenal’s severe injury problems notwithstanding, you’d expect the boys to come out all guns blazing at the Emirates. A high scoring game is therefore a near certainty.

SATURDAY

Chelsea v Man City (1245 GMT)

Chelsea had a big game in midweek in the Champions League away at Inter. But they have all returned fit, apart from the goalkeeper, and I think they'll bounce back from their 2-1 first-leg defeat in Milan to win here.

You have to be careful what you wish for sometimes because City brought in new boss Roberto Mancini when they sacked Mark Hughes but the Italian has made no difference.