Tag Archives: deepen

Blues to deepen QPR woes

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After a fairly torrid international break for most of the home nations, the Premier League returns with a bumper Saturday to look forward to. The highlight of the day will be a fiery west London derby, while Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal will also be in action.

QPR v Chelsea – 3pm

All eyes are likely to be on Loftus Road for the pre-match build-up to this local derby as handshake gate part 3 looks as though it could take place. The fallout from the corresponding fixture last year still continues to dominate the build-up to this game, with the news John Terry is set to play likely to stoke the fire further.

Aside from all the tension there is still a game of football to be won and when it comes to the match there should be only one winner given the two club’s respective starts. Chelsea might have been embarrassed in their last outing in the European Super Cup but they have won three out of three in the league and look a sure thing at 5/6. QPR have only one point to show for their efforts thus far and Mark Hughes still has a lot of work to do to blend his raft of summer acquisitions into a team. Rangers are 7/2 for the win, with the draw priced at 13/5.

Manchester United v Wigan – 3pm

It’s fair to say United have stumbled out of the blocks this season, with the defeat to Everton being followed by less than convincing wins over Fulham and Southampton. The game against the Latics represents a great opportunity to get the season up and running, with United traditionally taking three points off their north west neighbours. Last season’s 1-0 defeat at the DW aside, United have won 14 of their 15 meetings and have an aggregate score of 24-1 in games at Old Trafford.

While Wigan have started the season brightly United are likely to have too much fire power for them, with Robin van Persie a good bet to score first at 9/4. United are 1/4 to win the game, with the Latics 12/1 and the draw 5/1.

Arsenal v Southampton – 3pm

The Gunners looked good when they scored their first goals and registered their first win of the season at Liverpool before the international break. Arsene Wenger will hope the recent World Cup qualifiers haven’t interrupted the momentum Arsenal were trying to build, especially with the start of the Champions League around the corner.

Arsenal have yet to concede a goal this season but in Ricky Lambert the Saints have the kind of striker Wenger’s men hate coming up against. Lambert is 11/4 to score anytime and might be worth a punt. However, Lambert’s goal could be the only bit of joy the travelling fans get, with the Gunners 4/11 to win the match and 10/1 to win 3-1.

Stoke City v Manchester City – 3pm

Some of the City players might be forgiven for being distracted heading to the Britannia Stadium on Saturday, with a trip to Real Madrid to come early next week. The Potters will hope to take advantage of City’s state of mind and record their first win of the season after three draws on the bounce.

Tony Pulis may include Charlie Adam and Michael Owen in his Stoke squad for the game, two players who can add that extra bit of quality the Potters have been lacking this season. City have their own new recruits to call on, with Scott Sinclair, Javi Garcia, Maicon and Matija Nastasic likely to be part of the travelling party. Much like rivals United, City have been far from convincing so far this season and Stoke may get something out of this one. Another draw for the Potters can be backed at 11/4 and that is the best they can hope for. City are 8/11 to win, while Stoke are 4/1.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Liverpool could be in for another long afternoon when they visit the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland. The Black Cats have made a slow start to the season but with Steven Fletcher and Adam Johnson have more of a cutting edge which could make the difference against the toothless Reds. Under 2.5 goals is on offer at 8/11, with Sunderland 9/4 to come away with the win.

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Baggies to deepen Villa troubles

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The Premier League season is at ’squeaky bum time’ and while there are a number of clubs who have nothing to play for there are still plenty who do. The relegation battle and the race for a top-four finish get tighter by the week but Saturday’s matches could go some way to deciding both situations.

Sunderland v Bolton 3pm

Bolton did their hopes of escaping the relegation zone the power of good on Tuesday night when they won one of their two games in hand at Aston Villa. Having fallen behind, Owen Coyle’s men showed great spirit to bounce back to win the game 2-1, lifting them to within a point of escaping the drop zone.

While the Trotters appear to be rallying, Sunderland are drifting towards mid-table mediocrity after a dreadful recent run of form, winning just one of the last nine in all competitions. The goals have dried up for Martin O’Neill’s men and their failure to score in the last four games will be music to the ears of Bolton’s leaky defence.

Traditionally Sunderland have got the better of Bolton, winning six of the last seven against the Trotters. However, if there was ever a time to end that run it must be Saturday for Bolton. Sunderland are 10/11 to record another win over Bolton in the match betting, with the draw 13/5 and the Trotters priced at 3/1.

West Brom v Aston Villa 3pm

If there were any doubts about Aston Villa being in a relegation battle then Tuesday’s defeat to Bolton put an end to those. Alex McLeish’s side have won one of the last 13 matches and find themselves just three points outside the relegation zone. There are calls for McLeish to go but at this stage of the season you have to ask whether there is much point.

Saturday’s derby match looks as though it could deal another blow to Villa’s survival hopes, with West Brom probably relishing the chance to deepen their neighbours gloom having made sure of another season in the top flight. West Brom have won the last two games 1-0 and a repeat of that scoreline at 6/1 might be worth an investment. Under 2.5 goals at 5/6 looks a safe bet as well given how few goals both teams score, with Villa having only scored more than one goal in a game once since February.

West Brom are 23/20 for the win – a solid price despite their home record – while Villa are 5/2 and the draw is 23/10.

Wigan v Newcastle 3pm

Two of the form sides in the Premier League clash at the DW Stadium on Saturday, with both still having plenty to play for. Wigan looked dead and buried in February but 12 points from the last 18 has catapulted them out of the relegation zone, albeit only by a point. The Latics produced a similar run at the end of last season to secure their safety but stumbled at Fulham last week.

Newcastle are likely to provide another bump in the road for Roberto Martinez’s men having won their last six on the bounce. Alan Pardew’s team is purring at the moment and with no new injury concerns it is likely to be the same starting XI that blew away Stoke last weekend.

Newcastle have the talent to get the better of Wigan and in Papiss Cisse they have a striker who is bang in form, the Senegal hitman scoring 11 times since he arrived in January. He is 4/1 to grab the first goal, with a Newcastle win on offer at a generous 6/4 in the match betting given their recent run. Wigan are 15/8, with the draw 12/5.

Elsewhere, punters might be tempted to back Stoke to beat Arsenal at 7/2, given how much the Gunners hate going to the Britannia Stadium. However, the Potters have nothing to play for and look to be planning their summer holidays, while Arsenal are desperate need of the points in the bid to secure third.

Norwich could prove decent value if you fancy them to beat Liverpool at 3/1. Neither side has much to play for in the league, with the Reds focusing on the FA Cup final. Kenny Dalglish’s men were unlucky to lose to West Brom last weekend but you wonder whether they’ll be up for the fight at Carrow Road on Saturday teatime.

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West Brom to deepen AVB gloom

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It’s fair to say Andre Villas-Boas’ rebuilding project at Chelsea hasn’t gone to plan so far and the Portuguese tactician is currently teetering on the brink. On Saturday they face a West Brom side flying after some recent big victories. We look ahead to the clash at the Hawthorns and a number of other 3pm kick offs.

West Brom v Chelsea 3pm

Believe it or not, last Saturday’s 3-0 win over Bolton was Chelsea’s first in six matches and temporarily gave Villas-Boas some breathing space after recent reports linking him with the chop. However, Arsenal’s remarkable win over Tottenham the next day pushed the Blues back down to fifth, and Chelsea could find themselves three points off fourth should the Gunners win at Liverpool on Saturday lunchtime.

History shows us that Saturday’s game with West Brom should be a foregone conclusion, the west London outfit winning the last 15 matches between the two. The Baggies last win over the Blues came way back in 1979 and they’ll be desperate to set the record straight.

The 5-1 win over Wolves was followed up by a 4-0 thrashing of Sunderland, a rare success at home for Roy Hodgson’s men. West Brom are likely to field a similar team to the one that beat the Black Cats, with Jerome Thomas their only injury concern. As for Chelsea, trying to second guess Villas-Boas team selection has been nearly as tricky as trying to guess the Lotto numbers this year. Even so you’d expect Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and Didier Drogba to start again.

West Brom are 3/1 to beat the Blues, with Chelsea 20/21 and the draw 5/2. At those prices the Baggies have to be worth a few quid.

Stoke v Norwich 3pm

Stoke’s European exit proved to be the perfect tonic to their recent struggles when it comes to winning games, comfortably beating Swansea 2-0 last Sunday. Before then the Potters hadn’t won a Premier League match since they beat Blackburn on January 2. However, without the Europa League to distract them, Stoke did what they have done best over the last three years, which is beating the teams they are expected to at home.

As for Norwich questions are beginning to emerge over whether the Canaries’ bubble has finally burst after back-to-back defeats. Granted last week they were narrowly beaten by Manchester United but the sucker punch of conceding such a late goal is bound to affect the team’s morale. Injuries are also beginning to mount up for Paul Lambert, with at least three players ruled out of the trip to the Britannia Stadium.

While the Canaries won’t shy away from the physical challenge Stoke present, the extra quality in the Potters team should give them an edge.Stoke are 10/11 to beat Norwich but a better bet might be for Stoke to be winning at HT/FT at 15/8.

Blackburn v Aston Villa 3pm

The news that Darren Bent will miss the next three months must be a hammer blow to Alex McLeish and Villa. The Villains have managed just one goal in the last three matches and, with Bent out injured and Robbie Keane back in America, options are thin on the ground. Emile Heskey and Gabriel Agbonlahor will have to be McLeish’s main threats, a frightening proposition given neither have had good seasons so far.

As for Blackburn, this is a game they will feel they must win if they are to scramble out of the bottom three. Rovers didn’t put up much of a fight against Manchester City last week but have been better at home recently, beating QPR 3-2 last time out at Ewood Park. That result made it two wins from three on home soil and that improved run of form should continue against Rovers.

Blackburn are 13/10 for the win, with a 2-0 win and Yakubu to score first priced at 33/1 if you are feeling adventurous.

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