Welcome to another edition of the Big English Premier League Preview. The months have flown by and we've now hit February which means there's roughly about three and a half month's of football left and the title race is shaping up nicely for a close finish between Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal while the battle for 4^th spot and Champions League qualification is also heating up. Then there's also the dreaded relegation dog fight to be decided. So much to look forward to so here's a short preview of this weekend's action....

Saturday 6 February

Liverpool v Everton

The Merseyside derby is going to be my pick for match of the weekend. This fixture always dishes up a passionate display from both sides and more often than not a few red cards! There has been an astonishing 17 red cards handed out in the past 25 Merseyside derbies and no other derby in the country can come close to matching it for intensity. Both managers have had it hard this season in terms of injuries and disappointing results but will know that a positive result from this encounter will be worth more than just the three points at stake. Everton have not won at Anfield in 9 years and I can't see the Toffees breaking that record on Saturday afternoon.

TV: Supersport 3 @ 14:00

Hull City v Manchester City

Hull City look destined for the drop but they proved that they can still pull off the occasional good performance when they managed to hold top of the table Chelsea to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday night. It doesn't get any easier though for Phil Brown's Tigers as they welcome Roberto Mancini's Manchester City to the KC Stadium on Saturday. City will no doubt still have the League Cup disappointment on their minds but they responded well when they beat Portsmouth 2-0 last Sunday.  A win for City could see them move up to 4^th place, provided Liverpool and Spurs slip up.

TV: Supersport 7 @ 19:00

Manchester United v Portsmouth

Manchester United have the chance to go top of the table if they can beat bottom of the log Portsmouth who they host at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon. Chelsea's 1-1 draw against Hull has reduced the gap to just two points and with Wayne Rooney in the form of his life there is very little doubt as to how this one will turn out. Portsmouth's financial problems have seen them lost a chunk of their squad and news broke today that the club has another new owner, this time a Hong Kong businessman who has no intention of holding onto the club in the long term. With all these off field distractions one can see why they are in the position they find themselves in.

TV: Supersport 3 @ 16:45

Tottenham v Aston Villa

White Hart Lane will be the scene for the battle between two teams who are desperate to break into the coveted "Top Four". Tottenham are in fourth spot at the moment while Villa are down in 7^th place. Villa do however have a game in hand in which three points will see them leapfrog Spurs, Liverpool and Man City into 4^th place. Tottenham will be brimming with confidence after their midweek FA Cup win over Leeds but they will have to be at their best if they want to have any chance of beating this Aston Villa side. My money is on an away win for the Villains.

TV: Supersport 3 @ 19:00

Stoke City v Blackburn Rovers

Something tells me that free flowing attacking football wont be on the agenda during this encounter between Stoke City and Blackburn at the Britania Stadium. Stoke has done remarkably well during what is usually a difficult second season for newly promoted sides. Tony Pulis has guided them to a respectable 12th place on the log and with a top 10 finish within their reach. Blackburn on the other hand have a had a somewhat frustrating season up until now. Big Sam may have saved them from relegation last season but he has struggled to build on that success and with a record of only one away win this season Stoke will definitely be fancying their chances of grabbing three points against Rovers.

TV: Supersport 7 @ 21:00

Other games on Saturday

• Burnley v West Ham (Supersport 5 @ 16:55)
• Bolton v Fulham (Supersport 7 @ 16:55)
• Sunderland v Wigan (Supersport 7 @ 23:00)

Sunday 7 February

Chelsea v Arsenal

Another big game of the weekend will see Arsenal and Chelsea going head to head in the North London Derby. Chelsea have a healthy 6 point lead over the Gunners and one fears that another defeat for Arsene Wenger's side could potentially end their title ambitions while strengthening Chelseas grip on a first title since 2006. Arsenal have been found wanting against the the big teams after they were outclassed by both Manchester United and Chelsea this season and with their main striker Robin Van Persie still out of action the Gunners will struggle to break through Chelsea's solid defence. This game could go either way but with so much at stake for Arsenal I think that the pressure will just be too much for Wenger's "kids", so I'm going with a Chelsea win.
TV: Supersport 3 @ 17:30

Other games on Sunday
Birmingham v Wolves (Supersport 3 @ 15:15)