Tag: Premier League

United revival to continue against Stoke

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Chelsea’s failure to beat Sunderland at the weekend has offered a glimmer of hope to those pursuing the Premiership leaders. The busy Christmas fixture list always plays a vital part in the title race and there are some interesting midweek fixtures to kick-off a hectic month.

Manchester United have climbed back up to fourth place after a run of three consecutive victories, the first time that they have achieved this since Louis van Gaal took over in the summer. They still have defensive problems but have plenty of options going forward. Angel Di Maria picked up a hamstring injury inside ten minutes against Hull on Saturday and will miss tonight’s clash with Stoke.

Wayne Rooney is enjoying one of the most consistent scoring spells of his career at present, seemingly revitalised by being awarded the captaincy at club and International level. Van Persie scored a vital goal to silence his critics and they also have Falcao waiting in the wings. Juan Mata has been completely overshadowed since the influx of new players in the summer but he has been showing signs of his best form recently and could be the key player on Tuesday. Take a chance on the former Chelsea man opening the scoring in a comfortable home win.

Liverpool scrambled a 1-0 win over Stoke on Saturday, although they were clinging on grimly in injury-time. Brendan Rodgers will re-instate with Steven Gerrard in the line-up at struggling Leicester. The Foxes were unlucky not to get a point at QPR in a match that saw an incredible 51 attempts on goal. I don’t expect tonight’s game to be anything like as entertaining and can see Liverpool sneaking another 1-0 victory.

One of the key stats tonight is the fact that QPR are yet to register a single point on their travels. That does not bode well for the visit to eighth-placed Swansea who have only lost once at home this season. Wilfried Bony has been leading their attack well and he can add to his tally of six goals in another poor away-day for Harry Redknapp’s men.

Newcastle’s revival hit the buffers at West Ham on Saturday, ending a run of five consecutive wins. Alan Pardew will be looking for an immediate response at Burnley, another side who have pulled their socks up recently. The home side are unbeaten in three games and their fans will make sure that there is a cup tie atmosphere at Turf Moor tonight. I can see this game ending in a draw, not a bad result for either side.

Burnley v Newcastle DRAW @23-10 Bet365

Leicester 0 Liverpool 1 @9-1 William Hill

Wilfried Bony to score and Swansea win @9-4 Betfred

Juan Mata to score first @7-1 Paddy Power

Wayne Rooney to score and Man United win @11-10 Paddy Power

Premier League Preview Nov 29th – 30th

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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

Saints to march on at Villa Park

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

High-flying Southampton visit Aston Villa on Monday night aiming to close to within four points of Premiership leaders Chelsea.

Many had forecast a difficult season for Saints after the loss of their coach and several key first-team players but such predictions have proved hopelessly wide of the mark. They surprised many on the opening day of the season at Anfield when only the woodwork prevented them from taking at least a point. Only Tottenham have managed to beat them since and they arrive at Villa Park on the back of five straight wins and eleven in their last twelve competitive fixtures.

It looks as though Dusan Tadic and Morgan Schneiderlin should be fit enough to take part but injuries are undoubtedly the biggest threat to Southampton’s impressive run of form. They have started only fifteen players so far this season while Liverpool and Manchester United have used 21 and 22 respectively. There is already talk of Koeman strengthening his squad in the January transfer window but there is a difficult run of fixtures before then.

In the course of the next month, Southampton’s mettle will be tested by both Manchester clubs, Arsenal, Everton and leaders Chelsea. Most pundits will be expecting the Saints to struggle but Koeman is taking one match at a time. He is not pleased about the fixture congestion over Christmas but a victory on Monday night will further underline their claims for a top four spot.

Aston Villa started the season brightly but Paul Lambert’s side have fallen away badly in recent weeks. They have only taken a point from their last five matches and it is hardly the run of form that Lambert would have wanted to bring into his 100th game at the helm. That goalless draw at Upton Park at least showed that his players are battling to stop the rot, although the injuries to Fabian Delph and Philippe Senderos and the suspension of Christian Benteke are severe blows.

Graziano Pelle has already scored 10 times this season for Saints and he could be the difference between the sides. Villa keeper Brad Guzan had to work overtime to keep West Ham at bay and can be expected to be busy again this evening. Southampton have knuckled down when they have needed to in recent weeks and I can see them poaching another win here.

Tips

Pelle to score and Southampton to win @9-4 Betfred

Southampton to win by one goal @5-2 Bet365

Premier League Preview Nov 22nd to 24th

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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 Nov 8th – 9th

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It’s been said many times before but the top sides are often vulnerable on the weekend immediately after playing in Europe.

Two of those sides clash in the match of the weekend when Liverpool host Chelsea at Anfield in Saturday’s early kick-off. Brendan Rodgers courted controversy by dropping/resting three of his star players for the Champions League match at Real Madrid in midweek. His players saved him to a certain extent by ONLY losing 1-0, although many Liverpool supporters were understandably disappointed.

Jose Mourinho started with Oscar and Costa on the bench in Maribor but sent them out for the second half in a game that produced quite a gripping second period. The coach has been critical of some of his fringe players in recent weeks and famously fielded a supposedly weakened side at Anfield last season. They went on to win 2-0 in a game that effectively handed the title back to Manchester City. I thought Willian played very well against Maribor until substituted and he could be worth a bet at 16-1 to be MOTM.

The rest of the weekend action is a bit tame in comparison with opportunities for Man United (v Crystal Palace) and Man City (v QPR) to bounce back from their respective disappointments. City look the more suspect after their disastrous defeat at home to CSKA Moscow with two players sent off. Even if Chelsea stumble at Anfield, it is no foregone conclusion that City will close the gap.

In fact, it could be Southampton that benefit as they are at home to struggling Leicester. Ronald Koeman is no fool and he knows that it is vital to accumulate as many points as possible while this rich vein of form continues. Pelle will give Leicester plenty of problems and he could be worth noting in the goal scorer markets.

Diafra Sakho’s back in action for West Ham after missing last week’s 2-2 draw at Stoke. He will again be a popular choice in the scorer markets but why change a winning formula? Aston Villa slumped to a sixth straight defeat against Spurs and this looks like three points for the Hammers.

Arsenal looked to be in cruise control against Anderlecht but somehow allowed a 3-0 lead to disappear. Arsene Wenger must surely have read the riot act after that second half collapse and they now face a tough game at Swansea on Sunday.

A red card in the match Liverpool v Chelsea @2-1 Skybet

Willian to be man of the match @16-1 Paddy Power

Graziano Pelle to score and Southampton to win @17-10 Paddy Power

Diafra Sakho to score and West Ham to win @11-4 BWin

West Ham to beat Aston Villa @8-11 Bet365

QPR (+2 handicap) v Man City @8-11 Ladbrokes

Swansea (+1 handicap) v Arsenal @4-5 Ladbrokes

Premier League Preview Nov 1st – 3rd

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Betcirca followers made a small profit last week from our Premier League bets but it could have been so much better! Eden Hazard looked certain to score when clean through on goal against Manchester United but uncharacteristically fired straight at the keeper. The Belgian magician had tormented Maribor’s defence earlier in the week and he is worth another chance to find the killer touch against QPR on Saturday.

Chelsea fielded some of their lesser lights at Shrewsbury in the Capital One Cup but Jose Mourinho was not impressed by their scrappy 2-1 win. I expect a nearly full-strength side to line up against Harry Redknapp’s side and run out convincing winners.

Wilfried Bony did us a good turn when scoring last weekend and his Swansea side now travel to Goodison Park to play Everton. This is one of several intriguing games this weekend. Everton seem to be back to their best with Lukaku back among the goals but the Swans were very unlucky not to win at Anfield in the Cup in midweek. I think there will be goals in this match with Everton possibly just sneaking it.

The Manchester derby is a difficult one with City having hit an unexpected dip in form and United gradually improving. City’s troubles began when they allowed a two-goal lead to disappear in Moscow and they have since lost to West Ham and Newcastle. United were let off the hook by Chelsea last week but did not really do enough to convince me that they can win this one.

Diafra Sakho was highlighted in this column a couple of weeks ago and his incredible scoring streak now runs to seven consecutive matches. The world and his dog will be hoping that he can make it eight when the Hammers travel to Stoke and why shouldn’t it? Stoke will be in low spirits after losing twice to Southampton in a week and Sam Allardyce will have his tactics mapped out as usual.

Alexis Sanchez is the player in form at Arsenal and he is taken to get on the score sheet at home to Burnley with a big home win likely. Saido Berahino is another playing with his shooting boots on and he can continue the good work for West Brom this weekend at Leicester.

Newcastle stunned Tottenham last week and followed up by winning at Man City in the Capital One Cup. I don’t know how close Alan Pardew came to the sack but you have to admire his guts in toughing out. They now host a ragged Liverpool side who somehow escaped with a win over Swansea in the Cup but still look vulnerable in defence. Both sides can score in this one but the result could go either way.

Newcastle v Liverpool Both sides to score@4-6 BetVictor

Alexis Sanchez to score and Arsenal beat Burnley @11-10 Boyle Sports

Eden Hazard to score and Chelsea beat QPR @11-10 Paddy Power

Wilfried Bony to score for Swansea v Everton @5-2 Totesport

Everton v Swansea more than 2.5 goals @5-6 BetVictor

Saido Berahino to score and West Brom beat Leicester @6-1 BWin

Diafra Sakho to score and West Ham beat Stoke @6-1 BWin