Talking Predictions: Chelsea favourites to lift Cup

Liverpool 0 Vs Chelsea 1

Neither side has left an impression on the Premiership. The FA Cup final effectively gives Liverpool and Chelsea a shot at redemption. By all accounts, Chelsea are almost certainly not going to finish in the top four particularly after the damage done to them by Newcastle’s Papiss Demba Cisse. For Liverpool, the word Premiership is one their fans can’t spell; it is thus probable that this season is in line with their expectations. However, for all their well-documented agony in the league, Liverpool and Chelsea have shone in Cup competitions. Liverpool have already won the Carling Cup and were impressive in sweeping all before them in the FA Cup to this point. The Kop simply fear no one in knock out competitions. Perhaps their manager should tell the players ‘you are going to play a Cup game’ everytime they have a Premiership engagement. Chelsea, on the other hand, are the miracle team of the Uefa Champions League. Their elimination of Barcelona has left them as favourites in the Munich final. The way they humiliated Spurs in the Cup semi-finals certainly makes them favourites against Liverpool. Lest we forget, the two sides meet again on Tuesday in the league. No need to talk about the players because we have had a full season for that.

Man Utd 3 Vs Swansea 0

With millions of Man United fans grieving world over, Sir Alex Ferguson’s dressing room is beaming with hope that they can still win the league. It is silent right now but trust me, United players are still believing. However, they must do their bit on the pitch. Swansea are a tricky side that can surprise anyone on their day. They’ve already beaten Arsenal and Manchester City to prove their credentials. Then again you can’t undermine the nerves that will come into play at Old Trafford tomorrow especially now that the destiny of the crown is not in their hands. Nonetheless you can be sure that Fergie will play an attacking side to try and score as many goals as they can to cut into Man City’s goal difference. The line-up will be a far cry from the ‘Pioneer Easy Bus’ that was employed at the Etihad on Monday night.

Newcastle 1 Vs Man City 1

This is the game of the weekend, with far greater significance than all the others combined. Newcastle are playing to earn a slot in the Uefa Champions League while Man City are fighting for the Championship. I expect a bruising contest because of the stakes. Newcastle and Man City are playing for history. The latter have every reason to be worried of a Newcastle team that have been formidable at the Sports Direct Arena. But there is more. The name Cisse must be giving goose bumps to City fans. Never in the history of the English Premiership has a striker scored that amount of goals in his first dozen games. With 13 goals, Cisse will not doubt be a threat to City’s title chances. Newcastle have a lot of energy and their orthodox style is killing teams. City will have to be patient tomorrow.

Arsenal 3 Vs Norwich 1

They say in a war, no one is safe. That is proving to be the case in the Premiership. A few weeks back, every one thought Arsenal had cemented third place. Today, they are just a point ahead of Newcastle and Tottenham. Arsenal-Norwich is an important showdown, especially now that the fourth-placed team will miss out on the Champions League in case Chelsea beat Bayern. Norwich are a team that play football, a quality that is counterproductive at the Emirates.