Tag: Football Tips

Can Arsenal Keep up Their Title Charge?

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

It has been twelve long barren years for Arsenal when it comes to lifting the Premier League trophy. They haven’t tasted success in the league since 2004. A combination of being outplayed in big games, a lack of consistency and other clubs simply outspending them have contributed to that long period without a league title. Many of the Arsenal fans are unhappy, and they were particularly boisterous after their early season 4-3 loss at home to Liverpool.

Since then, Arsene Wenger has really turned things around. After beating Stoke City 3-1 on Saturday at the Emirates, they are making a strong case to be champions this season. The problem for Arsenal isn’t so much what they do now but how they handle the pressure during the closing stages of the season. Arsenal has flattered to deceive so often that it is hard to put any faith in them when it comes to going all the way. They travel to Goodison Park on Tuesday to play Everton.

The Form Favours Arsenal

Everton under Ronald Koeman has made a decent start to the season with 20pts from their first 15 games. Their recent form isn’t good. They have had successive away defeats in the league to Southampton and Watford. They did draw at home to Manchester United but a home draw to Swansea and a 5-0 hammering at Chelsea appears to have taken its toll on their confidence.

There are no such issues with Arsenal. They are riding high after topping their Champions League group with an impressive 4-1 win away to Basel. There seems to be solidity about Arsenal this season. They have faced some stiff opposition in the form of Paris St Germain, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham and not been beaten in any of those games. It appears that the August loss to Liverpool was nothing more than a blip.

Can Everton Stop the Gunners

It is tough to make a case for Everton even though they are the home team. Clearly, they need to be respected, but their leaky defence shipped three goals at Vicarage Road on Saturday. Everton can be backed at odds of 3-1 with Bet365 which seems tempting. BetVictor quote odds of 14-5 for the draw while William Hill quotes 19-20 for an Arsenal win.

It is tough to see Everton taking three points from this fixture. A team that isn’t in form tends to find it tough to find form again very quickly. The value is in the Arsenal win even at 19-20 but if you want to play it safe then you can possibly place half a point on the draw. Then you win if the game is drawn or Arsenal win.

Man Utd vs Tottenham: What Next for Jose Mourinho?

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

It is only a few short months ago that Jose Mourinho was being hailed as the “saviour” at Old Trafford. The United fans believed that Mourinho would quickly return the Red Devils to their glory days. Boosted by the arrival of Ibrahimovic, Bailly, Mkhitaryan and world record signing Paul Pogba, surely they would now be top four material once again. The stodgy dreary football played under Louis van Gaal would now be well and truly in the past.

The fact of the matter is that United are certainly playing more attractive football under Mourinho. The problem is in getting the results. United are currently sixth in the table, a massive 9pts behind the top four places.

They also trail leaders Chelsea by a colossal 13pts, and surely their title chances have disappeared. United are going to struggle to even qualify for the Champions League, but how much of this is the fault of the previous manager?

Big Players Haven’t Performed

The fact of the matter is that Mourinho has spent a lot of money this season. His excuses for blaming Louis van Gaal and his much talked about “football philosophy” are wearing a little bit thin. If we factor in pre-season, Mourinho has now had five months with most of these players.

They are doing well in the possession stats but their quality in front of goal has been lacking. They face a Tottenham side that has been buoyed by yet another solid season.

It is how United compare against the top sides in the league that will define their season. So far they have failed to beat a top-six team after four attempts. They have drawn against Liverpool and Arsenal, but have been beaten at home to rivals City and then thrashed at Chelsea.

Tottenham will pose a Lot of Problems

Tottenham will pose yet another big test for Mourinho and his team of misfiring stars. United can be backed with Bet365 at odds of 5-4. William Hill quotes 5-2 for the draw and this looks like a much better bet than United at 5-4, seeing as they have yet to beat a top six side this season.

Tottenham is playing well. They thrashed Swansea City 5-0 and then finished their Champions League group with a 3-1 win against CSKA Moscow. You can get odds of 12-5 for a Tottenham victory at Old Trafford.

If we then add the late strikes against West Ham where they won 3-2, Harry Kane and company are clearly scoring goals again. That will be enough to cause Mourinho a big headache. The last thing he needs is another home defeat. If that happens on Sunday then expect the home fans to be booing at the final whistle. The United faithful didn’t expect another season outside of the Champions League, certainly not when they signed one of the most successful managers in world football.

Raiders v Chiefs set to be a nailbiter

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

We are entering the business end of the NFL season and a handful of teams have already ensured qualification for the playoffs, but it is crunch time for many teams battling for the final berths. There are some crucial games scheduled in the week ahead, and none more so than the Friday game between Oakland and Kansas City. Here we preview that game and round up a few other important fixtures:

Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs

There are 64 regular season games left in the AFC and this is arguably the most important. The Raiders and the New England Patriots are both 10-2 and battling it out to earn home advantage should they reach the AFC Championship Game. It could go right to the wire between the Raiders and the Patriots, but Oakland also faces a gruelling battle to win their division, as the Chiefs are close to toppling them. It’s a nightmare for the Raiders to have to travel 1,500 miles on a short week for such a crucial game, but they will have known about this all season and should be suitably prepared.

The AFC West is surely the best division in the NFL by a long stretch, with the Raiders 10-2, the Chiefs 9-3 and the Denver Broncos, last season’s Super Bowl winners, 8-4. No other division in either conference has three teams that are so good, or have such good records. It is unfortunate for them that they are all lumped together. In the division tiebreakers, Kansas City is king, having beaten the Raiders, the Broncos and the Chargers already. They won 26-10 in Oakland earlier this season, and if they can beat the Raiders again in front of their home fans they will go 4-0 in the tiebreakers and move up to 10-3, putting them ahead of the Raiders.

They come into the match having won their last two games and will be full of confidence, but the Raiders are on a six-game winning streak, the best in the conference, so it will be a fascinating battle. As they have home advantage and have already beaten the Raiders this year, the Chiefs are odds-on favourites, best priced at 4/7 with Sky Bet, while the Raiders are 6/4 with Sun Bets and Coral. It is tempting to go for the Chiefs given their dominance in the division head-to-heads, and if you fancy that, you would be advised to take the 15/8 currently available at Betfair on the Chiefs winning the division as that would send them top with three games to go. To get more value, you could go for the Chiefs to cover the -3 spread at 4/5 with Sun Bets, putting an end to the Raiders’ winning run in style.

Other highlights

Over in the NFC the Seahawks travel to the Packers knowing they need a win to keep their hopes of qualifying as the second-best division winner behind the Cowboys. They are 8-3-1 and have the Giants and the Lions, both 8-4 breathing down their necks, so they need to put an end to the Packers’ two-game winning streak. They should get the job done, and the 8/11 available looks a good bet, as does the 5/6 William Hill is offering on them covering the -2.5 spread. The Lions host the Bears and should win it, but the Bears look good to cover the +8 spread at 19/20 with Coral. A fierce battle is taking place between the Falcons and the Buccaneers in their division, and the Falcons should cover a -6 spread at Los Angeles (10/11 with William Hill), while the Buccaneers can also cover a -2.5 spread when they host the Saints, keeping the battle alive for another week.

Madrid To Win A Champions League Classic

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

IT’S a winner takes all clash at the Bernabéu on Wednesday night when Champions league holders Real Madrid host Borussia Dortmund in the Spanish capital.

The winner of this massive clash will top Group F and give themselves a huge advantage in the knock-out stages, and of all the final matches at the group stages, this one looks by some way the best.

Madrid is six points clear at the top of La Liga; the weekend draw with title rivals Barcelona was their 22nd match of the season still yet to taste a defeat, and I can’t see them losing this one.

Zinedine Zidane’s side are 1.91 favourites for the win with a whole host of bookies, and they are proving a very popular selection, but Dortmund arrive in good form and they aren’t to be underestimated.

The Bundesliga side has lost just once in the last 11 matches and they are 4.20 for the win.

In the 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture they were much the better side, and with them knowing that a draw will be enough for them to top the group, they may decide to come to Madrid for a point.

The draw is available at 4.00 but I can’t see that happening. If the visitors decide to defend, then it will play to the 11 times champions of Europe’s hands, and there is no better team capable of dealing with that threat than Madrid.

How’s It Going to End Up?

I think 1.91 is a good price on the home side, and even though record signing Gareth Bale is unavailable they still have the main man for the big occasion in Cristiano Ronaldo, plus I like the Portuguese superstar to open the goalscoring at the general 4.20.

If Madrid scores early it means that the game will open up and neutrals will be in for a real treat with two of the best attacking sides in the continent going all out on the attack, and both teams to score”yes” at 1.50 with Betfair Sportsbook does look a good thing.

Goals certainly look on the cards and this really could be one of the best games in the group stages, and at a huge 19.00, I am going to have a very small bet on Madrid to go one better than they did in Germany to win this 3-2 with William Hills.

An Entertaining London Derby Expected

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

IT’S a feisty London derby to look forward to on Saturday night when West Ham entertains Arsenal at The London Stadium, and it promises to be a decent watch.

After a fantastic first season in charge at West Ham for Slaven Bilic, this season has been a total shocker, and his side arrives at the crucial part of the season struggling for form with no wins from their last five matches.

The fixture list hasn’t been kind to the Hammers’ though with matches against Tottenham and Man United twice in that period, and despite the results, the performances have been encouraging, but it’s still very difficult to make a case for them in this one.

The bookies don’t give the home side much of a chance and neither do I, making Bilic’s side 4.80 for the win, and it’s hard to disagree as they’ve only managed to win twice at their new home in the Premier League all season.

Arsenal arrive in east London after a disappointing 2-0 cup defeat at home to Southampton, but not one player that featured on Wednesday night will be in the starting XI for this one, and that cup shock should be overlooked.

In the Premier League, it’s a very different story with Arsene Wenger’s side not losing since the opening day of the season; in the EPL betting markets, they are 1.80 with Betfred to keep up their good form, and I believe they will do just that.

WILL THERE BE GOALS?

Despite West Ham’s struggles they are still managing to score goals with five in their last four matches, and in every one of those games both teams have managed to find the back of the net.

It’s a very similar story at Arsenal with six of their last seven matches seeing both teams score, and I am expecting a few goals in what could be a very entertaining match-up.

Last season this fixture ended 3-3, and it’s always a clash that sees goals. I really like both teams to score at 1.66 with Bet365, and I will also be backing over 2.5 goals at the same price 1.66, plus I wouldn’t put anybody off backing over 3.5 goals at the more generous 2.62, again with Bet365.

West Ham’s Andy Carroll could feature in this one, and he caused the Arsenal defence all kinds of problems last year; but even if the England striker does feature, I believe Arsenal still have the extra firepower to edge a close one 3-2 at a massive 23.00 with Bet365 again.

Bournemouth vs Liverpool: Can Klopps Red Army March On

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Liverpool hasn’t been league champions since 1990. That is far too long for a club of this standing. They have sat back and watched a multitude of teams lift the trophy since then. Teams like Arsenal, Leeds United, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Manchester City and of course their fierce rivals Manchester United. This season could just see the end of that barren run because Jürgen Klopp is building something special this season.

They reached yet another semi-final this week by beating Leeds United 2-0 in the EFL Cup. Jürgen Klopp would love to win the EFL Cup, but it’s the league title that they all covet. It’s going to be very difficult for any team to win the league this term. The competition is very hot. Pep Guardiola and Manchester City are going to be there or thereabouts come May. It is also becoming apparent that Chelsea will come very close too.

Healing the Scars

Steven Gerrard may soon be back at Anfield in a coaching role. His recent retirement marks the end for perhaps the greatest player ever to wear a Liverpool shirt. Gerrard was also at the centre for what was one of the most memorable slips in football history. His slip that let in Chelsea to score, which gifted the title to Manchester City in 2014 will be remembered for years.

It is on a par with John Terrys’ famous penalty shootout slip in the 2008 Champions League final that would have won the cup for Chelsea. The scars from the Chelsea game still haunt the Liverpool fans. If Klopp could end that hurt, then he would surely go down in Anfield folklore. The next leg of their title challenge sees them travel to Bournemouth.

A Tough Place to Visit

The Vitality Stadium is becoming a tough place to visit for any team. Both Everton and Tottenham have gone there this season and failed to score. Eddie Howe has built an impressive team on the south coast. Once again they have made a solid start to the season and have 15pts so far. The bookies have Bournemouth at 4/1 to beat Liverpool with Coral and William Hill quoting those odds.

You can also get 16/5 on the draw with William Hill too, while the best odds for Liverpool are 8/11 with Boyle Sports. It is difficult to oppose Liverpool when they travel to any club in the bottom half of the table. The Premier League is the toughest league in Europe by none. There are no easy fixtures and Sunderland frustrated the Reds for long periods last week before conceding late goals. Liverpool only managed a 0-0 draw against Southampton recently at St Marys, and so the value seems to be either in backing Bournemouth or the draw.