
It's derby time on Merseyside. For Liverpool supporters, beating Manchester United might be more important, but Evertonians wait all year for the chance to knock their illustrious neighbors off their perch. Yet, seldom do things go well for the blue half of Merseyside - Liverpool have dominated in recent years, winning 7 of their last 9 trips to Goddison.
Later on Saturday, Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa look to continue their excellent start to the season as they welcome Roy Keane's Sunderland. Expect fireworks on the touchline in that one.
Of the other afternoon kick-offs, Fulham will fancy their chances against West Ham. The Cottagers have a good home record and the West Ham players will take some time to adjust to Gianfranco Zola's management.
Manchester United, languishing in 15th but with a game in hand over their major rivals, are desperate to get their season going. Bolton at home should provide that opportunity with 3 points an absolute minimum.
Elsewhere, West Brom travel to the Riverside. Perhaps Stewart Downing will finally score a penalty?! Joe Kinnear faces Blackburn in his first challenge as Newcastle caretaker. The former Wimbledon boss will need to instill some fighting spirit into a fragile team if he hopes to take anything from Paul Ince's committed side.
Finally on Saturday, the Premiership's pace-setters both take on newly promoted clubs. League leaders Arsenal host a surprising Hull outfit that has impressed many. Fellow newcomers Stoke may have to batten down the hatches again this week when they take on the Chelsea Machine at the Britannia Stadium.
Sunday's games feature a clash between two woefully underachieving clubs, Portsmouth and Tottenham. Pompey's atrocious defending - 12 goals conceded in 5 Premier League games - has been their downfall so far this season. Nothing has gone well for Spurs, but the midweek Carling Cup win at Newcastle could be the start of the "expected" recovery.
The final game of the week pits Wigan against Manchester City at the JJB. The Premier League's joint-top scorer, Amr Zaki, against its record transfer, Robinho. The Brazilian will return for City, along with talisman Shaun Wright-Phillips, having missed the Carling Cup humiliation at the hands of Brighton.
Without further ado, our Premiership Predictions for Week 6 are...
SATURDAY
Everton v Liverpool (Kick-off 1245 GMT)
Prediction - 1-2
Everton's 12th man will do their best, but like of Gerrard and Torres give Liverpool the edge.
Aston Villa v Sunderland (Kick-off 1500 GMT)
Prediction - 2-0
Villa to remain undefeated at home. The speed of Young and Abgonlahor will hurt Sunderland's less mobile defenders.
Fulham v West Ham (Kick-off 1500 GMT)
Prediction - 1-0
Fulham are turning the Cottage into a fortress. No Dean Ashton is bad news for West Ham.
Man Utd v Bolton (Kick-off 1500 GMT)
Prediction - 5-1
Bolton offer little going forward. If United can score early it could be a rout.
Middlesbrough v West Brom (Kick-off 1500 GMT)
Prediction - 3-2
Boro have been unlucky recently and they have the talent to be a top-8 side. West Brom don't.
Newcastle v Blackburn (Kick-off 1500 GMT)
Prediction - 1-1
Can Kinnear give the Geordies something to smile about? Not yet.
Stoke v Chelsea (Kick-off 1500 GMT)
Prediction - 1-3
Can't see Chelsea slipping up here. Stoke will be more adventurous at home than at Anfield and that will be their downfall.
Arsenal v Hull (Kick-off 1730 GMT)
Prediction - 4-0
Arsenal are in one of those grooves at the moment and Hull aren't the team to knock them off course.
SUNDAY
Portsmouth v Tottenham (Kick-off 1330 GMT)
Prediction - 2-1
Pompey play and defend much better at Fratton Park. The Spurs revival may be short-lived.
Wigan v Man City (Kick-off 1600 GMT)
Prediction - 2-2
Two high-powered attacks go head to head. City have the edge in talent but Wigan are a spirited unit under Steve Bruce and a draw is likely.
Finally, here's a quick recap of how we did last week:
Row ZZ prediction - Sunderland 1-2 Middlesbrough
Actual result - Sunderland 2-0 Middlesbrough
Row ZZ prediction - Blackburn 2-0 Fulham
Actual Result - Blackburn 1-0 Fulham
Row ZZ prediction - Liverpool 3-0 Stoke
Actual result - Liverpool 0-0 Stoke
Row ZZ prediction - West Ham 2-2 Newcastle
Actual result - West Ham 3-1 Newcastle
Row ZZ prediction - Bolton 1-2 Arsenal
Actual result - Bolton 1-3 Arsenal
Row ZZ prediction - West Brom 1-3 Aston Villa
Actual result - West Brom 1-2 Aston Villa
Row ZZ prediction - Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United
Actual result - Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United
Row ZZ prediction - Hull 1-1 Everton
Actual result - Hull 2-2 Everton
Row ZZ prediction - Manchester City 2-1 Portsmouth
Actual result - Manchester City 6-0 Portsmouth
Row ZZ prediction - Tottenham 3-2 Wigan
Actual result - Tottenham 0-0 Wigan
Row ZZ picked 6 correct results and 1 perfect score.
What do you think of this week's picks? Let us know by commenting here.





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