Tag: Chelsea

Premier League 20th & 21st April Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Saturday

Fulham v Arsenal

Arsenal will be expected to come away with three points here after the Cottagers were comprehensively beaten 3-0 at home by Chelsea in midweek. However, their record at Craven Cottage is not that great with only one victory in their last four visits. They were not at their best when held to a goalless draw by Everton but are still enjoying a fine run of form that has seen them suffer only one defeat in eleven matches.

Arsenal to win 4-5 Paddy Power

QPR v Stoke

QPR are on the very brink of relegation and Stoke have slipped into the relegation fight with an appalling run since the New Year. The injury-time equaliser by Wigan last week summed up QPR’s season and left them hopelessly adrift. The players have been on the receiving end of some heavy criticism from their manager in recent weeks and it is surely only a matter of time before they are consigned to the Championship. Stoke, on the other hand, have time to respond to their perilous situation and could take all three points.

Stoke to win 13-5 Bet Victor

Sunderland v Everton

Everton held Arsenal a draw to keep alive their slender Champions League hopes but nothing less than a win will do here. Unfortunately for them, they meet a Sunderland side that produced their best victory of the season at Newcastle last week under new boss Paolo Di Canio. The Stadium of Light will be electric for his first home game in charge and this looks like being a very tight affair. With so much at stake for both sides, the draw looks the safest option.

Draw 12-5 Bet365

West Ham v Wigan

Much has been made of the return to form of Andy Carroll in recent days but he has flattered to deceive before. West Ham will not have things all their own way against a Wigan side buoyed by reaching the FA Cup final for the first time in their history. Coach Roberto Martinez has repeatedly stressed that Premiership survival is their priority and they gave Manchester City plenty to worry about in midweek before losing to a single goal. Wigan are the masters at escaping the drop and I can see them coming away with all three points on Saturday.

Wigan to win 9-4 Paddy Power

Sunday

Tottenham v Manchester City

Tottenham have suffered another late season mini-collapse and they have looked a moderate side without Gareth Bale. Their talisman winger could return on Sunday but he seems to be carrying an awful lot of responsibility and City can move within touching distance of securing second spot if they win this weekend. Spurs desperately need a win to put the pressure on Chelsea and Arsenal in the battle for Champions League places. The last four meetings between the sides have gone City’s way and they could extend that run here.

Manchester City to win 7-5 Bet365

Liverpool v Chelsea

Chelsea look destined to finish the season without a trophy but they still have their eyes firmly on a top four finish and they have every reason to give this game their maximum attention. They were too slow out of the blocks when losing 2-1 to City in the Cup last week but had no problem in seeing off Fulham on Wednesday. Liverpool rely heavily on Suarez but remain frustrating and the Blues could take a giant step towards a return to Champions League football with a win on Sunday.

Chelsea to win 13-5 William Hill

FA Cup Semi-Finals Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Wigan v Millwall

Saturday 13th April, 5.15pm kick-off

Wigan started out in the competition determined to blood some of their younger players but have made steady progress through to the semi-finals for the first time in the club’s history. A comprehensive 3-0 win over Everton ignited the belief that they can go all the way to the final this year and only Championship side Millwall now stand in their way.

Wigan’s annual struggle with relegation is the stuff of legend and they appear to have turned the corner on another dismal season with some improved performances. Millwall have also left behind some moderate league form to book their place in the last four with Aston Villa among their victims. A home defeat by Sheffield Wednesday in midweek has left them with a little work to do in order to cement their place in the Championship for next season.

The two sides have met once before at Wembley in the 1999 Football League Trophy with Wigan securing a 1-0 victory and a similar result on Saturday would do nicely for Roberto Martinez’s side. They were not at their best when scrambling a draw at 10-man QPR last weekend but they are unbeaten in their last four matches. I think they are a good bet to win in ninety minutes at 20-23 with BetVictor and the same firm offers 7-1 about a 1-0 Wigan victory.

Wigan to win 20-23 BetVictor
Wigan to win 1-0 7-1 BetVictor

Chelsea v Manchester City

Sunday 14th April 4.00pm kick-off

Chelsea have virtually made this competition their own in recent seasons and came back bravely from 2-0 down to eventually overcome Manchester United in the quarter-finals. A superb goal by Demba Ba proved decisive in the replay and he is likely to lead the attack again here. Fernando Torres scored in the away defeat in Moscow on Thursday but will almost certainly have to be content with starting on the bench.

Chelsea fans have endured a roller-coaster ride with the Blues this season so will not have been surprised to see them lose 3-2 to Rubin Kazan. They started the game without the star trio of Oscar, Mata and Hazard and all three will probably be in action on Sunday. City will go into the game in good spirits after toppling Champions-elect Manchester United on Monday. With the title race long since given up by Mancini, there will be no shortage of motivation as they go in search of a piece of silverware this season.

Previous encounters between these two sides have been closely fought with City just having the edge in recent times. Chelsea won’t want to give up their trophy without a fight and this could develop into a very cagey affair. This looks a particularly tough one to call and the 9-4 about a draw might be the safest option. BetVictor offer a top price of 13-2 about a 1-1 outcome to this one. Juan Mata has been easily Chelsea’s best player this season and he looks overpriced at 9-1 with William Hill to open the scoring.

Draw 9-4 BetVictor
1-1 scoreline 13-2 BetVictor
Juan Mata to open the scoring 9-1 William Hill

Europa League Quarter-Final Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Europa League may not sit very highly in the order of priorities for the top sides but there are plenty of reasons for the three remaining English sides to give it a real go tonight. Chelsea have blundered away numerous pieces of silverware this season and are in poll position to gain some sort of compensation after a comfortable 3-1 home leg victory against Rubin Kazan.

There have already been mumblings of discontent from the squad this week about being able to motivate themselves for the trip to Moscow but they have to be taken with a pinch of salt. The excuses of an artificial pitch, freezing cold conditions and their hectic fixture list have also been put up but they looked in a different class to the Russians in the first leg and must surely progress. Rubin believe that the away goal could prove vital and will be hoping to rattle Chelsea’s cage with an early goal. The loss of Ryan Bertrand has left a bit of a weakness at left-back for the Blues but they have enough quality to cope. The bookmakers have put up odds as high as 7-4 about Chelsea winning tonight and I think that is decent value.

Tottenham undoubtedly face a more difficult task in Basle after being held to a 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane last week. The injury to Gareth Bale along with the absence of Lennon and Defoe certainly takes a lot of the creativity away from the Londoners as they go in search of a win. The first leg was a strange affair, with Spurs all at sea in defence as Basle strolled into a 2-0 lead. How the game finished at 2-2 is something of a mystery given the opportunities squandered by both sides in the second period. Spurs are priced at 9-4 to come away with the victory tonight with some suspecting that this competition may have to be sacrificed in order to keep their hopes of securing a Champions League spot alive. I don’t believe that for a moment and think that Andre Villas-Boas is desperate to claim a trophy this season.

Newcastle have crept quietly through the competition and are unlucky not to be in a better position going into tonight’s second leg against Benfica. They were unlucky not to gain at least a draw from the opening fixture. A 3-1 defeat was incredibly harsh on the Magpies who look tempting at 9-4 to win tonight. It may be asking too much for them to overturn a two-goal deficit but they will certainly give it a go. With the Premiership not represented in the quarter-finals of the Champions League this year, it may seem an odd time to be backing British. However, I think all three Premiership sides have a chance of victory this evening.

Chelsea to beat Rubin Kazan 7-4 Coral
Tottenham to beat Basle 9-4 BetVictor
Newcastle to beat Benfica 9-4 BetVictor