Betting

Tottenham Hotspur V FC Twente

Wednesday, 29th September – 19:45 GMT
Venue: White Hart Lane, England

 

Tottenham Hotspur

Group A Position: 1st
Group A Form: D (2-2 Werder Bremen – A)

The four-or-so-thousand travelling Tottenham fans seen their side collect their first ever Champions League point on Match Day 1, although it could and perhaps should have been more after manager Harry Redknapp had seen his side go 2-0 up within the first 20 minutes of their game in Germany with Werder Bremen before throwing their deserved advantage away to draw 2-2. Now it’s the turn of White Hart Lane to get its first official taste of Champions League football, with Spurs playing host to Dutch champions FC Twente in the English capital on Wednesday night in a game the home side simply have to win if they really do consider themselves a prominent player in a fiercely competitive Group A.

Of the four English contingents competing in this year’s tournament, Tottenham drew the shortest straw although the fact they were seeded in group 3 because of their lack of European pedigree didn’t help their cause. They began impressively however, sprinting out of the blocks to take a 2-0 lead in their game with Werder Bremen through an own goal from a Bremen defender and a bullet header from striker Peter Crouch. However, Tottenham’s Achilles heel over the last twelve months has been their inability to kill teams off and their negative trait really did come back to haunt them a fortnight ago, although Redknapp was content with the point nonetheless while the performance, one of a real high standard, left everyone aware of the threat Spurs will pose this season and that they are certainly no European newbie.

Nevertheless, just how costly will their failure to retain their 2-0 lead in Bremen cost them later on in proceedings, especially in a tough group containing the reigning Euro champs, a recent European finalist and a Dutch champion. And it is the latter whom Spurs really ought to be beating, home and away probably, if they’re to make the cut for the last-sixteen. You would feel three wins at home and a point away, to which Spurs already have their first away point, would be enough for Tottenham Hotspur to progress from the group, however, beating the likes of Inter Milan, Werder Bremen and FC Twente at home is a feat easier said than done, but with tougher games to come, more notably their trip to the San Siro in three weeks time, the pressure is well and truly on Harry Redknapp and his players obtaining the winning result they so dearly crave in London on Wednesday.

Tottenham’s cause hasn’t been helped by their lacklustre and inconsistent start to the 2009/2010 Premier League season, with Spurs suffering their second league defeat of the campaign on Saturday away to a team who were bottom of the league at the time in West Ham United, while it was their second defeat in as many days following their exit from the Carling Cup at the hands of bitter local rivals Arsenal. Will Spurs be a wounded animal or can they still be found in London licking their wounds following an agonising week of football.

 

FC Twente

Group A Position: 1st
Group A Form: D (2-2 Inter Milan – H)

Like their opponents, FC Twente are also making their first appearance in the UEFA Champions League this season and also made a bright start to life in Europe’s Premier Club competition, holding the reigning champions Inter Milan to a 2-2 draw back in Enschede, Holland although if Twente wish to proceed further  they will need to pick up vital points away from home, especially as they’ve already made their first slip up at home, if you can really call a draw at home to Inter Milan a slip up.

Much has been made of the club’s rag to riches story, with the Enschede club on the verge of going completely out of business and disappearing from the face of the earth at the start of the decade, but ‘The Tukkers’ pride themselves on their tenacious and never say die attitudes. The club has since risen, in infrastructure has improved immensely, while their loyal supporters were finally rewarded with the real deal last season, former England manager Steven McClaren guiding the club to their first Eredivise title finishing one point in front of a late rushing Ajax.

McClaren later switched his allegiances to German football in the Bundesliga with VFL Wolfsburg, while a number of the first team also parted company with the club, but the team itself isn’t any less weaker and still boasts a number of individuals who will be a handful for Tottenham on Wednesday night. Bryan Ruiz has proved one of the hottest properties in the Eredvisie after scoring 24 goals in 34 games for Twente last term, and while he only has one so far for the season the Costa Rican international will be of great danger to the Spurs defence, while Theo Janssen, scorer of the club’s first ever Champions League goal against Inter Milan a fortnight ago with a stunning free-kick, scored twice at the weekend in a 2-2 draw with league favourites Ajax.

FC Twente arrive in London with better form than their Group A rivals, having not lost a competitive game thus far, but their record away from home in the UEFA Europa League is of concern. Under the management of Steve McClaren, Twente registered just one win away from home in Europe last season against weaker opposition than Tottenham Hotspur, while their previous two visits to England have also brought about alarming results. Two seasons ago they were beaten by Arsenal in a Champions League third round qualifying game, losing 6-0 on aggregate but 3-0 at The Emirates – A stone’s throw away from White Hart Lane, while later in the year they were defeated by Manchester City 3-2 at the City of Manchester stadium.

 

Match Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur to WIN – 1.73 VCBet

Harry Redknapp has already bemoaned the difficulty of balancing the needs and wants or playing in Europe and the Premier League, even paying tribute to the likes of Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson for their miracle acts over the years with remaining competive both domestically and on the European scene, but there’s little room for sentiment when you’re trying to bypass this year’s version of the ‘Group of Death’ and this is a fixture Spurs really have to win if they’re to continue harbouring aspirations of reaching the latter stages, although that doesn’t deflect from what is a very tough fixture against a side which may be weaker away from home in Europe but nevertheless merit a great deal of respect.

Even so, I just feel Tottenham will have too craft and guile out on the wings for Twente to handle. The pace of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon combined with the heading prowess of Peter Crouch should prove a lethal combination against a team which will tend to sit back and try to absorb some Spurs pressure. Rafael Van Der Vaart has already shown he has some deft touches, the ability to proudce those moments of real quality to suggest he’s capable of producing something special on the night. There’s Champions League quality within Tottenham’s ranks which isn’t quite apparent in Twente’s, so the hosts get our vote of confidence to secure their first ever Champions League win.

Soccer-Betting Value Bet: Tottenham Hotspur -1.5 (AH) – 2.85 Bet365

 

Match Odds:

Tottenham Hotspur - 1.73 VCBet
Draw – 3.75 Boylesports
FC Twente - 5.50 PaddyPower

Chelsea V Manchester City

 

Saturday, 27^th February – 12:45 GMT (Sky Sports 1)

 

 

Chelsea

 

League Position: 1st

Recent Form: WDWLW

  

Chelsea were nursing an Everton hangover at the weekend, with their groggy and largely shabby performance at Molineux evidence of a tough outing earlier in the week at Goodison. However, like true Champions do, Chelsea bounced back with an important win, a 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, and that win not only kept Chelsea at the top of the table but it also sent them four points clear at the top in the process. So, all in all it was a very good weekend for Chelsea but can they go one better by gaining revenge for their loss at The City of Manchester by beating an overvalued Manchester City in the weekend’s kick-start fixture.  

 

While their weekend went to plan when beating Wolves 2-0 at Molineux, Chelsea’s bid for that elusive first Champions League title was dealt a blow when falling to a 2-1 defeat in Milan on Wednesday night. Despite a rare goal from Salomoun Kalou, a Chelsea side which clearly wasn’t at the races had only a solitary away goal to celebrate in what was a poor first leg defeat to Inter Milan. That loss leaves Chelsea chasing the tie and needing to beat Inter in the reverse leg at Stamford Bridge. Ancelotti will still have every belief that his side will overhaul the deficit when the two teams met for the second time in a fortnights time, but there are growing concerns over this Chelsea side which simply isn’t performing to the high standard we all come to expect. 

 

It’s back to business now though for Carlo Ancelotti and Chelsea as he aims to drag this below par Chelsea side back to winning ways with a win at home to Manchester City at the weekend. He may have his work cut out mind after watching his main man between the sticks limp off in agony on Wednesday night. Cech is certain to miss this fixture with City, whilst his entire season could well be over as his injury looked a drastic one. We are yet to hear just how extensive the injury his but his absence will have a huge impact on the Chelsea results as his saves have kept Chelsea in some of their recent encounters, none more than at the weekend when he pulled off two miraculous stops against Wolves. The time of his injury has come at the worst time for Ancelotti, whom has had to deal with the off-pitch antics of both John Terry & Ashley Cole, whilst the latter will miss the remainder of the season with a broken ankle.

  

The positives though, if you’re looking to have a punt on the home side this Saturday is Chelsea’s superb form at Stamford Bridge this season, having dropped points on just one occasions. Only Everton have gone to Stamford Bridge and taken a share of the spoils in thirteen games, whilst no-one has had the audacity to actually beat Chelsea at home thus far. However, the concerns are in the defence as Chelsea have looked a right mess at the back in recent outings. They will need a solid, inspirational performance from their club captain, John Terry, on Saturday as he’s been well below par of late. Chelsea have, however, kept two successive clean sheets at home in the league, but will that run come to end in the absence of Petr Cech?

 

 

 

Manchester City

 

League Position: 5th

Recent Form: WLWDD

  

After a lousy display on Sunday in a game City fans were hyping up as the fixture they really announce themselves as the top contender for a fourth place finish, Manchester City go in search of back-to-back wins over Chelsea by earning what would be a shock victory at Stamford Bridge. Roberto Mancini wasn’t at the helm at the time City beat Chelsea 2-1 at The City of Manchester stadium in December, so has he done his homework on the current leaders, and, if so, will even some light-hearted research be enough to overhaul the Premiership title favourites on their own patch?

  

If you want an honest answer to that question from us then it’s a firm NO! This City squad is proving all the critics right in that City are jam packed with Mercenary’s. Most of the players at Eastlands are only there because City’s mega rich owners dangled bags-a-plenty of cash in front of their noses. Gareth Barry, Joeleon Lescott, Roque Santa Cruz, heck even Emmanuel Adebayor have all failed to meet the high expectations enforced on them due to their hefty price tags. Only Craig Bellamy & Carlos Tevez have actually been players worth mentioning as they’ve been the only two who’ve shown bags of spirit and determination, with the pair pouring their heart and soul into this City cause. However, neither have been available for action it would seem, with Tevez flying back to Argentina on compassionate leave while Craig Bellamy’s war of words with Mancini has cost him a place in the starting eleven – Bad times!

  

Roberto Mancini will know the importance of setting a marker at the club, installing some discipline into the City ranks, but he really does need to swallow his pride by selecting Craig Bellamy for Saturday’s fixture. He has been the stand out player in that City squad for a long time now, with his model like work ethic and his marauding runs down the flanks. Not only has he led by example in regards to raising the effort level in matches with his never give up attitude but he’s also been arguably City’s biggest danger in the final third, often being the creator in an artistic City forward move. They struggled dearly without the Wales international on Sunday in a match where City shown next to nothing in the final third, with City becoming far too predictable in an attacking sense.

  

The likes of Bellamy and Tevez give opposing defenders something to think about as City’s tireless strikers just don’t stop running, always closing the opposition down and forcing their opponents into mistakes. Without them, City will struggle, and have done in recent outings, failing to win in either of their last two league games now, whilst also playing out a frustrating 1-1 draw at home to Stoke City in the FA Cup. City will now have to play a replay on Wednesday night, one which will hamper their preparations head of such a daunting weekend fixture. If they do somehow escape The Brittania with a win on Wednesday night then perhaps that will give the City players a much needed boost in confidence. However, defeat and City could crumble in their upcoming fixtures starting with defeat at Stamford Bridge.

 

 

 

Match Verdict: Chelsea to WIN – 1.50 PaddyPower

 

We know Chelsea haven’t been as consistent and reliable at the back as we would have liked, mainly because we’ve been one of their biggest critics of late, but their opponents have been far too negative of late and will be reeling after their FA Cup demise on Wednesday, getting knocked out by Stoke City. The Chelsea defence will need to improve, greatly in our eyes, but even with their recent lapses in defence, Chelsea should be far too strong for City at Stamford Bridge, a venue where only Everton have walked away from unscathed. We don’t fancy City to leave London without any lasting scars, so Chelsea get our seal of approval to make an instant return to winning ways after a disappointing result in midweek.

 

 

Match Odds:

 

Chelsea – 1.50 PaddyPower

Draw – 4.30 Bet365

Manchester City – 8.00 Coral

 

 

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Chelsea/Chelsea (HT/FT Betting) – 2.30 Boylesports

 

Wigan Athletic V Blackburn Rovers

 

Saturday 26^th December (Boxing Day) – 15:00 GMT

 

 

Wigan Athletic

 

League Position: 16th

Recent Form: LWLDL

 

(Wigan Athletic have scored at least once in their previous six home fixtures)

  

The Latic’s were given the week off after their live Monday night clash with Bolton Wanderers, a potential relegation crunch encounter, was postponed due to ‘adverse weather conditions’ although the pitch at the DW stadium was perfectly fine. However, the North has taken a battering this week with all the snow and ice, so it was advised that the game would be postponed and played at a later date. Something which should benefit the Wigan players as they’ve now had ten days off to recuperate over what is a gruelling period in the season.  

 

The Wigan players should be a lot fresher for Monday nights postponement and that’s just as well as they’ve been pretty poor of late. Not only are Roberto Martinez’s troops without a win in three games but Wigan have managed just one win in their last seven outings in the league, picking up just five points since the beginning of November, dropping thirteen points. They have had a very tough fixture period, though, but the majority of their recent fixtures were still winnable, especially the three home ones.

  

Fulham, Sunderland and Birmingham City are all teams that have paid the DW Stadium a visit since the start of November. However, Wigan’s only win out of three came against Sunderland by virtue of a narrow 1-0 success. They could only draw 1-1 with Fulham, a poor point in our opinion regardless of Fulham’s weekend antics, whilst they suffered their third home defeat of the campaign against Birmingham City, losing 3-2. Add this information to the fact that Wigan have lost two of their last three and it really does make the Latic’s a terrible bet on paper.

  

However, after spending their previous two league games on the road, we are confident Roberto Martinez and Wigan will appreciate the return home to a venue where the Latic’s are far less exposed. Their away record this season (2-1-6) whereas they’ve been a lot harder to overhaul at the DW stadium, with a more appealing home record (3-2-3). Still, both records clearly state how inconsistent a team Wigan are at present but, after a three match run without a win, surely they are well overdue some success and who better to face than a Blackburn side with terrible away tendencies this season.

 

 

 

Blackburn Rovers

 

League Position: 13th

Recent Form: DDDLL

 

(Blackburn Rovers have won just once on their travels all season, in nine attempts)

  

If you thought Wigan were going through a rough patch then you haven’t seen nothing yet. Sam Allardyce, who is still recovering from going under the knife, takes a Blackburn team without a win in six up North in what is expected to be a bitter, cold afternoon in Wigan. After looking at their form, their away results and their slim squad, it really does look a tall order for Rovers, despite Wigan not being at their best recently.  

 

The last time Blackburn Rovers travelled up to the DW stadium they were beaten in a resounding manner, 3-0. With Rovers failing to score in two of their last three away games, perhaps a similar rout could be on the cards this Saturday. Fulham usually take up the mantle of being the worst travelling team in the league but perhaps Blackburn have claimed the unwanted honour of such a bogus tag. However, when you go on a terrible away run such as theirs, just one away win in nine outings, then it’s easy to understand why so many are petrified of backing Blackburn in their away encounters.

  

Blackburn’s last and only away win this season came at The Reebok, against a team not too dissimilar to Wigan and at a similar venue. However, that was four away outings ago and Blackburn have since failed to get anywhere near repeating the same feat. They were smashed 3-0 at Craven Cottage, earned a dull point at Hull City, whilst made a quick return to losing ways when they lost 2-1 at Birmingham. So, it’s now three away games without a win, two defeats in three and Rovers have failed to score in two of their previous three away outings. With this said, it will come as little surprise to hear that Blackburn have one of the leagues worst away offensive records, having scored just six goals in nine away ventures, whilst shipping an horrific 23 goals in return. You would think it was Halloween at Ewood Park and not Christmas, such is the horror surrounding their form in just about every department.

  

 

Head-to-Head (Last 10):

 

Wigan Athletic W: 2 Blackburn Rovers W: 5 Draw: 1

  

Blackburn may be in cruise control on the h2h but they will feel uneasy in the knowledge that they haven’t beaten Wigan at the DW stadium in their previous two visits, with Wigan winning the last two encounters on home soil. What’s more, Blackburn’s defence has been split wide open on both occasions, with Wigan scoring no less than eight goals in two home meetings with Rovers, with Blackburn managing three in return, although they didn’t score any in last seasons DW meeting.

  

Playing at home really was an advantage both last season and the season before. The last four meetings between the two have gone the way of the home side. Moreover, while both encounters finished in home wins, the home side didn’t concede a single goal in the process. However, in Wigan’s 3-0 victory over Rovers last season, the three goalscorers have all moved to pastures new, whereas Blackburn’s goalscorers in their home win are both still plying their trade at the club.

 

 

 

Match Verdict: Wigan Athletic – 2.30 Bet365

 

We hate backing Wigan because they are so blooming hard to predict. However, they won’t get many easier opportunities to notch up three points than a home fixture with a poor travelling Rovers team. Blackburn have only avoided defeated twice on the road, whereas Wigan, when they do decide to play well, tend to produce their better football at the DW stadium. Not one of our more confident selections but a Wigan win for us, nevertheless.

 

 

 

Match Odds:

 

Wigan Athletic – 2.30 Bet365

Draw – 3.25 Boylesports

Blackburn Rovers – 3.40 SkyBet

 

 

Fancy a challenge?! – Last season saw the first two meetings between the two finish with the away side failing to score. In eight league meetings, the home side has only failed to score on two occasions, but this hasn’t happened in the past four fixtures between Wigan & Blackburn. So, our question is, will both teams score at The DW this Saturday, or will one side claim a rare clean sheet?

 

Both teams to score odds:

 

Yes – 1.91 WilliamHill

No – 1.91 WilliamHill

 

Our challenge pick – No!

 

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For those of you who fancy yourself against Matt, feel free to send us your challenge selection and those who do beat Matt will get a mention on the related preview. There is no actual prize up for grabs… just bragging rights?!

 

Send us your challenge pick to: challenge@soccerbetting.info