Tag: Aston Villa

Arsenal to pile the pressure on Pearson

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Premiership title race took a big swing in Chelsea’s direction at the weekend with Man City stumbling to a draw at home to Hull City. There is still plenty of time for further twists and turns with the top two in action again on Wednesday night.

Tuesday night sees five of the bottom six teams in action with two relegation battles and Leicester visiting Arsenal. The Foxes have been in the news in recent days for media speculation surrounding the future of coach Nigel Pearson.

Pearson was involved in an undignified scuffle with Crystal Palace midfield James McArthur in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat. Rumours circulated that he had been sacked and four hours passed before the club issued a denial. The bookmakers see it as no more than delaying the inevitable and are already betting on Pearson’s successor.

A trip to the Emirates is not ideal for a manager under fire, particularly with the Gunners keen to erase memories of their weekend defeat in the North London derby. Arsenal led in that match through Mesut Ozil but two goals from Harry Kane allowed Spurs to leapfrog their rivals in the chase for a Champions League spot. With Tottenham facing a tricky visit to Anfield on Tuesday, Arsenal could easily repair the damage with a comfortable home win.

Arsene Wenger felt that the loss of Alexis Sanchez to a hamstring injury prior to Saturday’s game was a big blow. His leading scorer is fit to return to action and it will be very surprising if he is not in the starting line-up. With the likes of Ozil and Walcott approaching peak form, Arsenal can win this to pile further pressure on Pearson.

Tottenham have performed better in the big games than they have done in previous seasons but are still prone to the odd slip-up. Their recent record against Liverpool is abysmal but they managed to stop Chelsea and Arsenal in their tracks. The match is being billed as the clash between Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane but it is more likely to be contested in midfield. Liverpool lacked creativity against Everton in the bore draw at Goodison Park and could face another stalemate here.

The two relegation battles are difficult to call, particularly in the light of fine performances from Aston Villa and Hull at the weekend. Villa emerged with credit despite losing at home to Chelsea and ended their long wait for a goal just minutes short of eleven hours. Hull were desperately unlucky not to win at the Etihad and they will also be encouraged. A draw looks the most likely outcome.

QPR’s away form is the stuff of legends with no points in twelve matches. Sunderland are the hosts this time and Gus Poyet’s team could take a giant step towards safety with three points here. The signing of Jermain Defoe is looking like a good piece of business and the Black Cats are taken to edge it by a single goal.

Sunderland to win by a single goal @13-5 BetVictor

Jermain Defoe to score at any time @7-5 Paddy Power

Alexis Sanchez to score and Arsenal win @5-4 Ladbrokes

Arsenal 3 Leicester 0 @8-1 Bet365

Hull v Aston Villa DRAW @9-4 Bet365

Liverpool v Tottenham DRAW @29-10 Bet365

Premiership Preview February 7th

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Last weekend’s top of the table Premiership clash between Chelsea and Man City proved something of a damp squib. The absence of Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa sowed the seeds of doubt in the mind of Jose Mourinho and he elected to play for a draw. The Blues went ahead through Loic Remy but never threatened once City had drawn level, seemingly content to protect their five-point lead at the top.

Costa is serving the second of his three-match ban at Villa Park tomorrow when the Blues face Aston Villa. The home side were put to the sword by Arsenal last week and will need to pick themselves up quickly if they are to avoid further embarrassment. The good news for Chelsea fans is that Fabregas returns and Chelsea should win relatively comfortably.

Rivals Man City are at home to another struggling side in Hull City. The visitors have never won at the Etihad and have not scored in 400 minutes of football. City were poor against Arsenal recently but will take heart from their draw at Stamford Bridge and have a fully fit squad. It would be no surprise to seem them resume normal service with Aguero and Dzeko back on the scoresheet.

Assuming there are no dramas at the Chelsea and City games, it is the two big derby games that will get most of the media attention. Steven Gerrard plays his final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park against an Everton side that tasted victory for the first time this year on Saturday. An early goal from Romelu Lukaku was enough to beat Crystal Palace and the Toffees will be looking to build on that against their old rivals.

Despite a good run, Liverpool are still not entirely convincing and came perilously close to being knocked out of the FA Cup by an injury-hit Bolton in midweek. Everton will be up for this one and a draw could be the value bet.

The early kick-off is the North London derby between Spurs and Arsenal. The Gunners have a much stronger squad than they did at the season with several long-term injuries having returned to action. Arsene Wenger’s biggest problem will be team selection and he could probably afford to leave out Sanchez even if he passes a late test. This game finished 3-3 last year and it would be no surprise to see another goal feast here. Arsenal just look the stronger side and can grab three vital points in the battle for a Champions League place.

Arsenal to beat Tottenham @13-10 Bet365

Chelsea (-1.0 handicap) to beat Aston Villa @11-10 William Hill

Man City (-2.0 handicap) to beat Hull City @6-4 Paddy Power

Everton v Liverpool DRAW @5-2 Stan James

Saints to march on at Villa Park

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High-flying Southampton visit Aston Villa on Monday night aiming to close to within four points of Premiership leaders Chelsea.

Many had forecast a difficult season for Saints after the loss of their coach and several key first-team players but such predictions have proved hopelessly wide of the mark. They surprised many on the opening day of the season at Anfield when only the woodwork prevented them from taking at least a point. Only Tottenham have managed to beat them since and they arrive at Villa Park on the back of five straight wins and eleven in their last twelve competitive fixtures.

It looks as though Dusan Tadic and Morgan Schneiderlin should be fit enough to take part but injuries are undoubtedly the biggest threat to Southampton’s impressive run of form. They have started only fifteen players so far this season while Liverpool and Manchester United have used 21 and 22 respectively. There is already talk of Koeman strengthening his squad in the January transfer window but there is a difficult run of fixtures before then.

In the course of the next month, Southampton’s mettle will be tested by both Manchester clubs, Arsenal, Everton and leaders Chelsea. Most pundits will be expecting the Saints to struggle but Koeman is taking one match at a time. He is not pleased about the fixture congestion over Christmas but a victory on Monday night will further underline their claims for a top four spot.

Aston Villa started the season brightly but Paul Lambert’s side have fallen away badly in recent weeks. They have only taken a point from their last five matches and it is hardly the run of form that Lambert would have wanted to bring into his 100th game at the helm. That goalless draw at Upton Park at least showed that his players are battling to stop the rot, although the injuries to Fabian Delph and Philippe Senderos and the suspension of Christian Benteke are severe blows.

Graziano Pelle has already scored 10 times this season for Saints and he could be the difference between the sides. Villa keeper Brad Guzan had to work overtime to keep West Ham at bay and can be expected to be busy again this evening. Southampton have knuckled down when they have needed to in recent weeks and I can see them poaching another win here.

Tips

Pelle to score and Southampton to win @9-4 Betfred

Southampton to win by one goal @5-2 Bet365

Premier League Preview Sep 20th – 21st

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After a busy week in Europe, it will be interesting to see how the top teams cope with a return to PremierLeague action.

Probably the poorest showing by a Premiership side was Arsenal’s disappointing 2-0 defeat against Borussia Dortmund. They are really struggling to live up to the pre-season hype and face a very tricky game at a revitalised Aston Villa.

Paul Lambert managed to engineer a victory at Anfield last weekend and Villa fans must be getting dizzy after three victories that have left them in second place in the table. They are only two points behind leaders Chelsea who travel to Man City on Sunday so Villa could top the league on Saturday night!

Arsenal fans will point to their incredible record at Villa Park where they have not list in their last fifteen league visits. They ought to have beaten Man City last week but had to settle for a draw and they will be looking to Danny Welbeck to provide the goals. Arsene Wenger’s team are difficult to predict at the moment but I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see them come away with a draw at least.

The early kick-off sees QPR welcome Stoke after Harry Redknapp’s team were totally outclassed by Man United’s new-look side. Rangers did manage to beat Sunderland in their previous game but they have generally looked like a side we can expect to see in the thick of the relegation battle this season. Stoke beat Man City and then lost at home to Leicester and I am expecting Mark Hughes to galvanise them for a victory here.

Alan Pardew is surely on borrowed time at Newcastle. He has even had the dreaded vote of confidence from his employers, usually the kiss of death. The Magpies are bottom of the league and were slaughtered by Southampton last week. Hull are in buoyant mood after a successful venture into the transfer market and played well in a 2-2 draw with West Ham on Monday night. It may be worth supporting The Tigers to deal the hammer blow to Pardew, ironically the same clash that saw the infamous head-butting incident last season.

Swansea versus Southampton is an intriguing contest with the home side dropping their first points at Stamford Bridge and the Saints flying after thumping Newcastle. Ronald Koeman seems to be working a kind of mini-miracle at St Mary’s and Southampton beat Swansea twice last season. I thought that Swansea played well against Chelsea and a draw could be on the agenda here.

West Ham play Liverpool in the late kick-off and must fancy their chances of getting a result. The Reds were very poor in their return to the Champions League against a well-organised but moderate side. They needed an injury-time penalty to scrape a win and were beaten by Villa last week. Liverpool have won seven of the last meetings here but the Hammers showed plenty of resolve against Hull on Monday. I think it might be a struggle but Liverpool can take the points.

The big match on Sunday is the clash between champions Man City and high-flying Chelsea. The Blues had the wind taken out of their sails a bit in midweek when only managing a draw against Schalke 04. If nothing else, that game underlined just how important Diego Costa is to the team.  He will doubtless prove a handful for City and can get on the scoresheet.

City were unlucky to concede a late goal against Bayern Munich although they had been hanging on in that game. A draw would end Chelsea’s 100% record but would have to be seen as a decent result.

Man United’s huge investment finally brought a dividend last week against QPR and Leicester should go the same way while Everton brushed aside Wolfsburg in the Europa League and can see off Crystal Palace.

Stoke to beat QPR @9-5 Bet365

Aston Villa v Arsenal DRAW @14-5 Boyle Sports

Aston Villa 1 Arsenal 1 @7-1 BetVictor

Hull to beat Newcastle @11-4 Coral

Swansea v Southampton DRAW @12-5 Bet365

Swansea 2 Southampton 2 @16-1 BetVictor

West Ham 1 Liverpool 3 @14-1 Bet365

Man United to beat Leicester by 2 or more goals @7-2 Stan James

Everton to beat Crystal Palace by 2 or more goals @12-5 Stan James

Man City v Chelsea DRAW @12-5 William Hill

Diego Costa to score at any time @13-8 Ladbrokes

Premiership 2013/14 Value Bets

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Here at Betcirca, we’re always on the look out for potential value bets, and with the new premiership season just over a month away, we’ve trawled all the bookmakers in order to find ourselves some season long bets that will keep us on the edge of our seats for the next 10 months.

Manchester United to win the Premiership & League Cup 20-1 Boylesports

Moyes appointment as Manchester United manager had a little bit of an underwhelming feel to it, i mean, who can top Sir Alex? That said, Moyes has done a fantastic job at Everton, and will have a real good stab at the Manchester United job. To me, the Premiership is a two horse race between the two Manchester clubs. If Moyes can keep Rooney, and bring in several top quality players to boost the lineup, they’ve got a great chance of retaining the Premiership title. Now, the league cup, Sir Alex always put out reserves for the League Cup, and it’s possible Moyes might do the same, but the logic behind this bet is hoping he doesn’t play reserves. Moyes is finally at a club that can win things, and he’s going to want to win as much as possible. It’s entirely possible we’ll see more first teamer’s play in the League Cup, and if they do, you’d have to imagine they’ll go close. At 20-1 this’ll give you season long fun (hopefully).

Benteke next club – Aston Villa 4-1 William Hill

As a die hard Aston Villa fan, i hope this bet comes off. And i think it just might, the signs are Tottenham want Benteke, but Villa want £25-30m for Benteke, which is putting Spurs off. Villa have made it clear a money + player deal is out of the question (no, us villans DONT want Edebayor). Aston Villa will not let this player go lightly, and i can see Benteke being told to get his head down and stay at the Villa, at least for another year. Will Chelsea or Manchester City purchase Benteke? I don’t think they need to, especially not Manchester City. Lambert is building a new team and has already bought in some exciting young potential from Denmark this transfer window who, if they fit in, should assure the team isn’t battling relegation again this year.

Football Preview May 11th and 12th

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FA Cup Final – Manchester City v Wigan

It is a sign of the times that the FA Cup final is almost a sideshow to the Premier League action this weekend. Gone are the days when the Cup final was the grand finale to the season and dominated the sports pages. This year’s final also has a one-sided look to it as Manchester City seek some consolation for losing their Premiership title to archrivals United against a Wigan side staring down the barrel of relegation.

City look assured of second place but grateful for the opportunity of pocketing a bit of silverware at the end of a slightly disappointing season. There is no doubt that they have the firepower to beat Wigan, although they only scrambled past them by a single goal in their recent league clash. Roberto Martinez approached the FA Cup in the same manor as most Premiership managers these days, using it as a platform for his youngsters to gain valuable experience. By virtue of a favourable draw and an impressive 3-0 victory at Goodison, the Latics have found themselves in the final for the first time in their history. Had they managed to perform their usual Houdini act and escaped the drop, this would be a momentous occasion. Unfortunately, a 3-2 defeat at home to Swansea in midweek has left them in deep trouble.

I would love to be able to tip Wigan here but it is looking increasingly bleak for them. The most likely scenario is defeat on Saturday, relegation and even the loss of their manager in the summer. They have simply failed to find the consistency needed this season and I don’t think City will pass up this golden opportunity for a trophy. I take City to win by 2 goals at odds of 3-1 and City to be winning at half-time and full-time at 10-11 with Skybet.

Manchester City to win by 2 goals 3-1 Paddy Power
Manchester City to be winning at half-time and full-time 10-11 Skybet

Aston Villa v Chelsea

Saturday’s lunch-time kick-off sees Chelsea going in search of the win they require to secure a top four finish and a Champions League spot. That looked to be within their grasp on Wednesday night before a late Tottenham goal forced them to settle for a 2-2 draw. Chelsea supporters will not have been at all surprised to see the agony prolonged after a hectic but, as yet, unproductive season at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea may have thumped Villa 8-0 earlier in the season but it is a very different side they are facing on Saturday. Villa dished out a 6-1 thrashing to Sunderland to put themselves within reach of Premiership survival and received a further boost when Wigan were defeated in midweek. Another complication for the Blues is the prospect of the Europa League final next Wednesday. They do not have the strength in depth of previous seasons and have suffered when fielding a weakened side. They rely heavily on Juan Mata and Eden Hazard to provide the spark in their attacking play and both have been showing signs of a long season recently. Chelsea may again be frustrated and have to settle for a draw, putting their supporters through the agony of going to the last match against Everton in the process.

Draw 14-5 Bet Victor

Stoke v Tottenham

Spurs managed to hold Chelsea to a draw on Wednesday and will be hoping that Aston Villa can do them a huge favour on Saturday. They were not at their best at Stamford Bridge but it is to their credit that they managed to get a result and they will need the same sort of determination to get all three points at Stoke on Sunday. Gareth Bale has been largely responsible for keeping them in the hunt for a Champions League spot and they will look to him again this weekend. I think they can grab a vital win and Bale to score at any time looks a fair bet at 6-5.

Tottenham to win 10-11 William Hill
Gareth Bale to score 6-5 Bet Victor