Premier League betting – Chelsea vs Liverpool

Chelsea vs Liverpool betting preview

Chelsea: League Position: 4th, League Form

What a transfer window it’s ending up being for the Blues. Just as questions were being asked over Roman Abramovich’s desire at Chelsea he forks out £50m for Fernando Torres and another £25m for defender David Luiz. The jitters that have ruined the middle of their season can now begin to be banished particularly off the back of a 4-0 win at Bolton and a 4-2 victory at Sunderland.

Whether or not Luiz begins his Chelsea career this Sunday is unclear, but the defence is still the soft core of this side. Standards have dropped across each member of the defensive unit, although Cech was back to somewhere near his best against Sunderland. If the new signing does not play then Terry, Ivanovic and Bosingwa (less so Ashley Cole) will be scrutinised again.

The dream team like conundrum up front could be Manager Ancelotti’s other concern. Does he hand Torres his debut against his former club? Will the Spaniard form a partnership with Drogba or Anelka? Can he play all three? It’s the kind of problem a manager loves, and a trio that will terrify any defence worldwide.

Liverpool: League Position: 7th, League Form:

Liverpool began life without Fernando on Wednesday, and they cruised to victory against Stoke at home. A comfortable 2-0 win and a debut goal for substitute Luis Suarez was the perfect result for Manager Kenny Dalglish. Now the big test. The team put out against Stoke included six defenders, and whilst Glen Johnson and Fabio Aurelio have the ability to play wide midfield, but are still full backs playing out of position.

Coming up against a quality side, Liverpool were not expected to beat Chelsea at home earlier in the season. A fantastic Fernando Torres performance eased them past the champions. Without the Spaniard they must now go to Stamford Bridge and play even better to get anything from the game. With £35m signing Andy Carroll sidelined, other new boy Suarez is likely to start. He looked reasonably sharp midweek. Can he inspire his side here? The inconsistency within the Chelsea defensive ranks is there to attack.

Match Prediction: CHELSEA WIN – 1.62 Bet365 and William Hill

Two teams with weaknesses in defence, new signings up front and the added bite of Fernando Torres facing his old team on his debut. This game has all the makings of a cracker. Looking at the recent form of both sides it surprising to see three consecutive clean sheets for Liverpool, whilst Chelsea looked rocky at the back throughout the game with Sunderland on Tuesday.

It is still considered that both these sides have problems in defence. The Chelsea back line is looking weaker than last season, whilst most Liverpool fans worry their defence is not of high enough standard. Suarez, with 49 goals in 48 appearances in Holland last year, will worry Terry, and possibly new signing David Luiz, and Torres will be desperate to get off the ground running on his debut for the Blues.

But, Chelsea are looking closer to their attacking best, and have the experience in their ranks to up their performances in the big games. Home advantage is massively important for Chelsea too. Fernando Torres will be the most popular first goalscorer bet this weekend, and it’s hard not to back him.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Over 2.5 Goals – 1.91 Coral

First Goalscorer: Fernando Torres – 5.00 Paddy Power

Correct Score: 2-1 CHELSEA WIN – 9.00 Sky Bet

Match Odds:-

Chelsea – 1.62 Bet365, William Hill

Draw – 4.2 Stan James

Liverpool – 6.00 Victor Chandler

By Chris Wilkerson

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Premier League betting – Chelsea vs Aston Villa

Chelsea vs Aston Villa betting preview

The month of March has been a very indifferent one for Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea team. The comprehensive victory against Stoke in the FA Cup was followed up with a 4-1 hammering of West Ham at Stamford Bridge, which sent them back to the top of the Premier League. However, defeat at the hands of Jose Mourinho’s Inter side in the Champions League sent the West Londoners crashing out of Europe and El-Hadji Diouf’s leveller at Ewood Park last time out, meant it was a case of two points dropped. The Stamford Bridge club now find themselves four points adrift of leaders Manchester United prior to their visit to Portsmouth this evening. Aston Villa travel to London on Saturday and Martin O’Neill will fancy his side’s chances in the midst of the Blues’ mini crisis. The bookies list the Villains at a generous 7/1 to inflict only Chelsea’s second home defeat of the season, Chelsea are a short 2/5 while the draw pays out at 15/4 with Bet365.

Speculation has been rife this week that Ancelotti’s position as manager is under threat but the former AC Milan boss insists such reports are largely untrue. Chelsea fans probably expected more from the Italian in his maiden season in England and a majority would have liked former manager Mourinho to have been sitting in the opposite dug-out when his Inter Milan side won at the Bridge last week.

Many feel Chelsea’s title challenge has slipped by the wayside following the disappointing draw at Blackburn on Sunday and the consistent good form of rivals Manchester United and Arsenal. Carlo Ancelotti men travel to the South-Coast this evening in the Premier League, with the Italian declaring it as a must-win game. Arguably, anything less than three points against cash strapped Pompey and the Blues faithful can wave another goodbye to the Premier League crown.

Ground may have been lost in the title race but the FA Cup still remains a distinct possibility where they will face Saturday’s opponents in the semi-finals.

Martin O’Neill’s Villa side have already accounted for Chelsea this season when the pair met in October. That day, Villa came from a goal down to record a 2-1 success at Villa Park. The Midlands club will travel for Saturday’ reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge hoping to become only the second side to leave there with all three points this season. MO’N will have watched videos of Man City’s 4-2 success at the end of last month and he will be hoping his troops can replicate Roberto Mancini’s men and complete a famous double over Chelsea. However, Villa’s disappointing 2-2 draw at home to Wolves last Saturday did nothing in their race to claim fourth. O’Neill’s football philosophy will mean his side will not be parking the bus in front of Brad Friedel’s goal, they will have the intention of collecting all three points come 3pm on Saturday.

John Carew’s brace against Wolves makes him a generous 11/1 shout to open the scoring on Saturday. Chelsea’s leading marksmen is the favourite to break the deadlock at 11/4 with SkyBet while French strike partner Nicolas Anelka can be snapped up at 9/2. Expect there to be goals in this one, Turnbull and Hilario have stepped in for the injured Petr Cech but Chelsea haven’t kept a clean sheet in three matches so snap up the 7/10 being offered for Villa to breach Chelsea’s leaky backline.

The first goal is all important in this one, if Villa can get it Chelsea will have to go chasing the game and Villa swiftness on the counter can exploit Ancelotti’s men. Conversely, if the Blues’ get it, there could be an onslaught which so many team have fell victim to this season.

Betting Verdict

Chelsea to win 1-0 at 13/2 with Victor Chandler

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Premier League betting – Chelsea vs Arsenal

Chelsea Vs Arsenal betting preview

Chelsea

Last 6 Results: DWWWWW

Current League Position: 1st

In a week dominated by allegations into the private life of captain John Terry, Chelsea slumped to a disappointing 1-1 draw at Hull in midweek. Terry himself let his football do the talking in typical Terry-like fashion last weekend at Turf Moor scoring the winner, but his side fell short at the KC where they came up against a bullish Hull side. Didier Drogba scored on his return from the African Cup of Nations but Carlo Ancelotti’s winning run of four games came to an end as they could only muster a point and extend their lead at the summit to just two points. The Blues can ill afford to dwell on the two points dropped on Tuesday night as Arsenal visit the Bridge hoping to chuck their hat back into the title ring. Chelsea strolled past the Gunners 3-0 when the pair met at the Emirates earlier in the season and are yet to be beaten on home turf, so this one seems a home banker, doesn’t it?

Only David Moyes’ Everton have taken points off Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this season but when Arsenal come to town on Sunday they can hardly rest on their laurels and say this one is going to be a formality. A complacent Chelsea were shot down by the Gunners in the same fixture last season when a brace from Robin Van Persie condemned the blues to a rare home defeat. Ancelotti will be wary of Arsene Wenger’s succinct and incisive passing side. But Chelsea have been able to bully teams at home this season without looking aesthetically pleasing; Portsmouth, Hull and Fulham have all succumbed to marginal 2-1 defeats. However, Chelsea have hit the net no fewer than fifteen times in their first three home games of 2010 and they looked at their devastating best during the 3-0 win over Birmingham a fortnight ago. Chelsea were allowed to play their fast, free-flowing football that day and comprehensively put a Birmingham side to the sword that had gone a staggering fifteen games unbeaten.

The London based club face a busy fixture schedule of three games in the space of seven days starting with Sunday’s sky live game. But despite the draw at Hull, the blues form of late hasn’t been below par, unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions with their last Premier league defeat coming at Eastlands way back in early December. They boast the joint second meanest defence in the league behind Aston Villa and have a good record against their title challengers. Manchester United and Liverpool have both left the Bridge empty handed this season and Chelsea have the habit of taking valuable points off the teams around them.

Boosted by the return of their African contingent of players, Carlo and co will know a win all but ends Arsenal’s title challenge but also maintains their own push for a first title in four years. Manchester United can make Premier League history by making it four successive titles, but one feels if Chelsea win on Sunday they are in pole position to secure a third Premier League crown. With this is mind, it’s no surprise Chelsea are clear favourites with the bookmakers at 5/6 to complete a double over their North London rivals.

Arsenal
Last 6 Results: LDLWWD
Current League Position: 3rd

It’s not very often Arsenal are outclassed at their own beautiful game, but even Arsene Wenger admitted his young team were just not at the races as a rampant Manchester United all but ended their title aspirations. For a team starved of silverware since their FA Cup success in 2005, Wenger’s men had been on a run of ten unbeaten prior to last weekends humiliating defeat. A six-point gap now exists between them and league leaders Chelsea and Wenger needs all 3 points on Sunday to keep alive their slim title chances. The Gunners won’t have forgotten their crushing defeat at the hands of Chelsea last time out, but will revenge be sweet or will they waving goodbye to the title?

First and foremost, on their day Arsenal are capable of just about anything, such was the performance away at Liverpool in mid December when they mastered an unlikely 2-1 victory after falling a goal behind. However, their record against their two main title contenders is another story; they have yet to secure a victory against the top two (Man Utd and Chelsea) this year and that is something they are going to have to change this Sunday.

January proved to be a topsy-turvy month for Arsene Wenger’s side, a brief stint at the summit of the league coupled with their FA Cup exit at Stoke. The highest scorers in the league are leaking goals and the return of Sol Campbell, albeit as a bit part player, has done little to shore up their frail rearguard. The centre back pairing of William Gallas and Thomas Vermaelen face a huge task of keeping Drogba and Anelka quiet, the former buoyed by his strike in midweek. Belgian Vermaelen, has certainly verified his £10million price tag in goal scoring terms already this season, but arguably his defending at the other end has looked a little suspect at times. The loss of Robin Van Persie to injury last year however didn’t prompt Wenger to delve into the January transfer market; but it is difficult to see where the supply of Arsenal goals are going to consistently come from. Nicklas Bendtner may return from injury against the blues to spearhead a Gunners side which must be short on confidence.

They do however know what it feels like to win at Stamford Bridge, claiming a 2-1 win they visited last year but they cannot afford to go there this time and roll over. Playing for a point isn’t Arsene’s style and a maximum return is imperative if they want to keep pace with their opponents. Lose this one, and the table will not make happy reading if you’re a Gunner; nine points could be the gap come Sunday evening. The North London club are a generous 4/1shot to be the first side to claim all three points at Chelsea this season but maybe the best they can hope for is a draw which pays out at 5/2. Will the title still be a 3-horse race at the end of ninety minutes or is there life in Arsenal’s youngsters yet?

Men to Watch

It’s hard to look no further than Chelsea’s Didier Drogba following his solitary strike at Hull on Tuesday. The Ivorian wasted no time in putting the heartache of exiting the Africa Cup of Nations at the quarter-final stage to the back of his mind when he rescued a point for his side. He seems a good bet at 5/1 with Ladbrokes to open the scoring on Sunday and expose the fragility in Arsenal’s backline. The 31-year olds alarming presence and ruthlessness in front of goal has seen him bag 15 goals this term and he’s had the beating of Arsenal already this season, so don’t back against him adding to the brace he scored at the Emirates in the reverse fixture.

The general rule of thumb is when Cesc Fabregas plays well, Arsenal play well and more often than not this season he has rescued his team. His creativity, ability to pull the strings in midfield and killer instinct in front of goal have made him the club’s top scorer this season with eleven. If Fabregas justifies just why Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are vying for his signature, then Arsenal can trouble Chelsea. 10/1 represents great value for the midfield to open the scoring.

Verdict

The first goal in this encounter is all important. If Arsenal get it, it will provide the added impetus they will need if they are to rough a few Chelsea feathers. On the other hand, if Chelsea start as they mean to go on like did against Birmingham, the Gunners could be in for a long afternoon. The last thing Arsenal want is to be chasing a game they need to win, but if recent meetings are anything to go by Wenger’s troops haven’t lost by more than a single goal in their last seven visits to Stamford Bridge. This might suggest a tense affair but an Arsenal win at a generous 4/1 is definitely worth a small stake.

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Premier League betting – Everton vs Arsenal

Everton vs Arsenal betting preview

Everton: League Position: 12th, League Form: WDWDD

An Everton side unbeaten in seven welcome another of the big sides to Goodison Park this weekend. It can’t go much worse than last season, as Arsenal won 6-1 on the opening day. Classic slow starters Everton have began to find their feet again, and may find their finishing touch returns now Saha is fit and Jermaine Beckford has finally got his first Premier League goal.

Fellaini is suspended after a reckless sending off midweek, but Everton are still likely to field a five-man midfield against the Gunners. Cahill and Arteta will carry the attacking threat from the middle, with both capable of goals.

The choice of striker is an intriguing one for Moyes. Saha has a touch more class than the other forwards in the squad, but he lacks fitness, whereas Beckford is unlikely to be trusted in such a big game. Yakubu has the strength to bother Arsenal’s still suspect back line and can finish with class still.

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

Goals in the first and last minutes against Wolves won them the game Wednesday, yet a 2-0 scoreline doesn’t tell the story of the game accurately. Arsenal faced long spells of pressure and were saved by their ‘keeper and the frame of their goal. Having lost to Newcastle three days before, Arsenal are a team to be got at right now.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Arsenal without signs of weakness, and they are capable of turning on quality that no team in the Premiership can match. They also have a striker settled in the league, with Chamakh’s two goals on Wednesday taken with ease. Even more important in those goals were the understanding with ringmaster Fabregas, which can only improve further over time.

With Chelsea grinding out results and five points clear of the Gunners, Wenger’s side cannot afford to drop more points this early in the season. If they play five across midfield and match Everton’s approach they may struggle for muscle, but can more than make up for that by passing the opposition into submission.

Match Prediction: Arsenal Win at best odds 2.3 with Victor Chandler.

Arsenal are far more easily written off than title rivals Chelsea or Manchester United, but definitely have as much class. And if any team is going to overwhelm a team set up to be hard to break down it’s Arsenal. Everton’s fans will want them to have a go, and Arsenal can definitely pick them apart.

Only two of Everton’s 12 games has produced more than 2 goals this season, but they’ve shown defensive frailties against Blackpool and Bolton in the past two games, and whilst Arsenal are most capable of scoring plenty, they are also suspect at the back. Both teams will fancy scoring a couple of goals if they can get on top, and Everton’s best chance may be attacking Johan Djourou, who definitely does not look like a top four defender.

This could be one of those games bogged down in midfield, and as such Arsenal’s captain fantastic may make all the difference. Although still impressive this season, he’s yet to explode into a game like Fabregas of last year. Having stayed with Arsenal for this season at least, he more than anyone will be chasing silverware for the club.

A tough game decided by an extra bit of quality? Step up Cesc Fabregas.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Over 2.5 goals – 2.03 Bet 365
First Goalscorer: Cesc Fabregas – 10.00 Ladbrokes
Correct Score: 2-1 Arsenal – 9.5 Sky Bet

Match Odds:-

Everton – 3.4 Bet 365, Bet Fred,
Draw – 3.4 Stan James,
Arsenal – 2.3 Victor Chandler, William Hill

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Premier League betting – Bolton vs Liverpool

Bolton vs Liverpool betting preview

Bolton League Position: 8th League Form: DDDWD

Bolton have started the season well, with the acquisition on a free of Martin Petrov from Manchester City highlighting a new era of more exciting football at the Reebok. Owen Coyle’s team remain unbeaten in their last 5 league games and can boast holding Manchester United to a draw and keeping the most in form team in the Premiership West Brom to a draw.

One of the key figures this season for Bolton has been Johan Elmander whose emergence as a goalscorer and a partner for recent England international Kevin Davies could not have come at a better time. His 5 goals in 9 league fixtures has helped Bolton to keep their place at the top end of the table, his odds to be first goalscorer at 8/1 on Bet365 look to be a worth a look.

However Bolton haven’t seemed to be able to land the killing blow in their 9 Premier league games with 6 of them ending in draws, however against an out of sorts Liverpool team a win for the home side could also be quite a safe bet at 12/5 on BetFred.

Liverpool Position 18th League Form: LDLLW

Liverpool’s position is one that none of the Anfield faithful will be overly used to, hovering precariously in the relegation zone. Last weekend’s win at Blackburn has to be seen as a turning point for Liverpool this season, with Torres finally finding the net after only scoring once since returning from the World Cup. Torres to score first may seem like an obvious one but now that he may have found his scoring form again he could be a good shout at 9/2 with BetFred.

In my opinion Liverpool’s luck is going to have to change soon, I mean I cannot see a club such as Liverpool languishing near the bottom for long, no they won’t challenge for Europe but mid table obscurity should be the aim this season. Their encounters with teams in the top half of the table don’t instil much confidence however with Liverpool picking up all of their 6 points from teams in the lower end of the league.

Match Predictions:

Correct Score: Bolton 2-1 at 11/1 on Skybet and Bet365
First Goalscorer: Johan Elmander at 8/1 Bet 365
First Goalscorer: Fernando Torres at 9/2 SkyBet

By John Fernandez

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Premier League betting – Bolton vs Everton

Bolton vs Everton betting preview

Bolton     League Form: LDLLWL    Position: 8th

Bolton Wanderers have been enjoying a good season and may be starting to hold ambitions of qualifying for European football next season. Just one league win in their last seven league games, though, has seen them begin to struggle for goals and confidence. The Wanderers have managed just 4 goals in the spell that has seen them win once so far this calendar year. On-loan striker Daniel Sturridge has scored 2 goals in 2 games since joining form Chelsea and the youngster is looking good to score the last goal with odds of 13/2 from Bet365. The lack of goals for Bolton over the last few weeks may worry manager Owen Coyle but if they can find the net against Everton then they have a chance as every time they have scored 2 or more this season they have not lost.

Everton     League Form: LWDDLW    Position: 13th

Everton produced a great attacking display last time out to beat Blackpool 5-3 in a hugely entertaining game that continued their good recent form. Although in complete contrast to their opponents on Sunday, scoring goals has not been a problem for the Toffees lately. David Moyes’ men have managed 18 goals in their last 7 league and cup games while suffering just one defeat in the process. Louis Saha scored 4 in the win over the Seasiders and in the process took his tally to 6 goals in 3 games, therefore, odds of 9/1 for the striker to score first and Everton to win is a standout bet at William Hill. Tim Cahill could come back into the side for the trip to Bolton as Everton may revert to the 4-4-1-1 now the Australian has returned from international duty.

Match Prediction Everton WIN best priced at 7/4 Skybet

Everton should go into the Sunday clash on wave of confidence after their win against Blackpool and have a striker in great form. Although they will have to defend better this time out and if they get at Bolton early on then you feel their quality in midfield should shine through. The two sides drew 1-1 earlier in the season but the Toffees have improved since then and a correct score of 2-1 should give a good return at 10/1 with Betfred.

Highlighted Bets

Saha 1st goal scorer and Everton WIN – 9/1 William Hill

1-2 Everton WIN – 10/1 Betfred

HT/FT of Draw/Everton –11/2 Stan James

By Sam Markham

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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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