Tonight’s Premier League action previewed
WENGER BACKS ARSENAL TO OVERCOME ANFIELD ACCIDENT
ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger insists he will not push the panic button against Manchester United tonight, despite Saturday’s Anfield “accident”.
The Gunners lost 5-1 at Liverpool, where there were a number of abject individual performances, most notably from record-signing Mesut Ozil.
But Wenger expects a good response from his players against off-form United.
He said: “He [Ozil] didn’t have the best of games on Saturday, but that can happen.
“It is always a disappointment to lose a game, but it was an accident because we have been very stable defensively.”
Arsenal striker Yaya Sanogo is fit after five months out with a back injury, but Mathieu Flamini is still suspended. United defenders Phil Jones and Jonny Evans are out with calf injuries.
NO CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, NO PROBLEM, SAYS SHERWOOD
TOTTENHAM manager Tim Sherwood remains confident his side will be able to attract their top transfer targets to White Hart Lane in the summer, even if they fail to qualify for the Champions League.
Fifth-placed Spurs travel to Newcastle tonight, three points behind fourth-placed Liverpool with 13 matches left to play.
Sherwood, without Gylfi Sigurdsson (thigh), Vlad Chiriches (back), Erik Lamela (thigh) and Sandro (calf) at St James’ Park, said: “Tottenham is a massive football club and will always attract the biggest name players. The club sells itself.”
Newcastle have lost their last three home league matches and have failed to score in six of their last seven outings. Top scorer Loic Remy serves the last match of his three-game ban.
MEULENSTEEN CONFIDENT OF STOPPING LIVERPOOL ATTACK
WITH the tube strike off, Fulham’s defenders line up against Liverpool’s potent attack as scheduled tonight and boss Rene Meulensteen hopes to replicate the supreme defensive effort that won a point at Manchester United on Sunday.
Tonight’s match had been in doubt before the strike was called off, but Meulensteen insists his team were preparing to play regardless and are confident of stifling the Reds, who have scored 63 league goals in 25 games so far this term.
He said: “The defensive performance from Sunday was definitely a massive improvement and hopefully we can build on that. It has to be all hands on deck.”
Fulham’s £11m striker Konstantinos Mitroglou is not fit enough to make his debut. Daniel Agger and Glen Johnson could return for Liverpool.
FORGET THE REST AND WE’LL BE FINE, SAYS PALACE BOSS
KEEP calm and ignore the chaos engulfing the bottom half of the Premier League table, Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis has told his players ahead of tonight’s trip to Everton.
Eight points separate the bottom 11 teams in the division, with Palace placed 15th after three wins in their last four league games.
And Pulis wants his team to focus purely on their own form. He said: “I’m not concerned about what other people are doing. I’m just concentrating on what I can affect and that’s the team I manage. There’s 10-12 clubs involved in it. It’s just about keeping your nerve.”
Palace, the lowest scorers away from home this season with just five goals, have no fresh injury concerns. Everton’s on-loan striker Lacina Traore is set to make his debut from the bench.