Premiership Fixtures - Saturday 1st/ Sunday 2nd November 2008
Everton V Fulham - Saturday 12:45PM Sky Sports 1
Everton manager David Moyes will have seen some positives in their performance against Manchester United last weekend and will be hoping his players improve on that result and pick up some vital points against Fulham this Saturday. With both sides sitting just above the drop zone, both will be eager to claim all three points.
Everton's result against Manchester United last Saturday will have provided David Moyes with some positives and negatives. His side were abysmal in the opening 45 minutes but vastly improved in the second half to draw level and earn a respectable point against the current league champions. If they are to get the result which most punters expect this coming Saturday then they have to make a better start then they did last weekend. Their passing in the first half was poor while their defence was left exposed on several occasions. Fulham may not be a free scoring side right now but another first half performance like that could see Fulham spring a surprise.
Roy Hodgeson takes his Fulham side to Merseyside in search of points in what looks a tough task despite Everton not performing to their full potential. They managed to pick up their first away point on Sunday against Portsmouth but it did little to their overall position in the table. Their previous 3 away league fixtures have seen them pick up no points and conceded 5 with just 2 in return. Early league performances indicate that Fulham will find survival tough this season. A lack of goals seems to be the key issue after scoring just 6 goals from their opening 8 league fixtures. Andy Johnson appeared to be a half decent capture from their match opponents Everton but he has hardly featured after injuries. It is hard to look elsewhere for regular goalscorers in the Fulham squad.
Match odds -
Everton 4/5 Bet365
Draw 13/5 Paddypower
Fulham 9/2 Paddypower
Prediction - Draw
Chelsea V Sunderland - Saturday 15:00PM
Luis Felipe Scolari will be in unfamiliar ground after his Chelsea side suffered an early blow to their Premiership title bid. Liverpool broke their 4 year undefeated home record to go 3 points clear of Chelsea at the top of the table. With that result in mind, the win today will be even more crucial against a Sunderland side that last beat Chelsea back in 2001. The last 7 league fixtures between the two sides have gone Chelsea's way. A trend Roy Keane will be desperate to buck this Saturday.
The narrow home defeat to Liverpool at Stamford Bridge will be a massive blow for the Chelsea players and Scolari will have to find a way of getting his players to put that result behind them and fired up for the match against Sunderland. The match itself was a fairly even contest with deflected Alonso strike goal giving Liverpool all the spoils. Their second half performance though left a lot to be desired and Liverpool could have stretched their lead further. Bar that result they have been performing superbly and are justified favourites for the match. They attack in numbers and rarely miss guilt edge chances. I do have my concerns about their main source of goals in Nicolas Anelka. He doesn't work hard enough for me to get into goalscoring positions. The sooner Didier Drogba returns, the better for Chelsea.
Roy Keane will be delighted with his sides recent result against close rivals Newcastle on Saturday. The second of the early kick off's seen Sunderland take the spoils 2-1 and move into the top half of the table. They are also undefeated in 3 league games but have just the one away victory this season against an out of sorts Tottenham at the start of the season. Roy Keane does tend to set his side up rather defensively when they play away and against a top side in Chelsea we expect something similar this Saturday. Good service to the pacey Djibril Cisse could be key if they are to cause Chelsea any problems.
Match odds -
Chelsea 2/9 Coral
Draw 5/1 Paddypower
Sunderland 15/1 Paddypower
Prediction - Chelsea
Manchester United V Hull City - Saturday 15:00PM
Sir Alex Ferguson probably never though his side would be welcoming a side such as Hull City to Old Trafford for a Premiership fixture but that day has come and Hull City have fully deserved to be their judging by their early performances in the league. Manchester United cannot afford to drop any further behind leaders Liverpool and will be looking to damper Hull's recent high spirits this Saturday afternoon.
Manchester United started brightly against Everton at the weekend but their lack lustred second half performance cost them all three points as they let Everton back into the game. That result has left them 8 points a drift of Liverpool and 5 points behind their match opponents Hull. They simply cannot afford to drop points and we expect them to go out all guns blazing this Saturday. Cristiano Ronaldo picked up the World Player of the Year award on Monday but has yet to put in a display which seen his achieve that award. It would appear that the defenders has clocked his skilful ways and he is heavily marked nowadays. Wayne Rooney though is in a rich vein of form and will be a key player for the home side this weekend. They have so many attacking options with the likes of Rooney, Ronaldo, Berbatov, Giggs and Tevez and aren't shy in front of goal.
Hull City just can't help but surprise the footballing nation week in week out and have raced to third in the league table. Level on points with Chelsea and just three behind leaders Liverpool. Their 3-0 away win over West Brom at the weekend didn't provide a fair reflection on what was a tight game. Once Hull scored the opener though West Brom defence just opened up and Hull City ran out comfortable winners. They are also on a four match win streak in the league picking up wins against 3 London clubs in Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham. They have yet to lose away from home and there is nothing stopping them from pulling off another remarkable result this Saturday.
Match odds -
Manchester United ¼ Bet365
Draw 5/1 Coral
Hull City 15/1 Paddypower
Prediction - Man United
Middlesborough V West Ham - Saturday 15:00PM
Gareth Southgate'ss Middlesborough side will have to recover from conceding a late goal on Saturday evening against Blackburn to face Gianfranco Zola's West Ham side at The Riverside. A match which has seen West Ham win the previous three league encounters between the two sides with Middlesborough last victory over West Ham at home coming in 2006.
Middlesborough were desperately unlucky not to hang on in the match with Blackburn on Saturday evening. That match summed up Middlesborough's start to the season. They have put in some valiant displays in the league only to drop points late on. Their last home game will also be a massive weight on the players shoulders after they were smashed for five by Chelsea two weeks ago. A match which could have seen Chelsea possibly reach double figures for goals. We are shocked by the start Alfonso Alves has made to the season. We had high expectations for the forward but he has yet to spark into life although did pick up his side's only goal at the weekend.
West Ham fans will be bitterly disappointed with their sides 2-0 home defeat to Arsenal on Sunday. They gave as good as they had for an hour but collapsed within the final third of the game to throw away, what could have been a decent point. West Ham do look weak up front and we did expect Arsenal to come away from Upton park with the points but West Ham put up more of a fight then we expected. They passed the ball around nicely which is something they haven't done in their previous games. If they can get the ball down and provide decent service to Craig Bellamy then they could have a chance. They will be without the suspended Carlton Cole though after he was sent off late on in the match with Arsenal.
Match odds -
Middlesborough 11/10 Bet365
Draw 23/10 Paddypower
West Ham 13/5 Paddypower
Prediction - Draw
Portsmouth V Wigan Athletic - Saturday 15:00PM
A manager-less Portsmouth will welcome Steve Bruce's Wigan side to Fratton park this Saturday afternoon in a bid to put their poor 0-0 draw against Fulham at the weekend well behind them along with the loss of their manager Harry Redknapp. Wigan on the other hand will have to bounce back from a humiliating home defeat to Aston Villa. Last season Portsmouth completed the league double over Wigan. Something Steve Bruce will be desperate amend.
Portsmouth football club and its fans have had to deal with a difficult week after losing their beloved manager to Tottenham on the eve of their game with Fulham. That off the pitch matter obviously didn't help and Portsmouth suffered, dropping two points at home to Fulham. Before that game they were looking bright and on the up. Jermaine Defoe and Peter Crouch were forming a good partnership up front while their defence was keeping it tight at the back conceding just 1 in three. The midweek defeat to Braga will undoubtedly have left the players exhausted both physically and mentally.
Wigan were awful at the weekend when Aston Villa hammered them at the JJB. Wigan never came close to threatening Martin O'Neill's side and they looked especially vulnerable at the back. Something which hasn't been a problem up until now. Martin O'Neill may have exposed one of Wigan weaknesses in using pace to break through the Wigan rearguard. They couldn't handle Agbonlahor at times. That result meant they have now lost three league games on the bounce and have dropped down into 15th in the league. If they put in another below par performance this Saturday then they could see themselves free falling in the league table.
Match odds -
Portsmouth 10/11 Paddypower
Draw 12/5 Bet365
Wigan Athletic 10/3 Coral
Prediction - Portsmouth
Stoke V Arsenal - Saturday 15:00PM
Arsene Wenger takes his Arsenal youngsters to Stoke this Saturday in search of three vital points which will keep his side in touch of the league leaders. Stoke on the other hand will be desperate to pick up points after dropping into 18th position in the league table after losing 3-0 away to Manchester City. This will be the first time these two sides have met in the league with both sides eager for a good result.
Steve Pulis will have foreseen a tough season ahead but will have hoped his side will have picked up a few more points then they currently have done. Two wins and one draw leaves them with just 7 points from their opening 9 league fixtures. They also posses the second worse defensive record in the league with 18 and do struggle for goals in open play. Their main source of goals tends to come from set plays and against a side in Arsenal who like to play football. They could struggle.
Arsenal have made an inconsistent start to the league campaign having picked up a respectable 19 points from a maximum of 27. They do however find themselves 4 points off league leaders Liverpool and have already lost twice this season with one of those defeats being at the Emirates. Since that defeat they have upped their performances some what having come from behind to draw with Sunderland and picking up some decent wins over Everton and West Ham. Adebayor is starting to look like a threat in front of goal once more while Fabregas has returned to his usual sprightly self in the centre of midfield. If they play the fast flowing football that we are used to then Stoke could find it hard to hold out for the full 90 minutes.
Match odds -
Stoke - 15/2 Paddypower
Draw 10/3 Paddypower
Arsenal 8/15 Coral
Prediction - Arsenal
West Brom V Blackburn Rovers - Saturday 15:00PM
Tony Mowbray prepares his West Brom side for a tough match against Paul Ince's Blackburn side this weekend. With both sides failing to pick up three points at home on the previous weekend, both will be eager to make amends and bring home the bacon this Saturday.
West Brom were completely out played in the second half on Saturday losing 3-0 to Hull City. A match they would have seen as a great opportunity for three points and a chance to push away from the bottom three. They now find themselves just 3 points off the drop zone and another slip could see them falling straight into the positions no one wants to be in. They can get the ball down and play football but they fail to put the chances they do create away. If they are to get something from this match then they will need to dramatically improve in front of goal.
Blackburn will be disappointed with the draw with Middlesborough at Ewood Park on Saturday despite scoring late into injury time to earn the point. Middlesborough don' travel to well and it was a fantastic chance for Paul Ince's side to pick up some valuable three points. After that result they find themselves in mid table with one of the poorer goalscoring records in the league currently. Roque Santa Cruz has yet to hit the sort of form which seen him score on a regular basis while David Bentley on the wing is already proving a massive loss.
Match odds -
West Brom 6/4 Skybet
Draw 9/4 Bet365
Blackburn Rovers 9/5 Paddypower
Prediction - draw
Tottenham Hotspur V Liverpool - Saturday 17:30PM Setanta Sports 1
New Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp will be looking for another league victory when his side host the in form side of Liverpool at White Hart Lane. A match which will be made more interesting by the return of Robbie Keane to his old stomping ground. A match which Liverpool haven't lost in 8 straight league games.
Tottenham will be in a rather buoyant mood after securing their first league victory of the campaign and will be eager to push out of the drop zone with a win over Liverpool this Saturday. With a new regime in place they should steer well away from the bottom three in time. Although they do have some tough matches to contend with first. They still look a tad shaky at the back and their forwards still lack that cutting edge in front of goal. Harry Redknapp's boys will need to be playing 110% if they are to get anything from this tough fixture.
Liverpool are now the in form team and other are already starting to take notice. They are undefeated in the league still and have been getting wins without one of their key players available in Fernando Torres. Their defence is playing remarkable while their talisman, Steven Gerrard is on top of his game. Their victory over Chelsea is by far their best result of the season and that should spur them on even further. The confidence will be with the reds and we would be surprised if they were to lose their unbeaten start to Spurs.
Match odds -
Tottenham 3/1 Coral
Draw 12/5 Bet365
Liverpool Evens Bet365
Prediction - Liverpool
Bolton Wanderers V Manchester City - Sunday 16:00PM Sky Sports 1
Gary Megson's Bolton side will need to make a quick recovery after being the first team in the league to lose to Tottenham on Saturday. Mark Hughes on the other hand will be hoping to continue their form and pick up another valuable three points in search of European football next term.
Bolton had several chances against Tottenham but failed to convert any and paid the penalty. The sending off didn't help but they didn't really deserve anything form the game. Their main problem at the moment is their options up front. We doubt Johan Elmander's striking ability and struggle to see where the goals will come from for Bolton. To make matters worse their defence isn't too strong neither and they have the perfect formula for relegation. This will be a very tough match for Bolton.
Manchester City were very impressive against Stoke City at home but have let themselves down on occasions. Especially on their travels. They will be looking for Robinho to carry his goalscoring form into this match with the little play maker scoring 4 in two matches for the blues. Four wins from 9 has left them in 8th position which is below where they want to be but they have showed more in the last few matches then Bolton have and we expect Manchester City to really push Bolton this Sunday.
Match odds -
Bolton Wanderers 21/10 Bet365
Draw 12/5 Coral
Manchester City 69/50 Bet365
Prediction - Man CityLabels: premier-league-betting, premier-league-preview, premiership-betting, premiership-preview
Posted by soccerbetting.info @ 4:23 PM
 
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