Tag: premier league odds

Can the Tigers tame the Toffees?

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Hull City vs Everton may not be a fixture to arouse the passion except if you come from Hull or Liverpool. However, there are a few interesting bets on offer and is the reason why we are previewing this game. Hull have had a tough season so far. They are clearly going to be one of the teams that will either get relegated or escape by the skin of their teeth. Losing Steve Bruce was a blow and they no longer look the same team without his guidance. Mike Phelan came in to steady the boat but his lack of managerial experience as a number one is proving to be costly.

Time to Make a Move

Hull dare not risk a gap developing at the bottom of the table. History tells us that teams that sit bottom of the league on New Years’ Day rarely survive. Hull City host Everton in what will be a vital festive programme for the Tigers. Everton has been inconsistent of late and the injury time loss to close rivals Liverpool didn’t help.

There are several interesting bets on offer that represent value. Firstly we can see odds of 19-5 from BetVictor for a Hull City victory. Everton has certainly been stronger than Hull this season. The key question is does that really convert to such poor odds for the home team in this fixture? To find odds of almost 4-1 for a home team to win a Premier League fixture is a rarity.

Everton is certainly well below the level of the top clubs and odds of 19-5 do seem like value. The problem with taking such a bet is that Hull is not playing well enough to win many games. You can also get odds of 13-5 on the draw with BetVictor which is another great value bet in our opinion.

Can Everton be backed for Value?

If there is value in backing Hull and the draw then you clearly cannot have it all ways. Something has to give. By sheer definition, backing Everton cannot be value. You can get odds of 4-5 for an Everton victory with Ladbrokes. Those odds are too short given the inconsistency of Everton’s season and the fact that they are the away team.

Even if Everton should prevail and take all three points, those odds are still too short. Betting is about finding the best value bets and not just identifying which team is likely to win. Mike Phelan must realise that his team clearly needs to push on after Christmas and start picking up regular points.

Hull will need to reach at least 35pts to have a realistic chance of surviving. Their current points per game total leave them short of that figure. If Mike Phelan cannot get an increased effort from his players then he could well be the next Premier League manager to get the sack.

Key Boxing Day Match for Arsenal

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

This Boxing Day we see West Brom travel to the Emirates to take on an Arsenal side reeling for 2 consecutive league defeats. Having taken the lead in both games, Wenger will be furious that he has allowed a 9 point gap to open between his team and Chelsea. West Brom comes into this game on the back of decent form, and having lost to both Chelsea and Man United in recent games, they will be looking to Arsenal to take a scalp against one of the top teams in the league.

Getting back on track

The game against City was a real chance to keep up with the leaders while doing damage to an immediate rival, but it wasn’t to be; as against Everton in their previous game, Arsenal fell to another disappointing defeat. Their second half capitulation at the Etihad has led to some serious soul-searching, with Mesut Ozil coming under focus for a lacklustre display, and Wenger deflecting that criticism onto others in his team. Arsenal fans are looking for results rather than excuses, and a home game against West Brom seems to be the opportunity to regroup.

Looking at the head to head records we can see Arsenal have a strong pedigree of beating Albion: 14 victories, 3 draws and 3 losses for Wenger’s team, and West Brom haven’t beaten them away since 2010.

Arsenal can add Alex Oxlade Chamberlain and Shkodan Mustafi to a growing list of first team players out with injuries. In-form Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott will be available, and the focus will be on Ozil, Granit Xhaka and Francis Coquelin to make big improvements on their performances in Manchester.

Tony Pulis looking for one up against an old rival

The bitter feud between these two managers has cooled in recent years, but no doubt will Pulis be hoping to take some valuable points away against a man of whom he once said “I’ve got nothing against foreign managers, they are very nice people. Apart from Arsene Wenger.”

West Brom have been in solid form this far, sitting pretty in 8th place, they have had a tough run of games leading up to Christmas, and while there is no shame in their losses to Chelsea and United, Pulis will be looking to improve on those performances to take at least a point in North London.

West Brom has a mostly fit squad, with only Jonny Evans and James Morrison of their regular starters in doubt.

Where is the value?

It’s likely that we will see another rearguard display from Pulis’ boys. While West Brom has been fairly free-scoring against teams they are more confident of a result against, we have seen a much more cautious, organised approach against the bigger club. It’s likely that they will allow Arsenal the majority of possession while hoping to do some damage in the air from set pieces.

Arsenal to win is at 1/3 with Bet365, so it might be worth enhancing these odds, and seeing as West Brom failed to score against either Chelsea or United it could be worth taking Arsenal to Win BTTS/No at 6/5. I think this game will really depend on how Arsenal turn out on the day; if they can fire themselves up to get a result they desperately need, then they should be able to take all the points with minimal fuss. But should the flaky, unreliable Arsenal we have seen all too much of in recent times turn up, then there could be value in backing West Brom on a double chance at 2/1 with William Hill, but this is definitely an outside chance.

 

West Brom vs. Man United – Can Pulis frustrate Mourinho?

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Week 17 sees Man United head to the Hawthorns to take on West Brom for Saturday’s 17:30 fixture. United will be looking to build on improving form as they try to salvage something from their worst start to a Premier League campaign since 1989. After putting together a decent run of results they are just about keeping pace with battle for European places in 6th. In contrast, Pulis’ West Brom are having a fantastic start to the season, only 4 points and 1 place behind United in 7th, having scored 1 more goal than Jose’s £718 million squad have managed.

The Devils comes to Albion

December has been good to United so far, they go into this game on the back of two consecutive wins against Tottenham at home and Palace away, and having qualified for the next round of the Europa League. One serious problem they have exhibited in the season so far is an inability to kill games off, leading to throwing away leads in the last 10 minutes. We saw this with Everton, Stoke and, most bitterly, against Arsenal at Old Trafford. The last two results seem to buck this trend and show a United with strength of character and mental resilience more resembling that of years gone past. This was especially clear in the Palace game, where they were able to turn a draw into 3 points in the 88th minute. It seems like United are finally pulling together some good form.

Bailly going off on Wednesday, and almost certainly missing the game on Saturday, contributes to a small injury crisis at United, especially in defence. They will be without him, Smalling and Shaw at the back, and emerging attacking prospect Henrik Mkhitaryan is out until late December.

Bagging a result

West Brom is looking like they could be this season’s surprise package. The steady leadership of Tony Pulis has seen them rise to the dizzying heights of 7th place after a string of solid performances. Last Sunday saw them take Chelsea on in an impressive organised, defensive display; only conceding and losing the match through a superb piece of play by star striker Diego Costa. Wednesday night’s game saw them take apart Swansea in all of 13 minutes, with Salomón Rondon scoring one of the few all-headed hat-tricks in Premier League history. The quality of deliveries leading to the goals is worth noting.

Their form in the last month and a half has been particularly good, with 4 wins in 6 and the only loss to Chelsea. A large part of Albion’s success so far this season has come from beating teams equal or below them in the table; against supposedly higher quality teams they have mostly come up short.
However, playing at the Hawthorns against a United team still taking Bambi-esque steps towards having any kind of form, and buoyed by their positive performance against Chelsea, Pulis may just fancy his chances for a good result. He will have an almost entirely fit squad, missing only Evans and Berahino.

Finding the value in a tight game

Expect another organised performance from West Brom, and a laboured, possession-heavy United performance. Bet 365 have Under 2.5 goals at 3/4, which seems to be good value. Coral have 1:1 at 8/1, also worth a punt. Salomón Rondon anytime goalscorer is at 11/5 on Bet Victor if you think he will be able to carry on with his goal scoring run.

An Entertaining London Derby Expected

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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.

An Exciting Clash On The South Coast Expected

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JURGEN Klopp’s table toppers Liverpool face a tricky fixture on Saturday when they make the tough trip south to take on Southampton at St Mary’s.

The Reds have stormed to the top of the Premier League table after a run of nine wins in their last ten matches; the bookies expect maximum points again for the Merseysider’s, who quoted at just a general price of 2.05 to get another win at a ground that has proven problematic over recent years.

The Saints’ have won four of their last six home matches against Liverpool, and Claude Puel’s side are in decent form themselves, so the 3.60 on the home side might appeal to a lot of punters.

This game sees a return to St Mary’s for Adam Lallana, Nathaniel Clyne, Dejan Lovern and Sadio Mane, and it’s always very difficult for players to go back to their former club with their new employees and perform well. With so many old boys returning, that would be a big concern if taking the short odds.

This match really does look a tricky one to call and a lot closer than the layers suggest, and match betting markets should be left alone.

The UK betting public are passionately in love with Liverpool and Klopp, and they are always the subject of a significant gamble with their odds always far too short come kick-off time, but their punters keep winning, and until they get their fingers burnt it’s not going to stop.

Whenever these two sides meet we normally see goals, and that is the angle to get involved in at the weekend to make a profit.

These two met three times last season and 14 goals were scored in those games. Both teams scored in every meeting, and although it’s short, the 1.66 with Bet365 on both teams scoring on Saturday is a bet for high staking punters, or a must for smaller multiple backers.

Liverpool has certainly been the entertainers in the Premier League this season, with both teams scoring in their last four matches, and in eight of their last ten.

In the last two Liverpool Premier League games 13 goals have featured, and with over 2.5 goals resulting in a winning wager in NINE of those ten, the general 1.75 on over 2.5 goals also looks a nice bet for the neutrals to enjoy.

With goals firmly on the agenda, this could turn into a real classic, and with it proving very difficult for me to find a winner, I am going to have a cheeky £1 on the match to end 3-3 at a huge 56.00 with BetVictor.

Premier League Betting: Can City Hang Tough at Selhurst Park

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Manchester City faces a real fight if they are to win the Premier League in Pep Guardiola’s’ first season. The bookies made City and neighbours United strong favourites in the football betting markets back in August. Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham have all made strong starts to the season. This has increased the pressure on Guardiola. Their recent 3-1 win against Barcelona will have done wonders for the teams’ morale.

City Need to Bounce Back

Only five points separate the top five teams. This season is shaping up to be the most exciting season for years. Six teams are in with a shout of taking the title. The dramatic win against Barcelona may have been a great result for City, but that didn’t prevent them from tumbling back down to earth several days later.

The 1-1 draw at home to Middlesbrough was yet another game where the Sky Blues have dropped valuable points this season. They now trail Liverpool by two points after leading the division by four points just a few weeks ago. Another defeat would not go down too well at the Etihad, especially when they face a tough trip next week to Germany in the Champions League.

Can Pardew hang with Pep

Alan Pardew is one of the longest serving Premier League managers. He has a history of beating the big teams on the big occasions. Selhurst Park is a tight little ground that no away team likes. Their supporters generate a terrific atmosphere, and very few teams come away from Palace with an easy win.

Palace is certainly a team that can rough up their opponents. Guardiola still seems to be having problems with the City defence. Players like John Stones seem to be caught between the two objectives of needing to be expansive and eliminating mistakes. City is as short as 1-2 with Bet365, while they also quote Palace at 5-1 for the home win.

The Value isn’t with City

The Premier League is a tough uncompromising division. Any team in the league can go on a run of negative results at any time. So the question is, are the bookies reading too much into the fact that Palace has lost their last four games, and only have one win in six? City recently went on a similar winless run, but then beat West Brom 4-0 away, and Barcelona 3-1 within a matter of days.

If you fancy City to be denied and be held to a draw yet again, then BetVictor offer an attractive 19/5. It’s difficult to be overly confident in any team that can beat Barcelona 3-1, and then be held 1-1 at home to Middlesbrough several days later.