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Five weekend lessons

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Another amazing weekend of sporting action has come and gone and it is time to take stock of the action and assess what we have learnt from the action over the past couple of days.

1. The title race is far from over

Chelsea were all but written off as title contenders three months ago and there were even question marks over their Champions League prospects for next term.

But they have turned things around and are now within touching distance of Manchester United. Both the Red Devils and Arsenal have shown frailties in recent times but the Gunners’ victory on Sunday might well have given the Blues the opportunity to take the title – if they can beat Sir Alex Ferguson’s charges next weekend.

Arsenal may have gone yet another season without any silverware but their victory at the Emirates could have gone a long way in determining where the Premier League trophy ends up this season – and that will certainly put a smile back on Arsene Wenger’s face (United 2/9 to win Premier League title).

2. Neil Warnock will just not go away

Love him or hate him, Warnock will be back in the Premier League with Queens Park Rangers after their 2-0 victory over Watford sealed promotion to the top flight.

Although off-field issues might still provide a twist this season, it appears as though the Loftus Road outfit have ended their16-year wait to return to England’s top division.

And nobody can say they did not deserve it as they have been in the top two all season and would have gained promotion a few weeks ago but for three successive draws.

Warnock has managed just one season in the Premier League and suffered relegation with Sheffield United four years ago, with West Ham controversially staying up in their place after avoiding a points deduction despite falling foul of the league rules on player acquisition.

Controversy seems to follow Warnock around and, if they do go up, there is sure to be plenty more next season in west London, as Rangers face the inevitable battle to stay in the top division.

3. No-one wants to stay up

With just three games to go there are realistically still six clubs battling for Premier League survival although Sunderland, Newcastle and Aston Villa could still mathematically go down.

Blackburn’s victory over Bolton has seen them move three points clear of the drop zone but the other sides involved just cannot win a game.

Blackpool, Wigan, Wolves and West Ham have virtually the same goal difference and it seems increasingly likely that it will be a factor when the dust settles on the campaign.

All the respective managers at the foot of the table keep harping on about how many points they need to be safe – the trouble is, none of them appear capable of getting them (West Ham 2/7 to be relegated).

4. Liverpool will challenge next season

It seemed inconceivable that Liverpool would be in with a shout of playing European football next season when they languished near the foot of the table under Roy Hodgson, but Kenny Dalglish has galvanised the side and the key signing of Luis Suarez has turned the Reds back into contenders.

Sunday’s victory over Newcastle pushed the Merseysiders up into fifth with an excellent chance of making the Europa League next term.

Whether or not they want to play in the second-tier European competition is open to question, as the Anfield outfit will doubtless be pushing for a top-four finish nest season and will want to concentrate their efforts on domestic matters.

5. Lee Westwood deserves to be world number one

Many pundits have questioned the relevance of the golf world rankings when a man who has yet to win major sits at the top of the standings.

Westwood has always maintained that majors and the rankings and not connected and a player’s ranking reflects his consistency over a period of time.

The Worksop-born star has a valid point and back-to-back victories in Indonesia and South Korea prove that he is well worth his place.

The 38-year-old has been the model of consistency over the past two years and has come close in a number of majors, and surely it is only a matter of time before he wins one? (Westwood 10/1 to win Open Championship).

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Five lessons from the weekend

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It has been another fantastic weekend of sport with football, motor racing, golf, tennis and cricket all providing entertainment and it is time to reflect on what we have learnt as the new week begins.

1. Manchester United need Wayne Rooney

The treble chance has now gone for the Red Devils following the 1-0 FA Cup semi-final defeat to rivals Manchester City and Rooney had to sit and watch from the stands after his two-game ban for swearing into a TV camera.

His actions against West Ham were widely condemned at the time and they came back to haunt the player and his club as United were unable to find the net against City. The England international hit-man is always likely to play on the edge due to his aggressive nature but he will need to curb his peripheral behaviour or run the risk of missing further big matches.

United have a star-studded side but they need their biggest star when it matters most (City 4/11 to win FA Cup).

2. Arsenal are not quite ready to challenge for the title

Having held onto United’s coattails all season Arsene Wenger’s men have stuttered of late and a third successive home draw has all but ended their title hopes this term. A six-point gap is not huge, but there are only six matches to play and they will probably have to win them all to take the title.

Wenger has consistently refused to buy experienced players and stuck to his policy of bringing youngsters through the ranks but it is obvious that he needs experienced players at this stage of the season to try and grind out results when it really matters. But that is not the Frenchman’s way. How long will the fans’ patience hold out for a trophy? (Arsenal 8/1 to win Premier League)

3. Andy Murray is not done yet.

Murray’s form going into the Monte Carlo Masters was woeful and his temperament had once again been called into question following his defeat to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final. But he eased into the semi-finals on his least favourite clay court surface and gave world number one Rafael Nadal a real run for his money, pushing the Spaniard to three sets.

The fact that Nadal took the match did not matter to Murray’s army of fans, as they will have been relieved that he showed the fighting qualities necessary to win big tournaments. Losing to the greatest clay-court player of all time is no disgrace and will set him up nicely for the bigger things to follow (Murray 28/1 to win French Open).

4. Graeme Onions has an England future

The fast bowler looked to have established himself as an England regular in his eight Tests before injury struck on the 2010 tour to Bangladesh. He missed the entire domestic season last year and reportedly feared for his future. But after working tirelessly to get back to fitness the 28-year-old returned to take five wickets in his first competitive bowl for more than a year as Durham beat Yorkshire to go top of the Division one standings.

James Anderson and Stuart Broad are nailed on to be part of the England attack this summer and it would be no surprise to see Onions back in the ranks, fitness permitting (Durham 11-4 to win Div 1 title).

5. Sebastian Vettel better watch out for the Brits

World champion Vettel was favourite to retain his title and, after wining the first two Grand Prix of the season, it could be seen why. But Lewis Hamilton’s superb drive to win the China Grand Prix has breathed life into the sport and proved that the German will not have it all his own way this season.

After battling with Vettel all the way, Hamilton passed his great rival with just four laps to go and it was significant moment for the former champion as it proved that he does have the speed to compete with the flying Red Bulls. Vettel still leads the standings but with Lewis second and Jenson Button third, to coin an Oscar-night phrase from Colin Welland, the British are coming (Hamilton 5/2 to win F1 title).

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Five potential EPL weekend shocks

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Following the international action, the Premier League is back this weekend but any chance of a repeat of the crazy goalscoring we saw last weekend looks slim. However, there are plenty of betting opportunities, as ever, and here we take a look at some possible shocks and value bets to earn you some money.

The Manchester derby is the early game but, as is often the case with local showdowns, it’s best to steer clear of this one with pretty much anything able to happen at Old Trafford in what could be an early pointer as to who could end up winning the title come May.

Looking at the weekend coupon, though, there are plenty of other value bets to be had in another intriguing set of fixtures in the top flight.

Birmingham host Stoke at St Andrew’s looking to build on the 1-0 win at West Ham while the Potters are fresh from the late, late win over Sunderland so this one looks tight as well. However, at 2/1 the visitors – no doubt backed by a loud and large away following – seem attractively-priced to pull off a victory in the West Midlands.

With still only nine points separating bottom and eighth in the table, there are plenty of teams sweating over their top-flight status and Blackpool, despite all their early-season coupon-busting, are now very much in the relegation fight everyone expected them to be in all along. They entertain Aston Villa, who are the slight favourites at 11/10 for this one, but we fancy the Seasiders to secure a much-needed Bloomfield Rd win at 23/10.

Apart from the late capitulation at Stoke, Sunderland have been fairly solid home and away all season, so expect Spurs to find it tough going at the Stadium of Light this weekend. A 1-0 success for Steve Bruce’s men looks tasty here at 7/1.

West Brom versus West Ham at the Hawthorns has all the makings of a scrappy but full-blooded relegation six-pointer on Saturday and the Hammers, despite being bottom, are not as bad as all that. In Victor Obinna, Freddie Piquionne and now Robbie Keane, they have players to cause any defence problems so we see another away win here. Get on the Hammers, who some thought could be challenging for a European spot by now, at 13/5.

Finally, the west London derby on Monday evening at Craven Cottage sees Chelsea hoping to bounce back from the defeat against Liverpool with a win over Mark Hughes’ Fulham. But we see more misery for £50million man Fernando Torres and co with the home side worth a punt at 19/5 to achieve the three points here.

So, with a few derbies and relegation scraps to look forward to there will be no repeat of last week’s goal-fest – just plenty of shocks to keep us entertained. Or that’s how we see it anyway.

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Five Championship Selections

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As everyone knows, the Championship always throws up plenty of thrills and spills and this weekend will be no different as sides jockey for position up and down the table.

Just ten points separate the teams currently occupying the crucial top-six places and the ball gets rolling at the Madejski Stadium with current leaders Queens Park Rangers making the trip to Reading.

READING v QPR (Friday)
Rangers have a five-point gap over Norwich in second spot although their humongous goal difference could well be worth another point on the day of reckoning in the second tier of English football.
Neil Warnock’s side have conceded fewer goals on their travels than at home this season but the Royals have lost just twice on their own patch so far and will be a tough nut to crack for the west Londoners.
Reading’s last home league defeat was back in October and they are bidding to avenge November’s 3-1 defeat at Loftus Road.
Prediction: Both Teams To Score @ 8/11

BURNLEY v NORWICH
Any QPR slip-up will allow Norwich to reel them in and while Burnley’s unbeaten run on home soil has now ground to something of a halt, the Clarets need something from the game to stay in the play-off place hunt.
The Canaries are one of only three sides to beat QPR this season, but that was at Carrow Road and they will need to be on their mettle to take all three points at Turf Moor.
Prediction: Draw @ 23/10

NOTTINGHAM FOREST v WATFORD
Forest are coming on strong after five straight wins in the Championship and if they win their games in hand would storm into the automatic promotion places.
The division’s form team entertain a Watford side who, like Norwich, have also beaten QPR – this time at Loftus Road – so a trip up the M1 is unlikely to faze the Hornets who have not won in three matches.
Prediction: Forest Half-time/Full-time @ 2/1

LEEDS v COVENTRY
Leeds occupy the final play-off place going into the weekend and one thing is guaranteed at Elland Road – goals, with 14 games producing 53 so far this term.
The Sky Blues’ form has been patchy at best over recent weeks while Leeds have drawn their last two league games 2-2 but this is a game Simon Grayson will know his men need to win.
Prediction: Leeds 2-1 @ 7/1

SWANSEA v CARDIFF (Sunday)
Cardiff briefly topped the table earlier in the season but after 28 games they find themselves in fifth spot and trailing arch-rivals Swansea, who are third, by two points.
The Swans were 1-0 winners at Cardiff City Stadium earlier in the season and are unbeaten in the last five on home soil against the Bluebirds.
Prediction: Swansea @ 6/5

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Best five bets this weekend

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The weekend is rapidly approaching with a full Premier League progrmme, plus plenty more sporting action to get stuck into. Betting opportunities are wide and varied and we will have a look at some of the best bets that could help boost the bank balance.

- Fulham to beat Aston Villa

These two sides have spent the majority of the season in the wrong half of the table but there are signs of improvement in both camps. Villa’s capture of Darren Bent has clearly given the Midlanders a shot in the arm, while Andy Johnson;s return for the Cottagers increases their goal threat. The duo are separated by just one point and both could yet be pulled into the relegation dog fight but, with sides below them struggling for consistency,  they should both escape the drop this term. Fulham have looked better than results suggest and they are now starting to reap the rewards, with 10 points from a possible 15, and are tipped to take this one by the odd goal at Villa Park.

Odds: Fulham 11/4 to win

- Liverpool to beat Chelsea

Three of the Premier League’s January signings scored on their debut, with Robbie Keane (West Ham), Luis Suarez (Liverpool) and Daniel Sturridge (Bolton) all on target on Wednesday night. But it is the fixture on Sunday that immediately catches the eye as Fernando Torres is set to make his Blues debut against the side he left just six days earlier. The Spain international has not enjoyed his best season but had started to show glimpses of his undoubted talent prior to jumping ship at Anfield. But the Reds have won three in a row and beat Chelsea earlier in the campaign and, with the confidence gained from reaching the giddy heights of seventh in the table they are tipped to take all three points in west London.

Odds: Liverpool 9/2 to beat Chelsea

- Newcastle to draw with Arsenal

The Magpies’ faithful are still reeling from the departure of local hero Andy Carroll and the fact that nobody was brought in to replace him. With Shola Ameobi now out injured, Alan Pardew’s striking options are limited to say the least. The Geordies have already banked 30 points this term but will need to find goals from somewhere to reach the ‘magic’ 40 which normally keeps a club in the top flight. With that in mind, it would be no surprise if Pardew sets out to get just a point right from the start against the bigger clubs and Arsenal certainly fall into that category. It could be a case of ‘all hands to the pump’ for the home side but they are tipped to hang on for a draw.

Odds: Draw 5/2

- Blackpool to beat Everton

The Seasiders have been the surprise team of the season to date with 28 points from their first 24 games but have found it tough going since the turn of the year and have taken just one point from their last five games. But Everton have not fared much better with five from 15 and they are still below Ian Holloway’s side in the standings. Games involving Blackpool rarely fail to excite and they continue to entertain despite slipping down the table. This one has all the hallmarks of a cracking match-up with the away side a great price to hang on for the win in a high-scoring encounter at Goodison Park.

Odds: Blackpool 6/1 to win

- England to beat Australia 7th ODI

It has been a woeful display by England in the one-dayers and they deserve to be 5-1 behind in the series but this final encounter between the two old enemies gives Andrew Strauss?s men a chance to end what had been a highly-successful tour up until he start of the 50-over contests on a high. They are not as bad as the scoreline suggests and will surely lift themselves for one final push, with Australia now also suffering with injuries, as players on both sides continue to drop like flies.

Odds: England 5/6 to beat Australia.

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Top five European games on Sunday

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Bet on footballThe FA Cup has taken centre-stage in England this weekend but the battle for supremacy goes on across the European leagues.

Here are the top five games on Sunday.

Inter Milan v Palermo (2pm)

Inter will be hoping their rivals and Serie A leaders AC Milan slip up on Saturday evening when they travel to face Catania as they bid to make up more ground on them in the race for the Scudetto (Inter 11/4 Serie A Outright).

Leonardo’s side have won four league games on the bounce to move to fourth in Serie A and are nine points behind AC with a game in hand.

New striker Giampaolo Pazzini could start if he overcomes an ankle injury, while Inter will be without Sunderland-bound Sulley Muntari. Cristian Chivu, Dejan Stankovic and Ivan Cordoba will all serve one-match bans while Julio Cesar, Milito and Wesley Sneijder are all injured.

Palermo will be no pushovers having moved up to seventh in the table with a 1-0 win against Brescia, but Inter should have too much at the San Siro.

Prediction: Inter To Win 2-1 @ 7/1

Osasuna v Real Madrid (6pm)

Jose Mourinho’s men could be seven points behind Spanish Primera Liga leaders Barcelona by the time this game gets underway should the Catalan giants see off Hercules on Saturday evening.

Madrid have struggled of late after drawing at lowly Almeria and scraping past Mallorca 1-0 on home soil last weekend. Therefore a win at struggling Osasuna could be imperative on Sunday evening.

Karim Benzema (9/2 2 Or More Goals) will look to make it as difficult as possible for new signing Emmanuel Adebayor to secure a regular starting place after he joined from Manchester City this week.

Osasuna are just a point clear of the bottom three at the time of typing and could do with some points for survival purposes.

However, with the heat well and truly on Real Madrid, surely they must win this one.

Prediction: Real To Win 2-0 @ 5/1

Espanyol v Villarreal (8pm)

These two sides have enjoyed successful La Liga seasons in their own right as they head into this match at the Cornella well placed in fifth and third position respectively.

Espanyol have been hit by the sale of full-back Didac Vila to AC Milan, while central defender Victor Ruiz joined Napoli earlier this week.

How this will impact on the home team remains to be seen given that they have won all but one of their home games so far this term.

Villarreal (21/20 La Liga W/O Barcelona & Real Madrid) have won their last two fixtures and will be brimming with confidence going into this one.

Prediction: Draw @ 12/5

Monaco v Marseille (8pm)

Defending champions Marseille (12/5 French Ligue 1 Outright) travel to the Stade Louis II boosted by their first win in six to see off Bordeaux last time out. This put them in fifth position and six points behind current leaders Lille.

On paper, it looks a banker away-win given that Monaco are struggling in second-bottom position with just three wins from their 20 Ligue 1 games this season.

However, the hosts will hope Mahamadou Diarra’s arrival from Real Madrid and the loan signing of Gregory Lacombe from Montpellier will start to pay off immediately.

Prediction: 1-1 Draw @ 5/1

Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (4.30pm)

The action in Germany’s Bundesliga on Sunday centres around the battle to avoid relegation as bottom club Borussia Monchengladbach travel to mid-table Frankfurt aiming to stay in touch with the teams immediately above them.

The game takes on extra significance as Michael Fink could make his Borussia debut against his former club after arriving at the Bundesliga strugglers from Turkish side Besiktas.

And he will be desperately hoping to get his career with the basement boys off to a flying start on his old stamping ground.

Borussia’s problems have been at home this season, where they have yet to register a win, while they have picked up maximum points three times on the road.

Frankfurt have lost four at home so it would not be a surprise if an away win popped up in this fixture.

Prediction: Draw/B Monchengladbach @ 15/2

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Top five bets for the weekend

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With the weekend fast approaching you might be thinking about what your plans are to occupy those days off before the dreaded return to work on Monday morning. As usual, sport will more than likely form a big part of the weekend and we have picked out what we feel are the top five bets to hopefully increase your beer funds over the next two days.

1) Murray to break Grand Slam duck

Every year seems to have been Andy Murray’s year for as long as he has been on the tennis scene for him to win his first grand slam title. Normally most people roll their eyes and claim he won’t get the better of Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer. Up until now that has been the case in the majors but with those two already out of the Australian Open, maybe this is finally Murray’s time.

The Scot goes head-to-head at Melbourne Park with Novak Djokovic looking to go one step further than he did 12 months ago when he lost to Federer in the final. The Serb has been on fire recently and is rightly the favourite to claim his second Grand Slam title. However, Murray has had a fairly ease ride to Sunday’s final and should be fresh for the challenge that the world number three will pose.

At 11/10 in a two-horse race Murray is worth a punt, not only to line your pockets but for patriotic support as well.

2) West Ham to get lost in the Forest

Everyone loves an FA Cup upset and in the last round we were treated to a few as Newcastle and Sunderland fell victim to giant killers Stevenage and Notts County. Now it could be West Ham’s turn to get egg on their face when they play Championship side Nottingham Forest at home on Sunday.

Billy Davies’ side have been flying in the league of late, winning seven of their last eight matches. Last season it was their away form which cost them a chance at automatic promotion. However, they look to have got that monkey off their back and Upton Park could be in for another dark day in what has already been a dreary season.

With West Ham having played extra-time in the Carling Cup 5/2 for Forest to win seems too good to ignore.

3) Molinari brothers present double trouble

At the start of the week, the name seemingly on everyone’s lips was Molinari when it came to discussing the inaugural Volvo Golf Championship. The course was brand new and it was anyone’s guess who would come out on top in Bahrain.

However, after two days of the tournament those smart enough to tip up either Francesco or Edoardo Molinari look as though they could be proved right. Edoardo enjoyed a remarkable second round, carding 65 to leave him joint top of the leaderboard. His brother Francesco is just a shot back on ten-under-par and both look to have taken to the course well.

Edoardo and Francesco are both 8/1 to win the Volvo Championship outright and it’s worth having a look at one or both of the Italians.

4) Everton to derail Chelsea comeback

The talk on Tuesday in the world of football was centred around how Chelsea were over their slump following a 4-0 win at Bolton. However, those who watched that game will know had it not been for a couple of gifts from the Trotters, it could have been another difficult night for the Blues.

They now face another difficult away game at Goodison Park against an Everton side who have caused Chelsea problems in recent years. The Toffees have lost just one of the last six to the west London outfit and expect Carlo Ancelotti to be thrown under the spotlight again if the Blues fall at Goodison Park.

Everton have been up for the big games this season and it doesn’t get much bigger in the cup than facing the holders at home. Everton are 5/2 at home to beat Chelsea and expect them to lift the gloom on their league season by mounting another cup run.

5) England to continue ODI comeback

Just when you thought England would blow what has been nearly the perfect winter in the ODI series with Australia they pull their fingers out and keep the best-of-seven-contest alive. The 21-run win in Adelaide showed England’s fighting spirit in not giving up and expect that to continue in Brisbane on Sunday.

We already know the Gabba has a fantastic batting track and it will be a case of who has the more penetrative bowlers as to who comes out on top. All winter England have had the bowlers capable of taking wickets at crucial times and if they can get past Shane Watson expect them to take the series to 3-2.

England and Australia are both 9/10 on to win the match so if you are looking for more value maybe look at the top England batsman odds. Jonathan Trott has been exceptional with the bat in the last two games and made 135 not out in the Test match at the Gabba in November. The Warwickshire batsmen is 7/2 to topscorer for England again.

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Five FA Cup Predictions

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Bet on the FA CupThe FA Cup returns this weekend with 11 ties to get your teeth into on Saturday. And with it being the oldest cup competition in the world, shocks are guaranteed. But where will they come?

Everton v Chelsea

Chelsea have bounced back into some sort of form with wins over Bolton, Blackburn and Ipswich but could their first blip in five games come at Goodison Park?

The Merseyside Blues secured a 1-1 draw in the Premier League down at Stamford Bridge in December and while the Londoners have been no great shakes on the road, Everton have managed just three home wins in the league so it will be a big ask.

A more sensible approach might be to back the draw in this one which would take it to a replay at the Bridge.

Draw – 23/10

Bolton v Wigan

These two have enjoyed contrasting seasons so far and the derby meeting in the FA Cup could be the Latics’ chance to distract themselves from the fight against relegation.

Bolton have not won in the league since Boxing Day and although the two sides fought out a 1-1 draw on January 5, it is not out of the question for Roberto Martinez’s side to pull a rabbit out of the hat.

Wigan to win – 4/1

Birmingham v Coventry

Blues are through to the Carling Cup final after a tremendous come-from-behind win over West Ham on Wednesday night but this could work against them in this Midlands derby.

The Hammers win is sure to have taken a lot out of the players and Coventry, who looked decent when losing at QPR in the Championship last weekend, boast arguably a better keeper than Robert Green in Keiren Westwood.

Coventry to win – 22/5

Aston Villa v Blackburn

Rovers have risen to eighth place in the Premier League under Steve Kean but they encounter a Villa side which seems to have turned the corner and now have Darren Bent on board.

The Lancastrians have not been any great shakes on the road this term but Bent is cup-tied and this could give them the edge.

Blackburn to win – 16/5

Southampton v Manchester United

Manchester United are looking to extend their record of 11 FA Cups to 12 and this trip to the South Coast should be nothing more than a formality.

All eyes will be on Saints youngster Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who has been strongly linked with a couple of Premier League clubs including the Red Devils.

United Half-Time/Full-Time – 10/11

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Five things we’ve learned…

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It’s been another frenetic weekend of football and it’s given us more clues as who will be winning trophies, who will be going down and who is not good enough. Here’s our take on proceedings…..

1 Tottenham need new faces

Spurs may have continued their impressive home record with a goalless draw with Man Utd, but the stalemate highlighted that Harry Redknapp needs to bring in more players to mount a serious title challenge.
Tottenham (33/1 to win the Premier League) have lost just once at White Hart Lane this season and although Rafael van der Vaart looks the real deal, they still lack something in the attacking third. A stellar signing is needed this month……and not David Beckham!

2 Bolton are running out of steam

Owen Coyle has worked wonders with Wanderers this season, but their potential European bid looks to be running out of steam. Bolton (11/2 Top Six Finish) were very much second best in their 2-0 defeat at Stoke and face a tough run of fixtures in the next month, with games against Chelsea, Spurs and Everton in three of their next four league games. The Whites’ small squad looks to be feeling the pace now and the Bolton board may be reluctant to spend any major sums during the current window.

3 Beware if your team begins with a ‘W’

The bottom three in the Premier League consists of West Ham, Wolves and Wigan and don’t be surprised if it stays that way until May! ‘W’ looks to be the danger letter in the top flight, with a lack of consistency affecting all three teams. West Brom (3/1 to be relegated) may have beaten Blackpool on Saturday but their recent run, one win in seven games, suggests they should also be looking over their shoulders.

4 Any one of 15 teams can be promoted

The Championship is always a crazy, unpredictable division, but even more so this season! The battle for the three Premier League places is wide open and no fewer than 15 teams will still harbour hopes of reaching the promised land this season. QPR are the most consistent team in the league and should go up, whilst the 14 teams below them are very evenly matched. Watch out for the likes of Watford, Leicester and Hull (14/1 to win promotion) – the in-form teams in the division.

5 Walsall are doomed

It looks like Saddlers fans can start planning their trips around the League Two (Chesterfield 2/5f to go up) grounds next season, with things going from bad to worse for the Midlands outfit. Walsall were 2-0 up at home to Huddersfield on Saturday and eventually lost 4-2! That result leaves them seven points adrift of safety and still without a manager following Chris Hutchings’ recent departure. Harry Houdini would be hard pushed to escape from that position!

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Top five transfers so far

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The 2011 January transfer window has been a bit of a strange one so far, despite numerous rumours and plenty of speculation, very little business has been done. There have been a couple of deals that have gone through though, and here is a run through of what the new faces could do for their respective Premier League clubs.

Manchester City – Edin Dzeko (£27m from Wolfsburg)

City have been chasing Dzeko for some time and the Bosnian striker could well prove to be a big hit at Eastlands. He’s already endeared himself to the City fans without even kicking a ball, by having a dig at arch rivals Manchester United and he could be a massive asset for the Eastlands side.

Dzeko has a prolific record in the Bundesliga with 66 goals in 111 appearances in his three and a half year stint with Wolfsburg, he also has an impressive record for Bosnia with 17 goals in 31 games.

The 24-year-old is not blessed with great speed, but he is a fantastic target man who knows where the goal is and could prove to be the perfect foil for Carlos Tevez, who has shouldered much of the goal scoring responsibility for City this season.

Dzeko could make his debut when City host Wolves on Saturday, as boss Roberto Mancini is expected to throw him straight into action, he will also have fresh legs having just had the benefit of the Bundesliga’s winter break (can Dzeko fire City to glory? – 7/1 to win the Premier League).

Stoke City – Jermaine Pennant (£1.75m from Real Zaragoza)

Potters boss Tony Pulis picked up Pennant as soon as the transfer window opened, after a successful four month stint on loan at the Britannia.  The former Liverpool and Birmingham man has added a bit of quality to the Stoke midfield and has an excellent delivery.

We’ve already seen what Pennant can do in the first half of the season and Stoke would certainly have noticed his absence had he left, and at £1.75million Pennant could prove a great bit of business at the end of the campaign.

Fulham – Steve Sidwell (Undisclosed from Aston Villa)

Sidwell was regarded as a quality midfielder when he left Reading for Chelsea back in 2007.  He never managed to secure regular football at Stamford Bridge and moved to Villa, where again he could not get into the side.

The 28-year-old was also a target for West Ham and Wolves but instead opted to move to Fulham, it remains to be seen if he can have an impact at Craven Cottage but boss Mark Hughes will no doubt already be delighted to have beaten two rivals in the battle against the drop to the midfielder’s signature (Fulham are 7/2 to be relegated)

Newcastle United – Hatem Ben Arfa (£5.75m Marseille)

French winger Ben Arfa was regarded as one of the brightest prospects in France a few years ago but a series of bust ups, first at Lyon then at Marseille, have hampered his career and progress to a degree. The gifted playmaker joined on loan in the summer and made an immediate impact at St James’ Park with a few moments of brilliance, including a sublime strike against Everton.

The midfielder suffered a leg break in October following a challenge from Nigel de Jong in Newcastle’s loss to Manchester City, and there were fears he could miss the season.

However, Ben Arfa is making good progress and could return to action in February, where he will surely hand boss Alan Pardew a massive boost if he can rediscover the kind of form he was showing before his untimely injury (Newcastle face Sunderland in their next fixture – Match Betting – Sunderland 11/10, draw 23/10, Newcastle 23/10).

That is pretty much it!  Aside from the four done deals above the only other business that has been done in the January transfer window is the capture of South African defender Bongani Khumalo by Spurs in a £1.5million deal from SuperSport United, while Manchester United have snapped up goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard  from Aalesunds for an undisclosed fee. Manchester City have also captured former Barcelona youngster Gai Assulin as a free agent but it remains to be seen if the young Israeli will break into the team this season, while Khumalo and Lindegaard are also thought to be ones for the future.

The transfers should pick up as we enter the latter half of the month, but at the moment the Premier League has been very quiet in terms of movement.

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