Tag: Soccer tips

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

Arsenal and Dortmund to grind out draw

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Champions League group stages are coming to their conclusion and Arsenal can book their place in the knockout phase by taking a point from their clash with Borussia Dortmund.

The Germans need only a point from their two remaining fixtures to guarantee finishing top of the group. The theory is that the group winners will meet slightly easier opposition in the next round but everyone knows that there are no easy games in the Champions League.

What should be a clash of English and German title contenders is actually a long way short of that with both teams struggling domestically. Arsenal have lost their last two Premier League games against Chelsea and Manchester United and are already fifteen points adrift of the leaders. Realistically, the Gunners are already resigned to chasing a top four spot and ensuring Champions League football next season.

The loss of Jack Wilshere through injury is a blow to the team who had the majority of the possession against United but created very little. Ironically it was French International Olivier Giroud who brought the game to life but he is not eligible for Wednesday night’s game at the Emirates. He was expected to be out until the new year so Wenger left him out of his 25-strong squad for the qualifying group stages.

Arsenal do still have plenty of attacking options with the in-form Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck leading the attack. Both players have shown flashes of brilliance in the Champions League this season and will need to do so again if they are to unlock the German defence.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have been quite superb in this tournament, scoring 13 goals and conceding just one on the way to maximum points. Their domestic form does not even come close to that with only 11 points from 12 games. Like Arsenal, they also suffered an injury set-back at the weekend with the loss of Marco Reus until the new year.

The reverse fixture resulted in a comfortable 2-0 win for Dortmund with Arsenal performing well below par. Apart from a brilliant 4-1 win over Galatasaray, Arsenal have been at their best so far this season. They looked set to dish out a thrashing to Anderlecht when racing into a 3-0 lead only to let it slip in the final thirty minutes.

Arsenal can still win the group but neither side would be too disappointed with a draw here and that looks the safest bet. The odds against a 0-0 draw also look too tempting to refuse.

Arsenal v Borussia Dortmund DRAW @13-5 BetVictor

Arsenal 0 Dortmund 0 @15-1 BetVictor

Liverpool face a tough battle in Bulgaria

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Brendan Rodgers takes his Liverpool side to group minnows Ludogorets in Bulgaria on Wednesday night needing a victory to boost their flagging fortunes.

Liverpool’s second place finish in last season’s Premier League is already a distant memory as they languish in mid-table with only four wins in twelve matches. It was at Selhurst Park last season that their title dreams finally evaporated when they allowed a 3-0 lead to slip away.

Events in Brazil led to the departure of Luis Suarez and Liverpool have invested over £100 million in new players in an attempt to build on last season’s achievements. It has not succeeded and they returned to Selhurst Park on Sunday only to be soundly beaten by three goals to one. Rodgers is not one to shy away from criticism and he knows that their performances have not been good enough.

When Liverpool faced Ludogorets at home in their first group match, the fans were expected an emphatic victory. Only a Steven Gerrard penalty in injury-time spared their blushes that night and they can expect an equally tough battle on Wednesday.

The defeat at Palace was their fourth in a row including a controversial 1-0 defeat at Real Madrid when Rodgers fielded an under-strength side. He was spared further criticism by his players who fought bravely in a 1-0 defeat but there will be no hiding place if they cannot win against Ludogorets.

The home team may be bottom of Group B but is only goal difference which separates them from Liverpool. They held the Reds for 82 minutes at Anfield and go into this game in confident mood. Their domestic form is excellent with Real Madrid the only team to win at their ground in thirteen matches. They were far from embarrassed in that game either, taking the lead before losing 2-1.

They claimed all three points against Basel in October with an injury-time winner and are good enough to exploit any weaknesses in the Liverpool set-up. Qualification is still possible for both sides so there should be no half-measures in this one. Ludogorets would be delighted with a draw which would edge them closer to a Europa League spot. Liverpool desperately need to end their woeful run of form. This could be another long night for Liverpool fans and the draw may be the best value at around 5-2.

Ludogorets v Liverpool DRAW @45-17 888Sport, Unibet

Man City face Champions League exit

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

With two games remaining, Manchester City are bottom of group E and preparing for the visit of Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.

That is certainly not the scenario that Manuel Pellegrini would have had in mind when the draw was made. While most pundits would have made Bayern strong favourites to win the group, City were expected to beat Roma and CSKA Moscow in the battle for second place.

City were held to a draw by Roma in their opening group game before suffering a 1-0 defeat in Munich thanks to a late goal by Boateng. The real damage was done when they forfeited a two-goal lead in Moscow. They have struggled to achieve any consistency since that night in October, slumping to a home defeat against CSKA in the return fixture.

A hard-fought 2-1 win over Swansea at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday at least kept them within a respectable distance of Chelsea in the Premier League. Whether they showed enough to seriously worry Bayern Munich on Tuesday is open to question. The gulf between Premiership football and Champions League football is something that City are yet to cross. Two-time EPL winners but only once have they managed to go beyond the group stages in Europe and it is looking ominous again this season.

A full-strength City at their best would certainly have high expectations against a Bayern side that may be tempted to take their foot off the pedal with the group already won. However, City go into this match in patchy form and without Yaya Toure, David Silva and Fernandinho. There has been speculation that all is not well with Sergio Aguero and Stevan Jovetic but Pellegrini insists that both are fit to start on Tuesday night.

Bayern have won their first four matches, scoring eleven goals and conceding just one. They will the group irrespective of what happens in their final group games. Their recent record is not unlike Chelsea’s. They are unbeaten in 18 matches and scored seven against Roma earlier in the tournament. They have strikers of the calibre of Lewandowski, Robben and Muller available against a City defence that is far from secure.

Man City have no choice but to attack and that could play into the hands of the visitors. It should be an entertaining night but I can’t see Bayern coming away with less than a draw.

Correct score 1-1 @7-1 BetVictor

Correct score 2-2 @14-1 William Hill

Premier League Preview Nov 22nd to 24th

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

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

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

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