PREMIER LEAGUE Weekend PREVIEW by Gerry McDonnell (Friday, December 15, 2006)

Ex-Panda Bull I feel a genuine affinity with Alan Pardew; as I too have been unjustly dismissed from the workplace. My only 'crime' was being young and in love. Admittedly, it was wrong of us to consummate our relationship during working hours; but I remain convinced that the zookeeper overreacted. Eggert Magnusson may well rue the decision to harpoon the former Hammer-head. Alan Curbishley is undoubtedly a competent replacement, but like Frank Lampard, he'll take a while to find his feet. The 'Egg man' has handed Man U three points at a cracking 1/2. Rio Ferdinand is unable to look back on his time at Upton Park with any real fondness; he has the memory span of a dead goldfish. Rio and Vidic look rock solid at the back, a United clean sheet appeals at 11/10. Chelsea will have to beat Everton to keep pace with the leaders, and I'm absolutely convinced that they will. I'm all over the 4/7 like John Terry on a referee. Let's hope that Drogba keeps the theatrics to a minimum. (Diving is only ever acceptable after several lagers.) Didi looks the most likely first scorer at 9/2. Roman Abramovic has placed 500m pound in a trust fund to secure Chelsea's future. Ashley Cole was expecting £505m; he's so upset about the situation he's in talks with his publisher. I'm grabbing 5/2 about Chelsea winning 1-0 or 2-0. Sol Campbell represented Arsenal on 197 occasions and he can justifiably feel proud that he avoided a breakdown in the majority of those matches. Sol returns with a Pompey team who have conceded 25 goals on their last 7 trips to Highbury; you'll be mad if you miss the Gunners at 4/9. The influx of foreign owners in the Premiership may appear a cause for concern, but like the 'back-pass rule' or giving women 'the vote', there's nothing to fear in practice. Liverpool are quite rightly licking their lips at the thought of a cool Sheikh; I'm excited about 4/6 for a Pool win at the Valley. Newcastle are suffering with injuries. Owen, Ameobi, Parker, Duff, Bramble, Moore, Bernard, Harper, Carr, Emre, Solano and Sibierski are either ruled out or doubtful; and in a stunning development, Kieron Dyer may also miss the game through injury. Watford can snatch a draw at St James' Park at 13/5. Apart from the top four places, the Premiership is completely wide open this season. The result of Reading v Blackburn could be absolutely anything; except for a draw or an away win. The Royals are smoking at 6/5. Neil Warnock has been remarkably restrained on the touchline this season; i've a feeling that he's about to explode like Robbie Savage when the average price of a caravan rose dramatically in the late 90s. Wigan look a great bet at 10/11 to light the spark. El Hadji Diouf is suspended for the trip to Aston Villa; allowing him to spend some quality time at home with his wife. All the stats point to a draw like it's a ginger boy in a ballet class. Get involved at 11/5. Man City are unbeaten at home and Tottenham are yet to win away; the 6/4 about a home win looks a trifle too big. I expect City to come out all guns blazing from the start. In Manchester, that's not a metaphor. My computer is a lot like the wife, if the information is punched in correctly, positive results are guaranteed. My spreadsheet plays a sound if the odds offered by a bookmaker are greater than the actual probability of success; when I placed 5/4 next to Fulham, it whipped out a guitar. Liverpool, Reading, Wigan, Chelsea and Fulham are the sure-fire selections for the weekend accer. The payout of 21/1 is so sweet; it reminds me of my first love. I'll never forget you Ling-Ling. Weekend Betting: Charlton v Liverpool Saturday 16th December 12:45 Live on Premiership Plus Charlton 5/1 Draw 14/5 Liverpool 4/6 Get on: Liverpool Match Special: Liverpool to score four or more goals 6/1 Arsenal v Portsmouth Saturday 16th December 15:00 Arsenal 4/9 Draw 10/3 Portsmouth 15/2 Get on: Arsenal Match Special: Gilberto to score at any time 4/1 Newcastle v Watford Saturday 16th December 15:00 Newcastle 8/11 Draw 13/5 Watford 9/2 Get on: Draw Match Special: No goalscorer in the match 10/1 Reading v Blackburn Saturday 16th December 15:00 Reading 6/5 Draw 23/10 Blackburn 13/5 Get on: Reading Match Special: Doyle to score the first goal 5/1 Wigan v Sheff Utd Saturday 16th December 15:00 Wigan 10/11 Draw 12/5 Sheff Utd 7/2 Get on: Wigan Match Special: Camara to score two or more goals 11/2 Aston Villa v Bolton Saturday 16th December 17:15 Live on Premiership Plus Aston Villa 11/8 Draw 11/5 Bolton 11/5 Get on: Draw Match Special: Petrov to score in a 1-1 draw 25/1 Everton v Chelsea Sunday 17th December 13:45 Live on Sky Everton 11/2 Draw 14/5 Chelsea 4/7 Get on: Chelsea Match Special: Chelsea to keep a clean sheet 11/10 Man City v Tottenham Sunday 17th December 15:00 Man City 6/4 Draw 23/10 Tottenham 9/5 Get on: Man City Match Special: Richards to score with a header 9/1 West Ham v Man Utd Sunday 17th December 16:00 Live on Sky West Ham 13/2 Draw 10/3 Man Utd 1/2 Get on: Man Utd Match Special: Saha to score two or more goals 5/1 Fulham v Middlesbrough Monday 18th December 20:00 Live on Sky Fulham 5/4 Draw 9/4 Middlesbrough 5/2 Get on: Fulham Match Special: Fulham to score three or more goals 4/1 Posted by soccerbetting.info @ 5:04 AM << Home