Tag: Nigel Pearson

Leicester v Chelsea Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

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

 

 

Arsenal to pile the pressure on Pearson

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Premiership title race took a big swing in Chelsea’s direction at the weekend with Man City stumbling to a draw at home to Hull City. There is still plenty of time for further twists and turns with the top two in action again on Wednesday night.

Tuesday night sees five of the bottom six teams in action with two relegation battles and Leicester visiting Arsenal. The Foxes have been in the news in recent days for media speculation surrounding the future of coach Nigel Pearson.

Pearson was involved in an undignified scuffle with Crystal Palace midfield James McArthur in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat. Rumours circulated that he had been sacked and four hours passed before the club issued a denial. The bookmakers see it as no more than delaying the inevitable and are already betting on Pearson’s successor.

A trip to the Emirates is not ideal for a manager under fire, particularly with the Gunners keen to erase memories of their weekend defeat in the North London derby. Arsenal led in that match through Mesut Ozil but two goals from Harry Kane allowed Spurs to leapfrog their rivals in the chase for a Champions League spot. With Tottenham facing a tricky visit to Anfield on Tuesday, Arsenal could easily repair the damage with a comfortable home win.

Arsene Wenger felt that the loss of Alexis Sanchez to a hamstring injury prior to Saturday’s game was a big blow. His leading scorer is fit to return to action and it will be very surprising if he is not in the starting line-up. With the likes of Ozil and Walcott approaching peak form, Arsenal can win this to pile further pressure on Pearson.

Tottenham have performed better in the big games than they have done in previous seasons but are still prone to the odd slip-up. Their recent record against Liverpool is abysmal but they managed to stop Chelsea and Arsenal in their tracks. The match is being billed as the clash between Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane but it is more likely to be contested in midfield. Liverpool lacked creativity against Everton in the bore draw at Goodison Park and could face another stalemate here.

The two relegation battles are difficult to call, particularly in the light of fine performances from Aston Villa and Hull at the weekend. Villa emerged with credit despite losing at home to Chelsea and ended their long wait for a goal just minutes short of eleven hours. Hull were desperately unlucky not to win at the Etihad and they will also be encouraged. A draw looks the most likely outcome.

QPR’s away form is the stuff of legends with no points in twelve matches. Sunderland are the hosts this time and Gus Poyet’s team could take a giant step towards safety with three points here. The signing of Jermain Defoe is looking like a good piece of business and the Black Cats are taken to edge it by a single goal.

Sunderland to win by a single goal @13-5 BetVictor

Jermain Defoe to score at any time @7-5 Paddy Power

Alexis Sanchez to score and Arsenal win @5-4 Ladbrokes

Arsenal 3 Leicester 0 @8-1 Bet365

Hull v Aston Villa DRAW @9-4 Bet365

Liverpool v Tottenham DRAW @29-10 Bet365