Tag: Chelsea

Premiership Preview April 11th – 13th

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

It’s a fantastic weekend of sport with The Grand National at Aintree, The US Masters at Augusta and the Manchester derby.

The Premiership action gets under way at 12.45 with Swansea against Everton but the action hots up during the afternoon. Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood will have mixed feelings as he takes his relegation-threatened side to White Hart Lane. The former Spurs boss looked as if he had just had six rounds with Mike Tyson by the end of Villa’s 3-3 draw against QPR on Monday night and he can expect another roller-coaster ride at his old club.

Tottenham remain a bit of an enigma, capable of producing great football but just as likely to disappoint. They were pretty poor at Burnley last weekend and their motivation must be in doubt with their season effectively petering out. I cannot see Villa going down and 5-1 looks quite tempting, especially with Christian Benteke back to his best.

Burnley had chances to take all three points last week and now face a resurgent Arsenal who are now Chelsea’s closest pursuers. Having produced a great run to move into second, I don’t see Arsene Wenger’s side slipping up here.

Other relegation-threatened sides in action are Hull at Southampton, Sunderland at home to Crystal Palace and Leicester at West Brom. All three are capable of picking up points but Hull look particularly wobbly at present. They are meeting the Saints at a good time as they have also seen their season dribble away in recent weeks. I just don’t know if Hull are good enough to take advantage.

The match of the weekend is undoubtedly the Manchester derby on Sunday with City in the unusual position of trailing their rivals by a point. City did not play badly at Crystal Palace but the Eagles rode their luck for a famous victory. Manuel Pellegrini is not exactly flavour of the month but he will surely be able to motivate his players for this one. A draw may be the outcome which will suit Chelsea and Arsenal above them.

The Blues have been flirting with disaster in recent matches but have managed to creep ever closer to the title. They travel to QPR who have found a new lease of life in recent weeks and this should be a very feisty encounter. A win here would be a fantastic result for Jose Mourinho’s side and what about John Terry scoring the winner? That would not go down well with Rangers fans!

The final game is on Monday night when Liverpool play Newcastle. The Reds stopped the rot with a hard fought win over Blackburn in the Cup in midweek. Fortunately for them, Newcastle have been playing poorly and are unlikely to cause them too many problems.

Southampton (-1.0) to beat Hull @13-8 Skybet

Aston Villa to beat Spurs @5-1 Bet365

Arsenal (-1.0) to beat Burnley @6-4 Paddy Power

John Terry to score first @20-1 Coral

John Terry scores and Chelsea win @7-1 Paddy Power

Man Utd v Man City DRAW @5-2 Boylesports

Liverpool (-1.0) to beat Newcastle @6-5 Skybet

Premiership Preview April 4th – 6th

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Premier League returns after the International break and kicks off with the lunchtime clash between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates.

Arsenal have the incentive of moving above Man City into second place with the champions not due to play until Monday. Their recent form has been impressive, including their brave attempt to overturn a 3-1 deficit in the Champions League against Monaco. They could not quite manage the 3-0 win that they needed but I was impressed with their all-out attack that night.

Olivier Giroud is the man in form with Alexis Sanchez having gone off the boil slightly in recent weeks. Arsene Wenger has plenty of attacking options including Theo Walcott and they should be able to unlock the Liverpool defence. The visitors are currently on a run of six away games without conceding but the suspension picked up by Martin Skrtel could prove damaging.

Liverpool’s hopes of a top four spot will be severely dented if they lose this one with Manchester United also having improved in recent weeks. The Red Devils grabbed a 2-1 win at Anfield last time, courtesy of two goals from Juan Mata. The Spaniard has been steady rather than spectacular this season but produced a piece of individual brilliance to seal the points.

With Wayne Rooney also in good form, it is difficult to see Aston Villa coming away with anything from Old Trafford this weekend. Tim Sherwood should be able to steer them to safety and they still have the FA Cup to chase.

Jose Mourinho has been busy with his calculator and the Blues need six wins and a draw to seal the title from their remaining nine games. Those fixtures include Arsenal, Liverpool and Man United so they cannot afford to drop points at home to Stoke. They have a phenomenal record against the Potters but may start without Diego Costa. His hamstring is still an issue, although he is in Saturday’s squad.

Harry Kane did not hit the target for England against Italy but will still be basking in the glory of his goal against Lithuania on his debut. Tottenham travel to Burnley on Sunday and should be good enough to take all three points. Sunderland take on Newcastle in desperate need of points but they cannot expect any favours from their Tyneside rivals.

Man City could find themselves in fourth place by the time they face Crystal Palace on Monday night. They could be trailing Chelsea by nine points so they will need to dig deep to keep their title hopes alive. Sergio Aguero has a habit of bailing them out when they need it and he can do so again on Monday.

Arsenal to beat Liverpool @10-11 William Hill

Olivier Giroud to score at any time @13-10 Bet365

Man United (-1) to beat Aston Villa @5-6 Paddy Power

Juan Mata to score at any time @2-1 Totesport

Chelsea (-1) to beat Stoke @5-6 Paddy Power

Tottenham to beat Burnley @5-4 BetVictor

Harry Kane to score at any time @6-5 BetVictor

Sergio Aguero to score at any time @9-10 BetVictor

Premiership Preview – Sunday 22nd March

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Manchester City finally managed to apply a bit of pressure to Premiership leaders Chelsea by beating ten-man West Brom 3-0 on Saturday. The gap is now three points but the Blues have two games in hand starting with a trip to struggling Hull City on Sunday.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho reports no serious injury concerns ahead of the match but Hull are without striker Nikija Jelavic. That could be a big blow to their hopes of avoiding the drop. Steve Bruce’s side are currently just three points above eighteenth placed Burnley. A win would put them level with Everton but they have struggled against the top sides this season. Tottenham, Southampton and Man City all won at the KC Stadium and Chelsea are odds-on to continue the sequence.

If there is some value to be found, it may be with Eden Hazard in the goal scorer markets. The brilliant Belgian has opened the scoring in three of the last four away games for the Blues. He is also the designated penalty-taker and Chelsea are long overdue a favourable award.

The big match of the day is the clash between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield. Both sides are in contention for a top four spot and automatic Champions League qualification. Liverpool really need a win to continue the momentum of their charge up the table and are the only unbeaten side in the Premiership in 2015.

United played well in the first half against Tottenham last week and raced into a 3-0 lead. Wayne Rooney was in fine form that day and will be hoping to end a run of nine games at Anfield without scoring. Louis van Gaal has been rather harshly treated in the media despite taking United into third place and a win here would be a massive result. Neither defence looked secure at the start of the season but they have tightened up a lot recently. It could be worth taking a punt on a 0-0 draw at around 9-1.

The final game of the day is at Loftus Road as QPR try to drag Everton into the relegation battle. The Toffees eased their fears with a comfortable win over Newcastle last weekend but were hammered in the Europa League on Thursday. This looks another tricky one to call and the draw makes most appeal at 5-2.

Liverpool v Man United DRAW @5-2 Bet365

Liverpool 0 Man United 0 @10-1 Coral

Eden Hazard to score first @6-1 Paddy Power

Eden Hazard to score and Chelsea win @11-4 Paddy Power

QPR v Everton DRAW @5-2 Boylesports

Premier League Preview 14th – 16th March

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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

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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

Premier League Preview 4th March

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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