Arsenal

Arsenal are waiting on the fitness of Thierry Henry to see whether the Gunners forward can take part in the cup tie at home against Aston Villa. Online bookmaker Ladbrokes have an Arsenal v Aston Villa FA Cup betting promotion running for the big match. The visitors will be looking to striker Darren Bent to fire them through to the next round at the Emirates. It is not going to be an easy afternoon for the Villains who have only won three on the road in the Premier League this season, although they have only lost three, picking up six draws. They suffered a home 2-1 defeat at Villa Park in the league against Arsenal earlier in the season, when Yossi Benayoun popped up with a late winner for the Gunners. Villa have won their last two away games through, beating Chelsea comprehensively at Stamford Bridge and then squeezing out a win against Wolves. Striker Darren Bent has scored in three of his last four games now, and he has been joined up front by Robbie Keane to give Villa a bit of extra thrust. But is surrounding Darren Bent, who Ladbrokes are focusing their Arsenal v Aston Villa betting promotion around. If the England striker scores at anytime during the game, then Ladbrokes will refund all losing First Goalscorer bets. So that is going to be some great value in your football betting to take there.

In the Arsenal v Aston Villa First Goalscorer market, it is no surprise that Robin Van Persie is favourite to open the scoring at 5/2, with the Gunners being at home, while Villa striker Bent and Keane are out at 7/1 and 8/1 respectively. You can dip into the First Goalscorer market with this insurance on your side as well. The bookie will pay out refunds on your First Goalscorer markets if Bent scores at any time during the match. Popular bookie Ladbrokes offer a free £50  bet for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account with a free bet, up to the maximum value of £50 giving you some great free betting cash to enjoy.

Online Bookmaker Promotion: Popular bookie Paddy Power have a great football betting promotion running for Arsenal v Man Utd betting. If there are four or more goals scored in the match, then Paddy Power will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast singles which have been placed on the match. So great coverage on your betting meaning that you can dip into these mentioned markets with some insurance. In the First Goalscorer market for example, Robin van Persie is 4/1 favourite to open the scoring, while Wayne Rooney is just back at 9/2. Both of these would be covered by the Paddy Power Money Back special if they lose but there are four or more goals in the match. Online bookmaker Paddy Power offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account with a free bet, to the maximum value of £50.

Arsenal to win: 19/10 at William Hill
Draw: 12/5 at Bet365
Manchester United to win: 13/8 at Paddy Power

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EPL Match Preview: This is usually one of the best fixtures on the calendar year, Arsenal v Manchester United betting. There is pretty much some controversy, talking points and high quality action when Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson comes together. It is always a hotly contested affair, and it could be a great re-union for Paul Scholes, who has just come out of retirement and Arsenal’s Thierry Henry who has joined his old club on loan until the end of the season. United go into Sunday’s fixture trailing their big spending rivals Manchester City by three points and with Tottenham breathing right down their neck just two points back, United have to keep up the pressure. Arsenal’s revival looked to be going well until the last couple of fixtures where they have dropped six points. That has left them trying to play catch up in fifth place in the table, four points behind fourth placed Chelsea. So the points at stake are going to be massive for both of these clubs in what is really going to be a superb Sunday of action in Premier League betting. Can the Gunners get one over on their old rivals and dent United’s title hopes? Or can the Red Devils rediscover that winning consistency.

Arsenal Form: Sadly Thierry Henry could miss out on the big clash with Manchester United. The striker is struggling with a calf strain and he may have to miss the showcase fixture at The Emirates. The Gunners have been spluttering a little bit of late, going into the home match against Manchester united on the back of two away defeats. It hasn’t been a great start to the new year for Arsene Wenger, as he has seen his side crash away at Fulham and then at Swansea City. Still, they can look at their home form and take a lot of heart as they have suffered only one defeat there, picking up seven wins and two draws. That is a 70% win record at home in the Premier League this season for Arsene Wenger’s men and they are on a run on nine matches at the Emirates with no defeat. In the raising of their form since their poor start to the season, Arsenal have scored in each of their last nine home games racking up 16 home goals this season. That’s not a particularly hot tally for a home side of their calibre to be honest, but Arsenal’s defence at home has been marvellous, conceding just 6 goals at the Emirates. All this adds up to Arsenal scoring 1.6 on average per home game and conceding on average just 0.6 per game. So that is pretty strong stats for backing Arsenal to get something out of this game. Arsenal have kept clean sheets in half of their home fixtures this season, and at the Emirates is where the bulk of their points have come from. Arsenal have been at their sharp shooting best in the second half of matches, with 58% of their league goals coming after the break. The second half though is where they have conceded most of their goals as well, so we can expect second half fireworks. The Gunners are already missing Mikel Arteta because of injury and influential defender Thomas Vermaelen is also struggling to be fit for the match. Arsenal need to shake off their inconsistency again and get back to what they were doing so well on their eight match unbeaten streak. Robin van Persie will be the big danger man again, and the pressure will be on him if Thierry Henry can’t make it.

Manchester United Form: Sir Alex Ferguson will have been a bit dismayed as his side’s recent form They really dropped the ball at home against Blackburn and then were a total shambles at the back against Newcastle. They are missing Nemanja Vidic in the heart of the defence, because as Newcastle proved, if you get at the United back line with pace then you are going to get rewarded. United did hit back with a 3-0 home win over Bolton though last weekend, but the fits and starts of scoring form from Wayne Rooney continues as he hasn’t hit the back of the net in the league for four matches now. With Javier Hernandez not chipping in either, Dimitar Berbatov has suddenly come back into the fore for the Red Devils. United, being United, have a decent away record in the league this year, running up seven wins, two draws and one defeat. That is a 70% strike rate away from home, exactly the same as Arsenal’s home form, so it all points to a fascinating meeting again. Although they lost their last away match, they are six away games without picking up a draw now and they are scoring at a fair old click away from Old Trafford. United have hit 19 away goals at a rate of 1.90 per game, and the defence has been much better away from home that it has at Old Trafford this season, conceding only six at a rate of 0.60 goals per match. The stats of United’s away form and Arsenal home is remarkably similar. United have bagged the most amount of goals in the final fifteen minutes of matches, and they have opened the scoring in 81% of their matches this season, which is a great stat to pay attention to. Wayne Rooney is still the key man for them, having hit 13 league goals, and six of them away from home. Their current form does read two losses and a win in their last three matches, and this is a big period for the Red Devils in the league and the FA Cup with some big fixtures coming up. United do get back Chris Smalling and Phil Jones into their defence as options for the trip to the Emirates.

Head to Head: Arsenal actually have a pretty strong head to head ascendancy in this fixture, winning 57% of their home matches against United. United have managed just 26 wins at Arsenal out of 100 attempts going into this match. The Gunners actually average just over two goals per game in this fixtures, while United are at just averaging 1.3 per game at Arsenal. In last year’s corresponding fixture, Arsenal grabbed a 1-0 victory after suffering two consecutive home defeats against Manchester United. In the overall head to head between these two, it is the Red Devils who are head 89 wins to 78 for Arsenal, with 46 drawn matches in total between them. The last draw between them was a 0-0 at Old Trafford back in May 2009.

There are some good football betting selections to look ahead to in another action packed weekend of Premier League fixtures. The highlight of the weekend is going to be Manchester United’s trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal. The Red Devils gunned down a woeful Gunners 8-2 at Old Trafford earlier in the season, but with Thierry Henry back in an Arsenal shirt, will Arsenal be able to get some revenge? The Red Devils title rivals Manchester City are at home on Sunday in their big fixture against the high flying Tottenham Hotspur, so it is going to superb Sunday of top quality action in the Premier League. City hold a three point ascendancy at the top of the league at the moment going into the weekend’s action, so there are massive games to come. Online bookmaker SkyBet have raised one of their great What If? Betting questions about the two matches.

What If Both Manchester Clubs Win By Two Goals Or More?
If you think that they will, then there is a wonderful price of 14/1 to be snapped up. Need to put some stock in this bet happening? Well, Manchester City trounced Tottenham 5-1 at White Hart Lane earlier in the season, while Man Utd of course ran rampant in a 8-2 victory over Arsenal at the start of the season.

There is plenty of other Premier League betting options to get your betting teeth into as well this weekend, and popular bookie SkyBet are looking at some of the home teams and wondering…

What If…Home Is Where The Heart Is?
What this means is that home sides Everton, QPR, Stoke and Sunderland all notch up wins on Saturday in the Premier League, then there is a nice price of 10/1 to be taken with the bookie. Struggling QPR could sure use a win at home over bottom side Wigan, while Everton will fancy their chances at Goodison Park against Blackburn Rovers. The improving Sunderland need a bounce back victory over Swansea after suffering defeat at Stamford Bridge last weekend. Then the high flying Stoke City, up in eighth place and challenging for the top six, will have strong home backing as they face the sliding West Brom. So can all four home sides win? There is a good enhanced price at SkyBet if you think that they will.

The SkyBet What If? Market is a great little option to look at with SkyBet, because there are fun little selections popping up extra week. In there you can get enhanced prices on the market selection that SkyBet present and is worth dipping in to in order to try and pick up a little extra bonus profit. The highly popular online bookmaker SkyBet offer a free £10 bet for new customers registering an account. This is a great welcome bonus offer from the bookie, as they offer the £10 bet completely free. All that you need to do is to register an account as a new customer with online bookmaker SkyBet, and the bookie will automatically credit your new account with a free £10 bet. It is that easy and straightforward to get your free bet!

The return of Thierry Henry to Arsenal was the big talking point ahead of their FA Cup fixture against Leeds last weekend. It was the talismanic Frenchman who stood up and scored the winning goal of the third round tie, reigniting his passion for the club. That was a big emotional moment for Henry on his return to North London and it will be interesting to see what the Gunners legend can now produce in the Premier League. Henry is only back on loan while the MLS season is closed down and Henry will at least give Arsene Wenger some alternative attacking options up front, as they have been lacking in that area, with no-one offering support to Robin van Persie. Will boss Arsene Wenger go for a dual pronged attack of Henry and Van Persie against Swansea? Arsenal need to muster up a response to their last Premier League outing which was also on the road, as they went down 2-1 at Fulham on January 2nd. The goals have started drying up just a little bit for the Gunners, so the arrival of Henry may give them an extra spark. Arsenal have only scored more than one goal in just one of their last six Premier League matches. A trip to face Swansea is not going to be an easy one, and Arsenal haven’t secured a great record on the road this season. The Gunners have landed just four wins and a draw out of their ten away fixtures this season, and they have conceded a goal in each of their last three games away from the Emirates. Their have conceded a tremendous amount of goals on their travels this season, 22 in total which is an average of 2.20 per game. What has seen them through has been the twenty away goals they have scored, so there is potential for a pretty tight game at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday. The Gunners have only managed just two clean sheets out of ten on the road, and 80% of their away games have, not surprisingly ended over 2.5 goals. The Gunners need the input of Robin van Persie and there is the feeling that a victory will probably just come by a one goal margin. With Arsenal suffering two defeats out of their last three away fixtures, this match is by no means a foregone conclusion. They are still in a scrap for fourth place at the moment, and obviously won’t want to lose any more ground to the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool who are sandwiching them.

Swansea are ticking along a nice enough pace, which should see them maintain their Premier League status if they keep up their form. The Swans are now undefeated in their last three matches in the league and go into Swansea v Arsenal betting on the back of a well earned three points away at Aston Villa at the start of the year. It is Swansea’s home record which is still making impressive reading in the league, as they have suffered just one defeat at the Liberty Stadium this season. For Premier League new boys, that is a pretty great stat to look at for the Welsh club’s fans. Swansea have won four, drawn five and lost just that one game at home, and the only side to beat them on their home turf has been Manchester United, who scraped a 1-0 win there. There have been just four goals conceded by Swansea at home, as they are proving to be a pretty tough team to break down, and conceding at just 0.4 goals per game, should give them hope of taking another important point off one of the top teams in the Premier League, just as they did against Spurs during the festive period. The Swans have only netted twelve times themselves in their ten home games at just over 1 goal per game, but with 60% of their home matches ending in clean sheets for them, they will make life difficult for the Gunners. Eighty percent of Swansea’s home games have ended Under 2.5 goals this season, and with their very attractive style of football they will be confident of making use of the fortress Liberty Stadium. There hasn’t been many too goals flowing for the Swans of late, and boss Brendan Rodgers will be looking for his defence to stand tall again. But having failed to score in five of their last ten matches, they will be looking to top scorer Danny Graham to overshadow the Premier League return of Thierry Henry.

Swansea v Arsenal Betting Odds
Swansea to win: 4/1 at Totesport
Draw: 11/4 at BetFred
Arsenal to win: 5/6 at VC Bet

While the return to the Premier League for Thierry Henry will be in focus, online bookmaker Paddy Power have a Money Back Special on Swansea v Arsenal betting surrounding Robin van Persie. If Robin van Persie scores the final goal of the match, then Paddy Power will refund lost stakes on all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast singles on the match. Great coverage on the betting for this match, with the bets such as Van Persie 3/1 and Henry 9/2 in the First Goalscorer market. Popular bookie Paddy Power offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account with a free bet, up to the maximum value of £50.

Will we see a famous upset in Arsenal v Leeds FA Cup betting? Leeds have made a nuisance of themselves against Premier League opposition in cup meetings over the past few years, and now the Championship side get another chance to claim a big scalp. Leeds head to the Emirates in the capital to face Arsenal, and while Leeds’ form has dropped from a strong start to their league campaign, one thing you can be assured of, is that they will give the Gunners a tough game. Many would be calling this match even closer if it was being played at Elland Road, but Leeds are a decent side who will scrap and work hard. They were running along in the Championship at a fine old pace, before a run of three defeats in December saw them stutter badly. Still, they had amassed enough points to keep them in eighth place with dreams still of getting back into England’s top flight. They ran out 2-1 winners over Barnsley last weekend, so at least they will have gotten some confidence back from that. Boss Simon Grayson will have his crew ready, and with the scoring power of Ross McCormack up front, along with great support from Robert Snodgrass, there could be a few scary moments for the Arsenal back four. Leeds are really capable, with spirit and character, of giving Arsenal a really good game at the Emriates on Monday night. Will the Third Round close with a bang?

Arsenal have gotten back on their feet after torrid start to the new season, when boss Arsene Wenger was under increasing pressure. However, that is all long forgotten now as the Gunners have pulled themselves up into fifth. Once their extremely fragile looking defence had shaped up, Arsenal really haven’t looked back. Up front Robin van Persie is doing everything on his own, with only support coming from Gervinho with four goals. The flying Dutchman has netted seventeen league goals this season, and without him, Arsenal would be struggling. The Gunners though haven’t been quite as fluent of late in the League, losing two and drawing one of their last five league matches. While Arsenal’s defence is leap years better than what it was at the start of the season, it is one which is still prone to conceding a goal here and there. Clean sheets don’t come all too often with Arsenal, and that will give Leeds something huge to pounce on. If the visitors steal in with a break away goal, then Arsenal will have a real game on their hands. However, the class which Arsenal do have, along with Leeds having conceded a lot of away goals this season, should see the Gunners through safely at the end of the day. This is one fixture which they will want to get out of the way, and not have to face a messy trip back up to Leeds for a replay, so Arsenal should see Robin van Persie guiding them forward to the fourth round of the FA Cup. That is what the bookies are predicting in Arsenal v Leeds FA Cup betting, a tough match, but one which Arsenal should get the job done in.

Arsenal v Leeds FA Cup Betting
Arsenal to win: 3/10 at William Hill
Draw: 5/1 at Boylesports
Leeds to win: 11/1 at BetFred

Online bookmaker Paddy Power have a great online betting money back special running for this FA Cup match. If there is a red card shown in Arsenal v Leeds betting, then Paddy Power will generously refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast single bets which have been placed (pre kick off) on the match. Fantastic coverage, because it should be a hotly contested, high tackle count match. Paddy Power offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account with them. The bookie will match the value of your first bet on a new account, up to the maximum value of £50, with a free bet! A great way to start your sports betting with Paddy Power – a free bet!

Arsenal v AC Milan Champions League betting, is pretty much the draw that Arsene Wenger did not want for the round of 16. Arsenal won their group comfortably, but with AC Milan qualifying behind Barcelona in their group, it has left Arsenal with a tough fixture in the first knockout stage. AC Milan are enjoying a good season in Serie A, having lost just twice and are currently on a long nine match unbeaten run in the league. With the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho in the side, they are a very strong unit this season, much more so than the past couple of seasons. They held Barcelona to a draw at the Nou Camp in the Group Stage, and then narrowly lost 3-2 back at the San Siro, matching up against the Spanish giants well. Milan actually make a great outside bet this season for the Champions League and this will be a pretty evenly matched contest against the Gunners. Because AC Milan finished second, they will be starting this tie at home on February 15^th, with the return leg at The Emirates on March 6^th. Arsenal v AC Milan Champions League betting is pretty tight at the moment, and with Arsenal’s improved form in the Premier League, there really shouldn’t be too much to chose between the two sides. Milan will probably play a more patient game than Arsenal, and stroke the ball around well, and it will probably all come down to the battle of Robin van Persie and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to decide the spoils in this one.

To Qualify: Arsenal 10/11 at Totesport, AC Milan Evens at SkyBet

Online bookmaker Unibet offer a great Champions League Money Back Special. This offer applies to all Champions League matches, including the Final itself. Place a pre match Correct Score, Half Time/Full Time, First goal scorer or Last Goalscorer bet on any Champions League match, and if that games ends in a 0-0 draw, then the bookie will generously refund your lost stakes. This provides some great coverage for your Champions League betting, especially at the tense first legs of the knockout stage. Popular bookie Unibet offer a risk free £20 bet for new customers registering an account. If your first bet on a new Unibet account loses, you will get your stake back, up to the maximum value of £20.

See our Full Champions League Last 16 Draw Betting Preview here

Manchester City v Arsenal Betting Tip & Odds: Well this surely has to be a candidate for game of the season so far. Are we going to see the best of the explosive and prolific goal scoring talents on display? Between them, Robin van Persie, Edin Dzeko, Sergio Aguero and Mario Balotelli have totaled for a crazy tally of 44 league goals, so naturally going to be worth looking at goalscorer markets for your Man City v Arsenal betting. In conjunction with BetFred’s promotion below, will look at Aguero as First Goalscorer for 4/1 with the bookie.

 Manchester City to win: 3/4 at Victor Chandler
Draw: 3/1 at Victor Chandler
Arsenal to win: 9/2 at BetFred

EPL Match Preview: What are Manchester City made of this season? Do they have the character to bounce back from their first league defeat of the season last week? Well, they will be banking on their 100% home form this season to get their title charge back on track at the Etihad Stadium. Their rivals United are now firmly breathing down their neck and so boss Roberto Mancini certainly needs a big response from his players. City have not lost a home game in 2011, in total winning 25 of 27 matches on home turf in all competition. So that is one formidable record for visiting teams to go and try to overcome. This is no easy match for Man City to bounce back in though, because Arsenal are in fine fettle themselves at the moment. Robin van Persie is firing them upwards, and one of the most notable improvements as well, is that Arsenal are much tighter at the back than they were at the start of the season. City still have a lead at the summit of the Premier League by two points, but Arsenal need to close the gap, and a win would pull them to within six points of City, and suddenly those early season woes will have been long forgotten. Will Arsenal be daunted by this trip up north? No, because they go as underdogs all the same and Wenger will like nothing more than to upset the Manchester club and prove to his critics that Arsenal are once more a genuine title contender. The pack is tight in the top five, will there be more twists this weekend? Will City’s home form be a banker, or will the impressive form of Arsenal be enough to steal a crucial victory?

Manchester City Form: After such a strong start to the new season, big spending Manchester City finally got a blot on their copy book when they threw away a 1-0 lead at Stamford Bridge in their last outing. An early strike from Mario Balotelli could not be capitalized upon, with Sergio Aguero wasting a fantastic chance to put the visitors 2-0 up and probably out of sight. However, for all Man City’s commanding possession, they didn’t create enough chances in the game, and suffered their first defeat of the season as Chelsea staged a second half comeback. Other than that, is has been a very impressive season for Manchester City, dropping just five points so far. We need to look at their home record so far this season at the Etihad Stadium, where City have rattled off seven wins from seven. In those seven home games, they have bagged themselves an whopping 24 goals, averaging 3.42 goals per game. Going the other way, although City have conceded in each of their last four Premier League home matches, they are only averaging 0.57 goals against at home, and stand that up against their prolific goal scoring and you can see why they are doing well. In their last four home matches alone they have netted fifteen times, so that is what the Arsenal defence will have to try and contend with. 86% of City’s home matches have finished over 2.5 goals so far this season, and obviously they have scored in each one. Manchester City have opened the scoring in 93% of all of their matches so far this season, an incredible stat. The goal scoring is being led by Sergio Aguero, who has netted eleven times (seven of them being at home), while Edin Dzeko has supported with 10 and Balotelli is now creeping up with a tally of 8. Arsenal as a whole have only scored two more goals than those three City strikers put together. City are still a very strong second half side, with the majority of their goals coming after the half time break. 71% of all their league goals this season have come in the second half of matches, the half hour in particular after the restart being highly profitable for them. Still, despite that defeat last week, eight wins out of their last ten matches shows some pretty impressive form. Will they show their Premier League title credentials by having the character to bounce back strongly from the blues at Stamford Bridge?

Arsenal Form: For all of Manchester City’s form this season, Arsenal’s over the last eight matches has been even more impressive. After a torrid start to the season, which saw them lost four of their opening seven matches, Arsenal have settled into their groove. They are now unbeaten in their last eight Premier League matches, with seven wins coming in that period. It has been a staggering turn around in form, but on which does need weighing up. In that run of eight matches, on Chelsea have really been what can be considered a big test for them. That was at the end of October, so it has been a while since Arsenal have really been tested hard. This will change on Sunday of course with a trip to Manchester City. It is no surprise that Arsenal’s form has largely been down to the strike power of Robin van Persie, who is now supposedly a big summer transfer target for Manchester City. The Gunners will come up against Samir Nasri, who moved north in the summer, and Arsene Wenger will be hoping that his side’s improved form will be enough to at least take a point. Arsenal have won their last three away matches, but that has been their only three triumphs on the road in seven attempts this season. They have tasted defeat three times on the road, and earned themselves one draw. The huge problem has been at the back for Arsenal away from home, where they have conceded more than they have scored. Without doubt Arsene Wenger has steadied the ship of course, and eight of those goals against did come during that embarrassment at Old Trafford earlier in the season. What should give Arsenal a bit of confidence, is that they have at least scored in every away match aside from their season opener. So will they be able to carry their form through and get something out of Sunday’s big match in Man City v Arsenal betting? The Gunners have scored seventeen times on the road, which is more than they have actually scored at home this season, and 86% of their away matches this season have finished over 2.5 goals. Arsenal appear to be dangerous in front of goal at all periods of their matches, but they have scored the most in the last fifteen minutes of their games. 61% of all their goals this season have come in the second half, but have opened the scoring in just 53% of their games. No surprise then who leads the goal scoring charts for them. That will be Robin van Persie, who has netted fifteen times now, seven of those coming away from home. Really has not had much support from anywhere else in the squad, so he will be the big danger man.

Head to Head: Interestingly enough, Arsenal have the head to head supremacy when the two sides meet in Manchester. Out of 89 meetings up north, Arsenal have come away with 37 victories, compared to 31 from the hosts. Last season’s corresponding league fixture was another scalp for Arsenal, as they ran out 3-0 winners, ending a sequence of three consecutive defeats at Man City. So out of the last four meetings at City, there have been two wins a piece, but that 3-0 win mentioned above, is the only match out of the last five meetings where Arsenal have gotten on the score sheet against City. Looking at the head to head stats, it could be a close one.

Online Bookmaker Promotion: With a glittering array of forwards on the pitch on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium, we surely have to look at First Goalscorer options. Fortunately if you are fancying a punt in this market, then BetFred have their great Double Delight, Hattrick Heaven promotion running to take advantage of. Back a correct First Goalscorer in the match, and if that player hits a second goal at any time in the game, you will be rewarded with double your odds. If your winning First Goalscorer bags a hattrick then you will be paid out at treble your original First Goalscorer odds, making this promotion tremendous value. Other options in this market are Dzeko and Balotelli at 9/2, and RVP at 11/2. Popular bookie BetFred offer a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first bet on a new account, up to the maximum value of £50!

Little doubt about the big Premier League match of the weekend, as we look at Manchester City v Arsenal betting. Roberto Mancini’s City got their first taste of domestic defeat last Monday, when a second half come back from Chelsea at Stamford Bridge stole all three points away from the league leaders. City still hold top spot, but only by two points now over Manchester United following that defeat at the Bridge. Man City v Arsenal betting doesn’t provide an easy game to bounce back in for the league leaders, but they will be happy to be back at home and hopefully start another long unbeaten run in the league. How will City respond? They missed out on the knockout stages of the Champions League and were finally overturned in the Premier League. What kind of a response will they have now, in this massive test of character for them. Facing an Arsenal side which are in red hot form at the moment, they can be assured that the visitors will be gunning hard for them, and hoping to take any advantage of a dip in City’s confidence. This is when real Champions stand up and scrap for every point they can in the face of some adversity. Will City’s title contending character shine through?

It has been a remarkable turnaround on the season for Arsenal, who started so very poorly, that is seemed like Arsene Wenger’s job was under threat. Now, as we head to Man City v Arsenal betting, the Gunners are on an eight match unbeaten streak in the league, winning seven of those. Their revival has been sparked by the power of Robin van Persie of course, who has now scored fifteen league goals for the Gunners this season. They have needed his influence and class to pull them through to get their title charge back on track. The Gunners are up in fifth and would really set the cat amongst the pigeons if they took three points away from the Etihad Stadium in Sunday’s big Premier League clash. That win would put them within just six points of City and blow the title race wide open. The race for the top four spots in the league is already a fierce one, and Arsenal just need to keep their momentum going. The Gunners will have to be careful at the back, because they are prone to conceding, and against the attacking power that City can throw out, their improved defence must carry themselves well. The Gunners haven’t faced a really tough test for some time. How will they cope in facing perhaps a City backlash?

Online bookmaker Paddy Power have a great Man City v Arsenal betting promotion running for the big match. There of course is going to be a glittering array of attacking talent on show, from Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko, to Mario Balotelli and Robin van Persie. If either Balotelli or Van Persie scores the last goal of the match, then Paddy Power will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast singles placed on the match. How’s that for coverage! It means that you can look at markets like the First Goalscorer, where Dzeko and Aguero are 9/2 and Van Persie is at 11/2. Or how about the Correct Score market, where a 1-0 City win fetches 7/1, and an Arsenal 1-0 is trading at 14/1. There are great prices all around in the markets covered by the Paddy Power Man City v Arsenal Money Back Special, so it’s worth getting in there and doing your betting.

The ever popular online nookmaker Paddy Power offer a free £50 bet as a welcome bonus for new customers registering an account. The bookie will match the value of your first stake on a new account, up to the maximum value of £50! This is free betting to jump in with on your new Paddy Power account, and hopefully can turn it into some free profit!!

Manchester City v Arsenal Betting Odds at Paddy Power
Man City 8/11, Draw 13/5, Arsenal  4/1

Olympiacos v Arsenal Champions League betting in Group F has no bearing whatsoever on the progress of the Gunners to the next round. That is because they have already secured their place there by winning the group with a match to spare. This is all due to Tuesday night’s opponents Olympiacos grabbing an away win against Marseille on Match Day Five, which left Arsenal four points clear of the French side heading into the final round of matches. It has been an efficient group stage campaign from the Gunners, who, after their poor early form in the Barclays Premier League could easily have struggled. Thankfully for them Robin van Persie has been carrying them through their trials and they look to have learned well from last season’s mistake of letting the group lead slip and only qualifying in second place. No such problem this time and around, and it means that boss Arsene Wenger can sit back and take this one easy, give some of his main players a rest as the other three English sides struggle for a place in the last sixteen alongside them. Arsenal have really turned their form around this season, and are now seven games unbeaten in the Premier League and remain undefeated in the Premier League so far. So all in all, good stuff from the Gunners, and they will be expected to close out the group unbeaten by avoiding defeat against the Greeks. Arsenal’s away form this season has seen them pick up a draw against Borussia Dortmund, followed by a massive 1-0 away victory in France over Marseille, which really set up their charge for taking ownership of the top of the group. This could have been a tricky group, and while the Gunners haven’t been prolific in front of goal, hitting just six in their five matches so far, it has been enough to guide them to three wins and two draws. They  have succeeded so far, where Chelsea, Man Utd and Man City have failed to this season, in booking qualification before the final round of matches.

But there is still something at stake in Olympiakos v Arsenal Champions League betting, and that is qualification for the Greeks. After beating Marseille on Match Day Five, the Greek side are now just one point behind the French and are fully embroiled in a three way race to qualify in second place behind Arsenal. The bottom line for the Greeks to start with is that they need to win and hope that Marseille do not beat Dortmund. However, the extra scenario here, is that if Olympiakos just draw with Arsenal, the Greek side would go through as long as Dortmund beat Marseille by more than three goals. So it is going to be an interesting final day in Group F of the Champions League. So far in their home matches in the Group Stage have lost to Marseille and have beaten Dortmund. The Greeks have been a bit hit and miss, but they showed up on Match Day Five when they needed too to grab three points and keep themselves in the hunt. They will be confident after how well they played against Arsenal at the Emirates earlier in the Group. While Arsenal ran out 2-1 winners in that match, the Greeks breached the Arsenal back line time and time again, and with better composure in front of goal could have easily and deservedly come away with a point. So the Greeks have a lot to play for as they need to really gun for the Gunners and grab that win at home, which would carry them through as long as Marseille don’t win.

The teams met each other in the 2009/10 Champions League group stage, and the Greeks won that one at home by a 1-0 score line after losing at the Emirates earlier in the group. The Greeks do not have a great home record against English sides though, which is something else to consider for your Olympiakos v Arsenal Champions League betting. Out of nine home European fixtures against English sides, Olympiakos have won just three and have drawn three. As for Arsenal, out of six visits to Greece, they have won two, drawn one and lost three, so not a particular strong record for them either, and if they send out a weakened side, there could be a potential for a draw in this match. Olympiakos do go as favourites for the football betting in this match, because of their need to win at home and Arsenal probably being under strength.

Olympiakos v Arsenal Champions League Betting Odds
Olympiakos to win: 4/5 at SkyBet
Draw: 13/5 at Blue Square
Arsenal to win: 15/4 at Stan James

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Saturday 25th November

English Premier League

Arsenal v Fulham

A Lodon derby at the Emirates between inform Arsenal and Fulham is the early evening kick off on Saturday.

After an horrendous start to the season which culminated in an 8-2 thrashing by rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford, Arsenal’s form has picked up dramatically in recent weeks. From their last 13 matches in all competitions they have failed to win just two of them – one in the league and one in Europe. The only match they did lose was the North London derby against Spurs at White Hart Lane. That defeat was back in early October which means they are on a run of nine games without defeat winning eight of those. Their last home defeat was against Liverpool in August and despite their early season troubles, it was, to date its the only loss they have suffered on their own patch this season. They have, in actual fact, won nine of their following ten matches at home which is an excellent record by anyone’s standards. Their good form see’s them sitting in 7th place at the moment, three points off the fourth Champions League spot which is surely their aim at this stage of the campaign.

Fulham have been diasppointing thus far and are edging ever closer towards the dreaded relegation zone. Last weekend’s draw with Sunderland was one of the most boring fixtures that have been played in a long time. Fulham had a couple of chances to win the game but it would have been harsh on Sunderland who dominated for large spells. It now means Martin Jol’s side have won just two of their 12 Premie League matches which means they sit only above four sides in the division. Jol has had a reputation of playing attractive, attacking football at his previous clubs including Spurs. That doesn’t seem to be the case at his current club, however, despite the amount of attacking talent that he has at his disposal. One of their victories has come away from home so there is a little crumb of comfort for the travelling fans but it’s only the smallest of crumbs as their record away to Arsenal is terrible – they have yet to win. From 25 games they have lost 22 and managed just three draws.

There is not a man in World Football who is in better form than Robin Van Persie. The Dutch striker has really came to the fore in 2011 and his run of form has conincided with his longest injury free spell for years. From 33 matches this calendar year, Van Persie has scored 31 goals. Arsenal have scored 15 goals in their last five games of which Van Persie has scored two thirds of them. There is little doubt that the Gunners have adopted a different style of play this season since losing Cesc Fabregas in the summer and it’s suited their striker in form. Theo Walcott’s direct play from the wide areas as well as Mikel Arteta’s and Aaron Ramsey’s distribution from the middle of the park has allowed Van Persie to get more chances and with his confidence so high and finishing so clinical, he is not missing too many at the moment.

Fulham paid a big fee for Brian Ruiz who arrived from Dutch side Twente in the last transfer window. He has taken some time to adapt to his new club, so much so that despite the large fee he has been unable to command a regular starting spot and has just one goal to his name. Bobby Zamora remains Fulham’s biggest threat and despite not scoring as many as he would have liked he is still very much in the thoughts of England manager Fabio Capello. Zamora lined up in his country’s recent 1-0 victory over Sweden at Wembley and will be hoping to kick on between now and the end of the season and stake a claim for a place in the Euro 2012 squad.

There can only be one winner for me on Saturday evening and I envisage a comfortable home win. The 1/2 available may well tempt many but to make it a little more attractive, go for Van Persie to score anytime and his side to take all three points.

My Selection: Robin Van Persie to score at anytime and Arsenal to win

Best odds available: 13/10 available with Betfred

English Championship

Leeds United v Barsnley

Another derby but this time it’s of the Yorkshire variety as promotion chasing Leeds entertain their near neighbours Barsnley at Elland Road.

Leeds have been in and around the play-off zone for much of the season and after narrowly missing out at the end of last season, will be even more determined to ensure they last the pace this time around. Simon Grayson has had to contend with losing key players throuhgout his time in charge at Leeds but he still manages to keep churning results out and keep his side competitive with the other sides looking gain promotion to the Premier League. The Championship is as competitive as ever this season so it will be close come May when the top six will be set in stone but currently sitting fifth and with a couple of points to spare, it’s looking positive for Leeds. What will be especially pleasing for Grayson and their prospects of sustaining their challenge is that their away form is just as good as their home record. He will be hoping that his players can make amends for their last home match which resulted in a 5-0 thumping from Blackpool. In actual fact, Leeds have not won a home match since the 1st of October.

Barnsley’s aim at the start of the season will have been to remain in the division but they will be hoping to do that as early as possible and then look to finish as high as possible. 17 matches into the season and they are sitting in 15th position with a healthy 21 points. Their last match was a 2-0 win over another Yorkshire side in the shape of bottom club Doncaster at Oakwell. Tomorrow’s match will be a totally different prospect but they will make the short journey to Elland Road in good heart after that win. Their away form does leave a lot to be desired however as it’s now six games without a win on the road. They have lost their last three matches against Portsmouth, Cardiff and Brighton so they, along with tomorrow’s opponents, have something to prove and rectify. Their sole win on the road came back in August when they got the better of Reading in a 2-1 victory.

Leeds have won their last two games since being thrashed 5-0 at the beginning of the month. A 1-0 victory over Leciester was followed by a come from behind 2-1 success against Burnley last Saturday. At the heart of both of those wins and most of the good things about Leeds this season has been Robert Snodgrass and Ross McCormack. The Scottish internationalists have scored 13 goals between them in the League this season and their fitness and form will be vital as Leeds look to cement their positive league position.

Barnsley have not faired too badly against Leeds in recent times and have managed to accumulate eight points from their last four meetings – two wins and two draws. Goals were a common theme last season in this fixture with a total of 13 goals shared between the sides so there is reason to believe that there may well be goals tomorrow. That hope is enhanced further with the amount of goals that both sides have conceded this term. Leeds have shipped 26 goals already this season (the most of any top side) whilst Barnsley’s defences have been breached nine times in their last three away matches alone.

I wouldn’t put anyone off backing over 2.5 goals but the value bet for me is for the home side to record their first home win in four.

My Selections: Leeds to beat Barnsley

Best odds available: 3/4 available with William Hill

English League One

Sheffield Wednesday v Leyton Orient

The third match previewed this week see’s Sheffield Wednesday host Leyton Orient with the home side hoping to maintain their unbeaten record at Hillsbrough.

It would have been hard for any side to keep tabs on Huddersfield and Charlton with the form the top two in League One have been in but Gary Megson and his Wednesday side are just about managing it. Just two points off of second placed Huddersfield, the Owls are impressing many with their consistency. One defeat from 11 matches in all competitions is impressive form considering how competitive League One is. Their home record is also very strong as the only blemish from nine league games was their most recent home fixture against Brentford. That matched ended goalless but they had won their other eight matches at Hillsbrough with an aggregate score of 18 goals for and just five against. Viisitng sides will really have to be on their game if they wish to take anything back home with them.

Leyton Orient are also a side in very decent form as they have not lost in any of their last nine games. Russell Slade’s side certainly started slowly but no-one can deny that they have certainly turned the corner and are definitely heading in the right direction. Orient have actually performed slightly better on the road and ammased more points on their travels than when playing at home. Their only two defeats away from home this season have come against Brentford and Walsall both of which were very early on the season. It means that they have been to Huddersfield and avoided defeat so they will certainly not be overawed heading into tomorrow’s fixture, despite Wednesday boasting the best home record in the division.

Megson will once again be hoping that the goals of Gary Madine can prove to be the difference for his side. The former Carlisle striker is enjoying an excellent season but he has failed to score in his last four matches. Before that, however, he had went on a run of eight goals in seven matches. If he does get back to that kind of form then there is no reason that Wednesday cannot look to push for one of the automatic promotion spots.

Leyton Orient may not score as many as other teams in the league and have had some trouble keeping them out at the other end but they are one of the form sides in the division at present. Kevin Lisbie is an experienced head upfront and he will lead the line tomorrow as he looks to do the double over the Sheffield clubs having scored against United earlier in the season.

Both sides are in good form and people may be put off backing the home side because Orient haven’t lost in nine. I’m of a different opinion and despite the away side being hard to beat, Wednesday are a better side and have better players. Gary Madine will be a handful for one of the worst defences in the league so take the Owls side to gain another three home points.

My Selection: Sheffield Wednesday to beat Leyton Orient

Best odds available: 8/11 available with Skybet