Tag Archives: poised

Arsenal poised to outgun Royals

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The Capital One Cup has provided Reading with rare moments of joy in what has been a difficult campaign to date, but they have to re-write the record books if they are to make it beyond Arsenal and into the quarter-finals on Tuesday (Reading 10/3, draw 5/2, Arsenal 5/6 Match Betting).

The newly promoted Royals have yet to win in the Premier League this season and are currently languishing down in 18th place.

Their form in the Capital One Cup though is at odds with their results in the league, with victories over Peterborough and QPR putting them on the brink of the quarter-finals. However, in their nine previous meetings with the Gunners they have lost every time.

Arsene Wenger’s side received a bye in the second round due to their presence in Europe but thumped Coventry 6-1 to reach this stage.

The London club’s form since has been patchy, having lost away to Norwich last Saturday before being convincingly brushed aside by Schalke in the Champions League in midweek.

Senior club officials then faced a grilling at the club’s AGM, with disgruntled shareholders concerned at the direction the club is headed following the sale of star striker Robin van Persie in the summer.

Their 1-0 win over QPR at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday helped to ease the gloom and end a difficult week on a high, moving them up to sixth place in the Premier League in the process.

Despite that success over the Hoops, expect a much changed side to take to the field at the Madejski Stadium as Wenger hands experience to several of his young players.

The likes of Nico Yennaris, Francis Coquelin and Serge Gnabry will be given the chance to impress, while the likes of Andrey Arshavin and Theo Walcott may also be given a run-out to maintain match sharpness.

Despite their struggles in the league, Reading boss Brian McDermott has fielded strong teams in his two Capital One Cup ties to date, though he will definitely be without Jem Karacan, who is out for six weeks with a knee injury.

Hal Robson-Kanu, who scored a late equaliser in the 3-3 draw with Fulham on Saturday, could be promoted to the starting line-up, though fellow forward Noel Hunt is a doubt.

A key attacking player for Reading will be Pavel Pogrebnyak. The Russia striker moved on a free transfer from Stuttgart over the summer and has scored in both the Royals’ league cup ties to date. His rather generous odds of 7/1 to net first are well worth considering.

For the Gunners, it may be worth looking at some of the more experienced players that will be taking to field when considering first goalscorer bets.

Theo Walcott was in decent form before picking up a rib injury on international duty and is priced at 6/1 to net first, while Marouane Chamakh is 5/1 to score on a rare first-team appearance.

Despite the number of expected changes in the Gunners side, it is hard to look beyond them in this fixture. The quality of their squad players and the youngsters from the academy should mean they have enough overcome McDermott’s men fairly comfortably.

An inexperienced defence may mean they let one slip at the back, but there is enough firepower in the squad to consider backing the 3-1 Arsenal victory priced at 14/1.

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Royals poised to take crown

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There are several key games in the Championship on Tuesday which could affect both promotion and relegation as the run-in to the end of the season continues. Reading could clinch promotion while Southampton might also find themselves in a very healthy position with just two games to go (Southampton 1/7 Championship Promotion).

Reading v Nottingham Forest

Reading’s record of eight wins, one draw and one defeat in their last 10 games is promotion form in anyone?s book and that is exactly what might happen on Tuesday evening.

A win for the Royal against Forest coupled with anything but a win for West Ham and Brian McDermott’s men will be plying their trade in the Premier League next term.

It has been a remarkable run from the Berkshire outfit and Friday’s 3-1 victory over Southampton proved beyond doubt that they are the best side in the division and deserve to both gain promotion and win the Championship title.

They will face a Forest side who are 19th in the table and, despite a decent record of having taken 15 points from their past 10 matches, should be no match for Reading on their own patch.

Adam Le Fondre is in red-hot form following his brace against the Saints and it would be fitting if he was to bag the winner and send Reading back to the Premier League after a four-year absence.

Defeat for Reading would not be a disaster as they will have two more games to seal promotion but it would be a brave man to back against a side that has won 14 of its last 16 games.

The Royals will find it a much tougher proposition in the top flight next season if they do make it but that will be the furthest thing from their mind if they get over the line on Tuesday, as the party will begin at the Madejski.

Odds: Reading 1/2, Forest 9/2, draw 11/4

Bristol City v West Ham

The Hammers looked like they would make an immediate return to the Premier League for three quarters of the season but a failure to win games when it matters has been their Achilles heel.

Sam Allardyce’s charges have won three of their last five matches and are still in with a decent shout of gaining second spot in the table but five successive draws in March means their fate is now out of their own hands.

If Southampton win their three remaining games then it will be the play-offs for the Hammers and all the pressure and heartache that the post-season brings.

Victory at Ashton Gate is therefore essential for the Londoners and that will not be easy to achieve as the Robins are fighting for their lives at the wrong end of the table.

They are four points clear of the relegation zone and three points next time out could see them secure Championship safety depending on how Coventry fare against Millwall.

City are unbeaten in five and have won two from three and a draw at fourth place Birmingham on Saturday proved that they are a side who do not intend to drop into League One.

West Ham do have the second best record away from home in the division, however, and so it will be a real test for Derek McInnes’ men to carry on their unbeaten run.

They do have a winnable game to follow with a home clash against Barnsley but the south west outfit would love to have their future sorted on Tuesday evening.

Odds: Bristol City 3/1, West Ham 8/11, draw 5/2

Peterborough v Southampton

Southampton had been on a similar run to Reading before coming a cropper at Blackpool on March 21 and that defeat seemed to knock the wind out of their sails.

A draw to local rivals Portsmouth was followed by victory over Crystal Palace but defeat to the Royals last time out means they have taken just four points from four games and let West Ham back in with a chance of beating them to the second automatic promotion spot.

But they do still have a three-point advantage over the East Enders and that it crucial at this late stage of the campaign.

Victory over the Posh in tandem with a defeat for the Hammers will give them, in golfing parlance, a dormie six-point advantage with two games to go and mean they are in pole position to return to the promised land.

The south coast club have been there or there abouts all season and deserve to go up without having to go through the play-offs, and will face a Peterborough side who are so close to securing their Championship survival.

One point should be enough to ensure they beat the drop due to their superior goal difference over those below them in the standings but the Peterborough fans will be glad that their heroes put some points on the board earlier this term as they have taken just four from their last six games with four defeats.

The players might already be ‘on their holidays’ but there are three games to go and they will want to finish on a positive note.

Posh have won 10 at home this season but it is hard to see them adding to that tally against Nigel Adkins’ men.

Odds: Peterborough 100/30, Southampton 4/6, draw 5/2

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Paraguay poised for Brazil shock

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We now know two of the four teams who will contest the semi-finals of the Copa America, after Uruguay and Peru upset the odds in Saturday’s quarter-finals. Paraguay and Venezuela will be looking to do something similar when they take on Brazil and Chile respectively.

The Brazilians have been poor thus far and we feel there is a case to have a serious look at the Paraguayans ending any hopes the Samba Boys had of a third successive South American title.

Brazil v Paraguay (8pm)

Those who have seen much of the Copa America might have confused Brazil with Torquay United – the boys in yellow have been that bad, up until their 4-2 victory over Ecuador in the group stages. Coach Mano Menezes has so far failed to get anything like the best out of Brazil thus far in this tournament and they now face a team who came within minutes of beating the Selecao in the group stages. A late Fred equaliser saved the 7/4 favourites from an embarrassing defeat against a Paraguay team underrated by many.

Coach Gerado Martino has been in charge of Paraguay since 2006 and steered the South American nation to a quarter-final berth in the World Cup 12 months ago, eventually going out to Spain. While not the most attractive side left in the tournament, they are a tough nut to crack and have a physical side to them that many nations in the Copa America can’t call upon. They don’t score many and might have sneaked through the group stages but they are capable of an upset, as shown in 2004 when they beat Brazil in their last Copa meeting with the Samba Boys.

Brazil might have a list of star players as long as the Amazon River, but they look more like a collection of individuals than a team, unlike Paraguay. If La Albirroja can keep the likes of Neymar, Pato and Robinho quiet (easier said than done) there is no reason why they can’t upset the odds. Paraguay are 9/2 to win in 90 minutes but that is probably best left alone, with draw HT and draw FT at 21/5 the most likely outcome if Paraguay are to go through via extra time and maybe penalties.

Chile v Venezuela (11:15pm)

Much like Paraguay, Chile are another nation badly under rated and one who can’t be overlooked to go on and win the whole thing, based on how they have played so far. Arguably they looked the best team in the competition when navigating the group stages, beating Peru and Mexico, while drawing with Uruguay.

As demonstrated at the World Cup they have an attacking line to be feared, lead by Alexis Sanchez, and should have too much for Venezuela, who have a dreadful record against the Chileans. Venezuela have only ever beaten Chile once in 21 matches and have never reached the semi-finals of the Copa America. While we could have three upsets in the quarter-finalsm this is the one that should play out like everyone is expecting.

Chile are 8/13 to win inside 90 minutes, while you’d do well to consider Humberto Suazo at 6/5, Sanchez at 11/8 and Matias Fernandez at 7/4 to score at anytime for La Roja.

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City poised for striker deal

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Roberto Mancini says Mario Balotelli should be a Manchester City (13/8 to be 2010-11 Top North West Club) player this weekend and believes James Milner will move to Eastlands next week.

Balotelli has been a summer-long target for the City boss, who worked with the 20-year-old during his time in charge at the San Siro.

The two clubs have finally agreed a fee for the striker, believed to be in the region of £24million, with Balotelli flying to Manchester for a medical on Friday.

The Italian frontman, who has Ghanaian heritage, scored 28 goals in 86 appearances for Inter since his first-team debut in December 2007.

Balotelli could well be joined by England midfielder Milner (33/1 to be 2010-11 PFA Player of the Year) in the next ‘two or three days’, according to the City manager.

Milner’s future has been the long-running transfer saga of the summer and now looks like it could be finally drawing to a close.

The former Leeds and Newcastle man has been named in Aston Villa’s squad to face West Ham in their Premier League opener on Saturday, but could be wearing a City shirt next weekend.

The Eastlands outfit (1/2 to claim a top-four finish) have offered Villa £18million for the 24-year-old, with Stephen Ireland moving in the opposite direction as part of the deal.

The deal has been reportedly delayed to Ireland seeking a payment to leave City, but it looks like the issues have been ironed out.

Mancini insisted: “We need another two or three days for this situation. We need everyone to be happy.”

As two players head into Eastlands, another could be leaving as Craig Bellamy has been left out of the 25-man squad Mancini has named for the Premier League campaign.

The Wales international admitted last week that he was unsure over his future with the Blues and he now seems certain to leave before the transfer window closes at the end of August.

Former City boss Mark Hughes has confirmed that Fulham (18/1 in Premiership Without Top 6 market) are keen to sign Bellamy, whilst Celtic have begun negotiations with the striker’s representatives over a potential switch.

When asked about Bellamy, Hughes admitted: “Yes, I’d be interested in signing Craig. He’s one of the top players in the Premier League.”

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