PREMIERSHIP PREVIEW by Nigel Ridgeway (Thursday, November 17, 2005)

LAST WEEK'S PICKS - ENGLAND (7/4), SWITZERLAND (13/10) & CZECH REPUBLIC(7/5) ALL WON! ENGLAND NOW 7/1 FOR WORLD CUP GLORY England staged a remarkable comeback to clinch a thrilling 3-2 victory overArgentina last weekend to earn a cut in the World Cup odds from 8/1 to 7/1.The result wasn't unexpected, and the Three Lions were well-backed (and tipped up) at 7/4, but what was more surprising was the fact that we got to see a competitive friendly and, as a result, there was plenty of betting action via Bet 365's live 'In-Play Console'. With only three minutes to go,England were trading at 25/1 (Argentina 1/20), while they were also a very backable 14/1 after Argentina had gone 1-0 up after 34 minutes. However, it's easy to get carried away with this result, which means nothing in terms of the World Cup, and if a further reality check were needed, Brazil were showing why they're 3/1 favourites with an 8-0 thrashing of UAE. If England are to go all the way, they'll need the defending champions to have an off-day or two, which is always possible given the unpredictable nature of knockout football. A few more goals from Saturday's hero, Michael Owen would help too, and he's 15/8 with Bet 365 to be top England scorer (Rooney 4/1). However, England and Brazil were not the only market movers at the weekend,with Italy cut into 10/1 from 11/1 after their 3-1 victory over Holland. The Dutch were missing a few players, but this was still an impressive performance from Italy's new-look forward partnership of Luca Toni and Alberto Gilardino. There were also play-off victories for Spain, who were chopped into 16/1 from 20/1, and the Czech Republic (20/1 from 33/1). However, anyone looking for a long-shot at this stage might want to consider Serbia at 66/1. The Serbs finished above Spain in qualifying, conceding just one goal in the process, and they may be able to do a Greece! Ante Post Pick: Serbia & Montenegro @ 66/1 (Bet 365 - FREE £100) LATICS ARE VALUE AT 10/3 Saturday 19 November - 12.45 ko (SS1) Back in the Premiership, Wigan's success story has been one of the stories of the season, and a very profitable one for 'in the game' readers who've latched on. However, Saturday's visit by Arsenal will be one of their toughest tests so far, and many will be expecting their golden run of six straight wins to come to an end. After a difficult start, Arsene Wenger's side are beginning to find the net regularly, winning eight of their last nine in all competitions, but they're priced accordingly at 4/5. As a consequence, Paul Jewell's side are probably a shade too big at 7/2, and are worth a small bet at that price, but more significant support getting a half-goal start on the Asian handicap (currently 2.05). Obviously, the Gunners will be a different proposition to the likes of Portsmouth and Fulham, but the Latics are on a roll and weren't disgraced against Chelsea on the opening day of the season. Three months on, they haven't lost since, having conceded just three times in the last eleven (none in the last five), and scoring at least once every time. Whether we've got the confidence to put Wigan in our Premiership acca is another thing, the cornerstone of which has to be Chelsea at home to Newcastle. After two defeats on the bounce against Real Betis and Man Utd, Chelsea should be fired up for this, and Newcastle, who were lucky to overcome Birmingham 1-0 at St James', could be on the wrong end of a thrashing (Chelsea to win 3-0, 8/1). Liverpool have bounced back from their Carling Cup defeat by Palace, and the 2-0 win at Aston Villa suggests that they'll have no trouble seeing off Portsmouth, who've won just four games in 20 matches under manager Alain Perrin (8/11 in our 'Sack Race' betting). With little confidence in our odds-on quotes for both Man United and Middlesbrough, our weekend acca is completed by Bolton (7/4) and Tottenham (4/6). A £25 acca on our four fancied team pays out £228.74, which includes a Bet 365 bonus of 5% (up to 60% available every weekend). Suggested Premiership Acca: Chelsea, Liverpool, Bolton, Tottenham ? pays £228.74 with £25 stake (Bet 365 - FREE £100) Posted by SoccerBetting.info @ 2:33 PM << Home