Category: Football

Man United vs. Watford – Return of the Giant Slayers

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

This Saturday sees Manchester United entertaining a resurgent Watford, and Walter Mazzari will be eager for a repeat of last week’s shock win against Arsenal at the Emirates. United are unbeaten in the league since October and are looking to preserve that run.

Man United

Coming off the back of 3 consecutive league draws, Sunday’s win away against Champions Leicester came as welcome relief for the United faithful. An impressive display from Mourinho’s men, if somewhat emphasised by Leicester’s complete lack of quality, sees them keep pace with the pack chasing 4th place. Currently sitting in 6th with 45 points, they are only 5 points behind Tottenham in second place; both Liverpool and Arsenal’s campaigns have fallen into disarray, and United now have a solid chance of claiming a Champions League spot next year. Their last Premier League loss was 4:0 against Chelsea in October, at a time when many were writing them off and declaring Mourinho to be past it. Since then, United have rallied under the Portuguese, quietly consolidating themselves into a position where they can mount a challenge on 4th place.

Watford

Watford had gone 7 league games without a win when they were dumped out of the FA Cup by League 1 Millwall. After that particularly poor performance, many were asking whether Watford would backslide into the expanding relegation fight. Their quality shone through against Arsenal, however, and they followed it up with a home win against Burnley. With 8 points in 4 games pushing them up to 10th, Watford is looking to be pretty much safe from the drop, bar a really shocking decline of form.

Head to Head

These two teams have played each other 3 times in recent years, United winning both games last season. This season, Watford have the opportunity to do the double against the Manchester giants, as the corresponding fixture at Vicarage Road in September saw Watford win 3:1, a game that brought as many plaudits down on Watford as harsh criticisms of United. Mourinho will be keen to avenge that result and score a victory against Mazzari, a man he once called “a hard working donkey” who would “never become a thoroughbred”. Mazzari will be eager to slay two giants in two weeks and get another one up on an old rival from Serie A.

Injuries

Marcos Rojo, Phill Jones and Timothy Fosu-Mensah are all in doubt for Saturday, and Wayne Rooney is currently suffering from an illness. For Watford, Costel Pantilimon, Christian Kabesele, Robert Pereya and Nordin Amrabat will all likely miss the game.

The Value

Despite Watford’s improving form and capacity for beating the top teams, I expect United to wear them down over 90 minutes. Dropping home points against Hull will be fresh in Mourinho’s mind and he won’t want to let it happen again here, and they will be all the warier after that defeat all those months ago. At 2/9 on Bet365, there is really very little value in backing a straight home win, but United to Win and BTTS/No at 2/1 might be worth a go.

Watford does have the potential to cause an upset, however, and backing them on a Double Chance at 5/2 with William Hill could be worth a pop.

The Pressure is on Arsene Wenger

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Being out of the Premier League title race by the beginning of February wasn’t something that the Arsenal fans expected or hoped for. The harsh reality is that it has happened. Whatever pressure there was on Arsene Wenger has now been heaped back onto his shoulders. Arsenal winning back to back FA Cups in 2014 and 2015 relieved some of that pressure. Last season was Arsenals big chance in the league. They blew it in spectacular fashion.

The 3-1 defeat to neighbours and title rivals Chelsea last weekend was the final nail in the coffin for Arsene Wenger. Once again they look too weak for the Champions League latter stages. This leaves the FA Cup as their only realistic target. There is an even bigger problem on the horizon. If Arsenal fails to qualify for the Champions League next season then the pressure will be intense on Arsene Wenger.

The Manchester are Teams Coming Good

With just fourteen games to go in the league, Arsenal is now a mere one point in front of Manchester City and only two in front of United. The current form tables suggest that Arsenal and Liverpool are in serious danger of missing out on the Champions League places. Both City and United are improving while Arsenal seems to be misfiring. They only just scraped past Burnley recently with a late stoppage time penalty.

The home loss against Watford last week was hardly a big shock. Arsenal faces Hull City this weekend in what is a must-win game for the Gunners. The title may have gone after their loss to Chelsea, but they are now in a serious dogfight for the top four places. The problem for Arsenal is that Hull now has a new manager and have been impressive in recent weeks.

A Much Tougher Fixture

Hull have taken four points from Manchester United and Liverpool in their previous two matches and have clearly turned a corner with regards to their form. The new Hull City manager Marco Silva has got the team performing again. They need to because their league position is perilous. The betting firms see Arsenal as firm favourites and rightly so. Bet365 have Arsenal at 1-4 and it’s difficult to see value in that price.

Arsenal is likely to win this game but that doesn’t mean that we can back them at any price. The odds of 19-4 on the draw also by Bet365 may appeal better. The superior bet may be the even money odds offered by PaddyPower on both teams to score.

The fact of the matter is that Hull City are not too far behind teams like Burnley and Watford in terms of consistency. Burnley came within seconds of getting a point at Arsenal while Watford beat them. Arsenal is a fragile team given the strength of their squad and that will remain the case until the end of this season.

Man City to get Their Title Campaign Back on Track

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THERE is a whole host of “must win” games in the Premier League this weekend and that is certainly the case when Manchester City host strugglers Swansea at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon.

After a mid-season blip, City finally looks to be getting back to their early season best form and are a very warm 1.20 favourite win and put the pressure on Chelsea at the top of the table with another three points against the Swans.

City arrives in confident mood after back-to-back wins scoring seven goals in the process and not conceding, and another easy win looks on the cards, despite Swansea arriving in Manchester in decent form themselves.

The visitors have won their last two matches as well including a famous 3-2 success at Anfield on their last road trip, but with City expected to let loose from the shackles in this one, this is going to be a long, tough afternoon for new Swansea boss Paul Clement.

I can see Pep Guardiola going for it for the remainder of the Premier League campaign which means that City matches are going to be very entertaining to watch and the one thing that looks certain in this one is goals and a lot of them.

Goals are the Way to go in Man City Matches for Remainder of Season

Nine of the last ten City games have seen over 2.5 goals and that has also been a winning bet in 12 of the last 14 in Swansea matches; the over 2.5 goals line at 1.40 is a very short price in that market, but it does look the banker in the match, and also at 2.05 with BetVictor over 3.5 goals looks worthy of support as well.

Whilst we are on the goals theme both teams have scored in the last seven matches between these two sides and a “yes” in this one is certainly a bet in the BTTS coupon this weekend at 1.95 with Betfair Sportsbook and at the 11.00 I will be taking City to keep their title challenge right on track with a 3-1 win with Bet365.

Sergio Aguero looks a shadow of the player he was at the start of the season. He’s clearly unhappy at the moment and is a false favourite at 3/1 to open the goal scoring.

The Argentinian striker’s days at the Etihad look clearly limited, his body language doesn’t look great and he’s far from a certain starter at the weekend.

New signing Gabriel Jesus looks the real deal and the long term replacement for Aguero and he can answer punters prayers with the opening goal at 4.50 with Paddy Power.

Leicester v Man Utd: Foxes embroiled in relegation dog fight

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Leicester City welcome Manchester United to the King Power Stadium live on television on Sunday afternoon, desperate to get back to winning ways as they face up to the very real prospect of relegation.

Less than a year after their miraculous title win and despite taking the Champions League by storm and qualifying for the last 16, the Foxes’ defence of their Premier League crown has been nothing short of woeful. The club now sits just two points above the relegation zone and are currently as short as 7/2 with Bet365 to be relegated with 15 matches left to play.

Must win game for Foxes

On Tuesday evening, Leicester travelled to fellow relegation candidates Burnley and with a valuable point just moments away, Sam Vokes’ last minute strike, aided by his hand, snatched it away to suck the Foxes further into the mire.

Claudio Ranieri’s men have picked up just 21 points from 23 games this season with their away form a huge cause for concern to their manager and fans, with no wins on the road to date. Their home form has been nothing to write home about either with just five wins from 11 games. Sunday afternoon offers them another opportunity to improve that ratio whilst also improving their prospects of retaining their Premier League status.

United toiling in pursuit of top four finish

While Leicester battle the drop, United haven’t lost a single Premier League match since Chelsea thrashed them 4-0 at Stamford Bridge back in late October. Such a record usually indicates a club challenging for the title. But for Jose Mourinho and his players, the undefeated run has consisted of far too many draws, seven to be exact.

Now a daunting 14 points behind champions-elect Chelsea and four points outside of the Champions League places, United drew another blank on Wednesday evening when they failed to break down a stubborn Hull outfit with an inspired goalkeeper the difference between the two teams. United are now a massive 50/1 with Sky Bet to defy the odds and claim an unexpected 21st league title.

Failure to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition would represent a huge failure for Mourinho given the vast sums of money spent in the summer. Ladbrokes are more confident of United’s chances of a top four finish than their title hopes, though, quoting them as low as 11/8.

United favourites to extend Foxes’ woes

United go into this clash rightly proclaimed as favourites for victory, 8/11 with Paddy Power while Leicester, desperate for a reversal in fortunes are a somewhat tempting 9/2 with Bet365 to overcome the newly-announced wealthiest club in the world, according to Forbes magazine.

Not feeling a win on either side? You can get a decent 14/5 with BetVictor for United to once again draw a blank and Leicester to gain another point in their fight to avoid being only the second English club after Manchester City in the thirties to be relegated just a year after reaching their highest peak.

Fancy a flutter on first goalscorer? Jamie Vardy has failed to hit the heights of last season but is a cracking 17/2 with Paddy Power to strike first on Sunday, while United’s man of the season to date, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, is deemed more likely at 17/5 to notch that all-important first goal.

Tottenham vs Middlesbrough – Spurs looking to bounce back

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High flying Spurs have taken 2 points from the last two games, including a disappointing 0-0 draw away against lowly Sunderland last Tuesday. They are looking to bounce back at home against a Boro side hovering above the relegation zone.

Playing catch up

Spurs’ form over the Christmas period was truly breathtaking, winning 7/8, including against bitter rivals Chelsea, a game that gave oxygen to the title race. But recent draws against Man City and Sunderland in the league, and their chaotic last minute win against Wycombe in the FA cup, have left the Tottenham faithful slightly on edge. Pochettino will be eager to prove that his squad isn’t stalling in its attempt to bring home their first top flight trophy since 1961, even as Chelsea edge even further in front. The slip up against Sunderland was a missed opportunity to capitalise on Chelsea dropping points against Liverpool and Arsenal’s utterly woeful home defeat against a Watford team who had lost to League 1 Millwall only 3 days before.

A classic Moyes rearguard action left Pochettino deeply frustrated on Tuesday, claiming that “We should have won. It was a massive opportunity to close the gap on Chelsea.” He wouldn’t be wrong to expect a similar approach from Aitor Karanka, whose Boro team’s only saving grace seems to be their ability to shut opponents out. Spurs will have to rekindle some of their flair of recent performances. But all things considered, they should expect to take 3 points at home.

Pochettino could well be without goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, and Kieran Trippier is in doubt as well. Danny Rose, Jan Vertonghen and Erik Lamela are all out with more long term injuries.

Treading water

Karanka’s perennial concern has been his team’s lack of goals; they have managed only 2 in the league in 2017, and 19 for the season overall. At first, it seemed their lack of goals might not be so compounding as to see them threatened by relegation, they were grinding out results at home and even picking up some away points at the beginning of the season. But in the cold, hard light of 2017, Boro are looking very capable of backsliding into a relegation dog fight. Sitting in 15th, with 21 points, a defeat to Spurs could potentially see them slip into the relegation zone for the first time this season, although there is only a slim chance of that happening.

Despite Spurs’ missing goalkeeper, it seems doubtful they will free scoring this Saturday. More likely, they will try and replicate their low scoring away draws with Man City and Arsenal earlier in the season. Head to head, there isn’t much to go on: Spurs won 2:1 in the corresponding fixture at the Riverside in September, but they haven’t otherwise played since 2009 when Boro was last in the Prem.

Boro have George Friend, Calum Chambers and Gaston Ramirez all unavailable.

The value

There is no value betting on a straight win for Spurs at 1/4 on Bet365, but Spurs to Win & BTTS No at 5/6 is tastier, considering Boro’s impotence up front, and could be worth including in an accumulator.

Bet Victor has Delle Alli to score anytime at 19/20 and Son Heung-Min at 5/4, which seems good value considering their form.

Chelsea vs. Arsenal: Can Chelsea Keep Another Clean Sheet?

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Some believe it’s already too late for Arsenal to mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title, but if the Gunners are going to do it then February 4th’s clash with Chelsea is a good place to start. Heading into the game, Chelsea appears to have an unbreakable hold over the league.

With 23 games played, 18 wins and 56 points on the board, it looks as though the title is Antonio Conte’s to lose. However, Arsenal and Tottenham haven’t exactly been slouches this season. Although the London clubs are nine points behind Chelsea, a win for the former on February 4 could put the pressure on. Of course, there’s a huge difference between thinking and doing and Arsenal will have to be on top form if they want to get a result at Stamford Bridge.

Experts Don’t Have Confidence in Arsenal

Now, if you listen to Jamie Carragher, Arsenal will be lucky to get a draw on Saturday. With Chelsea drawing at Liverpool and Arsenal ending a disappointing performance against Watford as 2-1 losers, Carragher believes Arsene Wenger’s men will struggle.

“You always feel with Arsenal in the big games they’ll be found out or just come up a little bit short. I don’t see it being any different at Stamford Bridge,” the former Liverpool player told Sky Sports.

Whether or not Carragher is right, the bookmakers seem to agree. The current outright betting line at Sun Bets has the home side as the even-money favourites with the visitors out at 11/4. Things don’t get much better for the Gunners over at Paddy Power with the odds showing 13/5 for the win and 9/4 on the draw.

Arsenal Can Score, but Will They?

For Arsenal fans, it’s not all doom and gloom in the stats department. When it comes to goals scored, Arsenal is leading Chelsea at a difference of 51 to 48. Unfortunately, it’s goals against that seems to be letting Arsenal down. As they showed in the Watford game, they’re more than capable of scoring. However, they’re also prone to letting goals slip. With 25 conceded (Chelsea 16 against), it’s hard to see how Chelsea won’t score at least one on February 4.

If Chelsea does score, recent results suggest that Arsenal probably won’t. Even though a strike rate of 51 goals in 23 games shows they’re more than capable of finding the net, Arsenal’s last nine matches against Chelsea have seen only one team score.

History Suggests a Shutout is Likely

Going all the way back to December 2013, Chelsea has won five games without conceding, while Arsenal has done the same on two occasions. Even the two draws were goalless affairs, which suggests that once one of these teams starts to dominate, they tend to completely shut out the other.

Looking back at the odds, 0-0 is currently 9:1 at 888sport, while 1-0 in favour of the home side is 7:1. For the adventurous, 11:1 is the price for the classic 1 nil to Arsenal but for our money 2-0 Chelsea at 9:1 looks to be the bet of the day. With Arsenal coming into the game on a downer and Chelsea looking strong against Liverpool, it looks as though all three points will stay at Stamford Bridge this time around. If that does prove to be the case, look for Chelsea to come away with a clean sheet and at least a goal or two.