Manchester City to record third straight shut out, Newcastle could lose after 6-0 win and West Brom on course for Anfield victory

Team to Watch - West Brom

Promoting West Brom when they are set to travel to Anfield to face Liverpool may sound like foolish advice, but read on and we will try to convince you otherwise.

The Baggies recovered from an opening day drubbing at the hands of Chelsea to beat Sunderland last weekend and will be confident of an upset against once-mighty Liverpool.

Roy Hodgson’s side struggled to get going in midfield against Manchester City on Monday and the centre of the park is where West Brom are strongest.

With four talented midfielders in Graham Dorrans, Chris Brunt, James Morrison and Jerome Thomas capable of interchanging positions and keeping possession, Liverpool may find it difficult to dictate play on Sunday.

Liverpool also have a difficult Europa League qualifier in Turkey on Thursday night and could suffer a European hangover, even though Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres are unlikely to face Trabzonspor.

Team to Avoid - Newcastle

Yes, they may have thrashed Aston Villa at home last week, but before you jump on the Newcastle bandwagon, take a second to consider Saturday’s opponents Wolves.

Mick McCarthy’s outfit are unbeaten from their opening two games and survived stern tests against Stoke and Everton.

The win over Stoke was at home and it is at Molineux where they face Newcastle this weekend.

Wolves have enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in form since the middle of last season after initially struggling to cope with a return to the Premier League.

The key to their success has been the midfield partnership of Karl Henry and David Jones, who scored that sensational free-kick on the opening day.

Saturday could also be the day that McCarthy unleashes his exciting strike pairing, Steven Fletcher and Kevin Doyle, for the first time, meaning Newcastle’s defence should be on their guard.

Banker Clean Sheet - Manchester City

Manchester City, like Chelsea, have yet to concede a goal this season in two league games and a Europa League tie.

Much of that is owed to the sparkling form of England keeper Joe Hart but the tactics of boss Roberto Mancini have something to do with it too.

Mancini opened his reign at Manchester City last season with his team conceding just two goals in six games, with the same defence that was much maligned under former boss Mark Hughes which had shipped seven in the previous three games.

Mancini has strengthened that over the summer by installing Hart as his number one keeper and bringing in Alexander Kolarov, Jerome Boateng and defensive midfielder Yaya Toure.

His new defenders have seen little game-time so far, but on Monday night at Liverpool Mancini employed three holding midfielders to protect the back-line, in the form of Gareth Barry, Toure and Nigel de Jong.

Whilst he may not do that against lesser opposition, especially at home, it's going to make City very hard to break down.

If teams do get through that midfield wall they are faced with the all-action defensive partnership of Kolo Toure and Vincent Kompany, who are forever throwing their bodies on the line for the cause.

The multi-million pound signings at the other end of the field have attracted a huge amount of attention, but it's at the back where City have looked most organised so far, and they should continue that with a clean sheet at Sunderland on Sunday.

Injuries and Suspensions

There is some confusion surrounding when Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe will have his groin operation, and if he needs it.

Boss Harry Redknapp said Defoe is booked in for the surgery on Monday, which would force him to miss around three or four weeks of action, but the player is keen to hold off in order to play for England.

Tottenham keeper Heurelho Gomes limped out of Wednesday night's Champions League qualifying win over Young Boys with a groin injury and could face around a month on the sidelines.

Spurs team-mate Jonathan Woodgate could be forced to retire if one final groin operation fails to cure his longstanding injury.

Wigan are monitoring the fitness of Victor Moses after he picked up an ankle injury on Carling Cup duty in the week.

Injured Aston Villa trio James Collins, Carlos Cuellar and Gabriel Agbonlahor all played 45 minutes in a behind-closed-door friendly match on Tuesday and are all available for Villa's Europa League second leg on Thursday night.

Stoke striker Mamady Sidibe has been ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a snapped Achilles tendon against Tottenham.

Blackpool centre-back Ian Evatt missed Tuesday night's Carling Cup tie defeat at MK Dons through suspension, following his red card against Arsenal, meaning he is available for the visit of Fulham next weekend.

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