Tag: Man United

Premiership Preview April 4th – 6th

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Premier League returns after the International break and kicks off with the lunchtime clash between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates.

Arsenal have the incentive of moving above Man City into second place with the champions not due to play until Monday. Their recent form has been impressive, including their brave attempt to overturn a 3-1 deficit in the Champions League against Monaco. They could not quite manage the 3-0 win that they needed but I was impressed with their all-out attack that night.

Olivier Giroud is the man in form with Alexis Sanchez having gone off the boil slightly in recent weeks. Arsene Wenger has plenty of attacking options including Theo Walcott and they should be able to unlock the Liverpool defence. The visitors are currently on a run of six away games without conceding but the suspension picked up by Martin Skrtel could prove damaging.

Liverpool’s hopes of a top four spot will be severely dented if they lose this one with Manchester United also having improved in recent weeks. The Red Devils grabbed a 2-1 win at Anfield last time, courtesy of two goals from Juan Mata. The Spaniard has been steady rather than spectacular this season but produced a piece of individual brilliance to seal the points.

With Wayne Rooney also in good form, it is difficult to see Aston Villa coming away with anything from Old Trafford this weekend. Tim Sherwood should be able to steer them to safety and they still have the FA Cup to chase.

Jose Mourinho has been busy with his calculator and the Blues need six wins and a draw to seal the title from their remaining nine games. Those fixtures include Arsenal, Liverpool and Man United so they cannot afford to drop points at home to Stoke. They have a phenomenal record against the Potters but may start without Diego Costa. His hamstring is still an issue, although he is in Saturday’s squad.

Harry Kane did not hit the target for England against Italy but will still be basking in the glory of his goal against Lithuania on his debut. Tottenham travel to Burnley on Sunday and should be good enough to take all three points. Sunderland take on Newcastle in desperate need of points but they cannot expect any favours from their Tyneside rivals.

Man City could find themselves in fourth place by the time they face Crystal Palace on Monday night. They could be trailing Chelsea by nine points so they will need to dig deep to keep their title hopes alive. Sergio Aguero has a habit of bailing them out when they need it and he can do so again on Monday.

Arsenal to beat Liverpool @10-11 William Hill

Olivier Giroud to score at any time @13-10 Bet365

Man United (-1) to beat Aston Villa @5-6 Paddy Power

Juan Mata to score at any time @2-1 Totesport

Chelsea (-1) to beat Stoke @5-6 Paddy Power

Tottenham to beat Burnley @5-4 BetVictor

Harry Kane to score at any time @6-5 BetVictor

Sergio Aguero to score at any time @9-10 BetVictor

Premiership Preview – Sunday 22nd March

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

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

FA Cup Quarter-Final Preview

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The FA Cup dominates the weekend football with only one Premiership match taking place. The powers-that-be have saved the best until last with Manchester United’s clash with reigning champions Arsenal on Monday.

The action gets under way at lunchtime on Saturday with the un-inspiring game between Bradford and Reading. Bradford are still euphoric from their 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge and saw off Sunderland in the last round. Having claimed two Premiership scalps, they will be bitterly disappointed if they cannot beat Reading but this could be a tight contest. Reading have won their last three matches in the competition away from home. There have been red cards in recent meetings between these two so stand by for a stormy encounter.

Aston Villa and West Brom will be sick of the sight of each other if they cannot get a result inside 90 minutes. The two slugged it out on Tuesday night with Tim Sherwood delighting the home fans with his pitch-side antics. Quite where the FA Cup fits in with their battle to stay in the Premier League I am not so sure but this looks ominously like draw material.

Liverpool became tournament favourites after the draw gave them a home tie with Blackburn. They are not playing the same fast-flowing football that nearly won them the league last season but they are grinding out results. A 2-1 win over champions Man City was backed up by a midweek victory over Burnley to keep them in the chase for a Champions League place next season. They should have too many guns for Rovers, particularly with Daniel Sturridge gradually returning to form.

Man United have worked their way into the top four but you wouldn’t know it from the press reports. We keep reading about “long-ball football” and the miserable form of Di Maria and Falcao and yet United are fourth in the table. They have not exactly worked teams over this season but fortune seems to be on their side. Tim Krul’s brainstorm gave them a 1-0 win in midweek at Newcastle and they will be relishing the clash with Arsenal.

The Gunners are a bit of a puzzle with solid league performances either side of that horror show in the Champions League against Monaco. They are defending their precious silverware and odds of 2-1 look generous.

Bradford to beat Reading @13-8 Betfred

Aston Villa v West Brom DRAW @11-5 Matchbook

Liverpool (-1.0) to beat Blackburn Rovers @10-11 Sportingbet

Arsenal to beat Man United @2-1 Bet365

FA Cup Fifth Round Preview

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Betcirca football followers were 20 points up on Wednesday night’s Premiership games after we correctly forecast the score for the matches at Old Trafford and St Mary’s. Profits could easily have been doubled had Branislav Ivanovic broken the deadlock at Stamford Bridge. Unfortunately he had one disallowed, blazed another over the bar and had a decent shot saved by Howard in the Everton goal.

The Premiership gives way to the FA Cup this weekend and the shock exit of Chelsea and Man City in the last round has left us with a rather bland set of fixtures. No doubt supporters of the sixteen remaining clubs would beg to differ so we’ll see if we can find some value bets for die-hard FA Cup enthusiasts.

The tie of the round is probably Crystal Palace versus Liverpool, Saturday’s late kick-off. The Reds survived by the skin of their teeth in the previous round against Bolton and struck late again in midweek against Spurs. That 3-2 victory has re-ignited their hopes of finishing in the top four so there must be danger of some squad rotation from Brendan Rodgers on Saturday.

If any Premiership team is going to be fully committed to the FA Cup you would expect them to be those in mid-table, not worried by relegation but too far down to be in contention for Europe. Crystal Palace fit the bill quite nicely and it may be worth taking Alan Pardew’s men to cause an upset.

The early kick-off sees West Brom host West Ham and I favour the home side to capitalise on the fact that the Hammers have endured two very tough matches in the past week. They were robbed of a victory in injury-time by Man United on Sunday but clung on with ten men against Southampton on Wednesday. They lost their goalkeeper to a red card and Andy Carroll picked up another knock so it could be a patched-up West Ham team that takes the field.

I don’t see Arsenal slipping up against Middlesbrough on Sunday and they can be backed to win comfortably and it should be a similar story for Man United at Preston on Monday. Van Gaal’s team selection is anybody’s guess so the goalscorer markets may be best avoided. It is difficult to predict the outcome of the game between managerless Aston Villa and rudderless Leicester while Stoke could struggle at Blackburn after their 4-1 home defeat by Man City.

Crystal Palace to beat Liverpool by one goal @9-2 Paddy Power

West Brom to beat West Ham @7-5 Bet365

Saido Berahino to score at any time @2-1 Betfair

Arsenal (-1.0 handicap) to beat Middlesbrough @6-5 Bet365

Man United (-1.0 handicap) to beat Preston @5-4 Bet365

Sheffield United chasing more Cup glory

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There are some intriguing FA Cup replays on Tuesday night in a competition blown wide open by the shock departure of Chelsea and Man City.

The obvious beneficiaries are holders Arsenal and the resurgent Man United. The Red Devils are in action at home to Cambridge United who put up a plucky performance in a 0-0 draw to earn a replay. Bookmakers are giving the League two minnows little chance of joining Middlesbrough and Bradford as “giant-killers”. You can get 40-1 about the visitors and any value in this tie may be in going for United to rack up some goals.

They put three past Leicester in the first half at the weekend but did not add to their tally. Team selection is always difficult to anticipate for Cup ties but rumour has it that Wayne Rooney will lead the attack with Falcao and Van Persie on the bench. Whatever line-up Van Gaal opts for, United should be able to see off their rivals handsomely.

The best value bet of the day is arguably Sheffield United in their home replay against Preston. Nigel Clough’s side put up a brave fight in the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup last week before losing 3-2 on aggregate to Tottenham. The Blades gave their supporters plenty to cheer about that night and have already accounted for Southampton and West Ham this season.

They also enjoyed a fine FA Cup run last season, beating Aston Villa and Fulham before losing to Hull in a pulsating semi-final. The prize on offer here is a possible home tie with Man United in the next round and that is an enticing prospect. Preston held their own in the reverse fixture but their league form is on the slide. The Blades look great value at around 6-4 to win in 90 minutes and could also be worth a flutter on the handicap market.

The final replay on Tuesday sees Gus Poyet’s Sunderland travel to Fulham. These two sides fought out a dull 0-0 draw at the Stadium of Light, a result that was greeted with a chorus of boos from the home supporters. Poyet is focussed on keeping Sunderland in the Premiership and a 2-0 win over Burnley on Saturday pulled them four points clear of the drop zone. There is still plenty of work to do but the fact that Jermain Defoe was on the score-sheet will have been a boost. His signing could prove pivotal to Sunderland’s survival prospects.

Fulham welcome back former Chelsea and Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker who was absent for the first match but their in-form striker Ross McCormack is the danger man for Sunderland. He scored a hat-trick in the recent 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest and also scored in the 2-1 defeat at Blackburn last weekend. This looks a really tough one to call so I am siding with a draw at 90 minutes.

Sheffield United to beat Preston @29-20 BetVictor

Sheffield United (-1.0 handicap) @4-1 Paddy Power

Man United to win by 3 or more goals @4-5 Sky Bet

Fulham v Sunderland DRAW at 90 minutes @2-1 Bet365

Premier League Preview 17th-19th January

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Chelsea have an opportunity to move five points clear at the top of the Premier League on Saturday when they visit Swansea. Their task seems to have been made a little easier by the sale of Wilfried Bony to Man City in midweek, although the Blues still need to banish their nightmare performance at White Hart Lane from their minds.

Victories over Watford and Newcastle have steadied the ship and both were achieved without conceding. It will be interesting to see whether Petr Cech is allowed to keep his place with Courtois fit to resume between the posts. After a sleepy first half last week against the Magpies, the Blues turned on the style in the second half with Diego Costa looking particularly sharp. He does not look happy until he’s scored and he can continue to be a thorn in the bookmakers’ side.

Champions Man City do not play until Sunday when they welcome Arsenal to the Etihad. The Gunners have looked good against mediocre opposition but their defeat to Southampton was a reminder that they still have to improve to cement a top four spot. City were held last week by Everton despite the return of Aguero in the second half. He may need a couple of games to get back to full fitness and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Arsenal grab a point from this one.

The match of the day this week could be at Loftus Road where Harry Redknapp’s QPR host Man United. Rangers extended their awful away form to ten successive defeats at Burnley but are tough to beat at home, suffering only two defeats so far this season. United faltered at home to a well organised Southampton side on Sunday and this could be quite a scrap. I’m going for goals in this one and United to escape with a 3-2 victory.

The rest of the weekend’s fixtures are less inspiring and it may be worth linking several of them up as draws. Liverpool may make hard work of beating Aston Villa and the same goes for Tottenham at home to Sunderland. The games at Leicester, Burnley and Newcastle could all go the same way. Southampton may have been impressive at Old Trafford but the Magpies put up a good fight at Stamford Bridge and won’t be a pushover.

The Monday night game sees Everton host West Brom with the spotlight still on Roberto Martinez after their unlucky FA Cup exit at West Ham. They showed battling spirit in that match and against City last weekend but are no certainty to beat Albion.

Liverpool to beat Villa by one goal @13-5 Ladbrokes

Burnley v Crystal Palace DRAW @9-4 Bet365

Leicester v Stoke DRAW @12-5 Betfred

QPR 2 Man United 3 @28-1 Bet365

QPR v Man United over 3.5 goals at 21-10 BetVictor

Diego Costa scores and Chelsea win @13-8 Paddy Power

Swansea 0 Chelsea 2 @13-2 BetVictor

Newcastle v Southampton DRAW @12-5 Ladbrokes

Tottenham to beat Sunderland by one goal @14-5 BetVictor

West Ham v Hull DRAW @11-4 Bet365

Man City v Arsenal DRAW @3-1 Betfair

Everton v West Brom DRAW @13-5 Coral