SATURDAY Chelsea v Bolton What amazed me about Chelsea in their defeat by Napoli in the Champions League on Tuesday was the way Andre Villas-Boas set his team up. Obviously, they were all over the place defensively - David Luiz is not a centre-back because he takes too many chances and Jose Bosingwa is not a good defender either. There can be no arguments there. But the biggest problem was the three midfield players in front of them - Ramires, Raul Meireles and Florent Malouda - offered the Chelsea defence no protection whatsoever. That was never going to work. That was a massive mistake. Of course Villas-Boas keeps going on about his "project", which is fine as long as the Blues owner Roman Abramovich buys into it. But we know how Abramovich works because he has sacked some of the best managers there have ever been. I do sympathise with Villas-Boas, because his players who are coming to the end of their careers are not being replaced, and the players who have been bought are not as good as the ones who were playing for Chelsea three years ago. That is a fact. Up until two years ago, Chelsea were always first or second in the Premier League, and at the moment they are fifth or sixth best. They are five games without a win, which tells its own story. Abramovich has played a part in that decline. He wakes up one morning, decides he doesn't fancy the manager and he's gone. They start all over again. He doesn't seem to understand that continuity is the key to success. I would expect that bad run to end on Saturday, though. Bolton are fine in the FA Cup but in the Premier League they continue to struggle, which we saw in their home defeat by Wigan a fortnight ago. Wanderers occasionally come up with a very good result but they don't look like they are capable of winning games consistently in the league. That's why they are in the relegation zone - they don't score many, and they concede a lot. Prediction: 2-0 Newcastle v Wolves Wolves' search for a new manager has become a mess now. They said they would have a manager in place in time for this game but they are still scrapping around, which is a worry. Are they looking for a manager for the next two-and-a-half seasons, or the next 14 games just to keep them up? When you hear that they approached Walter Smith, then that suggests to me that it is the latter. It's a big decision, but the owner has to make his mind up and forget about what the fans are saying. And it isn't the end of the world if they go down, either. Like West Brom, they have been relegated before, and they have both bounced back. People might dismiss them as a yo-yo club but I would back Wolves to come back after one year if they had to. I'm not surprised Mick McCarthy was sacked when he was. The writing is on the wall when, after a poor run of form, you get beaten 5-1 at home by your local rivals. Mick is a decent guy but unfortunately for him, I don't think there was any comeback from that. I can't see things getting any better for them on Saturday, either. Newcastle are close to full strength now Cheick Tiote is back from the Africa Cup of Nations and Yohan Cabaye is fit, and it looks like Papiss Demba Cisse and Demba Ba will be unleashed up front together. As unpredictable as the Premier League can be sometimes, there is only one winner for me here. Prediction: 2-0 QPR v Fulham One thing is for certain, QPR boss Mark Hughes will get some stick from the Fulham fans here after the manner he left Craven Cottage last year. The irony is that Fulham are going to be safe and Rangers, at the moment, look like they might drop through the trap door. The situation does not look good - Hughes has only won one of his five league games since taking charge at Loftus Road and they are only out of the relegation zone on goal difference. This is now Rangers' biggest game of the season and a game Hughes simply has to win. He has got new players who need time to gel, which is normal, but they really need to start picking up points quickly because they are running out of time. Fulham struggle on the road but this is an "away" game in name only, because it is only five minutes down the road. With it being a derby, and having the Hughes factor too it could not be any more tasty. But, partly because of the atmosphere, I think QPR will get the result they need. Prediction: 2-1 West Brom v Sunderland Sunderland got their tactics absolutely spot on against Arsenal in the FA Cup last weekend. Obviously they won the tie but it was the way they did it that impressed me. They knew Arsenal were vulnerable because of their heavy defeat by AC Milan, and what they said to them was "come on, come and try to play your way out of the trouble you're in against us". The Black Cats just sat and waited, which was very cute, and they ended up winning comfortably. West Brom have had a couple of weeks off since their thumping win over Wolves which was so important, and not just because of the margin of their victory. It essentially means they are safe because they are eight points clear of the bottom three and I cannot see any of the bottom three making up that gap up between now and the end of the season. The Baggies' away form has been absolutely outstanding but their only worry is that they don't seem to be able to get things right at The Hawthorns. I am sure they will win a few games there eventually but it might not happen this week. A point probably won't please Baggies boss Roy Hodgson but I'm going to go for a draw here. Prediction: 1-1 Wigan v Aston Villa This is a difficult time for Aston Villa. Their manager Alex McLeish is trying to change the way they play and give them a really solid defensive background but they just don't seem to be buying into it. One reason for that might be they are not that good at the back, and you would probably say the best players in McLeish's team are his forwards. Villa have taken one point from their last three games and they have to be careful they don't slide into the abyss of a relegation battle, especially as I think it is generally accepted that they are better than that. You look at the majority of the teams below Villa in the table and you wonder where their goals are going to come from. I don't get that when I look at Villa. Scoring shouldn't be a problem for them with the firepower they have got. I just feel they might be better if McLeish lets them off the leash a little bit and plays to their strengths. Maybe they are not creating enough chances, because Darren Bent will score if you give him the opportunity. So why don't they go for it? This is Robbie Keane's last game for Villa before he goes back to Los Angeles Galaxy and he will be missed. At times during his loan spell he has been outstanding, and you would expect to him to see a lot of the ball at the DW Stadium too. If Wigan can deal with Keane, I'd fancy them to nick a win. The Latics had a great result last time out against Bolton and showed what they are capable of. They have a habit of playing quite well at home and still getting beaten. That needs to stop, and a point on Saturday would be a good start. Prediction: 1-1 Man City v Blackburn (1730 GMT) After four wins out of four in February, it looks like Manchester City are going to kick on now. The most important thing about the developments in the Carlos Tevez saga this week are that, as well as Roberto Mancini, it looks like the dressing room have accepted Tevez's apology too. Saying sorry to the board, manager, owner are all important in this but the most important dynamic in all of this is always going to be that he goes into the dressing room and they accept him back. Now that has happened, Tevez is back up and running, and I think he will play a part for City this season. I think he will play, and he will score, and he will help them win the Premier League. Some people might say City don't need Tevez, but they are wrong. Even if he just comes off the bench, he adds some serious firepower. As for Blackburn, you just know Steve Kean will keep his team fighting on until the end of the season. I can't remember too many really poor performances when they have been beaten, other than at Arsenal a few weeks ago when they were down to 10 men, and they are the most competitive of all the teams at the bottom. They score goals and I have a sneaky feeling that they have got the best chance of getting out of trouble. I can't see them getting anything at the Etihad Stadium, however. City generally give the opposition very little and I think they will win pretty comfortably. Prediction: 3-1 Here are all 260 of Lawro's 2011-12 Premier League predictions and how the League Table would look like based on his forecasts... Lawro's 2011-12 Predictions
SUNDAY Arsenal v Tottenham (1330 GMT) There haven't been too many occasions in the last few years where you would have backed Tottenham to go to the Emirates Stadium and get something, but I think this is one of them. It is going to be a tough test for Spurs, though. Arsenal have struggled in their last two away games, against AC Milan and Sunderland, but their home form is solid and you have to factor in how keen they will be to hold the bragging rights in north London. I think the points will end up being shared. And, although I don't think they are going to win the league, for me they are definitely going to finish third, and above Arsenal. That would be the first time that has happened since Arsene Wenger took charge of the Gunners but the reasons for it are simply that Spurs have got more quality in every area. Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has put together a really good side, and it has got a bit of everything. They can play in so many different ways and they have a multitude of options going forward. Defensively they are solid too, and part of that is due to the progress of people like Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Kyle Walker, who is starting to look like a real player. In goal, Brad Friedel has made a difference too, When you watch him play, he organises his defence so well, and that is a massive help to them. Heurelho Gomes was capable of making some excellent saves but he always had a mistake in him. The difference between being a good goalkeeper and a very good goalkeeper is about concentration. Keepers for the top teams might not see the ball for 20 minutes, even to take a goal-kick but they need the ability to tune in and switch on. We saw Joe Hart do it for Manchester City late on against Aston Villa a fortnight ago. What Hart did for me there is more of a sign he is a top keeper than if he was making a series of brilliant saves every few minutes - in the manner that people like Tim Krul and Wayne Hennessey sometimes do. It's a bit like golf - the really top players have got the mental edge. Prediction: 1-1 Norwich v Man Utd (1330 GMT) Norwich are already very comfortable in the Premier League, and it is a credit to their manager Paul Lambert that they have come through the divisions and adjusted to the top flight so well and so quickly, because he has not significantly changed the team. Lambert could not have been sure who was good enough for the Premier League at the start of the season because so many of his side had not played there before. So his judgement of a player is obviously very good and he has got his dressing room spot on too, which is a massive thing. There aren't any superstars there, and they all pull in the same direction. Norwich need to keep hold of him for as long as they can because he is going to be a really top class manager. A few sides are going to be after him too, because he has had success after success. Manchester United are a tough nut to crack, though, so a win here is a big ask. United rested a lot of players against Ajax in the Europa League so they will be ready for their trip to Carrow Road. In fact, with Norwich going out of the FA Cup against Leicester last week, I just wonder if we might be about to see a little bit of a wobble from them. They have got enough points to be safe so it doesn't matter too much anyway. Norwich were a bit unfortunate at Old Trafford earlier in the season, when Anthony Pilkington had a couple of really good chances but United just have a way of playing away which is so effective. They operate on the break with width and pace and more often than not when they need a matchwinner, they find one. Prediction: 0-2 Stoke v Swansea (1500 GMT) Talk about a meeting of completely different styles. These are both comfortable mid-table teams, which shows that you can have a completely different approach to playing and still be successful. Stoke have lost four Premier League games in a row now, but the thing about them is that they are never that bad even when they lose, and they are always extremely competitive. I fancy them to go back to winning ways here. Their manager Tony Pulis rested a lot of players on Thursday against Valencia in the Europa League and has a bit of depth to his squad in any case. Pulis is a pragmatic manager who fights for his players, and they do the same back for him. Prediction: 2-1 Cardiff City v Liverpool (Carling Cup final, 1600 GMT) I remember previewing last season's Carling Cup final between Birmingham and Arsenal and you just knew Birmingham would stick five across the middle and play with a lone striker to make it extremely difficult for Arsenal. But we were all just sat there thinking Arsenal would still win. It was the strangest of games because you just thought one mistake would decide it, and lo and behold it was an Arsenal mistake that gifted Obafemi Martins the winner. I am not sure Cardiff will be able to approach this game the same way. They will probably leave Kenny Miller on his own up front and retreat into midfield because that is what most underdogs would do, but I am curious to see what their tactics will be. They are a good footballing team, and are not particularly good defensively. Birmingham used attrition to overcome Arsenal, and that is not Cardiff's style. They will have to play their football to beat Liverpool too. I am at Wembley on Sunday and see Liverpool as heavy favourites. I would expect them to win but I think it will be very tight. Prediction: 1-2 Here are all 260 of Lawro's 2011-12 Premier League predictions and how the League Table would look like based on his forecasts... Lawro's 2011-12 Predictions
