Football Betting Previews

Premiership Preview by Matthew Chapple (25-26 April 2009) (Thursday, April 23, 2009)

Premiership Previews - 25th/26th April Bolton Wanderers V Aston Villa - Saturday 15:00 A big game for both Bolton and Villa as a win would take them a step closer to their targets. Bolton have done a good job in putting a healthy gap between themselves and the drop and a win over Villa would see them go further clear of the bottom three while a win for Villa would leave themon the verge of clinching a European finish. I think this will be a close match and a draw would possibly satisfy both sets of players. Two successive away trips has seen Bolton come away from games with Chelsea and more recently at Portsmouth, with nothing to show for their efforts. Their 4-3 defeat at Stamford Bridge left Gary Megson pondering what could have been but their defeat at Fratton Park was very disappointing as it now takes one more side further away from the drop and increases Bolton's chances of a surprise relegation. Although Bolton do have a nice cushion between them and the drop, a few defeats on the bounce would see them jump right back in a dogfight and they are already half way there with two straight defeats. Their form before those two games was hardly mind blowing either with four of their last six league outings ending in defeat. However, their last game at The Reebok was a happy one with Bolton winning 4-1 over struggling Middlesborough. Bolton do look a tad exposed though going into a tricky home game. Martin O'Neill has to be questioning where it all went wrong for his Villa side. Not a single win in nine games and six defeats in that nine game drought has seen spirits in Villa severely crushed after they looked set to finally break into the top four and secure Champions League football. It's clear that they players bottled it at the wrong time and O'Neill will now have one eye on next season and will eyeing up who he wants to keep and who he wants to sell. Despite Villa currently suffering one of their worst runs in the league, they have had some tough fixtures. Since the middle of February, Villa have taken on Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United with all ending in defeat. That was the biggest indication yet that Villa can't compete at the top just yet but they aren't far off. As far as this game goes, it doesn't look too promising. They have picked up just three points out of a maximum of 27 and that is appalling form for a side that appeared to be on top of the world at Christmas. Match Odds - Bolton Wanderers 21/10 Centrebet Draw 23/10 Bet365 Aston Villa 6/4 BlueSquare Prediction - Draw Everton V Manchester City - Saturday 15:00 Two teams going at it with the ambition of ending the season in the top seven and providing their club and it's fans with another season in Europe. Everton look to have a European finish sewn up but that's far from the case with Man City as the 'Sky Blues' currently sit four points off Fulham in 10th. A win would narrow that gap but City have been woeful on their travels this season and i really can't see past an Everton victory. Not only do Everton go into this fixture off the back of a decent 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last Wednesday, but they also now have one eye on their FA Cup final in May and it would be an understatement to say that everyone involved with the club are buzzing right now. What's more, a couple more wins in the league would be enough for Everton to qualify for the Europa Cup next season, just in case they don't win the Fa Cup. For the time being, Everton have a Premiership fixture against Man City to contend with and we're starting to like their odds for the win. I mean, it's been nine games since Everton last lost at Goodison Park when Everton lost 3-2 to an in form Aston Villa. They have since won six of their previous eight home fixtures and have to be worth a punt against a City side that has generally been pathetic on the road this term. Unlike the Everton manager, Mark Hughes has no possible chance of winning any silverware this season. Many were hyping them up as possible UEFA Cup winners this season but they failed at the quarter-Final stage and will now be aiming to gain entry right back into the competition for the second year running. They have a lot of stiff competition though and will have to win most of their remaining games if they are to qualify. If anyone is fancying an away win then i wish you good luck. City have been atrocious on the road, winning just one of their sixteen away fixtures in the league. For a side that should be pushing the 'Big Four' that is simply not good enough and Mark Hughes will undoubtedly look towards his cheque book in a bid to solve their away flaws. For now, he will have to use what he has at his disposal which is actually quite a lot. Unfortunately for him, some of his better players simply don't perform week in, week out. They're too inconsistent for us to even consider backing them and we will confidently side with a reliable Everton. Match Odds - Everton 23/25 CanBet Draw 5/2 SkyBet Manchester City 15/4 BlueSquare Prediction - Everton Fulham V Stoke City - Saturday 15:00 A Fulham side on the hunt for a European place plays host to a Stoke City side looking to confirm another year in the Premiership. Both managers deserve a lot of credit for the work they have done at both clubs this season but their work is not done just yet and both will need to keep notching up wins until the very last day is they wish to complete their objectives. This match really is hard one to call and we think it could end in a stalemate at Craven Cottage. Roy Hodgeson has installed a touch of resilience into his Fulham side and 'The Cottagers' have proven to everyone that they can be a very frustrating side to play against. However, they will now be facing an opponent even more stubborn then themselves in Stoke City and they will have their work cut out as they aim to to take their win tally into double figures at Craven Cottage. Although Fulham have been a tough side to beat this season, it does appear that complacency is creeping in with Fulham only managing to win one of their last four games at home. That was a surprise 2-0 win over league leaders United but that result did provide the momentum required to carry them to their second away victory of the season when they beat Man City 3-1 a fortnight ago. They failed in their bid to win three away games on the trot but did go mighty close to doing so but i think this could finish in another draw for Fulham as Stoke do look a side that will cancel out the Fulham attacks. Tony Pulis has guided Stoke to an immense season but they mustn't get carried away just yet. They are currently on 39 points in 12th but you do feel that one more victory would be enough for them to start celebrating another season in what's constantly mentioned as the best league in the world. Four wins in six has seen Stoke take giant strides towards safety and they are now on the verge of confirming what we already know. This does look a tough match though and Stoke haven't done too well on their travels, just one away victory all season so a draw could be decent result for Pulis and i doubt Hodgeson would complain too much either. Match Odds - Fulham 41/50 CanBet Draw 11/5 PaddyPower Stoke City 7/2 Boylesports Prediction - Draw Hull City V Liverpool - Saturday 15:00 Hull were one of many sides to have drawn at Anfield this season but they have since gone off the boil and can't buy a win right now. Liverpool on the other hand will be devastated after their 4-4 draw with Arsenal at Anfield in midweek and with their slim title chances almost well and truly gone, i can't help but feel that Liverpool may well put in another lacklustre performance against Hull and finally put an end to any remaining chance they had of winning a record 19th league title. Phil Brown will feel the world is closing in on him after seeing his side free-fall down league. Since the start of the year Hull have won just once, losing eight of their thirteen new year fixtures. That is simply not good enough for a side that were once flying high in the upper half of the table before Christmas. It's hard to put your finger on where or why it all went wrong but some are blaming Phil Brown's on pitch team talk against City for the poor run of results and it's not hard to see why. After watching Hull in recent weeks, i really am struggling to see where Hull's next win is going to come from. If they can't beat Portsmouth and Newcastle at home, who are sides below them in the table, then what chance do they have against Liverpool. Fortunately for them there is very little logic in football and a defeat one week doesn't necessarily mean a defeat the next. Still, i can't see Hull upsetting the odds but it wouldn't surprise me if Liverpool dropped more points and suffer yet another draw. A dispirited Liverpool go top Hull in a bid to make amends for yet more dropped points at home. The most worrying factor about Liverpool's performance in midweek was their dire defending. Every single one of Arsenal goals was gifted on a plate and Liverpool really need to take a long hard look at themselves in the mirror after that below par display. Their passing was shoddy and I've never seen so many misplaced passes in all my life. To make matters worse, Liverpool also managed to missed half a dozen decent chances and the 4-4 draw now leaves Liverpool wishing on a miracle. No doubt Rafael benitez will put a brave face on things and will say all the right stuff going into this game but i can't see the Liverpool overcoming that painful result. The only plus point is that Steven Gerrard appears to be winning his battle to be fit in time for this fixture. He was sorely missed on Tuesday and they will need their talisman to lead by example at The KC stadium this Saturday else Liverpool could throw yet more points away. Match Odds - Hull City 9/1 Bet365 Draw 18/5 Bwin Liverpool 2/5 VCBet Prediction - Draw West Brom V Sunderland - Saturday 15:00 Although West Brom do look doomed at the foot of the table, they can still have their say on who goes down with them and they will be looking to drag Sunderland back down to their level this Saturday as 'The Baggies' clash with 'The Black Cats' at The Hawthorns. Sunderland thumped West Brom 4-0 when the two meet at The Stadium of Light earlier in the season and Ricky Sbragi'a team just get the nod to grind out what would be a vital victory. West Brom's current predicament hasn't left too many people surprised as they always appeared to have a tough job on their hands to avoid the drop, but the big disappointment for them will be the fact that they might not be in with a chance by the time the last set of fixtures come around. 'The Baggies' now find themselves nine points a drift of safety after a poor run of results and relegation will be confirmed sooner rather then later if they keep falling to sides they should or could beat. Despite West Brom putting in yet another spirited performance at the weekend, they got the wrong result when they lost their 28th game of the season in Manchester, losing 4-2 to Man City. It's a shame because West Brom can play some decent football at times but that all counts for nothing if you can;'t convert that into points as West Brom have learnt this season. They have won just six games all season and although five of those have come at home, we can't see them beating Sunderland this Saturday afternoon. Sunderland's narrow victory over Hull City last weekend has now given the club a fighting chance of avoiding the drop. They have now put a four point gap between themselves and the bottom three and a win over struggling West Brom could see them stretch that gap even further. However, Sunderland have been misfiring in recent weeks and their 1-0 victory at home to Hull was their first win since the start of February and there is obvious questions marks over Sunderlands' form going into this game. The pair did come up from The Championship together but it would appear that just the one will be going back down after Sunderland pulled away from the stragglers. They are far from out of it yet though and their poor form heading into this game will give their match day opponents some hope of getting an elusive win. Sunderland need to guard against complacency and must capitalise on West Brom's poor position in the league and win their easiest fixture remaining. Match Odds - West Brom 38/25 CanBet Draw 12/5 SkyBet Sunderland 2/1 888sport Prediction - Sunderland West Ham V Chelsea - Saturday 15:00 It's another London derby this Saturday as Chelsea look to better their 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge and make amends with a victory at Upton Park. The Hammers frustrated Chelsea at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season but it's now Chelsea who go into this game with impressive form so West Ham have it all to do if they are to record a similar result second time around. The last three meetings at Upton Park have gone in Chelsea's favour and comfortably so it's understandable that the bookies are fancying their chances of recording another handsome victory at West Ham. After slipping up in midweek and realistically throwing away any remaining chance of possible sneaking the Premiership title, Chelsea now look towards one of many London Derby's they have to contest each season and this time it's them who make the short trip across London to Upton Park. The reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge seen The Hammers push Chelsea all the way and ex expect West Ham to the same, especially as Chelsea may rest a few key players now that the league appears to have slipped out of reach. That if of course just an assumption. Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink is a smart man and in his head, he may think the title is not yet done and dusted but if i was the Chelsea manager, i would certainly rest my key players with Barcelona coming on in midweek. The priority now just has to be with the Champions League and i do fancy Hiddink to rest a few this Saturday with Barcelona in mind. This is a very good chance for West ham to notch up an historic victory over Chelsea but even Chelsea's second string could fill many team sheets so The Hammers mustn't underestimate their opponents nonetheless. Although West ham have suffered a slight dip in form, they have still been very impressive at home losing just one of their previous seven home matches. That defeat was however against Manchester United so Chelsea will feel West ham are certainly there for the taking but West ham will make it hard for them, we have no doubt about that. Our one concern with West Ham is their lack of potent strikers. Since Craig Bellamy has gone West Ham have lost their touch in the final third and i think they could seriously struggle to create chances against Chelsea. West Ham do have an incentive going into this game, not only is this a derby match but 'The Hammers' are currently occupying a European position and a win would see them remain in the top seven for at least another week. Judging by West Ham's two recent performances away at Tottenham and Villa i would say that a draw is the best they can hope for. I can see Zola deploying defensive tactics in a bid to nullify the Chelsea attacks. I fancy a 0-0 draw but if Chelsea score earlier then it could turn into a landslide. Match Odds - West Ham 9/2 PaddyPower Draw 13/5 BlueSquare Chelsea 4/5 VCBet Prediction - Draw Manchester United V Tottenham Hotspur - Saturday 17:30 A crucial game for the Premiership leaders as they welcome Harry's Spurs to Old Trafford this coming Sunday. This is a match which United simply have to win while the pressure will be off the Tottenham players as all they have to play for is a Europa finish and i get the impressio0n that Harry Redknapp isn't interested in that competition so the players can go onto the pitch and play without the shackles. Spurs could be a very dangerous opponent for United. Not only did Sir Alex see his side win yet another game at Old Trafford last Wednesday but he was also left grinning after both Liverpool and Chelsea could only manage draws with Arsenal and Everton in midweek. That now leaves United three points clear at the top with a game in hand so 'The Red Devils' now have full control of the Premiership and the title is now theirs to lose. With everything going their way in midweek, we expect United to get it all there own way once again this weekend as Spurs come to Manchester. That was United's fourteenth home victory of the season and they are now hunting down their third successive win at Old Trafford but will be well aware that Spurs themselves have hit a decent run of form so United will need to wary of the threat Spurs may and probably will cause. However, although United haven't been putting in scintillating performances of late, they have been getting all the right results and it wouldn't surprise me if they played out another scrappy victory at Old Trafford. As long as they get all three points, they won't care too much about the performance. With United being in action in midweek Spurs will feel they have a slight edge in the fitness department. They will also be very confident heading into this fixture after winning six of their last eight league fixtures. That's a vast improvement in form and it does appear that Harry Redknapp is certainly building a squad that should be able to at least break into the top six next season. For the time being he will need to concentrate on helping Liverpool by taking some points off United at Old Trafford. Tottenham haven't had much success at Old Trafford in recent seasons, losing their previous two matches with United 1-0. The last time they even got a draw in Manchester was back in 2005 when they drew 1-1 with 'The Red Devils' and Harry certainly will be hoping for a similar result. Spurs sneaking a result at Old Trafford isn't totally out of the question although their second half capitulation away at Blackburn Rovers in their last away fixture does leave us doubting their capabilities. Match Odds - Manchester United 2/5 Bet365 Draw 10/3 Coral Tottenham Hotspur 17/2 Centrebet Prediction - Manchester United Arsenal V Middlesborough - Sunday 13:30 Sky Sports After an enthralling match at Anfield, Arsenal now head back home where they look to add to Middlesborough's misery and win their third successive home fixture. The pressure is firmly on the away side to get a result but after watching Arsenal in midweek, i can't see Middlesborough get anything out of this game at The Emirates. 'The Gunners' crushed Liverpool's title dreams on Tuesday and now they are looking to end Middlesborough hopes of surviving the drop and leave Borough on the verge of relegation. Their performance last Tuesday against Liverpool was sensational with new signing Andrei Arshavin the star man scoring four goals. For Arsenal to get a point at Liverpool with all their injury problems was amazing and Wenger will be looking to go one further and crush Gareth Southgate's survival bid. Arsenal are certainly the in form side of the two after going 19 matches without defeat in league competition. They have also won five of their last six games and all to similar sides to their match day opponents. Also, Arsenal could be boosted by the return of Adebayor after he missed the 4-4 draw with Liverpool on Wednesday while Almunia and Gallas look set to miss out again. Unfortunately for Middlesborough they have now got themselves into a position where they must win their remaining fixtures and they have certainly made things hard for themselves, starting with this extremely tough away fixture at The Emirates. To make matters worse. Borough have very little momentum going into what looks a home win for Arsenal on paper. Gareth Southgate will need to spring a surprise if his side are to have a realistic chance of escaping the drop and defy the odds if they are to do so. They are however undefeated in two games, not something to get too carried away with but for Middlesborough, that's some serious form. Their 0-0 draw at home to Fulham was a major setback and they must at least pick up a point here to aid their survival bid. Match Odds - Arsenal 8/15 Coral Draw 10/3 BetFred Middlesborough 7/1 VCBet Prediction - Arsenal Blackburn Rovers V Wigan Athletic - Sunday 16:00 Sky Sports In what could be a defining game for Sam Allardyce and Blackburn Rovers as Steve Bruce and Wigan come to town in front of the Sky cameras. Wigan have already ensured that they will be spending next season in the Premiership whereas Blackburn are still left battling for their Premiership status so it's Rovers who have it all to play for. They should be the more hungrier of the two sides but their recent performances haven't filled us with much confidence so we will steer well clear of backing Blackburn. For this weekend at least. Blackburn don't half make things difficult for themselves. The arrival of Sam Allardyce gave Rovers a boost in form with Blackburn going on a six match unbeaten run from Christmas to the end of January. Many expected Allardyce to now push on and lead his side to safety but that has been far from the case. Rovers are now left hovering above the relegation zone after yet another away defeat and another pointless weekend could see Rovers end the weekend in the bottom three. 'Big Sam' has been in this position before though when he was at Bolton and he pulled a rabbit out of the hat then and we think he has every chance of doing something similar at Blackburn. He does have a lo of work to do though especially with Rovers suffering a lot of injuries to some of their key players. With all the sides still involved down the bottom, it's obvious to say that their home games will be crucial and none more so for Rovers when they entertain Wigan this Sunday live on SkySports. They must notch up as many home points as they can from now till the end of the season and this looks a decent opportunity to do just that. Unlike Sam Allardyce, Wigan manager Steve Bruce will be under no pressure whatsoever to win this fixture but it goes without saying that he will do all he can to notch up Wigan's twelfth win of the season. Were they to win at Ewood Park, it would be their fifth away victory this season which isn't bad when you consider that Bruce has had to wave goodbye to some of his preferred players. With both Emile Heskey and Wilson Palacios leaving the Latic's for pastures new during January. It would be fair to say that Wigan have struggled without those two, winning just six games since the turn of the year. They have always looked safe enough in mid table but Bruce will still be disappointed with their recent results especially after seeing his side concede eight goals in their previous two matches. Wigan have won just one of their previous seven away fixtures and with Blackburn being the more hungrier of the two, i can see this match going the way of the home side. Match Odds - Blackburn Rovers 10/11 Boylesports Draw 12/5 Bet365 Wigan Athletic 18/5 CanBet Prediction - Blackburn Rovers Labels: premier league betting, premier league preview, premiership betting, premiership preview Posted by soccerbetting.info @ 2:01 PM << Home