Tag: Soccer tips

Chelsea to maintain Premiership advantage

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Chelsea and Manchester City each face tricky opposition on Wednesday night in the Premier League. The London club moved seven points clear of the champions on Saturday courtesy of Branislav Ivanovic’s fine drive against Aston Villa. They now face Everton at Stamford Bridge as leading scorer Diego Costa sits out the final match of his suspension for the stamping incident against Liverpool last month.

Everton have not won at the Bridge in their last twenty visits and were beaten 6-3 in an extraordinary game at Goodison Park earlier in the season. Roberto Martinez’s team were hovering dangerously close to the drop zone before their victory over Crystal Palace recently. A dour 0-0 draw with Liverpool suggests that they have steadied the ship and should provide a tough test for Jose Mourinho’s side. If the Blues are to go on to be crowned champions, these are just the sort of games that they need to grind out a result. Ivanovic scored a vital goal against Liverpool prior to his strike against Villa and looks over-priced in the goals markets.

Manchester City have been poor recently and have only picked up three points in their last four league matches. Sergio Aguero is yet to hit the target since returning from his latest injury while you have to go back to September to find Edin Dzeko’s last goal. They travel to Stoke who are in great form at present. Mark Hughes had the satisfaction of inflicting a rare home defeat on Manuel Pellegrini’s side earlier in the season and his side can cause further problems on Wednesday.

How ironic to hear Sam Allardyce criticising Manchester United for their long-ball tactics at the weekend. This is Big Sam who was positively purring with delight after parking a claret and blue bus in front of goal against Chelsea last season and escaping with a point. The Hammers are a different side altogether this season and now travel to St Mary’s hoping to dent Southampton’s hopes of a top four spot. Both sides have been struggling in front of goal recently and this match could produce a stalemate.

United salvaged a point at West Ham and should have little trouble at home to seventeenth placed Burnley. Wayne Rooney started the season in great form but has not managed a shot on target in nearly seven hours of football this year. Fortunately for United, they have plenty of other attacking options with the unlikely figure of Fellaini providing them with an old-fashioned target man when the chips are down.

The other match that takes the eye on Wednesday is Crystal Palace at home to Newcastle. Alan Pardew will relish the prospect of moving within two points of his former club with a win here. The two previous fixtures between these teams produced eleven goals so it may worth taking a punt on a 3-2 win for the Eagles.

Chelsea to beat Everton by one goal @27-10 BetVictor

Branislav Ivanovic to score first @22-1 BetVictor

Branislav Ivanovic to score at any time @8-1 Betfred

Stoke v Man City DRAW @14-5 Betfair

Southampton 0 West Ham 0 @10-1 William Hill

Man United 3 Burnley 1 @12-1 Bet365

Crystal Palace 3 Newcastle 2 @40-1 Bet365

Sheffield United chasing more Cup glory

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

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

Socceroos set for historic victory in Asian Cup

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

It isn’t often that soccer steals the limelight in Australia but that will certainly be the case on Saturday if the national team beat South Korea in the final of the Asian Cup.

A sell-out crowd is expected at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney to watch Ange Postecoglou’s Socceroos bid for a first ever Asian Cup triumph. There is some debate about where the Asian Cup ranks in terms of world soccer and many would argue that qualifying for the World Cup is a far bigger achievement. Be that as it may, there is no substitute for lifting a trophy and the Aussies will be desperate to go one step further than they did in 2011. They were beaten in extra-time by Japan that year but their toughest rivals fell by the wayside at the quarter-final stage this year.

Postecoglou had come under pressure in the build-up to the competition with his side putting in some dire performances in friendlies. The goals had dried up since their brave efforts in the World Cup in Brazil but any doubts were quashed in the first group games. Australia usually rely on Tim Cahill to provide the cutting edge but ten of their players have scored at this tournament. The latest additions were Sainsbury and Davidson who each hit the target in a 2-0 semi-final win over the UAE.

Cahill is as dangerous as ever but now has the support of Leckie and Kruse as they look to break down a side that is yet to concede in the competition. The South Koreans are coached by German Uli Stieleke who made over 200 appearances for Real Madrid and represented Germany in a World Cup final. He seems to have built his side with a German mentality, proving formidable in defence and looking to hit the opposition on the counter-attack.

They employed these tactics to perfection to beat Australia in the group stages and there will be no prizes for guessing how they will line up on Saturday. Sportsbet are refunding first bets up to $100 on correct score, first goalscorer and win/score combination bets if the match goes into extra-time. With the South Koreans setting out to defend, that is perfectly possible and is well worth taking up.

Australia 1 South Korea 0 @5.50 Sportsbet

Tim Cahill to score first @5.50 Sportsbet

Tim Cahill to score and Australia win in 90 minutes @4.00 Sportsbet

Chelsea to bounce back from FA Cup shock

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Chelsea were stunned by Bradford in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday and will be desperate to bounce back against Liverpool in Tuesday’s Capital One Cup semi-final second leg.

The two sides shared the spoils at Anfield a week ago with the Blues grateful to escape with a draw after a second half onslaught from the home side. Jose Mourinho made nine changes for the FA Cup and all looked to be going well as they moved into a 2-0 lead. The wheels came off dramatically after that with matters going from bad to worse after the introduction of Fabregas, Hazard and Willian.

It would be dangerous to read too much into one defeat. After all, Chelsea had put up a similar performance when conceding five goals at Tottenham but came back strongly with three victories. The last of those was a thumping 5-0 win at Swansea, a result which had the pundits spouting superlatives once again.

It seems safe to assume that Courtois, Terry, Matic and Costa will return to the side on Tuesday. Presumably Hazard, Fabregas and Willian will also start as Chelsea bid to book a Wembley place. The Capital One Cup would have been fourth in the order of preference for silverware this season but takes on new significance in the wake of Saturday’s result.

Liverpool did not exactly set the world alight with a bore draw against Bolton and face a tricky replay. The weak performances by Liverpool and Man United were almost forgotten with Chelsea and Man City crashing out so dramatically. Raheem Sterling gave Brendan Rodgers’s team a lifeline at Anfield and will be the danger man again on Tuesday night. Chelsea’s central partnership of Cahill and Terry has looked slow at times this season and it is easy to imagine Liverpool breaking through at some point.

Unfortunately for them, they are less certain to score twice with want-away skipper Steven Gerrard currently leading goal scorer with five. Meanwhile, Diego Costa has racked up 17 for the Blues and he will be trying to get under their skin again here. There was apparently some “afters” in the tunnel between Costa and Jordan Henderson so the game will have its usual spice. Chelsea are well equipped to deal with a physical contest and they can come through a typically tough encounter.

Chelsea to win in 90 minutes @4-6 BetVictor

Chelsea 3 Liverpool 1 @12-1 Bet365

Diego Costa to score and Chelsea win @7-5 Ladbrokes

Kane can book Cup Final ticket for Spurs

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Tottenham have not won a trophy since winning the League Cup in 2008 but are now just two matches away from a Wembley final.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side have not always been convincing in the first half of the season but they are still in three competitions and in sixth place in the Premiership. Pochettino’s target for the season will be a top four place and Champions League qualification but any trophy would be seen as a triumph.

North London rivals Arsenal finally ended their long wait for Cup success when beating Hull in the FA Cup last season. Tottenham have been handed a gilt-edged opportunity to follow them after being drawn against League 1 side Sheffield United in the semi-final. Liverpool and Chelsea will fight out the right to meet the winners at Wembley.

Pochettino has been able to rotate his squad in order to navigate the early rounds of the Europa League. That competition could yet come back to haunt him in the second half of the season and they also have to prepare for a clash with Leicester in the FA Cup on Saturday. Harry Kane was largely responsible for the 5-3 win over Premiership leaders Chelsea and he will be expected to provide the killer touch on Wednesday evening.

It is typical of Spurs that they lost to Crystal Palace soon after that Chelsea victory but they still have some momentum going into the semi-final. Kane has scored in all the previous rounds and looks a good bet at even money to score in another Spurs win here. Spurs will be hoping to get at least a two-goal cushion for the away leg so that they can approach that game in some comfort.

Sheffield United are no mugs when it comes to Cup ties. The Blades have already beaten Southampton and West Ham in this competition and reached the FA Cup semi-final last year before that dramatic 5-3 defeat against Hull. Nigel Clough will have his team well prepared to try to frustrate the home side but it is difficult to see them holding out for 90 minutes.

Tottenham could also be a good bet on the handicap to overcome a one-goal deficit and take a step closer to Wembley.

Harry Kane to score and Spurs win @2.0 Paddy Power

Tottenham (-1.0 handicap) to win @19-20 BetVictor

Premier League Preview 17th-19th January

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

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