Category: Football

Will Leicester City Make History Again?

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Leicester City overcame pre-season odds of 5000-1 to win the Premier League last season. This is surely a feat that will never be repeated in our lifetime. They made history several times with regards to the records that they set but they are in danger of doing so again.

Only one team in the history of the English top flight have been relegated the season after being champions. The Foxes are in danger of repeating that. They only have 17pts from 17 games and that point per game ratio if continued will leave them fighting relegation come the end of the season.

The Big Problems

They host Everton in what is a crucial game for the Foxes. While it isn’t a “must-win” game by any means, defeat would be a big blow for Leicester. So just what has gone wrong? It’s an accumulation of problems. The main one has been their level of intensity. This has dropped alarmingly since last season and the stats back that up. There is a reason why top players and top teams keep on performing season after season. The big advantage that they have is in their mentality.

The top players are “top players” because they produce top performances season after season. If the Leicester players were in that category then they would surely have been snapped up by other clubs before they joined Leicester City. So a big problem has been in being able to rise to the same heights again and to retain the motivation levels. Clearly, Leicester has struggled in this area. Secondly, they lost N’Golo Kante to Chelsea.

Losing the Midfield Dynamo

Allowing Chelsea to snatch N’Golo Kante has proved to be a big loss for Leicester. So much of their play went through him and he was certainly pivotal in most of their attacking play. The new rules on holding and grappling in the penalty area have also handicapped Leicester City. Players like Wes Morgan and Robert Huth were masters of the “dark arts” of defending.

Leicester will continue to struggle this season because they have simply lost their intensity. They host Everton who will be eager to bounce back from their stoppage time home derby defeat to Liverpool. Despite all of Leicester’s problems, they can be backed at an outstanding 9-4 with Coral. That is surely too high and represents great value. Leicester swept aside Manchester City recently which is another indication that 9-4 is a good bet.

The draw can be backed at 12-5 with Ladbrokes while Everton seems poor value at 2-1 with BetVictor. The demands of playing Champions League football have also taken their toll on Leicester. In the Premier League, opponents have become very familiar with Leicester’s style and this is another factor as to why they have struggled this season.

NFC Conference: Giants and Packers look like good outside bets

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The race to reach the playoffs is heating up, with just two games to play and several spots still up for grabs. In the NFC, the Cowboys and the Seahawks have already made it through, while the Giants look good for a wildcard spot. The second wildcard spot will either come from the NFC North or NFC South, divisions in which it looks set to go down to the wire. The Lions, Packers, Falcons and Buccaneers are now essentially fighting it out for the final three NFC playoff places, although the Vikings and Redskins also have an outside chance. There are several exciting games to look forward to and plenty of good value for punters in week 16.

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles

The early game next weekend sees the Giants travel to Philadelphia, and they will be buoyed by a two-game winning streak built on a truly formidable defence. They have gone 27 drives without yielding a single touchdown, including an entire game against the Dallas Cowboys, who are second favourites to win the Super Bowl. They were superb in beating the Lions 17-6 last weekend and Odell Beckham Jr looked unplayable at times, capping a great performance with a one-handed touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia has lost five in a row and threw it away against the Ravens last weekend by going for a two-point conversion right at the death, a plan that failed. They are done for the season and should have no chance against the Giants, who should cover a -3 spread, with Paddy Power offering a generous 21/20 on this.

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers

The Packers are the form team of the conference at the moment, on a four-game winning streak that has taken them to within a game of the Lions at the top of the NFC North. The Lions were tamed by the Giants last time out to leave them 9-5, while the Vikings have gone from 4-6 to 8-6 to leave them looking good either to win the division or claim a wildcard spot. The Vikings are third in the division at 7-7 and have a slim chance of making the postseason, but the Packers can put an end to that by beating them here, and home advantage should help them prevail. Green Bay are on fire at the moment and are just 2/7 to win this with Sky Bet, so for more value back them to cover a -7 spread, with Paddy Power again offering the best price, 21/20.

NFC outrights

The Dallas Cowboys are deservedly favourites to win the conference (they are second favourites to win the Super Bowl after the New England Patriots) at 6/4 with William Hill and Coral as they have the best record in the NFC and will enjoy a bye to the Divisional Round, where they will have home advantage. But the NFC is not as clear cut as the AFC, where the Patriots are head and shoulders above the rest and expected to walk it. The Giants have the second-best record in the conference, but it is their misfortune to be in the same division as the Cowboys, so they look destined for a wildcard spot and will have to do it the hard way. But their recent back to back wins over the Cowboys and the Lions will give them confidence and they look a great bet at 12/1 with William Hill. The Seahawks, 5/2 with Coral, are in with a shout, as are the Falcons (9/1 with William Hill), but the Packers have hit form at just the right time and look a really good outside bet at 9/1 with Coral and Paddy Power. You could spread your stake between the Giants and Packers and be in with a great chance of making a profit.

Liverpool Simply Cannot Afford to Lose

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The Merseyside Derby is one of the most eagerly awaited matches in the English Premier League calendar. This fixture has a long history with many famous matches being played down the years. Merseyside Derbies have even been played out in cup finals too. There were two famous all-Merseyside FA Cup finals within the space of three years in 1986 and 1989. On Monday evening they will be battling for points at Goodison Park. Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp has made a great start to the season. Everton has been solid as well.

Title D-Day for Liverpool

It is only a couple of weeks ago that Liverpool was being spoken of as title challengers. They then had a crushing 4-3 loss at Bournemouth and dropped further points at home to West Ham. Couple this with Chelsea’s brilliant unbeaten run and the Reds are now nine points behind the men from Stamford Bridge. Should they lose this derby on Monday night then it will look increasingly likely that the title could be slipping away before the end of the calendar year.

Liverpool has put in numerous stunning attacking displays this season. Jurgen Klopp has certainly brought exciting times to Anfield. The question is, do Liverpool really have the personnel to challenge for the title? There is a world of difference between challenging in November and being in contention in April. Liverpool is similar to Manchester City in that they are prone to leaking goals. Their capitulation away to Bournemouth was proof of that.

Koeman has steadied the Ship

Everton, on the other hand, has been solid if unspectacular this season. After several recent managerial changes, they clearly needed stability. David Moyes left to go to Old Trafford and Roberto Martinez did well for a while before he was replaced. It is tough to see Everton reaching the top six this season. This match is a tough one to call because it all depends on whether Liverpool can “park the bus” well enough to prevent defensive mistakes.

This has been their Achilles heel this season. Even their goalkeepers have been causing Jurgen Klopp problems. It is clear that Liverpool needs to strengthen their defence. If they cannot do so in time during the January transfer window then the title is surely out of reach this season. William Hill quotes odds of 19-20 for a Liverpool win. Meanwhile, Everton can be backed at 3-1 with PaddyPower and Stan James with the draw at 11-4 with Bet365.

If you are looking for value in these prices then it doesn’t appear to be with Liverpool. Everton will be up for this game. Their loyal fans will not let them put in anything other than a solid display. Jurgen Klopp will be acutely aware that staying nine points behind Chelsea in the table could prove to be terminal for their title chances. The value does seem to be either in the draw at 11-4 or the 3-1 for a home win.

Manchester City vs. Arsenal: Will We See a Festive Flop?

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When Arsenal travel to Manchester City on December 18, fans of every team in the top five will be waiting with baited breath for the final score to come in.

Whenever two of the Premier League’s top clubs clash it can have a cataclysmic effect one way or another and things will be no different on Sunday. Despite a loss in their last match, Arsenal will start that game with the league advantage over City.

Yes, the difference between Arsenal and City at this point is just a single point, but the more significant stat could be goals. Arsene Wenger’s men are proving superior in front of their own and their opponent’s goals this season.

Goals May Matter in Manchester

With a goal difference of 20 compared to City’s 15, the stats would suggest that Arsenal should get at least one goal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday. Building on that, Arsenal have won four of their last six games while Pep Guardiola’s side have just two wins, two draws and two losses.

For all intents and purposes, Arsenal should be the favourites going into this game, but the bookmakers don’t appear to see it that way. A look through Sun Bets’ latest pre-game betting lines shows City will start the game as 11/10 favourites over Arsenal at 12/5.

It’s a similar story over at Unibet with the home side sitting at 23/20, while Ladbrokes has it at 6/5 for a City win. Could it be the recent results from both sides that are tipping the balance or is it Arsenal’s record against City that’s swaying the odds? Well in answer to the second point, no. Arsenal is unbeaten against City in the last six encounters across all competitions.

If that’s the case, then surely it’s the recent results? Well, City certainly looked more comfortable playing with four at the back against Watford, but they were far from convincing. Moreover, Arsenal’s 2-1 loss to Everton could have gone either way.

Has Arsenal Got the Bottle?

What this game could come down to is resolve. Have Arsenal got enough character to bounce back from a tough defeat or will they crumble? If they can bounce back then we know goals could follow and that may hurt City. Although he’s pulled some wins out of the bag, Guardiola’s tactics are still under review, especially at the back, and a few slips against Arsenal could spell trouble.

In fact, to make matters worse, Fernandinho and Sergio Aguero will miss the game which means the team may struggle to cancel out any defensive mistakes with goals. However, if Arsenal’s young players can’t find it within themselves to rally after a defeat to Everton then City could easily steal a win.

Whichever way the result goes, it’s going to be a close one, which is why a draw may be where you should be laying your money. 5/2 at Sun Bets or 13/5 Unibet are strong prices given the fact both teams have their weaknesses heading into the game. Not only that, but you can’t discount the fact neither side will want to head into Christmas with a loss to their closest rival.

Don’t Discount a Draw

With these factors in play, this match could be a much tighter affair than we’re used to seeing. In their last six Premier League showdowns, Arsenal and City have scored 24 goals, which equates an average of four per game.

If we use that logic, 2-2 could be worth a punt at 10/1 with Ladbrokes. However, if we accept that neither side will want to expose themselves to too much risk, 1-1 or 0-0 at 6/1 and 12/1 respectively could be the better options.

Bore Draw On The South Coast

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TWO Premier League matches on Sunday and we start with a south coast derby between Bournemouth and Southampton at the Goldsands Stadium.

There is just goal difference separating these two arch-rivals in the Premier League table and of all the matches on the weekend coupon this one looks by far the toughest puzzle to solve.

The bookies can hardly split the two teams, and rightly so in my opinion, but those who can have made the visitors marginal favourites at 2.62, which does seem to me a surprise as they are really struggling for goals at the moment.

The Saints’ suffered a huge blow with the loss of top goalscorer Charlie Austin through injury against Hapoel Beer Sheeva, and since the former QPR striker has been injured they’ve only scored just the one goal.

The positives for Claude Puel is his side’s defence, as they are one of the strongest sides in the top flight with clean sheets in their last two matches and five in their last seven.

Bournemouth arrives in their biggest match of the season in a confident mood after a 1-0 home win against champions Leicester and a 4-3 famous win over Liverpool, so I am surprised that they are the outsiders of the two at the general 3.00.

One of my golden rules in football betting is whenever the bookies can’t split two sides and there is just a cigarette paper between these two, then the draw which is the biggest price of all three match outcomes cries out to be backed; and it certainly does on this occasion in what looks a massive 3.40 with Paddy Power.

Will we see goals?

This looks certain to be tight and under 2.5 goals backers have been cleaning up all season in Southampton matches, and in a local derby, this looks likely to be close again. Both under 2.5 goals and both teams to score as a no at 1.66 with BetVictor and both teams to score “no” at the general 1.91 are well worth support.

The two matches last season both ended in 2-0 home wins, which saw both of those markets as winners and if you are a big staking punter they are worth lumping on but for small stakes players, put them in the weekend accumulators.

This is going to be very, very tight and it wouldn’t at all surprise me to see after a fiery 25 minutes this develop into a bit of a damp squib, and at 9.00 no goalscorer in the match has caught my attention with William Hills.

West Brom vs. Man United – Can Pulis frustrate Mourinho?

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Week 17 sees Man United head to the Hawthorns to take on West Brom for Saturday’s 17:30 fixture. United will be looking to build on improving form as they try to salvage something from their worst start to a Premier League campaign since 1989. After putting together a decent run of results they are just about keeping pace with battle for European places in 6th. In contrast, Pulis’ West Brom are having a fantastic start to the season, only 4 points and 1 place behind United in 7th, having scored 1 more goal than Jose’s £718 million squad have managed.

The Devils comes to Albion

December has been good to United so far, they go into this game on the back of two consecutive wins against Tottenham at home and Palace away, and having qualified for the next round of the Europa League. One serious problem they have exhibited in the season so far is an inability to kill games off, leading to throwing away leads in the last 10 minutes. We saw this with Everton, Stoke and, most bitterly, against Arsenal at Old Trafford. The last two results seem to buck this trend and show a United with strength of character and mental resilience more resembling that of years gone past. This was especially clear in the Palace game, where they were able to turn a draw into 3 points in the 88th minute. It seems like United are finally pulling together some good form.

Bailly going off on Wednesday, and almost certainly missing the game on Saturday, contributes to a small injury crisis at United, especially in defence. They will be without him, Smalling and Shaw at the back, and emerging attacking prospect Henrik Mkhitaryan is out until late December.

Bagging a result

West Brom is looking like they could be this season’s surprise package. The steady leadership of Tony Pulis has seen them rise to the dizzying heights of 7th place after a string of solid performances. Last Sunday saw them take Chelsea on in an impressive organised, defensive display; only conceding and losing the match through a superb piece of play by star striker Diego Costa. Wednesday night’s game saw them take apart Swansea in all of 13 minutes, with Salomón Rondon scoring one of the few all-headed hat-tricks in Premier League history. The quality of deliveries leading to the goals is worth noting.

Their form in the last month and a half has been particularly good, with 4 wins in 6 and the only loss to Chelsea. A large part of Albion’s success so far this season has come from beating teams equal or below them in the table; against supposedly higher quality teams they have mostly come up short.
However, playing at the Hawthorns against a United team still taking Bambi-esque steps towards having any kind of form, and buoyed by their positive performance against Chelsea, Pulis may just fancy his chances for a good result. He will have an almost entirely fit squad, missing only Evans and Berahino.

Finding the value in a tight game

Expect another organised performance from West Brom, and a laboured, possession-heavy United performance. Bet 365 have Under 2.5 goals at 3/4, which seems to be good value. Coral have 1:1 at 8/1, also worth a punt. Salomón Rondon anytime goalscorer is at 11/5 on Bet Victor if you think he will be able to carry on with his goal scoring run.