Online Football Betting Previews

Premiership Preview by Matthew Chapple (Thursday, September 25, 2008)

Premiership Preview for the weekend 27/28 September 2008

Everton V Liverpool (Saturday 12.45pm)

By far the the most appealing game of the weekend as the Merseyside derby makes it's first appearance for the season. Everton will be the host in what is called the friendly Derby where both sets of fans mix in the stands but on the pitch is a totally different kettle of fish. There have been many red cards in the past when these sides have met and it is always a feisty affair which shouldn't be any different this weekend.

Everton will be pleased on the whole with their result last week against Hull considering that they were 2-0 down. Before the game i'm sure Moyes would have seen the game as a great opportunity to get 3 points. They haven't made the best of starts after picking up just 7 points from a possible 15 and have already had two home defeats against Blackburn and Portsmouth. They will be boosted by the return of Tim Cahill though who scored last weekend. They will need to up their performance if they are to get a result though and they should find it easy to get up for a game like this.

Liverpool will be gutted by last weekends result with Stoke at Anfield. A dull 0-0 draw was not expected by anyone and even though they had a dubious goal disallowed after just 2 minutes, they will be disappointed with the lack of clear cut chances they created. Steven Gerrard was rested for the Carling Cup clash with Crewe so should be fresh going into the game while Torres got a run out for 15 minutes in an attempt to get him back to full fitness. Robbie Keane is still to claim his first Liverpool goal and there is no better time to get one then against Everton this Saturday.

Liverpool completed the league double of Everton this year and we fancy them to do it again this time around. Everton have looked very vulnerable at the back this season and they will find it tough to keep the likes of Gerrard and Torres at bay and a Liverpool win at 6/5 with Skybet looks good value. Robbie Keane has to break his goalscoring duct soon as looks a decent punt at 6/1 with Bet365 to open the scoring.

(Saturday 3:00PM)

Aston Villa V Sunderland

Two sides coming off the back of wins meet as Sunderland make the trip to Villa Park to take on Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa. Two sides separated by just 3 points.

Aston Villa look the best of the rest so to speak and it looks as though they will be the ones that might challenge the so called big four along with the new rich boys Manchester City. They out played Spurs at White Hart Lane and duly deserved the win and the managed a good result at West Brom beating them 2-1. They have picked up two straight away wins and have to be full of confidence going into this game. They have two strikers in superb form with Agbonlahor on 4 goals for the season and John Carew on 3. The best striking partnership in the league at the moment.

Sunderland were a bit unfortunate not to get all 3 points against Wigan last weekend. They led up till the 80th minute when Zaki levelled for Wigan. Roy Keane has spent a lot over the summer on reinforcements and he will be expected to at least finish in mid-table and preferably in the top half. Keane won't be happy with the teams performance in mid-week though when they could only manage a draw in normal time against Northampton but did win eventually in extra time 3-2.

Aston Villa are the in form team and have been made 4/6 favourites with Partybets which look a good price. With both strikers in form it is hard to see them not making the score sheet and you can get around 6/4 with Bet365 for Gabriel Agbonlahor to score any time in the match.

Fulham V West Ham

West Ham make the short trip to Fulham in what looks a rather unattractive tie. Fulham hit a high after beating Arsenal and then Bolton to record their first back-to-back win of the season. West Ham on the other hand have picked up 9 points to put themselves in 6th position.

Fulham have won both of their first two home matches at Craven Cottage beating Arsenal 1-0 and Bolton 2-1. They looked very solid when they played Arsenal in what was their best team performance of the season so far. Andy Johnson is back from injury and will provide them with an alternative option in the final third while the in form Zolton Gera looks set to start just behind him. They were narrowly beaten last weekend at Ewood Park by Blackburn and will be looking to avoid their first back-to-back defeats of the season.

West Ham won't be happy with the heavy fine they will be given over their transfer of Carlos Tevez two seasons ago and could lose up to £30,000,000. Their performances on the pitch though have been decent but only at home. All of their 9 points gained this season have been at Upton park and have lost both of their two away games. A 3-0 drubbing to Manchester City and a open match against West Brom a fortnight ago ended 3-2 in West Brom's favour. They were comfortable winners against Newcastle last Saturday and new manager Gianfranco Zola will be looking for a similar performance as his side look to get their first points away from home for the season.

This is a tough one to call with neither side jumping out at me. The home side can be found at odds of 11/8 with Skybet which isn't a bad price for a home side in the premiership with West Ham 11/5 with Bet365. This could be a tight game and we will be neutral and stick out money on the draw at 9/4 with Bet365.

Manchester United V Bolton Wanderers

The current league champions haven't won since they beat Portsmouth 1-0 at Fratton Park over 3 weeks ago but won;t have a better opportunity then this Saturday when they face a Bolton Wanderers side that haven't won at Manchester United since 11 September 2002. Since then they have failed to pick up any points at Old Trafford which has to be a good omen for Ferguson men. Not that they should need one.

Manchester United narrowly went through in the Carling Cup in midweek when they saw off Middlesborough with a late Ryan Giggs goal. They have had two very tough fixtures of late with playing both Liverpool and Chelsea away. They were outplayed at Anfield but they were more then a match for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Vidic will be banned for the game so Gary Neville or John O'Shea may fill in. Christiano Ronaldo is back but is lacking fitness and may take a couple of games before he is back to his full self. Manchester United are 7 points behind league leaders Arsenal with a game in hand but they cannot afford to drop any more points.

Bolton started the season brightly when beating Stoke City 4-1 at home but haven't matched that performance when they have travelled. They have lost both of their two away matches losing 1-0 to Newcastle United and 2-1 to Fulham. Johan Elmander may start after recovering from his injury but they still lack a prolific striker that will score regularly. Kevin Davies scored the opening goal on Saturday evening when they went down 3-1 at the Reebok to Arsenal but he doesn't score enough. Bolton will go to Old Trafford with a defensive mentality and they will have to defend extremely well if they are to get a result.

Manchester United are short priced favourites at 13/50 with Centrebet but should be a safe bet. They don't represent much value but they are 4/6 with Skybet to make a good start and win HT/FT. I can't see anything other then a home win and we fancy Manchester United to come out of the blocks early.

Middlesborough V West Brom

Gareth Southgate will be licking his lips at the opportunity of getting 3 points this Saturday when they welcome West Brom to the Riverside. A tie which has seen Middlesborough win 4 of the last 6 games between the two sides. However, they last time these sides did meet at the Riverside ended 2-2 in 2005.

Middlesborough have had some unlucky results this season with defeats at Liverpool and Sunderland in matches which they deserved a result. Stewart Downing missed a second half penalty against Sunderland which led to Sunderland going on to win the match 2-0. Their home form is very good so far with two straight victory's. Beating both Tottenham and Stoke City by a 2-1 scoreline. Southgate will be disappointed with Alves performances of late and the Brazilian striker has yet to score this season.

West Brom have yet to win after two away games. They were slightly unlucky losing 1-0 to Arsenal on the opening day and had a good opportunity to get the win at Bolton when it ended 0-0. Two first half goals saw them go down 2-1 at home to Aston Villa last weekend and Tony Mowbray will be looking for a much better display if his side are to get a decent result against Middlesborough this Saturday.

Middlesborough should really win this match and at 4/5 with Bet365 looks fantastic value. Stewart Downing missed a penalty last weekend but at 12/1 to open the scoring with Bet365, we will punt on him to make amends this Saturday,

Newcastle V Blackburn Rovers

Newcastle fans will reluctantly welcome Blackburn Rovers to St. James Park this Saturday as Newcastle look for their first win since the 23rd August. Over a month ago when they narrowly beat Bolton at home.

Newcastle are club in turmoil right now with the Chairman desperately trying to sell the club while the players on the pitch fail week after week to get a victory. Their midweek game against Tottenham in the Carling Cup saw their lowest ever attendance of just over 20,000. I is clear that the fans have lost patience with everything at Newcastle. Their performances of late have been abysmal with 3 straight defeats including a 2-1 defeat to Hull City. Possibly the shock result of the league so far. They are still without a permanents manager and the players morale must be at a all time low in this moment in time.

Paul Ince will see this as a great opportunity to get 3 points on the board against a side in disarray right now. They will come into the game on the back of a 1-0 win to Fulham last weekend at Ewood Park but they were comfortably beaten in their last away game 4-1 by West Ham and were thrashed by Arsenal 4-1 at home two weeks ago. Blackburn have yet to hit the sort of form they had last year which seen them finish 7th. Roque Santa Cruz isn't scoring and they lack the creativity of David Bentley who was sold to Tottenham over the summer.

This match could really go either way with neither side in sparkling form right now. Newcastle have too many problems and it seems to be getting to the players so we will edge towards Blackburn for this game. The away side are 47/25 with Bet365 but wouldn't recommend lumping on either side.

Stoke V Chelsea

Chelsea go into this away game with Stoke in fantastic form. They were brilliant against Portsmouth on Wednesday beating Pompey 4-0 at Fratton Park. They came back from 1-0 to draw 1-1 with title rivals Manchester United in Sundays big clash but overcame the threat of Manchester City at the City of Manchester two weeks ago beating them 3-1.

Didier Drogba is back for the blues in what has to be a huge boost for Scolari. Nicolas Anelka hasn't done enough in the lone striker role and it would appear Drogba will go straight back into the fray this Saturday. It is rather frightening that they have done so well without him so he will add even more attacking options to a side who has already scored 17 goals this season. One small ray of light for the home side will be that Chelsea have conceded one goal in their last three league games but they have managed to score more in return.

Stoke did amazingly well last weekend to get a draw at Anfield despite conceding after just two minutes to see the goal ruled out for offside. They were fortunate as it looked a perfectly good goal. They are very strong especially in the air and Rory Delap's throw ins could cause Chelsea some problems this Saturday. They will be a threat from Set pieces but i can't see them creating enough chances in open play to cause Chelsea any problems.

This should be a safe away win for Chelsea. They have looked superb this season and are 2/5 on with Bet365 to win against Stoke. That looks a good bet despite the short odds. We fancy Chelsea to put Stoke to the sword very early on in the match so get on them at HT/FT at odds of Evens with Skybet.

Arsenal V Hull City (Saturday 5:30PM Setanta Sports 1)

Hull City will be looking forward to their trip to the Emirate despite being classed as the underdogs for the match. Arsenal are currently top and are playing some extravagant football but Hull have also been getting some decent results and will be looking to prove a few wrong on Saturday.

Arsenal played the youngest ever side in the Carlin Cup on Tuesday and they were magnificent. They played fantastic football and their finishing was sublime. Yes they were playing against a side that are 15th in the league below but their overall performance was immense. They did well to overcome Bolton last weekend when they fell behind early to a Kevin Davies goal after just 14 minutes. They had the strength of mind to come back and win the game 3-1 to put themselves top of the league above Chelsea and Liverpool. They had a small blip when they played Fulham away but other then that they have been performing well and look the best side in the league with the exception of Chelsea.

Hull have surpassed all expectations so far and have surprisingly picked up 8 points from a possible 15. They showed their inexperience last weekend when they let a 2-0 lead slip against Everton. Their win over Newcastle was very good but Wigan have already showed that Hull City can be beaten when they thrashed them 5-0 at Hull and with Arsenal in the form they are in, we can't see anything other then a home win.

Arsenal are justified favourites at ¼ with Centrebet and look a safe bet for the win. Arsenal shouldn't have too many problems this Saturday and at 8/13 with Skybet for Arsenal to win HT/FT looks good value.

Portsmouth V Tottenham (Sunday 1:00PM Sky Sports)

Harry Redknapp's Portsmouth get set to welcome Juande Ramos's Tottenham to Fratton park with both sides eager to get a crucial three points in search of a European spot next season. This is a match which in the past has seen Tottenham get the better results. Spurs have won the 7 meetings between the two sides with the last game being played at Fratton Park ending 1-0 to Spurs. They also completed a league double over them last year beating them 2-0 at White Hart Lane.

Portsmouth have had some very tricky opening fixtures and haven't picked up many points from them. They lost narrowly at home to Manchester United 1-0, 4-0 to Chelsea on the opening day and were thumped 6-0 by Manchester City at the City of Manchester stadium. Harry will also be disappointed with their recent performance against Chelsea in the Carling Cup on Wednesday which seen his side roll over and gift Chelsea the match which ended 4-0 to Chelsea. They have another tricky match against a side who have yet to win the league this season.

Tottenham were disappointing when they last played in the league drawing 0-0 at home to Wigan. They have spent a lot over the summer but Ramos's side has yet to really gel and start playing the football that everyone is expecting. They got a very good result at St. James Park on Wednesday beating Newcastle 2-1 which seen Pavyluchenko score his first spurs goal. Their last away game saw them pick up a decent point at Chelsea and Ramos's will be looking for an even better performance this Saturday when his side look to get their first win of the season.

Portsmouth have had some terrible results of late and have a few key players with knocks. Tottenham should come good after a good result in midweek and they are our pick for the match at 9/4 with Skybet.

Wigan V Manchester City (Sunday 4:00PM Sky Sports)

Wigan Athletic welcome the new rich boys to the JJB stadium when they meet Mark Hughes's Manchester City side. Two sides with two completely different objectives for the season but both have the same target for this match which is to get a vital 3 points.

Wigan will go into this home match off the back of two decent results. They comfortably beat Championship side Ipswich 4-1 at Portman Road while got a very good draw at White lane drawing 0-0 with Tottenham Hotspur. Steve Bruce has a good set up going at the moment with Valencia and Palacios bombing down the wings and whipping in crosses at every opportunity for the likes of Heskey and Zaki. Heskey has had a few knocks but Zaki has hit the ground running score 4 in 5 matches.

Manchester City demolished Portsmouth last Sunday 6-0 which seen Wright-Philips and Robinho score a goal each. They played some very good football at a phenomenal pace. Wright Philips and Robinho down the wings looks to be a scary proposition and could cause most teams a serious problem this season. They were completely outplayed in their last home game when they lost 3-1 to Chelsea and Hughes will be disgusted with his sides defeat in the Carling Cup to league one outfit Brighton after City lost on penalties. Despite that, they do go into the game with the better form and have the better squad and should really win.

Manchester City have been made favourites with Bet365 at 69/50. On the other hand odds of 12/5 for Wigan at Skybet are tempting. This one depends on your risk attitude, if you have an aversion to risk, you possibly should not bet on this one. In any case Manchester City have the ability to score at will while i can't see Wigan not getting at least one at home. Over 2.5 goals is 62/53 with Canbet.

Labels: premier-league-betting, premier-league-preview

Posted by soccerbetting.info @ 1:31 PM

Premiership Preview by Matthew Chapple (Thursday, September 18, 2008)

Premiership Preview for the weekend 20-21 September 2008

Sunderland V Middlesborough (Saturday 20th September 12.45pm)

Another tough tie to call as two bitter rivals clash this Saturday as Sunderland host Middlesborough at The Stadium of Light.

Sunderland's main aim this season will be to gain a mid-table finish and ensure that they are nowhere near a relegation battle come the end of the season. They have spent several million over the summer in a bid to fulfil these targets. Djibril Cisse looked lively when he came off the bench to win the game at White Hart Lane while Roy Keane has strengthened his back line with the signings of Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney. They have made a rather disappointing start to the season though with the win at White Hart Lane being their only win of the season so far. A 1-1 away draw against Wigan was a decent result but they will be disappointed with the fact that they couldn't hang on for all 3 points.

Middlesborough main aim will be to atleast acheive a mid-table finish and maybe sneak one of the available UEFA cup spots. They have had fairly difficult fixtures so far with defeats at Liverpool and Portsmouth but have managed to win both of their home games against Tottenham and Stoke. They have scored in both of their away games and have the fire-power up front with Alves and Mido to do so. Downing is brilliant down the wing and if he can perform to his best then they may sneak it.

Despite Sunderland spending a lot over the summer they still lack enough quality players. Middlesborough have been slightly disappointing on the road so far but we fancy them to break their away duck at 23/10 with Centrebet.

(Saturday 20th September 3pm)

Blackburn V Fulham

Blackburn will see this as a good opportunity to kick start this season when they face Fulham at Ewood Park. Blackburn have picked up just 4 points from their first four fixtures and currently lye in 18th position. After an opening day victory they have somewhat gone off the boil with their latest display certainly disappointing the fans after they were humiliated by Arsenal at home 4-0.

Blackburn currently have the worst defensive record in the league with 11 conceded from just 4 games and this is something Paul Ince will need to look at sooner rather then later. He did well to keep hold of Roque Santa Cruz but he has yet to hit the form he was at last term. Ince does have no fresh injury worries so should have a full strength side to pick from.

Fulham, on the other hand, have made a good start to the season. With two wins from their first 3 games they find themselves in 7th position. They have also managed to keep it tight at the back with just 3 hitting their net so far. A worry is their lack of fire power up front. They have only managed 4 so far and with them having played Bolton and Hull, they should have got more. Andy Johnson is fit again though so will be a big boost for Fulham.

Blackburn should see off Fulham at home despite their poor run of results recently. A home win at 11/10 looks rather big to us and one we will take on with glee.

Liverpool V Stoke

Liverpool will be in a buoyant mood after not only beating their most fierce of rivals in Manchester United last weekend but also securing a vital away win in France when they overcame Marseille 2-1. Steven Gerrard played 70 minuted in what was his first real competitive match bar the 15 minutes he played against Man Utd at the weekend. He scored a beauty to level the match and then slotted home a penalty to give Liverpool all 3 points. He is currently Liverpool's top goalscorer but with Torres now back from a thigh injury we expect him to get straight into the goals.

Liverpool are one of just two sides in the premiership who have yet to taste defeat so far this season with Chelsea being the other. However, with Chelsea playing Manchester United on Sunday, Liverpool will see this as a fantastic opportunity to possibly enforce a lead in the league over all of the so called big four and if Man Utd were to lose then Liverpool could find themselves 9 points clear of their bitter rivals.

Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres both got in a decent amount of minutes in mid week so should be fully fit for the encounter which has to be a big advantage for Liverpool's chances this Saturday. New signing Albert Riera looked very lively against Man Utd and could feature against Stoke while Robbie Keane should return to the attack alongside Torres.

Stoke will also go into the game in a confident manner after putting in a decent performance against Liverpool's neighbours Everton, which seen them narrowly go down 3-2 last Sunday. They score most of their goals through set pieces, especially with Rory Delap's throw-ins so Liverpool defences will need to put on a better display then they did in mid-week if they are to keep a strong Stoke side at bay.

Despite some decent performances in their first few outings in the league, Stoke do find themselves in 19th position and Stoke themselves would have seen this as a game that they probably wouldn't get a lot from. With Liverpool in good form and full of confidence i think the Home win is the only smart option. A Liverpool win is around 2/9 with 888Sport which is very short so backing Liverpool to make a good start to the game and win HT/FT at 4/6 with Paddy power looks decent value.

West Ham V Newcastle

A 2-1 home defeat against Hull City pretty much confirmed that Newcastle are a club in serious trouble. The boardroom arguments have clearly taken an effect with the players performances on the pitch and a home defeat to any of the new boys is just not acceptable for a club with Newcastle's stature.

Gus Poyet looked favourite for the managerial role but he looks to have ruled himself with reports he claimed the club was in a mess. Newcastle will also have to do without Danny Guthrie after he was sent off for a disgraceful challenge on Craig Fagan late on in the game with Hull City. Newcastle will also be without pacey winger Guttierrez and with Milner leaving during the summer transfer window, Newcastle really do lack someone who can create chances.

West Ham have been dealt a massive blow with news that Dean Ashton has been ruled out until October leaving new manager Gianfranco Zola with a striker headache. It would appear the obvious choice would be pairing Craig Bellamy with Carlton Cole but the pair have very little first team experience with each other.

West Ham have managed to win both of their two home games this season picking up wins against both Wigan and Blackburn. They have however lost both of their two away games so would appear that West Ham's home form is crucial if they are to stay away from the drop.

Newcastle were outplayed in every department in both last weeks fixtures against Hull City and their last away fixture against Arsenal and a home win at 11/10 with Bet365 looks fantastic value.

Bolton V Arsenal

Arsenal will be looking to put their poor mid-week result against Dynamo Kiev behind them this weekend as they travel to the Reebok stadium to take on one of their bogey teams in Bolton Wanderers. A 1-1 draw which saw captain William Gallas score late on to draw the match will on damper the spirits of the Arsenals players as it was a game they would of expected to win.

Bolton haven't made a particularly good start to the new season and have picked up 4 points from their opening 4 games. They looked very good in their opening game against Stoke which seen them run out 4-1 victors but have struggled on their travels losing both of their away games. Gary Megson looks to have very little in injury worries with Smolarek being the only real doubt while Elmander is still out.

Arsenal have made a decent start to their season though with their only drawback being their 1-0 away defeat to London rivals Fulham. Their last two fixtures have seen them thrash their opponents beating Newcastle 3-0 at home and hammering Blackburn 4-0 at Ewood Park. With Adebayor breaking his scoring duck for the season you would expect Arsenal to spend the majority of the game on the attack and it could be a tough 90 minutes ahead for Bolton.

The last 3 league fixtures between these sides have seen Arsenal come out as victors and we expect the same result this Saturday. An away win at 13/20 with Centrebet looks decent value.

West Brom V Aston Villa (Sunday 21st September 12.00)

With both teams getting positive results last weekend both will be looking for their first back to back wins of the season.

West Brom put on a resilient display against West ham last week at home which seen them take all the spoils after the game finished 3-2 to West Brom. They showed good promise in front of goal and look good going forward but did look rather suspect at the back. They have put in some decent displays in the opening four games but they do lack a cutting edge in the final third. West Ham were poor defensively last week and Aston Villa will be a lot tougher to break down.

Aston Villa look to us the best team in the league with the exception of the so called big four. They have bags of pace especially down the wings and have two big lads up front who know how to score in Carew and Agbonahlor. They have managed a respectable 7 points from their first 4 games with their only defeat of the season coming at Stoke. Carew is a slight doubt after limping off in Villa's 2-1 victory over Spurs on Monday but other then that Martin O'Neill has a full squad to pick from.

Aston Villa looked very good at White Hart Lane on Monday and we fancy them to follow that good result up with a win against West Brom. An away win at 7/5 with William Hill looks a solid bet. With John Carew likely to start on the bench the goalscoring responsibility will rely heavily on Agbonlahor and at 6/1 with Bet365 to open the scoring looks great value.

Chelsea V Manchester United (Sunday 21st September 2pm)

Chelsea are the inform side in England right now and they are currently top of the Premiership after 4 games and are undefeated so far. A comfortable 4-0 drubbing of French side Bordaeux will only be a positive for the players and they go into such a big game with the better results.

Chelsea saw of Manchester City on Saturday evening with ease and Scolari named the same side that won that day 3-1 against Bordaeux. The main bulk of those players should play this Sunday against Man Utd but Didiar Drogba may return to the starting line up in place of Nicolas Anelka who hasn't looked particularly sharp in front of goal so far despite scoring two in two games. Lampard appears to be doing the business for Chelsea even if he isn't for his country and with the pace they have down the wings with both fullbacks getting forward at every opportunity, they will be a threat to Manchester United title this season. Chelsea will also be delighted with the news that John Terry's appeal against the red card he was shown against Man City was overturned and he is now available to captain his side against Manchester Untied.

Manchester United season couldn't be more opposite. With just one win from their first 3 games they currently find themselves in 14th position and are 6 points of the leaders. They do however have a game in hand over everyone else and it is early days but cracks have started to appear in their side already. They showed very little in front of goal against Liverpool and were completely dominated in the midfield. Ronaldo is on the verge of returning to the side but i doubt he will hit the ground running just yet and we fancy Man Utd to come up short once again this weekend.

A home win at 5/4 with SKYBET looks good value as Chelsea should over power Man Utd in the midfield and if they can supply Drogba with enough chances i feel they will have too much. This could be a feisty affair so we fancy Lampard to score anytime at 2/1 with Bet365 looks a decent bet as he will take the penalty's and the vast majority of Chelsea's free-kicks.

(Sunday 21st September 3pm)

Hull V Everton

These two sides will be aiming for their first back-to-back wins of the season this weekend when Everton make the trip to Hull City. Hull picked up their best result of the season last Saturday as they seen off a troubled Newcastle side 2-1 at St.James Park while Everton eventually got the result they wanted at Stoke when Tim Cahill headed the winner in a game which finished 3-2 in the Merseyside teams favour.

One negative from the Newcastle match is the injury of Craig Fagan. X-rays confirmed that he had broken his leg after a horrific challenge from Danny Guthrie which seen him see red late on. Hull City look comfortable in the league table right now as they lye in 5th place after just 4 games. Two wins a one draw has seen them make a 6 point gap from the bottom already. Their last home game was a disaster though when they were hammered by Wigan 5-0 at the Kingston Communications stadium.

Everton have looked out of sorts in their first four fixtures. David Moye's side have lost both of their opening two home games but he has seen them win both of their away games against West Brom and Stoke. In all fairness they were expected to see of both of those sides. Everton have a tough UEFA Cup match against Standard Liege on Thursday and Moyes will be hoping his side recovers in time for the league game.

Despite Hull's decent away win last week we fancy Everton to be far too strong for a Hull side expected to be involved in a relegation scrap come the end of the season. Get on the away win at 69/50 with Betdirect. Everton to win HT/FT also looks very appealing at 3/1 with Coral.

Tottenham V Wigan

Tottenham will be desperate to kick start their season after a dreadful start to their season. 3 defeats from their first four outings have seen them drop to 20th position with their only point coming at Stamford Bridge in a 1-1 draw with league leaders Chelsea. Wigan have picked up the pace somewhat. After losing their first two league games they have picked up 4 points in their last two fixtures.

Defeats to Middlesborough, Sunderland and their most recent to Aston Villa which ended 2-1. One positive is that they have managed to score in all of their games so far this season but have managed to concede in each also. They have spent a lot over the summer with the likes of Modric and Pavlychenko joining the spurs ranks and Ramos will be hoping his side finally get it together this weekend and get their first 3 points of the season.

Wigan lost their opening two games to Chelsea and West Ham but have picked up a win against Hull and a home draw to Sunderland last weekend. Amr Zaki looks to be a decent signing as the Egyptian striker has already hit the back of the net on 4 occasions. They also keep it very tight at the back and have concede just 4 so far. Their last away game seen them run out 5-0 winners over Hull City and Steve Bruce will be hoping for an even better performance if his side is to take anything from White Hart Lane this Sunday.

Spurs haven't got out of the blocks yet but we fancy them to pick up their first 3 points against Wigan and we like the look of a home win at ¾ with Gamebookers. We expect their to be goals so 44/53 with Paddy power for 3 or more goals looks a good bet.

Manchester City V Portsmouth

Two sides with identical form and both have the same ambitions for the season which is to finish in the European places come the end of the season. Manchester City should be favourites to finish higher then Portsmouth what with the new cash injection the club has received but Harry Redknapp has formed a good team and with Defoe in fine goalscoring form, they should go close.

Manchester City will look to rest a few key players in mid-week for the game against Omonia Nicosia in order to get a good result for this fixture. They never really got into the game against Chelsea last weekend when they went down at home 3-1 to the current league leaders. Mark Hughes will be pleased that Robinho wasteed no time in getting his first goal for the club when he opening the scoring but their defensive frailties were shown and exploited by Chelsea.

Portsmouth were quality against Middlesborough last weekend winning 2-1 and also won their first away fixture of the league comfortably beating Everton at Goodison Park 3-0. Defoe and Crouch have already formed a good relationship up front and with Johnson and Campbell sitting in front of England's No.1 in David James. They looks to have a good, solid set up.

This is a tough one to call with the draw having the most appeal at 12/5 with SKYBET. Jermaine Defoe has notched up 4 goals so far in the league and looks great value at 7/1 with Bet365 to open the scoring at the City of Manchster stadium.

Labels: premier-league-betting, premier-league-preview

Posted by soccerbetting.info @ 11:22 AM

Premiership Preview by Matthew Chapple (Friday, September 12, 2008)

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