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Sunday’s Premier League picks

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After a long and entertaining Premier League season, the teams now have just two games left and Sunday has the potential to be an era-defining day for clubs at both the top and bottom of the league with the likes of Manchester City (1/2 Premier League outright), Manchester United, QPR and Bolton all in action.

The big match of the day is undoubtedly the early kick-off, which sees Champions League-chasing Newcastle host leaders City in a match that could almost seal the title for Roberto Mancini’s men (Newcastle 4/1, draw 3/1, Manchester City 4/6). The Citizens took what could turn out to be a gargantuan step towards winning their first championship since 1968 by beating Manchester United on Monday and currently lead the league on goal difference. Mancini himself has always said this match will decide whether or not they win the title and Alan Pardew’s in-form side will certainly fancy their chance having beaten Chelsea in the week. This one looks almost too close to call and, with both team’s being so easily matched, it may well end up being a draw.

Then at two, Aston Villa host Tottenham with both sides needing the points for highly contrasting reasons (Villa 10/3, draw 5/2, Tottenham 8/11). Despite a decent start to the season, the Villains have slipped in recent months and are now perilously close to the drop zone, meaning boss Alex McLeish is under huge pressure to produce a result. On the other hand Spurs have won their last two and victory at Villa Park would see them leapfrog Arsenal into third and almost guarantee them Champions League football. Unfortunately, Villa are currently a sorry sight and, although they should eventually avoid relegation, Tottenham will more than likely take a comfortable win on Sunday.

Also at two, there’s another match which could have a massive bearing on the relegation battle as Bolton welcome West Brom to the Reebok Stadium (Bolton evens, draw 13/5, West Brom 11/4). Despite losing 4-1 to Spurs in the week,  the Trotters played well and will be confident of a victory that could see them climb out of the relegation zone while West Brom are already safe and with the news earlier this week that Roy Hodgson will leave the club in the summer, their players may already be on their holidays. This may turn out to be a cagey affair but with more to play for, Bolton should just sneak the points.

Fulham take on Sunderland in what looks as if it could be a cracker for the neutrals at Craven Cottage (Fulham 5/6, draw 13/5, Sunderland 7/2). Both teams had shaky starts to the season and at one point looked as if they could well be involved in a relegation battle. However, they have shown their class in the second half of the season and are both once again set for comfortable finishes. Although there’s not much to play for, both teams will want to win but home advantage could tell and the Cottagers should just sneak it.

In contrast to the game at the Cottage, QPR’s match with Stoke at Loftus Road will certainly be cagey as the Hoops looked to gain the win that could see them avoid relegation (QPR 10/11, draw 11/4, Stoke 3/1). Mark Hughes’ men go into the match knowing that realistically it will be their last chance to gain three points as they face title chasing City on the final day and will be desperate to win. On the other hand, the Potters have relatively little to play for but they’re always competitive, meaning it’s sure to be a physical encounter. Rangers’ extra desire for the points should see them shade it though but expect a closely fought affair.

In the final two o;clock kick-off, relegated Wolves take on Everton at Molineux (Wolves 4/1, draw 14/5, Everton 8/11). Terry Connor’s men have had a disappointing campaign but will be looking to go out with bang in what will be their last Premier League game for at least a season while Everton always play to win and with the pressure off both sides, this could end up being a cracker. However, the Toffees class should tell and expect them to run out comfortable winners in game packed with goals.

Finally, at four Manchester United take on Swansea at Old Trafford in another game that could shape the title race (United 2/11, draw 13/2, Swansea 14/1). Sir Alex Ferguson’s men currently trail rivals City on goal difference but know if the Citizens fail to win at Newcastle, a win will see them go above Mancini’s men in the table heading into the final weekend of the season. Despite dropping off in recent weeks, Swansea’s players appear to enjoy the big stage and will be looking to impress at Old Trafford but United should dominate the game and expect a comfortable win for the Red Devils.

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Gunners must clip Canaries wings

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With the FA Cup final taking place later in the day the Premier League serves up an interesting appetiser in the form of Arsenal against Norwich at 12:45pm. For the Gunners it is a must-win game given recent results as they look to hold onto third. Could a care free Norwich throw a spanner in the works though?

The Gunners fans might have expected their team to have wrapped up third by this point, with two matches to go, given they were well clear off the chasing pack at one point. However, with Arsenal having failed to win any of their last three they have been reeled in by the likes of Newcastle and Tottenham, with both teams just a point behind.

Arsenal must now win their last two games against Norwich and West Brom to make sure of a place in next season’s Champions League, with fourth not guaranteeing anything this year due to Chelsea’s participation in the final against Bayern Munich.

Arsenal won seven home games on the bounce in all competitions before the shock defeat to Wigan and will need to rediscover that golden touch to find a way past Norwich. While the Canaries have lost their last three they have shown on a couple of occasions they can hang with the Premier League’s big boys, winning on their last trip to north London when they beat Tottenham.

If you fancy Norwich to complete a north London double you can back them at 14/1 in the match betting, with Arsenal 2/9 and the draw 5/1. Given that they have secured their place in the top flight for next season you might imagine the Norwich players are already ‘on the beach’. However, Paul Lambert will be keen to get a good performance out of his team following defeats to Manchester City, Blackburn and Liverpool.

Norwich have won five games away from home this season, four of which have come in 2012 as they took three points away from QPR, West Brom, Swansea and Tottenham. However, keeping a clean sheet on the road has been a big problem for Norwich and they have yet to manage it away from Carrow Road.

With that in mind between three and five goals at 4/6 could be worth a punt, especially with Robin van Persie having ended his mini drought last week.

The Football Writers’ Player of the Year has had a fantastic season and his equaliser against Stoke was his 38th goal of the season in all competitions and he can be backed at 2/1 to score two or more against the leaky Canaries.

Van Persie will lead the line again for Arsenal as Wenger gets set to name an unchanged line-up from the one that drew with Stoke last week. The Frenchman has just one new injury to contend with after Abou Diaby was ruled out for the rest of the season.

As far as Norwich are concerned Lambert might decide to make changes to his starting XI after their disappointing display against Liverpool last weekend, with Grant Holt pushing for a recall.

The Gunners should be comfortable winners if they can rediscover a bit of the form which saw them catapult themselves into third and can be backed at 8/13 to beat the Canaries with a minus one handicap if you are looking for a bit more value.

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Final day drama in Football League

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It’s the final weekend of games in League One and League Two and there are still promotion and relegation issues to be resolved in the final 90 minutes, with the play-off pictures still to be sorted. Here’s our guide to the most important games from the two divisions that could make or break a club’s season.

Steel City Battle for Automatic Promotion

The second promotion spot behind Charlton is between Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United, and both face already-relegated teams on the final day. Wednesday, who hold a one-point advantage that ensures their fate is in their own hands, welcome Wycombe to Hillsborough and you would expect a promotion party come final whistle (Sheff Wed 2/9, draw 5/1, Wycombe 12/1 Match Betting).

United held the upper hand for most of the season, but it’s a long trip to face Exeter and Danny Wilson will hope to end with a win that means either they take advantage of an Owls slip, or go into the play-offs with some confidence (Exeter 9/2, draw 16/5, United 4/7 Match Betting).

The Play-Off Picture – 3 into 1 Doesn’t Fit

Stevenage are in pole position to get the one play-off spot remaining and a home win over Bury would set them up nicely (Stevenage 4/9, draw 10/1, Bury 6/1). Any slip-up could let Notts County – only behind on goal difference and who welcome Colchester to Meadow Lane – take advantage, while Carlisle in eighth are only a point behind and a win for them at Oldham, coupled with some help from elsewhere, could see them jump to seventh.

None of the three sides in contention are benefitting from easy matches on the final day, but Stevenage are without a win in four and it could be Notts County who seal that final play-off position as a draw could be enough (Notts County 8/13, draw 14/5, Colchester 9/2).

Triple Threat for League Two Automatic Promotion

Another three-way tussle exists down in League Two as Crawley Town (81 points), Torquay United (81) and Southend United (80) are battling to get that automatic spot behind Swindon and Shrewsbury.

Crawley boast a superior goal difference over Torquay and a win at Accrington (Stanley 9/2, draw 14/5, Crawley 8/13) should guarantee their spot, but they did go down 3-0 to struggling Hereford last time out. Torquay face that Hereford side at Edgar Street, with their opponents desperate to get the points as they look to leapfrog Barnet and save their football league skins.

Southend face already-relegated Macclesfield and would need help from elsewhere to get third spot, but it looks like Crawley’s to lose and Torquay’s to win.

One Play-Off Spot Up For Grabs

Crewe look on course to secure the final play-off spot going and victory at home to Aldershot would seal an extended campaign for them. Any mistakes and Oxford will be desperate to take advantage, as they travel to Port Vale boasting a superior goal difference.

The three-point gap Crewe have on Oxford means it’s in their hands and a point should be enough for them (Crewe 4/6, draw 11/4, Aldershot 4/1).

Who Will Drop Out of the Football League?

Perennial strugglers Barnet (Burton Albion 2/1, draw 5/2, Barnet 5/4) are battling with Hereford to avoid dropping out of the Football League and both have chosen the final weeks to find some form after dismal runs before that.

A 4-0 win at Underhill over AFC Wimbledon means Barnet hold a two-point advantage over the Bulls, who had won 3-0 at promotion-chasing Crawley. It seems to be an annual event that Barnet are fighting for their lives on the final day but they could benefit from the fact Hereford face a Torquay side looking for the points to get them the final automatic promotion spot.

The final fixtures normally throw up some surprises, but expect no shock as Barnet retain their League Two spot and Hereford to wave goodbye to the Football League.

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Wembley redemption for Reds

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Liverpool and Chelsea go head-to-head on Saturday in the FA Cup final and while the Blues (4/6 – FA Cup Outright) still have the Champions League showpiece to come, they will be keen to deny the Reds (6/5 – Outright) their second trophy of the season in what looks like being a tight Wembley clash.

It used to be the biggest game of the season but the Champions League and Premier League have cast a shadow over the FA Cup final in recent years and this year’s 5.15pm kick off – for whatever reason – has done little to improve that perception.

Chelsea, who have generally been flying under Roberto Di Matteo, are slight favourites to triumph at 6/5 over 90 minutes, but could be distracted by that upcoming date in Munich with Bayern while inconsistent Liverpool (15/8 – 90 Minutes) know securing a Cup double will salvage their season after a disappointing league campaign.

With much at stake it’s a difficult call to suggest who will be celebrating at the come 7.15pm or so and there are many interesting side-stories bubbling under in the big clash.

Most Chelsea fans will probably accept losing on Saturday if they can then go on to lift their first-ever European Cup but such has been their recent impressive form – Wednesday’s 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle apart – they will be confident approaching the final.

Di Matteo has revitalised and re-focused what was an under-performing squad and has been described by senior players Frank Lampard and John Terry as a “breath of fresh air” at the Bridge in recent months.

He appears to have given players back a belief clearly lacking under former boss Andre Villas-Boas and one man in particular – Fernando Torres – looks close to his brilliant best once again.

Liverpool, of course, know all about the Spaniard, who hit a hat-trick last weekend in the win over QPR and, following on his dramatic late goal against Barcelona last month, Torres’ redemption could be complete with another strike at Wembley against his former team. At 13/8 he is worth backing to score anytime, with Di Matteo likely to go with Torres ahead of Didier Drogba up front.

These two sides have met an incredible 31 times in the past eight seasons – a run which has included plenty of big games. Three Champions League semi-finals, an FA Cup semi and League Cup final are among them and, apart from the latter, Liverpool have generally had the upper hand in those crunch encounters to suggest the Reds have the edge over their opponents when it matters most.

Chelsea have also lost their last four games against Kenny Dalglish’s side, including Carling Cup and league defeats at home this season, so the stats could lead you to predict it’s time for the Londoners to triumph once again.

Liverpool have been frustratingly inconsistent in general this season with their fine Cup form contrasting with a woeful home league record, which hit a new low when they lost 1-0 against Fulham on Tuesday.

That, however, was largely a second-string side and they will welcome back key men Steven Gerrard (9/4 to score anytime), Luis Suarez, Glen Johnson and Pepe Reina amongst others at Wembley.

If Liverpool are to come out on top, much is sure to depend on how Suarez, a hat-trick hero in his last game at Norwich, and Gerrard perform, while the unpredictable Andy Carroll may also have a big say if he is at the top of his game.

Chelsea have injury concerns over central defenders David Luiz and Gary Cahill after the pair both missed training on Friday, while Dalglish has virtually a full-strength squad to choose from aside from long-term absentees Charlie Adam and Lucas Leiva.

The game could hinge on a piece of brilliance from the likes of Torres, Drogba, Juan Mata, Gerrard or Suarez, or even a sending off in what’s likely to be a fiery meeting, while extra-time and/or penalties could well be on the menu (Draw at 90 minutes – 11/5).

It’s a very difficult one to predict but, with Chelsea possibly having bigger fish to fry later this month, Liverpool, who know a win will save their season, could just about edge it.

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Holloway to suffer the Blues

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Friday’s focus will be on the action at Bloomfield Road as Blackpool and Birmingham City go head to head in the Championship play-off semi-final first leg, hoping to secure an advantage by the halfway point.

The two sides cannot be split in terms of the outright betting for promotion with both on offer at 11/4 to make it back to the big time, although West Ham, who were the other side relegated last season, are the favourites at 13/8 with Cardiff the outsiders at 4/1.

Birmingham beat champions Reading 2-0 on the final day of the Championship season to climb above Blackpool, who were held 2-2 at Millwall, and seal the advantage of playing the second leg at St Andrew’s next Wednesday.

Both sides go into Friday’s clash in decent form with Blackpool enjoying a seven-match unbeaten streak, since a 3-1 loss at Reading, while the Blues have now gone nine matches without defeat following a surprising 4-1 reverse at Portsmouth.

Ian Holloway had suggested that not many, including himself, would have expected the Tangerines to make the play-offs this year but they have been installed as the 11/8 favourites in the match betting for the first-leg clash, with the Blues priced at 21/10 and the draw on offer at 9/4.

It is perhaps no surprise given the fact that Blackpool have made Bloomfield Road something of a fortress this season, suffering just three defeats and none since a 4-1 hammering against the Hammers in February.

Chris Hughton has done wonders with the cash-strapped Blues, who had a Europa League campaign to contend with following their Carling Cup success, and they should be full of confidence going into the first-leg clash.

Their away form has been patchy though this season with seven wins, seven draws and nine defeats on the road – the worst record of the top six clubs – although there is good news in the sense that Blackpool’s away record is only one draw better.

The game promises to be a cracker with City boasting the highest number of away goals scored in the division, while the Tangerines’ home tally is second only to Southampton so Over 2.5 Goals at 5/6 looks the way to go.

Backing that up is the fact that the two played out a 2-2 draw in the regular season fixture last November, with Birmingham going on to win at St Andrew’s in comfortable fashion, 3-0.

Hughton’s men have struggled defensively on the road as they have conceded a huge 37 goals, with only five teams with a worse record, and they have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 11 games.

As it is a two-legged affair, more good news for Birmingham is the fact that Blackpool are one of the teams that have conceded more.

Blackpool will be desperate to get the lead going into the return leg but Birmingham should have enough nous and organisation to at least take something from the game ahead of the return leg.

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Hoops to run rings round Saints

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Celtic may have already wrapped up the Scottish Premier League title this season but plenty of Bhoys players will be looking to earn a place in Neil Lennon’s plans for the future, when they host St Johnstone on Thursday (Celtic 1/3, draw 4/1, St Johnstone 8/1).

Nothing will give a Celtic squad more pleasure or more confidence than a win over their Old Firm rivals Rangers – and the fact it was a 3-0 victory on home soil in their last outing – will guarantee a buoyant mood in the Hoops camp.

It’s been a long time since Celtic enjoyed a decent run in the Champions League and Lennon’s main focus now will be on strengthening his squad to challenge for the group stages of the top European competition.

That means the current crop of players will have to prove themselves before the end of the current campaign and expect the Scottish champions to be on their metal when they host St Johnstone, despite the title already being in the bag.

Striker Gary Hooper (5/2 first goalscorer) is just one goal away from 20 in the SPL this term and he will be determined to reach the landmark in what has been a fine season for the Englishman, who has been linked with a move south of the border to the Premier League.

However, it looks like the forward, who is still just 24-years-old, wants to stay with the Bhoys to make his mark in the Champions League next season.

St Johnstone will be fully aware of the threat posed by the former Scunthorpe United man but based on their last outing, they might not have the ability to stop him.

Despite sitting in fifth place in the table, Saints have gone four games in the SPL without a win and were thumped 5-1 by a rampant Motherwell at Fir Park last weekend.

The Perthshire outfit have not won a game since they beat Inverness back at the end of March, in what has been a barren spell for manager Steve Lomas and his side.

Despite the poor run of form in the league, Saints are still just three points off a top-four finish, though, and will be looking to pull off a major scalp against the champions on Thursday night.

Francisco Sandaza has been a big loss for Lomas recently following off-field issues and the Spaniard, who is by far the club’s leading goalscorer this season with 17 in 32 appearances, is unlikely to feature against Celtic.

With their limited attacking options and their less-than-convincing defensive display against Motherwell last weekend, it’s hard to see St Johnstone getting anything out of this game in their bid to close down the gap on Dundee United in fourth.

Expect Celtic to bang in the goals, then, and it would be a brave person to go against Hooper (4/7 anytime goalscorer) adding to his goalscoring tally in front of the Celtic faithful.

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Hammers eye play-off advantage

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The Championship Play-Offs get underway on Thursday evening with West Ham looking to continue their strong away form from the run-in to secure a positive first leg result against Cardiff City in South Wales.

Sam Allardyce’s side were the pre-season automatic promotion favourites along with big-spending Leicester City, but Reading and Southampton upset the odds to secure their respective places in the Premier League next season.

The Hammers, who had to settle for third place, at least have another opportunity to return to the top-flight (13/8 – Promotion) at the first attempt via the lottery of the play-offs – but it will not be an easy mission.

First up is a trip to the Cardiff City Stadium to face Malky Mackay’s men, who only secured the sixth and final play-off spot on Saturday thanks to a come-from-behind 2-1 win at Crystal Palace.

The Bluebirds are in a decent run of form with just one defeat in 13 league games since, ironically, West Ham won 2-0 in South Wales in early March.

However, the majority of their points were picked up on the road with just one win, five draws and a 3-0 loss to Hull City in the last seven outings in front of their home fans.

Mackay will hope his players can find their feet in the Welsh capital at just the right time on Thursday as the Bluebirds have endured two successive seasons of play-off misery with a Wembley defeat against Blackpool in 2010 followed up by a semi-final loss at the hands of Reading 12 months ago.

It is a very familiar story for the Hammers, who will no doubt feel confident of securing a good result on Thursday having won three and drawn three of their final six away games of the domestic campaign in a 13-match run of form which, bizarrely, has been identical to Cardiff’s since their last meeting.

Allardyce, who should have a fully fit squad to choose from for the game, saw his team’s automatic promotion aspirations damaged by their home form in which they failed to win in five successive matches between February 4 and April 14.

Crucially, the Londoners looked to have found a remedy for their homesickness in the nick of time as they won their final two matches at Upton Park – 6-0 against Brighton and a final day 2-1 victory against Hull City on Saturday.

As far as the past season’s head-to-head record goes, both sides won on their travels with Cardiff securing a win at Upton Park on the opening weekend of the campaign and, as mentioned earlier, the Hammers won 2-0 in Wales.

Therefore it is a play-off encounter which could depend on which team does not fluff their lines on home soil.

Throw into the mix the fact Cardiff were one of the Championship’s draw specialists with 18 stalemates from 46 league games, while West Ham drew 14, and it all points to a very nervous and tense battle which just about sums up the play-offs.

Looking ahead to Thursday’s game, we would not be surprised if the Hammers exploited Cardiff’s home frailties and just edged the contest to take a lead, albeit a slender one, back to London for next week’s second leg.

Prediction: West Ham Away 90 Minutes @ 13/8
Value Bet: West Ham To Win 1-0 Correct Score @ 13/2.

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Chelsea to call the Toon

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The focus on Wednesday evening is very much on the top end of the Premier League table with three of the four sides chasing a top-four place in action, although Bolton are desperate for points themselves as they bid to climb out of the relegation zone.

Arsenal are seemingly nailed on at 1/12 to secure one of those Champions League berths – which may be reduced to three depending on the result of the this year’s final – but the Gunners will be keeping a close eye on proceedings on Wednesday with Tottenham (8/11), Chelsea (11/10) and Newcastle (6/1) all in with a chance of closing the gap.

Arsene Wenger’s men have at least a four-point cushion over their rivals but have played a game more, and victories for the two of the three chasing clubs will really set up an exciting run in.

Chelsea v Newcastle 7.45pm

Chelsea have been in tremendous form under Roberto di Matteo, losing just one of 16 games under his stewardship, and go into the match on the crest of a wave, having knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League as well as crushing QPR 6-1 in an embarrassingly one-sided west London derby on Sunday.

Fernando Torres looked every inch the star footballer that persuaded Roman Abramovich to splash out £50m to sign him from Liverpool  and he won the man of the match award after scoring a hat-trick.

It has been a difficult season for the Spain hitman and that treble doubled his league tally for the season to six, although he has scored 11 goals in total in 47 appearances in all competitions.

However, it was the manner of his performance that will have got the Blues fans excited – with two cup finals approaching – as he looked sharp and dangerous and wanted the ball, as well as finding the net on three occasions.

Whether he starts remains to be seen as di Matteo may opt to change things around again but if he does start, he has to be considered in the goalscoring markets.

Newcastle have surprised so many for so long and a recent six-match winning streak kept them firmly in the hunt for a top-four finish.

However, that run was emphatically ended at the weekend and although it was no disgrace to lose to Wigan at the DW Stadium, given Latics recent run, the manner of the defeat and the 4-0 scoreline leaves cause for concern.

The Magpies do not usually travel well to Stamford Bridge, having not won there in 18 matches, but should provide more of a test than the Rs as they have kept 14 clean sheets this season – only the Manchester clubs have kept fewer – and have a distinct goal threat in the shape of Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba.

Branislav Ivanovic is a welcome return for the Blues as David Luiz and Gary Cahill are still ruled out and given the way they have been playing recently, coupled with the fact they won 3-0 at St James’ Park, Chelsea should come away with the points (Chelsea  8/15, Draw 16/5, Newcastle 11/2 Match Betting).

Bolton v Spurs 8pm

Spurs managed to rediscover the winning formula over Blackburn last Sunday, easing to a 2-0 win in a match where Rovers did not muster a single shot on goal, either on or off target.

Whether the Lilywhites rediscover the spring in the step that made them a title challenger earlier in the season now that the England situation has been sorted out (although it was never an issue in the first place apparently) remains to be seen, but they still remain in the hunt for a top-four place despite a horror run of form.

Harry Redknapp’s men had won just one of nine matches going into the Rovers clash although they did get the better of Bolton during that time in the FA Cup.

That cup win over the Trotters did come at White Hart Lane though and they need to turn around a dismal away run to keep pace with the likes of Newcastle, Chelsea and of course Arsenal.

Spurs have not won any of their last eight Premier League away games and have not scored in the last four, although they are the favourites at 10/11 in the match betting to end that run on Wednesday.

However, it could come down to a question of whose need is greater with Bolton knowing any kind of positive result will take them out of the bottom three with just two games to go.

Owen Coyles men are priced at 3/1 to pick up maximum points although a draw, given the Trotters defensive woes this season, at  13/5 could be the way to go.

Spurs have never won at the Reebok and are hardly in the best of nick, while Bolton are unbeaten in the last three Premier League games which gives sway to a positive ‘home’ argument, despite the fact that the Lancashire outfit has picked up more points on the road this term.

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Motherwell out to break Hearts

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Motherwell are on the verge of an historic achievement if they can qualify for the Champions League this season, but first they must get through a tough trip to the capital to take on Hearts on Tuesday night (Hearts 11/8, draw 5/2, Motherwell 9/5 – Match Betting).

With Glasgow Rangers deep in the midst of financial turmoil it’s highly unlikely the Old Firm outfit will be allowed to play in Europe next season, which has opened the door for Motherwell to potentialyl have a shot in the biggest competition in club football.

The Steelmen currently find themselves in the third place in the Scottish Premier League table, with five points between themselves and Dundee United, who look like they will miss out on the rare chance to play in the Champions League.

However, manager Stuart McCall has insisted he will not be taking anything for granted with three games of the season to go and all their focus will be on picking up as many points as possible to keep Dundee at bay.

Motherwell will certainly be buoyed by their last outing as they knocked five goals past fifth-placed St Johnstone with an accomplished performance at Fir Park.

Michael Higdon scored his 15th goal of the season whilst Estonian Henrik Ojamaa bagged himself a brace against a lacklustre Saints outfit on Saturday.

The pair will certainly cause the Hearts defence problems if Well can reproduce the attacking football that made them a constant threat at the weekend.

However, it will be a very different test when they make the trip to Tynecastle to take on a Hearts side who have booked their place in the final of the Scottish Cup to face rivals Hibernian (5/4 – Scottish Cup Outright).

The Edinburgh outfit sit in sixth place in the SPL table and will be looking for a top-four finish if they can have a strong end to the current campaign.

Hearts (4/7 – Scottish Cup Outright) have relied heavily on the goals of Rudolf Skacel this season with the Czech bagging 15 goals compared to just the five from Jamie Hammill, who is their second highest goalscorer.

In a season with Champions League qualification a serious possibility due to the situation at Rangers, Hearts will be very disappointed they aren’t in the mix for the lucrative European competition.

Motherwell have won the two previous meetings between the side this season, with a 3-0 win at Fir Park and a 1-0 win at Tynecastle, and it’s hard not to see them making it a clean sweep considering what’s at stake.

A 2-1 win for Motherwell (2-1 – Correct Scoreline – 10/1) looks a good bet, as Motherwell have looked strong in front of goal and Hearts might just have one eye on their Edinburgh derby cup final on May 19.

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Liverpool must find momentum

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There are two Premier League matches (totesport coupon) on Tuesday and both, on paper, look like mid-table affairs without too much hinging on them. But, at a closer look, there’s plenty of intriguing side-stories as Liverpool prepare for the FA Cup final and also look for a win against Fulham as they bid to finish above Merseyside rivals Everton, who themselves go to Stoke, in the table.

Liverpool v Fulham (7.45pm)

The Reds (4/7 – 90 minutes) will certainly have one eye on Wembley as they welcome the Cottagers (11/2) to Anfield and boss Kenny Dalglish could even play a shadow side as he guards against injuries and suspensions for the important Cup Final date with Chelsea.

However, on the other hand, Liverpool will want to build on their 3-0 win at Norwich on Saturday so they can approach the weekend with momentum and in better form than they have generally been in over the past few months.

Andy Carroll missed the win at Carrow Road as a precaution so he could start, but hat-trick hero Luis Suarez, skipper Steven Gerrard and key defenders Martin Skrtel, Glen Johnson and Daniel Agger are all likely to be among several first-choice players rested.

The likes of Dirk Kuyt (13/2 first goalscorer), Craig Bellamy, Maxi Rodriguez and Jonjo Shelvey, then, are set to carry the attacking threat while relatively inexperienced trio Martin Kelly, Jon Flanagan and Sebastian Coates could earn starts in defence.

With this in mind, Fulham may just fancy their chances of becoming the latest side to frustrate the Reds at Anfield and come away with a positive result.

The Cottagers were well beaten on Merseyside on Saturday when they lost 4-0 at Everton and, after what has been a decent season overall for Martin Jol’s side, they are likely to put on a better performance than that on Tuesday.

Moussa Dembele, Andy Johnson and Pavel Pogrebynak can cause Dalglish’s side problems, while the impressive Clint Dempsey, who scored the winner in Fulham’s 1-0 win over the Reds at home earlier in the campaign, is good value to open the scoring at 15/2.

All things considered, then, with Liverpool set to field largely a second-string side, Fulham can profit and claim at least a draw from this, on offer at a tasty 3/1 with totesport.

Prediction: 1-1 (13/2 – correct score).

Stoke v Everton (7.45pm)

These two have just about satisfied pre-season expectations and look like ending the season being comfortable in mid-table, although the Toffees (13/8 – 90 minutes) will hope to push on in the final league games to try and make up for the heartbreaking Cup semi-final defeat against Liverpool by finishing above the Reds in the standings.

David Moyes’s side, apart from that Wembley loss, have been in superb form of late and followed up the impressive, and deserved, 4-4 draw at Manchester United with that 4-0 mauling of Fulham at Goodison on Saturday.

Nikica Jelavic has been nothing short of a revelation since he joined from Rangers and he added two more goals to his Blues account against the Cottagers so is worth backing to continue that form at the Britannia Stadium (11/8 to score anytime).

Add to that the excellent recent form of Steven Pienaar, Marouane Fellaini and the returning Tim Cahill, and the Potters have plenty to fear ahead of this clash.

Stoke, priced at 7/4 (90 minutes), have faltered somewhat in recent weeks but got a decent point against third-placed Arsenal on Saturday and are always a real handful for anyone at home.

Both sides are likely to make changes with this game coming just three days after the weekend so it could be a tight encounter with little to choose between the two sides overall.

Stoke may just have the edge, though, with home advantage proving key and a narrow win for the Potters is predicted to move them up level with West Brom in 10th with two games to go.

Prediction: Stoke 2-1 Everton (10/1 – correct score).

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