Monthly Archives: December 2010

Best football bets this weekend…

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Bet on the Premier LeagueChelsea will be glad to get Michael Essien back from suspension and John Terry back after injury ahead of their clash with Everton, but don’t expect a glut of goals at Stamford Bridge (Everton 7/1 to beat Chelsea).

The Blues have not scored more than one Premier League goal in a match since the end of October, despite having Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba available to them throughout the intervening time.

Just two goals in five matches tells its own story about Chelsea’s woes and it’s hard to see them suddenly waking up in front of goal against David Moyes’ disciplined Everton.

This one looks like a low-scoring draw or a Chelsea win and it may be prudent to back the half-time draw, available at 7/5.

Wolves stunned Sunderland with their comeback to grab the points at Molineux last week but students of their form would not have been too shocked – Mick McCarthy’s men are strong finishers.

Wolves have scored the last goal in each of their last three matches, and four of their last six, which would have been five but for Park Ji-sung’s stoppage time winner at Old Trafford.

The problem Wolves have got is that they keep conceding the first goal, which requires them to push to the end, but the 4/7 about Blackburn netting the opener this weekend is not as rewarding as the 9/5 for Wolves to score last.

Stoke City (6/4) are in terrific form and ought to be worth backing to continue their run away to depleted Wigan Athletic.

West Brom and Newcastle are both on 19 points but the Baggies are maintaining their form much better than the Magpies ahead of Saturday’s meeting at the Hawthorns.

Last week’s stunning 4-1 win over Everton came after a home defeat to Stoke which they had dominated whereas Newcastle needed an early gift from Chelsea to hang on for a point on Sunday.

West Brom rested key players in midweek and should be able to make an early breakthrough against Newcastle, who are set to field Sol Campbell and Steven Taylor in central defence.

Peter Odemwingie (6/1) and Chris Brunt are stand-out options in totesport.com’s Enhanced First Goalscorer betting.

The Nigerian, who played 90 minutes at Goodison last week, is fully fit again and could give Campbell problems with his movement.

Three of his four Premier League goals this season have been the first in the match. Brunt is playing well and scored at Everton last week, so could be a worthwhile punt to follow up with a goal anytime in the match – at 9/4.

West Ham’s improvement continues after two wins in a week and they look value to make it a hat-trick by stunning Sunderland at the Stadium of Light – as they did in the Carling Cup back in October (10/3 to win).

The appointment fo Wally Downes to their backroom staff has helped their defending already, although this match looks like it is destined to see both teams getting on the scoresheet (5/6).

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The Rams plough through the snow

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Bet on the ChampionshipThe winter chill has hit a number of games in the Championship this weekend, with ties at Doncaster, Hull, Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest and Portsmouth all falling by the wayside.

However, there are still some exciting clashes in the second tier and with the league being so close, there could be a few teams that shoot up the table this weekend.

Derby County take on a free scoring Norwich City side, who go into this game after they drubbed local rivals Ipswich Town 4-1 at Carrow Road last time out (Derby 21/20, draw 9/4, Norwich 5/2).

Canaries striker Grant Holt was in fine form in that match as he bagged a hat-trick in the East Anglia derby.

Holt has now got seven goals in the Championship this season and will be looking to continue his prolific goalscoring form at Pride Park on Saturday.

The Rams have been in mixed form of late but still find themselves in fourth place in the league despite losing two of their last three games.

Nigel Clough welcomes key playmaker Kris Commons back to the side after the Scottish international missed the 2-1 defeat at the hands of Burnley last week.

Commons has scored 10 goals for Derby this season and will prove a threat to Norwich.

With this being a fourth against fifth game it’s going to be close but with Commons back in the side the Rams could just grab a win in this one.

In the only game to go ahead in a snow struck Yorkshire, Leeds United take on Crystal Palace at Elland Road (Leeds 8/11, draw 5/2, Palace 18/5).

The Whites are unbeaten in their last six Championship games and will be confident going into this game.

Leeds have an abundance of striking options to choose from, with Luciano Becchio, Davide Somma, Max Gradel, Billy Paynter and Ross McCormack all battling for a place in the starting eleven.

Palace, who currently sit in 22nd place in the Championship, will be heading north on the back of a resurgence after a terrible start to the season.

The Eagles have won three of their last four games – against Coventry, Doncaster and Watford.

They will believe that they can get something from Elland Road on their current form but the Whites should win this one as they look to climb back into the play-off spots.

The game at Portman Road looks set to go ahead as Ipswich Town look to use the confidence boosting win over West Brom in midweek as a springboard in the league.

However, they take on high flying Swansea City, who currently sit in third place in the Championship.

The Swans lost their last game at home 2-1 to Portsmouth but Ipswich have lost their last four games in the league including that disappointing defeat to Norwich.

Swansea are full of confidence and could compound Roy Keane’s misery on Saturday (Ipswich 17/10, draw 11/5, Swansea 6/4).

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Inter need win at Lazio

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Inter (13/8 in match betting) can close the gap on rivals AC Milan at the top of Serie A tonight as they travel to the capital to face Lazio in a fixture which they have dominated recently.

The Nerazurri are undefeated when taking on Lazio at the Olimpico since December 2003 and have not conceded a goal in their last three visits, scoring seven goals in the process.

Rafael Benitez’s side bounced back to form with a convincing 5-2 home win over Parma last week – without the suspended Samuel Eto’o.

But they are going to have to cope without him again for this clash with second-placed Lazio, plus key absentees Julio Cesar, Maicon and Walter Samuel.

Wesley Sneijder (6/1 First Goalscorer) is expected to be handed the ‘Steven Gerrard’ role in the formation Benitez found moderate success with at Liverpool.

Sneijder has been pushed up to play with Goran Pandev (11/2) but it was Dejan Stankovic (15/2) who found all the space as he bagged a hat-trick last week at the San Siro.

Lazio’s Brazilian schemer Hernanes and Argentinian hitman Mauro Zarate were marked out of last week’s 1-1 home draw with lowly Catania and must have an impact on the match if the Biancoceleste are to avoid dropping points for the third straight week.

The Spanish title race continues on Saturday when Barcelona (2/9) travel to Pamplona to face struggling Osasuna and Real Madrid (1/3) entertain dangerous Valencia.

Jose Mourinho must ensure his side do not suffer another blow to their morale following the 5-0 Monday night humbling at the hands of the champions.

The Portuguese coach will bring Alvaro Arbeloa in for the suspended Sergio Ramos and bank on a much better performance from Real than the hollow showing at the Nou Camp.

Ricardo Carvalho is also suspended while Gonzalo Higuain has been ruled out for two months because of a back problem.

Lionel Messi is expected to shake off a knock picked up in the ‘Clasico’ to be fit for the trip to Pamplona, but Gabi Milito remains sidelined.

Osasuna have been unable to use their training ground due to heavy snow in the north of Spain this morning.

The pitch at the club’s Reyno de Navarra stadium was also covered in thick snow, but ground staff are working hard to clear the surface for Saturday’s game which is not thought to be under threat at the moment.

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Five potential shocks…

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Birmingham take on a Tottenham side flying high after three successive Premier League victories, including the sensational come-from-behind win away at Arsenal (Birmingham 21/20 – match betting).

But Blues have already beaten Chelsea and held Liverpool to a goalless draw at St Andrew’s and they could pull off a shock victory against Harry Redknapp’s men on Saturday.

Alex McLeish’s side rarely lose at home and they will be buoyed by their Carling Cup derby victory over Aston Villa on Wednesday night.

Spurs wins tend to come in clusters and, although they are capable of beating anyone on their day, this could be where the current run comes to an end.

Bolton are unbeaten in five top-flight games, with three wins and two draws, and Owen Coyle’s men are tipped to take all three points from their clash with Manchester City at Eastlands (Bolton 11/2 – match betting).

City have yet to find the consistency that wins titles and they appear vulnerable at times and Bolton currently have the wind in their sales with 15 goals in their last five Premier League matches.

This one could be tight but momentum is key in any sport and a narrow win for the visitors could be on the cards.

Before the start of the season, tipping Blackpool to beat Manchester United would have seemed a ridiculous thing to do but the Seasiders have been the surprise team of the campaign to date while the Red Devils just cannot win away from home (Blackpool 7/1 – match betting).

Ian Holloway’s men have won two and drawn one of the past three home games while United have already recorded six away draws.

The wintry conditions look set to continue this weekend and it might just be the perfect time for the Premier League minnows to pull off one of the biggest results in their recent history.

Ipswich began the season well but have plummeted down the table in recent weeks with four successive Championship defeats.

But Wednesday night’s Carling Cup victory over West Brom will have given the club a boost and they are tipped to finally take three league points with a narrow victory over high-flying Swansea (Ipswich 6/4 – match betting).

The Swans have hit a rocky patch with just one win in four but they are still just three points off an automatic promotion place and well-placed to challenge for a spot in the big time.

However Roy Keane’s men should take this one and begin their ascent towards the right end of the standings.

Charlton are favourites to travel to Rochdale and return with the spoils but Dale have only lost twice at Spotland this term and could cause an upset against the League One second-place team.

The hosts have drawn their last three league games but are tipped to go one better and shock a Charlton side looking to get back in the Premier League after three years away from the limelight (Rochdale 17/10 – match betting).

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England lose out to Russia

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Despite having the strongest bid and putting together the best presentation, England (9/1 to win Euro 2012) have lost out to Russia in the bid to host the 2018 World Cup – and the strength of the Premier League could be the reason why we missed out!

For the size of the country, England has the best stadia and infrastructure to host such a major event but FIFA, in their wisdom, looked elsewhere.

The world governing body suggest they want the hosts to leave a legacy and with Russia (1/3 to win Euro 2012 Qualifying Group B) having to build a dozen new stadiums and transport links, they got the nod.

Sections of the media suggest Chelsea (11/8f to win 2010-11 Premier League) owner Roman Abramovich had a big part to play in the Russian success and his reception at Premier League grounds may now be rather frosty!

England must now fear that they will never again host the world’s biggest football event – can we now even be bothered to bid for it when it’s Europe’s turn again in, probably, 2034?

The frustration is only increased by the comments of Sepp Blatter, who described the presentation as “outstanding” and described England as the “football motherland”.

The sceptics have already questioned whether money talks and the decision to give Qatar the 2022 tournament will only heighten their beliefs.

As for England, we must console ourselves with the fact that we will host the Olympics in two years and there’s also the Champions League final (England 11/8 Winning Nation) at Wembley next May.

We should also stand proud and say we have the best and most exciting league in the world, with the biggest crowds and the most passionate fans – it still hurts though!

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Tigers ready to tame R’s

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QPR are the team of the moment in the Championship but their unbeaten run can come to an end this weekend when they face a Hull City side (21/10 – match betting) making big strides.

Neil Warnock’s men have gone 19 league games without defeat, including a 2-1 win over closest rivals Cardiff last Saturday.

But the R’s home form is more impressive than their away run and Hull pose another big test of their promotion credentials.

The Tigers are unbeaten in five games and showing signs of waking from their early season slumber, while history is also on their side – QPR have not won at Hull in the league since 1970 (six matches).

Meanwhile, second placed Cardiff have suffered a disappointing run in recent weeks, with just one win in their last five games, but should get back on track this Saturday.

The Bluebirds welcome bottom club Preston, who have won just four of their 19 league games to date. Darren Ferguson is under immense pressure at Deepdale and defeat could see the end of his reign.

It may be a case of ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’ at Portman Road, as Roy Keane’s Ipswich entertain high-flying Swansea (17/10 – match betting).

The Tractor Boys sealed a place in the Carling Cup semi-finals this week, but the league is proving a struggle for the East Anglians, who are currently just four points and five places outside the dropzone.

Swansea could cause more concerns for Keane on Saturday, with Brendan Rodgers’ men seeking a fifth win of the season on their travels.

Derby suffered a late defeat at Burnley last weekend, but the Rams can bounce back this week against a Norwich side on the same points as Nigel Clough’s men and just one place behind.

Leeds have gone six games without defeat and are likely to move into the play-off positions this weekend. Simon Grayson’s team will face an improving Crystal Palace (Leeds 8/11, Draw 5/2, C Palace 18/5 – Match Betting), but the Eagles face a massive test of their progress in front of an intimidating Elland Road atmosphere.

Coventry are the surprise package of the season so far and they will expect to take the points against a struggling Middlesbrough. But Boro are moving forward under Tony Mowbray and are good enough to take a point from the Ricoh Arena.

There’s a South Yorkshire derby at the Keepmoat Stadium and it would be a big surprise if the home team didn’t take maximum points. Doncaster (5/6 – match betting) have lost just once at home and welcome a Barnsley team that have taken just eight points from a possible 27 on the road.

Nottingham Forest have struggled for goals this season and after suffering defeat at Leicester, they face another potential banana skin this weekend. Bristol City have moved out of the bottom three with back-to-back wins, but it looks like Forest will end their hopes of three on the bounce.

Portsmouth’s form this season has pretty much summed up the unpredictable Championship, but they will be boosted by the visit of Burnley this Saturday (Pompey 7/5, Draw 12/5, Burnley 17/10 – Match Betting). The Clarets are the only team in the division not to have won away from home and those woes are likely to continue with a long journey to the south coast.

Sheffield United’s presence in the bottom five is a big shock to many, but they are struggling and have won just three of their nine home games to date. Reading are the visitors to Bramall Lane and the Royals are capable of causing more frustration for the Blades fans.

It was a massive surprise to look at the table and see Watford have won just twice at home and that column may look the same coming Saturday evening, as in-form Leicester visit Vicarage Road. Sven Goran Eriksson looks to have inspired the Foxes, who are now up to mid-table and expect on-loan Roman Bednar (7/4 to score anytime) to get on the scoresheet soon.

The evening match sees two teams who are likely to be scrapping to survive at the end of the season, go head-to-head. Scunthorpe’s away form has been impressive, with five wins on their travels, but they’re lack of form at Glanford Park will eventually dent confidence and Millwall are a decent bet to add to the Iron’s woes.

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Hodgson to rely on young guns

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Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson appears to be ready to gamble on his side’s home form to seal their place in the knockout stage of the Europa League as group winners as he will send out a shadow side for Thursday’s Group K trip to Steaua Bucharest (15/8 to beat Liverpool).

The Reds currently lead Group K (1/16 Group Winner) by three points from Thursday’s opponents following two wins and two draws with just two matches remaining and Hodgson feels it will be a worthwhile exercise to give some youngsters such as Danny Wilson, Daniel Pacheco and Nathan Eccleston a chance to shine in Romania and hand some key men a rest.

“I have faith in the young players and whatever happens on Thursday night I won’t lose faith in them,” said Hodgson.

“But it’s an opportunity for them to force their way into my attention even more.”

As for experience Joe Cole (11/4 Anytime Goal scorer) could be back in the fold after travelling for the game following his recovery from a hamstring injury.

Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Daniel Agger are all unavailable through injury, while Hodgson has confirmed that Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt, Raul Meireles, Glen Johnson and Paul Konchesky will also stay at home to prepare for the Premier League game against Aston Villa (Liverpool 4/7, Villa 5/1, 13/5 the draw).

In the other game in Group K winless duo, Italian outfit Napoli and Dutch side Utrecht, will meet in the Netherlands with both knowing they must win to have any chance of pipping either Liverpool or Steaua Bucharest to a qualification place and I expect the Italians to do a job on away soil at 11/8.

Thursday’s other crunch games in the Europa League sees Spanish La Liga outfit Villarreal look good to defeat Group D leaders Dinamo Zagreb (4/11 Villarreal To Win) as one point separates the top three sides in a close battle for the knockout stages with two games remaining.

In a Spain versus France battle, Group J leaders Sevilla travel to face Paris Saint Germain in a game that could determine who will top the table ahead of the knockout stage draw.

A win for Sevilla would seal the group leadership, while PSG require three points to take it to the final match, but I feel a draw will be the likely outcome at 23/10.

Italian outfit Palermo must defeat Sparta Prague to keep alive their qualification hopes from Group F and (at 7/10 To Win) I am backing them to see off the Czech Republic side on home soil.

A big game also beckons in Group L as Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia can move to within a point of second-placed Besiktas if they come out on top their encounter on home soil – and (at 2/1 To Win) they look good for some delight against their Turkish opponents.

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