Category: Football Tips

Premier League Preview 14th – 16th March

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

After the midweek debacle at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League, Jose Mourinho’s Premiership leaders have a point to prove at home to Southampton on Sunday. Chelsea have been widely condemned for their approach to the second leg of their tie with PSG and Manchester City have a chance to apply extra pressure on Saturday.

City travel to Burnley who fought back so valiantly to grab a point at the Etihad earlier in the season. More recently, they snatched an unlikely point at Chelsea following the dismissal of Nemanja Matic for retaliation. Burnley have a habit of playing better when they are behind but they cannot afford to take any liberties against City.

The champions had to work hard to beat Leicester 2-0 in their last league game and will have one eye on next week’s Champions League clash with Barcelona. Very few people are expecting them to win against the Spanish giants but Schalke’s performance against Real Madrid will certainly have reminded them that anything is possible. Even a narrow victory would be enough to reduce Chelsea’s lead to three points, until Sunday at least.

Arsenal face an uphill task recovering from a 3-1 home defeat by Monaco next week but must first make sure they take three points against West Ham. The Gunners have plenty of strength in their squad so can afford to rotate while the Hammers seem to be on a slippery slope. There is also a London derby in the early kick-off with Crystal Palace hosting QPR.

Rangers’ 2-1 defeat at home to Tottenham summed up their season. They fought valiantly but never really looked like getting anything out of the game. Their away form is already the stuff of legends and Alan Pardew’s side can inflict another painful blow. Tim Sherwood has already taken Aston Villa to an FA Cup semi-final and inflicted two defeats on midlands rivals West Brom.

Unfortunately their FA Cup clash was marred by a moronic crowd invasion that revived memories of the late 1970’s. They now travel to relegation rivals Sunderland who also had more trouble off the pitch than on it last week as Gus Poyet and Steve Bruce almost came to blows. It should be a tough battle and a draw may be the smartest option.

Whether or not there is any merit in Jose Mourinho’s on-going siege mentality at Stamford Bridge, it has to be said that his side were awful against PSG. They played the type of football that is the polar opposite to everything that is good about the Premier League. Southampton are no mugs and Ronald Koeman will sense an opportunity here. The Saints haven’t given up on a top four finish odds of 11-2 are tempting. Chelsea did play extra-time on Wednesday and I’ll be surprised if they don’t make a nervous start.

Man United and Louis van Gaal came in for heavy criticism following their FA Cup exit against Arsenal and now face Tottenham at Old Trafford. Spurs picked themselves up well from their Wembley disappointment and 3-1 is also quite generous against a patchy United side. Liverpool conclude the week’s fixtures at Swansea on Monday and can boost their Champions League hopes with a narrow victory.

Crystal Palace to beat QPR @5-6 Bet365

Arsenal (-1.0) to beat West Ham @11-10 Sportingbet

Sunderland v Aston Villa DRAW @23-10 Sportingbet

Man City to beat Burnley by 1 goal @13-5 Bet365

Southampton to beat Chelsea @11-2 Bet365

Tottenham to beat Man United @10-3 Coral

Champions League – Chelsea v PSG Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

With Arsenal and Manchester City having suffered home defeats in their first leg Champions League ties, Chelsea have the best chance of the Premiership being represented in the last eight.

A hard-fought 1-1 draw in Paris has given them a slender advantage for the return leg at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night. Jose Mourinho has been complaining about the persistent fouling from PSG in the first match, much of it focussed on Eden Hazard. In the end, Chelsea were more than happy to escape with a draw after being on the back foot for much of the second half.

According to the bookmakers, Chelsea are firm favourites to qualify but I think it will be a difficult night for the Blues. They scraped through against PSG last year, thanks to a late goal by Demba Ba. They were forced to attack that night having lost the first leg 3-1 but will be in two minds here.

Chelsea were rocked by a 1-1 draw at home to Burnley in the Premier League after that game but have since lifted the Capital One Cup and battled to a 1-0 win at West Ham. They were without Nemanja Matic for both games but he is eligible to return on Wednesday night. Defender Kurt Zouma did a wonderful job in filling in for him in two vital games but it remains to be seen whether his name will feature on the team sheet.

Striker Diego Costa has not been at his best in recent matches but his presence clearly troubles the opposition. However, PSG carry plenty of attacking threat with the likes of Ibrahimovic, Cavani and Lavezzi. It is going to be very difficult for Chelsea to keep them at bay for 90 minutes and the goals market interests me. I think that both sides will score during the game and one goal from PSG changes the complexion of the tie. They will then be in pole position, knowing that a second goal will leave Chelsea needing to score three to qualify. A 2-2 score-line would send the Blues out but it may be worth a speculative wager.

In the night’s other tie, Bayern Munich should book their place in the last eight by overcoming Shakhtar Donetsk. The first leg remained goalless after Xabi Alonso received his marching orders. They have more than enough strength in their squad to make up for his absence here and are worth considering on the handicap markets.

Chelsea v PSG DRAW @5-2 Sky Bet

Chelsea 2 PSG 2 @20-1 Betfair

Both teams to score @Evens Paddy Power

Bayern Munich (-2.0) to beat Shakhtar @29-20 Boylesports

Champions League – Porto and Real to progress

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Champions League returns this week with the first four quarter-finalists to be decided. The match of the week looks to be the clash at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and PSG on Wednesday night with the tie delicately poised at 1-1. We will be previewing that game in detail tomorrow.

Tuesday night sees Porto welcome Basel to Portugal with the tie also level at 1-1 after the first leg. The home side are unbeaten in the competition this season and finished top of Group H.  They have not lost any of their last eight home games in Europe and are bidding to reach the last eight for the first time since 2008/09.

They have won six of their last seven matches in all competitions and have not conceded a goal in five league matches. Basel scraped through to the last sixteen by knocking out Liverpool on matchday six but finished 11 points behind Real Madrid in their group. They have only been to the knockout stages once before where they were thrashed 8-0 on aggregate by Bayern Munich. It’s difficult to see anything other than a home win for Porto, probably without reply.

The other tie sees Real Madrid defending a 2-0 lead at home to Schalke. They should have few problems reaching the last eight for the fifth consecutive season as they try to become the first side to defend the trophy in the modern era.

Real put Schalke to the sword at the same stage last season, winning 9-2 on aggregate with a 6-1 victory at the Bernabeau. The German side have improved under new coach Roberto di Matteo but face an impossible task trying to rescue the tie. Ronaldo scored four against Schalke last year and scored in the first leg so it is no surprise to see him short in the goal scorer markets here.

Schalke edged through courtesy of a goal from substitute Max Meyer against Maribor in their final group match. They recorded their first victory in five league games last weekend but this may be an exercise in damage limitation for the visitors. Carlo Ancelotti’s men can afford to be patient and pick them off in the second period.

Tips

Ronaldo to score and Real Madrid win @8-13 Paddy Power

Real v Schalke: Over 2.5 goals scored @4-9 Betfair

Porto to beat Basel to nil @6-5 William Hill

FA Cup Quarter-Final Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The FA Cup dominates the weekend football with only one Premiership match taking place. The powers-that-be have saved the best until last with Manchester United’s clash with reigning champions Arsenal on Monday.

The action gets under way at lunchtime on Saturday with the un-inspiring game between Bradford and Reading. Bradford are still euphoric from their 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge and saw off Sunderland in the last round. Having claimed two Premiership scalps, they will be bitterly disappointed if they cannot beat Reading but this could be a tight contest. Reading have won their last three matches in the competition away from home. There have been red cards in recent meetings between these two so stand by for a stormy encounter.

Aston Villa and West Brom will be sick of the sight of each other if they cannot get a result inside 90 minutes. The two slugged it out on Tuesday night with Tim Sherwood delighting the home fans with his pitch-side antics. Quite where the FA Cup fits in with their battle to stay in the Premier League I am not so sure but this looks ominously like draw material.

Liverpool became tournament favourites after the draw gave them a home tie with Blackburn. They are not playing the same fast-flowing football that nearly won them the league last season but they are grinding out results. A 2-1 win over champions Man City was backed up by a midweek victory over Burnley to keep them in the chase for a Champions League place next season. They should have too many guns for Rovers, particularly with Daniel Sturridge gradually returning to form.

Man United have worked their way into the top four but you wouldn’t know it from the press reports. We keep reading about “long-ball football” and the miserable form of Di Maria and Falcao and yet United are fourth in the table. They have not exactly worked teams over this season but fortune seems to be on their side. Tim Krul’s brainstorm gave them a 1-0 win in midweek at Newcastle and they will be relishing the clash with Arsenal.

The Gunners are a bit of a puzzle with solid league performances either side of that horror show in the Champions League against Monaco. They are defending their precious silverware and odds of 2-1 look generous.

Bradford to beat Reading @13-8 Betfred

Aston Villa v West Brom DRAW @11-5 Matchbook

Liverpool (-1.0) to beat Blackburn Rovers @10-11 Sportingbet

Arsenal to beat Man United @2-1 Bet365

Premier League Preview 4th March

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

There are some cracking Premier League matches lined up for Wednesday night as Chelsea and Man City continue their chase for the title.

The Blues were given some valuable breathing space by City’s 2-1 defeat at Anfield on Sunday but will need to be at their best to take three points at West Ham. Sam Allardyce usually has a trick or two up his sleeve against the Blues and managed to enrage Jose Mourinho with a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge last season.

West Ham’s season is in danger of petering out but they will surely be up for a London derby. Oscar only played a few minutes as substitute in the Cup final on Sunday and he could be worth a bet to score the opener in a narrow win for Chelsea.

City are not exactly in a slump after losing to Barcelona and Liverpool and it is worth remembering that they scored nine in their previous two matches. Normal service should be resumed at the expense of Leicester City at the Etihad. The bookmakers aren’t giving much away here but Sergio Aguero could be worth a look in the goal scorer markets.

BTSport are at St James’s Park to see Newcastle play Man United, traditionally a fixture that brings plenty of goals. United have made steady if not spectacular progress under Louis van Gaal and can just edge this one. You are not going to get rich by backing Liverpool to beat Burnley following their impressive win over City on Sunday. The Clarets usually put up a brave fight and may give Reds’ supporters a few nervy moments.

If there is to be an upset on Wednesday it could come at White Hart Lane. Mauricio Pochettino looked a thoroughly miserable figure in the Wembley rain as he saw his side crash out of a second Cup competition within the space of a few days. He will doubtless ring the changes for the visit of Swansea but may find it difficult to motivate his dishevelled troops. The Swans look worth a bet to sneak a victory with 1-0 being generously priced.

Arsenal bounced back from their embarrassing defeat against Monaco with a comfortable 2-0 win over Everton. They now face struggling QPR and should come away with all three points. Stoke play Everton in the night’s remaining fixture. The Toffees are proving impossible to predict at present, following their impressive Europa League form with a poor display at Arsenal. Stoke have a way of grinding out the results lately and will fancy their chances of another three points here.

Sergio Aguero to score two or more @7-2 Boyle Sports

Man United to win by one goal @11-4 Skybet

Santi Cazorla scores and Arsenal win @100-30 Paddy Power

Stoke 1 Everton 0 @13-2 Bet365

Tottenham 0 Swansea 1 @15-1 BetVictor

Swansea to beat Tottenham @9-2 Totesport

Oscar to score and Chelsea win @4-1 Paddy Power

Liverpool to win by one goal @14-5 BetVictor

Premier League Preview 3rd March

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Manchester City’s defeat at Liverpool on Sunday has shifted the balance firmly in favour of Chelsea in the Premier League title race. Bookmakers have pushed City out to 7-1 to retain the title but there is plenty of time for further twists and turns along the way.

The top teams are in action on Wednesday night with City having the much easier task at home to Leicester while the Blues travel to West Ham. Tuesday night’s action largely concerns the other end of the table with two relegation scraps at Aston Villa and Hull. If Tim Sherwood had any doubt about the task he faces at Villa Park, their seventh successive defeat at the weekend will have brought the message home.

There have been some remarkable stats in the Premier League this season, one of which is the incredible lack of goals from Villa. They have scored a miserly 13 goals all season which is less than half of the total managed by QPR, ahead of them on goal difference at present. Christian Benteke has looked a pale shadow of his former self since returning from injury and they desperately need to find a goal from somewhere.

They face a West Brom side that are on a great run of form since Tony Pulis took over. A 1-0 win over Southampton on Saturday hoisted them eight points clear of the drop zone. They may be without Saido Berahino on Tuesday but could still be good enough to take all three points. If you fancy a long shot to open the scoring, defender Joleon Lescott has scored more goals against Villa than any other side in his career.

The Hull v Sunderland game does not exactly scream goals either with Gus Poyet’s side having failed to hit the target in four matches. Hull grabbed vital points against Villa and QPR and could have enough quality to do the same to the Black Cats.

The wheels have come off a bit at Southampton in recent weeks and a top four finish is starting to look like a pipedream. It was very entertaining while it lasted but they too are struggling to hit the back of the net, Graziano Pelle in particular. They are at home to Crystal Palace who have been transformed since the arrival of Alan Pardew. Most worrying for Saints, Palace seem far better away than at home at present. They look overpriced at around 4-1.

West Brom to beat Aston Villa @21-10 Bet365

Joleon Lescott to score first @33-1 Bet365

Aston Villa 0 West Brom 1 @7-1 BetVictor

Hull to beat Sunderland @23-20 Ladbrokes

Hull 1 Sunderland 0 @6-1 BetVictor

Crystal Palace to beat Southampton @19-4 BetVictor

Southampton 0 Crystal Palace 1 @13-1 BetVictor