Football Betting Previews

Premiership Preview by Matthew Chapple (21- 22 March 2009) (Wednesday, March 18, 2009)

Premiership Previews - March 21st - 22nd Portsmouth V Everton Saturday 12:45 Sky Sports The lower end of the table meets the upper half this Saturday as Paul Hart aims to get the better of David Moyes when Everton visit Fratton Park this Saturday at noon. Both sides will be eager to add a vital three points to their tallies, but with Portsmouth struggling for wins in the league, it is Everton who get our vote of confidence. Portsmouth's reign in the Premiership could well come to an end this season with the club staring relegation firmly in the face at the foot of the table. For the time being, Portsmouth are on safe ground but a poor result this Saturday against Everton could see them drop into the bottom three once again. Portsmouth are slight underdogs for this clash but that could play into their hands as they bid to win their first league game in three league outings. Five of Pompey's seven league victories have come at Fratton Park this season and they will need the crowd to rally behind them this Saturday if they are to make it six at home. Their only league win in thirteen games did come at home when they beat Man City 2-0, so if Portsmouth were to ever win a game again this season, you would bet on it being at Fratton Park. Portsmouth have still lost five of their previous six home league fixtures so this is far from a foregone conclusion. Everton are now on the charge for a Champions League finish after they closed the gap on Arsenal and Aston Villa to just four points. Their 3-1 home win over struggling Stoke City was their third home win on the bounce, but to look for Everton's last win on the road, you have to go all the way back to the end of December, last year. Five away games ago they beat an out-of-sorts Middlesborough side at The Riverside but they have since drawn their following three away fixtures. David Moyes has done a tremendous job at Goodison this term what with all the injuries his side have had to endure. The loan signing of Jo from Man City appears to be a fine capture with the Brazilian forward making the score sheet once again at the weekend. His aerial presence has been key for Moyes but Portsmouth are well equipped at the back to handle the big centre-forward so it will be interesting to see what side and formation David Moyes goes for this Saturday. Match Odds - Portsmouth 19/10 Centrebet Draw 9/4 Bet365 Everton 13/8 888sport Prediction - Everton Blackburn Rovers V West Ham Saturday 15:00 'Big Sam' takes on 'Lil Zola' on Saturday afternoon but the pressure to win will be firmly on the shoulders of Sam Allardyce and Blackburn who desperately need points to stay away from the drop. West Ham are sitting rather cosily in seventh position so a defeat wouldn't affect them too much although they will now have one eye on a Europa Cup finish. The Blackburn players will also have a slight fitness advantage going into this game. West Ham played a difficult league game on Monday night so Blackburn have had two extra days rest. However, Blackburn's last game could still be fresh on the memories of the players after they were thumped 4-0 away at Arsenal. A defeat that big will always have a negative affect on a player so it will be Sam's job to get the squad focused in time for this huge game with West Ham. That heavy defeat at Arsenal ended their away win streak of two games but they now return home looking to start up a new one. Rovers haven't won at Ewood Park in any of their last three home fixtures, drawing games with Everton and Bolton whilst suffering defeat at the hands of Aston Villa. Blackburn have only won three of their fourteen home fixtures in the league but we like the odds of them adding to their poor win column this Saturday afternoon with West Ham looking ordinary on Monday. West Ham come into this game a point better off after their dull 0-0 draw with bottom of the league West Brom. The game itself wasn't much of a spectacle and we felt for the paying fans that went to cheer their side on. There were very few shots on target and West Ham have to be disappointed that they only got a point against a poor West Brom side. The Hammers now need to put that poor result well behind them and look ahead to a tough game at Ewood Park against a Rovers side that could still be hurting after a heavy 4-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal. West Ham's last win in the league was away from home when they beat Wigan at The JJB stadium 1-0. They would certainly settle for a 1-0 before kick off but we can only see the home side winning this game, especially if West Ham put in a repeat performance of Monday night. Match Odds - Blackburn Rovers 6/5 Gamebookers Draw 23/10 Bet365 West Ham 3/1 Bet365 Prediction - Blackburn Rovers Fulham V Manchester United Saturday 15:00 A wounded Manchester United travels to the capital this weekend where Roy Hodgeson's Fulham lye in waiting at Craven Cottage. The Red Devil's have already played Fulham at Craven Cottage this season in the FA Cup. United were handsome 4-0 victors that day but we feel it will be a much closer contest this time around. Surprisingly, it is Fulham that go into this fixture with a win behind them. They binned their away voodoo by beating Bolton at The Reebok stadium last Saturday to win their first away game in the league this season. They certainly had the luck of the green that day and they will need lady luck to shine on them once again as league leaders United come to town. Fulham have rarely been able to boast about their league position but for once they can. The Cottagers are currently in 9th position but that has been mainly down to their good form at home. Eight of their nine league victories have come at Craven Cottage but Fulham have lost their previous two home fixtures and have it all to do if they are to stop the rut at the cottage this Saturday. Sir Alex Ferguson was seething as his side were demolished at home by Liverpool last Saturday. The United fans never like to lose to their bitter rivals but that was their worst defeat by Liverpool for over 75 years. Both Rio and Fergie have promised the fans that they will bounce back from that humiliation but several of the chasing pack will be hoping they are still suffering from that humbling by Liverpool. That defeat did end United's run of twelve straight wins in the league but they are still on a five match win streak on the road. Their last away defeat was back in November last year to Arsenal, nine away fixtures ago. Since then, they have won six of their last eight away games and are favourites to make it seven at the expense of Fulham. When you consider that United thrashed Fulham 4-0 in the FA Cup a few weeks back, it is hard to oppose the current league leaders. Match Odds - Fulham 7/1 Bet365 Draw 16/5 Skybet Manchester United ½ Boylesports Prediction - Draw Stoke City V Middlesborough Saturday 15:00 A huge game for two sides struggling in the bottom half of the table as Middlesborough travel to The Brittania stadium in search of their first away win in eight games. Stoke on the other hand need to put their weekend disappointment behind them and concentrate on this potential six pointer with Middlesborough. Tony Pulis's side put in yet another battling performance at Goodison Park last Saturday but could only come away with a 3-1 defeat. A result which sees them re-enter the bottom three but a win could change all that. They are level on points with Portsmouth and Newcastle while Middlesborough are just two points behind them, you could literally throw a blanket over the bottom half of the table, it's that close. With all this in mind, this game has even more significance as both sides desperately need the points. Stoke's last game at home did end in a success when they beat Bolton 2-0. A side who are also in close proximity. Stoke have also done most their business at home in recent weeks, picking up eight points in their last four home fixtures. Tony Pulis will be hoping his side can add to that this weekend. No manager is feeling the pressure more right now then Middlesborough manager Gareth Southgate. Their weekend draw with fellow struggler's Portsmouth left the home fans with a bitter taste in their mouth and they certainly weren't shy to express their opinions from the terraces. Only a win this weekend will turn their hostile supporters back into their cheery old selves. We simply haven't got the bottle to predict a Middlesborough win this Saturday as they have been drastic on the road for a long time now. Their last win away from The Riverside was nine games ago when they beat Aston Villa 2-1 at Villa Park. They have since lost seven of their previous eight away fixtures which won't fill any punter with confidence. They were also smashed 4-0 at White Hart Lane in their last away fixture so Stoke get the nod as the pressure starts to build on Southgate. Match Odds - Stoke City 69/50 Paddypower Draw 23/10 Skybet Middlesborough 11/5 Boylesports Prediction - Stoke City Tottenham Hotspur V Chelsea Saturday 15:00 A repeat of the earlier fixture which seen Tottenham get a point at Stamford Bridge wouldn't go a miss for United and Liverpool fans and with Spurs finally starting to play some decent football, Harry and his boys have solid claims for dashing Chelsea's league aspirations. Defeat for either side is unthinkable right now but one team will walk away unhappy, who will it be? Tottenham have now lifted the pressure off themselves some what after they secured a rare away victory at the expense of Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa last Sunday. Their 2-1 win over an improving Villa side was very impressive. It was far from a 'smash and grab' as Tottenham had a lot of the ball and crated some really good goal scoring opportunities. The end result was their just rewards for a fine team performance. That huge victory over fifth place Aston Villa was just what Harry and Spurs needed as they play host to an in form Chelsea side at White Hart Lane. They will need to pull out all the stops if they are to get a positive result from this tough home fixture, but we are confidence they can do so. Tottenham haven't lost at home for six games and their last game at home was a 4-0 mauling of Middlesborough so Spurs have it within them to do us Liverpool lovers a favour and halt the Chelsea express. Guss Hiddink is a miracle worker at the Bridge right now after his Chelsea side won their fourth consecutive league game under the Dutch manager. A bizarre Essien strike was enough to give Chelsea the win last Sunday when they edged out Man City at home by 1 goal to nil. No doubt that Guss would settle for the same result this Saturday as his side prepare for a tough game with fellow Londoners, Tottenham. A win this Saturday over Spurs would be Chelsea's third away win in a row but they have their work cut if they are to secure another big win under Hiddink. Spurs have been playing some decent football of late so Chelsea will need to up their game. Their performance on Sunday against City was average at best and a similar display from the Chelsea team would give Tottenham a huge chance of winning this game. Chelsea have lost just twice away from home all season but Spurs did knick a point at Stamford Bridge so anything is possible. Match Odds - Tottenham Hotspur 10/3 Centrebet Draw 12/5 Bet365 Chelsea 20/21 Blue Square Prediction - Draw West Brom V Bolton Wanderers Saturday 15:00 Bolton make a trip to The Hawthorns this Saturday as they aim to steer well clear of those struggling at the foot of the table and secure yet another season in the Premiership. West Brom already look to be doomed as they trail at the very foot of the table and are now seven points off safety. We doubt they will roll over and gift teams points though so expect a tough affair for Gary megson's men. West Brom desperately need a positive result to give themselves some sort of chance of staying up, no matter how small it may be. Safety is currently six points over the mountain but a few wins on the trot would turn that into a mole hill. Is that likely, perhaps not but football isn't football without it's unpredictability. West Brom were very poor on Monday night against West Ham but at least they took a share of the spoils back to The Hawthorns with them. That point does however pull more pressure onto them to make sure that this game ends in a win. The Baggies have won just six games all season in the league but five of those came at home so the return to The Hawthorns will be seen as a positive for manager Tony Mowbray. We tend to think it won't enhance their chance of success this weekend. Bolton's season has started to de-rail after losing two consecutive league games. Defeats to fairly average sides in Fulham and Stoke City has now dragged them back into a battle for survival with Bolton just four points above the drop zone. This is their easiest fixture remaining so a win will be the only acceptable result for Gary Megson's team. With Bolton's recent away form looking dire it would take a brave punter to lump on Bolton winning this Saturday. We aren't confident enough to stick the wife and kids on it but against a side as poor as West Brom, they simply must fancy their chances of an elusive away victory. Bolton's last away win came seven games ago in 4-1 mauling of Sunderland at The Stadium of Light. A similar score this weekend wouldn't go a miss. Match Odds - West Brom 6/4 Stanjames Draw 12/5 Boylesports Bolton Wanderers 2/1 Bet365 Prediction - Bolton Wanderers Newcastle United V Arsenal 17:30 Setanta Sports The Second instalment of the Newcastle V Arsenal affair. A fixture which Arsenal comfortable won earlier this season, winning 3-0 at The Emirates. With Joe Kinnear still sidelined, it will be left to Chris Houghton to deliver the goods and push Newcastle away from the three relegation spots. Arsenal on the other hand simply must win if they are to keep Aston Villa and Everton at bay. For the time being, Newcastle are safe but were more slip ups to arose, they could find themselves down at very bottom flirting with relegation. Their recent results would indicate that they are going one way and one way only, and that's down the league table. Temporary first team manager Chris Houghton has a tough job on his hands if Newcastle are to defy the odds and remain in the Premiership once more. The Magpies still have some tough fixtures left and none more so then this weekend fixture with Arsenal. The Gunners's already got the better of the 'Toon army and Co'. when the pair met at The Emirates back in August. It finished 3-0 that day to Arsenal and we wouldn't put anyone off backing a similar score this Saturday. Arsene Wenger will know full well that this is a game his side have to win in order to keep Everton and Aston Villa at arms length. The Gunner's have already overturned a six point gap to overtake Villa into fourth so they will now be looking to nail down that last and final Champions League spot. A win over Newcastle would see them go three points clear with Villa playing Liverpool a day later. Arsenal should win this fixture at a canter with Newcastle looking very vulnerable at the back. Arsenal finally showed the whole of England what attacking options they have in their locker and their 4-0 win over Blackburn was a fair reflection on a fine Arsenal team performance. The Gunner's could win three on the bounce if they beat Newcastle this Saturday, the last time they matched that feat was at the start of this year. Match Odds - Newcastle United 5/1 Paddypower Draw 27/10 Boylesports Arsenal ¾ 888sport Prediction - Arsenal Wigan Athletic V Hull City Sunday 13:30 Two sides who really have lost their way when it comes to winning game in the Premiership. Wigan have just one win in nine games while Hull have won just twice since the start of November last year so a draw would appear to be the logical prediction but we like to be hold at Soccerbetting, and we have picked Wigan to banish their recent league woes and notch up another league victory. Steve Bruce will be well aware that his side won't get many easier opportunities to win a game then their weekend clash with Hull City at the JJB Stadium this coming Sunday. Hull won't set up in a defensive manner and that should play into Wigan's hand as they look to attack at every opportunity with Antonio Valencia being their main creator of chances down the wing. Although Wigan have added a lot of points to their tally recently, they did manage to win at the weekend when they made the short trip to Sunderland. They left as 2-1 victors, a result which keeps them in the upper half of the table. Wigan have done most their work at home winning six of their fourteen home fixtures. That certainly needs improving and we fancy them to do just that when Hull come to town. Phil Brown is playing down reports that his players are feeling the pressure of the 'must win' burden. His side have now won just twice in their last twenty league fixtures, a statistic which doesn't look attractive on the eye. Their most recent win was just two fixtures ago when they beat high flying Fulham at Craven Cottage so Hull can pull something out of the hat, it's just a case of which Hull side decides to show up. Funnily enough, Hull have won more on their travels then they have done at The HC Stadium so the players shouldn't be phased by this away day out. 5-4-4 is their away form this season but the Tigers have won just once in nine away league fixtures so we wouldn't get excited just yet. Hull have also managed just one away goal in their previous four away fixtures so it won't come as much of a surprise were they to struggle in front of goal. Match Odds - Wigan Athletic 4/5 Ladbrokes Draw 13/5 Bet365 Hull City 23/5 Centrebet Prediction - Wigan Athletic Manchester City V Sunderland Sunday 15:00 Probably the most inconsistent side in the league, Man City, meets a hapless Sunderland side at The City of Manchester stadium this Sunday in what looks to be home banker for Mark Hughes, or so you would think. City got the job done in comfortable fashion when the two clubs met earlier in the season so Mark Hughes will be seeking a double over Sunderland but more importantly, all three points. Man City are a side you either love or you hate, mostly just hate. At home they have proven they are match for anybody on any given day but on the road they are a shambles so the return home will only be a huge positive for the City manager who has endured a topsy turvy start in charge of the richest club on the planet. Man City at home just catches the eye of every punter nowadays and it comes as little surprise that the bookies have slashed their price dramatically ahead of their home tie with Sunderland. The Sky Blues haven't lost in five games at home with all five of those being victories. Their most recent was an impressive win over champions league chasers Aston Villa and we make them a strong bet to make it six on the bounce at home. A win less run of just four games was all it took for Sunderland to get drawn into a battle for survival. They were once sitting in pretty but they are now just three points above the relegation zone. Every point they pick up is vital from now till the end of the season and a point away at Man City would be a huge boost for their chances. Sunderland have had some tough fixtures recently but they will still be very disappointed with the amount of points they have notched up in recent league fixtures. Draws to London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham are all Sunderland have to show for in their last four games so Ricky Sbragia is under pressure to bring home the bacon and steer 'The Black Cats' away from danger. Match Odds - Manchester City 13/20 VCbet Draw 11/4 Skybet Sunderland 11/2 Bet365 Prediction - Manchester City Liverpool V Aston Villa Sunday 16:00 Sky Sports No doubt the highlight of this weekend will be the clash between Liverpool and Aston Villa at Anfield. Two sides with big ambitions but someone's season will take a serious turn for the worse with both sides ill affording a draw. Should make for an entertaining game but we fancy Liverpool's chances of continuing their charge for a record 18th league title. Liverpool's superb 4-1 win over bitter rivals Manchester United will still be fresh on the minds of the players and they should have all the momentum going into this tough home fixture with Villa. Liverpool have now won two on the spin, scoring six in two games and with Torres and Gerrard in full force, you would expect Liverpool to be too strong for Aston Villa at Anfield this Sunday. Liverpool have been known to slip up at home to inferior sides but they can't afford to take anything but a win away from Anfield on Sunday. United are already four points clear and Rafael Benitez's side need to keep the pressure on Fergie's team. With Liverpool undefeated in fourteen games at home, we fancy the reds to do all the pressing and come away as victors. Martin O'Neill and even his star players have started to come under some scrutiny after Villa slumped to yet another defeat in the league. Their 2-1 home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur has now left Villa reeling in fifth position but they are still level on points with Arsenal, who occupy fourth. Villa must get some sort of result against Liverpool though if they are to consider themselves serious champions league contenders. That defeat to Spurs means Villa have failed to win either of their last four league fixtures, three of those were defeats. That's a massive turn around from the form that seen them go thirteen games without defeat and notch up seven consecutive away league victories. Their decision to basically forfeit the UEFA Cup appears to be having a negative affect on the squad morale and O'Neill could live to regret his decision. Match Odds - Liverpool ½ Betfred Draw 16/5 Bet365 Aston Villa 8/1 Boylesports Prediction - Liverpool Labels: premier league betting, premier league preview, premiership betting, premiership preview Posted by soccerbetting.info @ 8:34 AM << Home