Tag: Premiership

West Brom v Chelsea – Premiership Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Forecasting Premiership matches at this time of the season can be fraught with danger. The Monday night game between West Brom and Chelsea should have the feeling of a friendly about it with neither team having any meaningful incentive.

The Blues have been basking in their Premiership Title success for a couple of weeks now and only have this game before collecting their trophy at Stamford Bridge when Sunderland visit on Sunday. There has been speculation that Diego Costa may make a late season return but I cannot see Jose Mourinho taking any needless risks with his leading striker.

Had the Spaniard been one goal behind Aguero in the race for the Golden Boot, it may have been interesting. As it is, Aguero enjoyed a free-for-all courtesy of QPR last week and has it sewn up with a six goal advantage. Eden Hazard has been taking the plaudits and rightly so. He has been far and away Chelsea’s best player this season. You can hardly blame him for letting his standards dip in the 1-1 draw against Liverpool last week.

Perhaps one of the unsung heroes of the side has been Willian. He is finishing the season in really good form and it would be nice to see him hit the target. He is competitively priced at 14-1 to open the scoring and 11-2 to score at any time. His electrifying pace has been a joy to watch this season but his finishing has not quite matched it. If he can add something of the Hazard instinct for goal, he will be an even better player next season.

Chelsea beat Albion 2-0 at Stamford Bridge but that was before the arrival of Tony Pulis. He has certainly made the Baggies a tougher side to beat, despite a brief dip in form and a shock 4-1 defeat at home to QPR. They have bounced back since then and are unbeaten in their last four matches.

Mourinho will be without Ramires, Oscar and Zouma so there could be starting places for Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Isaiah Brown. It is a game that neither side will want to lose rather than one that they feel a desperate need to win. Pulis will be keen for his team to finish the season on a positive note against the champions and the best bet may be to side with a draw.

West Brom v Chelsea DRAW @5-2 Bet365

West Brom 1 Chelsea 1 @6-1 Bet365

Willian to score at any time @11-2 Unibet

Willian to score first @14-1 Unibet

Premiership Preview – Saturday 16th May

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Saturday’s Premiership action revolves around the relegation struggle with Hull City currently facing the drop. They travel to Tottenham and, with a game against Manchester United to come, only a win would revive their flagging hopes of survival.

They were very poor against Burnley last weekend and even a below par Tottenham should have too many guns for them. Harry Kane has gone off the boil in recent weeks but Hull cannot afford to sit back and hope for a draw. Spurs are still in a good position to qualify for the Europa League, even if that competition is regarded as something of a booby prize these days.

Newcastle’s miserable run of defeats finally ended with a point against West Brom last weekend. They are away at QPR who said goodbye to the Premier League with a thumping 6-0 defeat at Man City. I cannot believe that QPR can perform so badly again here and a draw might be the way to go. Sunderland and Leicester will also be looking anxiously over their shoulders while they clash at the Stadium of Light.

If Hull are beaten at Tottenham, Leicester will need only a point at Sunderland to guarantee safety. That would be celebrated like a Cup final win after looking doomed for much of the season. An incredible run of six wins in seven has put them on the brink of safety. That half-time score from White Hart Lane will definitely have a bearing on this match and I fancy another draw here.

Aston Villa look virtually certain to survive the drop but Tim Sherwood won’t be taking any chances. They travel to Southampton who have gone right off the boil in recent weeks. The Saints could even miss out on a European place and it would not be a surprise to see Villa take three points here. Christian Benteke has outscored everyone else in the Premier League since Sherwood arrived and he is worth a bet to open the scoring.

The late kick-off looks more like a Steven Gerrard Testimonial match than a Premier League game as Liverpool face Crystal Palace at Anfield. Gerrard will naturally want to make it a memorable occasion so the 7-1 about him opening the scoring may be worth a bet. Palace have no real incentive here and Alan Pardew may well introduce some youngsters.

Aston Villa to win @17-4 Bet365

Christian Benteke to score first @13-2 Paddy Power

Benteke to score and Villa win @8-1 Paddy Power

QPR v Newcastle DRAW @5-2 Bet365

QPR 1 Newcastle 1 @13-2 BetVictor

Sunderland v Leicester DRAW @23-10 Bet365

Sunderland 1 Leicester 1 @6-1 William Hill

Harry Kane to score first @4-1 Coral

Harry Kane to score and Spurs win @19-10 Ladbrokes

Spurs 3 Hull 1 @14-1 Ladbrokes

Steven Gerrard to score first @7-1 Ladbrokes

Liverpool 2 Crystal Palace 0 @7-1 Ladbrokes

Arsenal v Swansea – Premiership Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Betcirca soccer fans were in profit on Sunday to the tune of 9 ½ points after we correctly forecast the Chelsea result and goals for Aguero in Manchester City’s mauling of QPR. Monday’s action comes from the Emirates Stadium where Arsene Wenger’s Gunners bid to draw level on points with City in the battle for second spot.

Arsenal play host to Swansea who are in excellent form following victories against Stoke and Newcastle. The Gunners start the evening three points behind City in the Premiership but with two games in hand.

Garry Monk has done a remarkable job at Swansea who are pressing the fading Tottenham and Southampton in a sideshow for sixth and seventh places. There is no doubt that they should put up a good show but they have lost four of their five away games against sides in the top six this season. However, their record against Arsenal is good with three wins and a draw in seven meetings. The Swans won here in 2012 and held the Gunners to a draw last season so there is some cause for optimism for the travelling fans.

They have compensated for the loss of Bony with goals from Ki Sung-yueng, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jonjo Shelvey but Arsenal are on the crest of a wave. Only their dour stalemate with Chelsea has prevented them from a winning run of nine consecutive matches, leading at half-time and full-time in the other eight. Wenger’s men are also keen to impress the boss and secure a place in the starting XI at Wembley for the FA Cup final against Aston Villa.

Arsenal have only lost once in 34 home games and injuries to Danny Welbeck and Aaron Ramsey are unlikely to halt their progress. Alexis Sanchez has now scored 16 league goals from 30 starts including four in his last three appearances and he looks the man to follow in the goal markets on Monday.

With only two goals conceded in their last seven home games, I’m going for a 2-0 win for the Gunners with Sanchez sending them on their way.

Arsenal 2 Swansea 0 @6-1 Paddy Power

Alexis Sanchez to score first @17-4 Spreadex

Sanchez to score and Arsenal win @7-5 Paddy Power

Premiership Preview 10th May

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Sunday’s Premiership fixtures were expected to have a say in the outcome of the title race but Chelsea secured the title last weekend against Crystal Palace. That has left City battling to secure second spot and they ought to collect a fourth consecutive victory at home to QPR.

Rangers are set to pay the price for their terrible away record which just one victory in seventeen including fourteen defeats. The gap between QPR and safety is already a yawning nine points and this is probably the last place they would want to be going. Sergio Aguero scored his memorable title-winning goal in this fixture in 2011-12 and has hit the target in his last four games.

The Argentinian striker will have one eye on the Premiership Golden Boot prize and this fixture looks set up for him to add to his tally. QPR know that the game is virtually up and anything less than a shock victory will not be good enough. Charlie Austin poses a threat and it may be worth looking at 4-1 and 5-1 to City in the score markets.

Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Crystal Palace means that they are champions so you could forgive them if they suffered a slight dip in form. They welcome Liverpool to Stamford Bridge in the late kick-off and the Reds will be forming a guard of honour for the home side. I remember Manchester United having to do the same thing some years ago and we can only hope that Liverpool are more gracious than one or two of the United players that day.

Jose Mourinho has paved the way for a friendly occasion with his kind words about Liverpool Captain Steven Gerrard. The absence of Diego Costa takes out another potential flash-point after his clashes with Liverpool in the League Cup. The way to go here may be a draw and it could be worth supporting Branislav Ivanovic to get on the score-sheet. He has scored against the Reds in the past and will always be a threat from set-pieces.

Sergio Aguero to score and Man City to win @3-4 Ladbrokes

Sergio Aguero to score 2 or more goals @3-1 Skybet

Man City 4 QPR 1 @15-1 BetVictor

Man City 5 QPR 1 @25-1 BetVictor

Chelsea v Liverpool DRAW @5-2 Bet365

Chelsea 1 Liverpool 1 @13-2 BetVictor

Branislav Ivanovic to score first @20-1 Paddy Power

Branislav Ivanovic to score at any time @17-2 Unibet

Chelsea set to seal Premiership title

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There are two Premiership fixtures on Sunday and Chelsea have the chance to seal the title in the early kick-off at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues had to come back from a goal down to beat Leicester in midweek but they did so in some style. Goals from Drogba, Terry and Ramires put them on the verge of winning the title for the first time since 2010. A win over London rivals Crystal Palace will be enough to wrestle the prize away from Manchester City who have been left trailing since drawing level on points on New Year’s Day.

Chelsea have led the Premier League since the start of the season and have only been beaten twice. Defeats at Newcastle and Tottenham have been the only blips on an otherwise dominant campaign. They have come in for criticism in recent weeks for being boring but the league table does not lie and a thirteen point lead illustrates their superiority.

Jose Mourinho has been keen to keep his players focussed on the job in hand and he will not take the visitors lightly. A one-goal victory would be perfectly satisfactory, even if it does leave their supporters biting their nails for the closing minutes. The superb Hazard is likely to have Loic Remy ahead of him in attack but I am taking a punt on Nemanja Matic to score the winner. His capture was a masterstroke by Mourinho and he would be a very appropriate player to strike the championship winning goal.

If Chelsea have secured the title, there could be something of a cloud over Manchester City for the late kick-off at Tottenham. It will be a surprise if Manuel Pellegrini is still at the helm next season after a moderate campaign with no silverware. A top four spot looks virtually assured after Liverpool dropped further points at Hull so there isn’t any real pressure on City here.

Tottenham have a miserable record against City, most particularly Sergio Aguero who scored four goals in the reverse fixture. That game included four penalty awards but the result flattered City. This game should be entertaining and the sides can share the points at 2-2.

Tips

Chelsea 1 Crystal Palace 0 @6-1 Paddy Power

Nemanja Matic to score first @25-1 Paddy Power

Tottenham v Man City DRAW @11-4 Bet365

Tottenham 2 Man City 2 @13-1 BetVictor

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