British betting preview

Saturday 3rd December

Aston Villa v Manchester United

The evening kick off see’s Alex McLeish take on his former Aberdeen manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, as Aston Villa host Manchester United.

Villa were outclassed when they travelled to Tottenham just under two weeks ago and it was alarming to see the gap between two sides who were pretty even 18 months ago. The 2-0 scoreline does not really tell the full story as Spurs were by far the better team and looked stronger in every department. Since then Villa played out a 0-0 draw with Swansea at the Liberty Stadium last Sunday. The game was overshadowed by the tragic death of Wales manager Gary Speed that morning. Both sets of players done well to remain professional and do their jobs but there was certainly more than a few affected by the news. McLeish, who took over in the summer, will be anxious for his side to hit back infront of their own fans tomorrow night and make amends for the Spurs game where they never turned up at all. Their home record has been good and they have suffered just one defeat at Villa Park all season. That defeat was when they went down to 10 men in the first half against West Brom so the home fans will be expecting another big performance from their heroes.

Manchester United were the victim of a terrible decision from the assistant referee last Saturday which proved crucial as they dropped a couple of points in the 1-1 home draw against Newcastle. The equaliser came from the penalty spot after Rio Ferdinand was adjudged to have brought down Hatem Ben Arfa in the area. The United player clearly played the ball but the penalty was given and converted. It was United’s first dropped points since losing 6-1 at home to rivals Manchester City. Ferguson is not silly, he knows that they can’t afford to slip much further behind the league leaders as their big squad will no doubt negate the usual problems such as injuries and suspensions later in the season. Away from home United have looked more clinical than last season when they drew too many games. Four wins and two draws from six matches is certainly heading in the right direction and what will be pleasing from the manager’s point of view is the fact they have conceded just three goals on their travels – the lowest amount in the league.

History also suggests tha this will be a close game. This fixture is often tight and there’s not much between the sides when they face each other at Villa Park. United managed to rescue a late draw in their last meeting in the Midlands whilst their last win was in December 2009.

As mentioned, Villa have only lost once at home but they have yet to play any of the bigger sides at home. Wins against Norwich, Wigan and Blackburn as well as a couple of draws against Wolves and Newcastle means that they are hard to beat but the big test will come when the current champions visit tomorrow.

United have already seen off the likes of Swansea and Everton in recent weeks, team’s who are often hard to break down when playing at home. It’s likely that they’ll set out in a similar fashion tomorrow by looking to get the goal on the break and keeping things tight at the back. WIth City playing earlier and big favourites to win their match, United will be determined not to drop any further behind and should collect all three points.

My Selection: Mancester United to beat Aston Villa

Best odds available: 3/4 available with William Hill

English Championship

Portsmouth v Coventry City

Our attention turns to the bottom end of the Championship as Coventry travel to Portsmouth with both teams looking for the points to lift them away from the relegation zone.

Michael Appleton took over the Portsmouth job after Steve Cotterill left for Nottingham Forest and it’s fair to say that it his first game could have went better as they lost 2-0 to Watford. His next match was against big spending Leicester at Fratton Park and it was much more encouraging as Pompey took the lead only to have to settle for a share of the points. Now he has a loss and a draw to his name, the natural progression will be for tomorrow’s match to be his victory. He couldn’t ask for a much better chance as Portsmouth have a strong record at home and the opposition tomorrow are on a dire run of form at present. Peterborough and Brighton are still the only two teams to have won at Fratton Park this season. Up until the Leicester match, Pompey had been on a run of three straight victories, all of them comfortable. It’s also worth noting that two of those wins were against the other two sides who sit in the relegation zone – they face the third club tomorrow.

Coventry were previewed a couple of weeks ago and even then it was obvious that they were in the midst of a crisis as they just couldn’t score goals. It’s much of the same as they have still yet to win a match since October, going through the whole month of November without picking up a victory. Their only point last month was a 1-1 draw at home to Cardiff whilst their last away match was a 2-1 loss to Brighton. Andy Thorn is still entrusted with the job of turning things around but you have to wonder how long he will get before the board decide it’s better off in someone elses hands. If they are to end the rot they must do something they haven’t achieved since April – win an away game in the Championship. Funnily enough, their last away win in the Championship was against tomorrow’s opponents. That may provide a source of comfort for the travelling players and fans and at this stage, they need every positive they can get their hands on at the moment.

Pompey are certainly part of the relegaton picture as well as they are only out of the bottom three places on goal difference. With only one win in five things need take to a turn for the better if they wish to climb the table and alleviate some of the pressure which will no doubt be building. Coventry are in deeper trouble however as they are without a win in nine and are seven points adrift of safety.

Portsmouth’s home record swings this for me having seen a couple of Coventry’s recent games. They look toothless upfront and are always liable to concede a goal at the other end. Pompey were unlucky not to collect all three points last week against Leciester who are a much better side than the one they face tomorrow.

My Selection: Portsmouth to beat Coventry City

Best Odds available: 5/6 available with Betfred

Sunday 4th December

Everton v Stoke City

Everton play host to Stoke at Goodison on Sunday with just one point seperating both sides in the league.

Everton are on their best run of the season thus far as it’s the first time they have managed to record back to back victories in the league. It may not be championship winning form but it’s certainly a sign of some sort of consistency being restored to a club who have been severely lacking in it in recent months. Last weekend’s 2-0 win away to Bolton followed on from their home win against Wolves. The late penalty against Mick McCarthy’s men could be one that shape’s the season for the Toffee’s as they looked much better last weekend. Davie Moyes will be hoping that they can kick on from that and boost their league position. It has taken them a wee while to get adapt to the loss of Mikel Arteta, now at Arsenal, but things are coming together and other players are starting to take more responsbility. Having already lost three times at Goodison this season they will be looking to put on a good show for their supporters who have been short changed at times.

Stoke managed the draw they needed to qualify for the next stage of the Europa League against Dynamo Kiev on Thursday night. It’s a magnificent achievement for Tony Pulis and his men as it’s their first season in the compeition. It’s also impressive as they have qualified with a match to spare. As with a lot of clubs who are not used to playing European football, league performances have sometimes suffered and they have found it difficult to balance their midweek matches wit domestic action at the weekend. Everytime Stoke have played a group match in the Europa League, they have lost their next league match. They have been unlucky in the sense that every match that has followed has been away from home but it’s something Pulis will have been tearing his hair out at. The latest example was a 5-0 hammering away to Bolton after a very good win in Israel. The travelling abroad doesn’t seem to be the biggest reason in their domestic defeats as they have lost to Arsenal and Swansea after playing at home in Europe beforehand.

Everton could always rely on Tim Cahill to pop up with a goal when the going got tough but it’s not been the case this season. The midfielder come striker has not scored in the Premier League since the middle of December last year. It’s an incredible record when you consider how many goals he is used to scoring throughout his career. Worryingly for Stoke, however, is that he is getting closer and closer to breaking his duck for the season and it would be a brave man to bet against him doing it before too long.

Stoke will once again freshen things up after their midweek exertions. Peter Crouch is likely to come back in alongside Jon Walters upfront after being rested on Thursday. The two first choice strikers were a thorn in Blackburn’s side last Saturday in the 3-1 success. That was Stoke’s first win in the league since the middle of October. Like Moyes, Pulis will be drilling into his players the importance of consistency in this league.

Everton impressed me last weekend against Bolton and Stoke’s European hangovers speak for themselves. The home win is very tempting in this instance. Another bet I believe is worth a go is for Tim Cahill to finally get off the mark this season. He is getting into all the right positions and is going to take one of the chances sooner rather than later.

My Selections: Everton to beat Stoke at a best priced 3/4 available with PaddyPower
Tim Cahill to score anytime at a best priced 2/1 available with Coral

Saturday 24th September

English Premier League

Newcastle v Blackburn

Fresh from an entertaining victory over struggling Arsenal, Blackburn travel to the North East to try and halt Newcastle’s undefeated start to the season.

Alan Pardew was not a popular choice when replacing Chris Houghton last season but like all football fans, the Toon Army are fickle and it’s Chris Who these days as Pardew has led his troops to an early fourth placed position. Three draws and two wins from five matches have proven there is life after Joey Barton, Jose Enrique and Kevin Nolan who all moved on during the summer. Pardew has brought in several new players but the ethos behind his team remains the same – hard to beat. Draws away to Villa and QPR, their two most recent games, have not been pretty on the eye but they are precious away points and every team would like to be able to get them. Their two victories have also been hard fought and both by won by the odd goal so although they may be hard to beat, they can struggle to score goals as well and as of yet, have failed to replace Andy Carroll who left in January.

Blackburn were struggling early in the season, without a point in three, but they have picked up four points from their last two games and as mentioned in the opening line, secured a major coup in the defeat of Arsenal last weekend at Ewood Park in a seven goal thrilled. Obviously the main talking point after the game was about how Arsenal had capitulated in yet another game but credit must go to Rovers who have shown a willingness to attack and get at teams this season. Yakubu, making his home debut, notched two and he could prove to be a very shrewd acquisition for Steve Kean. Other new singings include Scott Dann and David Goodwillie who both come with big expectations. Rovers kept their good run going in midweek with a 3-2 win over Leyton Orient in the League cup, it was more comfortable than the scoreline suggests but it also kept the confidence up and was another chance for other players to get some game time and give the manager food for thought ahead of tomorrow’s trip to St James’ Park.

Newcastle have been strong at home since their return from the Championship in 2010. Pardew has looked to Leon Best and Shola Ameobi mainly in the search for a prolific goalscorer with Demba Ba having to do with a place on the bench alongside Peter Lovenkrands who scored twice against Nottingham Forest in midweek. With the loss of Kevin Nolan as well it meant losing a good 15 goals from midfield so the fact they have only managed to score four goals in their five matches is not a major surprise.

Blackburn have a terrible away record and it must improve for them to ensure they move away from the relegation zone. In eleven games on the road in 2011 they have won just once whilst losing six. In that run they have conceded 25 goals so it’s clear they must shore things up at the back in order to get more points away from home. With Dann alongside Chris Samba, you would expect them to be resolute and solid so time will tell if the new partnership can stop the leak.

Newcastle are not everybody’s cup of tea for a variety of reasons but this is the kind of match they have learned to win which is a good knack to have. I don’t think it will be pretty but I think the home side can just edge the contest.

My Selection: Newcastle to beat Blackburn

Best odds available: 10/11 available with Ladbrokes

English Premier League

Wigan v Tottenham
Wigan lost out to two late goals at Everton last Saturday whilst Spurs dominated a poor Liverpool side to record their second league win in a row and start their charge up the table.

Roberto Martinez must have thought that his players had done enough to leave Goodison with a point last weekend but it was not to be as the Toffees new boys struck late to keep all three points on Merseyside. It was Wigan’s second league defeat of the season but it is now three losses in a row when you take into account their loss to Crystal Palace in the league cup a fortnight ago. Their home record is decent with four points from a possible six including a 2-0 win over QPR at the end of August. After surviving the drop on the final day of last season Martinez may have hoped that with some new signings he could lead his side up the table and avoid another relegation battle but the signs are still there that they will struggle once again.

Tottenham started the season really poorly with heavy defeats to both Manchester clubs but it now looks as though they are coming together and starting to play like the have for the past two seasons under Harry Redknapp. A comfortable win away to Wolves was followed by an emphatic 4-0 defeat of big-spending Liverpool at White Hart Lane last Sunday. The visitors were reduced to 9 men by the end of the match but even before the sending off’s, Spurs were well in control and looked in the mood from the very first whistle. Tomorrow’s match is a big one as, depending on results, they can climb to as high as fourth. Of course, it is extremely early in the season to be worrying too much about league placings but it is a major boost to all concerned, especially after such a poor start.

Wigan will be without their star striker, Hugo Rodallega, who was injured in last Saturday’s defeat to Everton. It is not as bad as first feared but he will not be fit for tomorrow so it will be down to the likes of Franco Di Santo and Victor Moses who must now start proving their worth on a regular basis and get the goals that can lead their club to a higher position.

Spurs good form was hampered by a penalty shoot-out loss to Stoke in the League cup but it was a much changed side to the one who will turn out tomrrow. A key player in their resurgence has been Emmanuel Adebayor who is on a season’s long loan from Man City. The former Arsenal striker was not warmly welcomed by the Spurs faithful but it’s yet another case of fickle football fans as the big striker is now their favourite player after scoring three goals in two matches. He looks the type of player who will have a big say in most of the game’s he plays.

Spurs have an indifferent record away to Wigan really with just one win from their last four meetings at the DW Stadium. That win came two seasons ago whilst last years match ended in a draw. Wigan struggle to score goals at the best of times but with their top striker and best player not available, it makes things even harder. Spurs looked very good last week and I have every faith they can follow up again tomorrow.

My Selection: Tottenham to beat Wigan

Best price available: 19/20 available with PaddyPower

***Another preview will be available for Sunday’s football action***

Saturday 17th September

English Premier League

Bolton v Norwich City

Bolton will be hoping to get back on track after last weekend’s 5-0 thumping whilst Norwich are still in search of their first win since their return to the Premier League.

Owen Coyle received enormous credit for the way his Bolton side played and performed last season. This season he is having to deal with a completely different type of publicity as last weekends thrashing at the hands of Manchester United was their third defeat in a row. Not ideal at anytime of the season, you have to take into account the fact that their opponents have been the two Manchester clubs and Liverpool, so hope is not completely lost. What will have disappointed Coyle the most is how easy it has been for sides to breach the Bolton defence. Despite only playing four games this season, the goals against column reads 11 – the worst record of all the top flight clubs. After a comprehensive defeat of QPR on the opening day of the season, Wanderers fans could be forgiving for thinking they may do even better than last season so tomorrow’s game is probably more important than it should be so early in the season.

Norwich have earned plaudits already this season for their approach to the game but Paul Lambert won’t be dwelling on that as he knows only too well that it is points his side need to make the impact he wishes to on the Premier League. Last Sunday’s loss to West Brom was a sore one to take as once again the Canaries had chances to earn a point at least but just lacked that cutting edge to get back into the game. It was also the fourth successive game where the newcomers had given away a penalty which has to change if they wish to do anything this season. Premier League teams are ruthless at the best of times so giving them a gift from 12 yards out only adds to the problems. What Norwich do have is an excellent enthusiasm for the game and hopefully the have some of that winning spirit you need when earning two consecutive promotions. Games like tomorrow are difficult as even though they need that first win, a draw at the Reebok must be considered a good result.

Bolton may look to freshen the pack from the start as deadline day signing David N’Gog pushing for a full debut alongside Tuncay Sanli who is well known to Premier League defences. Ivan Klasnic may well be the player to miss out despite being the club’s top scorer this season as Kevin Davies involvement is almost assured. Norwich can also shuffle their strikers with several options upfront. Grant Holt leads the line very well, similar to Davies in many ways, so it may be a case of who partners him up top.

The home side know they can perform better than their last couple of performances. Having already brushed aside one of the other newly promoted sides tomorrow’s fixture may be what they need to get back on track and it’s a game I can see them edging.

My Selection: Bolton to beat Norwich

Best odds available: 5/6 available with Totesport

English League One

Rochdale v Charlton Athletic

League One leaders Charlton travel north to Spotlands to take on Rochdale hoping to keep up their 100% record on the road this season.

Rochdale consolidated last season after earning promotion by remaining in the division. This season has been a bit of a mixed bag so far with more downs than ups. After eight games they have won two, drawn two and lost the other four so improvement is definitely on the agenda. Their wins have come in the last two games however with is encouraging as they prepare for the visit of the league leaders. Last weekends derby victory over Bury was followed by a gritty 1-0 win at home to Scunthorpe. The highlight of the season thus far has been in the cup, however, after knocking QPR out at Loftus Road. ‘Dale had failed to kick on from that victory until now so Steve Eyre will be hoping that they are at the beginning of a good run of results and form as they head into a busy part of the season.

Charlton have been lingering in League One for a couple of seasons now and have seen the likes of Norwich, Brighton and Millwall surge past them into the Championship in that time. That should make the players, fans and coaching staff determined to get out of England’s third tier as soon as possible as the gap between the two leagues is pretty big – both in quality and finance. They could barely have started the season in better form, however, sitting at the top of the table undefeated having played a game less than most of the teams in the division. What will be most pleasing for manager Chris Powell is their form on the road as they have won all three of their away matches thus far. A lot of teams have strong home records but more often than not it’s getting consistently good results on the road that makes the difference come the end of the season.

Rochdale have a small squad compared to most sides in League One so it’s likely to be much the same for Eyre in his selection. Charlton have a bigger squad than most and that brings with it more options. It allowed Powell to shuffle the pack on Tuesday night in the League cup defeat against Preston so he may well look to make some changes again tomorrow. One man who will start is Bradley Wright-Phillips who has been in excellent form with five goals in six matches. Johnnie Jackson is another who has started the season really well and his goals from midfield often prove the difference.

Charlton have started the season particularly well and although Rochdale have won their last two the value, for me, lies in the away win.

My Selection: Chartlon to beat Rochdale

Best odds available: 7/5 available with William Hill

Sunday 18th September

English Premier League

Manchester United v Chelsea
Manchester United and Chelsea have had some epic battles in recent times and Sunday’s match may well prove to be another classic at Old Trafford.

Sir Alex Ferguson must be delighted with the start to the season his side have made and may be a little surprise as well. Emphatic defeats of Tottenham, Arsenal and Bolton followed a hard fought win over West Brom on the opening day of the season. Wednesday’s draw in Lisbon with Benfica was also a decent result considering they were well below par and it was a depleted side compared to the one who has played in the Premier League this season. The outfield signings of Phil Jones and Ashley Young look as though they have been at the club for years whilst the emergence of Tom Cleverley and Danny Wellbeck at the start of the season has also been very positive. The one area of concern for Ferguson will have been David de Gea in goals. The young keeper has thrown a couple in the back of the net already but his ability is there for all to see and Ferguson will not be panicking just yet.

Andre Villas-Boas will experience his biggest test as Chelsea boss yet when he takes his side to Old Trafford on Sunday. An acceptable start to the season with 10 points from 12 could be made a whole lot better if he manages to get the better of his new advisory at the first time of asking. Last Saturday’s win over Sunderland was arguably the most impressive performance this season whilst they followed it up with a comfortable enough win against Leverkusen during the week. Villas-Boas rested a couple of his big players with Sunday’s match in mind so he knows the importance of the game even this early in the season. His biggest dilemma will be whether or not to include Fernando Torres from the start. He had a hand in both goals in Europe but has only scored one goal since joining in January. Other options include Nicholas Anelka and Daniel Sturridge whilst Didier Drogba is nearing a comeback after a head injury.

United will almost certainly recall Phil Jones, Rio Ferdinand, Javier Hernandez, Nani and Ashley Young as well as David De Gea in goals. It’s a measure of how big their squad is and how much quality is contained within it when you see the likes of Darren Fletcher, Ryan Giggs, Park Ji Sung and Antonio Valenica likely to drop out on to the bench.

Chelsea may not have as big a squad anymore but they do have more quality than they finished last season with. Juan Mata already has two goals to his name and will be a vital player for them this season. Villas-Boas will be hoping that the little Spaniard can inspire, and link with, Torres and get the best out of the £50m man.

Despite the start Man City have made I still believe that these two sides will fill the top two positions come the end of the season. Many have written Chelsea off as they have not looked as fluent or as dominant as the other two but they do so at their peril. United have been the most impressive thus far and go into Sunday’s game as favourites. Chelsea will be hoping to frustrate United in the early part of the game and use the pace they have in the counter attack.

I think United may just edge the game but the odds are a little skinny for me to get involved in the result. Instead, with the form Rooney is in I am siding with him to score anytime during the 90 minutes.

My Selection: Wayne Rooney to score anytime against Chelsea
Best odds available: 11/8 available with Victor Chandler

Free bet for Manchester United v Chelsea at Bet365

Apologies for the late post, I was holding off as much as possible to see which games will survive the horrific weather conditions in the country today.

 Saturday 19^th December

Scottish Premier League

St Johnstone v St Mirren

Gus McPherson takes his St Mirren side to MacDiarmid Park to take on St Johnstone in a match that will give the victors some much needed breathing space at the foot of the table.

The home side have earned many plaudits from other clubs managers and supporters for their exciting approach to the game. They have the 5^th highest goals for in the league which is no mean feat for a side who have just been promoted to the top league in Scotland. They have, however, conceded the most amount of goals in the league, with 29, 4 more than any other team. Their cause is not likely to be helped today with Derek McInnes’ missing at least 7 players for today’s match. One of those who is definitely out of the game is Collin Samuel. The striker is not only his teams top scorer, he’s also arguably their most important player. He leads the line well and gives them the option to go in behind with his pace.

St Mirren have struggled for wins off late, with none in their last 6 league matches. It’s a bit of surprise that they have struggled as much lately, especially after comfortable wins over Hearts and Falkirk in October. They have missed their talisman Andy Dorman in recent weeks as the Welsh International has picked up a long term injury. His absence has taken away a lot of the creativity from the St Mirren side. The emphasis for McPherson’s side is now more on getting the ball up earlier to their physical strikers, Michael Higdon and Billy Mehmet. Both were troublesome for the Falkirk defence last week, with the former netting a spectacular goal in the 1-1 draw.

The spoils were shared when these sides last met back in September. The parks were far better than what they are now, the players were fresher and there was still a surprise element to St Johnstone’s style of play. 3 month’s on, the parks are beginning to cut up, the  squads are  suffering from injuries and suspension and there is the suspicion that other teams are becoming wise to McInnes’ tactics. This is highlighted by a defeat to Kilmarnock in their last home match. Killie, much like St Mirren, were coming off the back of a poor run of form and their style of play is very similar to that of Gus McPherson’s side. With that in mind, and with the amount of key players the home side are missing, I just feel that St Mirren have the knack of winning against teams in and around them, especially when they’re not playing too well.

My selection: St Mirren to beat St Johnstone

Best odds available: 9/4 available with several bookmakers including Coral

English League 1

Norwich v Huddersfield

A match between these two sides at this time of year has all the makings of a Christmas cracker as Paul Lambert’s 3^rd placed City play host to 5^th placed Town.

Paul Lambert has transformed the fortunes of the Carrow road side since his appointment in August. He has got the team playing exciting and productive football which has catapulted them up the league table, sitting comfortably within the play-off positions and with a real chance of automatic promotion. He has built his side around his captain, Grant Holt. The prolific striker has already notched 13 goals this season since his move from Shrewsbury in the summer. It’s not just goals which Holt brings to the side; he is an excellent team player. He holds the ball up, he links up well with the midfield and is always willing to work back to help out his defenders. His performances, coupled with the consistent displays by his team-mates, have resulted in only 1 defeat in 16 league matches. This is a staggering run of form at any time in any league, but it’s even more impressive when it’s a new manager in such a fiercely competitive league.

I’ve previewed Huddersfield several times already this season so I think we all know what I think of them. I am a big fan of their attacking philosophy both home and away and I fully expect them to be in the promotion shake-up at the end of the season. Lee Clark will know that these games will be the true test of how far his team has come this season as Norwich have only lost 1 game at home all season, and that was under former manager Bryan Gunn. Town have let themselves down on the road this season, picking up just 8 points from a possible 30. They will know that they have to improve on their travels, sooner rather than later.

Having watched both sides on a couple of occasions this term, I think this will be an open match with more than a couple of goals and both sides scoring. The managers are attacking by nature and set their teams up to win games. Huddersfield showed a couple of weeks ago when drawing 2-2 at Elland Road that they are able to give anyone a game, home or away. Norwich, however, are very strong at home and I just think that Holt and Chris Martin will pose too much of a threat to a porous Huddersfield defence.

My selection:  Norwich to beat Huddersfield

Best odds available: 11/10 available with several bookmakers including Bet365

Sunday 20^th December

Scottish Premier League

Hearts v Celtic

This fixture has proved to be problematic for Celtic in recent times as they never get it easy when travelling to Tynecastle to take on suspension and injury ravaged Hearts.

Hearts have had a disastrous start to the season and currently find themselves in 8^th position, 6 points off of the bottom and 20 points off top spot. Their discipline has once again let them down, especially recently. They have had 3 red cards in the last 4 matches which has been extremely detrimental to their fortunes and results. They have only picked up 1 win in 9 league games which is basically relegation form in any league. For tomorrow’s match, they will be missing Ian Black and Suso Santana who are both suspended whilst Christian Nade is also set to miss out due to injury. This will likely mean a start for fit again Calum Elliot upfront which will mean even more reliance on their midfielders to get forward in support.

Celtic have turned their season around in recent weeks with 5 games unbeaten and some very encouraging performances in the process. 3 home wins in a row was followed by a come from behind victory away to Motherwell and then most recently on Thursday night, they secured a morale boosting 3-3 draw in Europe, despite being 3-0 down inside 20 minutes. In all 5 of these matches they have demonstrated a strong resolve as well as a will to win which was sadly lacking in some games at the start of the season. A lot of this will be down to a settled team, especially in the centre of the pitch. Marc Crosas has formed a very decent partnership with Landry N’Guemo in midfield whilst Gary Caldwell and Glenn Loovens are settled at the back as are Scott McDonald and Girgios Samaras upfront. This consistency has meant more impressive performances and improved confidence in the side. One man pushing for a start is Marc-Antoine Fortune. The £3.8m striker has scored 3 in his last 2 so will be hoping to dislodge Samaras, especially as the Greek is struggling with injury.

These games are very competitive and the midfield will play a big part for both sides. Aiden McGeady, despite being in danger of missing the derby match in January, will most likely play and he is in excellent form. He creates chances and has added goals in recent months, with 5 already in the league. Hearts have been very poor of late, but it would not be a surprise to anyone if they turn in a strong performance tomorrow. Even still, Celtic are in good form and will always score goals, with their increased confidence and key players finding form, I fancy them to win tomorrow.

My selection: Celtic to beat Hearts

Best odds available: 4/6 available with Totesport

Good Luck and Merry Christmas