Tag Archives: Blues

Blues can edge Bridge battle

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Chelsea and Manchester City enter the last chance saloon on Sunday as their Premier League title challenge comes to a head at Stamford Bridge. For the winner it could be the start of a last tilt at top spot and for the loser, they can kiss any hopes they had of league success goodbye.

Another team hoping their recent revival isn’t faltering are Liverpool, as they look to become one of just a handful of clubs to win at the Stadium of light this season. We preview both matches and try to pick out the best bets…….

Sunderland v Liverpool (1:30pm)

The Reds head to Wearside on the back on a downright disappointing night at Anfield on Thursday, as they crashed out of the Europa League at the hands of Braga. No one thought Liverpool could play as badly as they did in the 1-0 defeat in the first leg, but the goalless draw showed Kenny Dalglish still needs to do a lot to put his team back on the map.

With their hopes of silverware gone, all Liverpool have left to play for is a top five finish – the only way they can get back into Europe next season. At the moment Tottenham occupy fifth and are six points ahead of Liverpool, whose hopes for next season will suffer a major setback without European football.

The chances of the Reds bouncing back don’t look good when you consider they have lost all their Premier League away games after a Europa League clash. They will be able to call on Luis Suarez again and that could give them a real boost, especially going forward after that toothless display on Thursday.

Up against them will be a Sunderland team who had suffered four successive defeats in February, but secured a much needed and unexpected draw against Arsenal in their last outing. Steve Bruce’s injury problems are showing signs of easing as well and Lee Cattermole, Danny Welbeck and Nedum Onuoha could be back on Sunday.

Sunderland are looking for revenge after feeling hard done by in the 2-2 draw at Anfield earlier in the season, although the Reds will remember a certain beach ball costing them last year’s game on Wearside. Sunderland will feel Liverpool are there for the taking, but should be wary of the wounded Reds.

Match Bet – Draw HT/ Sunderland FT @ 9/2

Chelsea v Manchester City (4pm)

No doubt this is the game of the weekend as the club’s respective billionaire owners field their respective collection of expensive ‘toys’ in the battle for the title. Roberto Mancini’s men are seven points off league leaders Manchester United but, given the way the season has gone, can’t be counted out yet. Neither can Chelsea, who look like they are getting into their stride at just the right time, after putting together back-to-back wins in the Premier League.

Heading into the game you would have to say Chelsea are in the better form, City having been dumped out of the Europa League on Thursday and struggled past Reading and Wigan in their previous two games.

Chelsea look to have a bit of the swagger back that saw them win the Premier League last season and while they are still struggling for goals, with Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres in their pack you can bet someone will hit the back of net sooner or later.

City’s build-up to the game has been dominated by Mario Balotelli’s sending-off in midweek and his all-round poor demeanour which could see him left at home for the trip to west London.

City recorded a surprise win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last season and a repeat of that result would be equally as shocking. However, Chelsea look to have the edge and when it comes down to the business end of the season can normally be relied on to produce the goods.

Match Bet – Chelsea to win @ 8/13

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Sky Blues out to upset Clarets

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Coventry City will go into their Championship cash with Burnley on Tuesday night without a manager after Aidy Boothroyd was sacked on Monday (Burnley 8/11, draw 5/2, Coventry 18/5).

The Sky Blues had only managed one win in their last 16 outings in the league and a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Hull on Saturday was the final straw for the board at the Ricoh Arena.

After making a strong start to the season the former Premier League side were in the play-off places after 24 games.

However, a mixture of draws and defeats have cost them and Coventry now sit just seven points above the relegation zone.

Steve Harrison and Andy Thorn will take charge of the side for the clash at Turf Moor but they will have to do without top goalscorer Marlon King, who is still out through suspension.

As for Burnley, they will be looking to bounce back after they were hammered 3-0 by Millwall at Turf Moor on the weekend.

The Clarets still have a great opportunity of securing a place in the play-offs this season, as they sit four points off sixth with two games in hand.

Burnley are short of numbers up front with Charlie Austin, Steven Thompson and Martin Paterson all out of action with injuries.

Despite their heavy defeat against the Lions and their injury worries, Burnley should still pick up all three points against a Coventry side that are currently in limbo.

Tuesday night throws up a huge game in terms of life at the bottom of the Championship table as Preston North End travel to Glanford Park to take on Scunthorpe United.

This is a must-win for Preston who are a massive 13 points off Crystal Palace in 21st place.

Phil Brown’s side’s chances of staying in the second tier of English football took another blow in their last outing as they were beaten 2-1 by Leeds United at Deepdale.

Preston have only won five out of their 35 games this season and will be praying for just their third away win of the season on Tuesday night.

Scunthorpe also looked to be down and out but surprising victories over Nottingham Forest and Swansea have given United a chance of survival.

A 3-0 defeat at the hands of Leicester City last weekend did them no favours but at home they should pick up a victory which will all but condemn Preston to League One next season (Scunthorpe 5/4, draw 23/10, Preston 2/1).

Ipswich managed to battle for a hard-earned point at Elland Road against Leeds in their last game and they will be looking to finish Watford’s chances of making the play-offs on Tuesday (Ipswich 6/5, draw 23/10, Watford 21/10).

Paul Jewell has revived the Tractor Boys since his arrival and new signings Jimmy Bullard and Keiron Dyer have added some extra quality to the side.

Ipswich are one of only a handful of teams that don’t really have anything to play for but under Jewell they will be determined to pick up as many wins as they can with a view to improving next season.

Watford have slipped out of the play-off places as they have only picked up two wins in their last eleven outings.

This will be a tough game for them and Ipswich should just come out on top in this one at Portman Road.

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Battle of the Blues

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Wednesday night’s Premier League clash throws up another exciting contest as Everton host Birmingham City at Goodison Park (Everton 8/15, draw 3/1, Birmingham 5/1).

After another slow start to the season which bordered on relegation fears for Everton fans, the Toffees have started to find some of their best form in the campaign so far.

David Moyes’ side have won three of their last four outings in the top flight and will be looking to bag their third consecutive win on Wednesday.

Everton failed to make any significant changes in the January transfer window due to a restricted budget but their change in fortunes has come about due to some key players hitting form.

Former Rangers midfielder Mikel Arteta was instrumental in Everton’s 2-1 victory over Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Saturday and he will be a constant thorn in Birmingham’s side, as he looks to create chances for others as well as being a threat himself.

The return of talented youngster Jack Rodwell has been a big boost for the Merseyside club and his work rate in midfield was sorely missed when he was out of action earlier in the season.

Jermaine Beckford (4/1 to be first goalscorer) has also started to find the back of the net for the Toffees and the former Leeds United goal machine now has six Premier League goals to his name after he struggled to find his feet in the top flight.

Birmingham produced a superb effort to beat Arsenal in the Carling Cup final last month and they will enjoy European football next season, but the campaign would be a disaster if the Blues were to lose their Premier League status.

Whilst their attentions were set on silverware, many of the clubs battling for survival have begun to pick up crucial points which now leaves the West Midlands club in the relegation zone.

Alex McLeish and his men do have two games in hand over their fellow strugglers and they could go all the way up to 11th in the Premier League if they win those matches.

The Blues will be hurting after they were beaten 3-1 at St Andrew’s by local rivals West Brom and will be determined to put things right against Everton.

Birmingham have found goals hard to come by and have scored the least of any club in the top flight – just 26.

Nikola Zigic is the club’s top goal scorer this season with eight in all competition and they will be hoping the Serbian can try and at least double that total before the end of the campaign.

Everton (6/5 to be leading at half-time/full-time) are favourites to win this clash at Goodison Park with centre-back Phil Jagielka looking like he will have the better of Zigic.

But City are desperate to pick up all three points on Wednesday as they won’t want to be drawn into a relegation scrap with a few games to go.

However, with the Toffees on a decent run they should make it three wins on the bounce to go eighth in the table.

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Blackpool to suffer the Blues?

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Blackpool play host to Chelsea on Monday evening in what could be a season defining match for both teams.

When the sides met in September, the Blues ran out 4-0 victors with Seasiders’ boss Ian Holloway describing the difference between the two sides as ‘light years’.

However, Blackpool kicked on from the disappointment and had a solid first half to the season and looked comfortable in the top half of the table.

Unfortunately though, they have started to slide down the standings but after a superb 3-1 victory against Tottenham Hotspur, they looked to have stopped the rot after only picking up one point from a possible eighteen in their previous six matches.

Despite this, Holloway’s side followed the Spurs result with a crushing 4-0 away defeat to fellow strugglers Wolves and this plunged them firmly into the relegation dogfight once again (Blackpool 11/10 to be relegated).

The Tangerines’ cause is also further damaged by the absence of their skipper and talisman Charlie Adam who is suspended along with top scorer DJ Campbell. However, they may be able to call upon the experience of former Celtic left-back Stephen Crainey to steady the defence.

Chelsea have also struggled this season, despite making a superb start which made it look like the league was theirs to lose. Despite winning their first four league games, they then went on a disappointing run that saw them pick up only nine points in November and December.

This run coincided with injuries to key players such as Alex and Frank Lampard and the England midfielder’s return to the side seems to have reignited the Blues’ title challenge. They will be looking to kick on after their victory against table toppers Manchester United last Tuesday (Chelsea 2/7 to beat Blackpool).

Chelsea will be hoping their £50million British record signing Fernando Torres will be in the mood as he looks to notch his first goal in a Chelsea shirt. He is likely to be partnered up-front by a recalled Didier Drogba (Torres 3/1 favourite to score first).

Chelsea go into the game with history on their side having won at Bloomfield Road on each of their last six visits, with Blackpool’s last home victory against the Blues coming in 1965. However, Chelsea’s form on the road has been shaky this term, having only won two of their last nine games away from home and this will give the Seasiders confidence (Blackpool 17/2 to beat Chelsea).

Whatever the outcome, it’s sure to be an exciting match with both teams looking to play exciting, expansive football  and the result is bound to have a profound effect on the outcome of the final Premier League standings.

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Arsenal to gun down Blues dreams

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The Carling Cup has been much maligned by football supporters in its history, but things have changed in recent seasons and the clash between Arsenal and Birmingham City (4pm) is an intriguing battle of differing styles.

Both teams will look to end trophy droughts, with more pressure on the Gunners to deliver the goods at Wembley having gone six years without a major honour.

Birmingham though will look to upset the odds and Alex McLeish has plenty of experience in winning cup finals during his time in charge of Rangers.

The Gunners are 8/15 to win the first piece of silverware on offer this season, while Blues are 6/1. All the omens point to Arsene Wenger’s men enjoying a comfortable day out, but nothing is ever straight forward with the Gunners.

A quick look at the form guide shows Arsenal have lost one of the last 17 in all competitions, including a comfortable win over Chelsea and their dramatic turnaround against Barcelona. The Gunners are trying to do the quadruple this season and have already beaten Birmingham twice in the league on their quest for the Premier League.

However, it isn’t all doom and gloom for Blues, who have shown some fighting spirit since a 5-0 drubbing at Manchester United. Alex McLeish’s men have lost just one of the last seven, a run of results which includes five wins.

They will have also been boosted by the news Cesc Fabregas and Theo Walcott are out as they go in search of their first bit of silverware since the 1963 League Cup. Birmingham are unlikely to roll over and let Arsenal cruise to victory so don’t expect a one-sided final.

Match Bet: Draw HT/ Arsenal FT @ 3/1

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Blackburn, Baggies, Blues, Bolton

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Bet on the Premier LeagueThere are only two games over Sunday and Monday in the Premier League but both ties should be interesting contests.

Blackburn host West Bromwich Albion at Ewood Park on Sunday as the Baggies look to go level on points with Rovers (Blackburn 6/5, draw 23/10, West Brom 23/10).

New Rovers signing Jermaine Jones is likely to make his debut for the club, having moved on loan from Budesliga side Schalke.

The American midfielder should give a lift to Blackburn in the middle of the park alongside David Dunn who returns from injury.

Rovers will still be without Australian midfielder Brett Emerton, who is away on international duty, whilst Youssuf Mulumbu and Graham Dorrans will miss the match for West Brom through injury.

The Baggies have not managed to win a game at Ewood Park in the last 20 years and were beaten 3-1 last time these two sides met back in December.

Blackburn, with Jones looking to get forward from midfield, will be a dangerous prospect and should win this one, with Roque Santa Cruz looking to get on the scoresheet for the first time since his return to Ewood Park.

Chelsea look like they have started to turn their fortunes around and they will want to make it three wins on the bounce when they travel to the Reebok Stadium to face Bolton on Monday (Bolton 9/2, draw 14/5, Chelsea 8/13).

The Blues will be hoping to have their captain John Terry fit for the clash in the North-West, as the former England captain is recovering from a minor back injury.

Frank Lampard is also a doubt for the defending Premier League champions with a calf strain.

These two players are vital for Chelsea and their absence could make a big difference as to who will get the three points from this one.

Bolton were unlucky not to get a point at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season when Didier Drogba was offside before Florent Malouda slotted the ball home to give the Blues a 1-0 win.

This is going to be a real test for Chelsea to see if they have put their poor Premier League form behind them.

If Lampard and Terry are absent on Monday then Bolton could make life very difficult for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, who will be hoping to close the gap between themselves and the top of the table.

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Blues hope to change fortunes

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Bet on the Premier LeagueCarlo Ancelotti will be praying Chelsea can turn their poor Premier League form around when they take on Blackburn Rovers at Stamford Bridge on Saturday (Chelsea 3/10, draw 4/1, Blackburn 8/1).

The Blues have been in mid-table form over the last couple of months, having only won one game in their last nine outings in the top flight.

Chelsea have been boosted by the return of Frank Lampard, who believes that the team are suffering from a lack of confidence.

This mindset will have to change very soon before Premier League frontrunners Manchester United extend their lead over the Blues even further.

Blackburn will welcome the return of their prodigal son Roque Santa Cruz, who completed a loan move from Manchester City on Friday and he will be desperate to play after becoming a professional bench warmer at Eastlands this season.

If Blackburn can keep Chelsea out for the first half hour, they could frustrate the home supporters, which would make life pretty difficult for Ancelotti and his men.

With confidence low and Rovers being difficult to beat, this one could be a draw and this would mean more dropped points for Chelsea.

Fellow title challengers Manchester City can close the gap on United at the top of the table if they beat Wolves at Eastlands on Saturday (Dzeko 3/1 to score the first goal).

City welcome their new signing Edin Dzeko, who is likely to make his debut for his new club as Mario Balotelli is sidelined with a recurrent knee injury.

The Bosnian striker could partner Carlos Tevez up front in what is likely to be a very attacking line-up against a struggling Wolves side.

Mick McCarthy’s side have lost more games this season than any other club in the league and currently sit just above the relegation zone in 17th place.

Despite Wolves having won two of their last three games with shock victories over Liverpool at Anfield and Chelsea at Molineux, a win against an attacking City side will be extremely difficult to achieve and the home side should come out on top in this one.

Arsenal have had a difficult week by their standards. After scraping a 1-1 draw against Leeds United in the FA Cup, they went down 1-0 in the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final against Ipswich Town in midweek.

Although they have found playing against Championship opposition heavy-going, they should come out on top against West Ham United at Upton Park on Saturday.

The Hammers have started to get some results in the Premier League and remain the only side to have beaten Manchester United this season, albeit in the Carling Cup.

Avram Grant’s side remain rock bottom of the Premier League table though and are likely to stay there for at least another week unless they can pull off a shock victory over the Gunners (West Ham 5/1, draw 14/5, Arsenal 8/15).

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Blues and Reds have it all to do

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Newcastle host a Chelsea side on Sunday who are in unfamiliar territory and looking to get their season back on track after three defeats in four Premier League matches (Newcastle 4/1 to beat Chelsea).

It seems almost impossible to talk of this fixture being pivotal in the Blues season after the start they made to the campaign, but recent results and performances mean that, although they are still top of the table, the chasing pack have closed right in and a runway league success now seems just a pipe dream.

It is true that Carlo Ancelotti has had to deal with the loss of the likes of Frank Lampard and John Terry but such an expensively-assembled squad should be able to cope with injuries.

However, they are still capable of tearing teams apart on their day and should be good enough to get a draw at St James’ Park against a Newcastle side who have surprised many people this term.

Chris Hughton has got the Magpies playing as a unit and their 1-0 victory at Arsenal proved that they deserve their place back in the Premier League.

They will have to do without regular centre-backs Mike Williamson and Fabricio Coloccini, both of whom are beginning three-match suspensions, while Joey Barton still has one game of his own ban to serve.

Chelsea have already lost three times away from Stamford Bridge this term but we predict they will come away from the north east with a point on Sunday.

The other Sunday fixture sees Liverpool travel to Tottenham and the same applies to the Reds as to the Blues.

Defeat here and the knives will once again be out for Roy Hodgson, who has overseen a mini-revival in Liverpool’s season after the worst start in their Premier League history.

Four wins and a draw from their last six games has seen the Anfield outfit reach ninth spot and they are only three points behind Spurs and six points off  a Champions League spot.

But Harry Redknapp has got something going at White Hart Lane and there appears to be an air of confidence among the Tottenham players that they can beat anyone at present, and the European victory over Inter Milan will have gone a long way to instilling that belief in the players.

Rafael van der Vaart is a major doubt with an ankle problem while Jermaine Jenas could miss out with a calf injury, but Spurs have plenty of cover and look good in all areas of the pitch.

They also have the ‘Gareth Bale factor’ with opponents up and down the country now aware of just what the Welshman can achieve.

It is all right knowing what to expect – stopping him is another matter.

Joe Cole looks set to return for Liverpool after a hamstring injury but Steven Gerrard is still injured and a home win by at least two goals is forecast for this fixture in north London (Spurs 7/1 to win 2-0).

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McLeish joy in battle of Blues

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Birmingham may be languishing in the bottom three, but they are always a tough nut to crack at St Andrew’s and Chelsea’s poor form will raise optimism amongst the home fans (Birmingham 9/2, Draw 11/4, Chelsea 4/7 – totesport.com Match Betting).

Blues have never beaten Chelsea in 12 Premier League meetings and will never have a better chance!

Tottenham are a big price (4/1) to win the north London derby at the Emirates and Harry Redknapp’s men will fancy their chances of turning over their rivals. Arsenal have already lost twice at home this term and look shaky at the back.

Bolton continue to improve and Kevin Davies (15/8 to score anytime) will be out to prove a point when Newcastle visit the Reebok this weekend. Davies should have been in the England squad ahead of Andy Carroll and the Trotters frontman will be a man on a mission on Saturday.

If goals are what you are after, then look no further than Bloomfield Road this weekend (4/6 both teams to score). There have been 45 goals in Blackpool’s 13 matches to date, whilst visitors Wolves have not kept a clean sheet yet this season.

The Championship is unpredictable to say the least, but Hull (7/5) could pile more frustration onto Ipswich boss Roy Keane this weekend. The Tractorboys have lost their last two games, to Barnsley and Derby, while the Tigers’ form appears to be improving.

High-flyers Swansea may have their wings clipped this weekend, when they make the long journey up to Yorkshire (Doncaster 6/4, Draw 23/10, Swansea 13/8 – Match Betting). Doncaster have an impressive home record and will prove a tough test for the goal shy Swans.

Sheffield Wednesday’s off-the field problems could be compounded by on-the-pitch League One defeat on Saturday. With all the financial issues hanging over the Owls, MK Dons (5/4) – unbeaten at home this season – will be eyeing up three points.

Manchester City’s title hopes could be crushed by their former boss this Sunday. Mark Hughes’ Fulham (19/10) entertain City at Craven Cottage and the home side can exploit a lack of harmony in the Blues’ ranks.

Andy Murray starts his ATP World Tour Finals campaign on Sunday and the British number one looks doomed to defeat in his first match. The Scot faces in-form Robin Soderling (Evs – match prices), who goes into the tournament off the back of success first Masters title in Paris earlier this month.

South Africa (4/6) will surely prove too strong for Pakistan (9/2) in the second Test in Abu Dhabi, which gets underway on Saturday. The Proteas looked the stronger side in the drawn first Test, but Graeme Smith’s men will prove their quality in the final five-day encounter.

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Blues face anxious derby wait

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Birmingham midfielder Alexander Hleb is in a race against time to be fit for Sunday’s derby with Aston Villa (14/1 – Premier League Top-4 Finish) after suffering a knee injury in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Blackpool.

The former Arsenal man was forced to leave the pitch 15 minutes from the end of the Premier League win and is already a concern for the weekend.

Hleb, on a season-long loan from Barcelona, seems almost certain to sit out Tuesday’s Carling Cup tie against Brentford but Blues (16/1 Top Six Finish 2010-11) will hope for better news later in the week.

Alex McLeish remains hopeful that the Belarus international will be ready for the Second-City derby, but was wishing he had replaced Hleb earlier.

The Scot said: “At half-time I said to Alex ‘give me 15 minutes of magic and we will get you off’. It went a bit longer than that and all of a sudden he had a little twist in his knee which we are concerned about.

“We have to wait to see how it is, but he is a brave guy. I just hope there is no serious damage.”

Another concern for McLeish is winger Jean Beausejour, who has missed the last two matches after injuring his knee ligament.

The summer signing was short of match fitness when he joined Blues and has yet to start in the Premier League.

Birmingham say they don’t want to take “any unnecessary risks” with Chile international, but may decide to give him a run out in midweek.

It will be a much-changed team that takes to the field for the League Cup encounter (Birmingham 3/10, Draw 18/5, Brentford 9/1 – Match Betting), with McLeish having one eye on the trip to Villa Park.

The manager admits that there will be “enforced changes” as Blues look to reach the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup.

McLeish added: “One or two will definitely need to rest and players have been playing with injections.

“That has been the case with three or four of them over the last few weeks, and that just can’t last forever because you will burn them out.”

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