Premier League Weekend Preview

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Saturday, 21 August 2010 17:45

Another hefty dose of thrilling action awaits as the Barclays Premier League enters its second week.

Tottenham travel to Stoke on Saturday seeking to bounce back from their Champions League qualifying defeat by Young Boys.

Spurs were beaten 3-2 in Bern and will be looking for their first win of the season at the Britannia Stadium, having opened their Barclays Premier League campaign account with a 0-0 draw at home to Manchester City last weekend.

Stoke, though, will provide another stern test for Harry Redknapp's side.

"It's another hard game for us, but that's football," midfielder Luka Modric, who is a doubt for the clash after going off injured in midweek, said on tottenhamhotspur.com.

"You cannot choose the games you want to play.

Spurs

"We played well against them last season and won and I think we can do it again this time around."

Stoke opened the season with a 2-1 loss at Wolves, marred by an injury to summer signing Kenwyne Jones.

Jones could return against Spurs.

"He's got an outside chance," said Potters boss Tony Pulis, who also signed striker Jon Walters from Ipswich this week.

Alex McLeish has urged Birmingham's fans to pick up where they left off last season when the Blues make their first home appearance of the new term against Blackburn.

Birmingham's ninth-placed finish in their first season back in the Barclays Premier League owed much to their home form, and they are aiming to continue an unbeaten run that stretches back to last September.

Manager McLeish said: "I know managers keep talking about the fans but they are so important, they give you energy and they can drain it from the opposition.

Birmingham

"We appeal to the fans to get behind us and make it as hostile as many managers have said in the past."

Sunderland travel to West Brom with boss Steve Bruce backing captain Lee Cattermole to learn his lesson after starting the season with a red card.

Cattermole will miss the trip to The Hawthorns after being sent off for two bookable offences during last weekend's 2-2 home draw with Birmingham.

Bruce said: "I gave him the captain's armband because I enjoy watching Lee Cattermole as a football player.

"All he wants to do, the kid, is play. In my day, he would have been called competitive; these days the way it is, he has to be careful.

"It was a big gamble to make him captain, but I don't regret that for one minute. He is my captain and he will prove that all season, he will prove me right.

"But he must learn from that situation."

West Brom's fellow new boys Blackpool travel to meet Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, while Wigan - beaten by the Seasiders last weekend - host Chelsea.

Blackpool