Hammers out to nail Latics

Posted on October 26, 2012 by SoccerCapper

After a fairly disappointing week for the Premier League clubs in Europe there will be plenty of teams looking to make amends domestically on Saturday.

Arsenal and Manchester City are looking to bounce back from defeats in the Champions League, while Reading, Aston Villa and Wigan are eager to get back to winning ways.

Arsenal v QPR 3pm

The Gunners have come back from the international break a different team to the one who showed great determination to recover from a goal down to beat West Ham 3-1 before the two-week hiatus.

Back-to-back defeats against Norwich and Schalke have seen Arsene Wenger’s squad fall under the spotlight again, with a few pundits writing off their chances of winning any silverware or finishing in the top four.

A visit from the Premier League’s bottom club should be just the confidence boost Arsenal need but QPR have shown signs of recovery in recent weeks after a horrendous start.

The R’s will have been frustrated not to have taken all three points against Everton last week, a clear sign they are making gradual progress under Mark Hughes.

Summer signings Junior Hoilett, Esteban Granero and Julio Cesar are starting to show their class and Rangers could give Arsenal a few problems.

The Gunners don’t look like scoring right now and if QPR can frustrate the home side for the opening 45 minutes then the Emirates Stadium faithful are likely to turn on their team pretty quickly.

While a win for the west London club at 8/1 isn’t out of the question the draw looks the more likely outcome.

Match bet – Draw @ 4/1

Stoke v Sunderland 3pm

This is unlikely to be a game for the football purist, with plenty of hustle and bustle the order of the day.

Sunderland are the joint-lowest scorers in the league this season with just six goals to their name, five of which have come courtesy of Steven Fletcher. It looks like being a bit of a slog for Martin O’Neill’s men this year unless they can discover a route to goal quickly.

Despite conceding four at Old Trafford last weekend Stoke have proven a tough nut to crack, especially at home.

They have conceded just one goal in the first three matches and won last time out at the Britannia Stadium against Swansea City. The Potters also have a good record at home against Sunderland, winning three of the last four.

With that in mind a Stoke win at 19/20 looks to be the way forward, although the 0-0 draw looks a tempting bet as well at 15/2 given the two clubs history in front of goal.

Match bet – Stoke to win 1-0 @ 6/1.

Wigan v West Ham 3pm

The Hammers will have unhappy memories of their last trip to the DW Stadium having been relegated by the Latics on that occasion.

They were also beaten 4-1 by Wigan in the Capital One Cup earlier this season, although both teams fielded much changed teams for that match.

Despite the recent bad history against Roberto Martinez’s men, West Ham will be confident of continuing their excellent run of form this weekend.

Wigan are going through their usual early-season slump and are yet to win on their own patch, drawing two and losing the other couple of matches at the DW Stadium.

In contrast, the Hammers picked up their first away win of the season at QPR last time they were on their travels.

Sam Allardyce’s men were excellent on the road in the Championship last season and at 23/10 are too big a price to ignore to pick up a win on Saturday.

Match bet – West Ham win @ 23/10

Elsewhere, Manchester City should get back to winning ways against Swansea, while Paul Lambert could bring Norwich’s mini-revival to a halt when Aston Villa take on the Canaries.

As for Reading against Fulham – barring an inspirational performance from Dimitar Berbatov – it game has draw written all over it.

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Latics can thwart Chelsea

Posted on August 18, 2012 by SoccerCapper

They may well start the season as one of the favourites to be relegated (3/2) again this season, but Wigan appear to winning over some of the doubters and can claim a point on the first Sunday of the Premier League campaign.

Roberto Martinez’s men have left it late in the last two seasons to secure their to- flight survival, but there are real signs that Latics (1/2 to stay up) are making progress under their Spanish boss.

Having turned down the chance to join Aston Villa last summer and having spoken to Liverpool during this close season, Martinez seems to be happy with how things are progressing at the DW Stadium.

A fine end to last season, when they recorded wins over Manchester United and Arsenal, highlighted their improving quality and they eventually finished seven points above the drop zone.

They have lost two key players this summer, Hugo Rodellaga and Mohamed Diame, but they have added quality to their squad and seem to have the knack of finding rough diamonds that they turn into decent Premier League players.

Arsenal midfielder Ryo Miyaichi has joined on loan during the close season, while the impressive Aruna Kone has joined for £2.7million from Levante.

They will face a massive test in the opening game against the Champions League winners (Match Betting – Wigan 11/2, draw 3/1, Chelsea 8/15), who head to the North West following a disappointing showing in the Community Shield.

Chelsea (7/1 to win the title) were very much second best to Manchester City at Villa Park and the absence of the suspended Branislav Ivanovic is a blow to their defensive options.

Although the Blues have paid big money for the likes of Eden Hazard and Oscar, Roberto Di Matteo will be relying heavily on Fernando Torres for goals following the summer exit of talisman Didier Drogba.

One other side issue will see Victor Moses (5/2 to score at anytime) come up against the team that are desperate to sign him before the end of the month.

Martinez says he has no problem selecting the former Crystal Palace man, despite him being the subject of a failed bid from Chelsea earlier this summer. Moses could yet move to Stamford Bridge, but Wigan are standing firm on their valuation.

Last season’s corresponding fixture ended in a 1-1 draw, thanks to a late Wigan equaliser from Jordi Gomes, and a repeat scoreline can be backed at 13/2.

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Rampant Gunners to worry Latics

Posted on April 15, 2012 by SoccerCapper

Monday night’s clash at Emirates Stadium is a big one for both Arsenal and Wigan Athletic, but perhaps more so for the visiting Latics (Arsenal 7/2, draw 9/2, Wigan 10/1).

Wigan go into the game in North London lurking dangerously above the relegation zone, with just five games left to secure another term in the Premier League.

They hold a two-point lead over third-bottom Bolton Wanderers, having played one game more, and a three-point cushion over out-of form Blackburn Rovers.

With Blackburn and Wolverhampton Wanderers in desperate form and short of points, it looks like one from three for 18th spot.

Inconsistency is a trait of all the sides at the bottom. However, Wigan, as they always tend to do around this stage of the season, have started putting results together.

Roberto Martinez’s side have won three of their last four games, including an historic double – a first Anfield win over Liverpool and a first-ever victory over Manchester United at the DW Stadium. They were also unfortunate in a controversial 2-1 defeat at Chelsea.

There has been a slight shift in emphasis of late, with Wigan less reliant on good football and more willing to roll their sleeves up and work hard for their points.

The midfield pairing of James McCarthy and James McArthur have played a key role in Wigan’s recent resurgence.

Shaun Maloney was the hero in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over United and he is 16/1 to open the scoring against Arsenal.

Skipper Gary Caldwell scored a rare goal in front of the Liverpool Kop last month and the Scot is 14/1 to score at anytime on Monday.

Arsenal need a win for their own reasons. The Gunners have managed to turn a disappointing campaign into a respectable one with nine wins in their last 10 games.

They have leapfrogged rivals Tottenham Hotspur into third spot and will cement a Champions League spot with victory over Wigan.

However, the charge has come too late as far as some Arsenal fans are concerned. Damaging back-to-back defeats to AC Milan and Sunderland ended their hunt for silverware and stretched their trophyless run to seven years.

The Gunners faithful will expect a more successful summer in the transfer market as they bid to return to the top of English and European football.

First things first, they need to secure Champions League football for next season.

Despite Wigan’s resurgence, you would expect the hosts to run out comfortable winners.

They have won their last seven home games in all competitions and should have too much firepower for Wigan. Robin van Persie is the obvious dangerman (first goalscorer 2/1), while defender Thomas Vermaelen represents good value at 14/1.

Wigan can only boast one win from their previous 13 Premier League meetings with Arsenal, but have proved recently that history counts for little.

There is plenty of fight in the Latics side, but they will struggle to contain a rampant Arsenal side on their own patch. It is hard to look past a home victory in this one.

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Seasiders set for Latics battle

Posted on April 15, 2011 by SoccerCapper

Blackpool manager Ian Holloway Points in the Premier League are priceless at the moment with plenty to play for at this business end of the season. Saturday throws up five games in the top flight with all 10 teams desperate to pick up three points.

In arguably the game with the most at stake, Blackpool take on Wigan Athletic in a crucial game for both sides (Blackpool 13/10, draw 23/10, Wigan 19/10).

After an impressive start to the season, the honeymoon period is well and truly over for manager Ian Holloway and his players.

Without a win in their last five outings, the Seasiders have been drawn into the relegation battle and now they sit just above the bottom three in the Premier League table.

Wigan are rock bottom of the table but could leapfrog the Tangerines with three points at Bloomfield Road.

This is bound to be a tight and scrappy contest but Wigan have been here before and they should pick up the invaluable victory on Saturday.

Birmingham City are another side desperate for points and they will be confident going into their game against a Sunderland side who have got the end of season syndrome (Birmingham 5/4, draw 11/5, Sunderland 21/10).

The Black Cats have not won in their last 10 games and from being in contention for a European qualification spot, they now find themselves looking over their shoulders.

With the St Andrews crowd behind them, the Blues should win this game and ease their relegation fears.

West Ham United continue to battle for survival and they take on Aston Villa at Upton Park on Saturday (West Ham 5/4, draw 23/10, Villa 2/1).

Villa have appeared to have turned a corner after their victory over Newcastle United last weekend but they are still just five points above the relegation zone.

The Hammers will be hurting after they were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Bolton in their last outing.

With a fully fit squad at his disposal, Villa boss Gerard Houllier should be leaving Upton Park with a win to extend the gap between themselves and the drop.

Everton have been strong finishers in recent seasons and once again a poor start to the campaign has let the Toffees down.

The Merseyside club face Blackburn Rovers on Saturday at Goodison Park in a massive game for the visitors (Everton 4/6, draw 5/2, Blackburn 21/5).

Rovers have struggled under manager Steve Kean and now the Lancashire side run the risk of playing Championship football next season.

Everton are comfortable in seventh place in the Premier League table and with Blackburn battling for their lives, Rovers might just bag a point at Goodison.

Chelsea will be looking to put the disappointment of the Champions League quarter-final defeat to Manchester United behind them when they take on West Brom at the Hawthorns (West Brom 21/5, draw 11/4, Chelsea 8/13).

The pressure is building on all concerned at Stamford Bridge with manager Carlo Anclotti walking a tightrope and striker Fernando Torres yet to open his Blues goalscoring account.

With no silverware up for grabs it might be hard for Chelsea to get motivated for this one, however the club must make sure they qualify for the Champions League this season.

The Baggies are never an easy proposition at the Hawthorns and they might just compound Ancelotti?s misery by holding the Blues to a draw on Saturday.