West Brom vs Southampton betting preview

Following another big weekend of Premier League action, Monday Night Football sees two teams both desperate to end a terrible run of form. West Brom have stuttered after a strong start to the season, picking up just 4 points from a possible 12, whilst Southampton are staring down the barrel of a tough relegation fight having secured just a solitary point from their last four games. Southampton know that a win could see them jump out of the relegation zone whilst West Brom could get their European hopes back on track by collecting all three points at The Hawthorns. Choose a free bet offer for this match here.

West Brom’s Recent Results:

Newcastle 2-1 West Brom (Lukaku)
West Brom 1-2 Man City (Long)
West Brom 3-2 QPR (Morrison, Gera, Mulumbu)
Aston Villa 1-1 West Brom (Long)

West Brom started the season in fine form, beating Liverpool comprehensively on the first day of the season before picking up a draw and a win against Tottenham and Everton respectively. However, despite excellent performances, West Brom have slipped to 8^th with last minute losses to both Newcastle and Man City in recent weeks and need to bounce back with victory on Monday night.

So far this season West Brom’s strikers have had a habit of one of them scoring when the other doesn’t. Despite scoring three goals apiece, Shane Long and Romelu Lukaku have failed to score in the same game this season. Peter Odemwingie, West Brom’s leading goal scorer last season, has netted just once in an injury plagued start, but has contributed to two assists in his four games. Boyle Sports price Shane Long at 13/8 to score at any time whilst Ladbrokes have odds of 7/4 for Lukaku to score.

The Hawthorns has become a fortress for West Brom this season, having won four of their five games at home – their only defeat coming against Man City following two late goals from Edin Dzeko. In those five games they have managed to keep a clean sheet on three occasions and Bet365 have West Brom at 21/10 to keep a clean sheet.

Southampton’s Recent Results:

Leeds United 3-0 Southampton
Southampton 1-2 Tottenham (Rodriguez)
West Ham United 4-1 Southampton (Lallana)
Southampton 2-2 Fulham (Fonte (x2))

Southampton haven’t had the easiest of reintroductions to the Premier League, having picked up just four points from their opening nine games. There have been signs of improvement in the past few weeks, though, with an impressive second half performance against Tottenham last weekend and a late equaliser to grab a point against Fulham at the start of October.

The Saints have not been lacking in goal scoring ability, having failed to score in just one Premier League game this season. It is at the back where they struggle, conceding a mammoth 26 goals, more than any other club, 16 of those coming away from home at an average of 4 goals per game. William Hill offer 4/1 on over 4.5 goals, a good bet considering Southampton have had five games with five or more goals in the Premier League this season.

Adam Lallana has been Southampton’s stand out player this season with four assists and a goal to his tally. The midfielder has played all but 13 minutes of Southampton’s campaign this season and is an integral part to their attacking force. Boyle Sports have priced Lallana at 4/1 to contribute an assist at anytime during Monday night’s game.

Betting Summary

This game is likely to feature goals, whether it is a West Brom rout or a tightly contested game. Southampton have looked very lively in the second half of late and could be subject to a slow start. William Hill have an inviting price of 6/1 for Southampton to win or draw having fallen behind.

It’s needless to say West Brom will be itching to take advantage of home advantage and ‘weak’ opposition, and this could be the stage for star striker Odemwingie to finally get his teeth stuck into this Premier League season. Blue Square have Odemwingie at 9/1 to score two or more goals, whilst Bet365 have odds of 5/1 on Odemwingie to score and West Brom to win.

Prediction: West Brom 3-1 Southampton. Priced 12/1 at Stan James.

Article by Jack Teague

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Manchester United v Arsenal Betting Preview

After three successive Premier League wins Manchester United will be looking to replicate last season’s double over Arsenal at lunchtime on Saturday. Choose a free bet for this match here.

After three Premier League wins on the bounce Manchester United will be looking to assert their authority in the league on Saturday against Arsenal.  Even though Manchester United are still looking shaky at the back conceding a lot more goals this season than usual, they are playing some exciting football – scoring goals for fun. Their scoring capabilities have been key for them this season helping them to come from behind on four occasions in the Premier League this season.

Sir Alex Ferguson reaped the dividends playing an attacking team at Chelsea that featured Rooney, Van Persie, Valencia and Young, eventually winning the match 3-2. His side looked very impressive on the counter attack with wingers Young and Valencia using their explosive pace on the counter attack which saw United race into an early 2-0 lead. It is likely that Sir Alex will play a similarly attacking team on Saturday with the philosophy of ‘we can outscore you’ against Arsenal. After resting most of his key players including Rooney and Van Persie in the midweek cup defeat away at Chelsea Sir Alex is likely to freshen up his team and revert back to a similar team that beat Chelsea on the weekend.

After their 3-1 away win at Upton Park Arsenal have suffered a dramatic slump in their form losing two out of their last three in all competitions and only just narrowly beating the Premier League’s bottom side 1-0 at the Emirates. Not only have only lacked a clinical finisher to score goals but they have not been able to create enough chances to control matches. This must be very worrying for Wenger as Gervinho and Giroud have looked amiss in front of goal this season missing many of the rare clear cut chances Arsenal have been creating. However, Arsenal were able to temporarily forget their woes on Tuesday against Reading in the Capital One Cup where they showed tremendous attitude to come back from 4-0 down to eventually win the match 7-5 after extra time. Theo Walcott was the catalyst in this comeback by scoring two vital goals and showing that he may be the man to fill the void left by Robin Van Persie.

Given the recent performances from Arsenal and their dismal record at Old Trafford Aresene Wenger may be forgiven if he sets his team up to defend and not attack. The shrewd Frenchman may revert to a more defensive formation with the idea of breaking on the counter attack with the pace of Podolski and Gervinho.  Also, Jack Wilshere will be in contention to start his second Premier League game of the season after 14 months out on the sidelines, which can only be beneficial to Arsenal. The promising Englishmen hopes he can reignite the somewhat predictable Arsenal midfield and bring back the free flowing entertaining Arsenal football we are all used to.

In recent seasons this fixture has seen some fantastically exciting encounters with no shortage of drama and action. This is bound to be a great game to watch for the neutrals and goals are expected to flow.

Last three league matches:

Newcastle 0-3 Manchester United                                            West Ham United 1-3 Arsenal

Manchester United 4-2 Stoke                                                     Norwich 1-0 Arsenal

Chelsea 2-3 Manchester United                                                  Arsenal 1-0 QPR

H2H:

Arsenal 1-2 Manchester United     Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal   Arsenal 1-0 Manchester United

Prediction:

Arsenal have lost on their last three encounters with Manchester United at Old Trafford and in their current form they are likely to do so again. It will be extremely difficult for Aresene Wenger’s side to get anything at Old Trafford given the form of the two teams. Arsenal are struggling to score goals lacking a clinical finisher since selling Robin Van Persie to United in the summer, whilst although Manchester United are giving away soft goals they are scoring for fun having scored 16 goals in their first 5 home Premier League matches. Therefore backing a Manchester United win would be advisable but at 4/6 the odds reflect their superiority and because of this a better bet would be Manchester United to win by a -1 goal handicap @ 8/5 (meaning they have to win by two clear goals).

Highlighted Bets:

1)      Ex-gunner Robin Van Persie has scored in his last two Premier league games and will be eager to score against his old club on Saturday. The ‘flying Dutchman’ has shown that he is still a clinical finisher in recent weeks and is more than capable of scoring goals against a weak Arsenal defence. Having scored a hat-trick for Arsenal last year at Stamford Bridge Van Persie has proven that he can score goals in the big games and he is a whopping 30/1 to score a hat-trick against his old club. This is an extravagant bet but one that offers fantastic value for a player performing well for an in form team against a lacklustre Arsenal defence.

2)      An obvious bet on this game would be to back over 2.5 goals as both teams are likely to concede and usually this fixture averages more than three goals. However, at 13/20 this seems very short and not worth the risk that it holds as Arsenal may approach the game defensively leaving it difficult for Manchester United to break them down thus limiting chances in the match. Therefore, as an alternative for bet that offers better value I would advise looking at backing over 1.5 goals in the first half @ 13/8. A bet that would have won in Manchester United’s last three home fixtures in all competitions. This is a great bet as United usually come out of the traps flying at home to try and score an early goal, but this also leaves them prone at the back and because of this they have conceded early home goals against Fulham, Stoke, Tottenham and Braga this season.

Recap:

• Manchester United -1 handicap @ 8/5 (win by two clear goals i.e. 2-0)
• Robin Van Persie to score a hat-trick @ 30/1
• Over 1.5 first half goals @ 13/8

Article by Mark Stefanyszyn

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Chelsea vs Man Utd League Cup betting preview

Chelsea

Towards the end of last season and for the majority of this season thus so far, Chelsea look a very different side but in a positive way by all means. They have flourished under the new management and have achieved some very good results, even in the Premier League this season, great wins over Tottenham and Arsenal and they have done well against a lot of the lower league teams. Check out all the free bets available for Capital One Cup matches here.

Chelsea look like a team who could challenge both Manchester clubs for the Premier League, but also the League Cup is going to be on their list of aims to do well in. Although one negative that is given attention to during the League Cup is the depth of talent or lack of it for Chelsea’s second team you could see. Usually, Chelsea does not rotate their squad around well so much, but perhaps this is a positive because the team connects well. But you see times like Arsenal, Manchester United, City and even teams such as Spurs rotate their teams around so much, especially for the League Cup, but the fact that Chelsea has not done so throughout the years must signify that they as a club take this competition seriously.

Chelsea’s last match against Wolves was spectacular, the score line was 6-0 but in all honestly Chelsea could have put in at least 15, they created chance after chance and Wolve’s goalkeeper kept many goals out. Chelsea dominated possession in this match having 63% by the time the full time whistle was blown. Additionally, they had 20 shots 13 of which were on target. Although Wolves are by no means a top team, it has to be considered that Wolves did not play their strongest line up, so with this in consideration the score line was potentially predictable once you see the attacking force Chelsea started with.

Nevertheless, Chelsea have found some form over the past weeks and they did do quite well against Manchester United in the Premiership, so it’s not in dispute that Chelsea will take the League Cup serious this season and have the potential to do far.

Manchester United

Manchester United are always undoubtedly one of the favourites to win any trophy in which they are competition for. But one major problem the reds have suffered this season is their defensive problems, they concede to many early goals, they have been behind 8 times in the Premier League thus so far, this is something that the manager has expressed that he is not happy with, and it’s just silly mistakes that cause this lapse of concentration. But then again, Manchester United are not short of attacking dominance, they continually score many goals. In United’s last four games they have scored 3 or more goals, with the total of 14 goals, but they have equally conceded 6, so it’s below the 50% threshold but this is not something United want to continually do. But then again, consider the fact that United with the talent they possess will for certain sort out their defensive problems, then with the attacking force they have and the potential to be strong in defence, this scenario is a scary thought for any opposition.

Manchester United have traditionally done very well in the League Cup over the years, but then again have been criticised for their team selection as well, with silly defeats against teams such as Crystal Palace and Coventry not long ago, even in the FA Cup for example against Leeds a few years back. With any English domestic cup United do tend to let their inexperienced players showcase their skills, but sometimes to United’s detriment. But after last seasons failure in nearly all the cups, United look to go hard in this tournament this year as well as all the others.

Chelsea v Manchester United betting verdict

It is not surprising that football fans would have been licking their lips when the draw for this match was delivered, especially after realising the fact that these two teams will play each other twice in a row. The match on Sunday in the Premier League was a strong advocate for English football, there was attacks from each side, highly paced football and many highly contentious points. Both teams played very well but Chelsea struggled defensively in many occasions, but so would many other teams when they are under pressure from Rooney, Van Persie and Hernandez just to name a few. But still, it is likely that Wednesdays League Cup match will be a different kettle of fish. Both teams but perhaps United might make some significance changes. United have a huge squad and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few young players start. But generally, this is going to be an attacking match with surely many goals, this match could go either way but Manchester United are on the road to improvement, whereas Chelsea are slightly on the decline with two defeats in two including the Champions League defeat.

Prediction: Chelsea 1 – 3 Manchester United 28/1 with BetFred

Read more betting previews for upcoming matches in our betting tips section. If you fancy a free bet for this match, or any upcoming event, check out the £25 free bet offer from Blue Square.

Article by Mani Basi

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Norwich v Tottenham Betting Preview

In recent fixtures this game has seen two teams contesting closely matched encounters averaging under 2.5 goals and an away team victory. This Capital One fixture promises to be frightfully exciting on the night of Halloween. Check out all the free bets available for Capital One Cup matches here.

Norwich City manager Chris Hughton will be questioning his teams fortune after they are left lying 16^th in the Premier League despite some impressive performances. Because of this their next Premier League fixture at home to Stoke City is extremely important and nothing less than a win will do for Norwich City. This may subsequently influence Hughton’s team selection on Wednesday forcing him to rest his key players and play a weakened team. Therefore out of action players like Butterfield, Morrison and Jackson will be handed a rare start and will be eager to impress and push their way into the first team.

If Tottenham wish to win a trophy this season then the Capital One League Cup may be their best chance, which they have won four times previously including their last success in 2008.  Despite this it is likely that Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas will make several changes to his Spurs side with their upcoming fixture against Wigan on Saturday. Newly signed goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and outcasts Dawson, Sigurdsson, Livermore and Townsend are likely to be amongst the starters at Norwich on Wednesday.  However, this tactic was proved successful when Villas-Boas opted for a similar approach in the third-round when Tottenham cruised to a 3-0 victory away at Carlisle back in September.

With both teams likely to field weakened teams this fixture may be an exciting encounter as the fringe players will be looking to push their way into the first team with an impressive performance.

Tottenham have been very impressive away from home this season not losing only one of their last six away fixtures in all competitions, winning their last three – including a historic 3-2 victory at Old Trafford. Therefore it looks like Tottenham will be going to Carrow Road bursting with confidence searching to maintain their fantastic away record, but having said that Norwich have only lost one of their last seven home games in all competitions. In their five home Premier League fixtures this year Norwich have been able to keep three clean sheets including one in a 1-0 victory in their last home outing against Arsenal.

Last three league matches:

Chelsea 4-1 Norwich City                                             Tottenham 2-0 Aston Villa

Norwich City 1-0 Arsenal                                              Tottenham 2-4 Chelsea

Aston Villa 1-1 Norwich City                                         Southampton 1-2 Tottenham

H2H:

Tottenham 1-1 Norwich City     Tottenham 1-2 Norwich City   Norwich City 2-0 Tottenham 

Prediction:

As mentioned earlier it is likely that both teams will play weakened teams resting players for key Premier League fixtures on Saturday. This may be more beneficial to Tottenham who have a much larger squad with strength in depth and may reap the dividends to Andre Villas-Boas. Although Norwich City have been very impressive at home this season only losing once in all competitions I feel that they may have one eye on their huge Premier League encounter with Stoke City on Saturday. Therefore with Tottenham looking to continue their run of good form away from home a Tottenham win looks a good bet and is advisable. However, Tottenham have been culpable of not being able to close out matches against supposedly weaker teams this season including throwing about winning positions against WBA, Malbor and Panithonikos. Because of this, a bet on Tottenham to qualify at 1/2 offers more security and is the safer option.

Highlighted Bets:

1)      Seven out of the last eight meetings between these two teams has ended with under 2.5 goals in the match with both teams struggling to score goals. Also, this season there have been fewer than three goals in 8/12 of Norwich’s games and 6/12 of Spurs’ games. Furthermore, in the 7 games Norwich have played at Carrow Road this season there have been under 2.5 goals in 5 of them. Therefore under 2.5 goals seems a good bet and at 11/10 it offers fantastic value.

2)      Tottenham midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson is likely to be an instrumental player for Spurs in this Capital One fixture. The ex-Swansea Icelander has not been able to fulfil expectations since his move over the summer, but has the quality to be the difference against a weakened Norwich City side. The midfielder is more than capable of scoring goals which he proved by scoring 7 in 18 Premier League games for Swansea City last year. Although incapable of emulating his form from last season, Sigurdsson did score in the last League Cup game against Carlisle. Sigurdsson will be keen to impress and the forward-thinking midfielder is 4/1 to score in a Tottenham win.

Recap:

• Tottenham to qualify 1/2
• Under 2.5 goals @ 6/5
• Sigurdsson to score and Tottenham to win @ 4/1

Read more betting previews for upcoming matches in our betting tips section. If you fancy a free bet for this match, or any upcoming event, check out the £25 free bet offer from Blue Square.

Article by Mark Stefanyszyn

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Liverpool V Swansea Betting

The obvious talking point when these two sides meet in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday is going to be that Brendan Rogers will be facing his old club Swansea for the first time. It will no doubt be an extra incentive for both sides to win this tie and now they have reached the last sixteen of the competition both sides will want to progress further. Check out all the free bets available for Capital One Cup matches here.

Liverpool

Having won the League Cup last year Brendan Rogers may feel the pressure to reciprocate that success and the thought of getting knocked out against his old club at this stage will make him field a strong side. Liverpool are at 4/9 to win this match on Bet365, a fair price for a side that are slowly turning their slow start to the season around after a good win in the Europa League last week and a well-earned draw in the Merseyside Derby on Sunday. Luis Suarez had another great game against Everton and will no doubt be the main pick to score the first goal against Swansea on Wednesday. He is Liverpool’s top scorer in the league on six this season so as long as he starts against Swansea you would tip him to add to that tally, he’s been placed at 10/3 on William Hill to score the first goal. I think it will be a fairly close game with not too many goals, so William Hill’s price of 4/9 on under 3.5 goals is worth a look and is priced the same as a Liverpool win.

Swansea

Swansea have enjoyed a relatively easy draw so far having edged out Crawley Town in the last round but this week’s test against Liverpool will prove much tougher for them. It’s hard to say what approach Micheal Laudrup may take into the match as Swansea’s main focus this season must surely lie with securing safety in the Premier League rather than trying to win perhaps the unrealistic target of the League Cup. Despite this Swansea are facing Brendan Rogers for the first time since he left and the fans will be more then keen to win this one. Swansea are at a high price of 7/1 on Bet365 to win this one and for a Swansea win or draw is at 13/8. They will go into this tie as heavy underdogs and having to travel to Anfield is especially hard in cup games. Two men that could make the difference if they start are the Spanish players Michu and Pablo Hernandez, both have enjoyed good starts to the season and could be the key in this fixture. Michu anytime goalscorer is at 11/4 on William Hill and could cause Liverpool’s defence a lot of problems.

Betting Verdict

Liverpool may just edge this one. They have a realistic chance of retaining the trophy this year and face a side in Swansea which will have one eye on securing safety in the premier league and will therefore be less driven to enjoy a good cup run. The Brendan Rogers factor does make it a game of more importance for both sides, and Liverpool to win 1-0 or 2-1 could be the call for a tight games, which on Bet365 are priced at 13/2 and 7/1 respectively.

Read more betting previews for upcoming matches in our betting tips section. If you fancy a free bet for this match, or any upcoming event, check out the £25 free bet offer from Blue Square.

By Max Hodge

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Arsenal vs Reading betting preview

The Capital One Cup returns in midweek as Arsenal travel to the Madejski Stadium to play a Reading side however both teams have struggled in the league and so Tuesday night will be a tight encounter. Get a free bet for any Carling Cup match this week.

Arsenal

The past week hasn’t been great for the Gunners. Defeat to Schalke in midweek was their first home defeat in the Champions League since 2003, losing 3-0 to Inter Milan. Following that the Arsenal shareholders held their latest AGM where Wenger and his board were questioned. To note Wenger felt qualification for the Champions League was as big as a trophy. Financially he is correct however fans will disagree. However with fans wanting a trophy the Capital One Cup could be a perfect opportunity for Wenger to put fans’ hearts at ease.

Jack Wilshere is expected to feature as he continues to gain full fitness. We may see youth players however a little bit of experience may be added to the team to ensure Arsenal progress in a trophy that they came so close to winning two years ago.

Reading

After gaining promotion last season, Reading have struggled to get things going in the league. On Saturday the Royals gained a point in a 3-3 thriller at home to Fulham but still sit 18^th, in a relegation zone. The League Cup can be often referred to as a ‘nuisance’ and especially for a newly promoted side; Reading may field a weaker side to get the cup out of the way.

However if Pavel Pogrebnyak does play he could be a threat. He is their leading goal scorer with four in all competitions, one coming at Stamford Bridge in the league. Jason Roberts has also been in the news recently and could be fired up to help Reading defeat Arsenal at home.

Although the Capital One Cup may appear as a minor trophy, victory here could kickstart either of these teams seasons.

Pavel Pogrebnyak to score first, 7/1 on Stan James

Arsenal to win 4-1, 33/1 on Blue Square

Jack Wilshere to score anytime, 6/1 on William Hill

Written by Kelv Morgan

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Chelsea vs Man Utd betting preview

This Sunday sees a number of big games, one of them being a top of the table clash between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have the luxury of knowing they will stay top no matter what the result this weekend, however a loss will see the gap between the two teams drop to just 1 point. That being said, Chelsea will be desperate for a win to extend their unbeaten start to the season and continue their dominance over the rest of the Premier League.

Chelsea’s Recent Results:

Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 Chelsea (Oscar)
Tottenham 2-4 Chelsea (Cahill, Mata (x2), Sturridge)
Chelsea 4-1 Norwich (Torres, Lampard, Hazard, Ivanovic)
FC Nordsjaelland 0-4 Chelsea (Mata (x2), Luiz, Ramires)

Despite being unbeaten in the league, Chelsea head into this match off the back of their first meaningful defeat of the season (Excluding Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup losses) – a 2-1 loss away to Shakhtar in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Looking to put Tuesday night behind them, Chelsea aim to secure a fifth straight league win and continue their perfect record at Stamford Bridge this season.

The hosts have conceded just 3 goals at home in the league this season whilst having scored almost four times that amount, proving that, unlike criticisms over the past few years, they haven’t just been doing the minimum needed to pick up three points. It is hardly surprising that Chelsea have shared the goals between strikers, midfielders and even defenders, with Mata and Torres topping the club’s scoring charts with 6, followed by Cahill and Ivanovic with 4 and 3 goals respectively.

Chelsea will be without the midfield presence of Frank Lampard on Sunday, who has been ruled out for 2 weeks with a calf injury suffered against Shakhtar in the week. They will also be without captain John Terry who is serving a four match ban.

William Hill have priced a Chelsea win at 6/4, whilst Bet Victor have a 1-0 Chelsea win at 19/2, a good price for a game that is likely to be filled with middle of the field possession and a solid back line for both sides.

Manchester United’s Recent Results:

Manchester United 3-2 Braga (Hernandez (x2), Evans)
Manchester United 4-2 Stoke (Rooney (x2), van Persie, Welbeck)
Newcastle 0-3 Manchester United (Evans, Evra, Cleverley)
CFR Cluj-Napoca 1-2 Manchester United (van Persie (x2))

So far this season United have made hard work of winning, having been trailing in 8 of their 12 games and coming back to win six of them. This was particularly highlighted in midweek as they slipped to a 2-0 deficit in the first half against Braga, only to come back to win 3-2 courtesy of a Hernandez brace. If this game follows suit then odds of 28/1 with Stan James for Chelsea to lead at half time and United to win the game could prove rewarding.

United have only failed to score against Chelsea once since the 2006/7 season – a 1-0 loss at Stamford Bridge back in 2009 – a trend that could continue on Sunday having scored in every game this season bar the opener against Everton in August. This has been largely down to the arrival of Robin van Persie at the club, who is priced at 10/1 to score two goals or more for the third time this season by Paddy Power.

Kagawa, United’s summer signing from Borussia Dortmund, has been ruled out of this weekend’s match with a knee injury and is likely to face four weeks on the sidelines. The away side will also be without Phil Jones and Anders Lindegaard.

Betting Summary

Both sides will be itching to take an early advantage in the title race so this is likely to be a tight affair separated by just one goal. Last time the sides met they drew 3-3 and the way both sides have been playing this season it could be another goal-fest. Over 3.5 goals is best price 7/4 with Boylesports.

This is a difficult game to predict but it would be hard to bet against the unbeaten league leaders at home continuing their run, hence a prediction of a Chelsea 2-1 win at 9/1 with VC Bet.

Read more betting previews for upcoming matches in our betting tips section. If you fancy a free bet for this match, or any upcoming event, check out the £25 free bet offer from Blue Square.

Article by Jack Teague

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Everton vs Liverpool betting preview

Everton

Everton have had a great start to the season sitting in forth position in the league. Over the years Everton have always started slowly, often climbing the table after the Christmas Period. But you must consider that because Everton have had a great start, where might end up? They are a seriously good football team with a serious squad with a sensible blend of some experience and young talent, some speed and some strength in both attack and defence. Everton has a huge potential this season to dominate, to do better than they have done over the last 10 years. Check out the latest Everton vs Liverpool free bets here.

The last two matches Everton has played, one with QPR and one with Wigan have both been draws, but Everton played away in both matches and although they would have expected two victories they shouldn’t worry too much and I’m sure they are not, they have had some very good results this season most notably their fighting win against Manchester United.

One worrying factor is that Everton have only kept two clean sheets this season, one against Man Utd and one against Swansea. Both these two teams play attacking football so it was a good job by Everton, but one area in which they are seriously lacking in is stability in defence. They have let some easy goals go by, but the talent is there, with Bains regularly showing his skills if Everton sort out their defence they will do very well this season, their attacking force and midfield power has not been ignored by any teams they have played so far. This season Everton has a chance in finishing in the top 4 potentially, don’t count them out.

Liverpool

Over the years Liverpool’s luck seems to be diminishing very fast, they have a strong fan base but it is so frustrating for their fans that Liverpool are not dominating the league as they once were. Without a doubt Liverpool have a few very talented players but this season you have got to watch out for young Sterling. Sterling is a very talented player and looks to be Liverpool’s best player thus so far this season, but in the long term fans will be wondering whether Sterling has a long term future at the club, Liverpool need to keep hold of this young man, he’s one to watch out for in the future and is an obvious danger player for any opposition.

But more generally, in regards to the Premier League things are still not looking too well for Liverpool. Liverpool are sitting in 12^th position with only 9 points out of 8 goals. Historically Liverpool have always been impressive defensively, notably for clean sheets but they are historically known for their attacking force but over the years this attacking force has become highly inconsistent, you just can’t point at one single player and think “yeah they are guaranteed to score in this match”. Whether Liverpool will challenge the top 6 this season is questionable, they have the talent to do it, but they need to give the management the chance to settle. But it is not doubted Liverpool are a great football club, and they still have plenty of time to do well this season.

Everton v Liverpool betting tips

This local derby is obviously going to be something special as it always is. Both sets of players are going to be up for this match and realistically and with a tremendous amount of credit to Everton you could say that this match is not as evenly matched as it was perhaps last season. Everton look a strong team and they have some real passionate players, they fight for victory with full force. Liverpool have pure talent, they player in a intelligent way and Everton need to be aware that if they make any mistake it is certain that Liverpool will pounce on it. But on a general note, both teams don’t play purely attractive football and I think you will not see many goals in this match.

Prediction: Everton 1 – 1 Liverpool Odds – 6/1 with William Hill

Read more betting previews for upcoming matches in our betting tips section. If you fancy a free bet for this match, or any upcoming event, check out the £25 free bet offer from Blue Square.

Article by Manprabh Basi

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Ajax vs Man City betting preview

Ajax:

In the Champions League thus so far Ajax find themselves at the bottom of the table, having been defeated on two occasions. On the face of it, although this seems like a tough position to be in it must be warned that Group D is perhaps one of the most difficult groups to be placed in, but many pundits would have and may still have expected Ajax to perhaps quality second, especially given their strong European record over the last 15 years.

The goal difference equation is not looking so good already for Ajax, and it’s very apparent that in the Champions League goal difference plays a significant part, so Ajax will have to bear this in mind. But also in Ajax’s defence it should be made aware that they were defeated against Real Madrid who are one of the favourites to win the Champions League. But nevertheless they also suffered a disappointing loss at the hands of Borussia. From both of the games, one issue Ajax obviously has is their goal scoring ability, they really should have done better against Borussia.

On a domestic level Ajax are fourth in the league after 9 games, but a notable statistic is that they have not yet been beaten thus so far so obviously they are very capable of turning out results in their favour, but it is also obvious that Ajax really do have to win their next couple of games in the Champions League to ensure that they qualify.

Manchester City:

After last year’s disappointing run in the Champions League, Manchester City hope that they should progress at least into the knockout stages, especially taking into account the strength of their squad and with no major injuries on the cards for their players. Additionally, the fans expect a lot from Man City and it’s clear that the manager is aware of this, evidentially it is clear that the style of play from City has changed tremendously, they look more willing to attack especially away from home.

Man City find themselves in a decent position, although they would be disappointed in the Real Madrid result, they should of won against Borussia, they had plenty of chances and at home they really should have done better.

If Ajax don’t find some form in Europe its arguable that the battle for second position will be between Manchester City and Borussia, Manchester City need to find a few wins but more importantly make sure they are defensively strong, they don’t want goal difference to play a significant part here because this group D is certainly shaping up to be a tight one.

Ajax v Manchester City:

This match between Ajax v Manchester City should be a good one for a number of reasons, both teams need to win otherwise they could easily fall behind on point in the group, one point only separates both teams and both teams are in the negative in terms of goal difference. Another interesting point to make is that you would say Manchester City is under more pressure to succeed, they have a lot of doubters in this tournament but Ajax are a very good side with a great reputation and Manchester City do not have a reputation in this tournament, so Man City certainly will go out to prove a point here and a win against Ajax would set them in contention to qualify and would set up an interesting last 3 games within the group. If you fancy a flutter, for a big return it could pay to look at Ajax to win, on the market they have some great odds on a victory for Ajax, but this perhaps also suggests that Ajax’s attacking force is not as scary as it once was.

Prediction:   Ajax 0- 2 Manchester City – Odds:  8/1 at Ladbrokes

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Article by Mani Basi

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Arsenal V Schalke Betting Preview  

The two front runners in Group B meet on Wednesday as both teams will look to take a commanding lead as they reach the half way point in the group stages. Arsenal and Schalke remain unbeaten in the Champions League this year after two games, so it’s hard to see this encounter being anything other than a great game. Choose a free bet for this match here.

Arsenal

Arsenal’s inconsistency in the Premier League is so far yet to impact on their Champions League form. An impressive away win against Montpellier in week one was followed by a solid 3-1 victory at home against Olympiakos in the following game. They’ve been tipped to take all three points once again as Stan James prices them at 5/6 to win at the Emirates on Wednesday. Two games has seen them score five goals and concede just the two, so once again a clean sheet won’t be likely against an exciting Schalke side but at home you would back Arsenal to score two or more goals. Over 2.5 goals is at 8/11 on Bet 365 which is seemingly a very good price as all of Schalke’s and Arsenal’s games in the Champions league this season have ended with three or more goals. Arsenal to win by one goal is at 11/4 on Bet365 which may be a safe bet in a match that is anticipated to be a close encounter.

Schalke

The away side couldn’t be going into this match off a better result having beaten defending German champions Borussia Dortmund 2-1 away at Signal Iduna Park at the weekend. That win has left them third in the Bundesliga having not lost away all season. A stat which clearly shows Schalke are no pushovers in this competition as their league form is matched in the Champions League having picked up a win and a draw in their opening two games. Stan James has priced them to win at 10/3 and for the draw they are worth 13/5, two high prices for a side which has been showing a lot more consistency this year than Arsenal. Despite Arsenal being slight favourites a win or draw for Schalke at 4/5 on Bet365 is very tempting as it will undoubtedly be a close match and the likely result could indeed be a draw.

Betting Summary

It’s a tough game to call but Arsenal might just edge this one. A draw could well be on the cards but Arsenal will know a win in this match will leave them five points clear of second place with only three games left to play. Home advantage is vital in the Champions League and Arsenal to just hold the visitors off with a 2-1 win at 15/2 on Bet365 makes a lot of appeal. Having spent ten years playing in the Bundesliga, a likely anytime goalscorer could be Lukas Podolski who has also managed to score in both Arsenal’s Champions League matches this season. Both sides usually adopt an attacking style of play but you can’t help but think Schalke will be looking to come from the game with a point knowing they then play Arsenal on home soil for the next match. However, Arsenal should still have an edge in this match which is reflected with a 2-1 prediction to the Gunners.

Read more betting previews for upcoming matches in our betting tips section. If you fancy a free bet for this match, or any upcoming event, check out the £25 free bet offer from Blue Square.

By Max Hodge

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