Football Betting Previews

Premiership Preview by Matthew Chapple (18-19 April 2009) (Thursday, April 16, 2009)

Premiership Previews - 18th/19th April Aston Villa V West Ham - Saturday 15:00 7th placed West ham travel to Villa Park this Saturday to take on 5th placed Aston Villa as the Hammers look to secure a European finish at the expense of an out-of-form Villa side. Neither team could manage a win at the weekend so both will be eager to get straight back to winning ways, especially Aston Villa who have now gone seven league games without a win. As the possibility of Champions League football rapidly evaporates, Villa are now left ruing missed chances of what really could have been a sublime season. Their run of seven games without a single win in the league has put to bed any remaining chance they had of nailing a fourth place finish and Martin O'Neill's side will now have one eye on their summer holidays with a Europa cup finish near enough a certainty. The fact that Villa do have very little to play for other then pride means that West Ham have every chance of causing an upset at Villa Park. It was six home games ago when Villa last won a match at home when they took on bottom of the league West Brom and that victory was by the slimmest of margins, winning 2-1. Since that win, Villa have drawn three and lost two at home so Martin O'Neill has it all to do if he is to end that abysmal home run. West Ham on the other can reflect on what has been a superb year, especially when you take into consideration that West Ham were right in the mix down near the foot of the table at the mid-way point of the season. Manager Gianfranco Zola has done a fantastic job in turning around West Ham fortunes and 'The Hammers' are now on the verge of a European finish. West Ham still need to add a fair few points before they can look forward to European football next season and this looks one of their hardest remaining fixtures. The Hammers have also struggled somewhat on the road with just four of their twelve league victories coming away from Upton park. West Ham do like to keep it tight at the back when travelling and have conceded just two in their last three away games. They will need Robert Green to be in top form this Saturday if they are to keep a potent Villa strike force at bay. Match Odds - Aston Villa 27/37 Bet365 Draw 13/5 Bwin West Ham 5/1 SportingBet Prediction - Aston Villa Middlesborough V Fulham - Saturday 15:00 It would be an understatement to say that this is probably the biggest game of the season for Middlesborough as they look to avoid the drop and extend their stay in the Premiership. Fulham have comfortably managed to stay clear of a relegation battle and are now aiming for one of those elusive Europa Cup spots. Both sides have their own reasons why they need to win but Middlesborough's hunger to remain in the top flight should lead them to a massive victory in front of what is expected to be a capacity crowd at The Riverside. Middlesboroughs enthralling 3-1 win over fellow relegation contenders Hull City, has now left Borough with a fighting chance of staying up but that victory will all be in vein if they don't back it up with a win over Fulham this Saturday. Middlesborough's recent home form would suggest they have a strong chance of registering a vital win but Fulham have proven to be a tough side to beat recently so Borough certainly have their work cut out. A win this weekend would result in Middlesborough winning back-to-back games in the league, something they have yet to manage this season and their inconsistency has led to their downfall. Fortunately for them, they do have the advantage of playing at home and they will need the support of the crowd if they are to register another crucial victory. Fulham themselves have a legit reason why they want the win this weekend with 'The Cottagers' just outside the European places. However, a win over struggling Middlesborough could see them finish the weekend in the top seven and take control of a Europa position. Fulham know full well what it's like to be in a fight for survival but they won't be feeling sorry for their match day opponents as they seek out their second consecutive away win. Fulham were a side that couldn't buy an away win and then like London buses, two come along with wins at Bolton and more recently at Manchester City. Both were very impressive performance and Fulham fully deserved all three points but those two sides have very little to play for, unlike Middlesborough so we fancy this to be a much tougher game for Fulham. Match Odds - Middlesborough 13/10 Coral Draw 9/4 Bet365 Fulham 5/2 Boylesports Prediction - Middlesborough Portsmouth V Bolton Wanderers - Saturday 15:00 Two sides who at one point, appeared to have survival well and truly wrapped up but defeats for both teams over the weekend has now seen this fixture turn into a six pointer. A win for Bolton would see them hit the 40 point marker while Portsmouth could go seven points clear with a victory so there is all to play for when the pair clash at Fratton park on Saturday afternoon. Fratton park has hardly been a fortress for Portsmouth this season with Pompey already losing seven times on home soil and their weekend draw at home to a poor West Brom side will only hinder their already low team spirit. However, six of Portsmouth's eight victories in the league have come at home and although Pompey have been poor at home on occasions, it would appear that their best chance of winning games will come down South at Fratton park. Their 2-2 draw with West Brom last Saturday was a huge dent in their bid to avoid the drop as it was a very winnable game on paper. That was a missed opportunity for Pompey and Brian Kidd will now need to get his squad in tip-top shape as Bolton come to town, a side they lost 2-1 too back at 'The Reebok' earlier in the season. Bolton may be seven points above the drop zone at the moment but they certainly aren't out of the woods just yet. Several have quoted 40 points as the target required to stay up this season so a win over Portsmouth would see Bolton reach 41 points and be all but over the hill. They have had some poor results on the road recently though so Bolton may need to wait another day before they start planning for next season. Despite some poor away results of late, Bolton did put in a gritty display away at Chelsea and nearly pulled off the greatest comeback in Premiership history when they came from 4-0 down to lose 4-3. Three goals within 10 minutes seen Bolton go mighty close to picking up a massive point at 'The Bridge' and although they didn't get the result they wanted, their performance in the second half was a huge plus and a repeat of that would see them go very close. Match Odds - Portsmouth 6/5 Bet365 Draw 23/10 SkyBet Bolton Wanderers 14/5 PaddyPower Prediction - Draw Stoke City V Blackburn Rovers - Saturday 15:00 Another match which involves two sides who have yet to finalise another season in the Premiership as Tony Pulis's Stoke City entertain Sam Allardyce's Blackburn Rovers at The Brittania Stadium. Stoke do find themselves in more rosier territory but they will be fully aware that a few defeats between now and the end of the season could land them in trouble, so a win over an injury troubled Rovers side is a must. Not many gave Stoke hope of staying up at the beginning of the season but out of all the newcomers from the Championship, Stoke stand the best chance of surviving their first ever season in the top flight of English football. Much of that is down to their superb form at The Brittania Stadium. The venue for their game with Rovers this Saturday. Stoke have accumulated 29 points at home this season and have the seventh best home record in the league. That is a phenomenal statistic for a side that didn't even join the Premiership as Champions of 'The Championship'. The aerial presence of Ricardo Fuller, Faye and now James Beattie, has seen even the top four sides struggle to keep them at arms length but 'Big Sam' was the master of the using strength and height to his advantage when he was manager at Bolton so Stoke may need to alter their tactic's slightly ahead of this game. Sam Allardyce has now seen his side lose two straight games on the road and in an emphatic manner. Two consecutive 4-0 defeats away at Arsenal and Liverpool has to have a negative effect on the players especially as Blackburn caused the pair very little problems in the final third. The absence of star striker Roque Santa Cruz is a huge blow for 'Rovers' but Allardyce's decision to play Christopher Samba upfront was bizarre one at that and left us puzzled to say the very least. I'm sure Sam will be the first to admit that his tactics against Liverpool last Saturday didn't go to plan and he will surely abandon the one up front and go with a more potent strike force this Saturday. Benni McCarthy sat out Blackburn's 4-0 defeat at Anfield and it would be a surprise if he didn't start from the off for their match with Stoke as they need some sort of threat in the final third if they are to get anything from this game. Match Odds - Stoke City 6/4 CanBet Draw 11/5 888sport Blackburn Rovers 9/4 Ladbrokes Prediction - Stoke City Sunderland V Hull City - Saturday 15:00 Yet another six pointer as Sunderland prepare to do battle with Phil Brown's Hull City with the reward being some temporary breathing space and a huge step towards safety. The pair have struggled for wins in recent weeks but both will know that this is a must win game if they are to stay well away from the relegation pit. The Stadium of Light is the venue in what should be a tight and nervy affair up North. Like most managers at the foot of the table, Ricky Sbragia has come under a lot of scrutiny and that is mainly due to Sunderland's drastic form. 'The Black Cats' have now stretched their win less run to seven games after they succumbed to their second consecutive home defeat at the hands of league leaders Manchester United last Saturday. Despite their weekend defeat, Sunderland did put in a half decent performance against a side that are currently World Champions but it's now come down to the business end of the season and all that matters now is results and their 2-1 home defeat now leaves Sunderland just two points above Newcastle in 17th. Were they to extend their win drought to eight games, they could potentially find themselves in the bottom three by the end of the weekend. That is certainly food for thought. Hull are on the verge of doing what looked impossible at Christmas and that's end the season in the bottom three. 'The Tigers' were sat rather cosily in the upper half of the table just before the festive period kicked off but an extremely poor run of results has seen Hull free-falling towards the drop and are now just four points above the relegation places. Since the New Year, Hull have won just once in twelve fixtures, when they etched out a 1-0 away win at Fulham last month. That is their sole victory in 2009 with Hull losing seven of those twelve games and have picked up just seven points since the turn of the year so their poor league position comes as no surprise. Their performances on the pitch have come as a shock though as Hull looked very impressive in the early part of the season. It's hard to put your finger on why it all went wrong but Phil Brown has a tough job in guiding his side to a dramatic recovery and steering them away from relegation. Match Odds - Sunderland 10/11 Bet365 Draw 11/5 SkyBet Hull City 18/5 VCBet Prediction - Sunderland Tottenham Hotspur V Newcastle United - Sunday 13:30 Sky Sports It's Harry meets Alan this Sunday as Newcastle go into another league fixture knowing that only a win will do if they are to maintain their bid for Premiership survival. Harry Redknapp has already wished the new Magpies boss the best of luck in his short stint as Newcastle manager but he won't be looking to hand out free points as he aims to consolidate a top ten finish. Harry Redknapp has done what was asked of him and that was to guide Spurs out of the slump they were in and ensure that the club ended the season on safe ground. It would appear that he has done that with several games to spare so Harry will know have one eye on planning for next season as he hopes to improve on what has been a poor season for Tottenham. Spurs have enjoyed themselves in the new year and were glad to see the back of a disappointing 2008. Spurs have won six matches since the turn of the year and have lost just three times since the start of January. That is a huge improvement in form and Harry will be hoping his side can finish the latter part of the season in fine fashion. Tottenham have been very impressive at home in recent weeks and haven't lost at White Hart Lane in their last eight home appearances so Spurs are justified favourites. Newcastle left it late to grab what could be a vital point away at Stoke at the weekend. An 81st minute header from Andy Carrol was enough to take home a share of the spoils and end their two match losing streak. However, they still find themselves in a rut at the foot of the table and will need more wins than draws if they are to launch themselves out of the bottom three. Newcastle's recent exploits on the road doesn't fill us with much confidence and although we would love an away win for the travelling Toon army, we just can't see it as Spurs have hit a decent run of form. When you compare Tottenham's three consecutive home wins to Newcastle's two draws and one defeat, there is only one winner. Still, you have to take every match for itself and we hope Newcastle can spring a surprise and give Shearer his first win as Newcastle manager. Match Odds - Tottenham Hotspur 27/37 Bet365 Draw 13/5 Boylesports Newcastle United 5/1 Centrebet Prediction - Tottenham Manchester City V West Brom - Sunday 15:00 Sky Sports Mark Hughes will be hoping his Man City side can recover in time after their UEFA Cup tie with Hamburg last Thursday. They will only have two days to prepare for this game but that shouldn't make too much difference as they look to end their two match losing run and notch up their twelfth league win of the season against bottom placed and relegated elect; West Bromich Albion. Although City occupy eleventh place in the league, they still need a win or two to fully be sure of safety. They currently have 38 points to their name and their weekend match at home to bottom of the league West Brom is the ideal opportunity for Mark Hughes's side to boost their mediocre point tally. They should comply and their odds do look a tad generous providing they don't suffer any UEFA Cup hangover. City's surprise defeat at the hands of Fulham last Sunday did come as a shock and the 3-1 scoreline was a tad flattering for the London side. City were still very poor though and that loss was their sixth at home this season and did end an impressive run of six straight home victory's. The Sky Blues have scored no less then 32 goals at 'The City of Manchester' and they should add a few more when West Brom pay them a visit this weekend in front of the Sky cameras. Although West Brom may not think the same, we would say it's fair enough to assume that West Brom are down and out after they could only manage a draw away at Portsmouth. That was their last throw of the dice in our opinion and despite going very close to all three points, the solitary point hey did achieve is probably not enough to aid their already slim survival bid. That doesn't necessarily mean that West Brom will be a push over though. They are a club with nothing to lose and will now be playing for pride and could very well be a wounded animal. They showed us all on Saturday that they could compete in the Premiership but they have only shown glimpses of the form required to stay in the top flight of English football. 'The Baggies' have won just once away from home this season and although we think they will put in yet another spirited performance, we can't help but fancy a home win at that price. Match Odds - Manchester City 31/50 Boylesports Draw 11/4 PaddyPower West Brom 6/1 Centrebet Prediction - Manchester City Liverpool V Arsenal - Tuesday 20:00 A rather bizarre fixture schedule this weekend as all of the so called 'Big Four' play in the middle of next week due to Arsenal, United and Chelsea being involved in FA Cup action. The biggest game of the week will undoubtedly be the match between two familiar foes as Arsenal travel up to Merseyside to take on the mighty Liverpool at Anfield. The last three meetings between the two sides have finished in 1-1 draws but Liverpool can ill-afford any slip ups and simply have to win this game if they are to have any chance of winning the title. Despite Liverpool losing to Chelsea in midweek and bidding farewell to Champions League football for this season, they will take a lot of heart of out of their performance at Stamford Bridge especially as they had to cope without the clubs most influential player in captain Steven Gerrard. From a Liverpool fans perspective, we were superb. We stared down the barrel of a gun on several occasions but bounced right back every single time. Anyone even considering backing against Rafeal Benitez's side this weekend needs their head checking because another performance of that magnitude would make them extremely hard to beat. Although the absence of Gerrard on Tuesday was a blow to their chances of qualifying, it will be a huge boost for their bid to win a record 19th league title as Gerrard should be fresh and raring to go for this huge match with 'The Gunners'. Liverpool have been in sublime form recently in the league, winning their previous five league games, scoring 16 and conceding just the one goal in the process. They won 4-1 at home to Blackburn last weekend and we strongly fancy their chances of winning their fourth straight home fixture this Saturday. Arsenal will feel slightly aggrieved that they have to play a side that are currently second in the league and well in form, just three days after playing Chelsea in the FA Cup. We mustn't forget that Arsenal were also in action last Wednesday so Liverpool could be facing a slightly fatigued Arsenal side and also a depleted one as William Gallas, Manuel Almunia, Johan Djourou and Gael Clichy are all set to miss this fixture at Anfield although Andrei Arshavin should start after missing Arsenal's tie with Villarreal on Wednesday. 'The Gunners' will go into this game full of confidence after sailing into the Semi-Final's of the Champions league when they eased past Villarreal, winning 3-0 at 'The Emirates'. That was the perfect preparation for two massive games, one against Chelsea at the weekend and the other being a league game with Liverpool next Tuesday. Arsenal have also won their previous five league encounters with three of those coming away from 'The Emirates stadium'. Albeit over sides struggling in the lower half of the table and this will be a much bigger test for Arsene Wenger's side. Match Odds - Liverpool 11/10 Bet365 Draw 11/5 SkyBet Arsenal 29/10 Coral Prediction - Liverpool Chelsea V Everton - Wednesday 20:00 A huge game at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea aim to stay in touch with Liverpool and United at the top. Everton are no mugs though and this will be a huge test for Guus Hiddink's side with 'The Toffees' still seeking out a few more wins that should secure a European finish. This fixture is a potential banana skin for Chelsea though and they will need to be on top of their game if they are to earn all three points. Chelsea eventually booked their place in the Semi-Final's of the Champions League on Wednesday but needed several chances to do so. They let slip comfortable aggregate leads time and time again and at times looked very poor. They rode their luck and got the job done in the end in unconvincing fashion in my honest opinion. Still, some of their finishing was out of this world. Alex scored an absolute stunner while Lampard scored two classy goals and he single handily guided his side into the next round. That win could be massive in terms of what it could do to the Chelsea dressing room as they enter a crucial part of the season. They still feel they are in with a shout of winning the title and they simply have to win this game if they are to maintain their slim hopes of snatching the title away from United. They showed signs of arrogance in their last home game when they just edged out Bolton in a thrilling 4-3 home win. Everton will be a much sterner opponent and Chelsea could come a cropper if they start to become complacent once more. David Moyes has all but given up on the chance of once again playing in the Champions League after his side could only draw at Villa Park last Sunday. 'The Toffees' are now nine points adrift of Arsenal who occupy that final Champions League position and although it is mathematically possible, neither Moyes or us can see Arsenal losing their grip on that fourth position with just a few games remaining. Moyes has stated that he hasn't started to think about planning for the next campaign just yet as he wants to get UEFA Cup qualification via a top six finish, nailed down as soon as possible. They are eight points clear of West Ham who are seventh so Everton need a couple more wins and European football should be theirs. If this was at home then we would fancy Everton to get a positive result but Everton haven't won on their travels in any of their previous six away league fixtures and it would be optimistic more then anything to predict an Everton victory. A draw isn't out of the question though. Match Odds - Chelsea 1/2 SkyBet Draw 14/5 PaddyPower Everton 7/1 VCBet Prediction - Chelsea Manchester United V Portsmouth - Wednesday 20:00 With United still involved in every competition, this has led to a fixture pile up for Fergie's team who are now playing their third game in under a week. They will take on Everton on Sunday afternoon in the FA Cup while they had to travel to Porto last Wednesday for the Champions League second leg. Not only is that a lot of time United have spent travelling but that's a lot of minutes spent on the pitch and that could have an affect in this fixture. After booking their place in the Semi-Final with a comfortable 1-0 victory over Porto last Wednesday, the 'Red Devils' will now look forward to a tasty looking tie with Arsenal. For the time being, they will need to concentrate on their next assignment and that is an FA Cup match with Everton, then a home fixture against Portsmouth in the league. That's two huge games within the space of just a few days so fatigue could play a part in the latter part of both games. Sir Alex Ferguson does have a talented squad at his disposal so putting out a side capable of beating both Everton and Portsmouth shouldn't be a problem. Their league fixture with Portsmouth does look an easy one on paper but Pompey are battling for their lives at the bottom of the table so United will need to be wary of their Southern opponents. United do have an impressive home record of 13-1-1 to fall back on and we can only foresee a comfortable United win. Portsmouth are another small side in the Premier league who are out to cause an upset this weekend as they travel up North to take on 'The Red Devils' at Old Trafford. It doesn't look good for Pompey though as they have been pretty shoddy on the road throughout the current season. Just two away victories is just one of many reasons why Portsmouth find themselves in a fight for survival and this looks another tough away game and one they probably won't get much out of. Portsmouth have the third worst offensive record in the league with just 12 goals scored away from their beloved Fratton Park. It also doesn't aid your cause when you're shipping on average, 1.5 goals every away game so Portsmouth have it all to do if they are to keep United at bay for the full 90 minutes. Brian Kidd would be foolish to go for the win in our honest opinion and we expect his side to line up in a defensive manner and look to hold out for as long as possible. Portsmouth have kept four away clean sheets this season with all four of those matches ending in 0-0 draws. They would snap your arm off if that was offered up to them before kick-off. Match Odds - Manchester United 1/3 Ladbrokes Draw 9/2 BlueSquare Portsmouth 12/1 Bet365 Prediction - Manchester United Labels: premier league betting, premier league preview, premiership betting, premiership preview Posted by soccerbetting.info @ 11:06 AM << Home