Premier League betting – Bolton vs Arsenal

Bolton vs Arsenal betting odds, tips & free bets

Bolton: League Position: 8th, League Form: DWLLW

Positives are still aplenty for Bolton despite their hammering last weekend at Wembley by Stoke. A 5-0 defeat in an FA Cup semi-final isn’t anyone’s idea of a good day out, but Bolton have had a fantastic season, eighth and only six points behind sixth place with a game in hand, there’s still something to play for too.

Getting back to the league does bring in the best English striker of the past few months of Premiership to their side, as Daniel Sturridge was cup tied for the Stoke match. Six goals in eight games from the young forward on loan from Chelsea, not to mention scintillating performances and match winning contributions, no one wants to come against him at the moment.

The weekend’s game was a blip, nothing like the Bolton of this season who have scored as many at home as Arsenal this season, only picking up two points less at the Reebok than Arsenal have at the Emirates, and in a game less.  

Arsenal: League Position: 3rd, League Form: DDWDD

Arsenal continue to drop points in their chase for the title. Just think, if they could hold a one goal lead for two minutes of stoppage time at home and a two goal advantage away at North London rivals Tottenham then they would be two points behind leader Manchester United and in second place. Now they’re third and six points behind Manchester United in first, with only five games remaining.

For those who question Arsenal’s ‘mental fortitude’, or bottle to those of us who speak normal English, it can only be assumed that they will crumble on hard away trips? However, to some surprise, they top the league when based only on away fixtures, having gained four more points on the road than current champions Chelsea, and six more than champions elect United.

Two rather draining games in a row then lead them to Bolton on Sunday. Traditionally a ground they struggle at, the physical approach of old Allardyce teams always a problem, the new Bolton could suit them down to the ground, as that’s where the ball will most likely stay. With no fresh injury worries, Arsenal must win, and playing a day later will know how both title rivals have done before them.

Match Prediction: Arsenal Win – 1.8 Bet Fred

As much as Bet 365’s 5.25 on Bolton winning at home is too big a price, Arsenal need a win, Bolton will be reeling after their FA Cup hammering and it’s hard to think the Gunners won’t do what they need here to stay in the title race.

Arsenal are obviously capable of scoring away from home, with eight in their last three away fixtures, and may feel the weight of expectation is lessened playing away from their own fans, and the atmosphere will never reach the heights of Wednesday night. Robin Van Persie has four goals in five games too, and adds such an attacking threat in comparison with Bendtner and Chamakh.

The stats suggest there will be goals, 50% of Arsenal’s games end with over 2.5 goals, whilst 61% of Bolton surpass that figure too.

That’s not to say Bolton won’t threaten, all three of Davies, Elmander and Sturridge should be looking forward to this. The fragile Arsenal defence won’t like Sturridge’s pace and trickery, while Bolton will still throw it up there for Davies and Elmander to fight for.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Over 2.5 Goals – 1.67 Will Hill
First Goalscorer: Robin Van Persie – 5.00 Bet Fred
Correct Score: 3-1 Arsenal Win – 15.00 Bet Fred
Anytime Goalscorer: Robin Van Persie – 2.2 Coral

By Chris Wilkerson

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Premier League betting – Blackpool vs Spurs

Blackpool vs Spurs betting odds, tips & free bets

Blackpool: League Position: 16th

The fairytale start is slipping away from the Tangerines a touch, and now Ian Holloway needs to prove himself a good manager. As results start to slip away from his side, they are falling closer to the relegation places.

Those who believed Blackpool may struggle in front of their own fans this season are starting to be vindicated by results, and the seasiders are bottom of the league table for home games, losing six of twelve and only winning three. In contrast, they are seventh of the away results table.

They have no fresh injury concerns, and none returning to fitness either. This means they continue with the erratic Richard Kingson in goal, capable of handing the initiative to visitors with casual mistakes.

Their draw last time out ended a run of defeats, but they find themselves winless in six games and no longer the scary prospect they were a few months back.

Tottenham Hotspurs: League Position: 4th

The heroes of the San Siro return, and not many grounds and styles could be more stark a contrast to their last game than a trip to Blackpool.

With Van Der Vaart and Gareth Bale injured, Harry Redknapp’s side are without two of their best players so far this season. The team is beginning to rack up a long injury list, with those two meeting Huddlestone, Corluka, Woodgate, King and Kaboul in the treatment room. Tottenham must prove their strength in depth to continue their form and stay ahead of Chelsea in the race for a Champions League spot.

Whilst their opponents struggle at home, Tottenham are third when it comes to away matches. They should be adept at absorbing the attacking style of Blackpool and launching waves of counter attacks. This game should have been an exciting prospect for the likes of Lennon and Defoe, who should find space to use their speed, and Luka Modric will dictate play with the gaps in the home side’s defence.

Match Prediction: Tottenham Win – 1.83 Victor Chandler

The league’s second worst home defence against the attacking vigour of Tottenham looks a mismatch of a contest, especially considering recent form and Blackpool’s appalling home record.

All the teams at the bottom are watching Blackpool’s descent keenly, and Ian Holloway’s side look like they’ve been sussed out by the Premiership sides.

The likes of DJ Campbell and Charlie Adam will have to perform to the best of their abilities if Blackpool are to threaten Spurs, and although they will cause the away side’s backline all sorts of problems it’s easy to see Tottenham just outscoring them. With this in mind, it may be worth backing both teams to score.

With Van Der Vaart out expect Spurs to play two front men, with Defoe likely to jump into the starting XI. This season has been a poor one for the England hitman, without a goal in the league, but he’ll most likely get chances if he plays, and his potent striking means he should score.

However, with the sides attacking non-stop, it’s conceivable that Blackpool could score first only to lose, and with Spurs favourites the Blackpool first goalscorer prices represent a little extra value. If you fancy a Blackpool opener then try top scorer DJ Campbell at a bigger price. After all, Tottenham have recouped 20 points from losing positions this season.

Verdict? With both teams intent on attacking, but Blackpool the weaker, a high scoring Tottenham win seems likely.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Over 3.5 Goals – 2.38 Stan James
First Goalscorer: DJ Campbell – 9.00 Coral
Correct Score: 4-2 Tottenham Win – 51.00 Tote Sport
Both Teams to Score – 1.53 Stan James
Tottenham To Come From Behind and Win – 9.00 Tote Sport.

Match Odds:-

By Chris Wilkerson

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Premier League betting – Blackpool vs Man Utd

Blackpool vs Man Utd betting preview

Blackpool League Position: 11th League Form: LLWLL

Blackpool may be going through a bad patch at the moment, suffering unlucky defeats to away at Sunderland and West Brom, but they are still looking like a stable Premier League team. One positive that definitely can be gained from the last two games is that while there is a lot of transfer speculations about Charlie Adam, his performances on the pitch are definitely not suffering. Another player who is consistently putting in a good shift for the Seasiders is striker DJ Cambell, who leads the clubs scoring charts with 7 goals. While Manchester United are far from opponents who are easy to score against, it is surely worth a look in at 3.75 on William Hill and BetFred for DJ to score at any time in the fixture.

Over the season Blackpool have produced a lot of goals in their games, due to their flamboyant attacking style of play, but also due to this they have shipped a lot of goals as well and so this makes a bet on both teams scoring in this fixture at odds of 1.8 on Stan James a promising one definitely. Blackpool are not missing any key personnel and therefore should be able to field a strong line-up against the league leaders on Tuesday and hopefully end their unbeaten run.

Manchester United League Position: 1st League Form: DWWDW

Manchester United are looking more the complete package every week and if they keep putting in performances like this weekend’s against Birmingham, they will be champions by April. However Ferguson’s men don’t look invincible yet and its fixtures like this one, away at Blackpool where United gave often faltered earlier in the season.

Dimitar Berbatov and veteran winger Ryan Giggs were in superb form at Old Trafford at the weekend and if they bring the same kind of performance as they did then to Bloomfield Road this could be a very bad day for Blackpool. Berbatov stands on 17 goals this season and is leading the race for the golden boot and is therefore great value at odds of 4.5 in Stan James to open the scoring. United netted 5 goals at the weekend and it can be expected that they will score a few in this fixture against the fragile Blackpool backline, so a bet on a Manchester United 4-1 victory at odds of 21.0 on SkyBet

Highlighted Bets

Anytime Goalscorer DJ Cambell 3.75 William Hill
Both Teams to Score Yes 1.8 Stan James
First Goalscorer Dimitar Berbatov 4.5 Stan James
Correct Score 21.0 SkyBet

By John Fernandez

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Premier League – Blackpool vs Man Utd

Blackpool vs Man Utd betting preview

Blackpool League Position: 11th League Form: DLDWD

Blackpool’s season so far has been, in comparison, to what everybody thought it would be a massive success. While pundits said that Blackpool didn’t stand a hope of surviving this season in the Premier League they continue to defy this and sit at the top of the bottom half of the league. Ian Holloway’s fearless management style has been a breath of fresh air in a league where playing 3 defensive midfielders has become the usual. However while this does mean the Seasiders are never short on goals it also means that they are extremely defensively suspect.

Joint top goalscorers Marlon Harewood and Luke Varney seem the most likely to merit a starting place an Holloways ever changing team and therefore are good shouts to score anytime at 4/1 on SkyBet and 9/2 on Coral respectively. Blackpool’s record in front of goal though makes it hard to believe that they will not come away from this game with at least 1 goal too their name so with odds of 7/10 on StanJames for both teams to score it looks a fair bet.

Manchester United League Position: 1st League Form: WDDWW

Manchester United’s 7-1 defeat of Blackburn last week was probably the best showing the Red Devils have produced this season. Yes it was helped by a thoroughly abysmal showing from Blackburn but nobody can deny that the collective class of Dimitar Berbatov,Wayne Rooney and Nani shone bright last Saturday. Dimitar Berbatov’s 5 goal salvo was the main talking point and he is priced at a handsome 25/1 on SkyBet to score a Hat-Trick, 8 goals in 2 games, now wouldn’t that be a reason for everyone to get of the lethargic Bulgarians back. More likely however is that Berbatov will open the scoring and he is priced at 9/2 on Bet365 to do so.

United however can produce goals from all over the pitch as shown this season by them having 12 players to score. Including 3 headed goals from Serbian central defensive sergeant Nemanja Vidic who is priced at a handsome 6/1 to score anytime in the match on SkyBet and William Hill. United do tend to struggle against sides who play attacking football like Blackpool, and could be caught a cropper here, I mean weren’t we in this position last year. A team comes up to the Premiership through the play offs and are widely expected to do rubbish (Burnley) and then they beat Manchester United and show everyone they are not the little boys people think they are. However it would take a brave man to bet against United after winning 7-1.

Highlighted Bets

Anytime Goalscorer Marlon Harewood 4/1 Sky Bet

Anytime Goalscorer Luke Varney 9/2 Paddy Power

Anytime Goalscorer Nemanja Vidic 6/1 Sky Bet

First Goalscorer Dimitar Berbatov 9/2 Bet 365

Both Teams to Score 7/10 Stan James

By John Fernandez

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Premier League betting – Blackpool vs Liverpool

Blackpool vs Liverpool betting preview

Blackpool: League Position: 13th, League Form: DWWLL

The rollercoaster continues for Blackpool, but whereas their opponents Liverpool feel sick from their ride so far, The Tangerines are having the time of their lives.

Two defeats in their past two league games leaves them four points away from the relegation places, and everyone at the club is realistic enough to know the bubble could burst. This definitely hasn’t escaped Manager Ian Holloway, who rested most of his first choice players in the weekend’s FA Cup defeat at Southampton.

However, their approach will not change, they will continue to attack any opposition. With the likes of Adam pulling the strings and pace of DJ Campbell up front there is always a case for optimism in this side. Rightly so, they beat Liverpool with relative ease in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.

The target remains safety, and a good month or two would probably see them safe. Hull are evidence of how a loss in form can send you tumbling off your perch, and Holloway remembers that.

Liverpool: League Position: 12th, League Form: WLLWL

So, Hodgson is gone and ‘King Kenny’ is in charge. As Liverpool fans rejoice and the rest of the country, well, doesn’t really care, it’s time to see if things will change. The weekend’s performance against Manchester United may have been a little soon to judge the team, but they again lacked a cutting edge and defensive stability, although they were short of talisman Gerrard after his first half red card.

Defeat here will hurt Liverpool a lot. They predict a bright new dawn, but the cracks remain. With much relying on Torres and Gerrard during the good times, poor performances (or absence) during the bad times is a major blow.

Their two notable absentees are two massive ones, with Gerrard and Carragher both missing. There is little of Liverpool left in this Liverpool side, so the history of Dalglish may mean little. He comes in with the team four points from the relegation zone.

The new manager returned to 4-5-1 at United, and it is hard to know whether they’ll attempt to attack Blackpool. The demand of the fans is less away from home, and thus Dalglish may try to catch the opposition on the break, and not leave themselves open to the swift attack of Blackpool.

Match Prediction: BLACKPOOL WIN – 4.00 Victor Chandler – Free £25 bet

It’s a little bit difficult to ignore a bet at evens for a team as big as Liverpool at Blackpool. But without Gerrard and with Torres playing so poorly, Liverpool are as blunt an object as many in the Premiership. The pace of the game will be dictated by Blackpool, they like to attack and they like to do it as much as possible. Space for Liverpool without question, but they’ll be quite likely terrified of the speed of the home side.

Dalglish is the fans’ choice and towered over Hodgson throughout his reign. Fans and pundits alike have suggested he’ll bring attacking football back to Liverpool, and if he’s trying to change things it won’t be automatic. Blackpool can exploit this and continue to shock the established order.

The home team have good passers, fast attackers and a great spirit. The latter is what Liverpool seem to lack the most, and ‘King Kenny’ is no miracle worker, and it remains to be seen if he’s anything special at all. Take the value bet, you’ll be sure to back a side that will at least try and score.

DJ Campbell scored all four of Blackpool’s league goals in December, and may be worth a punt here.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Over 2.5 Goals – 1.75 Bet365
First Goalscorer: DJ Campbell – 9.00 Bet 365
Correct Score: 2-1 Blackpool Win – 15.00 Blue Sq

Match Odds:-

Blackpool – 4.00 Victor Chandler
Draw – 3.75 Bet 365
Liverpool – 2.00 Bet Fred

By John Fernadez

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Premier League betting – Blackpool v Chelsea

Blackpool v Chelsea betting odds, tips & free bets

These two sides go into the Monday night clash with differing ambitions. Chelsea will be looking to build on their win against Man United with a win to keep their title hopes alive. On the other hand Blackpool will be looking to gain some valuable points to steer themselves away from the relegation zone come the end of the season.

Blackpool

Blackpool were well beaten last time out against Wolves and will have to improve if they are to get anything against Chelsea. The Seasider’s form recently hasn’t been good either after just 1 win in their last 8 games has seen them slip from 6th down to 15th in the league. With both Dj Campbell and Charlie Adam suspended for the visit of the reigning champions, Blackpool might look towards Luke Varney for goals. The striker has already got 5 in the league and the on-loan Derby man is a decent bet at 6.0 with William Hill to score at any time. The Tangerine’s home form has let them down so far this season after winning just 4 of their 13 games and they have the second worst record in the league. This, alongside the loss of key players Adam and Campbell, is represented in the odds with the home side being firm outsiders and best priced at 11.0 with Betfair to win the game.

Chelsea.

Big back to back wins for Carlo Ancelotti appear to have set his side back on course for success. It also seems the Italian has decided on pairing Nicholas Anelka and new signing Fernando Torres in attack with David Luiz also settling in well at the back. Although Chelsea’s away form has been a bit suspect this season, after losing 5 on the road, they should have plenty of quality to see them through against a struggling Blackpool and so a 2-0 away win is looking a good bet at 7.5 with Paddy Power. Fernando Torres hasn’t scored for Chelsea yet but he has already netted against Blackpool this season and so the Spaniard is a good bet at 5.0 with bet365 to score the first goal. Finally as the best defence in the league travels to the worst Paddy Power are offering good odds of 2.38 for Chelsea to win with a clean sheet.

Highlighted Bets

2-0 Chelsea win – 7.5 Paddy Power
Fernando Torres first goal scorer – 5.0 Bet365
Blackpool win – 11.0 Victor Chandler
Luke Varney any time scorer – 6.0 William Hill
Chelsea to win with a clean sheet – 2.38 Paddy Power

By Sam Markham

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Premier League betting – Blackpool vs Arsenal

Blackpool vs Arsenal betting odds, tips & free bets

The Sunday lunchtime clash sees two sides that are both out of form but desperate for wins in different circumstances. Arsenal haven’t won any of their last 5 matches in all competitions and the Premier League remains their only chance of silverware this season so they will be looking for 3 points to keep them in the title race. Blackpool though, haven’t won in their last 4 matches and are looking for 3 valuable points to steer them away from the drop zone.

Blackpool

The first half of the season looked so promising for Blackpool but just 1 league win in their last 11 games has seen them slip to just 1 place above the drop zone going into the last 7 games of the season. If the Seasiders are to survive this season then they will have to improve their home form, they currently have the worst record in the league winning just 4 of their 14 games and have picked up just 15 points. Dj Campbell is set to return to the side for the weekend though after serving his 3 game ban and should go straight into the team. The Striker is Blackpool’s top scorer this season and a great bet at 4.0 with Skybet to score at any time. Blackpool’s poor home form is represented in their odds for the match on Sunday with the home side being priced at long as 9.5 with Stan James to get the win.

Arsenal

Although Arsenal have not won in their last 5 games in all competitions they are still unbeaten in 13 league games but have fallen behind in the race for the title recently. The Gunners do though only have the league to concentrate on and have to face current leaders Manchester United before the end of the season. Robin Van Persie is Arsenal’s top scorer in the league this season with 11 goals from 17 games and is looking good to open the scoring on Sunday with odds of 4.5 available at Unibet. The Gunners are firm favourites to turn their poor recent form around and looking good for a 3-1 win with odds of 11.5 at Unibet. Arsenal also boast the best away record in the league with 7 wins and only two defeats from 14 games and the return of captain Cesc Fabregas should give them an extra boost.

Highlighted Bets

Dj Campbell anytime scorer – 4.0 Skybet

Blackpool WIN – 9.5 Stan James
Robin Van Persie first goal scorer – 4.33 Blue Square
3-1 Arsenal WIN – 11.0 Betfred
Charlie Adam to score from outside the penalty area – 12.0 Paddy Power

By John Fernandez

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Premier League – Chelsea vs Arsenal

Chelsea Vs Arsenal betting preview

Four points separate leaders Chelsea and third placed Arsenal going into Sunday’s mouth-watering clash at Stamford Bridge. Both teams failed to pick up wins in their last league games with the Blues coming unstuck at Manchester City while the Gunners were on the receiving end of a shock home defeat against West Brom. But who will prevail in front of the Sky cameras this weekend?

Chelsea have confirmed that Carlo Ancelotti will take his seat in the dug-out for this one despite the death of his father this week. In his absence in midweek, the West Londoners showed no ill-effects by comfortably brushing aside Marseille in the Champions League with goals from John Terry and Nicolas Anelka. And goals are something the reigning Premier League champions have in abundance, racking up an impressive goal difference tally of nineteen in their opening six games this campaign. In fact, last weekends defeat at Eastlands was the first time Chelsea had failed to score in a massive twenty-five league games which stretches way back to December 2009. So you can bet your bottom dollar that Arsenal’s aptly names keeper ‘Flappy Handski’ may well be picking the ball out of his net on at least one occasion on Sunday. The Blues are best priced 3-4 with Paddy Power to dispatch of their North London rivals.

Arsene Wenger’s side will be hoping to deliver their boss a milestone gift as the Frenchman celebrated fourteen years in charge of the club on Friday. He sends his troops to the Bridge aiming to bounce back from the unexpected defeat at the hands of the Baggies but his team did return to winning ways in Europe on Tuesday evening. The trip to Belgrade was dubbed a potential banana skin for Arsenal but their class told in the end running out 3-1 victors. Their start to the new Premier League season has been typical of the Gunners; they’ve taken apart teams at the Emirates including the 6-0 thumping of newcomers Blackpool and they’ve struggled to see out games on the road. A last gasp Darren Bent strike for Sunderland in their last away match was a timely reminder of the Gunners’ frailties in defence and it is those errors that will have to be erased if they are to get anything at Chelsea. SkyBet are best price for an Arsenal win at 9/2 but alarmingly Chelsea have lost just two of the previous seventeen meetings between the pair in all competitions.

The spotlight will be very much on Lukasz Fabianski on Sunday. The Polish stopper has had his fair share of criticism between the sticks but put in a man of the match performance against Partizan in midweek. He looks set to deputise for Manuel Almunia once again, but one of his most high profile errors did come against Chelsea in a FA Cup semi-final loss in 2009. The Blues have scored nine goals in their last three games against Arsenal, so can Fabianski stop the rot?

The draw is worth exploring in this one and Victor Chandler go 14/5 both teams cancel one another out. But injuries could cripple Arsenal’s chances this time around with playmaker and captain Cesc Fabregas likely to be sidelined through injury while Thomas Vermaelen has also been ruled out.

Unsurprisingly Dider Drogba heads the First Goalscorer marker once more at 10/3 (Victor Chandler). But it may pay to side with team-mate Florent Malouda at a much more creditable 6/1 (Betfred) considering the Frenchman has netted the first goal on three occasions this term, two of those coming at Stamford Bridge. Alternatively, the longshot wager could be with Ghana ace Michael Essier at 12/1 (BlueSquare) who rediscovered his goalscoring touch at Upton Park in early September. As for Arsenal, Andrei Arshavin is in fine form of late and the clubs top scorer has bagged fiver goals in all competitions, must be worth chancing at Betfred’s 11/1 and/or 7/2 anytime.

Reccomended bets

The match between these two Premier League giants promises to be hotly contested and we could see goals at both ends. Bet365 go 4/5 that both teams score while over 3.5 goals is tempting 2/1 at the same firm!

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Premier League betting – Blackburn vs Arsenal betting

Blackburn vs Arsenal betting preview

It’s quite fair to say Big Sam is gradually laying the foundations at Blackburn Rovers after a topsy-turvy start to life at Ewood Park. His main aim was to safeguard the clubs Premier League future which was never really in doubt, and now he must improve on last seasons mid-table finish . But Sam’s the master of transforming the fortunes of a club of this stature just as he did down the road at ’The Reebok’ a few seasons prior. A mixture of experience and promising young youth did the trick at Bolton and that could be the perfect tonic at Blackburn. The opening day win against Everton signalled the Lancastrians intent and with a proposed takeover looming the future looks bright if you’re a Blackburn fan! But one thing is for certain, Ewood Park has to made a fortress this term and Arsenal will sure test their resolve in this Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off. Big Sam has a decent managerial record against the Gunners which begs the ultimate question – can he continue it?

In twenty head-to-head meetings between Allardyce and Wenger, the former has yielded four victories and seven draws and a point and will be hoping to avoid defeat again in Rovers’ second home game of the new season. Last weeks narrow 2-1 defeat at Birmingham was disappointing considering Steven Nzonzi’s had given the visitors the lead. To rub salt in the wound, Ben Foster expertly tipped Morten Gamst Pedersen’s penalty kick onto the upright and Big Sam’s men left empty handed. So can they return to winning ways against an Arsenal side who smashed six past Blackpool last time out? SkyBet and Paddy Power go 11/2 for a Rovers home win which seems incredibly overpriced. The corresponding fixture was the penultimate game of last season, and it was Blackburn who edged that one 2-1 and it would be no big surprise if they were to repeat this feat at excellent odds. That day, Big Sam targeted Arsenal’s weakened backline and said the key to exploit the North Londoners was to crowd the goalkeeper and deliver balls into the box. And with Arsenal seemingly short on numbers in the defensive area, these same bustling tactics could well be employed once again. Mame Biram Diouf was the star of the show in the League Cup in midweek with a hat-trick and he could pose a real threat once again if given his own way up top.

The Emirates faithful were treated to goals galore last weekend, SIX in fact were smashed past the hapless Seasiders Blackpool. Theo Walcott helped himself to magnificent hat-trick in one of the most one sided games we will witness all season. But Arsene will know the trip to Blackburn will pose a much sterner test of his young hitters yet they are a poor 4/7 still to claim all three points with the bookmakers. No value can be sought from this and instead I’d rather take Arsenal on and bravely be a layer than a backer. Arsene’s troops are unbeaten in their two games this season after their last-gasp opening day draw at Liverpool. However, the club were exempt from League Cup action this week (joining the competition in the next round) and will definitely be much fresher than their Blackburn counterparts. If the Gunners’ are to challenge for the title this season these are the games the club need to get maximum returns from. New signing Sebastien Squallaci could be involved in this one and his defensive qualities will be needed if the Gunners are to emerge as winners.

The last six meetings between the pair at Ewood Park have been relatively close affairs with Arsenal winning on three occasions and Blackburn the two. There has been just one draw in this time, but this one could easily end in a share of the spoils at 14/5 (William Hill). Alternatively, the double chance market can be exploited, and if you’re looking for value take Blackburn or the Draw at 23/20 with William Hill. However, the diamond bet rest with both teams to score although it is a shade of odds on at 5/6 with Betfred. There have been 19 goals in the last four Premier League games between these two.

With regards the First Goalscorer market, it could pay to stick with Arsenal’s Robin Van Persie who is yet to get off the mark this season at a/1 (Coral). He might seem the most obvious candidate but there are others who can break this stalemate, Marouane Chamakh and Andrei Arshavin are both interesting contenders at 9/2 and 6/1 respectively. The aforementioned Mame Biram Diouf will have been buoyed by his treble in midweek and he’s another to consider at 11/1 with Nikola Kalinic chalked up at the same price. But if it’s a longshot who you’re after, David Dunn (14/1 Victor Chandler) should enter calculations – he’ll no doubt be on set-piece and penalty kick duty once again.

Betting Verdict

Van Persie to score first at best odds 5/1 with Coral

Both teams to score at best odds 5/6 with Betfred

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Premier League betting – Birmingham vs Man Utd

Birmingham vs Man Utd betting preview

Birmingham League Position: 17th League Form: DWDDL

Birmingham are a tough unit to break down at home, Sir Alex has recognised this. However things are turning out a little different than they did last term for the Blues, the strength in between the posts of Joe Hart last season meant that defensively they were solid. Summer signing Ben Foster has done his best to fill those boots, but as of yet he has fallen short, the other big summer signing was Nikola Zigic and when I say big I mean big. The tallest player at the world cup hasn’t been firing on all cylinders since his £6 million move from cash strapped Valencia, scoring only twice in 16 appearances for the club.

Birmingham’s biggest threat in this fixture is most notably Cameron Jerome, who is priced at 10/1 on Bet 365 to open the scoring. He shares these odds with the enormous Serbian, so for those of you who believe that Zigic can best his international team mate Nemanja Vidic in front of goal he is also 10/1 on Bet365 to open the scoring. United aren’t ones to give away a soft goal of late, so these bets may be for the Birmingham fans out there and no one else.

Manchester United League Position: 1st League Form: DWWWWW

Manchester United are still on an unbeaten in the league, a sign that while their performances, bar the 7-1 against Blackburn, are a little lacklustre, they can still deliver the goods where it matters. This weekend’s showing against Sunderland was one of efficiency, and definitely sent out a warning to other sides that while Wayne Rooney is still suffering a dramatic dip in form, the Red Devils goals can come from anywhere.

It’s a strange sight that the player who was ridiculed as lazy and useless last season is now undoubtedly the in form striker in the Premiership this season. Dimitar Berbatov was even seen to make a 40 yard run for the ball, something that many United fans hadn’t expected to see in a million years. Berbatov therefore looks like the smart man’s bet to score anytime in this fixture, prices at 7/5 on BWIN, he is given more handsome odds to score first though at 5/1 on BWIN.

United now have their first team defence back and fit, so with Ferdinand and Vidic patrolling the back a bet on United to clean sheet looks like a promising one against a team who are struggling to find goals of late. The best odds for this are on Boylesports at 6/5 that United will win a keep a clean sheet in this match.

It would be difficult not to tip United to win this game and extend their lead at the top of the league and with their best players, again bar Rooney, hitting form at the right time of the season Birmingham could be on the end of a thrashing if they aren’t careful.

Highlighted Bets:

First goalscorer Nikola Zigic 10/1Bet 365
First goalscorer Cammeron Jerome10/1Bet 365
Anytime goalscorer Dimitar Berbatov 7/5 BWIN
First goalscorer Dimitar Berbatov 5/1 BWIN
Manchester United win with a clean sheet 6/5 Boylesport

By John Fernandez

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