Weekend's English Premier League Fixtures & Predictions

(All kick-offs are 1500 GMT unless specified)

SATURDAY

Arsenal v Aston Villa

Arsenal need to get themselves back on track but Villa are playing really well and I think this might be a draw.

I'm still waiting for someone to explain William Gallas's behaviour at Birmingham last weekend.

The Arsenal skipper sat on the ground near the half-way line after Birmingham were awarded a penalty late in the match.

In purely footballing terms, what if the penalty taker had struck the crossbar and the ball bounced out to the edge of the area. Where was Gallas to deal with that?

A few weeks ago people said that the only danger for Arsenal was the prospect of them imploding but I did not think it would happen.

But then you look at the Gallas incident, the spat between Nicklas Bendtner and Emmanuel Adebayor and the non-performance against Manchester United in the FA Cup - it is a worry for Arsenal.

Verdict: 1-1

Birmingham City v Tottenham Hotspur

I'm going to go for another draw here.

Home games are crucial for Birmingham - that is where they will get the points to stay up.

One potential worry for Birmingham is that they have a young team and I'm not sure how their nerves will affect them during the run-in.

Also, although James McFadden certainly looks the part they have got to chip in with goals from elsewhere.

Tottenham will be buoyant after winning the Carling Cup but looking at the photos in the papers they certainly seemed to enjoy their victory, so it might not be a bad time to play them.

Verdict: 1-1

Derby County v Sunderland

I think that Paul Jewell has finally cracked.