Weekend football matches – 8th March

An array of intriguing matches are to be played this weekend with both FA Cup and BPL matches in store. Man Utd and Chelsea are involved in the FA Cup while Arsenal and Liverpool are in BPL matches.

Man Utd vs Portsmouth

Sir Alex rested a majority of the players in the last FA Cup tie against Arsenal and they still came up with an emphatic 4-0 win. Nothing is known about Utd’s starting lineup but I believe Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez will start. 

Portsmouth have a very bad away record and they look even worse with the departure of Benjani Mwaruwari. As Jermain Defoe is cup tied, Kanu might start as the lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation.

Prediction : Home win for Utd, -1.5 possible if all the stars play.

Liverpool vs Newcastle

Liverpool were awesome against West Ham with Fernando Torres grabbing a hattrick. If Benitez plays a similar squad against Newcastle, similar result is possible. One player definitely out is Javier Mascherano who picked up a muscle injury in the midweek game.

With a trip to San Siro beckoning for Liverpool, it will be tough to predict the lineup Benitez is going to start with. However, with the race for the last Championship spot to be also considered, I believe Rafa will start with a strong squad, get a healthy lead and then rest the star players in the last third period of the game.

Newcastle have been aweful lately and are without key players like Given, Barton, Viduka, Emre and Carr. Michael Owen returns to Anfield to make amends for his horrendous performance against Blackburn where he missed a couple of good chances.

Prediction : Liverpool are on a roll and this should be 3 points in the bag. -1.5 is possible if Benitez starts with a strong squad.

Other Games

BPL

• Reading vs Man City – Draw
• Blackburn vs Fulham – Blackburn

FA Cup

• Barnsley vs Chelsea – Chelsea