English Premiership 2009/2010 – Game Week 4

Aston Villa V Fulham

Kick-Off: Sunday 30^th August – 16:00 GMT

Venue: Villa Park

Aston Villa

League Position: 12^th

Recent Form: LW

You’d be surprised what a surprise result in your favour does for you and Villa manager Martin O’Neill will be hoping his sides victory over Liverpool in midweek will be the springboard his players needed to now push on this season. They fell short on the opening day of the season to a mini-shock themselves after losing 2-0 at Villa Park to Wigan Athletic but that huge win over Liverpool could and should be the boost in confidence the players obviously needed.

Aston Villa will once again be aiming to finish in the European places and more results like their one against Liverpool would see them go mighty close to completing those objectives. They may have got the rub of the green on the night but Villa were fully deserving of their victory as their season finally started heading in the right direction. However, they’d be fools to waste such an opportunity to build on such a magnificent result but they will need another ‘resistant’ display if they are to keep an improving Fulham side at bay.

If Villa can reproduce the same performance, effort, work rate and desire that they showed against Liverpool onto the pitch against Fulham, they would be very hard to beat in our opinion. They got lucky with their goals but their defending was first rate. They got bodies in the way of every short, they closed Liverpool down whenever they had the ball and gave Rafael Benitez’s side no time to build up any threatening attacks. Come the end, Villa actually won pretty comfortably.

Fulham

League Position: 13th 

Recent Form: WL

Roy Hodgeson, just like his counterpart, has European commitments also on his mind, although, Fulham seem more committed to the Europa League then their match day opponents. However, like Aston Villa, Fulham will want to return to Europe next season and they will also need a big season if they are to nick a European finish as this season looks as competitive as ever. They’ve made the best possible start with victory away at Portsmouth, albeit against a side seriously in trouble and by just a 1-0 scoreline, but their 2-0 defeat last weekend at home to Chelsea not only dented their bid to push up the table but also the winning momentum they had previously built up through their early victories in the league and in Europe.

Against Chelsea, Fulham were very ordinary. In all fairness, Chelsea never looked like dropping any points, with Fulham creating very little in terms of clear cut chances. It was always going to be a game Fulham would struggle in but they gave Chelsea a run for their money last season and many neutrals were hoping they would do the same this time around. That wasn’t the case and will Fulham’s loss of momentum cost them in their bid to win back-to-back away games?

Head-to-Head:

Aston Villa W: 2 Fulham W: 2 Draws: 6

This meeting, in the past, has literally been as close as they come. Neither side has managed to record an away victory in the last 10 meetings and that’s a bad omen for Fulham fans. Villa were held to a 0-0 draw at Villa Park last season by Fulham and three of the previous four encounters have ended in a share of the spoils, with 0-0 popping up twice.

Over 2.5 Goals – 4 Under 2.5 Goals – 6

I’m surprised that even four of the last ten meetings have produced a few goals as this has generally been a low scoring affair. Just one of those four games though were at Villa Park with the more entertaining affairs taken place at Craven Cottage (Fulham).

Match Verdict: Another dull DRAW – 13/5 SkyBet

The teams are evenly matched and the Head-to-Head record shows this. A draw has been a very popular outcome in recent history and we wouldn’t put anyone of backing that this weekend. Villa may come into this game with a superb, morale boosting victory behind them but Fulham won’t care for that. Roy Hodgeson will set his side up to frustrate Villa and this has the makings of another low scoring draw.

Match Odds:

Aston Villa – 4/5 Coral

Fulham – 17/4 Bet365

Draw – 13/5 SkyBet

SoccerBetting Tip: 0-0 Correct Score – 10/1 Bet365

English Premiership 2009/2010 – Game Week 4

Everton V Wigan Athletic

Kick-Off: Sunday 30^th August – 15:00 GMT

Venue: Goodison Park

Everton

League Position: 20^th

Recent Form: LL

After two straight defeats, Everton, currently bottom of the Premiership table, already find themselves having to acclimatise to life at the very foot of the table, although, David Moyes will be desperately hoping Everton’s rot will come to an end this weekend as Wigan Athletic pay his team from Merseyside a visit. Everton are a pretty short price to comply in this fixture and after two ’shambolic’ performances, is anyone actually considering having a punt on Everton? Well, yes! Us, in fact.

Arsenal’s 6-0 drubbing of Everton on the opening day of the new season, at this very same venue – Goodison Park, was the worst possible start for Everton and they backed that nightmare result up with another spineless performance away at Burnley. Everton were extremely poor in both, with chances few and far for the ‘Toffees’. However, David Moyes and Everton have got it all off their chest this week, mainly in the form of Joeleon Lescott. The England international got his own way, what a surprise – a player getting his own way in football, and the centre-half secured a move to Eastlands earlier in the week. David Moyes has now offloaded the driftwood and he can now concentrate on working with the players he currently has at his disposal and possibly introduce some new fresh faces before the end of the transfer window with the funds he’s received in return.

Everton are still without injured duo; Mikel Arteta & Phil Jagielka, who are arguably two of Everton’s finest players at the club in this moment in time. However, they should have more than enough to bypass an ordinary looking Wigan side at home. Both Tim Cahill & Brazilian Jo have yet to register their first goal of the new Premiership campaign so they’ll be desperate to get on the score sheet on Sunday while Louis Saha may be forgiven for his penalty miss against Burnley and be paired alongside Jo up front for this clash with the ‘Latics’.

Wigan Athletic

League Position: 16th 

Recent Form: WLL

After Wigan’s opening day victory away at Aston Villa, many, including ourselves, were getting a bit too carried away with Wigan’s performance on the day. Their passing was crisp, their movement off the ball was sublime, while their ability to carve Villa open was extraordinary. However, we may have seen the very best of Wigan on the opening day but we’ve definitely seen the very worst of them ever since. Against Wolves, Wigan showed none of the qualities that seen them cruise past Aston Villa on the opening day and backing Wigan this season could be a case of Jackal & Hyde. If you’re lucky then you might just get the Wigan side that actually wants to play with a bit of vigour, however, more times then not, you’ll probably get the average Wigan side that simply refuses to play.

That defeat at home to Wolves, losing 1-0, appeared to open up a can of worms as Wigan then went on to receive a thrashing by Manchester United, at The JJB, the following game. The current champions of England put five second half goals past Wigan to secure a deserving 5-0 victory and compound the sorrows of the Wigan fans in a game Wigan rarely showed any intent of winning or making any real impression. The Wigan players failed to close any of the United players down, they allowed the opposition way too much time on the ball and, evidentially, went on to receive a hefty penalty in the way of a 5-0 hammering in front of the home fans.

Head-to-Head:

Everton W: 4 Wigan Athletic W: 2 Draws: 2

Wigan won the very first encounter, of four, at Goodison Park, back in 2005, but it’s Everton who’ve won the previous two meetings on Merseyside. Wigan’s last league visit to Everton ended in misery with the ‘Toffees’ easing to a 4-0 victory last season. Everton were one of the in-form sides then though but neither side heads into this fixture with any recent solid wins behind them.

Over 2.5 Goals – 4 Under 2.5 Goals – 4

Although the goal statistics appear to be even, at Goodison, three of the previous four clashes have finished Over 2.5 Goals. Wigan have also managed to score at Goodison in the three of their last four visits so the omens are good for an entertaining game.

Match Verdict: Everton to bounce back with a victory – 4/5 BlueSquare

Despite an appalling start, Everton get our nod of approval to comply at the third attempt. The sale of Joeleon Lescott is a huge burden lifted off the club as anyone who doesn’t want to fight for the cause simply shouldn’t be there. He was a bad apple affecting the whole bunch but Everton should be in a resurgent mood now. Wigan have looked pretty pathetic in their recent games and if they don’t up their game 100% then they could be in for a rough ride here.

Match Odds:

Everton – 4/5 BlueSquare

Wigan Athletic – 4/1 PaddyPower

Draw – 13/5 Bet365

SoccerBetting Tip: Jo FGS – 6/1 Coral

English Premiership 2009/2010 – Game Week 4

Portsmouth V Manchester City

Kick-Off: Sunday 30^th August – 13:30 GMT

Venue: Fratton Park

Portsmouth

League Position: 19th 

Recent Form: LLL

Portsmouth are currently a club in disarray, what with all their off-pitch saga’s. When will the club be brought? Will the club even be brought? There are a lot of issues yet to be resolved at Portsmouth but one things for sure, Portsmouth are in serious trouble if they don’t dig deep into their pockets and bolster their squad before the end of the transfer window. Sol Campbell gave Pompey fans a big blow when he signed for Notts County in midweek while Sylvain Distin looks destined for a move to Aston Villa. That’s two solid centre-backs gone and Portsmouth now look extremely vulnerable at the back, especially against a player who’s a massive threat in the air in Emanuel Adebayor.

Portsmouth’s record this season currently stands at ‘Played – 3, Lost – 3′ and you’d have to be Mystic Meg herself to correctly predict when or ‘If’ Portsmouth will win their next Premiership fixture. They were dire against Fulham, dull versus Birmingham and blind awful away at Arsenal last weekend. Even the newly promoted sides stand a better chance of avoiding the drop it would seem. Portsmouth have sold many of their decent players and manager Paul Hart has been left with the scraps. If they survive this season it would be miracle. While we’re on the topic of miracles, they would need something of that proportion to escape Fratton Park this Sunday with some points.

Manchester City

League Position: 5th

Recent Form: WW

They say money can’t buy you success but Mark Hughes is well on his way to defying those clichés after two successive wins in the league alongside two fairly solid performances. With all the money poured into the squad, not only will the fans be expecting a big season of football but so will the board. Two wins from two will do for now to keep the board at bay, but the fans are already dreaming of more success as they head into another very winnable fixture against a Portsmouth side lacking in quality, depth and confidence.

Mark Hughes has shelled out well over £60 million on his new look strike force but only one has raised to the challenge. Emanuel Adebayor had his critics at Arsenal but his two goals in two games will do his confidence the world of good. However, despite all the cash spent up front, City are still having problems converting the many chances they do create. At the weekend, against Wolves, City created more then half-a-dozen clear cut chances but only one was converted. Against smaller sides, like their next opponents – Portsmouth, City will often get away with this but sooner or later, City will get punished and, from our point of view, it only seems a matter of time before they pay the price.

Mark Hughes shouldn’t find too many problems against Portsmouth as this is a game Man City really should win. Portsmouth are extremely weak in both Midfield & now defence, so the likes of Stephen Ireland, Robinho & Sean Wright-Philips should have a lot of success in the middle of the park in terms of creating some decent opportunities for the forwards. Providing whoever starts up front gets their act together, probably Emanuel Adebayor & Carlos Tevez, then City and their strikers should bag themselves a few goals here.

Head-to-Head:

Portsmouth W: 3 Man City W: 5 Draws: 2

A fixture which has generally benefited the home side. Portsmouth have won three of the previous four meetings with Man City’s last victory at Portsmouth coming five seasons ago in a 1-3 win. Portsmouth did win the very last encounter at Fratton Park 2-0 but a lot has changed since then and Man City will be aiming to reverse that scoreline this Sunday.

Overs 2.5 Goals – 4 Under 2.5 Goals – 6

Games between the two have often been close with two of Portsmouth’s three victories at home being by a 2-1 scoreline. However, the last two encounters at Fratton Park have both finished Under 2.5 Goals with Portsmouth winning 2-0 last season and the pair then drawing 0-0 the season before.

Match Verdict: Manchester City to WIN – 8/13 PaddyPower

Portsmouth have too many off-pitch issues for us to back them, despite this being a home fixture for Pompey. They were beaten on the opening day of the season by Fulham, also at Fratton Park, and Man City are a more talented side then Fulham. City have already put their away voodoo to bed after beating Blackburn at Ewood Park on the opening day. They’ve won two games on the bounce and a third successive victory does appear on the cards.

Portsmouth’s defence looks extremely weak now Sol Campbell has moved on while City’s attack looks immense. Adebayor has scored in both of City’s opening games while Tevez, Robinho, Wright-Philips & Steven Ireland will be just too much for Portsmouth to handle. City have also kept two clean sheets and with Portsmouth lacking any quality strikers, another City shut-out looks a very good bet.

Match Odds:

Portsmouth – 6/1 SkyBet

Manchester City – 8/13 PaddyPower

Draw – 14/5 Bet365

SoccerBetting Tip: Manchester City to WIN to NIL – 13/8 SkyBet

English Premiership 2009/2010 – Game Week 4

Manchester United V Arsenal

Kick-Off: Saturday 29^th August – 17:15 GMT

Venue: Old Trafford

One of the highlights of any Premiership season sees two familiar foes do battle once more as Arsene Wenger takes his Arsenal kids up to Old Trafford to face Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.

Although United come into this fixture as the current champions of England, it’s Arsenal who head up to Manchester as the in-form side, with ‘The Gunners’ maintaining their 100% start to the season with victory over Portsmouth at the weekend. However, United have given their team morale a big lift with the annihilation of Wigan Athletic at The JJB on Saturday.

We have two teams jam packed with talent within their squads and both will brace Old Trafford with solid wins behind them, however, only one can keep up their winning run and something tells me it could be Arsenal’s day.

Manchester United

League Position: 4^th

Recent Form: WLW

Manchester United have always looked upon Old Trafford as being a fortress with very few teams managing to get the better of United at their famous home ground. In fact, only Liverpool have the honour of being the only team to beat ‘The Red Devils’ at Old Trafford last season, so will Arsenal become one of a select few, if any, to do it this season? Well, Sir Alex Ferguson would hope not as another defeat would be a huge setback after already succumbing to the shock defeat of the season thus far when losing 1-0 away at Burnley just over a week ago.

Sir Alex did exactly what he was paid to do over the weekend and that was to rally his troops after a humiliating result in midweek. Their defeat away at Burnley looks set to be the shock result of the season despite the new league campaign being just a few games old. However, like true champions do, United bounced back in stunning fashion, demolishing Wigan athletic in a 5-0 rout. That fine victory was not only a boost to their point tally but also to the players morale as they obviously needed a big lift after their Burnley woes.

Man Utd have generally found life very difficult against Arsenal but they’ve found their best form against ‘The Gunners’ at Old Trafford, winning four of the last six encounters in Manchester. Fergie will be aiming to make it five from seven at home on Saturday as he looks towards his ‘big players’ for a huge result. However, United do lack these so called ‘big players’ now, with Wayne Rooney their only star player of note. He was their inspiration for not only their 5-0 humbling of Wigan at the weekend but he was also their only goalscorer and eventual match winner against Birmigham in United’s first win of the season. If United are to have an enjoyable weekend then you would pressume it will be down to this man. Rooney has, and will be, United’s talisman this season, especially as Man Utd look extremely light up top.

Arsenal

League Position: 3rd 

Recent Form: WW

Even Arsene Wenger couldn’t of envisaged a better start after his side dished out two thrashings within the space of a week. On the opening day of the season, Arsenal took to the field in front of the ESPN cameras and gave Everton a lesson in how to play the beautiful game. The ‘Gunners’ then backed that sublime result up with a 4-1 drubbing of a hapless Portsmouth. That’s now ten goals in as many games for Arsenal, in the league, which is a surprising feat for a team with no real recognised striker. Robin Van Persie would be classed as winger so we suppose Eduardo & Bendtnar will be Arsenal’s main strike force this season, not the best it has to be said.

Arsenal surprisingly come into this game well equipped although Cesc Fabregas is a minor doubt. However, if the Spanish maestro is unavailable then his absence will turn this fixture completely on it’s head as he’s been one of the in-form players for Arsenal in the early stages of the season. Fabregas has a hand at everything that’s positive with Arsenal’s play and he’s already added two goals to his season tally after scoring brace at Goodison against Everton. If he doesn’t start then we may have to re-think our approach to this game.

Arsenal seem to be playing with a swagger at the moment, although, in all fairness, they’ve yet to be tested as Everton are all over the place right now, what with the Lescott saga dragging on, while Portsmouth look destined to struggle this season. Even with that said, you can only beat what’s put in front of you and those comprehensive wins will give Arsenal a massive boost in confidence, especially when going forward, which is an area where they look the most deadly right now. Their full-backs are bombing forward at every opportunity while Arshavin and Robin Van Persie have been a right nuisance for the opposing full-backs. The return to fitness of Eduardo is a big plus for Wenger as the Croatian has bags of pace and does give Arsenal something a little different in the final third but he does lack the sharpness needed to make such an impact in a such a big game.

Head-to-Head:

Manchester United W: 4 Arsenal W: 3 Draws: 3 Overs – 5 Unders – 5

It’s unsurprising that this has been a closely fought fixture in recent times with home advantage often playing a huge part in the final result. The last meeting between the two really should be ignored. The pair played out a rather dull 0-0 draw towards the latter end of last season but at the time, United, only needed a point while Arsenal were severely lacking in confidence. The draw was somewhat of a formality then but that won’t be the case here. Man Utd have won three of the last five encounters at Old Trafford, with the very last game between the pair finishing in a draw but Arsenal’s last victory in Manchester came back in 2007 when they won 1-0.

As far as the Over/Under forecast for this game goes, the last ten meetings do appear to be a mixture of dull and lively encounters. However, that’s a tad deceiving as just one of the previous five meetings at Old Trafford has produced more then 2 goals. The more entertaining games tend to take place at Arsenal.

Match Verdict: Arsenal to WIN - 11/4 SkyBet

Another tight game is on the cards but we’ve been impressed with Arsenal’s early performances, both in the league and in their European qualifiers. They are the in-form team and we fancy Arsenal to give United a good run for their money here. United are lacking the threat of Ronaldo so all the big sides will hold no fear when they head to Old Trafford now. Don’t get us wrong, it will still be a very tough game and United will undoubtedly be the favourites but at the odds, Arsenal look a decent bet. Their wingers will be fearless in their attempts to raid the United full-backs, while they’ve shown in their early appearances that they can be a serious threat from set-pieces, and with Sir Alex missing his best defender and captain in Rio Ferdinand, United could be a tad vulnerable at the back.

Match Odds:

Manchester United – 6/5 Bet365

Arsenal – 11/4 SkyBet

Draw – 12/5 Boylesports

SoccerBetting Tip: Arsenal (DrawNoBet) – 13/10 SportingBet

English Premiership 2009/2010 – Game Week 4

Wolverhampton Wanderers V Hull City

Kick-Off: Saturday 29^th August – 15:00 GMT

Venue: Molineux Stadium

Wolverhampton Wanderers

League Position: 14th

Recent Form: LWL

Some gutsy performances but just three points to show for their efforts. Wolves have made a decent start in terms of their performances on the pitch, but two defeats from their opening three games is a clear indication that, despite their ability to show glimpses of quality on the field, they lack the consistency and quality in depth to adapt and contnd with such a gruelling league. They lost on the opening day of the season against West Ham United, losing 2-0, and their latest outing ended in misery also, succumbing to a narrow 1-0 defeat at The City of Manchester stadium against the free-spending Manchester City. However, their spirits were lifted with victory in their second fixture of the season away at Wigan. They surprised many people with a 1-0 victory at The JJB but were brought back down to earth with defeat against Man City the following week.

Wolves will struggle to survive this season, there’s no getting away from that, but they do posses some talented individuals who can produce the goods, albeit on rare occasions. Against Wigan, Wolves were superb. They harried the opposition, gave Wigan no time on the ball and created the best chances of the two teams. Fortunately, for the faithful Wolves supporters, they did manage to put one away, but the fact that Wolves have found the net just once in their opening three fixtures is already causing alarm bells to ring. To add insult to injury, (Pun very much intended) Wolves will be without injured duo Chris Iwelumo & Sylvain Ebanks-Blake although Blake will face a late fitness test ahead of their second home game of the season.

If Wolves are going to survive this season then there’s two areas which need improving. Their finishing and their home form. They lost their opening home fixture of the season 2-0. In order to survive they will need to make Molineux a fortress, especially against sides that are certainly beatable. Secondly, their strikers will need to sharpen up, at least the ones still available. It may still be early days but one goal in three games isn’t good.

Hull City

League Position: 15th 

Recent Form: LLW

Phil Brown and Hull City will be ecstatic after finally ending their abysmal home run without a single win, which stretched all the way back to December last year. That rare victory will give the players a huge boost in confidence ahead of what is another very winnable fixture against a Wolves side destined to struggle this season. You would have to say that Hull do have the more talented of the two squads but, Hull, a team who only win every full moon, winning two games on the bounce, is that even possible?

That 1-0 victory over Bolton at the weekend really could and should have been a much bigger margin. Hull carved open the Bolton back line on more then one occasion and could of scored four or five were it not for some mediocre finishing. However, the fact that Hull are now creating these chances is a huge positive and the credit has to go down to Phil Brown for his recent purchases. Both Jozy Altidore & Kamel Ghilas were introduced for the very first time in Saturday’s victory over Bolton and the pair play an integral part in securing Hull’s first win in what seemed to be a decade. For the first time in several months, Hull actually looked a threat going forward. The sheer strength of Altidore in combination with the surprisingly skilful Ghilas made for one lethal duo on Saturday. If the pair can reproduce that form then Hull are well worth a squirt at odds of around 11/4.

Head-to-Head:

Wolves W: 3 Hull W: 3 Draws: 0

The two sides have never met before in the Premiership so both sides will need to acclimatise quickly. To make this fixture even harder to predict, their clashes in The Championship were ever harder to call. However, back in 2007/2008 season when the pair were both involved in The Championship, Hull completed a league double over Wolves, winning both at The KC stadium and at Molineux, home of Wolves. Hull beat Wolves 1-0 at Molineux and Phil Brown would be more than delighted with a similar scoreline on saturday.

Match Verdict: Hull to WIN – 11/4 Bet365

I can’t believe I’ve tipped up Hull to win once again, after tipping them to end their rout last weekend, but their new striking duo of Altidore & Ghilas has swayed me into predicting another Hull victory. The pair looked a real handful against a Bolton defence which is normally pretty ship-tight. Wolves aren’t renowned for their superb defending so Hull look a decent enough price to comply for the second consecutive weekend.

Match Odds:

Wolverhampton Wanderers – 23/20 BlueSquare

Hull City – 11/4 Bet365

Draw – 12/5 SkyBet

SoccerBetting Tip: Hull City to Score 3+ Goals – 10/1 SkyBet

English Premiership 2009/2010 – Game Week 4

Tottenham Hotspur V Birmingham City

Kick-Off: Saturday 29^th August – 15:00 GMT

Venue: White Hart Lane

Tottenham Hotspur

League Position: 1st 

Recent Form: WWW

Tottenham have made their best start to a season for over 50 years and already fans and pundits alike are getting carried away. Yes, Tottenham may have won three games on the bounce, one being a very creditable victory against Liverpool, but it’s penetrative that Harry Redknapp keeps his squad’s feet firmly on the ground before they, too, get carried away with the euphoria surrounding their early success.

Liverpool, Hull City and now West Ham have all come up short against Tottenham Hotspur and you would feel this fixture with Birmingham at White Hart Lane is the easiest of the lot, on paper that is. The bookies have gone to town on pricing this game up and have made Tottenham as short as 1/3 to win their fourth successive game and, after their superb early performances, it’s not too hard to see why.

Redknapp has got straight down to work on where he felt Tottenham’s problems lay and that was with their attacks. Tottenham are now attacking at a ferocious pace and can back this up with some serious talent. Jermaine Defoe has been on fire in front of goal, scoring in his previous two starts, and has already added four goals to his league tally after just three games.

We have spotted a flaw in the Tottenham express though and that’s with their defence. Jonathan Woodgate, arguably Tottenham’s best defender, is currently out injured so Redknapp chosen Bassong and King as the Tottenham’s main centre-backs in the mean time. However, Bassong can get lost at times, this was evident at the weekend against West Ham, while Ledley King has major fitness issues, so how Redknapp expects to have a solid defensive line for the whole season is beyond me. However, a disappointing Liverpool failed to exploit what is still a vulnerable Tottenham defence but against a team like Birmingham, who can surprisingly play decent football, they could come a cropper.

Birmingham City

League Position: 8^th

Recent Form: LWD

I’m a big fan of Birmingham City, and no it’s not because of that little rascal, Lee Bowyer. Under Alex McLeish, Birmingham have played some of their best football in the clubs rather short Premiership history. If only Mcleish had the cash to bring in some decent talent and we’d stick out necks on the line and say Birmingham could be serious top ten contenders. However, he has to be content with what he has, which, in all fairness, isn’t exactly ideal. James McFadden, who is often the saviour for Scotland, is the party maker in midfield while new signing Christian Benitez will be a big hit up front once he settles into life in the Premiership. There are still a few problems with their defence but we fully expect Birmingham to survive this season, albeit probably by the skin of their teeth.

As far as this game goes, many will have Tottenham down as a banker in their weekend accumulators, considering Spurs have won three on the bounce and Birmingham have just one win in three. However, Birmingham aren’t a side that tend to travel in the mindset of defending for the full 90 minutes in a bid to snatch a point, or at least not against sides they feel they could beat. We have touched on Tottenham’s frailties at the back and we fancy Birmingham to expose them at white Hart Lane and possibly cause the shock of the weekend. Backing Birmingham to breach the Spurs goal, in our opinion, would be a smart move. Like Spurs, ‘Brummie’ can also attack at pace and they certainly know how to keep the ball under pressure. The concern will be their defending but if they can keep it clinical in front of goal then who knows what might happen.

Head-to-Head:

Tottenham W: 5 Birmingham W: 3 Draws: 2

Tottenham have generally had the more success in previous meetings but Birmingham did manage a surprise 3-2 victory when the pair last met at White Hart Lane back in 2008. Before that rare Birmingham win, though, Spurs had won the previous four home encounters. The pair have yet to play out a draw at White Hart Lane but we’re counting on that statistic changing this weekend.

Match Verdict: Birmingham to nick a point in a DRAW – 15/4 Bet365

Some may say we’re brave, others may go for ‘Stupid’, however, we think we’re both. Birmingham on their day can be right handful for any side. Against United on the opening day, Birmingham shown glimpses of real potential and when you consider that all the pressure to win will be on their opponents, Birmingham will slip right under the radar here. It will take a big performance though, don’t get us wrong, but it’s certainly not out of the question for Birmingham to take at least a share of the spoils at White Hart Lane. Plus, when you consider Tottenham are as short as 1/3 with several firms including; totesport & StanJames. We can’t see any value nor point in backing Spurs, despite their sensational start to the season.

Match Odds:

Tottenham Hotspur – 4/9 VictorChandler

Birmingham City – 10/1 SkyBet

DRAW – 15/4 Bet365

SoccerBetting Tip: Away team (Birmingham City) to score – 4/5 Expekt

English Premiership 2009/2010 – Game Week 4

Stoke City V Sunderland

Kick-Off: Saturday 29^th August – 15:00 GMT

Venue: The Brittania

Stoke City

League Position: 8^th Position

Recent Form: WLD

Four points from three games isn’t a bad start for a team touted as possible relegation candidates. Stoke got off to the best possible start after beating Burnley on the opening day of the season at The Brittania but Stoke have generally found life hard on their travels, getting smashed off the park by Liverpool in their first away day out, losing 4-0, but the draw against Birmingham last weekend could be looked upon as a positive result. However, Stoke had an issue with their away results last season and with their already being evidence that Stoke could very well struggle once more when travelling, their home games take up even more importance.

Ten of Stoke’s fourteen victories in the league last season came at The Brittania and their home form could play a huge part in how they fair this season. They beat Burnley in their opening home fixture, winning 2-0, but Sunderland will be a different proposition, especially as Sunderland already have an impressive away victory under their belts at Bolton Wanderers. Tony Pulis will use his usual ‘hoof the ball up field and hope it hits a head’ tactic as Stoke do posses one of the tallest squads in the Premiership. That tactic could actually pay dividends as one goal could settle what looks to be a tight game to call. We really can’t this being a fixture blessed with goals and if Stoke could scramble the ball home from another sloppy set-piece then who knows.

Sunderland

League Position: 6^th Position

Recent Form: WLW

Steve Bruce has made an instant impact since arriving at the Sunderland helm during the summer, guiding Sunderland to two wins from three games. The ‘Black Cats’ only defeat thus far came against Premiership favourites – Chelsea, and even then, Sunderland pushed Chelsea pretty close. The biggest improvement since Bruce’s arrival has been Sunderland’s attacking play. Darren Bent has been a revelation in his first few appearances while Kenwyn Jones has the potential to be a big talent, literally. However, although Steve Bruce has brought in Lee Cattermole to strengthen his midfield, Sunderland still lack a quality creative midfielder although Steve Malbranque had an outstanding game on Saturday and Steve Bruce will be hoping he carries that display into this fixture.

The target for Sunderland, as always, will be to avoid relegation, however, if they keep up their early form then Sunderland could be pushing for a top ten finish, if not better. Our only real problem is perhaps their defence, especially against a side like Stoke who use their somewhat unique height to their advantage. Anton Ferdinand is arguably Sunderland’s best and tallest defender but even he doesn’t win enough balls in the air. Steve Bruce will need to find a way around the aerial tactics of Stoke else they could face a tough afternoon at The Brittania. A venue where even the best have struggled.

Head-to-Head:

Stoke W: 3 Sunderland W: 3 Draws: 2 Overs – 3 Unders – 5

Seeing as the pair survived a tough season last term, this will be just their third clash in the Premiership since it was formed. However, because the pair have played each other fairly recently, we have included their Championship head-to-head as well. Last season, home advantage proved a key factor with Stoke etching out a 1-0 victory at The Brittania, while Sunderland gained their revenge by beating Stoke 2-0 at The Stadium of Light. That makes the score in the Premiership 1-1 and their results back in The Championship were pretty close as well. However, Stoke have yet to beat Sunderland on their groud but Sunderland have claimed an away victory at Stoke in the past. Back in the 2004/2005 season Sunderland beat Stoke 1-0 to record the only away victory to date between the two.

Match Verdict: Stoke City to WIN – 11/8 PaddyPower

Early form and performances would indicate that Sunderland have a good chance of taking a result away from The Brittania here although we feel they could be in for a torrid time against a solid Stoke side. Sunderland created a handful of chances at the weekend in their 2-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers but they will be lucky to get half-as-many against Stoke. Tony Pulis’s side get in your face and don’t allow the opposition any time on the ball with their persistent pressing off the ball. Stoke will also be a major threat from the air and a predictable goal from a set-piece from one of Stoke’s many lanky players is on the cards.

Match Odds:

Stoke City – 11/8 PaddyPower

Sunderland – 9/4 SkyBet

Draw – 9/4 BetFred

SoccerBetting Tip: Stoke to WIN to NIL – 11/4 SkyBet

English Premiership 2009/2010 – Game Week 4

Bolton Wanderers V Liverpool

Kick-Off: Saturday 29^th August – 15:00 GMT

Venue: The Reebok

Bolton Wanderers

League Position: 17th 

Recent Form: LL

Bolton are another side yet to pick up any points in their quest to stay well clear of relegation and their cause won’t be aided by a home clash with Premiership giants, Liverpool. Two narrow defeats, one at home to Sunderland on the opening day and then going down against struggler’s Hull at The KC last weekend. What will hurt Bolton fans the most is the fact that both games finished 1-0, obviously not in their favour. Bolton have battled hard in both but, in all fairness, they could have lost by much bigger margins in both encounters, especially the latter result against Hull City.

Gary Megson has struggled to reinforce his Bolton squad during the summer and it’s already showing. Their defence looks vulnerable, their midfield is light on numbers, while their forwards, well, do they have any? Kevin Davies is their only recognised striker, i suppose you could count John Elmander if needs must, but neither are what you would call ‘Premiership quality’. Bolton haven’t had too many issues with creating chances but they will struggle throughout the course of the season if they don’t strengthen in the final third.

Bolton have problems throughout the whole of their squad to be brutally honest. Both Sunderland and Hull have got the better of Bolton and both teams really could of given Gary Megson’s side a good thrashing. What you got to think about is, if both Hull and Sunderland had no problems whatsoever with carving Bolton open, what will Liverpool do? Especially as Liverpool have plenty of quality in the final third, none more so than Fernando Torres. You don’t dare think about if you’re a Bolton supporter as it will lead to sleepless nights.

Liverpool

League Position: 10^th  

Recent Form: LWL

Can Liverpool, last seasons runners-up, already be totally discounted from winning this years title? Two defeats from their opening three games have had the critics spring up in excitement at the chance of lashing out at one of the title contenders. Liverpool now find themselves just six points off league leaders Tottenham, yes, just six points. Let’s not get too carried away here ladettes, although, any more lacklustre performances from Rafa Benitez’s team and they will be lucky to grab a Europa League finish at this rate.

Their 3-1 defeat against Aston Villa, at home, was just their first defeat at fortress Anfield in 31 games. A record that stretched all the way back to 2007 and was bizarrely diminished at the hands of an average Villa side. That result will compound the misery of the Liverpool fans who, first the first time since i can remember, actually booed their team off at HT when Liverpool were down 2-0. It’s clear for all to see that Liverpool are now a club in disarray although some could see it coming after a dreadful pre-season. Liverpool simply have to make a speedy recovery and, although a trip to Bolton could be just what the doctored ordered, the ‘rustle & bustle’ approach of the opposition is just what Liverpool don’t need. All the Liverpool players appear to do nowadays is stand around and moan at the referees for the apparent ‘harsh’ treatment they’re receiving. Our sympathy message – Man up and play the game you’re getting handsomely paid for.

Liverpool’s performance on Monday night against Aston Villa was one of the poorest performances from any Liverpool side that’s gone previously, in our brutal opinion. Not one of their so called ‘Big Players’ stood up and fought for the cause with Fernando Torres doing less mileage than an in-peak Matt Le Tissier and Steven Gerrard, for once anyway, failing to be the hero with his worst performance in a Liverpool shirt. His terrible lunge, which resulted in a penalty for Villa, was the cause for Liverpool’s demise and it’s clear that everyone, bar new signing; Glen Johnson, who had a superb game at right-back, is lacking in confidence, if not that then certainly any fighting spirit. Now, Bolton certainly have a lot of spirit, they’ve always had that attribute, and if Liverpool think they can simply turn up at The Reebok and win, like they did at Anfield on Monday, they will be in a for a huge shock and possibly another massive setback.

Head-to-Head:

Bolton W: 2 Liverpool W: 7 Draws: 1 Overs – 5 Unders – 5

Fortunatly, for Liverpool fans anyway, The ‘reds’ have enjoyed this meeting in the past, winning seven of the previous ten encounters. However, five of those came at Anfield with just two actually coming at The Reebok, home of Bolton. Liverpool have won on their previous two visits though, both by a clear margin as well with Liverpool winning 2-0 last season and 3-1 the year before.

Predicting Over/Under in this game looks a precarious call as it really could go either way, Bolton tend to be a solid side and, unless Liverpool score an early goal, it’s very unlikely that this will end in a game filled with goals.

Match Verdict: A reluctant back of Liverpool – 3/5 Expekt

After watching the full game on Monday night, considering I’m actually a Liverpool supporter, I’m tempted to back Bolton. You could say Liverpool weren’t at the races but that’s a familiar characteristics with Liverpool teams of recent. If you’re having a punt on a Liverpool revival then you’re basically betting on which Liverpool team will actually show up. The side that actually wants to fight for the cause and put their heart & Soul onto the pitch or the team that simply cannot be bothered. I’d be more inclined to say the latter but maybe Monday’s defeat was the reality check Liverpool needed?

Match Odds:

Bolton wanderers – 11/2 Bet365

Liverpool – 3/5 Expekt

Draw – 3/1 888Sport

SoccerBetting Tip: Glen Johnson to Score Anytime – 6/1 WilliamHill

English Premiership 2009/2010 – Game Week 4

Blackburn Rovers V West Ham United

Kick-Off: Saturday 29^th August – 15:00 GMT

Venue: Ewood Park

Blackburn Rovers

League Position: 18^th

Recent Form: LL

Not the start Sam Allardyce had in mind for his Blackburn side after failing to register a single point in either of their two opening fixtures. Their 2-1 defeat away on Tyneside against Sunderland was their second of the season and a result that now piles the pressure on ‘Big Sam’ as this fixture now becomes a game Blackburn simply have to win in order to bring some resurgent energy back into the Blackburn ranks. We all know from last season that Blackburn are a team that can go on lengthy runs without a win so it’s penetrative that Rovers at least pick up a point against West Ham in a bid to kick-start their season although, at home, Blackburn should be claiming all three points.

Although results haven’t gone according to plan, with two straight defeats, Blackburn actually haven’t been performing too bad. They had several chances against Sunderland last weekend, as well as a dubious disallowed goal, while they could of scored a handful against Man City in their opening fixture at Ewood Park where it not for some poor finishing.

While we’re on the topic of Blackburn’s lack of finishing, our biggest concern with this Blackburn side is their strike force, or lack of it shall we say. The departure of Roque Santa Cruz has left a huge void up front with ‘Big Sam’ yet to fill the Paraguayian’s boots with a talented striker. In the meantime, Jason Roberts has been Blackburn’s first choice striker, but he’s certainly not a player who will reach double figures. New signing, Nikola Kalinic, got his first taste of the Premiership but failed to make any sort of impact apart from making viewers laugh in hysterics. It may have been his first competitive game for Rovers but his finishing was nothing short of abysmal and there will be doubts over where the Blackburn goals will come from this season.

West Ham United

League Position: 10^th

Recent Form: WL

West Ham could be feeling sorry for themselves as they head into a tough away fixture after suffering a harsh defeat at the weekend. ‘The Hammers’ succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at home to local rivals Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday in a game they could and maybe should of gotten something out of. Carlton Cole gave his confidence a lift after a superb strike just after Half-Time but it was his costly mistake which paved the way for a Tottenham revival, and when you take into consideration that Cole is West Ham’s best forward right now, a deflated Carlton Cole is terrible news for ‘Hammers’ fans. Gianfranco Zola will have a lot of consoling to do during the week with Carlton Cole.

Apart from that poor result against ‘Spurs’, West Ham have faired OK after winning their opening game of the season away at newly promoted Wolves. It was always going to be difficult emulating their 9^th place finish of the previous season but they did start brightly and that defeat last Sunday could be a huge dent for West Ham’s morale. They shouldn’t be too disheartened though as West Ham are starting to play some decent football. Scott Parker looks solid in the centre of the park while new loan signing, Luis Jimenez, looked sprightly last weekend. However, they will need to keep on the right side of Carlton Cole though as he appears their shining light and the player that could evidentially decide how their season pans out.

Head-to-Head:

Blackburn – W: 1 West Ham – W: 7 Draws: 2 Overs – 8 Unders – 2

As you can see, to even our surprise, West Ham have dominated the head-to-head record between thw two with Blackburn winning just one of the last ten meetings. Blackburn’s last success at home against any West Ham side was back in the 2005/2006 season when they beat ‘the hammers’ 3-2. However, Rovers have since gone on to lose two of their last three encounters at Ewood Park so the form book would certainly favour West Ham.

Match Verdict: Tight affair to end in a Draw – 9/4 SkyBet

Blackburn have made a terrible start to their season after failing to pick up a single point from their opening two games and that cannot be good for morale. West Ham on the other hand started brightly but that defeat to Tottenham could be a huge reality check for the West Ham players after enjoying a successful league campaign in the previous season. If West Ham do put their weekend woes behind them then they could sneak a win at Ewood Park but this really could end in a stalemate as both sets of players and managers would probably settle for a point although ‘Big Sam’ will be desperate to land his first three points of the season.

Match Odds:

Blackburn Rovers – 13/10 Boylesports

West Ham United – 5/2 Bet365

Draw – 9/4 Skybet

SoccerBetting Tip: Carlton Cole FGS – 7/1 SportingBet

English Premiership 2009/2010 – Game Week 4

Chelsea V Burnley

Kick-Off: Saturday 29^th August – 12:45 GMT

Venue: Stamford Bridge

TV Coverage: Sky Sports

Chelsea

League Position: 2nd

Recent Form: WWW

Chelsea continued their rich vein of form after securing their third successive victory of the season away at Fulham last Sunday. Chelsea showed no fear as they entered one of the many London derby’s as they simply brushed Fulham a-side, winning 2-0 in a comfortable manner. A big positive to take from that game was the performance of their striking duet of Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba. The pair each left their mark on Craven Cottage with a goal-a-piece, sending out a message to the many critics who were claiming the pair simply cannot play together. They certainly left the doubters with egg on their face after the pair, for once, looked to be on the same wavelength and if they can keep up the momentum they have gathered then they could become one of the more deadlier striking partnerships of the season.

What was scary about Chelsea’s victory over Fulham was that they never looked like relinquishing any points. Fulham barely troubled the Chelsea goal and it was Chelsea who looked far the more deadlier of the two in the attacking third. That’s unsurprising considering the talent Chelsea had on show – Frank Lampard, Deco, Florent Malouda, Michael Ballack, and that’s just their midfield. Chelsea really are the complete package with a midfield that can easily score from anywhere on the pitch, a defence that will keep many clean sheets throughout the course of the season and two of the most prolific strikers the Premiership has ever seen. The bookies have made them very short priced favourites to win the title this season and their early performances have shown justification in the bookies reasoning for shortening Chelsea’s odds for the title.

Burnley

League Position: 7^th Position

Recent Form: LWW

Burnley fans must feel they are on cloud nine right now. Victory in their inaugural home game in their début Premiership season against last seasons champions felt more like fate and Burnley fully deserved their victory after a valiant display against Man Utd. However, they backed up their fine performance in midweek with another vintage display against Everton on Sunday. Wade Elliott’s goal midway through the first half sent the Burnley fans into raptures and was enough to secure Burnley’s second 1-0 victory within the space of a week and lift the team into seventh position. Can they be the new Hull? If so, we all know how they panned out.

Although Burnley have shown some terrific team spirit recently as well some fine team displays, we can’t see them getting anywhere near Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this Saturday. I wouldn’t like to say they got lucky against United & Everton as they didn’t, far from it, but Owen Coyle obviously had the players fired up for both those encounters and they duly delivered, but the players were thriving on the fantastic atmosphere of their home crowd and they will be without that here. They were made to look ordinary on the opening day when they went down 2-0 away at Stoke and we mustn’t forget that those two stunning performances against Man Utd & Everton both came at home, where they had the full backing of a capacity home crowd. They won’t have that luxury on Saturday and we expect Burnley to struggle.

Head-to-Head:

The two teams have yet to meet in a competitive match. However, the pair did meet in last seasons Carling Cup. A game which ended in 1-1 draw, of which, Burnley went on to win via a penalty shoot-out. Chelsea put a fairly strong side out that night but they were struggling for confidence at the time under Phil Scolari, who evidentially didn’t last long at Chelsea.

Match Verdict: Chelsea to cruise to a fourth successive victory – 1/6 Boylesports

Some will be optimistic and have a cheeky punt on Burnley causing Chelsea a few problems but we really would be surprised if Chelsea didn’t give Burnley a good spanking at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea will have learnt a lot from their opening home game of the season when they beat Hull City 2-1 by the skin of their teeth. Carlo Ancelotti appears to have adjusted to the physical style of the English league already and this Chelsea team is well equipped to handle a Burnley side running on nostalgia. Owen Coyle and his Burnley players will be left a feeling a tad homesick after this visit to London as we back Chelsea to give Burnley a firm reality check.

Match Odds:

Chelsea - 1/6 Boylesports 

Burnley – 22/1 SkyBet 

Draw – 7/1 Bet365

SoccerBetting Tip: Chelsea to Score 3+ Goals – 10/11 SkyBet