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Premiership injuries / suspensions Team News 28-29 November 2009

Blackburn v Stoke City
Blackburn have an almost clean bill of health ahead of their home game with Stoke City, and will be looking to bounce back after their loss midweek, but they are pretty solid at home.
Their only concern is Martin Olsson who is laid low with a virus and is doubtful for this one.
Stoke, who saw off Portsmouth last weekend, will again be without injured trio Mamady Sidibe, Salif Diao & Abdoulaye Faye(1gl).
Interestingly, Stoke now have ten players of their squad out on loan.

Fulham v Bolton
Resurgent Fulham host Bolton knowing a win will elevate them to the fringe of the European qualifying slots.
Striker Andrew Johnson(1asst) continues struggling with a groin injury, while Diomansy Kamara(1gl) and Danny Murphy(2gls) are doubtful with injuries.
Erik Nevland(2gls,1asst) is suffering from a virus and may not figure.
Relegation-threatened Bolton will be without a few key players ahead of their trip to Craven Cottage; Tamir Cohen(3gls,1asst), Mustapha Riga & Danny Shittu will all be missing again, and Joey O`Brien continues a lengthy lay-off.
Midfielder Sean Davis is expected to miss the rest of their season.
 
Manchester City v Hull City
Man City whose league position is in slow decline (thanks to 6 draws), will be hoping to kill off potential spoilers Hull on Saturday.
The big news is that Robinho is back to fitness but will almost certainly have to settle for the bench. Kolo Toure(1gl) & Martin Petrov(3gls,2assts) will continue on the sidelines though.
Hull travel with the knowledge they are one of only two sides without an away win so far (Burnley the other), and this won’t be an easy assignment.
They will be without Seyi Olofinjana(1gl) & skipper Ian Ashbee for the trip to Eastlands.
 
Portsmouth v Manchester Utd
Pompey unveil yet another "new" manager Avram Grant when they take on Man Utd at Fratton Park.
His task if it was difficult, now becomes almost impossible with keeper David James doubtful, Papa Bouba Diop, John Utaka, Steve Finnan & Linvoy Primus all set to miss out.
Man Utd, reeling from their midweek defeat at home to Besiktas will also be missing some players; Fabio, John O`Shea(1gl,1asst), Rio Ferdinand & Owen Hargreaves are all set to be out.
Dimitar Berbatov(4gls,1asst) & Johnny Evans are both doubtful.
I fear for Pompey here as Man Utd may inflict a back-lash.
 
West Ham v Burnley
The Hammers host a winless Burnley on their travels but will be without Alessandro Diamanti(2gls,1asst), James Tomkins, Callum Davenport, Kieron Dyer and Luis Boa Morte.
Hammers midfielder Nigel Quashie has joined MK Dons on loan.
Burnley will once again be without Jay Rodriguez, Martin Paterson and Chris McCann as they bid to end their dismal away form.
 
Wigan v Sunderland
It will be interesting to see how Wigan fare following their unexpected 9-1 mauling at the hands of Spurs last match.
They will continue to miss defender Manny Figueroa(1asst) at the back, and confidence must be fragile to say the least. However, they have an almost full squad to choose from.
Sunderland will be sweating on the fitness of Darren Bent(9gls,1asst), while keeper Craig Gordon and Lee Cattermole continue in the treatment room.

Aston Villa v Tottenham
Villa are set to finally unveil winger Stewart Downing at Villa Park after a long-term injury kept him out.
James Collins(1gl) and Curtis Davies are both ruled out for the visit of high-scoring Tottenham who have an average of 3 gls per game at home.
Defender Nicky Shorey has joined Nottm Forest on loan.
Spurs will again be without Carlo Cudicini and Luka Modric as they travel to the Midlands.
 
Wolves v Birmingham City
Wolves take on midlands rivals Birmingham in what promises to be a feisty, but I expect, low-scoring affair.
They will be without striker Chris Iwelumo, Ronald Zubar, Matthew Hill, David Jones and Stephen Ward for the visit of the Blues.
Birmingham similarly also have injuries and are likely to be without Teemu Tainio, Martin Taylor, David Murphy, Garry O`Connor(1gl), Damien Johnson and Stuart Parnaby.
I worry that Lee Bowyer(3gls) is Birmingham’s leading scorer.
 
Everton v Liverpool
Bragging rights on Merseyside are up for grabs in this one and this game really could go either way.
Everton still have some key players out injured ie Mikel Arteta, Phil Jagielka, Leon Osman doubtful(1gl), Steven Pienaar, Phil Neville, Victor Anichebe & James Vaughan all looking likely to miss out.
Liverpool also have their worries with Fernando Torres(10gls,1asst) still struggling with an abdominal strain, along with Ryan Babel(2gls,1asst), Daniel Agger & Alberto Riera(3assts) all expected to be sidelined.
Glen Johnson(2gls,1asst) & Andrea Dossena are on the mend but may not make the cut.
 
Arsenal v Chelsea
I probably would have picked this game to be a certainty Over 2.5 goals, but Arsenal will be without key striker Robin Van Persie(7gls,7assts), Nicklas Bendtner(1gl,1asst), Abou Diaby(3gls), Gael Clichy, Jack Wilshere & Johan Djourou for their London derby with Chelsea.
Leaders Chelsea have doubts over Didier Drogba(9gls,5assts), Deco(2gls,1asst) & Michael Ballack(3gls,2assts) although all three are expected to shake off their injuries.
Definitely out though is Jose Bosingwa(1asst), while Frank Lampard(4gls,7assts) is struggling with a thigh strain.

Forget about Christmas shopping, putting up those shelves or visiting the relatives this Sunday, there is a feast of football and tennis action taking place, with the betting opportunities being endless!

On the football front, they don’t come any bigger than Barcelona v Real Madrid, with the bookmakers going 10/11 (Stan James) that Pep Guardiola’s team regain top spot in the Primera Liga. However, some of the more recent El Clasico matches have shown that the form book goes out of the window, and that these are the ideal sort of matches for In-Play betting. Bet365 will be offering over 50 live markets for the clash of the Spanish giants through a dynamic In-Play console which is created by their own technology. With Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Kaka all likely to feature, this could be an explosive encounter.

Meanwhile, the English Premier League has some humdingers of its own, and we’re not just talking about Wolves v Birmingham at midday. After the Midlands derby, we have the prospect of a Merseyside derby and then a very hot London derby in the form of Arsenal v Chelsea. Interestingly, Boylesports have created a promotion called ‘ A Perfect Match’ where bets on either derby are refunded if the games finish by the same scoreline. We like the idea of both matches finishing 1-0 to both away teams.

In addition, Paddy Power have created a money-back special for the game at the Emirates. Didier Drogba has regularly been a thorn in Arsenal’s side over the past few seasons and the Irish bookmaker will refund losing 1st / last goalscorer, correct score and scorecast single bets if the Ivorian scores the last goal of the game. Something to keep every punter interested throughout the course of the match.

Naturally, there will be a stack of pre-match betting opportunities for the three Premier League matches on Sunday, with William Hill offering a breathtaking 98 markets for the games. For the Everton v Liverpool game, the scorer market incorporates first goal, last goal, anytime, to score two and hat-trick. However, it’s with their Goal Markets that Hills really go to town, offering 65 markets. These includes odds on Race to 2 Goals, Goal in Last 10 Minutes and the intriguing Timecast bet. Sometimes it’s worth digging around for extra value.

Of course, we shouldn’t forget the climax of the ATP World Tour Finals in London, where we might well witness Andy Murray playing Roger Federer in the final. Bookmakers such as bet365 and Ladbrokes will be streaming this match on Sunday, as they have with every other match that’s comprised the tournament. You can bet on markets like match winner, along with who will take the next set, game and even point!

Just where will your money be going on Sunday?

Arsenal V Chelsea – Sunday 16:00

Some were suggesting that this fixture could be a preview of the Champions league final but Manchester United and Barcelona dashed the dream of an all London final in midweek. Both teams will be massively disappointed and both Arsene Wenger and Guss Hiddink have to somehow get their players fired up for what is a London Derby between third and fourth place.

Unlike Chelsea, Arsenal can’t feel hard done by with their midweek exit in the Champions League. They knew their fate early on when both Gibbs and Almunia made costly mistakes to end Arsenal Champions League ambitions. The only positive to take from that game is the experience the young Arsenal side will take from that game although Gibbs maybe wishing he never turned up after an awful howler early on. There was no excuses though and Arsenal were simply outplayed and outclass by United but the perfect way to drown out the critics would be to add to Chelsea’s woes this Sunday.
         Although Arsenal have no chance of winning the title and they have sewn up at least a fourth place finish. They will be well aware that Chelsea are still catchable and Wenger will eye this game as a possible six pointer especially when you consider that only the team that finishes in fourth has to go through the predictable qualifying rounds in order to actually make the group stages. Whoever finishes third will be entitled to a longer holiday and that could be a huge incentive for the Arsenal kids as they could do with a break after a disappointing calender year.

The one thing Chelsea do have in common with their London rivals is their exit from the Champions League. The only difference is that Chelsea can feel very hard done by after some dreadful refereeing decisions cost Guss Hiddink and his side a place in the final of Europe’s greatest club competition. The players showed their frustration and a hefty fine will be heading Chelsea’s way. There is no doubt about that after Drogba, Ballack and Terry got too carried after the final whistle.
        Manager Guss Hiddink now has to settle his side down and get them to concentrate on the task at hand, and that’s a visit to a familiar Emirates stadium. It will be hard for the players to get fired up for this clash after a morale crushing defeat in midweek but if anyone can do it, it’s Hiddink. A win is also a must for ‘The Blue’s as a win for ‘The Gunners’ would leave Chelsea vulnerable to a fourth place finish. 

I know this is a Derby match but it’s hardly been a thriller or even a feisty affair in the past. Both sides come into this game off the back of morale crushing defeats in midweek, especially Chelsea who are by far the better side of the two. I can see both suffering Champions League hangovers and with that in mind, we can’t separate the two. The only plus point for the is that both pair have been picking up the right results in the league but after a disappointing week, we can see this being a low key affair at The Emirates and finish with both sides sharing the spoils.

Match Odds -
Arsenal 13/8 Bet365     
Draw 23/10 Coral     
Chelsea 19/10 Expekt

Prediction – Draw