One of the vagaries of the fixture computer becomes evident this weekend, when teams in the English Leagues who faced each other just three and a half weeks ago do battle once again. It all used to seem so straightforward when home and away matches alternated for everybody and local derbies were played at Christmas and Easter, but those days are long gone, as are the days when Kenny Dalglish used to be part of a winning team. He sends his players out on a revenge mission in Saturday's early kick-off:

1) Wolves v Liverpool: Just one win in eight matches in all competitions for Liverpool, and I see no convincing reason as to why they should add to that total at Molineux on Saturday. It is a quite incredible 32 years since the Reds last won at Wolves, and their hosts' performances against the stronger sides in the division recently have been admirable to say the least. Wolves can haul themselves to within two points of Liverpool with a victory here, and Liverpool's eight defeats from eleven away matches so far lead me to believe that they are in serious danger of losing this game as well. With Steven Gerrard sitting out the last match of his suspension, I fancy a home win by one goal, the same margin as in all six of Wolves' League victories this season. 

2) Arsenal v Wigan: Arsenal face a difficult and potentially lengthy FA Cup replay at Leeds in midweek, which is really the only danger I can see to their ambitions of beating Wigan on Saturday. The Latics have lost all eight of their previous visits to Arsenal, and really should be taken to the cleaners here.

3) Blackpool v Sunderland: Sunderland face their first trip to Bloomfield Road in nearly 24 years on Saturday, and will still be feeling bewildered at the number of chances they missed to put Blackpool away in the reverse fixture last month. Their cause in this match will be hindered by the transfer of Darren Bent that has been confirmed as I am writing, so I will be waiting until news of Bent's replacement is known before deciding where my money will be heading. 

4) Everton v West Ham: Love him or loathe him, I can only feel sympathy for Avram Grant regarding the way he has been hung out to dry by the club's owners, but this doesn't look like a fixture that is going to help his cause much either. The absence of Tim Cahill, who is appearing at the Asian Cup, hasn't held Everton back at all as they have won two and drawn one of the three fixtures he has missed, and despite West Ham having lost just two of their last six matches at Goodison, I think they may go down to a valiant defeat here.

5) Fulham v Stoke: The battle for last place on Match Of The Day is a one-horse race this week. The last four renewals of this fixture in the League have ended 1-0 to one or other of the sides, and the encounter before that ended goalless! Similar to Arsenal (most would say the only similarity to Arsenal), Stoke faced a tricky FA Cup replay in midweek, and the fact that they were taken to extra time means that needs to be taken into account when trying to predict the outcome here, but with the sides being separated by more than one goal only once in the last fifteen League meetings, I am happy to plump for a low-scoring draw in this one.

6) Man.United v Birmingham: So, United's monotonous form continues. Win at home, draw away, win at home, draw away. That sort of consistency will win them the title, and in my eyes, this fixture presents little chance of disappointment for them in that quest. Believe it or not, I've just wasted most of my afternoon trying to find out who scored Birmingham's last goal at Old Trafford. I know it was in October 1981. I know Steve Coppell scored for United that day. As for Birmingham's scorer, who knows, but so much time has passed since then, it is no surprise that the relevant stats are hard to come by. By 5 o'clock on Saturday, you can probably add another victory to nil for United to the lengthening list of scoreless visits to Old Trafford for the Blues.

7) Newcastle v Tottenham: Alan Pardew seems to have surprised many people with the results he has achieved so far, and Newcastle's recent record in this fixture bodes well for him in his attempt to win over the more stubborn United fans. Newcastle have won six of the last seven League matches against Spurs at St.James's Park, and Tottenham's inconsistency away from home leads me to believe that they may struggle to take any points on Saturday, either. Whatever, the outcome, I expect goals from both sides, as has been the case in the last four League encounters between the two on Tyneside, and I would narrowly favour Newcastle to come out on top.

8) Aston Villa v Man.City: Even if Darren Bent fails to make his debut for Villa, this match should provide goals and plenty of entertainment, as the previous four meetings between the two at Villa Park have produced a healthy fourteen goals, which is just one fewer than Villa have managed in all eleven home League games so far this season, so Gerard Houllier has obviously got his transfer priorities right. City are unbeaten away from home since their embarrassing reverse at Molineux last October, but this match should certainly be more of a contest than the reverse fixture at Eastlands last month, when City emerged comfortable 4-0 winners. So much depends on the extent of the confidence gained by Villa's players from the statement made by the arrival of Bent, and I feel that they can get their climb up the table started with a high-scoring draw here.

9) Blackburn v West Brom: West Brom are far from regular scorers at Ewood Park and even less regular winners. Their last win at Blackburn was back in 1991 and that was also the last time they managed more than a single goal in a game there, so the omens aren't good for them despite having brought their six match losing run to an end with a thrilling victory over Blackpool. Rovers have been efficient as a home side so far this season, and can be fancied to complete a quick double over their visitors on Sunday.

10) Bolton v Chelsea: Monday night's match is an intriguing one and could well bring an end to one of Bolton's more embarrassing statistics. For the last seven seasons, Wanderers have lost at home to Chelsea and have failed to score a single goal during that sorry run. However, Liverpool remain that only visiting side to have won a League match at the Reebok this season, and Chelsea can expect tougher opposition than they faced in last season's 4-0 stroll at Bolton. Chelsea haven't won an away match since the end of October, and despite a couple of encouraging recent results, they may have to settle for a point here.

Four selections for you this week. A successful £10 accumulator on Notts.Co., Dunfermline, East Fife and Arbroath would return a welcome £90 exactly with skybet.com.

Good Luck!