Tag: Chelsea

Chelsea to maintain Premiership advantage

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Chelsea and Manchester City each face tricky opposition on Wednesday night in the Premier League. The London club moved seven points clear of the champions on Saturday courtesy of Branislav Ivanovic’s fine drive against Aston Villa. They now face Everton at Stamford Bridge as leading scorer Diego Costa sits out the final match of his suspension for the stamping incident against Liverpool last month.

Everton have not won at the Bridge in their last twenty visits and were beaten 6-3 in an extraordinary game at Goodison Park earlier in the season. Roberto Martinez’s team were hovering dangerously close to the drop zone before their victory over Crystal Palace recently. A dour 0-0 draw with Liverpool suggests that they have steadied the ship and should provide a tough test for Jose Mourinho’s side. If the Blues are to go on to be crowned champions, these are just the sort of games that they need to grind out a result. Ivanovic scored a vital goal against Liverpool prior to his strike against Villa and looks over-priced in the goals markets.

Manchester City have been poor recently and have only picked up three points in their last four league matches. Sergio Aguero is yet to hit the target since returning from his latest injury while you have to go back to September to find Edin Dzeko’s last goal. They travel to Stoke who are in great form at present. Mark Hughes had the satisfaction of inflicting a rare home defeat on Manuel Pellegrini’s side earlier in the season and his side can cause further problems on Wednesday.

How ironic to hear Sam Allardyce criticising Manchester United for their long-ball tactics at the weekend. This is Big Sam who was positively purring with delight after parking a claret and blue bus in front of goal against Chelsea last season and escaping with a point. The Hammers are a different side altogether this season and now travel to St Mary’s hoping to dent Southampton’s hopes of a top four spot. Both sides have been struggling in front of goal recently and this match could produce a stalemate.

United salvaged a point at West Ham and should have little trouble at home to seventeenth placed Burnley. Wayne Rooney started the season in great form but has not managed a shot on target in nearly seven hours of football this year. Fortunately for United, they have plenty of other attacking options with the unlikely figure of Fellaini providing them with an old-fashioned target man when the chips are down.

The other match that takes the eye on Wednesday is Crystal Palace at home to Newcastle. Alan Pardew will relish the prospect of moving within two points of his former club with a win here. The two previous fixtures between these teams produced eleven goals so it may worth taking a punt on a 3-2 win for the Eagles.

Chelsea to beat Everton by one goal @27-10 BetVictor

Branislav Ivanovic to score first @22-1 BetVictor

Branislav Ivanovic to score at any time @8-1 Betfred

Stoke v Man City DRAW @14-5 Betfair

Southampton 0 West Ham 0 @10-1 William Hill

Man United 3 Burnley 1 @12-1 Bet365

Crystal Palace 3 Newcastle 2 @40-1 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

Chelsea face Man City without Diego Costa

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Chelsea’s prospects of inflicting a defeat on champions Man City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday were dealt a hefty blow with the news that Diego Costa has received a three-match ban.

The striker was charged with violent conduct for stamping on Emre Can during Chelsea’s midweek victory over Liverpool. Claims that the incident was accidental were presumably brushed aside in view of the fact that Costa had produced a very similar challenge on Martin Skrtel later in the match, although the Liverpool player was also guilty of retaliation.

The ban will provide further for conspiracy theorists, Jose Mourinho among them, who believe that there is a campaign against the Premiership leaders. The loss of Costa is a big blow for Saturday’s late kick-off but it could be even worse if Cesc Fabregas also fails to recover from his hamstring injury. The Spaniard is on course to break all records for assists in Premiership football this season and the Blues would undoubtedly miss his creativity in midfield.

Chelsea currently hold a five-point advantage over the champions and there must be an increasing likelihood that they would view a point as a good result. The Blues have won all ten home games so far this season and were only pegged back in the 85th minute in the reverse fixture by a certain Frank Lampard. Allowing Lampard to play in a City shirt this season via New York must go down as a case of neglect by Chelsea. It has already cost them dearly with Lampard rescuing City on several occasions, not just in that 1-1 draw at the Etihad.

City are not exactly on fire at the moment having been beaten by Arsenal in Middlesbrough in their last two games. They will take the FA Cup loss on the chin but they were below par against Arsenal and still do not have Yaya Toure back from the Africa Cup of Nations. The more I look at this match, the more I fear a dour stalemate. If the name of Mikel features in the Blues line-up it seems to safe to assume that Chelsea would settle for a point. It is more a match that neither side can afford to lose than one that they have to win.

Chelsea v Man City DRAW @5-2 Bet365

Chelsea 1 Man City 1 @6-1 Bet365*

*Bet365 will refund correct score bets if the game ends in a 0-0 Bore draw

Chelsea to bounce back from FA Cup shock

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Chelsea were stunned by Bradford in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday and will be desperate to bounce back against Liverpool in Tuesday’s Capital One Cup semi-final second leg.

The two sides shared the spoils at Anfield a week ago with the Blues grateful to escape with a draw after a second half onslaught from the home side. Jose Mourinho made nine changes for the FA Cup and all looked to be going well as they moved into a 2-0 lead. The wheels came off dramatically after that with matters going from bad to worse after the introduction of Fabregas, Hazard and Willian.

It would be dangerous to read too much into one defeat. After all, Chelsea had put up a similar performance when conceding five goals at Tottenham but came back strongly with three victories. The last of those was a thumping 5-0 win at Swansea, a result which had the pundits spouting superlatives once again.

It seems safe to assume that Courtois, Terry, Matic and Costa will return to the side on Tuesday. Presumably Hazard, Fabregas and Willian will also start as Chelsea bid to book a Wembley place. The Capital One Cup would have been fourth in the order of preference for silverware this season but takes on new significance in the wake of Saturday’s result.

Liverpool did not exactly set the world alight with a bore draw against Bolton and face a tricky replay. The weak performances by Liverpool and Man United were almost forgotten with Chelsea and Man City crashing out so dramatically. Raheem Sterling gave Brendan Rodgers’s team a lifeline at Anfield and will be the danger man again on Tuesday night. Chelsea’s central partnership of Cahill and Terry has looked slow at times this season and it is easy to imagine Liverpool breaking through at some point.

Unfortunately for them, they are less certain to score twice with want-away skipper Steven Gerrard currently leading goal scorer with five. Meanwhile, Diego Costa has racked up 17 for the Blues and he will be trying to get under their skin again here. There was apparently some “afters” in the tunnel between Costa and Jordan Henderson so the game will have its usual spice. Chelsea are well equipped to deal with a physical contest and they can come through a typically tough encounter.

Chelsea to win in 90 minutes @4-6 BetVictor

Chelsea 3 Liverpool 1 @12-1 Bet365

Diego Costa to score and Chelsea win @7-5 Ladbrokes

FA Cup Fourth Round Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The FA Cup Fourth Round draw did not exactly provide us with a feast of big matches and it is difficult to see where, if any, the major shocks will be.

Chelsea and Man City both have relatively easy home matches against Bradford City and Middlesbrough respectively. The Blues have the second leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final with Liverpool on Tuesday night and then Man City in the Premiership on Sunday. Fortunately for Mourinho, he has a fully-fit squad and afford the luxury of some squad rotation.

Bradford are priced at 28-1 but a more likely outcome is a repeat of Chelsea’s 3-0 third round victory over Watford. There has been speculation that the Blues were willing to part with Andre Schurrle but he is in the line-up on Saturday and can score in a comfortable home win.

City had an unusual prep for the home tie with Middlesbrough by playing in Dubai. They are likely to field a strong enough team to see off Boro with Sergio Aguero looking to recover his goal scoring form. Predicting the line-up is almost as difficult as forecasting the result but I’d expect Aguero to score in another home win for the champions.

There are two all-Premiership games with Southampton at home to Crystal Palace and Tottenham facing Leicester. Spurs were poor against Sheffield United on Wednesday and grateful to escape with a 1-0 advantage to take to the second leg. Leicester have been battling away but you have to wonder about the merits of a Cup run whilst they struggle to avoid relegation.

Crystal Palace seem to have been revitalised by the arrival of Alan Pardew and their clash with Southampton is a tricky one. The Saints needed a replay to get past Ipswich in round 3 and they could face a similar scenario here. The late kick-off sees Liverpool host Bolton, another side buoyed by a new coach in the shape of Neil Lennon. The former Celtic boss has only lost one in twelve since joining the Trotters but Liverpool may just edge this one.

Sunday should see Arsenal and West Ham go through safely, at Brighton and Bristol City respectively. Theo Walcott and Mesut Ozil could make their return for the Gunners as Arsene Wenger’s squad gradually approaches full fitness. Arsenal could be worth a bet on the handicap in this one while the Hammers deserve to go further in the competition after their epic battle with Everton.

Andre Schurrle scores and Chelsea win @5-4 Paddy Power

Sergio Aguero scores and Man City win @8-11 Ladbrokes

Southampton v Crystal Palace DRAW @3-1 Bet365

Tottenham to win by one goal @11-4 Sky Bet

Liverpool to win by one goal @3-1 Ladbrokes

West Ham to beat Bristol City @21-20 BetVictor

Arsenal (-1.0 handicap) to win @7-5 Paddy Power

Chelsea can gain upper-hand in Cup Semi-Final

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Chelsea moved five points clear at the top of the Premier League on Saturday with a superb 5-0 victory at Swansea. Champions Man City were unable to respond when beaten 2-0 by Arsenal on Sunday and the two teams are set to clash at Stamford Bridge next weekend. The Blues now turn their attentions to the small matter of a Capital One Cup semi-final first leg at Anfield on Tuesday night.

Clashes between Liverpool and Chelsea are rarely without drama and this is unlikely to be an exception. The Reds were beaten 2-1 here earlier in the season by Jose Mourinho’s side and are still bitter about last season’s 2-0 defeat, a result which effectively ended their title hopes. There were also those epic Champions League clashes with the “ghost goal” and the incredible 4-4 result at the Bridge. Chelsea have certainly had the edge when it has mattered most, beating Liverpool in Cup finals for this trophy and the FA Cup.

It is slightly surprising that the two-legged format for the semi-finals still exists, given the European commitments of top Premiership sides these days. Chelsea can approach this game knowing that a draw would make them favourites to reach Wembley while Liverpool will be hoping that the Blues show the defensive weaknesses that were exposed by Tottenham recently.

Chelsea have not conceded in three games since and scored ten in the process so the signs are not that encouraging for Brendan Rodgers. He is likely to recall Steven Gerrard who will be desperate to atone for his slip that let in Demba Ba last season. Liverpool are on a very good run of form having only lost once in fourteen matches.

The Reds have tightened up their own defence after a sloppy start to the season and have been getting the results without doing anything spectacular. Apart from a 4-1 win over Swansea, they have still looked short of ideas going forward and may struggle to break through here. They took the lead earlier in the season, courtesy of a wicked deflection. This could end in a draw and it may be worth taking the 1-1 with William Hill, given that a “bore draw” will earn a refund.

It is difficult to be confident about Chelsea’s starting line-up but, assuming Ivanovic starts, he looks over-priced at 28-1 to break the deadlock. He has his own reasons for remembering this match after his clash with Luis Suarez. Ivanovic was in great form at Swansea and is dangerous from dead-ball situations.

Liverpool 1 Chelsea 1 @6-1 William Hill*

*0-0 money refunded on correct score bets up to max. £50

Branislav Ivanovic to score first @28-1 BetVictor