Tag: man City

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

Chelsea to re-enforce Title claims

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

From the media reaction to Chelsea’s 0-0 draw at Sunderland on Saturday you would think that Jose Mourinho’s side were in crisis. Manchester City closed the gap to six points by winning at Southampton on Sunday while Arsenal and Man United are 11 and 13 points adrift respectively.

It certainly was not a vintage Chelsea performance at the Stadium Of Light, perhaps suffering a little from their fantastic 5-0 win in Germany in midweek. Perhaps more significant was the booking picked up by leading scorer Diego Costa, ruling him out of the Spurs clash on Wednesday night due to suspension.

His place is likely to be taken by Didier Drogba who has looked sharper with each appearance this season. Spurs may feel some relief that Costa is not present but Drogba has a good record against them and is still a fearsome opponent. Eden Hazard and Willian have been running rings around most defences this season but have not been converting a high percentage of chances. This could be the time for Hazard to return to goal scoring ways in another home victory.

Sunderland battled for 90 minutes and fully deserved their point on Saturday. They now have to do the same with Champions Man City the visitors. The glimmer of hope for Sunderland is the news that Kompany is out, leaving a makeshift defence. City have been leaning heavily on Sergio Aguero so far this season but they showed at St Mary’s that they have plenty of other players capable of scoring, Frank Lampard included. I cannot see the Black Cats holding out here, despite having beaten City 1-0 in their last four clashes here.

Southampton’s bubble appears to have burst with the onset of a run of tough fixtures. The warning signs were clear at Villa Park on Monday where they had to fight hard for a point before suffering a 3-0 loss at home to City. A trip to the Emirates Stadium could see a second consecutive loss, although they did beat a sub-standard Arsenal side here in the League Cup. Olivier Giroud should be sharper for his 80 minutes at West Brom on Saturday and he can get his name on the score-sheet in a home win.

The final game on Wednesday should result in three points for Everton against struggling Hull City. The Tigers have looked pretty toothless of late while Everton nearly snatched a point at White Hart Lane.

Eden Hazard to score and Chelsea win @9-4 Bwin

Sergio Aguero to score and Man City win @7-5 Betfred

Olivier Giroud to score and Arsenal win @11-4 Bwin

Premier League Preview Nov 29th – 30th

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

If Chelsea could replay one match from last season it would be the home game against Sunderland in April. They suffered their first loss at Stamford Bridge under Jose Mourinho after an incredible run of 77 games.

They had taken the lead early on but failed to convert several chances before allowing Sunderland back into the game. In desperately chasing a winner, they were caught out on the break and a slip from Azpilicueta resulted in a penalty that gave Sunderland all three points. The game ended with angry scenes as Mourinho’s assistant Rui Faria was sent to the stands after confronting referee Mike Dean.

After Chelsea’s brilliant performance in beating Schalke 5-0 away on Tuesday, they will be looking to continue their dominance in the Premier League with a win at the Stadium of Light. Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas continue to impress and it may be worth taking a chance on the latter scoring first on Saturday. He has scored more goals against Sunderland than he has against any other Premiership side.

The early kick-off is at the Hawthorns where Arsenal will be anxious to return to winning form in the League. They have lost their last two matches against Swansea and Manchester United but steadied the ship by securing their place in the knockout phase of the Champions League on Wednesday.

Alexis Sanchez is in unstoppable form at the moment but the man to support here could be Olivier Giroud. He missed the game against Dortmund as he omitted from the Champions League squad through injury. He looked very sharp when coming on and scoring against United last week.

Man United have crept quietly into the top four after a poor start. Their last-gasp equaliser against Chelsea and win at Arsenal have suddenly given the team renewed confidence. They should brush aside a dour Hull City side without too much difficulty with Rooney and Di Maria likely goal scorers.

Liverpool are something of a mystery at the moment and did not exactly shine with a 2-2 draw against Ludogorets in midweek. They are at home to Stoke and would gladly take three points in any way, shape or form right now. They should just manage it but possibly by just a single goal.

Sunday’s action features high-flying Southampton against Man City. The Saints dropped points at Villa Park on Monday and most pundits will be waiting for them to start their inevitable slide down the table over Christmas. They have some tough games ahead of them but at least they catch City on the rebound from their epic clash with Bayern Munich. Take Southampton to hold out for another draw despite the presence of Sergio Aguero.

Olivier Giroud to score and Arsenal win @9-4 Paddy Power

Cesc Fabregas to score first v Sunderland @9-1 Ladbrokes

Diego Costa to score and Chelsea win @6-5 Ladbrokes

Man United to win by 3 or more goals @31-10 Boylesports

Wayne Rooney to score and United win @7-5 Bwin

Angel Di Maria to score first v Hull @6-1 Bet365

Liverpool to win by a single goal @11-4 Skybet

Southampton and Man City DRAW @23-10 Skybet

Man City face Champions League exit

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

With two games remaining, Manchester City are bottom of group E and preparing for the visit of Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.

That is certainly not the scenario that Manuel Pellegrini would have had in mind when the draw was made. While most pundits would have made Bayern strong favourites to win the group, City were expected to beat Roma and CSKA Moscow in the battle for second place.

City were held to a draw by Roma in their opening group game before suffering a 1-0 defeat in Munich thanks to a late goal by Boateng. The real damage was done when they forfeited a two-goal lead in Moscow. They have struggled to achieve any consistency since that night in October, slumping to a home defeat against CSKA in the return fixture.

A hard-fought 2-1 win over Swansea at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday at least kept them within a respectable distance of Chelsea in the Premier League. Whether they showed enough to seriously worry Bayern Munich on Tuesday is open to question. The gulf between Premiership football and Champions League football is something that City are yet to cross. Two-time EPL winners but only once have they managed to go beyond the group stages in Europe and it is looking ominous again this season.

A full-strength City at their best would certainly have high expectations against a Bayern side that may be tempted to take their foot off the pedal with the group already won. However, City go into this match in patchy form and without Yaya Toure, David Silva and Fernandinho. There has been speculation that all is not well with Sergio Aguero and Stevan Jovetic but Pellegrini insists that both are fit to start on Tuesday night.

Bayern have won their first four matches, scoring eleven goals and conceding just one. They will the group irrespective of what happens in their final group games. Their recent record is not unlike Chelsea’s. They are unbeaten in 18 matches and scored seven against Roma earlier in the tournament. They have strikers of the calibre of Lewandowski, Robben and Muller available against a City defence that is far from secure.

Man City have no choice but to attack and that could play into the hands of the visitors. It should be an entertaining night but I can’t see Bayern coming away with less than a draw.

Correct score 1-1 @7-1 BetVictor

Correct score 2-2 @14-1 William Hill

Premier League Preview Nov 22nd to 24th

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Premier League returns on Saturday after the International break with Chelsea four points clear at the top.

Bookmaker Paddy Power has already paid out on the Blues winning the title and you can actually back them at better odds to win on Saturday than to win the league. Their next opponents are West Brom who have given Chelsea a few problems in recent matches. The Blues have only beaten them once in their last five meetings.

Of course, there are differences with this Chelsea team. Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas were declared unfit for Spain’s International fixtures but are both fit to start on Saturday. It would be no surprise to see Costa on the score sheet yet again.

Manchester City were probably glad of the International break after a poor run of form in League and Cup. Sergio Aguero has kept City in touch at the top of the table but they cannot afford to let the gap get any bigger. They already trail Chelsea by eight points and will be tested by the visit of Swansea. The Welsh side have made a very impressive start to the season and could draw level with City if they were to pull off a shock win. The bet here is for City to edge it by a single goal.

Newcastle have turned their season around with five straight wins. Full credit for Alan Pardew who has been under intense pressure from the media this season. They face QPR who have also shown signs of a revival under Harry Redknapp. A win over Aston Villa followed gallant efforts against Liverpool and Manchester United. Newcastle can extend their winning run with the advantage of home support.

The big game on Saturday is the tea-time kick-off between Arsenal and Man United. The Gunners will be sweating on late fitness tests for Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck but they should be fit to start. Welbeck would be dismayed if he were to miss a clash against his former club but Sanchez is the man with the golden touch lately. He can again be Arsenal’s match winner against a United side that continues to have defensive problems.

Liverpool and Spurs both have tricky looking fixtures at Crystal Palace and Hull respectively. You just don’t know what you will get from either side at the moment so I am going to swerve both matches. Finally, the Saints should go marching on at Villa Park on Monday night. Villa were desperately poor against QPR while Southampton seem to have plenty of attacking options.

Diego Costa to score and Chelsea win @10-11 Ladbrokes

Sergio Aguero to score and Man City win @11-10 BetFred

Man City to win by one goal @11-4 Bet365

Alexis Sanchez to score and Arsenal to win @11-4 Paddy Power

Newcastle to beat QPR @5-6 Bet365

Southampton to beat Aston Villa @4-5 William Hill

Premier League Preview Oct 4th – 5th

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

After a busy week of European football, the best of the Premier League action is reserved for Sunday.

Chelsea host Arsenal with the Gunners still smarting from their 6-0 thrashing in Arsene Wenger’s 1000th game in charge. The Blues raced into a 2-0 lead in the first seven minutes before Kieran Gibbs was sent off for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlin’s handball. Things went from bad to worse for Wenger and it seemed for a while that his long reign at Arsenal was drawing to a close.

The FA Cup and Champions League qualification were sufficient to give him a lifeline for this season and Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Galatasaray has raised expectations yet again for their supporters. Their form has been patchy in the League and their recent record against Chelsea is poor.

Jose Mourinho’s side had much the tougher Champions League fixture this week in a gruelling encounter with Sporting Lisbon. Diego Costa spent as much time on the floor as on his feet on Tuesday night but Mourinho is adamant that he will start on Sunday. If teams become fixated in stopping Costa, Chelsea have plenty of other players capable of hitting the target. Take Chelsea to edge it by a single goal.

Manchester United host Everton on Sunday with the Toffees returning from a 1-1 draw in Russia on Thursday. United obviously have no European distractions this week so have a huge advantage. Their incredible 5-3 defeat at Leicester reminded United fans that it takes more than £150million of talent to make a team. Van Gaal will have been working overtime in trying to sort out their defensive frailties and this looks like a game that they can win.

Southampton continued their incredible run to second in the table by beating QPR last week. The spelling may be slightly different but Pelle lived up to his name with a wonder goal to seal the three points. They travel to Tottenham on Sunday and a meeting with old boss Mauricio Pochettino. Spurs have had their ups and downs this season but played well at Arsenal and this could result in a draw.

Liverpool suffered a 1-0 defeat in Basel on Wednesday and their Champions League prospects look bleak with two matches against Real Madrid ahead of them. Their league form has been indifferent and a home game against West Brom on Saturday is exactly the sort of game to pose problems. Rather like United, they are having trouble moulding a team out of a bunch of talented individuals and Brendan Rodgers will be looking for signs of improvement here.

Manchester City were held by Roma on Wednesday and now travel to Aston Villa. A draw was not the result that they were hoping for but they played well against a good side. Frank Lampard continues to impress and he has scored more goals against Villa than any other Premiership side. I would be surprised if he doesn’t play a part on Saturday and City can grab a comfortable three points.

Liverpool 1 West Brom 0 @15-2 BetVictor

Aston Villa 1 Man City 3 @12-1 William Hill

Frank Lampard to score first @7-1 Paddy Power

Man United 3 Everton 0 @15-1 BetVictor

Chelsea 2 Arsenal 1 @8-1 Bet365

Tottenham 1 Southampton 1 @13-2 BetVictor