Liverpool vs Brighton betting

Liverpool take on Brighton for the second time this season when they face off in the FA Cup on Sunday. The two sides met in the Carling Cup earlier in the season, as Liverpool ran out 2-1 winners at the Amex Arena. Both sides are having decent seasons domestically, but Liverpool will be expected to progress here after knocking out Manchester United in the previous round. Brighton did though, upset Newcastle in the previous round, with a 1-0 home win.

Liverpool

Liverpool are doing fairly well in the league, currently sitting in 7^th place, but they have really excelled in the cup competitions this season. Into the final of the Carling Cup this month against Cardiff, they should see this as another good opportunity with both Manchester clubs eliminated. Because of this, Kenny Dalglish is likely to field a strong team, so betting on a home win here is looking sensible. Liverpool are firm favourites, so betting on a correct score of 2-1 should give a good return with odds of 10.0 available from Ladbrokes. Luis Suarez scored on his first start since his ban last week, and could continue up front again here, so betting on the striker to score at any time during the game is looking good with 1.91 available from Coral. The Reds have only scored 29 goals in the Premier League so far this season though, so betting on under 2.5 goals with 2.2 at Bet365 is looking another good bet.

Brighton

Brighton have had a good first season back in the Championship, and some big money signings have helped them to 9^th in the league. After upsetting Newcastle in the previous round, Gus Poyet’s men are as long as 13.0 at Paddy Power to win at Anfield. Brighton average just over a goal scored and conceded every game in the league this season, so there is every chance they could find the back of the net here against Liverpool. With this in mind then, it could well be worth betting on both teams to score at 2.38 from William Hill, for a small return. Craig Mackail-Smith is Brighton’s main striker with 7 goals so far this season, and the former Peterborough man is looking a good outside bet to open the scoring with odds of 17.0 available from Bet365.

Highlighted Bets

Liverpool 2-1 WIN – 10.0 Ladbrokes

Suarez anytime scorer – 1.91 Coral

Mackail-Smith 1^st scorer – 17.0 Bet365

Both teams to score – 2.38 William Hill

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Stevenage v Spurs betting

Stevenage are competing in the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in their history. Last season they caused an upset by beating Newcastle. Can they cause one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history, or will Spurs be too much for the League One side to handle?

Stevenage: Last 5 Games – WDWWW

Stevenage go into the game under a great run of form. They have lost just one game in 2012 and are looking at the possibility of a third promotion in succession. During their FA Cup run, they have not conceded a goal. Bet365 are offering 8/1 for Stevenage to keep a clean sheet in this difficult match.

Chris Beardsley is Stevenage’s top scorer with 9 goals this season. Bet365 are offering the best odds for the striker to score anytime at 4/1.

Stevenage have lost just 3 of their home games in the league this season. They are the clear underdogs but the FA Cup still produces some magical moments at the latter stages. Remember Wycombe’s Quarter Final victory over Leicester in 2001? For a Stevenage victory, you can get odds of 9/1 from Ladbrokes and Skybet.

Tottenham: Last 5 Games – LWWDW

Tottenham are having a glorious season and will be looking to avoid an upset as they aim to claim some silverware this season. Like Stevenage, Spurs have not conceded a goal in the competition following victories over Cheltenham and Watford. Odds for an away clean sheet come at 4/5 from bet365.

Rafael van der Vaart scored the only goal in the 1-0 victory over Watford in the 4^th round. Odds for the attacking midfielder to score the first goal in Sunday’s match come at 5/1 from Coral.

Tottenham are the overwhelming favourites to win the match on Sunday. The best odds you can get for an away victory are 1/3 from Betfred.

Match Prediction: Tottenham to win 3-1 (11/1 Ladbrokes)

Tottenham should win this game especially if they show the same cutting edge they showed Newcastle last week. Stevenage may grab a goal, but it is unlikely that the League 1 team can provide a major upset.

Article by Nick Whittaker.

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Sunderland vs Arsenal betting

Sunderland: League Position: 9th, Form: DWWD(ET W)L

Last weekend’s defeat at home to this week’s cup opponents Arsenal was Sunderland’s first home loss of the Martin O’Neill era. It would be a surprise however if the team changed from this spirited performance that so nearly earned them three points, yet ended with none.

Sunderland vs Arsenal odds

The attacking trio of Sessegnon, Campbell and the impressive young Irish winger James McClean have caused defences problems with their pace and trickery, and have transformed the attacking work of Sunderland. McClean has come through from the youth ranks, handed his place in the side by O’Neill and taking a firm grasp on it. His willingness to work hard and run at players with pace makes him an exciting talent to watch, especially with a bullet like left foot spraying crosses and shots around.

The manager will definitely be happy with how things have gone in his two months in Sunderland. They have only conceded 13 goals in his 15 matches, beaten the teams in and around them and been competitive against the bigger boys, even beating leaders Manchester City 1-0. With big names out and the league safety secure, is this a cup they can win?

Arsenal: League Position: 4^th, Form: WDWWL

The good form Arsenal brought into their midweek Champions League tie with AC Milan has been all but washed away after an embarrassing performance and convincing, humbling 4-0 drubbing was handed to them.

They must hope they can come back to domestic football and show the fight that got them through to this fifth round in the FA Cup. Recovering a 2-0 half time deficit to Aston Villa to win 3-2 is a fantastic reversal, and they must tap into this spirit to put the Milan game behind them.

The perfect way to do that would be to look at the game they played last weekend. The 2-1 victory at the Stadium of Light was achieved from behind, and they conceded with only 20 minutes remaining. They might not have Thierry Henry to grab them a winner this time, but they had more shots and more possession, chances will come.

Match Prediction: Arsenal Win – 2.63 Stan James

The last game finished 2-1 Arsenal, the game at The Emirates in October finished 2-1 Arsenal, it is looking a little tempting to back another and Arsenal progressing here.

The improvement of Sunderland makes them a hard proposition to face away from home, but Arsenal will feel confident they can repeat the victory of one week ago. If they had not lost so badly midweek you would expect them to look upon a draw as an awful result, but with that tie almost out of their grasp the FA Cup becomes the last hope of silverware for the Gunners.

Sunderland’s play will ensure both teams attack, they had seven corners last week, and they will work hard to stop Arsenal playing, then break fast.

Campbell and Sessegnon look threatening in every game, as does McClean, whilst Robin Van Persie and the ever improving Oxlade-Chamberlain will scare the Black Cats backline.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Over 2.5 Goals – 1.91 Sky Bet

First Goalscorer: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 11.00 Bet 365

Correct Score: 2-1 Arsenal – 9.5 Bet 365

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Porto vs Man City betting

FC Porto are without a doubt a highly respected team throughout Europe, they continually produce fresh young players and seem to do well day in and day out. The Europa League will be a priority for the club, as they have a huge following and without a doubt they don’t only have reputation to succeed but they also have the players and the highly respected manager to ensure that they proceed into the latter stages of the tournament without much real difficulty.

It should also be noted that this season FC Porto have only lost one game at home, this is a fantastic record and this also goes to show that they defiantly a team who can play real football and pull of fantastic wins.

FC Porto’s main man is Hulk, he has a fabulous record and he is an international superstar, many clubs want him to represent them, but unfortunately he is highly committed to FC Porto. Any opposition team should be aware of the young talent that FC Porto possesses, especially Hulk, he has a fantastic wide range of skills and possesses a real football brain.

The Europa Cup is a tournament that FC Porto should do well in, especially in light of their strong home performances.

Before December Manchester City looked unstoppable, home and away, they processed victory after victory, however since then their performances have not be too good, especially away from home. For starters, with their squad and finances everyone near enough expected them to be a favourite for the Champions League this season, but they are knocked out therefore to be fair, their players and the manager is under a lot of pressure to basically win the Europa League, they really should and perhaps will not settle for anything less.

In the Champions League Man City were given a nightmare group, most likely the most competitive, but as stated with this squad people would have expected Man City to go far in the tournament, but even in the Premiership of late, they have lost against Chelsea, Everton and Sunderland and the fact is, the teams who they lost against really didn’t play spectacularly, they just stuck to their basics and tried to frustrate Man City. Even on the weekend against Aston Villa, although Man City dominated periods of the game, Aston Villa really did create some close chances and on another day with a little bit less luck Man City really could have lost the match.

Without a doubt Man City have a few problems that need ironing out and their fixtures now will come thick and fast so it’s about time that they for sure end the critics.

This is a big fixture and for the first match you wouldn’t assume that either of the teams will take a massive risk in how they set up, but saying that FC Porto really do have a phenomenal home record and they 100% have the ability to push on for the win, but I can’t imagine Man City playing to aggressively away from home, they are an highly organised team in defence but their attack has been letting them down, consequently I don’t see too many goals but FC Porto just edge it on home form and talent.

Betting predictions

FC Porto 1 – 0 Manchester City      (8/1 Paddy Power)

First Goal Scorer   Hulk (6/1 BetFred)

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Milan vs Arsenal betting

AC Milan: League Position: 1st, Form: WLDLW

Serie A leaders AC Milan come into this game with Arsenal on an indifferent run of form, and only last Tuesday lost the Coppa Italia final to Serie A second place side Juventus, and are only top by two points to Juve, who also have two games in hand.

A team full of stellar names like Pato, Ibrahimovic, Seedorf, Nesta, Robinho and more will clearly be full of threat. Top scorers of the Italian league Milan will come with nomadic Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading their line. His undoubted talent has yet to show its full potential against an English side, although he has scored against Arsenal before, for Spanish giants Barcelona.

They were less than impressive in finishing second to European Champions Barcelona in the group stages, being held to draws by both BATE Borisov and Viktoria Plzen, and securing only two wins.

Their home form in Italy is good, but not overly impressive, fourth in a table consisting of home games, with seven wins, three draws and a defeat.

Arsenal: League Position: 4th, Form: LWDWW

Only two English teams have made it through to the knockout stages of the Champions League, and few would have predicted at the start of the season that Arsenal would be one of them. Yet they showed the professionalism and guile to negotiate tricky away ties and secure enough points to top Group F ahead of Marseille, Olympiakos and Borussia Dortmund.

As ever with Arsenal consistency has been their struggle. Defeats to both Swansea and Manchester United were followed by a great comeback FA Cup win against Aston Villa, rescuing a 0-2 scoreline at half time to win 3-2. Yet again they faltered, drawing 0-0 with relegation strugglers Bolton. Surprise, surprise they followed that by putting seven goals past Blackburn. The rollercoaster at The Emirates continues its ups and downs.

Europe has been a solace. Securing qualification with a fantastic away victory at Udinese, they also secured a victory in Marseille and a point in Dortmund in the group stages.

Match Prediction: DRAW – 3.4 Bet Fred

AC Milan may be top of Serie A, but Italian football has not got the depth of the Premiership, and Arsenal have shown themselves resolute in coming back to the top four places after a horrific league start. The performances away in Europe should fill themselves and their fans with confidence too. Udinese, Dortmund and Marseille, all difficult away trips that Arsenal took to well, achieving what they desired. And two big victories in recent Champions League history at the San Siro will be them extra confidence.

AC Milan have improved in the past few years, improved as Arsenal have lost their high class edge. Whilst before Arsenal went to Milan as title challengers at home, now they fight for the top four places. This time around they may be equal as teams, and big European ties at the San Siro will test any side. Arsenal’s Champions League away form gives them a great platform to deal with such a test, and they can come away from this with a draw, and an away goal that could prove vital.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Under 2.5 Goals – 1.8 Blue Sq

First Goalscorer: Robin Van Persie – 7.5 William Hill

Correct Score: 1-1 Draw – 7.00 William Hill

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Wolves vs West Brom betting

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy has been under intense pressure lately but last week’s surprise victory away to Q.P.R. has revived their survival push. Can they drag West Brom closer to the drop zone or will the Baggies claim a priceless victory over their arch rivals?

Wolves – PL Form: LDLLW

Last weekend’s victory over Q.P.R. brought Wolves out of the relegation zone. Steven Fletcher has been Wolves’ main man this season, scoring 9 goals in all competitions. In last year’s meeting between the two sides at Molineux, Fletcher bagged two goals to help Wolves win 3-1. You can get odds of 6/1 from Coral for Fletcher to score first. Incidentally, for a repeat of that score line, you can get odds of 18/1 from Boylesports.

Wolves have only kept 2 clean sheets all season, with them both coming in August. In their three meetings against West Brom in the Premier League, Wolves have never prevented the Baggies from scoring. The odds of Wolves not keeping a clean sheet are 1/3 from Bet365.

West Brom – PL Form: LLWDL

West Brom will be looking over their shoulder following their disappointing defeat at home to Swansea last weekend. New signing Keith Andrews could make his debut against his former club if he plays this weekend. The odds on the Irish midfielder scoring anytime in the match are 11/2 from William Hill.

West Brom’s away form has been really impressive this season. On the road they have claimed victories at Stoke, Newcastle, Blackburn, Aston Villa and Norwich. They go into the game as slight underdogs with their best price being 21/10 from Paddy Power.

Match Prediction: West Brom to win 2-1 – 11/1 Betfred

West Brom’s abilities away from home have been excellent this season. Their acquisition of Liam Ridgewell will help their defensive problems out as the defender waits to make his debut. That said, both these teams have shown poor defensive displays recently, so goals are almost guaranteed for both teams. Wolves’ home form has not been good and their fans continue to put pressure on the team and their manager. Don’t be surprised to see West Brom steal this by a small margin.

Article by Nick Whittaker

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Tottenham v Newcastle betting

Tottenham take on Newcastle at home on Saturday evening, as the speculation around Harry Redknapp and the England job continues. However, this will be a tough game for both sides and may give a big indication as to where these teams will finish this season. Tottenham are fighting to stay in the title race, whilst Newcastle are looking to continue their fight for a European place.

Tottenham

Tottenham got a valuable draw away at Liverpool in midweek, but with Redknapp back and focused on Spurs, they are more than capable of getting a result at home here. Spurs have a great home record in the league, having only lost 1 and drawn 2 of their 12 games. There is no wonder then that the home side are favourites here and best priced at 1.5 at Ladbrokes. Lennon, Defoe and Van der Vaart all missed the midweek game and are doubtful here as well, and their absence could have a big effect on the game. However Spurs should still have enough with Bale and Adebayor to take all 3 points. Bale has scored an impressive 9 goals so far this season, so betting on the winger to open the scoring with odds of 7.0 from Skybet is showing good value. Finally, although Tottenham’s defensive record has been fairly good this season, Newcastle do have some firepower in their ranks, so betting on both teams to score at 1.91 at William Hill should give a good return.

Newcastle

The Magpies have been boosted by the return of striker Demba Ba and new signing Papiss Cisse. They have also been performing above all expectations this season, and have played some good attacking football. Alan Pardew’s men are outsiders at 7.5 with Bet365, but with Tottenham’s injuries, there is some good value in an away win. Demba Ba has bagged 16 in 20 games so far this season, so betting on the striker to score at any time during the game with 3.5 at Ladbrokes is looking a great bet. Newcastle’s good form this season means they could well come away with something here, and a 1-1 draw is looking particularly good value with 9.5 available from Coral. Both teams do have a good defensive record though, with Spurs conceding just 10 at home and Newcastle 19 away. So betting on under 2.5 goals is also looking good value with 2.0 available from Stan James.

Highlighted Bets

Gareth Bale first goal scorer – 7.0 Skybet
Both teams to score – 1.91 William Hill
Demba Ba anytime scorer – 3.5 Ladbrokes
1-1 Draw –9.5 Coral
Under 2.5 goals – 2.0 Stan James

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Manchester United v Liverpool

Manchester United: League Position: 2nd, League Form: LWWWD

Three second half goals at Stamford Bridge for Sir Alex Ferguson’s side last weekend can only be seen as a great performance, but they came away from the match with Chelsea with only a single point. However, from 3-0 down, they stayed calm, kept playing their way and placed three past the opposition in 26 minutes. Having been on top of Chelsea all game, they knew they could score the goals they needed, even with the shock of being 3-0 down. The mark of Champions?

That draw, although rescued from behind, now puts them back to two points adrift of rivals Manchester City. If they fail to get three points again they will give City to open up the chance a significant gap, and lift the sky blue morale.

Thankfully for United some big names have started to return. Ashley Young, Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez were all in fine form against Chelsea, whilst Ryan Giggs is still an instrumental playmaker as he continues to defy age. Michael Carrick has grown in stature as the season has gone on, and even Paul Scholes has returned to offer some stability when called upon.

Liverpool: League Position: 7th, League Form: LDLWD

Having breezed past Manchester City to secure a Wembley place in the League Cup final, and then knocking out Manchester United in the FA Cup, January was a good month for Liverpool. February has started with what in terms of the table is a fine result, a draw with third placed Spurs, yet a 0-0 scoreline which epitomised much about their season.

They are the lowest scorers in the top nine, with both Sunderland and Norwich, in eighth and ninth respectively, having scored more. In fact, so have nineteenth placed Blackburn. With 14 goals at home and 14 away they are not exactly the attacking, entertaining side that their fans lauded them as being once Kenny Dalglish was put in charge.

But now, having served his time, Luis Suarez is back from suspension. The hero of Anfield, supported without question, has arguably been Liverpool’s best player ever since his arrival in January of 2011. But he certainly contributes to Liverpool appalling shots to goals conversion rate, a figure in which Liverpool are the poorest in the Premier League, only scoring 8.5% of the shots they take. At the start of the season you would have got good money on Craig Bellamy to be their top scorer, yet he heads Liverpool’s scoring charts.

Match Prediction: Manchester United – 1.9 Victor Chandler

Although Liverpool will always raise their game for a fixture with Manchester United, even when they cannot match their current title ambitions, this massive tie (probably the biggest in English football) should go Manchester United’s way. Whilst Fergie’s team have scored 16 goals in their last five home league games, Liverpool have scored 14 overall away from home, have scored just twice in their five league matches against the top three (United, City, Spurs) this season and lost 3-0 away at City and 4-0 away at Spurs in those fixtures.

Whilst Liverpool have consolidated their defence to stay in the top four picture, scoring only 28 goals, United can boast 59 Premier League goals. They will also have a loud Old Trafford crowd, ready to react the abuse handed out to Manchester United players in the FA Cup tie at Anfield last month. The Suarez-Evra situation will, hopefully, come to its climax.

Can Liverpool step up their game? Or is it now that United will step on, as ever, in the second half of the season. The ease in which they attacked Chelsea was ominous, and the return to goalscoring form of both Rooney and Hernandez was apparent, although the hole in their defence with Nemanja Vidic’s absence is still clear.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Over 2.5 Goals – 2.00 Stan James

First Goalscorer: Javier Hernandez – 6.5 Sky Bet

Correct Score: 3-1 Manchester United Win – 17.00 Coral

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Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur betting preview

Liverpool: League form: WLDLW

Kenny Dalglish’s men head into this game on the back of two impressive victories over Wolves and Manchester United. Before this there had been a stutter of some sort with no victories in their previous four games before that. Liverpool’s main problem this season has been consistency and they will be desperate to get a good run of form going to catapult them into Champions League contention. However the next team in their way is a very strong Tottenham Hotspur side and how the Merseysider’s defence deals with their attack will be crucial to whether they get a result or not. Dalglish will be thrilled to see the influential Luis Suarez return from his eight match ban and he is likely to be thrown straight back into the starting line up. Even without Suarez, Liverpool have been scoring a fair few goals recently, seven in their last three to be precise although they have been conceding. This is surprising given the fact that they’ve let in the second least amount of goals this season in the league. A clean sheet, their first in four games, away at lowly Wolves last game will have boosted confidence but Spurs’ attack will be a lot more of a handful to deal with than what they faced that day.

Tottenham Hotspur: League form: WLDWW

The North Londoner’s have had a fantastic first half to the season and sit in third place, only eight points off leaders Manchester City and six clear of fourth placed Chelsea, with a game in hand on both. One of the main reasons for their success has been their formidable attacking football, with the likes of summer signing Emmanuel Adebayor, Luka Modric, Rafael van der Vaart, Aaron Lennon and in particular Gareth Bale all having fantastic seasons. However Lennon, van der Vaart and Adebayor are serious doubts for this game meaning that surprise January signing from Everton Louis Saha could make his debut against his former club’s bitter rivals. Spurs only loss in their last twelve games was a desperately unlucky last minute 3 – 2 defeat at league leaders Manchester City and they will be hoping they can keep up their fantastic form at Anfield on Monday night.

Match Prediction: Draw 3.20 – William Hill

Also – Both teams to score 1.80 – William Hill

This is very tough game to call, however one thing i’m pretty sure of is that there will be a number of goals with both sides posing good attacking threats. Tottenham have scored in their last twenty two Premiership matches and despite Liverpool being known for scoring few at home this season, they have picked up of late and have began to find the net more. Spurs have won their last three league games over Liverpool although Dalglish’s men are undefeated in the League at home this season. Despite their unbeaten record though, Liverpool have drawn seven times at home this campaign and for me a score draw is where this fixture is most likely to go.

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Chelsea vs Man Utd betting preview

Chelsea take on Man United on Sunday afternoon, in the game of the day. It’s the first in a series of difficult games for Man United and will be a real test of their title credentials. It’s also a big game for Chelsea was well, as manager Villas-Boas battles to stay in the title race.

Betting odds

Chelsea

This could be a defining moment in Chelsea’s season, as defeat here would put them 15 points behind Manchester United. John Terry missed the midweek game with Swansea and it remains to be seen if the centre back will return for this game. The Blues are in fact slight favourites going into the game, and are best priced at 2.62 with William Hill. This comes from the fact that Chelsea are unbeaten in their last 6 games, but that run does include 2 draws against Norwich and Swansea that they should have won. Daniel Sturridge is the Blue’s joint top goal scorer with 9 goals from 17 games, and is a good bet at 3.2 with Coral to score at any time. None of Chelsea’s last 4 games have produced more than 2 goals, so betting on under 2.5 goals here should be a good bet with odds of 1.92 available from Betfair.

Man United

The Red Devils are on a good run in the Premier League, after winning all 3 of their previous games. They did though, lose last week to Liverpool, which should give them more motivation going into this game. Alex Ferguson will be boosted by the return of Nani and Wayne Rooney, but Phil Jones should still miss out. This will give the away side a lift, and there is some good value to be had in an away win. A 2-1 correct score is looking particularly good value with 12.0 available from Betfred. This is good value when you take into account their 3-1 win in the reverse fixture, and the fact that they have the best away record in the division. Wayne Rooney has a habit of scoring in big games for Man United, so betting on the England man to score the first goal at 7.0 from Ladbrokes is looking particularly good.

Highlighted Bets

Chelsea WIN – 2.62 William Hill
Daniel Sturridge anytime scorer – 3.2 Coral
Rooney 1st goal scorer – 7.0 Ladbrokes
2-1 away WIN – 12.0 Betfred

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