Wolverhampton Wanderers

Blackburn Rovers V Wolves

Saturday, 4th December – 15:00 (GMT)

Venue: Ewood Park

Blackburn Rovers

In a candid interview with Blackburn Rovers TV, Rovers boss Sam Allardyce has declared the next month of Premier League fixtures, where the Lancashire club will play no less than seven matches in a little over a month, as a season defining period. And in the same week, ‘Big Sam’ has laid down the law with his side following the team’s embarrassing 7-1 rout away to Manchester United last weekend. Now the former Bolton and Newcastle manager is seeking a positive response from his players and hopes to be lauding his players with plaudits come Saturday night.

While there’s no hiding from an Old Trafford demolition, Blackburn can at least thank their lucky stars that their very next fixture is more than generous, although a lot less forgiving as well – a home meeting with second-bottom Wolves. On the back of such a heavy defeat, you would have feared for their chances were they to have come up against one of the top-six. However, the fact they’re up against a team inside the bottom three doesn’t necessiraly make Saturday’s encounter any easier, far from it in fact, as Wolves were victorious at the weekend and whereas Rovers will be reeling and still feeling the affects of an humiliating afternoon in Manchester, Wolves are still very much savouring a rare and morale boosting domestic win.

The 7-1 mauling at Old Trafford came at a disappointing time for Sam Allardyce, as the Blackburn boss had recently watched his side put in a number of pleasing performances as well as collecting their largest bulk of points in any one period. Rovers had lost just one of their last four games beforehand, but that positive has quickly turned into a huge negative following last Saturday’s forgettable outing up north. Now Blackburn have shipped eleven goals in their last two away outings and although they will return home for Saturday’s crunch meeting with fellow relegation candidates Wolves, two heavy defeats over the course of just a few weeks could do no end of damage to the morale in camp. Furthermore, to disrupt the harmony in the dressing further, the club was quick to slap full-back Pascal Chimbonda on the transfer list despite the former Spurs defender featuring prominently for Rovers this season.

In terms of omens, the fact Blackburn have always replied to an away defeat by following it up with one at home is a major concern, with this very instance occuring twice this season. However, Blackburn are miles ahead in the head-to-head, boasting a couple of home wins and a couple of away draws, and those pair of home success were both by a considerable margin, comprehensively beating the Midlanders 3-1 last season while they were 5-1 winners back in 2003. The United thumping has thrown a spanner in the works, though, but considering Blackburn have lost just twice at home in the league all season, including back-to-back wins over Wigan and Aston Villa preceding this fixture, I’m sure the home faithful will keep the faith. We, however, aren’t as confident.

Wolves

Few would argue that Matt Jarvis has been Wolves’ most impressive and consistent performer this season, to the extent where so many were stunned when England manager Fabio Capello completely overlooked the wide-man for a recent friendly international with France last month. Fortunately for his manager, Jarvis hasn’t let either the media adoration nor the neglect from Capello affect his superb level of performances and on Saturday, just seven days after having a helping hand in only Wolves’ third league win of the season, he’ll aim to play a pivotal role in the team ending many voodoo’s by beating a Blackburn Rovers side which were thumped 7-1 last weekend.

I’m sure manager Mick McCarthy will have shown his players several clips of their opponent’s on Saturday, with the images of Blackburn being mauled and torn apart by a ruthless Manchester United machine received in so many different ways. For some, they’re cautious. A wounded animal would be one way to describe the current state of the Blackburn team. Meanwhile others are of the opinion that there is no better time to catch a team off-guard than when they are at their lowest, and it bodes extremely well that just as Blackburn go and concede seven goals in one single outing, elsewhere Wolves were banishing a terrible run of form with a hard-fought and spirited performance at home to Sunderland. If Wolves are to be successful at Ewood Park at the weekend, they’ll need to show the same battling qualities against a Rovers side who always deliver in their promise of making life extremely difficult for opponent’s at home.

With regards to the bad omens and voodoo’s we highlighted a little earlier, there are a number which will make Wolves appear a nasty proposition on paper. For starters, Mick McCarthy hasn’t seen his side win back-to-back matches in the league all season, and that’s down to the fact they’ve only won three of their opening fifteen league games. On top of this, the team are currently stuck in a dire rut of having lost their previous six away league encounters and have now gone their last ten away fixtures in the Premier League without a win, as well as being the only team in the Premier League this season who haven’t keep a clean sheet. I can hear you all running to the shops now to get on the visitors.

Away from all the disappointing and downbeat statistics and fact, we do actually think Wolves are of value. Ewood Park is a difficult venue because Blackburn play a more expansive game there but manage to retain their combative qualities in the process. However, the hosts are a precarious sort right now following their humiliating drubbing at the hands of United last weekend, a performance which forced manager Sam Allardyce to apologise to the fans afterwards, where the visitors will arrive in confident and rejuvenated mood after their enthralling success at home to Sunderland last Saturday. It was one of a number of impressive displays Wolves have put in over the last month and with the team finally getting their just rewards for all their industrious and workmanlike efforts, perhaps now the Midland club can start churning encouraging performances into valuable points.

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Form

Blackburn Rovers

Premier League: Manchester United 7-1 Blackburn Rovers

Premier League:  Blackburn Rovers 2-0 Aston Villa

Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 Blackburn Rovers

Premier League: Newcastle United 1-2 Blackburn Rovers

Premier League: Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Wigan Athletic

Wolves

Premier League: Wolves 3-2 Sunderland

Premier League: Blackpool 2-1 Wolves

Premier League: Wolves 2-3 Bolton Wanderers

Premier League: Wolves 0-2 Arsenal

Premier League: Manchester United 2-1 Wolves

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Statistics

Blackburn Rovers

League Position: 13th

Win/Draw/Lose: 5-3-7 (Home: 3-2-2)

Goal Difference: 18-25 (Home: 8-6)

Form: WWLWL (Home: DDLWW)

Top Goalscorer: Morten Gamst Pedersen

Wolves

League Position: 19th

Win/Draw/Lose: 3-3-9 (Away: 0-1-6)

Goal Difference: 17-27 (Away: 5-14)

Form: LLLLW (Away: LLLLL)

Top Goalscorer: Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (4)

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Hot & Cold Bets

Hot:

Blackburn Rovers to WIN (1.80 Boylesports) – Winners of the only two previous Premier League meetings at Ewood Park, both by a clear margin of victory as well (3-1 & 5-1), Blackburn look good value based on past results at home to Wolves.

Wolves to Score Exactly 1 Goal (2.40 PaddyPower) - As bizarre a statistic as it is, Wolves have scored Exactly 1 Goal in each of their last eight matches with Blackburn in the top-flight of English football. Meanwhile the exact same number has cropped up on eight separate occasions for Wolves this season, scoring Exactly 1 Goal in eight of their first fifteen league matches.

Cold:

Blackburn Rovers to keep a Clean Sheet (2.88 StanJames) – After fifteen rounds of Premier League fixtures, Blackburn have just three clean sheets to their name, although all three were at home.

Wolves to keep a Clean Sheet (8.50 StanJames) – Yet again Wolves are responsible for another stand-out statistic in that they are the only team of the twenty currently competing in the Premier League who haven’t keep a clean sheet this season.

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Match Prediction: Wolves to WIN – 5.00 Bet365

Blackburn were without midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen and striker Nikola Kalinic, two of their top goalscorers for the trip to Old Trafford last weekend and the absence of both was telling. Neither are guaranteed to return for Saturday’s crucial home match with Wolves, crucial because it’s a fixture which is very much there for the taking considering where their opponent’s lye in the table beforehand. However, Wolves will arrive in Lancashire on a high following their spirited fightback at home to Sunderland last weekend and if they can go to Ewood Park and not be overawed – not that Ewood Park is in any which way an intimidating arena, but the hosts do have a formidable reputation at home over the past fifteen months in the league – then we reckon there’s only one side really worth backing at the odds.

However, Blackburn have won their last two home matches in the league and with only Arsenal and Chelsea the only two sides to have left Ewood Park with all the spoils this season, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Blackburn as a popular selection in people’s Acca’s.

Match Odds

Blackburn Rovers – 1.80 PaddyPower

Draw – 3.80 VCbet

Wolves - 5.00 Bet365

Tottenham Hotspur V Wolves

Kick-Off: Saturday, 18th September – 15:00 GMT
Venue: White Hart Lane

Tottenham Hotspur

League Position: 11th
League Form: DLWD

The Tottenham team should be in high spirits ahead of their weekend clash with Wolves, whom they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to in last term’s affair, after the club collected their first ever Champions League point during the week. It could, perhaps even should have been so much better for Harry Redknapp’s side, who squandered a two goal lead to draw 2-2 with Werder Bremen inside the Weserstadion in Germany, although on the whole Redknapp will be delighted with both the result and his team’s performance on the night.

Now it’s back to business for the club with a return to Premier League action, the bread and butter if you like, and it could be a significant fall from grace from playing Werder Bremen in the Champions League to hosting Mick McCarthy’s Wolves at White Hart Lane. The Tottenham fans will try to make it a rousing atmosphere inside the stadium, but as Spurs are well aware nowadays, that doesn’t always equate into a winning display from their side, as they found out just before the international break when Wigan Athletic, Tottenham’s last opponent at White Hart Lane, stunned the home support by claiming all the spoils with a 1-0 success.

The biggest question mark surrounding Tottenham this season is how they will cope with so much competitive football, especially the league fixtures which follow gruelling Champions League encounters during the week. It has been a mixed bag so far, with Spurs recording a win away at Stoke on their first game back following European duty but their second attempt didn’t go as well, with Spurs suffering an embarrassing home loss to Wigan Athletic. This is why so many managers need to focus more on building on a squad rather than concentrating solely on a starting eleven, although, to Harry’s credit, Spurs have a decent squad they just have injuries standing in the way of Redknapp utilising it to its full potential.

Harry Redknapp will be without a number of players for his side’s first game back following a Champions League group stage encounter, with Michael Dawson and Jermaine Defoe long-term absentee’s, as in Jonathan Woodgate, while Gomes and Luka Modric are both doubts after the pair both missed out on making their Champions League debuts for the club during the week. Rafael Van Der Vaart, who put in a fair old shift during the week and dazzled the travelling Tottenham support during their 1-1 draw with West Brom last weekend, was substituted early on Tuesday in a bid to protect the Dutch international, although the former Real Madrid schemer should be fit enough to take up his place in the starting eleven for Saturday’s game with Wolves.

Wolves

League Position: 9th
League Form: LDDW

The Midlands club had made a promising start to the season following an opening day win at home to Stoke City before later backing that result up with a three-game unbeaten run, but their impressive early form came to a disappointing end last Saturday as they were beaten 2-1 at Craven Cottage by Fulham despite taking an early lead in that game. The players don’t have long to sit and dwell on their Craven Cottage mistakes as they’re out on the road once again over the weekend, making the trip down to London where a Tottenham side buoyed by their Champions League début will greet them.

On paper this would seem a terribly tough fixture for Mick McCarthy’s players, and it is, make no mistake about that, but this was also a winning fixture for Wolves last season, with Kevin Doyle’s 3rd minute strike sealed a sensational win at White Hart Lane, the club’s first over Spurs in the Premier League. Wolves would later go on to double their head-to-head tally with Tottenham, completing a league double over Harry’s Spurs with another 1-0 success back on home soil at Molineux, so you could say Wolves were one of Tottenham’s bogey sides last term, something Mick McCarthy will see as a compliment no doubt.

Wolves had made an unbeaten start to the campaign before throwing away their advantage at Craven Cottage last weekend, with Van Damme’s opener for Wolves cancelled out completely by two Dembele strikes. Because of this, it would have been a long trip back home for McCarthy & Co, although there have been a number of positive aspects in some of Wolves’ early displays, none more so than their tendency to score in every game, while a further boost to morale was their consistency in front of goal away from home last season, managing six more on the road than back at Molineux.

Whereas some sides dread playing away from home on unfamiliar terrain, Wolves didn’t actually mind the odd road trip. Of the nine league wins they amassed last season four came on the road, so Mick McCarthy’s players shouldn’t be over roared at White Hart Lane on Saturday, although the Irish manager will be without the suspended Christophe Berra following his two yellow cards at Fulham last weekend. Stephen Hunt is unfortunately no nearer to a return to first-team action, either.

Match Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur to WIN – 1.44 Boylesports

Last season’s encounter finished 1-0 in Wolves’ favour, what was a shock back then and would be greeted in the same manner in Sunday morning’s national newspapers. Spurs are returning from Europe following their Champions League exertions in Germany, but their midweek fixture was on Tuesday meaning Spurs had plenty of time to get back home, get back into training and recuperate ahead of another testing league encounter.

Tottenham haven’t suffered back-to-back home defeats since September of 2008 at a time when the club were at rock-bottom and actually contemplating relegation. Back-to-back White Hart Lane losses to Wigan Athletic and Wolves would be humiliating for European new boys Spurs, although we see little chance of that happening. Wolves looked a tad fragile at times at Fulham last weekend and will still be feeling the pain of a last minute Dembele goal which sent them home with nothing. We’re banking on Spurs to send Wolves home empty handed for the second weekend running.

Soccer-Betting Value Bet: Tottenham/Tottenham (HT/FT) – 2.20 bWIn

Match Odds:

Tottenham Hotspur – 1.44 Boylesports
Draw – 4.60 bWin
Wolves – 8.50 Bet365

Fulham V Wolves

Saturday, 11th September – 15:00 GMT

Fulham

League Position: 14th
League Form: DDD

The Cottagers are struggling to break out of their drawing habit right now having drawn their opening three league games of the season. However, all three results were positive considering two were away from home – a story of woe all in itself – and the other was against Manchester United at Craven Cottage, so despite not managing his first Premier League win as Fulham manager, Mark Hughes will be delighted nevertheless with how Fulham have begun the new term.

We mention it on every occasion whenever Fulham going travelling, to the point where you readers must be bored silly with the rubbish I consistently write, but we cannot emphasis enough just how important results at home are going to be for Fulham this year, especially as they’ve shown little signs of escaping an away voodoo which has plagued them throughout their Premier League tenure. And it is games against sides like Wolves which should have the Fulham players and management alike licking their lips at the prospect of obtaining maximum points, as these matches simply have to be converted into three points. However, Wolves are a bogey team for Fulham, both home and away, with Fulham having never beaten Wolves at Craven Cottage in a Premier League encounter, never even scored against them in fact, so obtaining three points on Saturday maybe tougher than first imagined.

The two previous Premier League encounters between the two have both finished 0-0, with Fulham losing the two away clashes 2-1 – Spooky I know! It doesn’t help that Wolves have made a brighter start to the season than them either, but this is nonetheless a golden opportunity for the Cottagers and Mark Hughes to get off the mark. Fulham were sensational at home last season when recording 11 wins in 19 home fixtures, with Liverpool & Man Utd among their scalps, and yet somehow Wolves was one of nine games which eluded them. Fulham cannot afford to let Wolves slip through the net again and the importance of picking up the win on Saturday cannot be emphasised enough!

Achieving his first win as Fulham coach has been made a great deal tougher by the news of several injury scares and doubts, with even there even a question mark hanging over their most influential player. Bobby Zamora would have earned an England call up had it not been for a thigh injury, the same thigh injury which could possibly keep him out of Saturday’s clash with Wolves. Damien Duff is another player which had no choice but to withheld his services from international duty, with the Ireland winger now a doubt too for Saturday with a calf injury, while keeper David Stockdale will face a late fitness and it could mean Mark Schwarzer, who was desperate to move out from Craven Cottage during the transfer window, returning to the starting eleven for the first time since the start of August.

Wolves

League Position: 7th
League Form: WDD

Mick McCarthy will take a Wolves team down to London buoyed with the start they’ve made to the beginning of the new league season, with the team currently residing in 7th position after an unbeaten start to the campaign. Their longest streak without losing last season was just four games, a run which could be equalled at least should they avoid defeat at the weekend at a venue where they’ve never lost a Premier League fixture, so it all bodes well for Wolves but with the priority each and every season being to maintain their Premiership status, McCarthy must guard against complacency.

The international break came at the wrong time for Wolves who were enjoying a promising start to the season following two successive draws off the back of an opening day win over Stoke City. That’s five points they’ve collected in their opening three encounters, two more points than they accumulated at the same stage last season. Mick McCarthy cannot praise his troops enough for the hard work they’ve put in in the early stages of the season, but the season is still wrong and unless they continue to put in efficient shifts in the near future, their fortunes could all change.

Unlike Fulham, Wolves didn’t have a problem playing away from home last season. In fact, they scored more goals on the road than they did at Molineux, six more in fact. Continuing in a similar vein, their only away encounter thus far came at Goodison Park, one of the toughest places to play at nowadays, and not only did they managed to find the back of Tim Howard’s net but they also took home a share of the spoils in a game few, including us, expected them to get anything from. And that’s the frustrating thing with Wolves; they look an average side at times, definitely so on paper, but yet McCarthy somehow seems to get another gear out of his players and so far his players have raised their game in every single Premier League match.

With Fulham never the most prolific of sides in front of goal, you get the feeling that a resolute performance at the back maybe enough for Wolves to nick this contest providing they remain clinical up front. They are, though, likely to be without Steven Fletcher, who missed out on earning two caps for Scotland because of a foot injury and is a major doubt for Saturday’s clash. Stephen Hunt has returned to light training but is nowhere near a return just yet.

Match Prediction: Draw – 3.50 Bet365

Weighing up all the information available to me and Fulham’s proneness to drawing games, we feel a small punt on the draw is fantastic value considering Wolves would be more than happy to take a point away from the capital and continue their unbeaten start to the season. The same can of course be said for Fulham who have also yet to taste defeat this season, but theirs a confident swagger about this Wolves side which says ‘Don’t back against me just yet’ and we won’t, not yet anyway.

Soccer-Betting Value Tip: 2-2 Correct Score – 19.00 WilliamHill

I’m going to be honest, I’m not much cop when it comes to predicting correct scores, think I’ve probably got one right in the last two years such is the drastic form I’m in with this specific market. However, this game should be tight, with a few goals, and I’m going out on a limb and predicting an exciting affair at Craven Cottage, which is always a gamble in itself. The last two meetings between these two have finished 0-0, a bad omen if ever I’ve seen one, but I’m sticking a few shillings on this encounter standing out from the rest. Neither of these will give in should they fall behind, so get on 2-2 at 18/1 (19.00) with WilliamHill.

Match Odds:

Fulham – 1.83 Boylesports
Draw – 3.50 Bet365
Wolves – 5.00 SkyBet

Stoke City

Manager: Tony Pulis
Key Player: Ricardo Fuller

Transfers In: Florent Cuvelier, Carlo Nash
Transfers Out: Steve Simonsen, Andy Griffin, Diego Arismendi & Ibrahim Sonko (Loans)

No-one gave the Potters much hope when they played their first ever game in the Premiership two season ago, with an opening day 3-0 defeat at Aston Villa leading to Stoke being the bookies favourite to see the drop at the end of the 2008/2009 season. They later went on to defy those odds and have been a formidable opponent ever since. In fact, there isn’t a single team outside of the top four that are feared more than Stoke City are, with their physicality and hard-knock approach to football life posing a problem for every opposing manager as the Potters are so hard to defend against even though everyone knows exactly what you’re getting from them after two stays in the topflight. But are they know too predictable? Are teams becoming wise to their acts and will 2011 be the year Stoke’s tenure in the Premiership finally comes to end, as there’s only so long their one-dimensional style of play will keep them alive and kicking.

Tony Pulis is the man which claims most of the plaudits for the clubs recent success in building and establishing a team which isn’t just feared but is no longer considered a relegation candidate by most punters. We’re of a different opinion however and feel this season could be when the Potters get found out. The writing was on the wall last term when Stoke put back-to-back wins together on just two occasions and were so heavily reliant upon victories from the blue. And those victories didn’t come against anything outstanding. In the second half of the season, from January onwards, four of their league wins came against sides in the bottom half of the table, with the other two coming against Fulham, a team which finished on the cusp of the top-ten in tenth. They were also smashed 7-0 and 4-0 by Chelsea and Man Utd respectively in the latter stages of the season, whereas earlier in the campaign they had run both those sides close. Teams are becoming wise to their ‘rustle & bustle’ manner, especially those with the inventory and know-how to nullify Stoke’s biggest attribute which is their superiority in the air.

We do worry for Stoke City, who despite finishing a more than respectable 12th and 11th in their previous two campaigns, have become far too predictable and routine like with their performances and tactics. Teams now know who and where Stoke need to be thwarted and exploited, and without any major additions, which would indicate Tony Pulis hasn’t contemplated a change of heart in regards to his and Stoke’s approach to matches, we envisage a far tougher campaign this time around. We could be wrong, Stoke could become a thorn in many teams side once again, but we feel a great deal of Stoke’s fear factor appeal has diminshed.

To Win Premiership – 2,500/1 SkyBet
To Be Relegated – 6/1 Coral

Recommended Bet: To Be Relegated – 6/1 Coral

Sunderland

Manager: Steve Bruce
Key Player: Darren Bent

Transfers In: Christian Riveros, Simon Mignolet, Ahmed Al-Muhammadi, Titus Bramble, Marcos Angeleri
Transfers Out: Roy O’Donovan, Lorik Cana, Daryl Murphy, Martin Fulop, Nyron Nosworthy (Loan)

Steve Bruce was a revelation at Sunderland last season, improving on the clubs 16th place end to the previous season by going three positions better. While that may not appear a massive improvement, Sunderland were never ever in relegation contention and had their poor decline in form in the second half of the season to blame for their slip down the table, with the Black Cats even enduring a 13 game win less run at one stage. But there were promising signs early into the season which would lead us to believe that should Steve Bruce resolve the teams apparent inconsistency issue that Sunderland could contest the European positions this season especially if Darren Bent has a similarly prolific campaign. Despite flopping for England, Bent was the country’s second best striker on goalscoring form with 24 goals in the Premier League, behind Wayne Rooney. When you consider that most of those were handmade by his own hunger and drive to get into the right scoring positions, that’s a huge achievement for a player which only a few seasons ago was being slated by his own manager, Harry Redknapp, at Tottenham Hotspur.

The key to Sunderland’s early success was down to the form of Darren Bent up front, as it was his goals that pushed Chelsea close, made Man Utd grind out a draw at Old Trafford and record historic wins over Arsenal and Liverpool at the Stadium of Light. He was instrumental all season round to be honest, but where he maintained his high-octane performances, other around him were faltering. Sunderland did finish with a couple of impressive wins but it was obvious Steve Bruce needed to bolster his squad over the summer, with the defence in particular coming under scrutiny. Simon Mignolet was signed as back up for Craig Gordon, and with the Scotland keeper suffering an early injury setback, Mignolet could be in line to make his Premier League début very early on indeed. In defence, Titus Bramble was signed from Wigan Athletic while Paraguay’s Christian Riveros and Argentine Marcos Angeleri also completed moves to the Stadium of Light.

The primary objective Sunderland will of course be safety, but there is a window of opportunity for the club to real establish themselves in the Premiership should they add some consistency to their game. There is goals in this team, as should be expected with a forward trio of Darren Bent, Kenwyn Jones and Fraizer Campbell, who looked bright and energetic during pre-season, but there defence was so often overrun and out-fought last season. Steve Bruce does, however, have a combative midfield by the name of Lee Catermole who when he played, which was at a premium due to injuries, made life tough for the opposing team through his constant harrying. Cattermole missed a large chunk of the previous season and he was sorely missed because of it, but if he can remain healthy for the 2010/2011 season then there’s no reason whatsoever why the club can’t improve further with a forge into the upper half of the table.

To Win Premiership – 1,000/1 SportingBet
To Be Relegated – 12/1 Coral

Recommended Bet: Top-Half Finish (1st-10th) – 7/4 Ladbrokes

Tottenham Hotspur

Manager: Harry Redknapp
Key Player: Luka Modric

Transfers In: None
Transfers Out: Dorian Dervite, Adel Taarabt, John Bostock & David Button (Loans)

Tottenham cannot believe their luck right now, as the club embrace themselves for the arrival of Champions League football. There is the small matter of a qualifier to play before participation in the competition proper, but that will do little to halt the excitement surrounding White Hart Lane at this moment in time – Well, actually a defeat in the qualifier would certainly provide the spanner in the works. Spurs were drawn against Swiss opposition though in the form of Young Boys, so progression should be the norm. But Premier League wise, Harry Redknapp has done his utmost with his pre-season interviews to build up the excitement and anticipation ahead of the new season by audaciously claiming his boys have what it takes to go several big steps further this season by clinching the Premier League title. Do you agree? Does anyone actually agree, as we certainly don’t?!

Harry Redknapp wants the support this season from Tottenham fans to be euphoric as they prepare themselves for their first ever Champions League campaign but also for an exciting Premiership season. You can’t knock the guy for his optimism and overwhelming levels of confidence, but surely the target this season, outside of the Champions League, will be to nail down another top-four and become a regular Champions League competitor, as this shouldn’t be just a flash in the pan for a club which has invested heavily in recent transfer windows to get the club where it is today, although the initial plan behind the scenes is to take the club even further, to make them a genuine force in all competitions. Redknapp definitely has a squad strong enough to last out a full campaign but his failure to bring in summer recinforcements has to be of great concern especially as Tottenham were slightly fortunate last season when landing fourth spot as the likes of Man City, Liverpool & Everton, teams which should have been challenging for the same position, had pretty poor seasons and are likely to improve a great deal for this season. So we felt some new additions were needed despite Tottenham boasting a strong squad on paper then most.

I really don’t see Tottenham making much of an impression in Europe with their current crop, but it’s a lucrative competition nonetheless and will no doubt provide the club will vital funds in the future. But are far as this season goes, we feel Tottenham will need an incredible season if they’re to maintain their Champions League status as the likes of Liverpool and Man City in particular have strengthened over the summer and are sure to be thereabouts challenging for a Champions League berth. That’s the goal for the club once again, to finish inside the top four, but unless Harry lands a few of his primary targets we see Spurs struggling to reach the heights of their previous campaign and are in danger of peaking too early.

To Win Premiership – 40/1 Coral

Recommended Bet: Top-Six Finish – 8/13 BetFred

West Bromwich Albion

Manager: Roberto Di Matteo
Key Player: Roman Bednar

Transfers In: Gabriel Tamas, Pablo Ibanez, Steven Reid, Boaz Myhill
Transfers Out: Filipe Teixeira, Borja Valero (Loan)

Whenever the Baggies have earned promotion to the Premiership they generally end up heading straight back down the other way. Only once have the club managed to steer clear of the drop and even then it required a superb finish to the season which many claimed was the ‘Great Escape’. That’s been the problem with West Brom down the years, with the first being their failure to maintain their topflight status and the second being their typically sluggish start to seasons. West Brom so often find themselves in a spot of bother at the midway point and by then are left with too big a deficit to claw back. Roberto DI Matteo needs to get West Brom off to a flyer as anything else could spell yet another early demise for a club which consistently flirts with the Premiership.

Roberto Di Matteo has brought in some new blood but none of which are of Premiership calibre if truth be told, while the exact same can be said for their squad as a whole. With the exception of former Hull City keeper Boaz Myhill, who excelled on occasions for the Tigers in the Premiership, the signings of Gabriel Tamas, Pablo Ibanez and Steven Reid are hardly going to set the world a lite and certainly won’t strike fear into their Premiership opponent this season. It is a shame as I do like West Brom. They’re one of a few teams which when they gain promotion don’t immediately change their style of play or tactics, they stick with their slick and sleek football in a promise to the fans to keep the football played on their behalf attractive and entertaining. The Baggies love to get the ball down and play it around the pitch, and it was effective down in the Championship but it’s unlikely to have the same affect against the midfielders of Premiership quality that they’ll be facing over the next nine months.

West Brom will be one of the more entertaining teams to watch this season, but they’re once again nosediving into a Premiership campaign understrength and without the classy individuals needed to survive in the cut-throat world of the Premier League. The Baggies are going to be so reliant on Roman Bednar’s goal this season, although they did have a forward by the name of Simon Cox and were he to improve on his overall game then perhaps he could also fire West Brom to safe ground. It’s going to be a long old season though for West Bromwich Albion fans one which is likely to end in tears once more.

To Win Premiership – 10,000/1 Bet365
To Be Relegated – EVENS Ladbokes

Recommended Bet: Bottom at Christmas – 9/2 Bet365

West Ham United

Manager: Avram Grant
Key Player: Carlton Cole

Transfers In: Thomas Hitzlsperger, Pablo Barrera, Frederic Piquionne, Tel-Ben Haim
Transfers Out: Araujo Ilan, Guillermo Franco, Bondz N’Gala

West Ham United are another club which has undergone somewhat of a makeover over the past year, with the two David’s, David Gold & David Sullivan, already having their say on first-team affairs by replacing fan favourite Zola with Israeli Avram Grant. We’ve never been the biggest of Avram Grant fans if truth be told, but Hammers fans were fairly pleased with his appointment and are optimistic that Grant can lead the Hammers to a smoother 2010/2011 season, where come May next year they club are scraping the bottom of the barrel and clinging onto life in the topflight.

Avram Grant arrives at Upton Park are guiding Portsmouth to the FA Cup final last season, losing to Chelsea in the final. He was also at the helm when the club completed their demise and sunk down to the Championship, although he and the club were valiant in defeat and had a large point deduction to thank for their misery in the end. But can Grant really inspire the Hammers to success, where the aim for the league season is likely to be a mid-table finish. Grant has had some funds to acquire new faces, as former Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger joined the Upton Park outfit alongside Pablo Barrera and former Portsmouth duo, Frederic Piquonne & Tel-Ben Haim. I’ve always thought the latter, a fellow Israeli, was a terrible defender but the transfer of Piquionne could prove a sweet piece of business for the club seeing as West Ham have been crying out for a forward partner to go alongside one of their more expensive assets in Carlton Cole. They’ve managed to somehow retain Scott Parker despite Tottenham lodging a summer bid for the midfielder which scored the goal which kept the Hammers in the Premiership last season against Wigan Athletic. But, however, the likes of Franco and Ilan, who scored 5 and 4 leagues respectively last season, were given their marching orders over the summer.

The club have done well to keep hold of their better players, the core of the team if you like in Robert Green, Matthew Upson, Scott Parker and Carlton Cole. That’s a strong English core right there and the only reason why West Ham defied the drop last season because of these four players, but the Hammers were desperate for more options and the club have delivered to some extent with their summer signings. Thomas Hitzlsperger and Pablo Barrera give Grant more options in the midfield, with the German midfield lethal when shooting from distance. But it’s the acquisition of Piquionne which impressed us the most, as West Ham now have two strong, agile strikers leading the line. If Cole and Piquionne can strike up a decent partnership early on then West Ham should avoid any sort of relegation scrap come the closing stages of the season.

To Win Premiership – 2,500/1 Bet365
To Be Relegated – 11/2 Coral

Recommended Bet: Carlton Cole Top Club Goalscorer – 5/4 Bet365

Wigan Athletic

Manager: Roberto Martinez
Key Player: Hugo Rodellega

Transfers In: Mauro Boselli, Ali Al Habsi, Antolin Alcaraz, James McArthur, Ronnie Stam
Transfers Out: Tomasz Cywka, Titus Bramble, Jason Koumas (Loan)

Martinez has been a busier manager than most in pre-season, sealing moves for no less than five players as he looks to strengthen a team which spent the majority of last season perilously close to the relegation zone. But for all their summer recruitments, it’s the fans which need to up their game if the Latics are to steer well clear of the drop this season. There were so many games last season where the attendance at the DW Stadium was well below where it should be and without the support of your fans how on earth is any team supposed to make home advantage count? Wigan had the lowest average attendance last season of just 18,000 and unless fans start flooding back to the stadium for home encounters, we see Wigan enduring another nail-biting season.

Wigan Athletic have fallen off the Premiership radar to some degree, as with faltering home attendances have come even poorer team displays. In the 2009/2010 Premier League season, Wigan didn’t once manage to string a couple of wins together and were too reliant on pieces of good fortunes and wins from out of the blue. It’s vitally important that any club, doesn’t matter how almighty you are, establish some form and consistency as without some you’re heading for murky water. The problem last term was a significant lack of goals, with their tally of 37 one of the lowest in the league. That’s not at all surprising considering Martinez prefers to opt for one up front in just about every game meaning chances were few and far between for Hugh Rodellega, whom when given a chance is actually more clinical than most pundits give him credit for. But unless he gets a regular supply, or a striking partner, it’s likely to be more of the same for the Latics I’m afraid, with another season of strife ahead it would seem.

Roberto Martinez has at least attempted to bolster his attacking options by signing Mauro Boselli from Argentina and James McArthur, but neither of two, at least from what I’ve seen of them, look capable of changing Wigan’s scoring fortunes at the present time. Instead, two forwards which arrived at the DW last season, Victor Moses & Jason Scotland, really do need to show their worth and prove to everyone that the Premier League isn’t out of their depth, as both were found wanting when introduced by Martinez last season. They do at least still have Charles N’Zogbia on their books, although for how long no-one knows as the winger has been linked with a move away from Wigan after some dazzling displays for Wigan last season. He’s about the only player which can make something happen for Wigan and that just about sums up their plight right now. Desperate times ahead we feel.

To Win Premiership – 7,500/1 Bet365
To Be Relegated – 9/4 bWin

Recommended Bet: Team to Concede Most Goals – 5/1 VictorChandler

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Manager: Mick McCarthy
Key Player: Kevin Doyle

Transfers In: Jelle Van Damme, Steven Fletcher, Stephen Hunt
Transfers Out: Chris Iwelumo, Daniel Jones, George Friend, Andrew Surman, Jason Shackell

Mick McCarthy did a remarkable job last season in keeping Wolves in the division, as not many, including us, thought they would cut it in the Premier League. In the end they did it with something to spare, finishing eight points above the drop and were never really in relegation contention. A brilliant end to the season ensured Wolves wouldn’t in contention following just two defeats in their last ten league games, but Wolves were another team which struggled to put two and two together last season in regards to winning back-to-back fixtures, so for all the their achievements last season Wolves still need to resolve their apparent form issues if they’re to continue fending off the drop, as there’s every chances the club will be closer to the relegation this time around despite some smart summer transfers.

Goals were hard to come by for Wolves last season despite Mick McCarthy’s often ludicrous attempts at raising Kevin Doyle’s value. The Irishman often had to work singly handily up front last season, one of McCarthy’s tireless workers, but he returned with figures of just nine league goals scored in 34 games. While some of his strikes proved priceless, a return of nine goals for the season, considering he’s their one and only striker, simply isn’t good enough to keep any side in the division. It all piles a great deal of pressure onto everyone else to chip in and make amends for Doyle’s shortcomings. We aren’t undermining Doyle’s second to none work rate, as his rallying displays up front on his lonesome last season were often commendable, but Wolves clearly lacked a great deal of fire-power last term, with the proof in the pudding as their tally of 32 scored in 38 league games was the worst in the Premiership. But being the wily old codger that Mick McCarthy is, he’s moved quickly to try and add  some cutting edge to Wolves’ attacking play and the signings of Steven Fletcher and Stephen Hunt could prove a master-stroke if Wolves stay up this season.
We feel you can’t win with Wolves, as while they lacked fire-power last season when opting to use just one striker they picked up enough points to keep them in the league by virtue of packing the midfield with industrious individuals. With Stephen Hunt and Steven Fletcher joining over the summer, Wolves are likely to spend more time attacking than they ever did last season but that will lead to far more gaps in midfield, meaning their mediocre defensive line up will be exposed and probably exploited. We felt Wolves were a tad fortunate in some games last season in that they were very clinical at times, but with fresh new attacking options it is likely Wolves will play in a different manner to last season, in a more open and expansive way and that could lead to their demise.

To Win Premiership – 7,500/1 Bet365
To Be Relegated – 9/4 SkyBet

Recommended Bet: Lowest Scoring Team – 4/1 PaddyPower

Wolverhampton Wanderers V Sunderland

Sunday, 9th May – 16:00 (GMT)

Wolverhampton Wanderers

League Position: 17th
Recent Form: DWLWL

A 16th placed finish doesn’t sound all that great on paper but for Wolves, a team a large portion of the country fancied would drop straight back down into the Championship, it’s a real achievement. Mick McCarthy has also had his fair share of stick over the years, none more so when his previous stint in the Premiership, as manager of Sunderland, went drastically bad as Sunderland finished bottom of the league and relegated in just their first season. With Wolves, however, McCarthy has pulled a rabbit out of the hat and worked some genuine magic to guide a pretty average group of players onto safe ground, but can he perform similar wonders next season?

Of course, Mick McCarthy won’t want to end a successful league campaign with defeat, especially not against a Sunderland side which has struggled with life on the road this season, but at the same time he will already be thinking about possible summer recruits, while he may even have a list of those surplus to requirements. With that mind, the Wolves players might be playing for their Wolves futures. While Mick McCarthy will want his players to give the fans on Sunday what they’ve come to see – the gloss to an enjoyable season, the players will be eager to impress the manager before the summer transfer window opens.

The objective this Sunday will be to win, to beat a poor travelling Sunderland side. But, however, that looks a stiff ask considering Wolves went six games without a Premiership victory after their 3-1 loss away at Portsmouth last Saturday. That defeat against a team certain to finish the season as the Premiership worst team according to the table, means Wolves ended their away campaign on a dampener but won’t want to end their home campaign in the same fashion. They’ll need to improve though, especially at the back, an area where they were sloppy from start to finish against Portsmouth. Now Sunderland aren’t the most prolific of away sides but they do have three strikers who, given the opportunity, will take their chances.

The success Wolves have enjoyed this season has been down to their hard-working attitude. However, they’ve relied upon some drab 0-0 draws for a large portion of their points income and what that basically means is for all Wolves’ hard-working and industrious actions, they lack the cutting edge in the final third. This has been apparent all season long but it has come to light recent as well, with Wolves scoring just two goals in their previous six league fixtures. They’ll need to sharpen up in front of goal on Sunday if they’re to finish with a result worth shouting about.

Sunderland

League Position: 12th
Recent Form: WLWWL

We’ve been shouting about Sunderland’s chances of bettering an abysmal away record of what recently was 1-4-12, and they repaid us for our loyal faith with an attractive price wise win at Hull City in their latest away outing, winning 1-0 at the KC Stadium. Now they’ve avoided going nearly a whole season with just one solitary away win, we reckon Sunderland will wave goodbye to the 2009-2010 season fairly happily, although one final win would ensure the Black Cats did go out with a bang.

Sunderland played a pivotal role in the title race last Sunday by not showing up against second placed Manchester United. Despite clashing with the Red Devils in a home fixture, in front of a packed out Stadium of Light crowd as fans said their goodbyes to their players, Sunderland never broke into a sweat as Manchester United dominated from start to finish, while the 1-0 scoreline perhaps could and should have been a lot bigger. We know it’s the end of the season, and we respect that the majority of players will be tired and gagging for their summer holidays, but we felt let down with Sunderland’s performance on Sunday even though we predicted an away win. We expected a Sunderland side which had beaten both Arsenal and Liverpool this season on home soil a real run for their money, whereas they instead rolled over – hugely disappointing.

Craig Gordon may have had his fair share of critics in his career, while injuries haven’t helped his cause either, but the Scotland international has been sensational for the Black Cats this season and put in another solid display on Sunday to keep the scoreline respectable. Gordon, alongside Darren Bent, have been the stand out performers in the Sunderland team in what has been a season of promise but one which could have been so much better. However, it could still yet improve as victory at Molineux on Sunday could leave Sunderland bragging about a Top Ten finish to their local rivals Newcastle United, who will reignite the Tyneside spark when the Magpies rejoin the Premiership next season.

Finishing in the upper half of the table isn’t something to be sniffed at. However, Sunderland need to beat a rejuvenated West Ham if they are to end the season with some top ten pride. Considering Sunderland have been pretty lethargic in their away performances this season, doesn’t bode well especially as their only away win in seventeen games came against a deflated and already relegated Hull City. Wolves, though, they’re beginning to feel good about themselves after avoiding the drop with a touch of comfortability, and with Wolves wanting to leave Molineux on a high, Sunderland will be hard pressed to get the win they need.

Match Verdict: Sunderland to WIN – 3.05 Expekt

For one reason or another, I keep straying towards an away win, whereas a Wolves win just doesn’t sound likely nor look appealing.

We have taken into consideration Sunderland’s poor away form this season, and the fact they were massively disappointing in their last league appearance, that home loss to Manchester United, but they’re a team which create plenty of chances through the game and against a Wolves side which has lacked that cutting edge in front of goal in recent games, it may only take one goal from Sunderland to seal all three points. With one of the league’s most prolific scorers spearheading your attack in Darren Bent, and Kenwyn Jones, who can be a real handful on his day, Sunderland do look a very good looking value bet to snatch their third away win of the season.

Match Odds

Wolverhampton Wanderers – 2.40 SportingBet
Draw – 3.25 Bet365
Sunderland – 3.05 Expekt

SoccerBetting Pick: Darren Bent FGS – 5.50 Boylesports

Portsmouth V Wolverhampton Wanderers

Saturday, 1^st May – 15:00 (GMT)

Portsmouth

League Position: 20th

Recent Form: LDDLD

Motive: No – Relegated

Portsmouth’s survival dreams were tainted some months ago, but Avram Grant’s men haven’t yet decided to roll over and simply hand out points, as Owen Coyle and Bolton found out last Saturday when Portsmouth came from the dead to snatch a point after previously trailing 2-0 at half-time. The point will do little for their cause as bottom is where Pompey will finish, but with the FA Cup final now just a few weeks away, some positive momentum is required heading into what seemed an impossible Wembley date at the start of the campaign.

Portsmouth drew for the third time in four games on Saturday as they frustrated Bolton fans, and many punters around the country by coming back from a seemingly impossible position to earn a point. By the interval Portsmouth were already 2-0 down and looking like a team which could go on to concede a few more, so quite how they managed to not only keep a clean sheet in the second half but score two goals of their own to thwart Bolton’s bid for three points is a question we suppose only the great leader himself, Avram Grant, can answer. Grant has always claimed to have a spirited bunch and it’s not too difficult to see why.

April was a fruitful month for Portsmouth, as Avram Grant steered his team to just one defeat in all competitions. The highlight was, of course, the FA Cup semi-final scalp of Tottenham Hotspur which has seen the club defy adversity to reach their second FA Cup final in as many years. However, their berth into Wembley’s show-piece has come at a price as now several of Grant’s key players can no longer play for Portsmouth due to financial reasons. Players have even resorted to begging their parent clubs to play for free, with Aruna Dindane agreeing with Lens to play the remainder of the season with Portsmouth without a fee. He showed his delight at the news by scoring two goals at The Reebok and the Ivory Coast forward can now look forward to his first FA Cup final.

Basically, the FA Cup will be the main focus for Portsmouth between now and the end of the season, which is just a couple of games away from it’s conclusion. The aim will be to rotate the squad in a bid to keep legs fresh, but not to roll over and lose games on the trot as they’ve proven in the last month of fixtures. They know their final with Chelsea will be difficult, almost impossible, but some good form before the final and Portsmouth, with confidence under their wings, could maybe, just maybe, pull off the final shock of shocks. They’ll continue trying to build up some steam at home against Wolves on Saturday, a team they they beat 1-0 at Molineux earlier in the season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

League Position: 15th

Recent Form: DLDDD

Motive: No

It was joyous scenes down at Molineux on Saturday as their point with Blackburn meant the club had survived for the very first time in the Premiership. Of course, their fate was actually sealed into Burnley were K.O’ed 24 hours later but that didn’t stop the fans from charging on the pitch as they knew full well only a miracle of biblical proportions would drag Wolves back down a division. Mick McCarthy will have one eye on some summer transfer targets, ones which he will hope just might keep them in the division a further season, but first he must aim to end the season in style by avenging the 1-0 defeat his men suffered at the hands of Portsmouth at Molineux earlier in the season.

Avoiding the drop was paramount with the fans, it just had to be achieved after their last season in the Premiership ended in a miserable fashion with Wolves finishing bottom of the league during the 2003-2004 campaign. Now, however, Wolves can make an audacious climb up the table and could potentially finish the season as high as 14^th, which would have seemed an unbelievable finish at the start of the season. Victory away at already relegated Portsmouth and Wolves will climb into 14^th position, and although the season maybe done and dusted in terms of completing their main objective, we are sure the fans would love to go out on a high and with a winning bang.

Wolves will, however, need to banish a five game drought first if they wish to end the season with a winning memento. Not since the 23^rd of February have Wolves won a Premier League fixture when they sent West Ham to a 3-1 defeat at Upton Park. Since then, however, Wolves haven’t managed to win a game after four draws and a loss, with their loss coming away at Arsenal. Wolves can actually end the season on a real high though should they avoid defeat in their two remaining fixtures, both of which are very winnable fixtures on paper. They start with this trip to Portsmouth while the return home where they’ll receive a rapturous reception when they get there as Sunderland come to town for the last fixture of the 2009-2010 season

The longest Wolves have gone without losing this season was four games during a fruitful March. A succession of three draws against Stoke City, Fulham and Blackburn Rovers means Wolves could end the season with their longest unbeaten streak of the campaign; 5 games. You’d expect the lads to get at least something out of this fixture down on the South Coast as anyone and everyone has taken points off of Portsmouth this season, while a home fixture with Sunderland on the final day of the season also gives McCarthy’s Wolves a glorious opportunity to cap a highly successful season.

Match Verdict: Draw – 3.40 SkyBet

This is a tough fixture to assess and highlight a potential winner as neither have anything important to play for other than minor placings for Wolves and some pride and momentum for Portsmouth. The latter will want to build up some steam ahead of their FA Cup final with Chelsea in a few weeks time, while Wolves will want to finish as high up the table as possible and could take further strides up the league with a win on the South Coast. Our vote, though goes the way of the draw as we just can’t split the two. Wolves lack that steely determination and match winning desire at the best of times while Portsmouth, well, no-one actually knows who will turn up for their games such is the confusion cloud lurking over Fratton Park right now. We don’t think you can go too far wrong with a small cheeky on the draw in a game which could very well pass by without a moments notice.

Match Odds

Portsmouth – 2.55 Expekt

Draw – 3.40 SkyBet

Wolverhampton Wanderers – 3.00 VCbet

SoccerBetting Value Pick: 0-0 Correct Score – 9.50 SportingBet

Wolverhampton Wanderers V Blackburn Rovers

Saturday, 24^th April – 15:00 (GMT)

Wolverhampton Wanderers

League Position: 16th

Recent Form: WDLDD

The talk of the town down in Wolves is that their club are one win away, in theory, from safeguarding their Premiership status. It would take a miracle of biblical propositions for Wolves to see the drop should they beat Blackburn on Saturday. Their well earned point at Fulham last Saturday meant Wolves put a healthy six point gap between them and those in the bottom three, so a win for Mick McCarthy’s Wolves, what would be their first for over a month, would almost guarantee the club another stint in England’s topflight.

It’s been that old stumbling scenario down at Molineux where Wolves are so close to the finish but just can’t clamber over it. The current six point separating them from those stranded at the bottom means Wolves are a very good bet to avoid the drop regardless, but a win on Saturday would be the last sprint through the finishing gate as it would take some miraculous from then on to see Wolves relegated. It’s an achievement in itself that Wolves have their own destiny in their hands. They must now seize the moment before nerves really take a hold of them as a nervy finish could await them should they fall to their 17^th defeat of the season on Saturday, and Hull were to win elsewhere.

Wolves will need to end a baron four match run if they are to overcome a Blackburn side which has found a new lease of life in recent weeks after some hard fought results of their own. However, while Rovers have been playing out of their skins and doing their bit to upset the title race, their ticket to the 2010/2011 Premiership season was booked a long time ago and in affect have very little to play for now, which is in stark contrast to Wolves who they themselves will be honest enough to say they aren’t out of the woods just yet. They need a win in what should be a capacity crowd at Molineux, or so they hope, but fans have been treated to a winning display since Wolves beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 back in early February. They’ve gone four home games without a win at home and have just two tries left to end the season on high in terms of giving their home fans something more than just survival to cheer about – A win at Molineux.

Blackburn Rovers

League Position: 12th

Recent Form: WWDDL

Blackburn suffered their first league defeat in seven last weekend when they came up just a little short in a thoroughly entertaining affair at Ewood Park against high-flying Everton. It was a disappointing defeat as Blackburn were on a high themselves after afive match unbeaten run consisting of a couple of decent results against the two teams currently contesting the league, Chelsea & Manchester United. With the season drawing to it’s exciting close, will a campaign which has surpassed all expectations dwindle out or can Rovers regain their form and end their season on a high.

Sam Allardyce has stated on more than one occasion that he wants and expects his team to give it their all until the season is finally over as there’s transfer kitty at stake. ‘Big Sam’, the Del Boy of the Premier League, will want every pound he can get his hand on and will try his utmost to get his Blackburn side as far up the table as possible in order to enhance his summer kitty. They are currently 12^th in the league table which, if the fans were truly honest, is higher than anyone ever imagined they would be at the start of the season. As all fans, Blackburn’s will be greedy and want a top ten finish, and with Sam Allardyce barking orders down on the touchline, we very much doubt the Blackburn players will have a chance to let up.

Blackburn will need to overcome a losing scoreline though as they haven’t been used to losing of late. Their 3-2 defeat at home to Everton on Saturday – what was a corker of a game between two teams really going for it in a tooth-and-nail fashion – was their first for six games and their first for a little over a month. The highlights of this mazy little run of theirs, what was their longest unbeaten run of the season, was a 1-1 draw with Chelsea, a 0-0 draw with Man Utd and a 2-1 win at home to Birmingham City. Those are three tough fixtures and Rovers did well to avoid defeat in all three, but all three were at home and while Blackburn are undefeated in their last two away ventures in the league, both of those away encounters were against the two sides right at the very bottom of the table in Burnley (0-1) and Portsmouth (0-0).

Blackburn Rovers will find Wolves a far bigger obstacle to overcome especially when Rovers consistently struggle to create chances and clear openings on their travels. Their tally of 11 away goals is up their with the very worst (4^th worst), they’ve gone back-to-back away games without scoring on three occasions already this season and are on the verge of making it four after their previous away venture ended in a 0-0 draw away at bottom of the league Portsmouth. If we’re brutally honest, betting on Blackburn to win will be precarious as their opponents will create a good few more chances than Blackburn will.

Blackburn Fact: Rovers have failed to score in nearly half of their away fixtures this season (47%) and failed to find the back of Portsmouth’s (20^th) net in their most recent away encounter which finished in a 0-0 draw.

Match Verdict: Wolves to WIN – 2.35 Bodog

Blackburn Rovers have been mighty hard to beat of late as Chelsea and Manchester United recently found that out. However, their resilience only comes when they play in front of their own fans at Ewood Park and away from home they really are a different kettle of fish. Granted they haven’t conceded an awful lot in some of their recent away encounters, but by the same token they haven’t scored enough either. At the end of last month they narrowly beat Burnley at Turf Moor to better a poor away record, but the following weekend they could only conjure a 0-0 draw with a side already relegated from the Premiership. They’re inconsistent away from home in terms of stringing two decent displays together, while chances are often few and far between as a lack of creativity is generally always apparent whenever Blackburn play away from Lancashire.

Wolves, however, while they haven’t won for while, have shown plenty of grit and determination in their recent games to earn some hard fought draws against some stiff opponents. They’ve held Fulham, Stoke City and Everton all to draws within a months spell, while they would have claimed a point at The Emirates had Arsenal not scored a 94^th minute winner. Wolves are fighting for every last point in their bid to stay well clear of the bottom three and a win on Saturday, in front of what we hope will be a buoyant Molineux crowd, would just about do it in regards to keeping the club in the Premiership for another season. Wolves have the incentive on a plate, while the same can be said for Blackburn in that they too are on a plate for Wolves.

Match Odds

Wolverhampton Wanderers – 2.35 Bodog

Draw – 3.30 SkyBet

Blackburn Rovers – 3.40 VCbet

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Wolves to WIN 2-0 – 11.00 SportingBet

Fulham V Wolverhampton Wanderers

Saturday, 17^th April – 15:00 (GMT)

Fulham

League Position: 12th

Recent Form: WDLWD

That Mr. Hodgeson has been playing mind games with us, or flirting with us punters, whichever avoids us looking stupid after we were so confident in Fulham getting beat at the weekend. The Cottagers, in a game we thought they wouldn’t get anything from, earned a well deserved and hard fought draw at Anfield on Sunday to boost their claims for a top the finish, not that Roy Hodgeson looks that bothered about where his team finishes, and give the players a big lift heading into this home fixture with Wolves, although, once again we doubt Hodgeson cares an awful lot about this fixture.

Fulham’s last league encounter was of course at Anfield against a Liverpool side they could still meet in the Europa League final in May. If that game was an early indication into what we might expect then God help both sides. While Fulham were resolute in defending, they were non-existent from an attacking perspective, although we did get the impression that Fulham set up shop very early on in a bid to attain just the single point. In fairness, we think Roy Hodgeson just wanted to feel safe and assured in the knowledge that he does have a team of hard working individuals capable of repelling Liverpool’s attack as, like we said earlier, Fulham could yet meet Liverpool in the Europa League final. If this was done on a round-by-round basis then we suppose it’s 1-0 to Roy Hodgeson.

However, while Hodgeson gave everyone the impression that a host of players would be rested for the trip to Anfield, it looked on paper like the strongest starting eleven from Fulham. That won’t be the case on Saturday though, for two specific reasons. The first being their opponents, who aren’t the best of sides, while the second being their Europa League tie with Hamburg in Germany just a few days later. There is no way Roy Hodgeson will risk some of his star names for a home encounter with Wolves. Hodgeson has already stated that the Europa League is the clubs main priority now and that the Premiership will take it’s place on the shelf. Of course, as Sunday proved, Fulham won’t field the reserves in a bid to protect every single first team player, but Hodgeson has given the weekend off to some of his key players right before a European tie before this season, and he’s expected to do something similar on Saturday against Wolves.

Even if Fulham do the expected by resting some of its players, their record at Craven Cottage this season is so formidable that it will still take a mammoth performance from their opponents to overhaul the Cottagers. In six league games at Craven Cottage this season, Fulham have only lost four times and have lost just one of their last five at home. Of course, with Hodgeson set to name an understrength team, Fulham will be vulnerable to losing their fifth home game of the season, but we still fancy the main bulk of the Fulham squad to feature and should be enough to at least guarantee Fulham don’t head into Thursday European tie in Germany without a league defeat lurking over them.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

League Position: 14th

Recent Form: DWDLW

Wolves gave their chances of surviving the drop a boost with a point at home to Stoke City on Saturday. While a win would have been better, stating the obvious of course, the point was enough to take Wolves six points away from the relegation and the likelihood now is that Wolves need just one more victory to be assured of their Premiership status. Can they get that elusive win at Craven Cottage against a Fulham side which might be slightly weaker than it’s usual self?

Their fixture with Stoke City last weekend was a scruffy affair with chances few and far between, but the point wasn’t necessarily a bad point as it took them a step closer to safety. Another point at Craven Cottage and Wolves would be almost home and hosed. However, Craven Cottage has proven to be a tough venue to visit for most sides this season so Wolves will need to be on their guard despite the likelihood for Fulham resting a few first team players for this clash. If anything it’s down to Mick McCarthy to mastermind a game plan good enough to take full advantage of the possibility of Fulham not being at their strongest in terms of players on the pitch.

Wolves certainly head to the capital with a fighting chance of at least attaining some points at Fulham. Not only have Mick McCarthy’s Wolves managed just as many wins away from home as they’ve done at Molneux, they’ve lost just one of their previous four away encounters in the league, winning two of those against Burnley and West Ham. Granted those victories were against two sides battling with relegation, a little like themselves in many respects, but Wolves had to work tremendously hard in both matches and were well deserving of all the spoils. In fact, despite losing on their last away venture at Arsenal, Wolves should have taken a point from their visit to The Emirates which just goes to show how well Wolves have been playing on the road as well as their away run is also complimented by a 2-2 draw at local rivals Aston Villa.

Looking at this fixture at first glance, you might be forgiven for thinking this should be a comfortable home win for Fulham. But because of Fulham’s European commitments, Wolves’ desire to remain the Premiership and their much improved away form of late, Mick McCarthy’s side are well within their means to spring a surprise on Saturday. While the Fulham boys will be focused on their Thursday night glamour tie in the Europa League, Wolves will have for one thing and one thing only, three points. It’s a bold prediction but a win for Wolves at Craven Cottage and we would stick our necks on the line ans say Wolves won’t be relegated. They’ll be aware of this too, while they’ll be eager to get their status wrapped up and secured as soon as possible.

Match Prediction: Wolves to WIN – 4.30 SkyBet

Once again we will oppose the Cottagers and back whoever is against them, Wolves this time around. We’ve failed to previous two weeks, although Wigan did come close to beating a Fulham side without a hose of influential players, Bobby Zamora being one of them. With Fulham eyeing up their Europa League game on Thursday, you could have to question their desire to get anything from this game with Wolves. Of course, no-one at Fulham wants to travel to Germany off the back of a defeat, but you need to show bags of hunger and determination these days in order to beat Wolves as Arsenal found out all too well a fortnight ago.

Fulham will be tough to beta regardless of the team Roy Hodgeson fields, but what you’re getting with Wolves that you’re not getting with Fulham is the desire to win. Wolves will give it their all at Craven Cottage and look a tasty price to come away with all the cream.

Match Odds

Fulham – 2.05 Expekt

Draw – 3.50 bWin

Wolverhampton Wanderers – 4.30 SkyBet

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Wolves to Score First – 2.65 Bodog

Wolverhampton Wanderers V Stoke City

Sunday, 11^th April – 12:00 GMT

Wolverhampton Wanderers

League Position: 14th

Recent Form: WDWDL

Mick McCarthy will need to do some restoration work at Molineux ahead of Saturday’s clash with Stoke City. Wolves’ last league encounter was that 1-0 loss at The Emirates to Arsenal where Nicklas Bendtner scored a 94^th minute winner to break Wolves hearts. It was, however, a performance for McCarthy to be proud, and while the final result was a bitter blow, the way in which Wolves maintained the Gunners for 90 minutes will have impressed their manager, while punters around the country just might of took notice after their gutsy display.

No longer can you doubt the commitment of the Wolves players after they left their heart and soul on that Emirates pitch last Saturday. The Wolves’ perhaps displayed too much commitment as Karl Henry was dismissed midway through the second half for what the ref deemed a ‘dangerous tackle’. Mick McCarthy wasn’t best pleased with the decision and we would have to disagree. Wolves had to work so hard just to keep Arsenal to bay thereafter and did manage a whole 90 minutes without conceding. In terms of creating chances of their own, Wolves were non-existent, but the battled hard in defence and no-one would have begrudged them a point. However, you fall asleep for one minute against the big boys and you pay, and Wolves certainly paid a heavy price on Saturday for some lack in concentration. 

Karl Henry’s red card on Saturday means he will now miss the next three games through suspension as Wolves decided not to appeal the decision. Afterwards, though, Henry was outspoken on his views about Arsenal’s desire to go down easy, claiming Arsenal “Went down like a sack of spuds”. I’m sure those words won’t go down at all well with the Arsenal camp, and we doubt his own manager will be particularly happy either. McCarthy needs his players to concentrate on their next task at hand and not past matters, regardless of whether you’re available or not.

Despite falling to defeat on Saturday, Wolves still find themselves in a healthy situation in regards to avoiding the drop. After last weekends games, Wolves are sat in 14^th position and are five points above the relegation zone. Defeat on Saturday would make for a nervy last couple of weeks at Molineux but victory would take Wolves further clear of the bottom three and just five points away from that magic 40 point marker – Generally enough to save any team from relegation. They come up against a tough Stoke City though and will do well to attain all three points you would feel. These two played out a 2-2 draw earlier in the season but Wolves had to come from two goals down in that game and will be aware of the threat Stoke will cause.

Stoke City

League Position: 10th

Recent Form: DDLWW

Stoke City are on the brink of achieving a feat they’ve not managed all season up till now and that’s win back-to-back games away from The Brittania. While at the very same time they could make it three wins from three with victory at Molineux in what would be classed as their longest winning streak of the season. If Stoke were at the bottom end of the table then we would all be claiming Stoke are coming good at just the right time, however, they are not but are instead pushing for a more glamorous ten ten finish, and three points on Saturday would greatly enhance their chances of landing the spoils.

Successive victories over West Ham (0-1) and Hull City (2-0) have sent Stoke soaring over the 40 point marker, the dream target for most clubs with survival expectations at the beginning of the season. So, what with another Premiership season all but secured for another year, Stoke can now concentrate on a top ten push. The Potters are currently 10^th, bang on target, but there are several teams closing in on them so Stoke can ill-afford to let up now.

A Stoke side which has only won three times on the road all season is showing progressive signs of improving away from home after going five games unbeaten on their travels. In fact; Stoke have yet to lose an away league fixture in 2010 and it’s one of those records which looks so intimidating on paper, you just can’t afford to throw it away. Stoke will be trying their utmost to protect their unbeaten away status on Saturday but will have to fend off the challenge from a Wolves team who’ve been playing out of their skins themselves of late, while it’s the same Wolves that held Stoke to a 2-2 draw back in October. 

Stoke did manage to keep a clean sheet on the way to a 1-0 victory at West Ham in their last away encounter, which was just as well as their scoring exploits on the road haven’t exactly been something to shout about. The fact Stoke have scored in each of their previous four away games in the league speaks volumes in how Stoke have raised their away game since the turn of the year but it is worth pointing out that during their five away game in 2010, Stoke only accumulated five goals against what would be considered by most as ‘Average’ teams. Of course, Wolves will fall into the same category which will make Stoke a tasty proposition on Sunday, but something tells me Stoke’s goalscoring issues are still there and could surface at any moment.

Interesting Fact: Stoke have played 15 times away from home this season but have only managed to score 9 goals. The 2^nd worst away goal record in the Premiership.

Match Verdict: Draw – 3.30 BetFred

In fairness, though, this isn’t a fixture we would get overly excited about. Wolves aren’t the most consistent of teams at home while Stoke have been known to struggle for goals on their travels. To be honest, the 0-0 is beginning to look more of a proposition. We don’t fancy either sides chances on Sunday, at least not enough to back one of them, so the draw gets the nod from us, as well does a small wager on this ending in a drab 0-0 stalemate.

Match Odds:

Wolverhampton Wanderers – 2.30 bWin

Draw – 3.30 BetFred

Stoke City – 3.25 SkyBet

SoccerBetting Value Tip: 0-0 Correct Score – 9.00 Ladbrokes

Arsenal V Wolverhampton Wanderers

Saturday, 3^rd April – 15:00 GMT

Arsenal

League Position: 3rd

Recent Form: WWWWD 

After a gruelling 90 minutes with Barcelona, Arsenal try their luck against a more gentle team in that of Mick McCarthy’s Wolves. It’s the same venue, The Emirates, but they’ll be no Messi or Ibrahimovic terrorising their defence and will instead probably only have to deal with one Wolves strike on the day in Kevin Doyle. This next task just does not compare to that of their last, but will Arsenal be out of steam by the time they welcome Wolves to The Emirates on Saturday afternoon?

The answer is probably a bit of both, although Arsenal’s quality in depth and technical ability should see them safely through what is an easy fixture on paper. Even so, it’s sometimes the easy game that you come a cropper in simply because you don’t apply yourself in the correct and professional manner so Arsene Wenger will need to drill it into his players that an alert and smart display is needed from them.

On Wednesday, however, Arsenal were left in awe as Barcelona stormed out of the blocks, creating chance after chance. Were it not for Almunia in the Arsenal goal, Barcelona could have had a 3-0 or 4-0 lead going into half-time. However, Arsenal’s hero of the first half was soon their worst enemy as Almunia was lobbed by Ibrahimovic just 20 seconds into the second half, with the Spaniards foolish rush punished. By the time the hour mark arrived Arsenal were starring exit right in the face, but a spired comeback and the aid of some fresh and extremely fast Theo Walcott legs ensured Arsenal didn’t leave empty handed as they earned a 2-2 in the end.  

In fairness, the 2-2 draw was probably more than Arsenal really deserved on reflection, but the manner in which the players rose to the occasion in the second period was commendable, although their was a direct consequence for that full heart second half attitude as Cesc Fabregas spent the remaining five minutes or so limping. He will be unavailable for this clash with Wolves and while they will probably cope without him on this occasion, Wenger will certainly need his talented Spanish midfielder back ASAP. In the meantime, Denilson will occupy his position while Song will drop back into defence as William Gallas was also injured in the Barcelona clashed and has to be stretchered off.

The injuries to both William Gallas and Cesc Fabregas are a big blow but Arsenal are fortunate enough that their next fixture is that against Wolves. We don’t necessarily mean to be disrespectful to Wolves as they’ve done great this season, but even without two of their more influential players, Arsenal should dispatch Wolves without too many scares.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

League Position: 14th

Recent Form: LWDWD

Mick McCarthy will have watched Arsenal’s match with Barcelona in midweek and will have taken plenty of negatives away from that encounter, although there were enough positives for him to dwell over. The absence of two of Arsenal’s key players for a start, but do Wolves really have what it takes to snatch some points off an Arsenal side gunning for the league title despite boasting very little quality in comparison to that of their match day opponents? We think not, but hey, anything can happen in football. Just look at how Arsenal turned the game around in midweek for a prime example. 

Wolves are a big price to win at The Emirates and that’s understandable considering there are eleven positions separating the pair in the table and 36 points. Even so, Wolves themselves have shown plenty of character of late and have pushed some big teams close in recent weeks. They should of taken at least a share of the spoils against both Man Utd (0-1) and Chelsea (0-2) either side of last month after creating more than enough chances to merit a point. However, that’s been a notable and consistent fault of Wolves, not converting their chances. Strangely enough, however, they’ve scored more goals away from home, which perhaps indicates that Wolves feel more pressure at Molineux and instead prefer their usual underdog status. 

Well, they’re a big underdog in this clash but yet we still don’t see them getting close to Arsenal. Mick McCarthy will more than likely stick five men in midfield and go with Kevin Doyle up front on his lonesome. While that could prove effective in narrowing the spaces available to Arsenal, for one we don’t think they’ll last the whole game out playing in such an organised fashion, and two we don’t see Wolves creating much in terms of chances at the other end. Then again, Wolves have shell shocked us recently with some of their forward play and have scored seven in their last three away fixtures. That’s some pretty lean figures for a club like Wolves, although, it must be noted that five of those did come against two teams in the lower reaches of the table.

While we’re finding it hard to pluck up the courage and have a small wager on Wolves maybe springing a surprise, we can still see some value in their rather large 16/1 price quote with WilliamHill. They’ve looked more lively and dangerous in front of goal, while they’ve finally added some clinical finishing to their play. However, by the same token, their defence is still conceding having done so against Burnley, Aston Villa and West Ham. Now, those teams mentioned are nothing in comparison to Arsenal and it seriously begs the question as to whether Wolves’ unbeaten away run of three games will come to a somewhat inevitable end at The Emirates as they would need a mammoth defensive performance to keep Arsenal at arms length.

Interesting Fact: Wolves haven’t lost in the Premier League for four games, while they’re unbeaten in their last three away encounters.

Match Verdict: Arsenal to WIN – 1.22 Bet365

The Gunners aren’t the best of prices against a Wolves side who haven’t lost a league encounter for nearly a month now, but Arsenal really should fend off the challenge from Wolves. They will have to do so without Cesc Fabregas mind, but Arsene Wenger has some suitable replacements and providing Arsenal take their chances when they do arrive, and there will be plenty of them, it will be another vital set of three points added to their title cause. It’s as simple as that for us.

Match Odds:

Arsenal – 1.22 Bet365

Draw – 6.50 BetFred

Wolverhampton Wanderers – 17.00 WilliamHill

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Theo Walcott FGS – 8.50 BlueSquare