Tag: Swansea City

Chelsea v Swansea: Clement Returns Home In Search Of Points

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Paul Clement will return to Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon for the first time as a manager since departing Chelsea unceremoniously back in 2011. The Englishman and former Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti were sacked by Chelsea’s ruthless owner Roman Abramovich despite the club winning the Premier League title in their first season in charge and finishing as runners-up to Manchester United in their second campaign in West London.

Clement, who spent four years at The Bridge between 2007 and 2011, two as first team coach and two as Ancelotti’s assistant, will travel down the M4 motorway with his Swansea team aiming to spring a huge surprise against the champions-in-waiting, and in the process boost their own hopes of Premier League survival.

Swans Reinvigorated by Clement’s Arrival

When he took over the reigns from the hapless Bob Bradley in early January, Swansea was languishing in the relegation zone and seemingly destined for the drop. However, an impressive sequence of results which has seen the team collect 12 points from Clement’s first six games in charge, earning him January’s Manager of the Month prize in the process, has garnered renewed optimism amongst the club’s loyal fan base that relegation can be avoided.

And the bookmakers clearly agree with the Swans now as far out as 7/2 with Paddy Power to end the season in the bottom three. However, Saturday could prove a match too far for Clement’s improving team when they face Antonio Conte’s high flyers who have lost just once at home this season and have recorded 11 wins, nine of them on the bounce.

Chelsea Out to Continue Unstoppable Home Form

There’s little profit to be had in backing Chelsea, who are eight points clear of nearest challengers Manchester City, with most bookmakers offering them as short as 1/4 for the win. But with seven clean sheets on home soil from 12 matches, better value can be sought from BetVictor who have priced a Chelsea win to zero at a tasty 21/20 which has to be worth a second glance.

Conte’s team are currently a massive 36 points ahead of Swansea in the league table. Yet the team from South Wales hasn’t lost to their hosts on Saturday since January 2015, gaining a respectable 2-2 draw at the Liberty Stadium back in September and a win and a draw with the Blues last campaign. BetVictor will offer any optimistic Swansea supporters or neutrals 11/2 for another draw on Saturday while William Hill goes even further by quoting an unlikely win for the visitors at 12/1 which may be worth a few quid after Swansea ended Liverpool’s own unbeaten record at Anfield back in January.

Costa the Smart Money to Net First

Despite his apparent flirtations with a mega-money move to China, Diego Costa tops the scoring charts for the Blues with 15 goals so far this term and is 4/1 with Betfred to beat the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Harry Kane to the Golden Shoe. Eight of those 15 goals have seen Chelsea open the scoring and William Hill will give any willing backers odds of 12/5 for the big Brazilian-cum-Spanish forward to repeat the trick on Saturday afternoon.

For anybody wanting something a bit different, though, how about Icelandic star Gylfi Sigurdsson, Swansea’s joint top goalscorer with eight and dead ball specialist to net at any time during the match? He’s scored in the last two meetings between the clubs and is available at a more than tempting 5/1 with Paddy Power to beat the Chelsea defence once again on Saturday.

It promises to be another entertaining clash whatever the result on Saturday. If Chelsea, as seems highly likely, emerge unscathed, they will take another big step towards a sixth league title while pushing Swansea closer to the trap door in the process. Yet if Swansea can achieve the unthinkable and ruin another great home record, the odds of them setting up a reunion with fierce local rivals Cardiff City next season in the Championship will widen even further.

Swansea v Leicester: Basement Battle of the Two Cities

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

It is widely lauded by all and sundry as being the greatest league in the world. But while at the top end of the table Chelsea Football Club looks to be cantering towards a sixth title, it is at the foot of the Premier League table where all the real drama and excitement seems to be currently being generated.

And at 1600 hours GMT on Sunday afternoon, the drama doesn’t get much more tense as reigning Premier League champions Leicester City travel to South Wales to face fellow relegation-threatened Swansea City in a hugely significant match for both teams. It promises to be a real nail-biter for both sets of supporters with the clubs equal on 21 points and sitting uncomfortably just a single point clear of the dreaded drop zone.

Swans searching for home comforts

New Swansea boss Paul Clement, who has spent much of his coaching career to date looking down on the rest of the league table as Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant at Chelsea, PSG, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, has taken to management at the wrong end of the table like a duck to water.

Three wins from four league matches in January including a thrilling first ever away victory over Liverpool at Anfield has breathed new life into a Swansea team who had looked doomed to relegation under Clement’s predecessors Francesco Guidolin and Bob Bradley. And the Swans were desperately unlucky not to emerge from last Sunday’s visit to Manchester City with a potentially precious point, Gabriel Jesus’ injury time winner cruelly denying them at the last.

Before Clement’s arrival, Swansea’s home form had made for uneasy reading with just eight points taken at the Liberty Stadium, a poor return given their record of just five home defeats the previous season. The in-form club is now 6/4 with Coral for the drop while Sunday’s opponents Leicester are slightly longer odds at 2/1 with William Hill to complete a rapid fall from grace and finish in the bottom three just 12 months after topping the pile so thrillingly.

Foxes in desperate need of first away win

The last time Leicester won a Premier League match away from home, against Sunderland last April, the club was motoring towards a first ever top division title win. Now just 10 months on, the deposed champions have yet to register a league win on their travels all season, after boasting a record of just two losses on the road in 2015-16.

To say it has been a disappointing defence of their trophy would be bordering on the understatement of the millennium. And despite Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri getting the dreaded vote of confidence earlier this week, he remains the favourite ahead of Middlesbrough’s Aitor Karanka to be the next top-flight manager to lose his job, registering as short as 6/4 with BetVictor.

On current form, Swansea should go into his match as overwhelming favourites for victory given their recent promising results and Leicester’s continuing awful form. Yet, Bet365 are still offering tasty odds of 6/4 for a home win while Leicester is 21/10 with BetVictor to finally register a first away win of the campaign.

And talking of decent odds, how about this for a potential money maker? With Leicester having lost four matches in succession on the road with no goals scored and 10 conceded, serious consideration should be given to having a small flutter on Swansea keeping a clean sheet on Sunday, with odds of 9/4 on offer from Bet365.

With some difficult matches lying in wait for both clubs, a defeat for either would significantly deepen relegation worries. It promises to be a close but nervy encounter.

Man City to get Their Title Campaign Back on Track

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

THERE is a whole host of “must win” games in the Premier League this weekend and that is certainly the case when Manchester City host strugglers Swansea at the Etihad on Sunday afternoon.

After a mid-season blip, City finally looks to be getting back to their early season best form and are a very warm 1.20 favourite win and put the pressure on Chelsea at the top of the table with another three points against the Swans.

City arrives in confident mood after back-to-back wins scoring seven goals in the process and not conceding, and another easy win looks on the cards, despite Swansea arriving in Manchester in decent form themselves.

The visitors have won their last two matches as well including a famous 3-2 success at Anfield on their last road trip, but with City expected to let loose from the shackles in this one, this is going to be a long, tough afternoon for new Swansea boss Paul Clement.

I can see Pep Guardiola going for it for the remainder of the Premier League campaign which means that City matches are going to be very entertaining to watch and the one thing that looks certain in this one is goals and a lot of them.

Goals are the Way to go in Man City Matches for Remainder of Season

Nine of the last ten City games have seen over 2.5 goals and that has also been a winning bet in 12 of the last 14 in Swansea matches; the over 2.5 goals line at 1.40 is a very short price in that market, but it does look the banker in the match, and also at 2.05 with BetVictor over 3.5 goals looks worthy of support as well.

Whilst we are on the goals theme both teams have scored in the last seven matches between these two sides and a “yes” in this one is certainly a bet in the BTTS coupon this weekend at 1.95 with Betfair Sportsbook and at the 11.00 I will be taking City to keep their title challenge right on track with a 3-1 win with Bet365.

Sergio Aguero looks a shadow of the player he was at the start of the season. He’s clearly unhappy at the moment and is a false favourite at 3/1 to open the goal scoring.

The Argentinian striker’s days at the Etihad look clearly limited, his body language doesn’t look great and he’s far from a certain starter at the weekend.

New signing Gabriel Jesus looks the real deal and the long term replacement for Aguero and he can answer punters prayers with the opening goal at 4.50 with Paddy Power.