Tag: Eden Hazard

West Brom v Chelsea – Premiership Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Forecasting Premiership matches at this time of the season can be fraught with danger. The Monday night game between West Brom and Chelsea should have the feeling of a friendly about it with neither team having any meaningful incentive.

The Blues have been basking in their Premiership Title success for a couple of weeks now and only have this game before collecting their trophy at Stamford Bridge when Sunderland visit on Sunday. There has been speculation that Diego Costa may make a late season return but I cannot see Jose Mourinho taking any needless risks with his leading striker.

Had the Spaniard been one goal behind Aguero in the race for the Golden Boot, it may have been interesting. As it is, Aguero enjoyed a free-for-all courtesy of QPR last week and has it sewn up with a six goal advantage. Eden Hazard has been taking the plaudits and rightly so. He has been far and away Chelsea’s best player this season. You can hardly blame him for letting his standards dip in the 1-1 draw against Liverpool last week.

Perhaps one of the unsung heroes of the side has been Willian. He is finishing the season in really good form and it would be nice to see him hit the target. He is competitively priced at 14-1 to open the scoring and 11-2 to score at any time. His electrifying pace has been a joy to watch this season but his finishing has not quite matched it. If he can add something of the Hazard instinct for goal, he will be an even better player next season.

Chelsea beat Albion 2-0 at Stamford Bridge but that was before the arrival of Tony Pulis. He has certainly made the Baggies a tougher side to beat, despite a brief dip in form and a shock 4-1 defeat at home to QPR. They have bounced back since then and are unbeaten in their last four matches.

Mourinho will be without Ramires, Oscar and Zouma so there could be starting places for Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Isaiah Brown. It is a game that neither side will want to lose rather than one that they feel a desperate need to win. Pulis will be keen for his team to finish the season on a positive note against the champions and the best bet may be to side with a draw.

West Brom v Chelsea DRAW @5-2 Bet365

West Brom 1 Chelsea 1 @6-1 Bet365

Willian to score at any time @11-2 Unibet

Willian to score first @14-1 Unibet

Leicester v Chelsea Preview

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Chelsea have kept grinding out the results and a 0-0 draw at Arsenal on Sunday has left them within two victories of lifting the Premier League title.

Jose Mourinho’s side have come in for media criticism for their negative approach in recent games but his hand has been forced by the injuries to his key strikers. Diego Costa’s presence up front has been sorely missed and the Blues have certainly lacked a cutting edge. Eden Hazard has come to the rescue with winning goals against West Ham and Manchester United and the majority of his eighteen goals have come away from home.

Factor in the on-going saga of Chelsea’s lack of penalties and everything points to Hazard being the key player at Leicester on Wednesday night. He was strangely anonymous against Arsenal on Sunday as Chelsea played out a match of containment. Jose Mourinho is no fool and he knows that he can expect a tough game at Leicester, despite their lowly league position.

Nigel Pearson’s side have put together an astonishing run of four straight victories to haul themselves out of the bottom three. They are only a point above Sunderland and four points clear of QPR but they play both sides on the run-in. They also play a struggling Newcastle side that are only four points above them but have played a game more.

Most pundits now expect the Foxes to escape the drop, irrespective of Wednesday’s result. A draw would be seen as a fine result for the home team and would be by no means disastrous for Chelsea. However, the Blues will want to get the job done as quickly as possible. They know that three points on Wednesday will set them up to lift the title at Stamford Bridge against London rivals Crystal Palace this weekend.

A draw would see them have to wait until the following week against Liverpool. The Reds have suffered an alarming dip in form  but they are still formidable opponents and will surely raise their game against Chelsea. The painful memories of the Blues stealing the three points at Anfield last season and effectively handing the title to Man City, still linger on.

Chelsea to beat Leicester @3-4 Bet365

Chelsea to win by one goal @11-4 Skybet

Leicester 0 Chelsea 1 @7-1 Bet365

Eden Hazard to score first @11-2 Boylesports

Eden Hazard to score at any time @13-8 Stan James

Eden Hazard to score and Chelsea win @13-5 Paddy Power

 

 

Premiership Preview April 18th – 19th

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The big match this weekend is the clash between leaders Chelsea and third-placed Manchester United in Saturday’s evening kick-off.

The Blues are edging ever-closer to the Premiership title but still have United, Arsenal and Liverpool to play. A defeat at home to a resurgent United could still cause a few jitters with the winning post in sight. Had Chelsea gone into this match with a fully-fit Diego Costa, it would be very difficult to see them slipping up. As it is, not only is Costa out but there is also a doubt about the fitness of Loic Remy.

United are in buoyant mood after beating champions and neighbours City 4-2 last weekend. That game could signal the end of the brief reign of Manuel Pellegrini while Louis van Gaal looks set to achieve his goal of restoring Champions League football to Old Trafford. The return to form of former Chelsea star Juan Mata has had a great impact in recent matches and he could be worth a bet to silence the home fans on Saturday.

The Blues still have Eden Hazard and he is the kind of player to rise to the big occasion. Jose Mourinho will be calling on him once more and I’m sure that he would settle for a draw, just as he did when City visited.

West Brom are really struggling for form and face a tricky visit to Crystal Palace. Alan Pardew’s side have put up some brilliant displays recently and another defeat for Tony Pulis’s side could have them looking anxiously over their shoulders in the league table. Among those scrapping for survival are Leicester City who are at home to Swansea. They dug out an unlikely 3-2 win at West Brom last week and will fancy their chances of following up here.

Southampton’s season was in danger of falling away but Ronald Koeman’s side beat Hull decisively last week. They travel to Stoke who have little left to play for. A draw seems highly likely but Pelle’s first goal in months will have boosted his confidence and the Saints could come away with all three points.

Sunday’s games are Man City at home to West Ham and Newcastle facing Spurs. The two home teams are among the worst performing sides in the league at present so it is a brave man that takes 2-7 about City. They may struggle to a win but 11-2 for a draw looks tempting while Spurs should see off a lack-lustre Magpies outfit.

Crystal Palace to beat West Brom @20-21 Paddy Power

Leicester to beat Swansea @6-5 Ladbrokes

Southampton to beat Stoke @11-8 Ladbrokes

Chelsea v Man United DRAW @5-2 Totesport

Man City v West Ham DRAW @11-2 Bet365

Spurs to beat Newcastle @11-8 William Hill

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

League Cup Final Preview – Chelsea v Spurs

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The first domestic silverware of the season is decided on Sunday when Chelsea clash with London rivals Tottenham in the final of the Capital One Cup at Wembley.

Jose Mourinho led Chelsea to success in this competition back in 2004/05 before taking them to Premiership title glory. They go into the weekend with a five-point lead over champions Man City, although that gap could be reduced to two points this weekend. That won’t be a concern for Mourinho’s side on Sunday as they seek revenge for a painful 5-3 league defeat at White Hart Lane on New Year’s Day.

Much of the media spotlight has focussed on the enforced absence of Matic from this match after his red card against Burnley on Saturday. He was given a two-match ban and his natural replacement, Mikel, is currently injured. Ramires will almost certainly be asked to deputise in the holding role in midfield. Matic did play in that nightmare 5-3 defeat and Chelsea will have to defend a lot better on Sunday. Cahill and Terry were made to look woefully short of pace by Harry Kane who seems to carry Tottenham’s hopes on  his shoulders at present.

Mauricio Pochettino attempted to bluff his way into the next round of the Europa League by saving key players for this match. The plan back-fired in spectacular style and their season could be reduced to chasing an elusive top four spot once again if they lose on Sunday.

It is ironic that, in spite of all the money invested on new players, it is Kane that Spurs look to above all others. He will be under enormous pressure to perform this weekend and it would be no surprise to see him score yet again. If he is to justify the hype and wear the England number nine shirt for years to come, he will surely relish a Wembley Cup final. Unfortunately for him, the back-up crew can sometimes be found wanting. They were poor in midweek and were extremely fortunate to save a point at home to West Ham last weekend.

Kane could rock Chelsea with an early goal but I still expect Mourinho’s more experienced side to come back to win. They have plenty of potential goal scorers including Costa and Hazard and can edge to a 2-1 victory.

Best Bets

Chelsea to come from behind and draw or win @15-4 William Hill

Both teams to score @6-7 Unibet

Harry Kane to score first @7-1 Ladbrokes

Chelsea 2 Tottenham 1 @8-1 888Sport

Chelsea to win by one goal @29-10 BetVictor

Premiership Preview 10th-11th January

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The Premiership returns after last weekend’s FA Cup third round and battle is resumed between Chelsea and Man City.

The two teams are now locked together with the Blues ahead in alphabetical order only. The jury is still out as to whether Chelsea’s awful defensive performance at Tottenham was just a blip or exposed deep-rooted weaknesses in the side. They are certainly no longer regarded as “invincible” having already lost at Newcastle.

They now welcome the Magpies to Stamford Bridge and will be expected to resume normal service. The visitors are yet to find a replacement coach for Alan Pardew and will be without talisman Papiss Cisse, the player almost solely responsible for his side’s last two victories over the Blues. Despite finishing on the losing side at White Hart Lane, Eden Hazard was quite superb and he will relish this game after being rested for the FA Cup win over Watford.

One of the most astonishing statistics is that Cesc Fabregas has created more goals already (14) than any player managed in the entire 2013-14 season. Assuming he remains free from serious injury, he could easily double that tally by the end of the season. Tim Krul is back in goal for Newcastle but I’m expecting him to have a very busy afternoon and am taking Chelsea to win comfortably.

City have coughed and spluttered their way through several games without a recognised striker and now have the luxury of both Aguero and Dzeko for the trip to Goodison Park. Everton are in something of a slump and it is hard to see them turning things around on Saturday. Romelu Lukaku may have bought some valuable time for Roberto Martinez with his last-gasp equaliser against West Ham in the FA Cup last week but this is a much tougher test.

If Chelsea and City record comfortable victories, the match of the day may be the relegation clash between Burnley and QPR. Harry Redknapp’s side have lost their first nine away games, just one short of the all-time record for the Premier League. I have been very impressed with Burnley’s fighting spirit in recent matches, particularly when rescuing points at Man City and Newcastle. I’m going to go out on a limb here and forecast a 3-2 result, although I am not sure which way it will go.

Leicester have also found some battling qualities in recent weeks and can beat Aston Villa at home. Arsenal should be too strong for Stoke on Sunday but the game of the day is the clash between Man United and Southampton at Old Trafford. The Saints have bounced back from a run of five defeats to keep their lofty position in the table. They were deserving winners over Arsenal recently and can hold United to a draw.

Chelsea (-2.0 handicap) to beat Newcastle @6-4 Skybet

Eden Hazard to score and Chelsea win @6-5 Ladbrokes

Burnley 3 QPR 2 @33-1 Bet365

Burnley 2 QPR 3 @56-1 Betfair

Man City (-1.0 handicap) to beat Everton @2-1 Ladbrokes

Leicester to beat Aston Villa @6-5 Bet365

Arsenal (-1.0) to beat Stoke @11-8 Skybet

Man United v Southampton DRAW @14-5 Paddy Power