FA Cup betting – Man City vs Stoke City

Man City vs Stoke betting preview

Stoke City provided the opposition in Roberto Mancini’s first game in charge of Man City, but were unable to prevent the Italian registering his first home win after replacing Mark Hughes at the helm. Saturday tea time sees both teams meet in the 5th round of the FA Cup and three days later City travel to the Britannia to do battle again, this time in the Premier League. Stoke shocked Arsenal in the last round but they must achieve something no other club has this season, and that’s claim victory at Eastlands. The bookmakers make City odds on favourites to progress into the last eight of the competition and they are best priced at 1/2, Stoke are a massive 7/1 to go that one step further and if a replay is forced, the draw pays out at 10/3 with Coral.

After overcoming Championship opposition in the 4th round, City have already bettered last season’s performance in the world’s oldest knockout competition. Billy Davies’ Nottingham Forest embarrassed a Mark Hughes’ City side 3-0 at Eastlands in the third round last year but the Blues’ find themselves second favourites to win the competition this time around. Rivals Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool have already bitten the dust and City will feel they are genuine contenders to win the trophy and at 7/2 they represent a sound bet. City haven’t won the FA Cup since 1969 but could this be their year?

The cup winners automatically qualify for the play off rounds of the 2010/2011 UEFA Europa League but Mancini’s side are set on a top four finish in the Premier League which will see them qualify for the Champions League proper. The FA Cup may represent the Citizens’ best chance of silverware this season after falling at the penultimate hurdle to their Manchester rivals in the Carling Cup. Manchester City’s trophy cabinet, it must be said, is achingly, groaningly empty, as a banner updated at Old Trafford every season joyously points out. But things can change and FA Cup success would be a start.

The Potters are unbeaten so far in 2010 and set up this tie thanks to a routine victory at home to Blue Square Premier outfit York City and a 3-1 win against 2005 winners Arsenal. Tuncay Sanli’s at Wigan in midweek meant Tony Pulis’ side had now not tasted defeat since Birmingham inflicted a 1-0 defeat in late December. Stoke themselves were eliminated at the third round stage in last years competition when League One Hartlepool accounted for them at Victoria Park. But Pulis’ Potters have convinced the doubters this season who thought their only form of attack was via a Rory Delap’s long throw and they travel the short distance to Manchester bidding to reach the quarter finals for the first time.

City striker Carlos Tevez is in red hot goalscoring form of late and is worth a small stake at7/2 to open the scoring on Saturday. The Argentine’s strike partner Emmanuel Adebayor has also started to find the back of the net with two in as many games and may represent better value at 4s. Stoke are the lowest away scorers in all four tiers of English football having scored just five on the road and their main attacking threat lies with front two Ricardo Fuller and Tuncay Sanli, the pair at 9s and 10s respectively with Bet 365.

City returned to winning ways in midweek with a 2-0 success over Bolton after a blip at Hull last weekend, and Mancini will be looking for a repeat of the Boxing Day win over the Potters. The two sides have previously met five times in the FA Cup with City winning three of those, but Stoke were victorious the last time out winning 1-0 in 1976.

Manchester City are unbeaten at Eastlands under the stewardship of Roberto Mancini and have amassed three 2-0 victories in the former Inter Milan Boss’ five home games in the hot seat. The Citizens are 5/1 to win by a 2-0 score line and this seems reasonable considering Stoke’s woeful scoring record away from the Britannia. As many as six teams from outside the top flight could still be left in the competition after this weekend’s fixtures, so whoever progresses in this one will be in with a good chance of a favourable draw in the next round. Personally, I think Stoke’s cup run will end here such is the form of Manchester City at Eastlands. Stoke may frustrate City for long periods in this one but City should run out comfortable winners and put the Potters to the sword for the first time in 2010. The best Stoke can hope for is a replay but neither side will want another fixture in their already busy schedules. Lump on City to win this famous competition outright at 4/1 with Betfred.

Reccomended bets: Man City to win at 2-0 at 6/1 with Blue Square – click for free bet

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Premier League betting – Man City v Tottenham

Man City v Spurs betting odds, tips & free bets

The battle for 4th spot and the all important final Champions League place looks like it’s going down to the wire, but if Tottenham are going to have any chance then they have to get a win on Tuesday as City are 6 points ahead with 3 games to go. Both sides didn’t quite pick up the result they were looking for last time out but they now have the perfect opportunity to stake a claim for 4th spot.  Spurs won this fixture last season to seal their entry into the Champions League and so Man City will be looking to avenge that.

Man City

Man City suffered  a 2-1 defeat last time out away at Everton, despite taking a 1-0 lead and so will be looking to put that right and cement  4th spot on Tuesday.  The Citizens will have to improve though and perhaps be a bit more attacking and clinical if they are to get the 3 points. But with Carlos Tevez still out injured for City it is difficult to see where the goals are going to come from. Mario Balotelli looks like he is likely to get the nod ahead of Edin Dzeko and so the Italian is a good bet at 6.0 with Coral to open the scoring. City’s form recently has been a bit up and down after winning 3 and losing 3 of their last 6 games, but their home form this season has been very good, losing just twice all season and winning 11. With this in mind then, The Citizens are favourites to win the game and best priced at 2.0 with Unibet, but a correct score of 1-0 is looking even better at 8.25 also with Unibet.

Tottenham

Tottenham slipped up at home against Blackpool on Saturday as they only managed a 1-1 draw, in a game that they really needed to win. More worrying for Spurs though, will be their poor recent form which has seen them win just 1 game in their last 12. The amount of draws in this run will also be a concern for Harry Redknapp, as they have drawn a blank in 7 of the 12 matches.  Gareth Bale looks like he could be missing for this important clash so Tottenham may look towards Rafael Van Der Vaart for inspiration. The Dutchman has had a great first season in the Premier League after scoring 12 league goals, and so the attacking midfielder is looking good at 4.0 with Stan James to score at any time.  Although clear outsiders, there is some good value to be had in a Tottenham win, with a 1-0 away victory looking especially good at 12 from Bet 365.

Highlighted Bets

Spurs 1-0 Correct score –12.0 Bet 365
Mario Balotelli first goal scorer – 6.0 Coral
Rafael Van Der Vaart anytime scorer – 4.0 Stan James
Score first/win double of Balotelli and Man City – 8.0 William Hill

By Sam Markham

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Premier League betting – Man City vs Spurs odds

Man City vs Spurs betting preview

Roberto Mancini has classed it as Manchester City’s most important game of the decade, Harry Redknapp says it is no more than his side deserve, but something has got to give as the race for fourth spot enters the penultimate game. Spurs travel to Eastlands on Wednesday evening aiming to strengthen their stranglehold on the final Champions League place, but a win for City would see them leapfrog their rivals with one left to play. The bookies list the Citizens as clear favourites for this must-win clash, they can be found at even money, Spurs are best priced 14/5 and the draw pays out at 5/2 with Paddy Power.

Not many would have had ‘Arry’s men down to finish fourth before a ball was kicked this season, but now the North London club are just 180 minutes away from securing a place in next years Champions League. If they were to finish fourth it would mark Tottenham’s best ever finish in the Premier League, and they could yet pip their bitter rivals Arsenal into third. Quite a turnaround considering Redknapp took over the club in the relegation zone only 18 months ago. Spurs are on a decent run of form, they have won eight of their last 10 league games, scoring in each of those 10.

Manchester City are the only team who can prevent Tottenham finishing fourth after eliminating Aston Villa from the race last time out. Mancini’s men ran out comfortable 3-1 winners against the Villains last time out and will be looking for consecutive home wins come Wednesday evening. City have lost just once in the last six and home advantage might just give them the edge in this one. However, City fans look away now because their record against Tottenham is a poor one. Spurs have won 11 out of the last 12 meetings between the pair in all competitions, their last win coming in March 2008 in a 2-1 victory. In the reverse fixture at White Hart Lane in mid December, Spurs comprehensively beat their Manchester counterparts 3-0 but with so much riding on this one, are we in for a much tighter affair?

Carlos Tevez is preparing to bring up a century of appearances in the Premier League against Spurs and the Argentine needs just one more goal to bring up a half century of strikes. He looks a good bet at 4/1 alongside Emmanuel Adebayor to open the scoring and hit his landmark goal, Jermain Defoe is next best at 11/2 to put the visitors ahead.

If City fail to win this one, could it spell the end for Roberto Mancini. Although the Italian is adamant his future is not dependant on tomorrow night’s result, it’s up to his team to claim the prize of Champions League football. Only one point separates City and Spurs at present, but who will buckle under the end of season pressure?

Recommended bets:

Spurs have won 17 games in which they have lead at half time so get on Tottenham to win the first half and draw the second, this half time full bet pays out at a profitable 14/1 with Bet365. Visit Bet 365

By Mikey Mumford

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Premier League betting – Man City vs Man Utd

Man City vs Man Utd betting preview

Man City: League Position: 4th, League Form: WWLLW

City, after a glorious victory over Champions Chelsea, were heralded as title hopefuls. They then lost momentum with a home defeat to Arsenal, before losing away at struggling Wolves. This Sunday’s victory over West Brom was tainted with disappointment after two goal hero Balotelli proceeded to get sent off and most likely miss this vital clash.

With the early sending off against Arsenal, City will feel that their victory over Chelsea is a true barometer or their ability against the big teams. Beating rivals United at home would bring them level on points with their opposition. They’ve lost the last two of these fixtures by a single goal, and a serious title challenge is difficult to mount if they lose another home tie against another of their main competitors.  

Mancini’s naturally defensive tactics will stifle the opposition, and, as per usual, much will depend on Tevez’s ability to find goals.

Man Utd: League Position: 2nd, League Form: DDWWW

Ferguson’s side seem to have recovered their knack of grinding out wins when their performance lets them down. Mick McCarthy can be forgiven for being frustrated after a vital point was stolen late on by Park Ji-Sung’s second goal on Saturday.

United are still unbeaten in the league (and all competitions this season) and seem to have come to life since the Rooney saga. Whilst Berbatov’s early season form has wilted, Hernandez has exploded onto the scene and shown signs of being the next bright star of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign.

They have, however, drawn four of five away fixtures, letting in two goals at both Bolton and Fulham and three at Everton.

Saturday’s match was blighted by illness to Scholes, Evra and Vidic, and although all three played they can be expected to look sharper midweek. It’s now down to Sir Alex to decide on what system and approach his team takes, with players like Obertan and Bebe maybe too inexperienced for such a game, but possibly necessary if they’re to play a five man midfield.

Match Prediction: Draw – Best odds 3.3 with Bet365.

In what is a really hard match to call, the best value is available on the draw. Although it’s difficult to ignore Manchester at 2.88, both teams are likely to set out to stop the other team scoring.

Tevez and Hernandez are both able to sniff out little chances, but the centres of each midfield are going to be neat and solid, it’s unlikely either manager will throw in a surprise adventurous move. Which is a shame, each bench is likely to have a couple of exciting players just keeping warm. City may have the better options, but each member of United’s defence, especially Vidic and Ferdinand, would replace their opposite number.

An early goal either way will open this game up, and it has the potential to be the best match of the season. If Tevez is fully fit he’ll put even more into this match than a usual fixture, and City will need him if they’re to get anything from this game.

Neither side leaks goals, but United have only kept one away clean sheet this year, whilst City have only one clean sheet in their past five games.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Under 2.5 Goals – 1.83 SkyBet
First Goalscorer: Carlos Tevez – 6.00 SkyBet, Coral, WilliamHill
Correct Score: 1-1 Draw – 6.5 – Coral, Ladbrokes, SkyBet, WilliamHill, VictorChandler

Match Odds:-

Manchester City – 2.7 Best odds: Paddy Power
Draw – 3.3 Best odds: Bet365
Manchester United – 2.88 Best odds: Victor Chandler

By Chris Wilkerson

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Premier League betting – Man City vs Liverpool

Man City vs Liverpool betting preview, odds and tips

In the wake of the Premier League’s Euro play off proposal to decide the final Champions League place, two teams vying for that fourth spot take to the field at Eastlands on Sunday as Manchester City entertain Liverpool. City leapfrogged the Reds into fourth after leaving the Britannia with a point in midweek but both clubs will be looking to take maximum points from their closest rivals in this one. The outcome of this fixture could well prove decisive in the race for fourth, and City are clear favourites to take a stranglehold on that position at 6/4, Liverpool are a long 2/1 shot to improve on their woeful away form and snatch all three points whilst the draw is being chalked up at 23/10.

Best Odds

Man City – 6/4 with Bet 365 – Click for £100 in free bets
Draw – 23/10 with William Hill – Click for £25 free bet
Liverpool – 2/1 with VC Bet – Click for £100 in free bets

Manchester City’s new found wealth is certainly reflected in their league position as the Citizens continue to have their most successful season in the top flight. Gareth Barry’s second half leveller at Stoke in midweek scraped Roberto Mancini’s side a point but on the basis of play, the Potters down to ten men, had a perfectly adequate goal ruled out for a foul on Shay Given. Therefore, the Italian may have left the Britannia feeling this was more of a point gained than two dropped. On the road of late, City have struggled succumbing to defeats at Hull and Everton but at Eastlands they are yet to be beaten this campaign with Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal having all left empty handed.

They will certainly fancy their chances against a Liverpool side that have underperformed in all competitions this year. A draw was played out at Anfield when the pair last met in November, but neither manager will be hoping for a repeat score line this time around. The Citizens have played a game less than their Merseyside rivals but a win on Sunday and the prospect of another three points could see them consolidate the position they currently find themselves in.

Liverpool have been lacklustre away from Anfield this season losing on no fewer than six occasions, more than any other of their top four rivals. This is a statistic they must change if they are going to cap off a disappointing year by finishing fourth. They fixture at City is sandwiched between the two legged Europa League clash against Unirea Urziceni, which they should progress into the last 16 with flying colours. However, last weeks 1-0 defeat at Arsenal epitomised Liverpool’s season, and their disgruntled fans will bemoan the fact that this time last season they were 11 points better off. Nevertheless, they could be boosted by the return of top marksman Fernando Torres and Israeli Yossi Benayoun, which will sure inject the firepower they have sorely lacked. The pair have scored almost half of Liverpool’s 43 goals this term.

If Fernando does play some part in Sunday’s game he is the bookies favourite to break the stalemate at 5/1. Next up are City’s front two Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor at 5s and 6s respectively. Whatever, the outcome there is sure to be goals, under Mancini city haven’t failed to score less twice in a match at Eastlands. With this in mind, back both teams to score at 4/5 with Blue Square.

If the form book is anything to go by Manchester City must be seen as favourites, but Liverpool have an almost identical squad which finished 2nd last year and they are capable of upsetting the odds. At an appealing 2/1 Benitez’s men will see plenty of backers but the draw could be the best bet at odds of 23/10.

Reccomended bets: Back the draw at odds of 23/10 with William Hill

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Premier League betting – Man City vs Fulham

Man City vs Fulham betting odds, tips & free bets

Manchester City League Position: 3rd League Form: WLDWL

Manchester City have begun to play some exciting football of late, while they still do rely on Mancini’s philosophy of holding midfielders bolstering the backline, players like David Silva and Yaya Toure have really injected some creativity into the side. Silva and Toure are both likely to start and with both in such good form either would be good value to open the scoring in this fixture at odds of 10.0 and 9.0 respectively on Bet365.

But when it comes down to scoring for Manchester City there really is only one man who comes to mind, the team’s top goalscorer Carlos Tevez. 4 goals in the last 5 matches and 18 goals overall this campaign mean that bet on Tevez scoring either first, anytime or last in this fixture should definitely work out. Tevez has odds of 4.0 on Bet365 to score first, odds of 1.83 on Bet365 to score at any time and 4.0 to score last on Bet365. City’s injury troubles have not improved though, with Adam Johnson, Nigel De Jong, Shay Given and Shaun Wright-Phillips still out. However if there is any squad with a wealth of depth it is Manchester City so a strong line-up should start this Sunday.

Fulham League Position: 13th League Form: WLWDD

Fulham’s form of late has improved and with that the chances of Mark Hughes being sacked have severely decreased. The midweek loss against Bolton won’t have helped morale at Craven Cottage but being unbeaten in 4 games before the loss will definitely spur Fulham on. Bobby Zamora made his return midweek and could be in line to re take his starting place. The odds of him scoring at any time in the fixture definitely have some promise at 4.5 on SkyBet and he will be looking to come back with a bang this weekend.

Fulham have drawn their last 2 league fixtures and have amassed an astonishing 13 draws home and away in the Premier League this season. So a bet on it being a draw at half time then finishing as a draw full time at odds of 7.0 on ToteSport may be a good one.

City should be favourites for this tie, they have been playing good football of late and while they may not be prolific scorers against Premier League sides they should be backed to win comfortably here at Eastlands. A bet on City winning 2-0 could be a likely one at odds of 7.25 on UniBet.

Highlighted Bets:

First Goalscorer Yaya Toure 9.0 Bet365
First Goalscorer David Silva 10.0 Bet365
First Goalscorer Carlos Tevez 4.0 Bet365
Anytime Goalscrer Carlos Tevez 1.83 Bet365
Last Goalscorer Carlos Tevez 4.0 Bet365
Anytime Goalscorer Bobby Zamora 4.5 SkyBet
Draw/Draw 7.0 ToteSport
Manchester City 2-0 7.0 UniBet

By John Fernandez

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Premier League betting – Newcastle vs Sunderland

Newcastle vs Sunderland betting preview

Newcastle: League Position: 9th, League Form: WLLDW

After a disappointing midweek cup defeat to Arsenal, Newcastle have a great chance to bounce back in altogether different type of game. This is the kind of occasion they missed last year, the Tyne/Wear derby, as they look to establish themselves back in the big time.

Home form is Newcastle’s weakness so far this year, with only four points from a possible 15 picked up at St James’ Park. The Toon faithful will be hoping this game can ignite better performances from the players, and maybe the intensity of a derby can lift them out of their home soil slumber.

The problem for Newcastle is they seem to need to chase a game before they get going. Conceding first is an ugly habit, and they had to fight from goals down against both Wigan and West Ham to recover points. They’ve not kept a clean sheet in 6 games (league and cup), and if they don’t wise up they’ll keep being punished.

Sunderland: League Position: 7th, League Form: DDDDW

With only one league defeat this season, away at West Brom, Sunderland can be confident of their chances in this Sunday’s match. Considering their opponent’s habit of giving teams leads, it’s interesting to note only one team has conceded fewer goals than Sunderland so far this season (Surprise, surprise, it’s Chelsea).

Defensive steel gives Steve Bruce’s side every chance of snatching points on the road, the only problem being the reliance on Darren Bent to score the goals. A poacher like Bent can survive on scraps and is the type of player who can get a goal whilst playing badly. The challenge for both teams may come down to service to the England striker.

Geordie gaffer Bruce should be able to motivate his troops ahead of the battle that awaits them, but must be hoping skipper Lee Cattermole learns from his two red cards this year and stays the right side of the referee.

Match Prediction: DRAW – 3.3 Victor Chandler – Free £50 bet for new customers.

At this early stage in the season only a point and two places separate these fierce rivals ahead of their first derby of the campaign. Both teams are only 1 up on goal difference this term, but whereas Newcastle have scored and conceded freely (14 scored 13 conceded), Sunderland are going about things in much a different manner (8:7).

Newcastle have given teams a start this year, and will look to attack in front of their own fans. Andy Carroll looks like he prefers being on the pitch than off it at the moment, whilst Darren Bent will be preying on any scraps the home defence afford him. I think they’ll both get chances, and would fancy either to score first. Considering the Toon’s trend of giving out leads, I’d take Bent to pip Carroll to getting the opener.

Chris Hughton will be looking for some solidity this time out, whilst Bruce has seen his side stand strong against the best teams in the land so far this season. As such, I expect a low-score draw and both sets of supporters leaving satisfied.

Recommended bets for Newcastle vs Sunderland

Over/Under: Under 2.5 Goals – 1.91 William Hill
First Goalscorer: Andy Carroll – 7.00 Blue Sq
Correct Score: 1-1 Draw – 7.00 Sky Bet

Match Odds:-

Newcastle United – 2.25 Stan James
Draw – 3.3 Victor Chandler
Sunderland – 3.6 Bet Fred

By Chris Wilkerson

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Premier League betting – Man Utd vs Chelsea odds

Man Utd vs Chelsea betting preview

Premier League fixtures do not come much bigger than this. Old Trafford plays host to the potentially title deciding clash between the top two as Chelsea travel to Manchester looking to complete a league double over their fierce rivals. A solitary point separates United and the West Londoners at the summit, but come noon on Saturday the Red Devils could be celebrating a vital four point cushion over their opponents. Alternatively, the Blues can replace Sir Alex’s troops and claim top spot as we prepare for the closest title run-in in Premier League history. Paddy Power go 6/4 for a United win, Chelsea can be found at 9/5 while the Irish bookies pay the draw at 11/5.

Wayne Rooney on crutches, a sight that Manchester United and all English football fans didn’t want to see with the World Cup in South Africa looming. Thankfully, the injury the 34 goal striker sustained in the midweek defeat at Bayern Munich is only a minor one, and setbacks permitting he should be fit for this summers finals. However, the ligament damage he did suffer means he will miss the showdown with Chelsea, and his side’s odds have lengthened slightly as they prepare to do battle without their star man. The match may have lost some of its gloss with the news of Rooney’s absence, but it has been confirmed that Chelsea’s Didier Drogba will start the game after doubts had been cast over his fitness.

Chelsea seem to have overcome their Champions League headache of late, amassing 12 goals in their last two outings against Portsmouth and Aston Villa respectively. The Blues’ now have a superior goal difference over United and this could prove decisive if the title race does go right down to the wire.  Last Saturday’s 7-1 hammering of Aston Villa saw Frank Lampard help himself to four goals, as Carlo Ancelotti’s men showed no signs of missing their Ivorian hitman. The Blues’ record at Old Trafford is a good one, United have only beaten them seven times in 35 meetings and no team has scored more goals there and taken more points than Chelsea. So the form book might bode well, but Chelsea were comprehensively beaten 3-0 in the same fixture last season but a repeat score line this time around pays a massive 28/1 with Bet365.

Manchester United returned home from Germany with a 2-1 deficit and an injured Wayne Rooney, not the ideal Easter tonic Sir Alex Ferguson had in mind. Nevertheless, his United side have won their last six home games in all competitions and have dropped just five points at home all season. Aston Villa and Leeds United are the only teams to have beaten the reigning Premier League champions on home turf this season. Since Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic have rekindled their defensive partnership, United have kept five clean sheets in their last eight games and haven’t been defeated since going down 3-1 at Everton in late February. Chelsea will have had a full seven days to prepare for Saturday’s crunch match but will the Red Devils’ overcome their European hangover and put the Blues to the sword? Chelsea won the reverse fixture 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in November thanks to a John Terry winner and JT will be hoping his side can complete the double over the Mancs.

Sir Alex has tipped young Federico Macheda to plug the gap while Wayne Rooney recovers. The Italian burst onto the scene last season scoring the winner at home to Aston Villa and followed this up with the only goal away to Sunderland. But injuries have halted his progress but he is likely to feature against Chelsea and SkyBet list him at 9/1 to break the deadlock. Dimitar Berbatov and Didier Drogba are joint favourites to score first at 5/1. Paddy Power go 17/2 that an own goal is scored, twelve of United’s goals this season have come courtesy of opposition players.

Rooney-less United are now even money to scoop their fourth successive Premier League title, while Chelsea are 11/8. Arsenal currently lie in third place four points off the pace and are listed at 11/2 to claw back this deficit and emulate the feat of the ‘Arsenal Invincibles’ who lifted the crown in 2003/04.

Drogba is currently two behind Rooney in the Premier League goal scoring charts, and while confusion surrounds the length of time Rooney will be missing, lump on the African to finish as this seasons leading marksmen at 5/4 with Bet 365

By Mikey Mumford

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Premier League betting – Man City vs Everton

Man City vs Everton betting preview

Man City: League Position: 3rd, League Form: DWDWW

City are unbeaten in seven in the league, and have only lost at home once all season. A ten man defeat against Arsenal isn’t an awful blot to have on your copybook. They’ve only let in five goals in eight home games, yet surprisingly have only scored one per home game.

This stat is more of a worry after the news that broke from Manchester this week. Captain, star and top goalscorer Carlos Tevez wants to leave, and he’s adamant it will be in January. A team lacking goals can’t lose the man who scores the majority of them if they a) want to challenge for the league and b) want to make the top four.

However, they are hard to break down and play with a tight defensive shield, with at least two or maybe three holding midfielders. Yaya Toure has taken it upon himself to lead his midfield forward more often as of late, and was the quality that tore open West Ham in last weekend’s 3-1 away win.

Everton: League Position: 15th, League Form: LDLDD

Everton fans will be extremely disappointed with their side this season so far. 15th place, three wins and only 18 goals from the 17 games played. They won’t lose patience in manager Moyes yet, but the Toffees boss most definitely is running out of such a commodity with his side.

They are a side who lack goals, and must be looking for a striker come the transfer window. Yakubu, Beckford and Saha all have some quality, but fitness and consistency seem to escape them. Goalscoring is left to jack in the box Tim Cahill, but he’ll find less space to drift with three defensive minded midfielders blocking his path.

They have however pulled out 1-1 draws away at both Spurs and Chelsea, were unfortunate to lose at home to Arsenal and had that dramatic comeback against Premiership leaders Manchester United. There is quality there, and no one expects them to stay this low all season.

Match Prediction: Manchester City WIN – 1.75 best odds at Paddy Power

Sadly for Everton, the City of Manchester Stadium isn’t the place to come when you’re low on confidence in front of goal. The five goals they let in this season are over three games, of which one they lost 3-0.

Both teams will grind out a performance, and this could be a dour game. City need a lift after the Tevez saga began, and at least they are lucky to have a player that, if selected, will play with pride and passion whatever mood he is in.

As such, and considering the form each side is in, it’s hard to look past Manchester City to take all three points here, and to do it comfortably.

With there being no real indication of whether Tevez will play, or how well he’ll do, the man in form for City has been ex-Barcelona man Yaya Toure, and is worth a punt at 15s.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Under 2.5 Goals – 1.85 Bet 365
First Goalscorer: Yaya Toure – 15.00 Bet 365
Correct Score: 2-0 City Win – 8.00 Paddy Power

Match Odds:-

Manchester City – 1.75 Paddy Power
Draw – 3.8 Victor Chandler
Everton – 5.5 Victor Chandler

By Chris Wilkerson

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Premier League betting – Liverpool vs Fulham

Liverpool vs Fulham betting preview

Liverpool League Position: 9th League Form: LWLWL

Liverpool’s midweek display was hardly one that can be used to judge their league form, namely since half of the team that started can hardly expect to be picked for what should be a good 3 points against an ailing Fulham side. Roy Hodgson’s return to Fulham is likely to draw the headlines however the only return that the Anfield faithful will care about is the expected return of Steven Gerrard. Gerrard is tipped at 6/1 on Stan James to open the scoring and is always a good shot to score.

Liverpool with Gerrard back will be almost back to full strength. Jamie Carragher continues to be absent with injury though, Gerrard’s return may mean that Hodgson reverts back to a 4-2-3-1 instead of his recent 4-4-2 with Fernando Torres leading the line and Gerrard playing in the hole behind him, meaning David N’Gog will be dropped to the substitutes bench.

Fulham League Position: 17th League Form: DLDLD

Fulhams’s form this season has been poor throughout, the loss of Roy Hodgson and influential left back Paul Konchesky looks to have hit them hard. Goals have been hard to come by with Bobby Zamora injured. Clint Dempsey has been and continues to be their most potent threat in front of goal with 5 all season; he is priced at 4/1 on Bet 365 to score anytime in the fixture.

The Cottagers have not won away from home all season, and seem to be becoming the draw specialists of the league with a total of 6 draws this season, including two no score draws, signalling that while goals are hard to come by that the Fulham back line marshalled ably be Brede Hangeland are hard to break down.

The odds for a non-scoring draw are quite handsome at 12/1 on Coral; however the most likely outcome looks to be a Liverpool win, possibly not a high scoring fixture that is won by the odd goal. The key factor will be Steven Gerrard, his return should propel Liverpool to a victory, however if injury still side-lines him a bore draw looks to be on the cards.

Highlighted Bets

First Goalscorer Steven Gerrard 6/1 Stan James
Anytime Goalscorer Clint Dempsey 4/1 Bet 365
Correct Score 0-0 12/1 Coral
Outright Liverpool 4/7 Bet Fred

By John Fernandez

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