Tag: Everton

Barkley can be Boxing Day star for Everton

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The holiday period can sometimes prove pivotal in the title race and Chelsea go into Christmas three points clear of champions Manchester City.

Goals by John Terry and Cesc Fabregas were enough to claim all three points against Stoke at the Britannia Stadium on Monday and the Blues now face London rivals West Ham. The game gets under way at 12.45 and it will be interesting to see whether Sam Allardyce employs the same defensive policy which yielded a 0-0 draw last season.

Jose Mourinho labelled it “19th century football” but that did not concern Allardyce. His side are performing with a lot more credit this season and a top ten finish looks distinctly possible. A feisty encounter seems assured but Chelsea can match any team physically and can grab another victory.

Man City are on their travels at West Brom and they should keep up the pressure on Mourinho’s side with the minimum of fuss. They have won all but one of their last nine meetings with the Baggies and can be backed with confidence on the handicap.

Arsenal did not impress everyone with their 2-2 draw at Anfield but they should have too much fire power for QPR. Harry Redknapp’s side are still seeking their first away point of the season and this does not look like providing it. Olivier Giroud is in unstoppable form at present and he can fire the Gunners to victory.

Liverpool deserved their point against Arsenal, even if they required a goal deep into injury-time. They were down to ten men at the time so Brendan Rodgers will not doubt their commitment. They visit struggling Burnley who have failed to score in five of their last six games. The home side will see this as an opportunity to cause an upset but Liverpool’s superior quality can see them home.

Stoke were very poor against Chelsea on Monday night, other than a few fleeting moments in the second half. They are unlikely to get any change out of a visit to Goodison Park who will be looking to Ross Barkley to continue his return to full fitness. He will give their attack a new dimension which has been lacking in the early part of the season.

Manchester United’s progress was temporarily stalled by Aston Villa at the weekend, a costly result for those attempting accumulator bets on the top teams. They host a Newcastle side that has failed to progress from their shock 2-1 win over Chelsea. Van Persie has a fine scoring record against the Magpies and can again feature in an entertaining fixture.

Tips

Chelsea to beat West Ham by one goal @14-5 Ladbrokes

Liverpool to beat Burnley @17-20 Coral

Ross Barkley to score and Everton beat Stoke @7-2 Bet365

Van Persie to score and Man United beat Newcastle @7-5 Bwin

Olivier Giroud to score and Arsenal beat QPR @11-10 Bwin

Man City (-1.0 handicap) to beat West Brom @13-8 Spreadex

Premier League Preview Sep 27

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

This weekend’s Premiership action gets off to a cracking start with Liverpool playing Everton in the Merseyside derby.

Both teams are struggling to find any consistency this season and arrive here in desperate need of a good result. Liverpool have survived Champions League and Capital One Cup games by the skin of their teeth and lost 3-1 to West Ham in between.

Everton were thrashed 6-3 by Chelsea but bounced back to beat West Brom and Wolfsburg. Progress came to a shuddering halt against Crystal Palace last weekend and they were then dumped out of the Capital One Cup by Swansea. Both sides are leaking goals at the moment and this has the makings of another thrilling encounter.

A repeat of the 3-3 draw at Goodison Park in November is not out of the question but I think Liverpool could just shade it, particularly if Sturridge is fit to play a part.

League leaders Chelsea lost their 100% record last weekend when Frank Lampard struck late on for Manchester City. That sentence still does not read true for Blues supporters and Lampard’s double-strike in midweek suggests that Chelsea were negligent in not offering the midfield player a one-year extension.

They play host to Aston Villa on Saturday, a side that have sometimes caused problems in the past. Villa made a flying start to the season before being brushed aside 3-0 by Arsenal. If you ignore that poor performance and judge them on their victory at Anfield, they look seriously overpriced at 16-1. Cynics may point to Chelsea’s 8-0 win in 2012/13 but Villa are a lot stronger now and Chelsea’s two draws and a scrappy 2-1 win over Bolton are a warning not to expect too much.

Crystal Palace and Leicester looks like a draw banker. The Foxes have not won in London in any of their last 15 Premier League visits but they look good enough to battle for a point. Hull play host to Champions Manchester City who look to have turned a corner this week. Lampard’s previously mentioned intervention rescued a priceless point against Chelsea and they then proceeded to blast seven goals past Sheffield Wednesday in midweek. With confidence on the up and Dzeko back in scoring mode, this should be another three points.

Perhaps the most intriguing fixture of the week is Manchester United versus West Ham. The Red Devils are brilliant going forward but leaking like a sieve in defence. They probably need to score at least three to be sure of a point! Angel Di Maria has been very impressive and he can be backed to score again with both sides finding the target. West Ham pulled off a great win over Liverpool last week and will approach this game with some optimism. Expect another feast of goals.

Southampton continue to confound their critics. Not only are they flying in the Premier League, they also knocked Arsenal out of the Capital One Cup in midweek and will be expected to see off QPR at St Mary’s. Ronald Koeman’s summer signings are all punching above their weight and they can continue their unlikely charge towards the top.

The late kick-off is the North London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham. Rather like Liverpool and Everton, these two sides are having a topsy-turvy start to the season in Cup and League. Arsenal’s defeat against Southampton underlines a lack of depth in their squad while Tottenham still have two ways of playing. In recent seasons, Tottenham have disappointed in these types of fixtures and Wenger can recall Wojciech Szczesny, Per Mertesacker, Laurent Koscielny, Mikel Arteta, Mesut Ozil and Danny Welbeck on Saturday.

Liverpool 3 Everton 2 (correct score) @22-1 Bet365

Liverpool v Everton over 3.5 goals @6-4 Coral

Chelsea 2 Aston Villa 1 (correct score) @11-1 BetVictor

Crystal Palace v Leicester DRAW @19-5 BetVictor

Edin Dzeko to score first @5-1 Paddy Power

Man City to win by 3 or more goals @4-1 Skybet

Man United to win by 2 goals @100-30 Bet365

Angel Di Maria to score first @7-1 Bet365

Southampton 3 QPR 0 (correct score) @10-1 BetVictor

Arsenal to win by 2 goals @4-1 Stan James

Premiership Preview 19th May

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The final day of the Premiership does not have the title or relegation drama of 12 months ago but that was always going to be a tough act to follow. In truth, Manchester United were given an easy ride to the title as their main rivals dropped tamely away. Manchester City failed to build on last season’s title success and were strangely inactive in the summer transfer market. The signing of Van Persie was sufficient to make the difference between the two teams whilst the London clubs battled it out for minor honours.

It is the battle for Champions League places that remains the only significant issue to be decided on Sunday. Tottenham will miss out again if Arsenal take all three points at Newcastle, regardless of Chelsea’s result at home to Everton. Spurs must defeat Sunderland to keep their hopes alive and rely on results elsewhere allowing them to sneak into the top four.

Chelsea v Everton

This game will have a distinct end-of-season feel about it after Chelsea virtually guaranteed their Champions League spot last weekend at Aston Villa. The question has been raised this week of a possible third-place playoff between Chelsea and Arsenal should they finish level on points, goal difference and goals scored. This scenario can only come about if Chelsea draw 0-0 and Arsenal win 2-1. Whether this will be enough to spur the Blues on to one last effort this season is another matter. Several of their players looked dead on their feet on Wednesday night as they won the Europa League with a last-gasp header from Ivanovic.

Everton meanwhile are saying farewell to David Moyes after eleven years at the helm. He was given an emotional send off by the Goodison fans last week in their 2-0 victory over West Ham and the teams look evenly matched. Rafael Benitez will also be packing his bags shortly but will surely send out a re-shuffled side for this finale. I can see Everton upsetting Chelsea’s victory parade by grabbing at least a point and a 1-1 draw might be the way to go. Kevin Mirallas looks overpriced at 11-1 to open the scoring after his two against the Hammers last week.

1-1 draw 8-1 Bet Victor

Kevin Mirallas first goalscorer 11-1 Bet365

Newcastle v Arsenal

Arsenal wavered slightly against Wigan in midweek before producing a second-half blitz to send the Latics down to the Championship after eight seasons in the top flight. Arsene Wenger will be calling on them to produce a similar effort against a Newcastle side that must be breathing a collective sigh of relief now that their Premiership status is secure. The Magpies have put in some desperate displays this season, none more so than their 6-0 drubbing at the hands of a moderate Liverpool side. Anything like that on Sunday will result in another embarrassing defeat but Alan Pardew faces an uphill task rallying his troops for this match. I can only see one winner here and it might be worth taking a risk on the 100-30 about the Gunners winning by three or more goals with Skybet. Theo Walcott is in flying form and 11-2 represents fair value in the first goalscorer market.

Arsenal to win by 3 or more goals 100-30 Skybet

Theo Walcott to score first 11-2 Coral

Tottenham v Sunderland

Tottenham were denied a place in the Champions League by Chelsea’s win in the competition last May and now look poised to miss out, possibly only on goal difference to their London rivals. They are only in contention thanks to Gareth Bale who has dug them out of many a hole this season. There is speculation that he may leave White Hart Lane if he does not get Champions League football next season but it is difficult to see them achieving that. Even so, it is worth taking the 11-4 about Bale scoring first here. Tottenham will have one eye on the Arsenal match and if that starts to go against them it is possible that their heads may drop. With the exception of their mauling at Villa Park, Sunderland have shown a lot more fight since Paolo Di Canio arrived and they could poach a point here.

Draw 19-4 Bet Victor

Gareth Bale to score first 11-4 Ladbrokes

Preview and Football Tips

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Liverpool v Everton (1.30pm)

There are two cracking games this Sunday for stay-at-home punters. First up is the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton. The visitors still have a slim chance of sneaking into a Champions League spot but they would have to win all of their matches and hope that the London clubs slip up badly. Liverpool have nothing left to play for other than the local bragging rights but that is more than enough!

The Luis Suarez biting incident may have put Liverpool back in the news for all the wrong reasons but they came out and thrashed Newcastle 6-0 last weekend. Defensive stalwart Jamie Carragher has confirmed his retirement and will be appearing in a Merseyside derby for the last time in his career. As if any further incentive were required, the gap between Everton and Liverpool is five points and the Toffees have not finished above Liverpool for successive seasons in the last 50 years.

Everton fans are anxiously waiting to hear whether David Moyes is to remain at the club and a Europa League place might give him encouragement to do so. Bookmakers make Liverpool even money favourites to win with a draw priced at 5-2 and Everton as big as 100-30 to grab all three points. As impressive as the Reds were in crushing the Magpies last week, it has to be said that the opposition were woeful and Everton will be a completely different proposition. Liverpool have flitted in and out of form all season and it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise to see their form dip once again. I think Everton are over-priced when you take the season as a whole and the price is worth taking.

Everton 100-30 Bet Victor

Manchester United v Chelsea (4.00pm)

The second match features the fifth meeting of the season between Manchester United and Chelsea. United have just been crowned champions but mid-season talk of them being one of the greatest United teams in history have been proved to be misguided. An early Champions League exit was followed by defeat in the FA Cup against Sunday’s rivals.

The first league meeting of the season was the infamous Clattenburg affair, a game that arguably started the rot at Stamford Bridge this season. They gained revenge in the League Cup and staged a magnificent recovery from 2-0 down in the FA Cup quarter-final before Demba Ba’s solo effort settled the replay. On Thursday the Blues booked their place in the final of the Europa Cup but now face two crucial Premiership matches in the space of four days. They welcome Tottenham to the Bridge on Wednesday night in a potentially decisive match in the battle for a Champions League place.

Juan Mata has been exceptional for Chelsea this season and he only appeared as a late substitute on Thursday night. He looks a fair bet to find the target at any time during the match at 100-30. Demba Ba will lead the attack and Oscar should also make the starting line up. Chelsea will be hoping that United take their foot off the pedal a bit and allow them to gain a vital three points. If they play like they did in the second half against Basle they might just do it.

Chelsea 5-2 William Hill
Juan Mata to score 100-30 William Hill

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