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Five potential Cup shocks

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FA Cup fourth round weekend is coming up so we assess where the shocks could be with plenty of big Premier League reputations once again on the line.

QPR v Chelsea

The first of five all-Premier League ties in the fourth round gets the action underway on Saturday and, after all the off-field shenanigans in the build up to the game, expect a fiery encounter at Loftus Road.

The Rs managed a 1-0 win in the infamous league game between the two and Mark Hughes’ men can match that feat and cause a minor shock (QPR 9/2, Chelsea 4/6, draw 13/5).

Much of the focus will be on John Terry and Anton Ferdinand but afterwards all the talk could be about another disappointing day for Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas and an early FA Cup exit for his side.

Derby v Stoke

The Potters survived a banana skin in the third round when they overcame Gillingham but they are sure to be tested once again when they head to Derby on Saturday (Derby 5/2, Stoke 11/10, draw 9/4).

The Rams made a fine start to the season in the Championship but have been inconsistent of late as their play-off bid has faltered. But in Nigel Clough they have one of the most respected young managers in the game and he will have his side well prepared to take on last season’s beaten finalists.

Derby have been difficult to beat since the turn of the year and have kept four consecutive clean sheets so a narrow 1-0 home win, on offer at 17/2, looks tasty in this one.

Sheffield United v Birmingham

The Blades host the Blues at Bramall Lane with the League One club good value at 13/8 to cause an upset and dump out the Championship side.

United are well in touch in the League One promotion race and have lost just twice at home all season ahead of this fourth-round tie.

Boss Danny Wilson is scenting a shock and this week described Saturday’s game as a “fantastic clash” between two in-form sides.

Blues (13/8) will fancy their chances too, and have risen up the Championship table in recent weeks and could yet mount an automatic promotion bid in the second half of the season.

But a passionate home crowd can inspire Wilson’s men in this one and a narrow home win is well worth backing.

Brighton v Newcastle

The evening game on the south coast has been picked for live TV because of the very real prospect that another Premier League side could going tumbling out (Brighton 11/4, Newcastle Evens, draw 12/5).

The Magpies have exceeded expectations so far this season and remain in the hunt for a top-six finish in the Premier League but will face a stiff examination against Gus Poyet’s side.

The Seagulls have been good at their new Amex Arena home this season, losing just three times in the league, and expect another packed stadium to make things difficult for Toon, who are likely to make changes for the tie.

Without top-scorer Demba Ba, Pardew’s men may struggle to penetrate the Brighton defence so the Championship side could easily spring a shock.

Arsenal v Aston Villa

Another of the all-top flight games rounds off the action on Sunday with Villa, buoyed by a 3-2 win at Wolves last weekend, eyeing the Gunners’ scalp and brave punters can be rewarded by backing Alex McLeish’s side at 5/1.

Arsenal (4/7) have hit another sticky patch in recent weeks, losing against Fulham, Swansea and Manchester United to scupper their top-four hopes.

Arsene Wenger usually rotates his squad for the FA Cup and while that could mean a first start since his return for Thierry Henry, several inexperienced youngsters may also get the chance to impress.

That could play into Villa’s hands, however, and they can take advantage of the current gloom at the Emirates and come away with a hard-fought away win.

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Elephants set to stampede

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The second round of Group B games on Thursday sees Africa Cup of Nations favourites Ivory Coast (11/8 Outright) attempt to see off Burkina Faso to book a place in the last eight while Angola are a victory over Sudan away from joining them.

IVORY COAST V BURKINO FASO (7pm)

The Elephants were not too convincing in their opening group game as a header from Chelsea’s Didier Drogba was enough to see off Sudan to leave the side close to progression into the knockout stages.

The Stallions coach Paulo Duarte claimed his side were guilty of “schoolboy errors” in defence as they crashed to a 2-1 defeat in their opening game against Angola so will be looking for them to tighten up significantly in the face of arguably much stronger opposition in Malabo.

Francois Zahoui’s Ivory Coast side will be bolstered by the likes of Premier League stars Drogba, Chelsea team-mate Salomon Kalou and Arsenal’s Gervinho as they will no doubt look to improve on their opening performance.

The Burkinabe, who must avoid defeat to stay in the competition, have problems going into the game as they have lost midfielder Abdou Razak Traore due to passport problems. It looks a foregone conclusion on paper with Ivory Coast seemingly much too strong for their opponents.

But let’s not forget that Bukino Faso held them to a cagey goalless draw in their last meeting in the Africa Cup of Nations in Cabinda, Angola at the 2010 tournament.

Drogba bemoaned the way the Burkino Faso side defended with 10 men behind the ball following that game so expect him to be doubly determined to break them down on Thursday.

Prediction: Ivory Coast Home 90 Minutes @ 4/9
Value Bet: Ivory Coast 3-0 Correct Score @ 8/1

ANGOLA V SUDAN (4pm)

Thursday’s action in Malabo gets underway with current group leaders Angola (9/2 Group B Winner) looking for the win which will take them into the quarter-finals before Ivory Coast.

The group winners may come down to goal difference so it could be in Angola’s interests to go for goals if they want to put pressure on the Elephants ahead of their clash against Burkino Faso.

However, the Black Antelopes laboured in their opening 2-1 win against the Burkinabe thanks to goals from Mateus and Manucho so coach Lito Vidigal will be looking for a much-improved display against the Sudanese.

Vidigal has already called on his Angola side to improve on their quarter-final finishes in the 2008 and 2010 editions, particularly as the latter was on home soil and they were expected to do a lot better in front of their watching fans.

But Sudan, who are the only team at the tournament representing east Africa and draw all of their players exclusively from their domestic league, will have been encouraged by their battling defensive display against Ivory Coast in which they were narrowly beaten by the tournament favourites.

It has all the potential to be a closely-fought encounter, but with Angola having experience of progressing into the last eight in recent tournaments while Sudan have failed to get past the first round since they won it in 1970, we feel the Black Antelopes will have just too much on the night.

Prediction: Angola Away 90 Minutes @ 17/20
Value Bet Draw/ Angola HT/FT @ 10/3

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Another Real struggle at Camp Nou

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Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho believes his side can overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit when they take on Barcelona in the Copa del Rey quarter-final on Wednesday, but we sense more disappointment for the Portuguese coach (Barca 8/13, Real 9/2, draw 14/5 – match prices).

Real raced into a 1-0 lead in the first game when Cristiano Ronaldo scored early on before second-half goals from Carles Puyol and Eric Abidal gave Barca their narrow advantage.

The quarter-final is finely balanced then, so it’s likely to be another closely-fought battle between the old foes at the Nou Camp but, with home advantage and a first-leg lead, Barca should have enough to go through.

As is often the case when these two heavyweights go head-to-head, the first leg was overshadowed by fiery clashes on the pitch, with Real defender Pepe the villain on this occasion as he appeared to stamp on Lionel Messi’s hand.

Pepe has insisted it was purely an accident but he can expect a rough reception from the Barca fans – if he is selected for the second leg.

Mourinho has said he is yet to finalise his starting XI amid reports Pepe will be left out, while Lassana Diarra remains a major injury doubt for the visitors ahead of the game.

Following the controversy at the Bernabeu, a spiky Mourinho was coy at his pre-match press conference as to his plans for the second leg but he insists Real can secure a win and progress through to the last four.

“I will not answer [any question related to what team I will pick]. I’m the coach and I do not have to explain what approach I choose publicly,” he said.

“I think my team has a chance to play the semifinals, so we will try our best. But we know against our opponent we lost 2-1 the first time, so there is also a chance we won’t make it.”

There have also been claims that Barca counterpart Pep Guardiola will make changes for the second leg but he is still likely to field big guns Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and co as he aims to guide his side through to the semi-final stage.

Real know they will need to strike early to get back into the game and it’s worth backing Ronaldo to open the scoring again at 11/2 but, overall, another Barca win looks on the cards with a 3-1 home win in the correct score market at 10/1 worth a punt.

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City set to break Anfield spell

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Attention turns to the all-Premier League Carling Cup semi-final clash on Wednesday as Liverpool look to maintain their slender advantage over big-spending Manchester City, with the two sides having endured mixed fortunes of late.

The Reds of course secured a 1-0 lead through Steven Gerrard’s penalty in the first leg at the Etihad Stadium two weeks ago, which inflicted a second successive home defeat on Roberto Mancini’s men following their FA Cup loss to Manchester United.

The result was perhaps particularly surprising as the Citizens had cruised to a 3-0 victory over Liverpool in the Premier League fixture just before those two Cup shocks.

Mancini’s squad though has recovered and will be going into Wednesday’s fixture after edging to a nervy 1-0 win at Wigan before an injury-time penalty sealed three points against Spurs to maintain their three-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.

The way the season has gone, there will be those who believe 13/8 on the country’s big spenders to win away is too big to ignore as they have demonstrated their capabilities on the road this season, winning 5-1 at Spurs and 6-1 at Manchester United.

However, those results were some time ago and City have been beaten at Sunderland as well as being held at West Brom recently, failing to score in both. Furthermore, they are travelling to a venue where they have a particularly poor record.

It has been nine years since City last won at Anfield and although there has been a financial revolution in the blue half of Manchester since then, Mancini’s star-studded line-up was held 1-1 there earlier this season and were trounced 3-0 last term.

Backing Liverpool at 13/8 is certainly taking a chance though, given the Reds’ abject performance at Bolton at the weekend. This led to boss Kenny Dalglish publicly criticising his players – some of which, of course, he brought to the club following his return to the hot seat.

It has to be expected that – whoever is selected – the Reds will not play as badly again but as they do not have to score to book a Wembley appearance, Dalglish may look to be solid at the back first, given the ease with which Bolton were able to score three goals on Saturday (draw 23/10 in the match betting).

There are some key absentees from both sides in this fixture as well, with the Toure brothers missing for City along with captain Vincent Kompany, who serves the last game of his four-match ban.

It has yet to be confirmed whether the Eastlands outfit will contest the FA charge Sunday’s match-winner is facing, although it is debatable whether Mario Balotelli would have displaced either Edin Dzeko or Sergio Aguero (6/1 First/Last Goalscorer) in the starting XI anyway.

Luis Suarez remains unavailable for Liverpool but it says a great deal about Andy Carroll’s lack of form that Reds fans are pining for the Uruguayan’s return as the former Newcastle man has mustered just four goals in all competitions this season.

Liverpool have made Anfield something of a fortress under their new manager as he has tasted defeat just once in 23 games at home, although an unbeaten league record on Merseyside this season masks the fact they have drawn seven of their 11 games.

It is difficult to see a host of goals in this one, despite Stefan Savic’s nervy attempts to fill the void left by Kompany, but City at least look like they can score goals – and they need to. Therefore, they are fancied to sneak through.

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Coppa Italia takes centre stage

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Italy’s top teams switch their focus to the Coppa Italia and Tuesday sees possibly the tie of the round with Serie A leaders Juventus hosting sixth place Roma (Juve evens, draw 12/5, Roma 11/4 – match prices).

The Galliorossi are currently on a run of four consecutive wins and will travel to Turin full of confidence. However, Antonio Conte’s side have been the epitome of consistency this season and are yet to lose.

After a few years in the doldrums, it now appears as if Juve are back to where they belong and with an exciting young squad, many are predicting that they will soon re-establish themselves as European powerhouses.

Despite not being beaten this season, the Bianconeri have been plagued by draws recently and seem to have lost some of the cutting edge that saw them dominate the early months of the campaign.

Despite this, looking down the squad, it’s obvious they have the potential to score goals from anywhere. However, much of their chances are provided by playmaker Claudio Marchisio (9/4 to score at anytime) who has matured into one of the world’s best players this season. The 26-year-old has been tipped for stardom ever since making his debut in 2006 but has often suffered from inconsistency.

However, this term he has come on leaps and bounds and is now the heartbeat of Conte’s side. His combination with Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo in the heart of the midfield is sure to prove vital and he’ll be looking to have a major impact on the game.

As already mentioned, Roma are currently one of Italy’s form sides and, after a few early season hiccups, now look like a genuine threat to the Champions League places. The Roman club went through somewhat of a changing of the guard in the summer and saw a number of new faces arrive at the Olimpico. However, the players now seemed to have adapted to coach Luis Enrique’s style of play and are now flying.

As with everything good that has happened to the i Lupi over the last decade or so, Francesco Totti’s (15/8 to score at anytime) form has seemed to reflect his side this season. However, he has now rediscovered his consistency prompting calls from Italy coach Cesare Prandelli for him to end his international retirement ahead of Euro 2012.

The veteran trequartista will surely have a say on the outcome of the match and if Roma they’re likely to have Totti to thank.

Both sides are undoubtedly going to be looking to go all out to win the match as in Italy the Cup is held in much higher regard than in other nations. This is sure to help produce an entertaining game but home advantage could make the difference and Juve should take the win but it?ll certainly be close (Juve 7/1 to win 2-1 – correct score).

In the other ties in the Coppa Italia, Chievo take on Siena and Napoli entertain FC Internazionale Milano on Wednesday, while AC Milan play Lazio on Thursday.

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Eagles set for Wembley swoop

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Crystal Palace head to Cardiff on Tuesday looking to finish the job in the Carling Cup semi-final second leg after winning the first match between the two sides 1-0 at Selhurst Park.

The Bluebirds have a phenomenal home record and will fancy their chances of over turning Palace’s slender advantage. However, on the big occasions in the past they have choked.

Can Cardiff cope with the jitters or will Palace be making the short trip to Wembley?

Cardiff had earnt the reputation as chokers under former boss Dave Jones after a string of play-off failures, the most recent of which saw them beaten 3-0 at home by Reading in the second leg last season.

The season before that they had been beaten in the play-off final by Blackpool having looked odds on for automatic promotion before a late slump.

Despite a change in manager since those debacles the Bluebirds did seem to freeze in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final in south London. Anthony Gardener’s goal was enough to give Palace the win on that occasion, and while Cardiff wrongly had a goal chalked off they never looked like getting back into the game once they had fallen behind.

Ahead of the return match in Wales, Palace manager Dougie Freedman has seemingly taken great delight in pointing out Cardiff’s recent failures, predicting they will be “scared stiff” for Tuesday night’s game.

No doubt the game will come down to who copes with the pressure best, with thoughts of being 90 minutes away from Wembley likely to make a few stomachs churn before kick-off.

Malky Mackay has rubbished talk of his team getting stage fright and says Saturday’s last-gasp win over Portsmouth has filled his players with confidence ahead of the arrival of Palace.

Cardiff are a different animal at home, winning 13 out of 17 matches on their own patch this year. The Bluebirds’  home record means they are the 8/11 favourites to win the match inside 90 minutes, with Palace 4/1 and the draw 5/2.

Obviously only a win will do for Cardiff  and as such you can expect Mackay’s team to be a lot more open than they were at Selhurst Park, with the Scot likely to play two up front. The Bluebirds boss named a fairly strong team for the win over Portsmouth so expect the majority of the same eleven to start again on Tuesday.

As for Palace, it is clear that for Freedman this is potentially the biggest game they will play this season after he decided to rest ten first-team players for the trip to Blackpool. Having made a flying start to the season Palace have dropped down the Championship table a little and clearly see the Carling Cup as their main chance of success this season, rather than promotion.

Palace’s form on the road has varied from one end of the scale to the other, Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Blackpool making six losses in the last nine away from home. However, they did win the other three matches and one of those was at Manchester United in the quarter-finals.

Palace’s main strength this season has been their defence, allowing just two sides to score more than two goals in 16 games away from Selhurst Park. The Eagles’ backline is likely to be tested by Cardiff on Tuesday and while the Bluebirds can get the win they need it will probably only be good enough to force extra time.

The draw HT/Cardiff FT bet at 10/3 looks to be inviting given how the first game went, with Palace to go through to next month’s showdown at Wembley being the eventual outcome.

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Can Yellow Submarine sink Gijon?

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The Spanish Primera Liga action on Monday evening focuses firmly on the relegation battle as second-bottom Villarreal play host to a Sporting Gijon outfit just one place and two points ahead of them.

It has been a miserable campaign for the Yellow Submarine, whose supporters over the years have been more used to battling it out for Champions League football at the top end of the table. However this fixture is arguably as big as any tussles they may have had in the past to push for a top-four finish as they are in desperate need of the maximum points in this clash at El Madrigal.

Jose Francisco Molina’s side continued their struggles after the winter break after they followed up a creditable 2-2 derby home draw against high-flying neighbours Valencia with a dismal 3-0 drubbing away at Atletico Madrid last week, to leave them in perilous trouble in 19th position, but not cut adrift of safety just yet.

Therefore a win against the team directly above them would be just the tonic for Villarreal and they are set to be boosted by the fitness of leading scorer Marco Ruben, as the Argentinian has shaken off a muscular problem and is feeling in good shape.

Looking ahead to the important fixture, Ruben said: “This game is worth three points, we know and we are clear the difficulty [Sporting will pose]. But these are the games you have to win and go all for it.”

Villarreal’s task will be made all the more difficult by the fact Sporting Gijon will arrive on the back of a morale-boosting 2-1 home win against a big-spending Malaga side last weekend.

However, they marked their return from the break with a 2-0 defeat at mid-table Real Betis so need to rediscover the away form which has helped them pick up two wins on the road from eight games this term.

Sporting Gijon coach Manuel Preciado will be hampered slightly on the injury front as he assembles a 22-man squad for the trip as Ricardo and Gaston Sangoy are unlikely to feature. Looking ahead to the game and both sides know a win would enhance their survival hopes, but that could result in a touch of nerves from both sets of players which will not make for a classic encounter.

The previous meetings between these two sides have been closely-fought matches with last season’s head-to-head at El Madrigal ending in a 1-1 draw, while the return fixture also finished with the same score-line. The 2009/10 season saw both sides win their respective home games 1-0, while Villarreal did the double on Sporting Gijon in the previous campaign but the winning margin has only ever been by one goal.

All the signs are that it will not be a classic and it could be that both sides will have to settle for a share of the spoils.

Prediction: Draw 90 Minutes @ 12/5
Value Bet: Villarreal/Draw HT/FT @ 16/1

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Saints out to reclaim top spot

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Southampton saw West Ham United leapfrog themselves to claim top spot in the Championship table but they will be able to go top of the pile if they can pick up the three points against Leicester City on Monday night (Southampton 5/6, draw 13/5, Leicester 16/5).

The Saints had to watch as the Hammers ran out 2-1 winners over struggling Nottingham Forest on Saturday and now they find themselves chasing down the London outfit. It’s not going to be an easy task against a Foxes side who be full of confidence following their 4-0 FA Cup thrashing of Forest in midweek.

Former Leeds United and Everton striker Jermaine Beckford bagged himself a hat-trick against their East Midlands rivals and when the forward gets in the goals he tends to go on a run. Beckford (15/2 First Goalscorer) has great ability in the air and on either feet and expect him to be a threat for the Southampton defense at St Mary’s. The 28-year-old will be a key figure for a Foxes side who are struggling with injuries and players away on international duty ahead of the trip to the south coast.

Andy King is set to miss the clash with an Achilles injury, whilst defenders Sol Bamba and John Pantsil are away at the African Nations Cup for next few weeks. Nigel Pearson will certainly have some important selection decisions to make if his side are to get something against a Saints team who welcome back star striker Rickie Lambert. The 29-year-old has completed his three-match ban and will be looking to add to his 15 goals in the Championship this term.

Saints boss Nigel Adkins has been in the hunt for a new striker in the January transfer market, with Celtic man Gary Hooper at the top of the wish-list. It looks highly unlikely the former Scunthorpe United forward will join up with the former Irons manager and Adkins may have to look elsewhere for a potential strike partner for Lambert.

Monday’s game is set to have plenty of goals if their previous encounter in the league is anything to go by, with the Foxes running out 3-2 winner at the King Power Stadium.

Southampton (9/4 Championship Outright) have not been on the best run of form with just two victories in their last seven outings in the Championship. What will hold the home side in good stead is the fact that Leicester have never picked up all three points at St Marys.

This game has goals written all over it, with City scoring a goal in all of their last 10 games in the Championship and Southampton seeing the return of Lambert. Once again another close encounter between these two very attacking side is expected but absent players could play a key role in this clash. With a host of big game players missing for the visitors, expect the Saints to just edge this one as they look to march back to the top of the table.

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London duo gunning for revenge

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Four of the Premier League’s top five clash on Sunday in what could be one of the most significant weekends of the season so far, not least because of the extraordinary results we witnessed in the reverse fixtures last August.

Back last summer, with the league only three games old, City crushed Spurs 5-1 at White Hart Lane while Manchester ran riot at Old Trafford, destroying an inexperienced Gunners line-up 8-2.

It is perhaps no surprise then that the two Manchester clubs have led the way for much of the season. But their north London rivals have recovered from those early setbacks to rise back into contention too. Revenge, as well as Premier League points, will be in the minds of Arsene Wenger and Harry Redknapp.

Manchester City’s clash with Spurs was already a significant encounter, but the game at the Etihad has been made even bigger after the two managers traded pre-match barbs (Man City 10/11 draw 11/4 Spurs 3/1).

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp claims City’s rapid rise up the Premier League table in recent seasons in purely down to the generous backing of owner Sheikh Mansour, rather than any managerial skill by Roberto Mancini.

When told of Redknapp’s comments Mancini didn’t mince his words either, responding: “Harry can borrow money from us if he does not have it. If you have a chance to buy good players – you do.

“We have spent in two years to catch up, were we meant to take 10? For Spurs or Manchester United it’s different. When you’re always at the top you only change two or three players every year.”

The war of words between the two respective managers merely adds extra spice to what should be already feisty encounter, with Spurs just five points behind table-topping City in third (A repeat of City’s 5-1 win is priced at 66/1).

City have a formidable league record at the Etihad Stadium, having not lost there in the Premier League for 13 months, winning their last 15 in a row and conceding just six in their last 17 league games in east Manchester.

However, they have lost their last two cup encounters, against Liverpool in the Carling Cup and Manchester United in the FA Cup. Throw in their last gasp defeat to Sunderland on New Years Day, and City have lost three out of their last five in all competitions.

Injuries, suspensions and the upcoming African Nations have stretched even City’s expensively assembled squad, who are showing the first signs of vulnerability after a previously perfect start to the season.

Tottenham meanwhile have lost just once in the league since that their hammering by City and know a win at the Etihad would lift them – for a few hours at least – above Manchester United into second and just two points off the top (Tottenham to win 1-0 17/2).

It appears to be as good a time as any to take on Mancini’s men, though Spurs will be without Emmanuel Adebayor under the terms of his loan deal from City, giving Jermain Defoe a rare chance to start (Defoe 15/2 to score first).

Tottenham have hit 18 goals away from home so far this season – the fourth highest in the division – while City have scored 31 on their home soil, meaning the +2.5 goals is a value bet at 8/11.

Both sides know they cannot afford to lose this one which is why the tip is to go for a score draw, with 2-2 priced at 14/1.

Arsenal meanwhile go into their game with United on the back of two straight defeats, further denting their hopes of a late title surge (Arsenal 7/4, United 8/5, draw 23/10).

The Gunners have been ravaged by injuries, most notably in the full back positions, with Bacary Sagna, Kieran Gibbs, Carl Jenkinson, Francis Coquelin and Andre Santos all unavailable.

Thomas Vermaelen is also out; Jack Wilshere remains a few weeks away from a possible return while there are  doubts over Mikel Arteta and Thierry Henry.

The memories of that 8-2 mauling will no doubt still be fresh in the mind, though boss Wenger will be perhaps keen to remind them of  the fixture at the Emirates last season, when Aaron Ramsey’s goal gave the Gunners a 1-0 win (a 1-0 Arsenal win is priced at 13/2).

Manchester United meanwhile have the best away record in the division, though they did crash 3-0 at Newcastle in their previous league game away from Old Trafford.

Chris Smalling and Phil Jones look set to return to boost a defence that has been uncharacteristically leaky so far this campaign, but with the likes Young, Fletcher, Anderson and Cleverly all out, their midfield remains a concern.

With the sheer amount of injuries between both sides expect a far from vintage display, but the value bet perhaps being +2.5 goals priced at 4/5 and a 2-1 United win priced at 17/2.

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Norwich to give Chelsea the blues

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Bet on the ChampionshipWhile there continues to be little action on the transfer front this month the games are coming thick and fast, with eight Premier League matches scheduled for Saturday. We pick out the three best bets for the weekend, starting with Chelsea’s trip to Carrow Road to take on Norwich.

Norwich v Chelsea 12:45pm

Who would have thought that at the start of the season Norwich would be 11 points clear of the Premier League relegation zone and seemingly cruising towards safety. While the Canaries have as many points as Blackpool did at this time last season they have shown no signs of hitting the self destruct button and undoing all their good work from earlier in the campaign.

However, there are some similarities between Paul Lambert’s men and Blackpool. The amount of goals they score is phenomenal, with only the top five having banged in more. As such the first bet to look out  for should be over 2.5 goals at 8/13 in this game, even if Fernando Torres plays.

Chelsea are looking for a fourth win on the bounce win but showed they still aren’t over the issues that have dogged them right throughout the season in the 1-0 win over Sunderland last week. The Black Cats were unlucky not to take anything from the game and as such you have to think Norwich have a great chance of recording their first win over one of top teams in the Premier League, despite the Andre Villas-Boas recently signing England defender Gary Cahill.

The Blues price of 8/13 to win is too short when taking into consideration how unpredictable the season has been. Norwich are 9/2, while the draw is 3/1 in the match betting.

Everton v Blackburn 3pm

It’s fair to see you wouldn’t want to trade places with either David Moyes or Steve Kean this season given their respective issues. Kean might have seen results improve recently but that hasn’t stopped Chris Samba putting in a transfer request as Rovers battle to hold onto their star men. The Blackburn boss will be desperate to keep Samba given how well he has played this season and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the big centre-half started at Goodison Park on Saturday.

While they might have struggled at Ewood Park Rovers form on the road hasn’t been too bad. They have lost one of the last seven on the road in the league, although they have only won once as well. That victory was at Manchester United though and the trip to Goodison Park looks as though it could be fruitful.

Everton won’t have to deal with former striker Yakubu but at 6/1 Blackburn are too big a price to ignore. Everton are the lowest scorers in the Premier League, managing just 21 goals in 21 games so far. Moyes has managed to bring in Darron Gibson this month but there looks like there isn’t much cash left to improve what he has at this creaking club. Everton are 4/7, with the draw 11/4 and if Blackburn don’t take all three points they should take at least one.

Wolves v Aston Villa

If Mick McCarthy isn’t a worried man, then he should be because his Wolves team are slipping badly at the moment. He might have made ten changes for the game against Birmingham City in midweek but his squad is looking devoid of confidence and the 1-0 loss to their Midlands rivals will not have helped.

Saturday brings McCarthy another derby match up and he will hope things can improve against the increasingly unpredictable Villa. Alex McLeish’s team should have picked up three points against Everton last week but were caught on the counter attack and shouldn’t be too downbeat as they make the short trip to Molineux.

Villa have been tough to beat on the road, losing just two of their ten matches away from home. The game is unlikely to be a classic and 8/11 for under 2.5 goals should be a safe bet. The future looks gloomy for Wolves and expect Villa to heap more misery on them. Villa are 9/5 to win, with Wolves 8/5 and the draw 9/4 in the match betting.

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