Premier League betting – Spurs vs Bolton

Spurs vs Bolton betting preview

Bolton Wanderers: League Position: 11th, League Form: DDWDL

Owen Coyle’s Bolton side face another hard task this week as they welcome fifth place Tottenham to the Reebok. Having lost narrowly to Liverpool at home on Sunday, Bolton have only one victory at home so far this season, but haven’t lost to Tottenham on their own soil since March 1996.

With only 6 goals from their five games at the Reebok this season, the same problems that arose against Liverpool last week may surface. Whilst looking solid at the back, they lacked a spark up front and will struggle to hold off most high quality sides.

Kevin Davies will test the resolve and fitness of second choice centre backs Kaboul and Gallas, and if Coyle can find the balance between Bolton of old and his Bolton then his side may stretch a side that played midweek.  

Tottenham Hotspurs: League Position: 5th. League Form: LWWDL

It’s hard to escape Tottenham on the tellybox lately. Aside from their outstanding success against Inter midweek, Harry Redknapp hid behind ludicrous refereeing decisions and Old Trafford when really his side didn’t look good enough to snatch a point as the game wore on.

However, they have shown this season that they’re capable of taking away points at these kind of grounds. Tough sides like Fulham and Stoke have been dispatched of on the road, and they handled the rough treatment at Wolves to walk away with a point.

Much depends on how the manager shuffles his squad. The mercurial Van Der Vaart was withdrawn at half time on Tuesday night, whilst new Spurs hero Gareth Bale could be rested. Bale won’t be given the time and space like he found against Inter and Maicon, and has been easily handled in the Premier League by both Rafael and Phil Neville in recent weeks.

Match Prediction: Tottenham Win – Best odds 2.5 with Bet Fred – New customers get £50 free

The trick for Bolton is learning from their mistakes after the Liverpool game. It may have taken 86 for the scousers to score, but one goal was always likely to be enough for the visitors considering the way Bolton played.

Whilst Liverpool were a side looking to gain some fluency, Spurs are in full flight after destroying European Champions Inter Milan. The only respite for Owen Coyle’s side is that they’ve had 6 days recuperation time.

Bolton have scored just over a goal a game at home (6 from 5) and Tottenham are getting a goal a game away from home, which shows neither side is smashing goals in from every angle. When it comes to stopping Tottenham, improving Gary Cahill and stalwart keeper Jaaskelainen will need to be on the top of their games.  

As ever, Spurs have pace on the wings. They have the skill to better Bolton’s new passing game, and the experience to stop the direct stuff. Then the counter with the superb Bale and overshadowed Lennon could be all important.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Under 2.5 Goals – 1.85 Bet 365
First Goalscorer: Aaron Lennon – 21.00 Coral
Correct Score: 2-0 Tottenham Win – 12.00 William Hill

Match Odds:-

Bolton Wanderers – 3.1 Victor Chandler
Draw – 3.4 SkyBet, Victor Chandler
Tottenham Hotspurs – 2.5 Stan James

By Chris Wilkerson

Click here to view all free bets from online bookmakers

Premier League betting – Spurs vs Aston Villa

Spurs vs Aston Villa betting preview, odds and tips

Top 4 rivals Spurs and Aston Villa meet at White Hart Lane for Saturday’s tea time fixture. Only 2 points separate fourth placed Spurs and seventh placed Villa going into the ESPN live match but 3 points are a must for both teams in the race for that final Champions League spot. Harry Redknapp’s men however are not much value at 11/10 to claim a 9th home victory of the season, the Villains are a decent 9/4 shot to claim back to back away wins after defeating Fulham at Craven Cottage last weekend. A point for both teams at 5/2 is worth a flutter in what might be a nip and tuck affair.

After overcoming Leeds in a potentially tricky cup replay in midweek, Redknapp’s little and large front pair of Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch showed just why they have amassed 20 goals between them already this term. Defoe’s hat-trick at Elland Road will have done the striker’s confidence no harm and he is a good shout at 11/8 with SkyBet to score at anytime on Saturday. The North London club are looking to make it five unbeaten in the league but their back four will have to keep Villa’s top scorer Gabriel Agbonlahor quiet, as they seek to widen the gap between fourth and fifth place. Spurs were seriously tested at Leeds in midweek and it will be interesting to see how much that game has taken out of the players considering Redknapp fielded a near enough full strength team.

Neither club made late forays into the January transfer market which means both managers are happy with their respective squads. Only Younes Kaboul and Eidur Gudjohnsen came in at Spurs and Martin O’Neill brought in no new faces at Villa Park. The Carling Cup finalists are yet to be beaten in 2010 and have played over 270 minutes of football without conceding a league goal. Agbonlahor’s brace last time out took his tally for the season to ten and he represents good value at 13/2 to score the opener at White Hart Lane. Liam Ridgewell’s 90th minute equaliser for Birmingham was the third time in the last four games that Spurs had succumbed to last minute goals. With this in mind, Villa represent good value at 5/2 with Hills to score in the last fifteen minutes of the match (76-90mins).

The reverse fixture at Villa Park ended in a 1-1 draw in November and I think this one will too. Both sides are in good form of late, but at 9/4 Villa seem a good price to nick all three points. Spurs have been a little suspect at White Hart Lane at times this season; lowly Wolves and Stoke have claimed all three points by nicking goals and nullifying the threat of Crouch and Defoe. With a Carling Cup date at Wembley looming at the end of the month for Martin O’Neill side, they can begin February as they mean to go on with a priceless three points here.  

Reccomended bets: Lay Spurs at 11/10 with Betfair

Click here to view all free bets from online bookmakers

Premier League betting – Wolves vs Spurs

Wolves vs Spurs betting odds, tips & free bets

Wolverhampton Wanderers League Position: 18th League Form: LWLDW

Wolves still sit precariously in the relegation zone, and with it reaching the business end of the season very soon it’s a place that Mick McCarthy’s men will want to get away from sooner rather than later. The 4-0 home win over Wolves will have filled them with confidence as will the outstanding performance of Mathew Jarvis.

Wolves’ three top scorers Steven Fletcher, Kevin Doyle and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake will all be fighting for the starting place in MickMcCarthy’s starting 4-5-1. Kervin Doyle is the most likely to get the nod to start so therefore may be a good look in to be first goalscorer at 8.5 on SkyBet.

Tottenham Hotspurs League Position: 5th League Form: DWWWL

Spurs are an odd team; they can go from beating AC Milan at the San Siro to losing to Blackpool. You just never know which Spurs are going to show up. Harry Redknap’s problem at the moment is that he has a lot of key injury problems, he is missing top scorer and stand out player this season Rafael Van De Vaart, first choice striker Jermaine Defoe, long term absentees Jonathon Woodgate and Ledley King, flying winger Gareth bale and midfield play maker Tom Huddlestone.

Spurs are already known this season for playing good forward thinking attacking football so it will be good value to score more than 4 total goals in the match, with odds of 3.5 on PaddyPower. Spurs will be relying on the firepower of Roman Pavyluchenko and Peter Crouch if they are to win this fixture, so a bet on either scoring anytime in the fixture could be a good bet at odds of 3.2 and 3.3 on StanJames. Pavyluchenko has scored 3 times this season in the last 20 minutes so a bet on him being a last goalscorer at odds of 8.0 on StanJames.

Highlighted Bets:

First Goalscorer Kevin Doyle 8.5 Sky Bet
Total Goals over 4 3.5 Paddy Power
Anytime Goalscorer Roman Pavyluchenko 3.2 Stan James
Anytime Goalscorer Peter Crouch 3.3 Stan James
Last Goalscorer Roman Pavyluchenko 8.0 Stan James

By John Fernandez

Click here to view all free bets from online bookmakers

Premier League betting – Wigan v Man United

Wigan Athletic v Manchester United betting odds, tips & free bets

Wigan Athletic: League Position: 18th, League Form: LLDWD

Another season, another relegation fight for Wigan to contend with. The inconsistent side are 18th in the table, and are strongly fancied for the drop.

Much of their struggles can be attributed to a leaky defence. Martinez’s side like to play the ball on the deck, and can be very pleasing on the eye, but they leave themselves vulnerable, and it’s now 10 league games since their last clean sheet. 26 home goals conceded, the worst home defence in the league, suggests they are there to be got at in front of their own fans.

Any chance of going out and winning the game rests on the attacking laurels of Hugo Rodallega and Charles N’Zogbia. These two provide a fast and frenzied forward threat, with French winger N’Zogbia running the show for his side when on form. If these two are kept quiet its hard to see Wigan threatening the league leaders, and anyone else in the league.

Manchester United: League Position: 1st, League Form: WWWLW

Sir Alex Ferguson’s side recovered from defeat at Wolves in the perfect manner, three points at home to their cross city rivals. Arsenal’s midweek victory over Stoke leaves United only a single point clear at the top of the table, and the red half of Manchester cannot afford to drop more points at the grounds of relegation candidates.

A hard earned 0-0 draw in France on Wednesday may usually see the side rest a couple of players, but injuries mean this may not be possible. Top scorer Dimitar Berbatov was kept on the bench for the game, whilst Javier Hernandez (who scored at Old Trafford in the reverse fixture) has not figured for a little while, and this could give Ferguson the chance to rest Wayne Rooney.

At the back end of the season these are the kind of games the United title juggernaut brushes aside with ease, and it’s hard to see any exceptions to this norm here.

Match Prediction: Manchester United Win – 1.57 Victor Chandler

Since Wigan were promoted to the Premier League these sides have met in league and cup 12 times. Every one of these games has ended in a Manchester United win. In these 12 meetings Wigan have scored only five goals (never more than one in a game), whilst United have totted up 37 goals. Tough reading for Wigan fans looking for a scrap of optimism ahead of this match.

Inspiration for the home side can be found in United’s stats for this season. Three away wins from 12 games does not seem like title-winning form, but the league leaders are looking comfortable to achieve just that.

However, it’s difficult to see anything but a United win. They do seem to really hurt a team once every ten games, and Wigan is a place they like to do it, with 5-0 wins in both fixtures last year. And when United win big, it’s Berbatov who gets involved heavily (hat tricks against Birmingham and Liverpool, plus four goals against Blackburn). Rested midweek, he could be the man to watch.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Over 2.5 Goals – 1.95 William Hill
First Goalscorer: Dimitar Berbatov – 5.5 Bet 365
Correct Score: 3-0 Man United – 12.00 Blue Square
Winning Margin: Manchester United to win by three or more goals – 4.33 Coral
Player to Score Two or More Goals: Dimitar Berbatov – 8.00 Bet365

Match Odds:-

By Chris Wilkerson

Click here to view all free bets from online bookmakers

Premier League betting – Wolves vs Man Utd

Wolves vs Man Utd betting preview

Wolves     Form: LWLLLL     Position: 20th

Wolverhampton Wanderers will be looking to halt a run of four straight defeats when they take on Manchester United on Saturday evening. Wolves haven’t won since their 1-0 victory over Chelsea in January and have since slipped down to bottom of the league table. However, Wolves have a decent home record this season after winning 5 out of their 12 games. Mick McCarthy’s men have also upped their game against the bigger teams, beating Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City. However scoring goals has been a problem this season after netting just 24 times in 24 games. January signing Adam Hammill scored 8 goals for former club Barnsley this season and the winger is a great price at 6/1 with Skybet to score at any time. Michael Kightly and Michael Mancienne are the only injury doubts for the visit of the league leaders.

Man United     Form: WWDWWW    Position: 1st

Another efficient performance from Man United in the week saw them continue their good run and remain unbeaten at the top of the Premier League. Their run now stretches to 24 league games after winning 5 of their last 6 in the league. The Red Devils also have the most potent attack and have scored 54 goals in total with Dimitar Berbatov getting an impressive 19 of those from just 21 matches. With this in mind, the Bulgarian is a good price at 9/2 with Totesport to score 2 or more goals. Sir Alex Ferguson’s men have struggled somewhat away from home though, winning just 3 of their 11 matches and conceding on average more than a goal a game. Despite this, Man United are firm favourites for the clash and best priced at 4/9 with Paddy Power to get the win. However Ji Sung Park and Rafael are doubts for the trip to the West Midlands.

Match Prediction Man United WIN best priced at 4/9 with Paddy Power – Free £10 Bet

Man United should come out clear winners against a Wolves side that have been struggling for goals of late and failed to register in their last three attempts. With The Red Devils away record in mind a 3-1 Manchester United win is looking a good bet with odds of 11/1 with Bet 365, as Wayne Rooney looks to be returning to some form after netting 2 goals last time out and providing 10 assists this season.

Highlighted Bets

3-1 Man United WIN – 11/1 Bet 365

D Berbatov to score 2 or more – 9/2 Totesport

A Hammill anytime scorer – 6/1 Skybet

By Sam Markham

Click here to view all free bets from online bookmakers

Premier League betting – Wolves vs Liverpool

Wolves vs Liverpool betting preview

Wolves: League Position: 19th League Form: LWLWL

Wolves play their best games against teams they wouldn’t usually be expected to beat. Wins against this weekend’s opponents Liverpool and Chelsea in the last five games as well as a spirited defeat at Manchester City coming back from 4-1 down to lose 4-3. That kind of fight is what so many other clubs desire, and will serve them well in the coming months as they battle against relegation.

Losing games against teams around them like West Ham and Wigan has kept them stuck in the relegation places, but they have won four of their last eight games. To stay up they need to keep fighting, which Mick McCarthy will force them to do, and start to get their better players performing more consistently. The likes of Kevin Doyle and Stephen Hunt can score goals and keep them up.

Having won away from home they can be confident of performing well here, and may come to a game against Liverpool expecting a win.

Liverpool: League Position: 13th League Form: LWLLD

The return of the king has been an unsuccessful venture on the pitch so far, and Kenny Dalglish leads his stuttering side to the Midlands looking for the first win of this spell as Liverpool manager. They were as good as Everton last week in the Merseyside derby, but deserved no more than a draw. At home to their rivals they could have kicked their season forward, and now need to travel to a tough stadium for a gritty game without the likes of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.

What needs to change for Liverpool to move up the table this year? Better performances from their star names would make them a force as the season comes to a close. Torres is yet to fire, and frankly looks a shadow of his former self. Links with Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez are encouraging, and goalscoring support could go a long way for the team.

Match Prediction: DRAW – 3.3 Victor Chandler, Bet Fred

Wolves have looked fantastic against the bigger sides recently and also smashed Doncaster midweek in the FA Cup. They will make this game difficult for the travelling Scousers, but if they could consistently produce performances like those against Chelsea and Manchester City then they wouldn’t be in the bottom three.

Liverpool have had good preparation for a bit of a scrap with a hotly contested derby against an Everton side who themselves have not kicked into top gear. There was more attacking intent in Dalglish’s side last week, but previous manager Hodgson would not have been so conservative had he had a lot of confidence in the team’s defence.

There is potential for goals in this game, but the constant pressure for results for both teams could force this into a dull game lacking flow. Both flair wingers of Wolves will be working hard up and down the flanks, whilst Dirk Kuyt will provide support for Fernando Torres and his wavering form.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Under 2.5 goals – 1.73 Stan James
First Goalscorer: Dirk Kuyt – 8.00 Bet365, Victor Chandler
Correct Score: 1-1 DRAW – 7.00 William Hill

Match Odds:-

Wolves – 3.4 Victor Chandler, Stan James
Draw – 3.3 Victor Chandler, BetFred
Liverpool – 2.38 BlueSq

By Chris Wilkerson

Click here to view all free bets from online bookmakers

Premier League betting – West Ham v Man United

West Ham v Man United betting odds, tips & free bets

Manchester United will be wanting to put a bad March, that saw them lose two matches in the league, behind them with a good win against West Ham on Saturday. The Hammers though will be looking to continue their impressive league form that has recently lifted them out of the relegation zone. West Ham won this fixture in the Carling Cup back in November but suffered a 4-0 defeat the last time the two sides met at Upton Park in the league.

West Ham

The Hammers look to have finally found some form in the league after losing only 1 of their last 6. The return to fitness of Tomas Hitzlsperger has been instrumental to their success as he has struck up a successful partnership with Scott Parker in the centre of midfield and equally as important, Demba Ba has started to show his quality up front. The striker has scored 5 goals in his last 4 games and is a great bet at 3.6 with Coral to score at any time. Unbeaten in their last 4 West Ham have scored an impressive 9 goals and definitely have a chance against Manchester United in the Saturday lunch time kick off if they can keep it tight at the back. Despite their good form the East-Londoners are still outsiders but nicely priced at 4.8 with betfair. Goals have definitely been the theme for West Ham fans recently as their last 2 home games have produced 7 goals so odds of 4.5 from Skybet for both teams to score first half are definitely worth a look.

Man United

Man United’s position at the top of the table is starting to look slightly unstable after back to back defeats in March so Alex Ferguson will be wanting to get back to winning ways after the international break. All 3 of The Red Devil’s league defeats have come on the road this season but Man United are still firm favourites and best priced at 1.83 with boylesports. Though a 2-1 away win is showing better odds of 9.0 at betfair even though Rio Ferdinand could still be absent through injury at the back for the league leaders. Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney should continue up front together after forming a formidable partnership recently. Hernandez in particular has scored 10 goals in 21 league games and is a great bet at 7.0 with Victor Chandler to open the scoring on the day.

Highlighted Bets

Demba Ba anytime scorer – 3.6 Coral
West Ham WIN – 4.75 Victor Chandler
Both teams to score first half – 4.75 Coral
2-1 Man United WIN – 8.5 Bet 365

By Sam Markham

Click here to view all free bets from online bookmakers

Premiership Relegation Betting 11/12

Get ready for the might of Norwich, QPR and Swansea! Not impressed? No, these are not the usual yo-yo teams the Premiership has seen a lot lately. But the example of Blackpool, at least for half a season, suggests the gap between the Championship and Premier League is not expanding that much.

Other than the three promoted teams, there are only four teams under 5.00; Blackburn, West Brom, Wigan and Wolves. In assessing the chances the new Premiership teams have, it is prudent to see what steps the relegation threatened teams of last year have made.

Online bookmakers have introduced some special betting markets in the Premiership relegation market, including “To Finish Bottom”. This market is dominated by Hull 13/8 and Stoke 15/8. West Brom are available at best odds 7/1 to finish bottom. Not since Southampton in 04/05 has bottom position been filled by a team who wasn’t promoted the previous year.

Starting with Wolves we have a team who have acted swiftly to secure last season’s impressive loan capture Jamie O’Hara, who will continue to add guile and hard work to the midfield. His ability to deliver telling passes and the odd goal could be crucial in a team more efficient in defence than attack. Manager Mick McCarthy has built a team based on a real work ethic and defensive stability, and new £7m centre back Roger Johnson will add a touch of class to that, a man who must be on the edge of the England squad. With Kevin Doyle and Steven Fletcher both having proved themselves capable of scoring in the top league there’s no doubting McCarthy will be happy to continue his building process at the club. But can they get the big wins against Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City that were so important last season? They were down without these unexpected victories and may not get even one point against any of these teams next year. Wolves are best priced at 3.75 with Bet365.

Wigan look set to lose players again, with the star of their survival run Charles N’Zogbia being strongly chased by Aston Villa and rumours of Everton’s interest too. The attacking team that lack goals and look poor in defence, many managers have done wonders keeping the side in the division. As with every season, they look a team ready to be relegated, yet they somehow survive and they must be credited for that. There’s no doubt a bet on Wigan will give you a run for your money, but they find their fight when the going gets tough. Transfer business so far has only seen them sign Ali Al-Habsi on a permanent deal after a very impressive loan spell. Wigan are a best priced 3.00 with William Hill.

Blackburn are the most intriguing of these seven sides. No signings, players leaving and more expressing their desire to go, a rookie manager and owners who seem reluctant to sanction anything but glamour transfers. Stand out young star Phil Jones has left for Manchester United, Christopher Samba wants to join Arsenal and Jermaine Jones, who was at times fantastic in Blackburn’s midfield, has returned whence he came after his loan deal expired. A club who looked safe every year with Allardyce at the helm slipped into a relegation fight once he was sacked, and having crashed to successive defeats as new manager Steve Kean tried to get them playing prettier football, the Allardyce up and at ‘em style saved them come May. But this transfer window has only seen them go backwards so far.
Is Jason Roberts enough of a goal threat to keep them in the division? Can Paul Robinson keep looking like a man challenging for an England place? Back Blackburn at 5.00 with Coral.
The rest have shown desire to strengthen, a fear of last season’s wide open relegation battle seeing wallets spring open. Sunderland have brought in nine players, including Wes Brown and John O’Shea from Manchester United to bring defensive experience to their side. Newcastle have snapped out Demba Ba, who scored seven times in ten Premier League starts for the abysmal West Ham last season, alongside a few potentially inspired signings from France, whilst Stoke have proved themselves to be in the market after advanced talks with Carlton Cole (although the breakdown of these talks may be a blessing in disguise). All this leaves Aston Villa as the only side who have seriously weakened, whilst adding a manager relegated with Birmingham last year, but they have money to spend and have already brought in proven performer Shay Given.
And so the promoted teams may have come to the promised land in the year everyone realises they had a lucky escape last time round and must spend to escape the same situation repeating. Unfortunately, there has been no signing to inspire any confidence in their escape. Danny Graham (Swansea), Steve Morison (Norwich) and Jay Bothroyd (QPR) all played well in the Championship, but are not signings of proven quality. The big money at QPR seems not to be forthcoming, and although statistically unlikely, it seems the three sides coming up really could go straight back down.
Over the last five years the average time that newly promoted clubs spent in the Premier League was 1.9 seasons, and the last time that all three promoted clubs managed to avoid immediate relegation was 2000/01. Over the last ten years the team promoted as champions have been relegated after just one season on three occasions, the runners-up on four occasions and the play-off final winners on six occasions. Make of that what you will, but it seems likely that at least one will go.

Recommended bets:

TOP BET:-

QPR to be relegated: 2.88 Coral

Join them in doubles and a treble with:-

Swansea to be relegated: 1.57 Bet 365, Sky Bet and Coral

Blackburn to be relegated: 5.00 Coral

And an outsider for the value seekers:-
Aston Villa (IF the transfer window disappoints) to be relegated: 21.00 Coral, William Hill, Bet 365, Sky Bet, Paddy Power

Premiership outright winner betting preview
Premiership top goalscorer betting preview

Click here to compare free bet offers from all major online bookmakers.

Premiership sack race betting

West Ham boss Alan Pardew is the new favourite to be the next Premiership manager to leave his post after crisis talks with the club’s board. These crisis talks prompted Pardew to be traded as low as 1.08 on Betfair to leave his post.

Following 5 straight defeats and reports of unrest amongst the players following the high profile signings of Argentina World Cup stars Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, Pardew reportedly offered to resign.

Ladbrokes currently have Pardew at 11/8 favourite, behind the likes of Stuart Pearce 11/2, who has also been under pressure recently following a disappointing start to the season. Gareth Southgate and Glenn Roeder are both available at odds of 8/1 following poor starts to the season.

In other management jobs, 3 Championship clubs WBA, Norwich and Leeds are all without a manager. Bet 365 have odds on all these markets:

Next permanent West Brom Manager:

Dave Jones 11/8
Tony Mowbray 2/1
Alex McLeish 11/4
Nigel Pearson 8/1
Steve Cotterill 8/1

Next permanent Leeds Manager:

John Carver 13/8
Glenn Hoddle 15/8
Gary McAllister 11/4
Dennis Wise 5/1
Alan Curbishley 8/1

Next permanent Norwich Manager:

Mark Bowen 11/4
Kevin Blackwell 2/1
Martin Hunter 8/1
Alan Curbishley 10/1

Click here for your complete guide to free bets online.

Click here for a full list of free bets

Premier League Top Goalscorer Betting

As the Premiership season openers draw closer and closer it is close becoming time to get antepost bets in order. A consistently popular and varied market is that of Top Goalscorer. Last season’s joint winners Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov are far from the thinking of most punters, with the former expected to leave Manchester City and the Premier League shortly and the latter clearly down the pecking order at Champions Manchester United.

It is at United that the two market leaders will be found, with both Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez best priced at 10.00 across the board, and both as short as 8.00 in various places too. The expectation is for Rooney to continue to recover the form that had England dreaming of a World Cup win, having instead stuffered with a World Cup hangover last season and failing to reach anywhere near the levels expected of him until past halfway through campaign. Rooney’s role will be dictated by the players around him. If his partnership with Hernandez continues to flourish, the England striker will drop deeper and create more, whereas in a 4-5-1 with the likes of Ashley Young, Nani and Valencia behind him, Rooney will lead the line and be more selfish in and around the box.

Hernandez is expected to continue his fine form in the red of United, and this time round will have a full season to score goals after he was eased into English football by Sir Alex Ferguson last year. The only problem with playing for such a dominant side is that the manager will manage his squad according the stages of each competition they are in. With Rooney, Hernandez, Owen, Berbatov, Welbeck, Macheda and Young who could line up in attack for the Champions, and a number of different formations they could line up with, playing time will be shared, neither striker will be the only goal threat and the focus on competition/match importance will change.

Another factor affecting Top Goal Scorer betting this season is the African Cup of Nations. The likes of Drogba, Arsenal new boy Gervinho and new Newcastle striker Demba Ba will be away from the league for a month. This is worth noting for any African player that you fancy to bury bundles. The aforementioned Ba could be worth an each way shout even if he misses a month of football. As one of very few who impressed as West Ham were relegated last year, with seven goals in 10 premier league starts, the forward was snapped up by Newcastle for nothing, coming into a side who have added strength across the pitch this transfer window and who will continue to attack in every game. The 67.00 offered by Blue Square is tempting, and with most firms offering around four or five places there is plenty of each way value.

The last major pitfall of the Top Goal Scorer market is the injury prone striker. Robin Van Persie is a world class forward who can carry Arsenal single handedly through tough encounters. But can he stay fit for the majority of the season? If you think he can, 11.00 (skybet, victorchandler, coral) is a cracking price for the man who scored 18 times since the start of 2011 last season, and became the first Premier League player to score in seven successive away games (and ended up scoring in nine consecutive away ties). However, in his seven years with The Gunners he has played only 156 times, which indicates just how often he misses matches, even considering his emergence was blocked by one Thierry Henry.

Having highlighted Rooney, Hernandez and Van Persie, the remaining two of the top five in the market (assuming Tevez is Corinthians bound) are Fernando Torres and Darren Bent. Can Torres banish his demons of last season, under a new boss and within an apparently more attack minded side? It is hard to believe Roman Abramovich would hire a manager who would not make Torres the attacking diamond of a side, and with a full pre-season behind him there can no longer be any excuses for Fernando Torres. If he discovers the form of his early Liverpool days then the 11.00 offered by Victor Chandler and Coral is a must back. As the old saying goes, form is temporary, class is permanent, and there’s no doubting the Spaniard had class not long ago.

England’s Darren Bent is an out and out goalscorer, no doubt about that. The problem with backing him is nothing to do with his ability. Sadly for him, Villa have lost two of the best wingers in the league, and players who enjoy laying on a goal for a striker. The sales of Ashley Young and Stewart Downing mean Bent may lack the class of support he once had, or may have to build new relationships with any incoming signings.

The only man with positives all round him? Andy Carroll. Liverpool have strengthened their supply line without adding to their forward line, and as such there is less competition but plenty of faith for the young striker to work with. With Downing and Adam supplying balls into the box, Gerrard and Suarez playing in the hole, the players are there to feed Carroll, who can dominant in the air and score with both feet. Not only that, Sky Bet and Paddy Power offer 23.00.

There are easy positives behind many players in the market. It comes down to personal opinion, and opinion on not only players, but how teams will do. Not since Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in the 2000/01 season has a player from outside the top four been top scorer. However, Andy Johnson of relegated Crystal Palace came second in 2004/05, and this highlights that a goalscorer can come from any side, and that there is each way value out there.

Recommended Bets:
Darren Bent e/w 15.00 William Hill
Andy Carroll e/w 23.00 Paddy Power
Demba Ba e/w 67.00 Blue Sq
Wayne Rooney 10.00 William Hill

Premiership outright winner betting preview
Premiership relegation betting betting preview