GOOD FRIDAY Swansea v Newcastle (1630 BST) I've read that Newcastle fans don't think their side is getting enough praise for the way they are playing, but I think most people would agree that the Magpies are enjoying an outstanding season. They despatched Liverpool relatively easily on Sunday, once they had scored the first goal, and you would expect them to cause Swansea problems. Papiss Demba Cisse and Demba Ba look a real threat in attack and, behind them, Hatem Ben Arfa is again showing us what a good player he is. They will not have things all their own way at the Liberty Stadium, though. Swansea have lost their last two games, against Everton and Tottenham but they will not be rolled over here. Can Newcastle catch Tottenham or Arsenal for a place in the top four and the Champions League? I'd say no. Alan Pardew's men will keep on picking up points between now and the end of the season but I don't see Spurs or the Gunners being caught. Prediction: 1-1 SATURDAY Sunderland v Tottenham (1245 BST) Sunderland should have beaten Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium last weekend. To score three goals, and lead 3-1 before being pegged back will have been disappointing for them, especially after such an outstanding performance. They will still be full of confidence for this game but I just feel Tottenham have turned the corner now, and are back to playing how they were a month or two ago, before their blip. The signs were there in their win over Swansea on Sunday that they have got their swagger back. Gareth Bale was virtually unplayable at times, and Aaron Lennon's return to full fitness will give them even more zip in attack. Prediction: 0-2 Bolton v Fulham Bolton boss Owen Coyle was named manager of the month for March after his side won three out of three in the league, and they have picked a very good time to find some form. The most impressive thing about Wanderers' win at Wolves on Saturday was that they survived being battered in the first half. They hung on in there, which is a good sign because that was something which just was not happening earlier in the season. As for Fulham, well I remain unconvinced by their away form - they have only won twice on the road in the league, at Wigan in October and at QPR at the end of February - and Pavel Pogrebnyak's ankle injury is not exactly encouraging news for Cottagers fans hoping to add to that tally here. Prediction: 2-0 Chelsea v Wigan Chelsea will have the Champions League on their minds after completing their quarter-final victory over Benfica on Wednesday but you would expect Roberto di Matteo to make some changes and freshen up his squad as he has done in the past, as they continue their bid for the top four. The Blues have got their FA Cup semi-final to think about too, and the fixture scheduling could have been kinder to them, which is why I think the number of games they have got to play will hold them back on all three fronts. Tiredness should not affect them here, though, and I think they will be too strong for Wigan. The Latics are in good form but I think their mini-revival will end here. Wigan are one of my tips to go down, but what will keep them fighting is that unlike say, Wolves, who never look like they think they are going to score, Wigan come forward with people like Victor Moses and Hugo Rodallega thinking that they will. Prediction: 2-0 Liverpool v Aston Villa Both these sides are bottom of the form table after a miserable run. All season, I've been saying how Liverpool do not score enough goals or create enough chances and that they do not get enough men into the opposition's box. The saving grace was that they were good defensively but for the last three or four games they have been ordinary at the back and I think the message is that Reds boss Kenny Dalglish is missing Glen Johnson and Daniel Agger. Villa come into this match in danger of being sucked into the relegation battle and the bad news about Stiliyan Petrov's illness does not help. Are they missing injured England striker Darren Bent up front? Yes and no. Bent gets you goals but I just think Villa are very negative. If they had been more of an attacking team then they would be about 10 points better off, but Alex McLeish has his way of playing and he has not really unleashed the players he has got who can win games. If Villa do come forward at Anfield, we might get to find out how good Liverpool's stand-in keeper Alexander Doni is before his side's FA Cup semi-final against Everton on 14 April. Pepe Reina's three-game suspension means all eyes will be on Doni here, and he needs a solid display to ensure the spotlight on him does not intensify for that tie at Wembley. Prediction: 2-0 Norwich v Everton This should be a good game because Everton are in excellent shape and, although Norwich lost at Fulham, they have already shown this season how well they recover from setbacks. The Canaries are safe, even if their manager Paul Lambert will never admit it, and he will demand a response in front of their supporters. Toffees boss David Moyes will also be thinking about next week's FA Cup semi-final, although I think he is more likely to consider resting players in Monday's game against Sunderland than this one. Something of a storm followed Moyes' decision to rest players in last month's Merseyside derby before a cup tie against the Black Cats, but he could end up doing the opposite this time around, and I am sure the fans won't mind. Prediction: 1-1 West Brom v Blackburn The manner of West Brom's defeat by Everton last weekend suggested there are one or two players in the Baggies squad who think they are safe and have nothing to play for. While Roy Hodgson's side could probably do with another win to be sure of safety, I am certain they will get it, especially because I think Hodgson will be annoyed that his side were so sloppy at Goodison Park and will have been on their cases in training. Blackburn did well against Manchester United to keep the leaders at bay for 81 minutes but this game is a different sort of problem for them. The key for Rovers is to get the ball to Yakubu inside the penalty area because he is an outstanding finisher. West Brom will be aware of that, and I fancy them to return to winning ways at The Hawthorns. Prediction: 2-1 Stoke v Wolves (1730 BST) It is becoming very difficult to tip Wolves to win matches. They showed against Bolton last week what their problem is - they create chances but they never look like killing teams off. Terry Connor's side also concede goals and the manner of their collapse against Bolton was worrying because it did not take very much pressure for it to happen. Wolves are likely to face a big test of their resolve against Stoke because the Potters were mediocre in their defeat by Wigan in their last outing and their manager Tony Pulis is not the sort of manager to allow that to happen in back-to-back games. Stoke's Europa League progress has drained them at times this season but it is a credit to Pulis that his side have never been spoken about as being in danger of relegation, even when they were distracted by Europe. Prediction: 2-0 Here are all of Lawro's 2011-12 Premier League predictions, together with how the League Table would look like if all his forecasts were correct... Lawro's 2011-12 Predictions
SUNDAY Man Utd v QPR (1330 BST) QPR enjoyed an excellent win against Arsenal last week but I just do not fancy them defensively at Old Trafford - and I don't think they will see enough of the ball to pose a threat at the other end. There was a certain inevitability to Manchester United's win over Blackburn on Monday, although they had to wait to make the breakthrough. People might see scoring that late as lucky, but it's nothing to do with luck. We had the same thing at Liverpool in the 1980s, when we would wear teams out. If you keep attacking teams, they eventually get tired and when that happens they lose concentration. Then, bang, you're in. United always have the belief that they will create chances and score goals, even in the last 10 minutes - although I cannot see QPR still being in the game by then on Sunday. Prediction: 3-0 Arsenal v Man City (1600 BST) Manchester City's title bid is teetering on the edge so a trip to Emirates Stadium is the last thing Roberto Mancini needs. Mancini has a dilemma - does he do what he probably would do under normal circumstances which is to pick two holding midfielders, look to stop Arsenal playing for an hour and then go and try to win the game? Or, with this essentially being a must-win fixture, does he go toe to toe with them from the off. Either way, I cannot see City getting anything. Their players have lost their way badly in recent weeks and there seems to be a realisation among the players that they are going to finish second. It is very difficult to change that mindset at this stage. For them to have any chance in north London, they need every single one of their top players to have a great game, but that has not been happening for a while. Defeat for City here would effectively mark the end of the title race. Did I think it would end so soon? No, because I thought City would be better in the last couple of months of the season. Failing to land the title, and finishing the season without a trophy, will inevitably mean there is speculation over Mancini's future but, unless Jose Mourinho or Pep Guardiola fancy the job then I don't see the point of changing. Prediction: 2-1 Here are all of Lawro's 2011-12 Premier League predictions, together with how the League Table would look like if all his forecasts were correct... Lawro's 2011-12 Predictions
