Weekend Preview

EPL

Aston Villa will hope to get the Darren Bent Era off to a good start tomorrow afternoon when they host title contending Manchester City.

Bent makes his debut at Villa Park against a side he has scored six goals against over his last nine matches.

He'll have a tough time against Roberto Mancini's defensive style. But City did show they were vulnerable at the back when they gave up three goals to struggling Wolves last weekend, and two to NPower Championship side Leicester City at mid-week.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Agbonlahor is working his way towards his best form. He's struggled with injuries and is yet to score this season. But the Englishman has looked better in recent weeks, and can only benefit with Bent drawing defenders away from him.

The City "D" will likely have to cope with another Villa debutant. Veteran midfielder Jean Makoun should make his first appearance for the Villians after problems with a work-permit prevented him from doing so last week against Birmingham.

Gerard Houllier knows his former Lyon player well. And it will be interesting to see how he chooses to use the versatile midfielder, who is a very effect defensive player but can also have a crack from distance and/or work as a playmaker.

Ashley Young is back from a one-game suspension. Emile Heskey still has one-match remaining on his.

With some new toys to play with, and the increased fitness of Agbonlahor, this is likely the most potent lineup that Villa have fielded all year.

As for Man City, they come into the match looking to keep track with leaders Manchester United (whom they are tied with on points with but Man U have two matches in hand).

Newly acquired Edin Dzeko looked promising in last week's win over Wolves. He should start up front alongside the in-form Carlos Tevez.

Tevez has been a bad man over past weeks. He has six goals and two assists over his last six games, with many of those being of the world class variety. The veteran pairing of James Collins and Richard Dunne will have to deal with most of the pressure from City's new strike duo.

Attacking midfielder David Silva has also been pulling the strings after a short adjustment period to EPL football. With the pace and creativity of Tevez, and size and power of Dzeko now in front of him, he should be licking his chops.

The club announced this week that Mario Balotelli will be out for at least a month with a knee injury.

Title favorites Manchester United will expect to cruise to three points when Birmingham visits Old Trafford.

The Blues have been miserable on the road since gaining promotion two seasons ago, as they've only won once in the league in enemy territory since then.

Rafael is out after twice seeing yellow in last week's scoreless draw at Tottenham. But Wes Brown is back and could get the start in his absence.

Look for Sir Alex Ferguson to rest several regulars for this one, as a quick look ahead on the fixture list reveals a difficult trip to Blackpool three days later, which represents the match in hand Man U have on chasers Chelsea and Arsenal.

Alex McLeish's side are mired in a battle for survival at the bottom of the table, making this a very tough fixture for them. They did manage a 1-1 draw with Man U in December thanks to a late goal from Lee Bowyer.

McLeish will have options to pick from in the attack. Cameron Jerome and Sebastian Larsson are back and fit after being sidelined with injuries.

Alexander Hleb has been a disaster during his time on loan from Barcelona. But his skill gives them a new look in midfield, and he should get the nod with James McFadden still out.

Center half Scott Dann's injury is a massive blow to the defense. One of the team's more reliable defenders is out for the season with a hamstring injury. Now the question is whether they move Liam Ridgewell (who has been struggling in recent weeks) into the middle or use backup Martin Jiranek.

With Dann out of an already leaky back-line, this would be a great opportunity for Wayne Rooney to get on the scoresheet and find his best form.

Arsenal dropped two frustrating points in a 2-2 draw at Wigan last month, being denied two stonewall penalties in the second half and giving up a late equalizer to the ten-men Latics. They'll be out for revenge in the rematch at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsene Wenger's boys looked great in last week's win against West Ham. And no one looked better than striker Robin Van Persie. A fit and on-form RVP is as good as any forward in the EPL, and he could lead a late-season charge at glory for the Gunners after scoring twice and assisting once at Upton Park, and scoring after coming on as a substitute in the mid-week FA Cup clash with Leeds.

Long term absentee Thomas Vermaelen is out for at least another month and Sebastian Squillaci is also unavailable. Meanwhile, Lukasz Fabianski still has a shoulder problem, leaving young gun Wojciech Szczęsny to deputize.

Arsenal are starting to fire on all cylinders on the attack, which could spell trouble for Wigan's back-four. Van Persie's fine form has coincided with Theo Walcott's best season as an Arsenal player. Also, Cesc Fabregas is finally looking himself after a persistent hamstring injury had caused his problems. His linking play (especially with EPL Player of the Year candidate Samir Nasri), has given the team a new dimension.

Abou Diaby is also back after two months on the sidelines. The midfieleder could see action off the bench.

It's not going to be easy for Roberto Martinez' side. They've never won against Arsenal in London, and currently sit amongst the bottom three in the table.

Victor Moses and James McCarthy returned to training this week. But aren't back fit quite yet. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Chris Kirkland is a question mark after suffering an injury last week.

Former Chelsea man Franco di Santo is back from an ankle injury after coming on as a substitute last week.

Speaking of Chelsea, they'll hope a 2-0 win over Blackburn last week has gotten them back on track. And we should know more when they get a visit from pesky Bolton.

The match doesn't take place until Monday afternoon. But it should be a good one. A result is vital for both teams, both of whom are trying to reverse recent runs of bad form.

Chelsea's fall from grace has been well documented. But Bolton are winless in their last four and have taken just four points from their last six EPL matches. If they want to march back up the table and challenge for Europe they'll have to turn things around very soon. And this would be a nice opportunity to do so. (MORE IN-DEPTH COVERAGE ON THIS FIXTURE COMING SUNDAY EVENING, AS THE TEAM NEWS HAS NOT BEEN ANNOUNCED).

It's been a great season thus far at White Hart Lane. But Tottenham will need to get back to business quickly after last week's disappointing draw with Man U. Spurs currently sit eight points behind the leaders, and have played one more match, making this desperation time for Harry Redknapp's side if they intend to make a true push for the trophy.

New signing Steven Pienaar should be on the bench. It will be interesting to see how he gels with a very strong midfield if introduced at some point in the second half.

Jermaine Defoe is hoping to finally endure a run of good form after struggling so much with injuries. He's made just eight appearances in the EPL this season, and made his first start of 2011 last week.

Unfortunately for Hotspur, there are several contributors still on the shelf with injury. The absences of Tom Huddlestone and Ledley King leave them somewhat exposed up the middle of the pitch.

The hosts have been on a fine run of form lately. But seeing the Whites will bring back bad memories, as their last loss in the league came against them.

Leading scorer Andy Carroll would have been a terror for an inconsistent Tottenham back four, but he remains out with a thigh strain. Fellow striker Alan Smith may be out for the year after suffering an ankle injury last week at Sunderland.

Young midfielder Dan Gosling is back amongst the wounded with knee swelling after making his first appearance since injuring it seriously last season with Everton.

Cheik Tiote is serving the middle match of a three-game ban.

The team will be boosted by the inclusion of Kevin Nolan, who plans to play despite a throat infection.

Darren Bent-less Sunderland head to Bloomfield Road to take on Blackpool.

It was a tough week for Steve Bruce and company. They lost Bent to Aston Villa, while fellow attack man Danny Welbeck was ruled out for up to two months with a knee injury.

That means that Asamoah Gyan may be employed as the loan striker for the Black Cats, as he is the only fit striker in the first team. (FOR MORE ANALYSIS OF BENT'S DEPARTURE, SEE MY PREVIOUS POST FROM EARLIER IN THE DAY).

Despite a lack of firepower, the visitors can feel good about their defense, who are tied with Man City for total clean sheets.

However, they will be tested by Ian Holloway's attacking-minded Seasiders.

Holloway will most likely still be missing Marlon Harewood. A more plausible return for him figures to come on Tuesday against Manchester United.

The key as always is Charlie Adam. Adam's distribution out of the back is the one major factor that could unlock the stingy Sunderland defense. He'll surely be looking for D.J. Campbell, who has scored five times in his last six matches.

The odds of Wolves taking six points from six against Liverpool this season couldn't have been good. But Wanderers have a chance to do just that when they host the Reds at Mollineux. It would be the first time Wolverhampton have swept the Reds in an astounding 50 years.

Mick McCarthy will hope to use new addition Adam Hammill in midfield. The former Liverpool player signed this week from Barnsley.

David Edwards could make the bench after making progress with his hamstring injury.

Sylvan-Ebanks Blake misses out again thanks to a calf strain, while George Elokobi serves the final game his three-match ban.

Like Elokobi, Liverpool Captain Steven Gerard is serving the final game of his suspension.

Winger Milan Jovanovic may miss out, as he has missed practice all week with illness.

Kenny Daglish can be happy with the current play of Fernando Torres, who has looked much better in recent weeks.

Blackburn's fortunes have turned under Steve Keen, and he was rewarded with a new contract last week to go along with a few new players.

The big addition was Roque Santa Cruz. The embattled striker saw little playing time at Manchester City, and will want to turn his career around with Rovers after signing on loan for the rest of the season.

Also in the fold is American Jermaine Jones. The feisty defensive midfielder joined last week from Schalke.

Captain Ryan Nelsen faces a race against time as he tries to return fit from a knee injury.

Steven Nzonzi and David Dunn are expected to feature after shaking off injuries, while Keith Andrews and Vince Grella are back after long-term problems.

The Baggies have a few injuries of their own. Steven Reid is still working his way back to 100% with a knee problem, while Marc Antoine-Fortune and Giles Barnes might miss out as well.

It's been a season to forget for Everton. The Toffees have been languishing at the bottom-half of the table for much of the year, and now are without Pienaar in the midfield to boot.

Something's gotta give when they face last place West Ham United at Goodison Park. The Hammers have won only once away from home this season. But few teams have played worse at home in 2010/11 than Everton, who have only won three times on home soil.

Everton's Louis Saha faces a late fitness test ahead of the clash. Meanwhile, Tim Cahill is still representing Australia in the Asia Cup.

David Moyes will welcome back solid center half Phil Jagielka.

Under-fire Avram Grant will be thrilled to have captain Scott Parker back fit. But he still has a host of other injury problems to overcome. Thomas Hitzelsperger , Manuel de Costa, and Lars Jacobsen all remain sidelined.

Herita Illunga is doubtful with a hamstring injury, while Victor Obinna will miss out due to suspension.

Fulham also take on Stoke City at Craven Cottage. Mark Hughes will want to turn the fortunes of the Cottagers around soon, or they will be stuck in a battle for premiership survival.

It's been better times for Tony Pulis' bunch. Some bad luck and even worse officiating saw them off to a bad start this season. But they're up to 8th after notching ten points from the last 15 available.