Premiership Preview for the weekend 13-15 September 2008
Liverpool V Manchester United (Saturday 13th September 12.45pm - Sky Sports 1)
There are many big derby matches in the English league but none bigger then the Liverpool v Manchester United affair. Both sets of fans will be desperate for their side to come out on top in what should be a thrilling match.
Liverpool have already been dealt a massive blow with Steven Gerrard ruling himself out of the match on Saturday after he felt he wouldn't have enough fitness after his Groin surgery. Fernando Torres is also battling with fitness after he limped off against Aston Villa when Liverpool dropped their first points of the season in a 1-1 draw just before the international break.
Liverpool haven't got out of the blocks so far this season but despite not playing to their full potential they have notched up 7 points from their first 3 premier league fixtures and they find themselves in second position, level on points with leaders Chelsea.
Manchester United also made a shaky start after drawing their first league game at home to Newcastle and were slightly fortunate to win at Portsmouth 1-0. Sir Alex Ferguson will take a good omen into the game which is that Liverpool haven't beaten United in their last 4 league fixtures with Liverpool's last win over United coming in February in 2006.
With Manchester United splashing the cash on Dimitar Berbatov, they will be expecting him to get the goals in the absence of Christiano Ronaldo who is still out injured. Rio Ferdinand missed the world cup qualifier for England against Andorra but played last night against Croatia and looks set to face Liverpool.
Liverpool look fantastic value at 2/1 with Bet365. Manchester United have been priced up as 13/8 favourites with Coral but with the game being played at Anfield, i think the advantage has to be with Liverpool despite the probability of them being without captain Steven Gerrard.
(Saturday 13th September 3pm)
Blackburn V Arsenal
Arsenal make the trip to Ewood Park this afternoon as Arsene Wenger pits his wits against Blackburn's Paul Ince.
Arsenal have no fresh injury worries and will be delighted that none of their players that went away for international duty came back with any knocks. Wenger will also be chuffed to bits with Theo Walcott's contribution in mid-week for England against Croatia with the kid having the game of his life scoring his first competitive goals and hat-trick. Cesc Fabregas looks set to start in midfield along side new boy Samir Nasri while Walcott and Van Persie look to boss the wings. Adebayor will be desperate to open his account for the season and will see this as a good opportunity to bag his first league goal.
Blackburn will be happy with the news that Santa Cruz played in Paraguay's 2-0 victory over Venezuela on Wednesday. He was suffering from an ankle injury but looks to have overcome that. Steven Reid did take a knock while playing for the Republic of Ireland but should recover in time for the game.
The head to head statistics doesn't bode well for Blackburn with Arsenal winning the last 8 out of 10 competitive fixtures between these two sides. Arsenal have been priced up as 6/5 favourites with Bet365 and it is pretty hard to see past an away win today. Theo Walcott at 15/2 to open the score looks a great value bet with Bet365.
Wigan V Sunderland
Wigan prepare to host Sunderland at the JJB stadium with both sides in the bottom half of table. Wigan and Sunderland's main aim for the season will be survival so both will be desperate to stretch the gap between them and the drop by winning this fixture.
Both sides have just 1 win to their name after 3 league fixtures with Wigan's first victory coming in a 5-0 mauling of Hull City and Sunderland's coming in a surprise 2-1 away win over Tottenham Hotspur. Wigan have looked the better side though and were desperately unlucky to lose to Chelsea at home 1-0. They dominated a Chelsea side full of world class players and had the better of the chances. A brilliant free-kick from Deco was all that separated the two sides.
They are a powerful side who posses great pace on the wings with Wilson Palacios and Antonio Valencia while new Egyptian signing Amr Zaki looks sharp in front of goal and already has 3 to his name. Emile Heskey played a vital role in mid-week for England and looks set to feature up front with Zaki for the Latics.
Sunderland made a good start to the season despite losing their opening game to Liverpool at home. Neither side really deserved to win but a late Torres goal settled the game. They played very well against a Tottenham side lacking in confidence with Djibril Cisse scoring the winner late on. Man City ran riot in their last league game and were thumped 3-0 at home and were vastly poor throughout the game.
They have made some decent signings over the summer with Djibril Cisse coming in on loan and both Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney joining from West ham to strengthen Roy Keane's defence.
Wigan at home should be too strong and we expect Palacios and Valencia to control the midfield. A Wigan win at 11/10 with Bet365 looks great value.
Fulham V Bolton
Bolton travel to play Fulham at Craven Cottage in what could possibly be a 6 pointer come the end of the season.
Both sides are tipped to struggle this season and both will see this as a fantastic opportunity to stretch the gap between them and the relegation zone. Bolton started their season with a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Stoke City and currently find themselves in 6th position after 3 games while Fulham managed a shock 1-0 home win over Arsenal in their second league game of the season but are already near the foot of the table in 14th.
The last 12 league encounters between these two sides are relatively even with Fulham winning 6, Bolton winning 3 and 3 games ending in a draw. The last match finished 0-0 and we wouldn't be surprised if it was another low scoring draw.
This isn't a game for the neutrals and backing the draw at 23/10 with Bet365 looks the most predictable outcome.
Newcastle V Hull
Newcastle will be looking to put all their off pitch chaos to one one side as they prepare to host Hull City on Saturday.
With Kevin Keegan walking out and fans threatening to boycott games this can only be bad for the Newcastle players. They have made a decent start to the season despite only winning one game from their first three. A narrow 1-0 win over Bolton was enough to secure them their first 3 points of the season and their opening 1-1 draw with Manchester United must have given a deserved boost of confidence to the players. They were thumped by Arsenal in their last game 3-0 but they have played a lot better in their first few games this season then the majority of last season.
Hull City achieved their first ever Premiership win on the opening day of the season when they came from behind to beat Fulham 2-1. They nicked a point at Ewood Park against Blackburn but were hammered by Wigan in their last competitive game. Despite them getting some decent results in their opening two fixtures they do look vulnerable, especially at the back. Wigan exposed their defence and i think Newcastle will have no trouble opening up Hull City.
This will be the first Premiership fixture between these two sides as Hull City haven't played in the Premiership before this season. Newcastle should cruise through this fixture despite the boardroom troubles. A Newcastle win at 7/10 with BlueSquare. That looks great value to us. Michael Owen also looks decent value at 4/1 with Bet365 to open the scoring
Portsmouth V Middlesborough
Middlesborough make the long trip down south to take on Harry Redknapps's Portsmouth with both teams desperate for the points.
Portsmouth had tough opening fixtures to start their season off with and could only manage 3 points from their first three games. They were comprehensively beaten at Stamford by Chelsea but did restrict Manchester United to a narrow 1-0 score. Peter Crouch looks a decent signing as early signs have shown him and Defoe linking up well. Defoe is always a threat and he showed that with his goals against Everton in their last league game.
Middlesborough on the other hand have made a great start with their only defeat of the season coming against Liverpool at Anfield which seen Liverpool score two late goals to stun Gareth Southgate's team. Wins over Stoke and Tottenham have pushed Middlesborough up into 6th and have already shown their intent to push for a UEFA Cup spot this season. They did well to keep hold of Downing and they look a tricky side to overcome at this early stage.
Middlesborough completed a league double over Portsmouth last season beating Pompey both home and away but i think this will be a tricky match for them. Two sides which will attack at every opportunity and a Draw looks the more likely outcome and 5/2 with Bet365. We expect their to be goals so at odds of 21/20 with Bet365 for Over 2.5, looks good value.
West Brom V West Ham
Gianfranco Zola will prepare his side for their first game under his new regime as they look to take advatage of West Brom's poor start to the season and get all three points.
West Brom are just one of two sides without a win so far with Tottenham being the other side. They were unlucky not to get a point at Arsenal when they went down 1-0 but were disappointing in their next fixtures picking up just one point in a draw with Bolton. With just one goal from there first three fixtures it is clear they will struggle for fire power in front of goal this season. They do pass the ball around well but they do look very vulnerable at the back while lack composure in the final third.
West Ham have a new manager at the helm in the form in former Chelsea favourite Gianfranco Zola and he will be delighted that his first game is against a side currently bottom of the league table. With several key players going out the door Zola will be looking for stability and will be relying heavily on Dean Ashton getting the goals.
The last 4 league fixtures have gone mainly to the away side with West Ham winning 3 of the 4 and WBA winning just the one. We cannot see West Brom scoring enough and a West Ham win at 2/1 with Bet365 looks the best bet.
Man City V Chelsea (Saturday 13th September 5.30pm - Setanta Sports 1)
A tie which has been made more interesting with the transfer of Robinho, as Chelsea make the trip up north to Manchester City. He was a long term target for Chelsea but at the last minute he went to City and with many Chelsea fans stating he made the wrong decision there could be a few out there with a point to prove.
Robinho had a fairly decent international break scoring in Brazils 3-0 win over Chile and Mark Hughes will be delighted he came back without a knock. Elano also played a small part in their games but also came back with no injury worries. There are concerns over both Micah Richards and Michael Johnson who both picked up knocks in their last Premiership fixture which seen City win on their travels at Sunderland 3-0.
Manchester City fans will be over the moon with the return of Shaun Wright-Philips who made the perfect return to City by scoring 2 on his debut against Sunderland. With New owners in Abu Dhabi, who have shed loads of cash the, the pressure will be on manager Mark Hughes to get the right results and push City towards the champions league places.
Chelsea have no fresh injury concerns but will be boosted by the possible return of Didiar Drogba. Drogba has been recovering from a knee injury but did play for the reserves last week and Scolari has also hinted that he may played 45 minutes at City. Frank Lampard and John Terry came back from a great week for England with no knocks and will feature from the off for Chelsea while Bosingwa and Deco should also feature for the Blues. Joe Cole is a doubt after suffering a head injury in the 4-1 win over Croatia for England. The winger had to have stitches after he was elbow in the head but might play some part if fit
The last 10 league fixtures between the two sides have all gone in Chelsea's favour with 10 straight league victories and a favourites to do so again this Saturday at 19/20 with Partybets. We feel Manchester City will be a big test for Chelsea and they have a solid chance of getting a fair result. The draw at 12/5 with Coral looks a good proposition.
Stoke V Everton (Sunday 14th September 1.30pm)
Stoke are set to take on Everton at the Britannia Stadium with both sides hoping to put a-side their poor recent performances in the league and get a vital win.
Everton have made a dreadful start to the season with their only victory of the season so far coming away at West Brom which finished 2-1 in Everton's favour. David Moyes will be appalled by their two home defeats to Blackburn Rovers and their most recent 3-0 defeat to Portsmouth at Goodison Park. Their defence has so far been woeful and have conceded 7 in their last 3 league fixtures.
Stoke have picked themselves up after losing their opening fixture 4-2 away to Bolton and got their first win of the season at home to Aston Villa the game after. Last weeks 2-1 scoreline against Middlesborough wasn't a fair reflection of the game as Middlesborough enjoyed the majority of the possession and chances. Stoke are a powerful side and will be deadly from set pieces but do lack that cutting edge in open play.
Everton would have seen this fixture as a game that should win before the start of the season and despite their recent form they should get all 3 points this Sunday. A Everton Win at 13/10 with PaddyPower looks good value to us.
Tottenham Hotspur V Aston Villa (Monday 15th September 8pm - Setanta Sports 1)
In what looks an intriguing tie, Tottenham host a young Aston Villa side on Monday night.
Tottenham Hotspur have made the worst possible start to the season and have just 1 point to their name and are currently bottom of the league table. The surprising thing is that their 1 point came in a 1-1 draw with league leaders Chelsea. They lost their previous two matches to Sunderland and Middlesborough with both games finishing 2-1.
Juande Ramos have made several transfers over the summer with the likes of Roman Pavlychenko, Luka Modric, Geovani Dos Santos and goalkeeper Gomes all joining Spurs. However, they have let some of their key players leave with both Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov going to two of their biggest rivals in Liverpool and Manchester United. They have put in some poor displays of late in the league and the defensive problems that they had for the majority of last season seem to be occurring again this season.
Aston Villa have made a much better start and they currently find themselves in 7th position after 3 games. They performed very well in their opening match against Man City winning 4-2 but let themselves down when they lost to new boys Stoke City at the Britannia stadium 3-2. A dull 0-0 draw just before the international break sees them in a good position in the league table.
Agbonhalor and John Carew will be a big threat to every side this season with the pair already notching up 5 between them. We doubt Tottenham will be able to keep the both out and this could be a high scoring affair. Both teams should attack and the draw at 5/2 with Boylesports looks very appealing. The odds for their being 3 or more goals also looks great value with Bet365 offering 4/5.Labels: premier-league-betting, premier-league-preview
Posted by soccerbetting.info @ 8:34 AM
 
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