Football Betting Previews

Premiership Preview by Matthew Chapple (21 - 23 Feb 2009) (Tuesday, February 17, 2009)

Premiership Previews - February 21st - 23rd Aston Villa V Chelsea Saturday 12:45 Sky Sports It would of took a bold punter to predict that this fixture would be a top four clash, but that is what we have in front of us as Chelsea head to Villa Park to take on high flying Aston Villa. What's more is that Villa are currently higher in the league table then Chelsea and a win on Saturday over the London outfit would make them serious title contenders, dare we say it. Villa are by far the in-form side out of the two but Chelsea will know full well that they comfortably saw of Martin O'Neill's side when they met back in October at Stamford Bridge. Villa were well below par on that occasion and you can't help but feel that they may once again be over-roared when they entertain Chelsea this Saturday. The Villa players must be full of confidence after going thirteen league fixtures without losing. A run that includes positives results against both Man United and Arsenal, but what is worth jotting down is the fact that Villa have held their own against the big four with the exception of Chelsea. They have lost just one of their twelve home fixtures but their weekend defeat in the FA Cup at Everton may seriously affect the mood in the Villa Camp. It will be interesting to see how O'Neill's boys will respond to that disappointment. It didn't take Roman Abramovich long to find a suitable replacement after Scolari was sacked after a poor run of results. Russia manager Guss Hiddink has signed a lucrative part-time deal with the blues to take on the managerial role until the end of the season. He was at Chelsea's weekend match with Watford in the FA Cup and he didn't look at all impressed with his new squad. We're sure that the Chelsea owner will be looking for an instant impact from the Dutch manager. Chelsea are hardly having a terrible season but it wouldn't be wrong to say that they have hit some what of a flat spot. They have won just four of their previous twelve league matches and have yet to win in February. They were far from convincing at the weekend when they saw off a mediocre Watford side. However, that win over Watford might just reignite their season and a win over Villa would put them right back in the title hunt. Match odds - Aston Villa 23/10 Blue Square Draw 12/5 Skybet Chelsea 7/5 Boylesports Prediction - Draw Arsenal V Sunderland Saturday 15:00 Arsene Wenger will be looking to guide his side to a rare league win this Saturday and hope that it could kick start their stuttering season. They have already fallen well off the pace of the leading pack and will do well do to retain a Champions league position come May. Sunderland will have other ideas as they seek out a positive result that will keep them away from the bottom three. Sunderland have never beaten Arsenal in the Premiership with Arsenal winning six of the previous seven league fixtures and the omens aren't good for the away side. Arsenal have endured a stop start season and appear to have thrown any chances of winning that Premiership title away despite the season being still fairly young. They are currently twelve points off United at the top and don't even occupy one of the four champions league spots. Their season objective will now be to at least qualify for the champions league and a win over Sunderland this Saturday would be a good start. Arsenal have very little in terms of momentum going into this fixture. They have drawn their previous three league fixtures and haven't scored in 180 minutes of football. They were held to a 0-0 draw in their last league match at home by West Ham but The Gunners are unbeaten at home in five matches so predicting another Arsenal downfall isn't recommended. We fancy them to end their run of three straight draws and see off Sunderland this Saturday. Sunderland appeared to be heading for the bottom three a while back but Ricky Sbragia has lead them to 11th in the table and they look a shade comfortable . At least for the time being. They still can't afford to let their guard down and they must concentrate on the job at hand. Were they to register a surprise win at The Emirates, they would break into the top 10, so there is an incentive for the 'Black Cats'. Sunderland's form isn't too bad having won two of their previous three league games. Those were both at home though and their last away victory came last year when they thrashed Hull City 4-1 at The KC stadium in December. They have since failed to win any of their previous three away league fixtures with two ending in draws. We are certain that Ricky Sbragia would settle for a draw this Saturday if it was offered to him but we can't help but side with the Gunners. Match odds - Arsenal 4/9 Bet365 Draw 10/3 Skybet Sunderland 8/1 Skybet Prediction - Arsenal Bolton Wanderers V West Ham Saturday 15:00 Not the most appealing of matches here for the neutrals but one both sides will see as a great opportunity to add some points to the board. Both teams go into this fixture off the back of some disappointing results so the pair will be eager to get back to winning ways as soon as possible. Bolton thumped West Ham when the sides met at Upton Park, winning 3-1 so Bolton have a fantastic chance of completing a league double of 'The Hammers'. Bolton haven't had the best of seasons and were it not for others also miss performing, they could find themselves in a lot of trouble. They are currently 14th but are just four points above the drop zone and simply cannot afford to let slip any points this weekend. Bolton could of made it back-to-back wins were they to cause a surprise at Goodison Park in their previous league fixture. They couldn't though and ended up losing in a comfortable manner losing 3-0. That was their fourteenth league defeat of the season and Bolton have struggled to maintain a consistent run of results. They have won just one of their previous seven league fixtures and it wouldn't be much of a surprise if West Ham were to record a positive result at The Reebok, on Saturday. Just when West Ham were starting to enjoy their football, Manchester United come to town and dampen their spirits. 'The Hammers' were unbeaten in seven games until they met the Premiership leaders. They went down valiantly against United but a defeat is a defeat and it will only hinder the atmosphere within the West Ham camp. West Ham manager, Gianfranco Zola was looking for his side to bounce back from that disappointing result but they could only manage a draw against an out-of-sorts Middlesborough side on Saturday. That draws means West Ham now have an FA Cup replay to contend with and an away one at that. That is now two games they haven't won and it will be interesting to see if West Ham can avoid another lengthy period without a win. Match odds - Bolton Wanderers 7/5 Paddypower Draw 12/5 Skybet West Ham 2/1 Blue Square Prediction - Bolton Wanderers Middlesborough V Wigan Athletic Saturday 15:00 Two sides who just can't win go head-to-head this Saturday as Steve Bruce takes his Wigan side on the short trip to Tyneside where Middlesborough lye in waiting. Borough will be out to end their run of thirteen league games without a win while Wigan will want to put their five match run without being on the winning side to bed. A draw will not be an acceptable result for either side so we expect the pair to go all out for that elusive win they so crave. The alarm bells have been ringing at The Riverside for some time now with Middlesborough failing to win any of their last thirteen league fixtures. That run is now a new record this season as Borough couldn't see of Man City in their previous league game and ended in them surpassing Blackburn's win less run of twelve league matches. A record no club wants and one Gareth Southgate will be desperate not to extend. Middlesborough are by far the worst side in the league at current and a defeat at home to Wigan could see them end the weekend at the foot of the table. They have won just three games at home this season and haven't won at The Riverside since they beat Man City 2-0 back in October, seven games ago. It is easy to pin point to problem and that is their ability to put the ball in the net. They have scored just ten at home this season and have scored just four goals in their previous seven home league fixtures. Simply not good enough if they are to maintain their Premiership status. Wigan were in the form of their life's before they were one of many sides to succumb to a defeat at the hands of Manchester United. Since their 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford five games ago, they have failed to win any of their following league fixtures. For the time being, their league position looks a safe one but a few more poor results could see them fall into dangerous territory. Wigan have endured a tough fixture list and that should be taken into consideration. They lost to both of the Manchester pair but they did register some respectable draws against both Liverpool and Aston Villa. The loss of both Wilson Palacios and Emile Heskey looks massive though and could lead to them conceding many more points. Match odds - Middlesborough 7/5 888sport Draw 9/4 Bet365 Wigan Athletic 2/1 Skybet Prediction - Draw Stoke City V Portsmouth Saturday 15:00 Portsmouth make the long trip up to Stoke this Saturday hoping to end the weekend further away from the drop zone. Stoke City will also be in a similar mind set with the pair separated by just three points and both occupy precarious positions. Neither sides goes into this game with positive form behind them but Pompey's recent win could be just what they need to register an important three points. Were Stoke to avoid the drop, Tony Pulis would be credited as a genius. Many had assumed that Stoke may find themselves a drift before the final few fixtures but that is far from the case. Stoke are for now, above the bottom three but only by the skin of their teeth. They are 17th and are just one point above Blackburn in 18th position so they cannot afford to be complacent. Stoke's form is not good though and it is a surprise that they don't occupy one of those unwanted relegation spots. Their sole victory this year came at home to Man City winning 1-0 but they have only won two of their previous fourteen league fixtures and it would take a brave punter to lump on them this Saturday. The have however won every single one of their six league victories at home so there is a glimmer of hope for Stoke fans. Many fans feared the worse after Tony Adam's was sent packing but Paul Hart has taken charge at the club on a temporary basis and has already notched up a league victory, something Tony Adam's couldn't get the hang of. That is their first positive result for some time but that could be just what they needed to turn their miserable season around. Portsmouth's poor form has lead them to fall several places in the league but a win this Saturday would see them enforce a healthy gap on those currently in the relegation spots. That will take a lot of doing though with Pompey winning just two of their twelve away fixtures this season. They are hardly used to that winning feeling either with Pompey failing to win any of their previous nine league fixtures before their weekend victory over Man City. Were they to win at Stoke, they would record their first back-to-back wins since early October, so that should be the incentive they need to record a vital win at The Brittania Stadium. Match odds - Stoke City 6/4 Blue Square Draw 2/1 Paddypower Portsmouth 12/5 Skybet Prediction - Portsmouth Manchester United V Blackburn Rovers Saturday 15:00 The league leaders and current European champions entertain Blackburn Rovers this weekend at Old Trafford and it's live on Setanta Sports. United have shown no signs of letting up and are on a relentless run of eight successive league wins. Blackburn on the other hand are desperate for a positive result and a defeat away at United would see them remain in the bottom three. It's all to play for but we can only see one winner. Manchester United are showing the sort of form that makes them deserved odd-on favourites for the league title. They have won eight league matches on the bounce and booked their place in the Quarter-finals of the FA Cup last Sunday when they beat Derby County 4-1 at Pride Park. What will be pleasing to the United boss was the fact that United didn't even field their strongest side against Derby yet still ran out worthy winners. I don't think there are many sides that would look forward to an away trip to United right now and we really do feel for Sam Allardyce and Blackburn. Blackburn's fortunes on the other handhave took a turn for the worse after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Coventry City at Ewood Park on Saturday. A result which now leaves them with an added, unwanted fixture and it will be away at the Rico Arena. That won't be a match they will look forward to but this fixture away in Manchester will be more scary as Rovers have a poor away record this season. Blackburn have yet to win away from home with Big Sam at the helm so a victory at Old Trafford would come as a major shock. We can't see that happening though as Blackburn have failed to score in any of their previous three away league fixtures. Not what you need heading into an extremely tough away fixture. Match odds - Manchester United 3/10 Bet365 Draw 5/1 Skybet Blackburn Rovers 12/1 Paddypower Prediction - Manchester United Fulham V West Brom Sunday 13:30 Tony Mowbray takes his West Brom side to Craven Cottage this Sunday looking for a result that could take them off the bottom of the table. They will have to see off an over achieving Fulham side though if they are to finally lift themselves off the foot of the table. West Brom did however win the reverse fixture when the pair met back in October winning 1-0 at The Hawthorns so they have the beating of Fulham mentally, now all they have to do is beat them on the pitch. Easier said then done. Roy Hodgeson has worked wonders with Fulham this season and he has led them to new heights. He has made Fulham a tough side to beat and has took them to the upper half of the Premiership table. Something Fulham fans aren't used to seeing. Their football hasn't been pretty to watch and we expect a similar team display this weekend but as long as the results are good, not many Fulham supporters will care. Fulham will be fortunate that this is a home fixture as they have been terrible on the road. All seven of Fulham's league wins have come at Craven Cottage with West Ham being the only side to have gone to Fulham and exited with all three points. 7-3-1 is their home record and it would take a mighty performance from the baggies to double Fulham's lost column. Wins for West Brom have been rare with the Baggies winning just six games all season. To make matters worse, just one of those six victories came away from home and that was against a hapless Middlesborough side nine away fixtures ago. Since then they have botched up just one point on the road losing eight of their last nine away fixtures. Not the material required for surviving in the Premiership. It comes as no surprise that West Brom are bottom of the league but they have shown some signs that they may actually fight for survival. They won three home matches in a row during the festive period but that run came to a halt and West Brom have picked up just one point in three and it doesn't bode well for their chances heading to London this Sunday. Match odds - Fulham 5/6 William Hill Draw 13/5 Boylesports West Brom 4/1 Skybet Prediction - Fulham Liverpool V Manchester City 15:00 If this match is anything like the one we seen at 'The City of Manchester stadium', then we are surely in for a treat. Mark Hughes takes his struggling City outfit to Anfield this Sunday as they look to avoid a league double against Liverpool. The reds had to come from behind to win in Manchester earlier in the season winning 3-2. Rafael Benitez will be hoping for s smoother ride to three points at Anfield this Sunday. The best piece of news that Benitez heard this week was that Fernando Torres came back from the Spanish friendly with England unharmed and should feature from the off for their clash with Man City. Torres has a history of returning from International duty with a knock so it will be refreshing to see Torres play for once after playing for his country. Xabi Alonso also played for Spain and returned home without any form of an injury so Benitez has a full strength side bar their captain, Steven Gerrard. Liverpool simply must win if they are to maintain their challenge for the title and a poor result on Sunday could see them forfeit any title ambitions they had. That isn't unlikely though with Liverpool's home record being a poor one at 7-5-0. They have yet to lose at Anfield this season but several of the poorer sides in the league have left with the share of the spoils and it has cost Liverpool dearly. Will the absence of Steven Gerrard prove crucial and lead to yet more dropped points? We think not. Man City have been hopeless on the road this season and it would take a mammoth performance from the blues for them to wreck Liverpool's unbeaten home record for the season. Their defeat at Fratton Park to Portsmouth was their seventh away defeat of the season and now leaves their away record looking very shabby at 1-4-7. Their only away victory came three games into the season when they beat Sunderland 3-0. They have failed to perform anywhere near that level since and have duly paid the price. City have reached the heights of the top half of the table but not without weeks or trying. Their recent form has improved but all there recent wins have come at home. They have lost two away matches on the bounce to both Stoke City and Portsmouth and we simply cannot find any hope for Mark Hughes side this Sunday. Match odds - Liverpool 8/13 Bet365 Draw 11/4 Paddypower Manchester City 6/1 Skybet Prediction - Liverpool Newcastle United V Everton Sunday 16:00 Newcastle have the daunting task of beating an Everton side in a rich vein of form right now. They will also have to do so without their manager as Joe Kinnear is sidelined with heart problems and faces a serious operation. No doubt the job of managing a side like Newcastle who simply struggle to win is stressful and we wish him all the best. We're sure he will be watching from somewhere though but we doubt he will be pleased with the final result as we predict another win less game for 'The Toon'. Newcastle are one of many sides who find wins hard to come by in the league. They have won just six matches all season and have lost more games then they have won. Their simply isn't any good news for Newcastle right now and despite Newcastle registering their first win in six games, we can't see Everton losing this Sunday. The Magpies have failed to win any of their previous three matches at St. James Park and have won just four of their twelve home fixtures this season. Scoring at home hasn't been a problem with Newcastle scoring in everyone of their home fixtures this season. Keeping a clean sheet at home though has been difficult. Newcastle have kept just two clean sheets at home all season and it would be a surprise if they made it three after their clash with Everton this Sunday. Everton made a shaky start to the season but their fortunes have took a massive turn for the better with Everton moving into sixth position and have closed the gap on Arsenal, who are fifth, to just four points. A win this Sunday could see them close that gap to just the one point were Arsenal to slip up again. Everton booked their place in the next round of the FA Cup when they won in an impressive fashion beating Aston Villa 3-0 at Goodison Park. A stadium they have been very impressive at of late. Away from home has been a different story though as Everton have failed to win either of their two recent away fixtures. Their record away from Goodison is a good one though at 7-2-3 and a victory at St. James Park isn't unreachable. Match odds - Newcastle United 15/8 Boylesports Draw 12/5 Skybet Everton 8/5 Paddypower Prediction - Draw Hull City V Tottenham Hotspur Monday 20:00 Setanta Sports This is potentially a six point here as Harry Redknapp takes his Tottenham side to the KC Stadium where Hull City play host to Tottenham Hotspur, live on Setanta. Hull sprung a surprise when they beat Tottenham 1-0 at White Hart Lane earlier on in the season. Results like that have been hard to come by for both sides though and with neither side putting together a consistent run of wins, will anyone come out of this fixture victorious? Phil Brown steered his side to a remarkable first few months in the Premiership which evidentially led to Hull breaking into the top four. That didn't last long though and they have come back down to earth with a bang. Their outstanding victories over both Arsenal and Tottenham in London appear to have been forgotten for now as Hull look more and more like a side that could slip into a relegation fight. Their position is free-falling and they have dropped to 12th in the table. They are now just six points above the drop zone and simply can't afford to let any of those below catch them up. To do that, they would need to win a game and that looks a massive ask right now. Hull haven't won in nine league games while they have won just once in their previous 16 league outings. That win did come at home over Middlesborough but that was four home games ago and we wouldn't be surprised if that poor home run was to stretch to five after this clash. Tottenham's season has been dreadful throughout. They have lost nearly as many as they have won and have a poor away record of 2-2-8. Their last win on the road came back in December when they beat West Ham at Upton Park, 2-0. That was five away games ago and they have since every single one of their away league fixtures. Tottenham cannot afford any more slip ups and anything but a win on Monday would be disastrous when you take into consideration the poor rum Hull are in. Their defeat at home to Hull will have hurt the Spurs players and revenge will be firmly on the minds of everyone involved at Tottenham football club. The Tottenham squad will have to recover from a mid week UEFA Cup fixture but they should be fresh enough to make a game of this. Match odds - Hull City 2/1 Bet365 Draw 9/4 Bet365 Tottenham Hotspur 7/5 Paddypower Prediction - Draw Labels: premier-league-betting, premier-league-preview, premiership-betting, premiership-preview Posted by soccerbetting.info @ 3:49 PM << Home