carlos tevez

The Carlos Tevez saga keeps dragging on and on, after talks to a move to AC Milan feel through. It has opened the door again now for Inter to come back in to re-open talks with the Argentinean. AC Milan looked almost set to capture Tevez from Man City, but with Milan forward Alex Pato deciding to stay in Italy, there was no room on the books for Tevez. So now Inter president Massimo Moratti has reconsidered a move for Tevez, but nothing, not even discussions are likely to open until after the Milan derby on the weekend. The whole saga has become a very protracted and confusing one, with the main stumbling block of the move to AC Milan down to the fact that the Italians wanted Tevez on a loan to buy sort of deal, which is understandable given the disciplinary track record that the Argentinean has. At the start of last December, AC Milan had actually made a formal offer, but City rejected that offer and now the struggles to offload him seem inherently difficult.

There is likely to not be any Premier League clubs who are going to waste their energies on Tevez, even though, as he proved in his time with Manchester City, that he is a proven match winner. The troubles he brings with him are a huge black mark against clubs coughing up the big transfer fee that his talent deserves. So the 27 year old is football limbo at the moment, having not played since last September. Manchester City boss, who accused Tevez of refusing to come off the bench in a European Champions League fixture against Bayern Munich, expects that Tevez will be gone before the close of the January transfer window. The suitors are not too many for the signature of Tevez so the options on moving him are limited. The supposed homesick Tevez couldn’t even sort out a move back to his native land, so a move to Milan in some form does seem the most likely. With Premier League sides pretty much out of the question, there is the big spending Paris St Germain who may surprise and come up with a late offer, although that is not as likely as a firm Inter bid.

Carlos Tevez Club After January Transfer Window
QPR 5/6, Inter Milan 13/8, AC Milan 5/2, PSG 5/1, Tottenham 11/1 at SkyBet

Online bookmaker SkyBet offer a free £10 bet for new customers registering an account with them. The popular bookie offers this £10 as a totally free bet. All that you need to do in order to get the totally free bet is register as a new customer with SkyBet. The free £10 bet will then automatically be credited to the new account, giving you some easy free betting cash to enjoy.

Team-mates Sergio Aguero and Pablo Zabaleta have been rallying around rebel Manchester City forward Carlos Tevez after the club suspended the Argentinian but FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce has publicly stated he believes the striker should be banned from taking an active part in football if, as looks the case, he refused to come on as a substitute during his side’s Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.

City boss Roberto Mancini has already said he felt Tevez should never play for the club again after claiming the player refused to go on in the second half of their tie at the Allianz Arena, and the club seem to be backing their manager with the suspension.

Boyce wasn’t speaking in his FIFA hat on when he made his controversial statement, but it looks a good indicator of the stance the world’s governing body would adopt should Manchester City decide to take the matter further. “If Manchester City prove it, write to FIFA and state the exact circumstances that happened,” he told Sky Sports, “I would have no problem with that whatsoever. It hasn’t occurred before but I think what happened was despicable. I would have no problems if some sanctions were imposed by FIFA in that respect.”

Tevez has shown some contrition since the incident, claiming there was a misunderstanding in Munich. But anyone who watched the situation unravel will have made their own conclusions and it could well be that Tevez and his entourage, well used to getting their own way in the past, may have bitten off a bit than they can chew this time. Manchester City are probably the one club in England with the resources to let Tevez kick his heels on the touchline until his contract expires and his self-imposed strike could easily prove a new watershed in player-club relations.

Of course, there are still plenty of clubs who would give the Argentinian another chance and several bookmakers are offering odds on where he’ll end up when Manchester City finally decide enough is enough. Juventus showed plenty of interest in Tevez over the summer but can be backed at 16/1 with bodog to get his signature. Serie A rivals Inter are 8/1 with the same firm who make Brazilian club Corinthians 2/1 favourites. You can get 4/1 that Tevez ends up there with sportingbet, however. Oil-rich Russians Anzhi Makhcahkala signed Samuel E’to in the summer and seem intent on raising their profile but they’ve just sacked their manager so bodog‘s 16/1 quote that Tevez will be heading east should probably be taken with a pinch of salt. Skybet and Paddy Power both offer 6/4 that the forward puts on a Manchester City shirt again.

Manchester United v Manchester City Betting Tip & Odds: There’s a bit of a train of thought here, that if United hadn’t gone and lost their unbeaten record in the league last weekend, City may have been a strong bet to take three points. Doesn’t make sense? Well, it was looking at percentages, that United had to lose at some point, and City were the next big threat to that unbeaten start going. That’s out of the window, and now City instead have to face a Manchester United side who are on the rebound. The Ferguson hair dryer treatment has probably been going all week, and this is just the type of match where United step up and smooth over any blips on their record. Do you see United losing two matches in a row after going unbeaten for so long in the season? A top four club losing two in a row is almost unheard of, and United at Old Trafford for a win, has to dominate the betting. City will no doubt shut up shop and hope for some magic from Tevez, but there is a better way for them, and that is to attack at corners and free kicks. Chances may be few and far between for City though, but you get the feeling that they could sneak a draw, so worth looking for some coverage in the Asian Handicap betting market. Manchester City +1 Asian Handicap for 10/11 at Victor Chandler may be worth a flutter.

Manchester United to win: 4/5 at BetFred
Draw: 11/4 at Victor Chandler
Manchester City to win: 4/1 at Bet365

EPL Match Preview: It is Manchester derby time again, with the pretenders to the crown, Manchester City heading across to rivals United. When the two sides met at Eastlands earlier in the season, City were guilty of not taking advantage of playing on home turf. They controlled most of that game, but a hesitancy in getting forward, really let United walk away with an easy point. That really was a lost opportunity, but a lot gained for United, as Alex Ferguson’s men pushed on for their league title. Now the two sides meet again at Old Trafford, and you would have to think that the ball is firmly in the court of the home side. However, the United unbeaten run from the start of the season has come to an end. That was the big bombshell from the last round of Premier League fixtures, as they were defeated by the most unlikeliest of foes, bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers. There went United’s record, but they still have pole position at the top of the Premier League as only Manchester City managed to take advantage of the fact that United lost, with Arsenal and Chelsea both dropping valuable points last weekend. So now, nothing much has changed. United still hold an advantage, and it is a five point one of their city rivals, but the Red Devils have played a game less, so the advantage could be a massive eight points. That is first place separating from third in the league. It will be interesting now to see how Alex Ferguson and Manchester United react to that first defeat of the season. One thing about them, is that they generally bounce back with great aplomb. You don’t expect to see them lose two in a row anyway.

United go into the match without Rio Ferdinand, and perhaps that may just be one of the keys of the match. City played into United’s hands with long balls when they met at Eastlands, but if they are a little bit smarter, and get the ball to Carlos Tevez in front of the United back line, then he could exploit the space. It also means there may be an aerial weakness to exploit from set plays. Wayne Rooney again looked far from his usual self in the 45 minutes which he got in the international friendly victory over Denmark in the week. Even though Rooney has not been firing at all this season, United have of course been carried by Dimitar Berbatov, ably supported by the back up plan Javier Hernandez. United’s power ran out against Wolves, but back at home you would expect them to carry on strongly. Their home record has just been so impressive this season, dropping just two points out of a possible 39. That has been their strength, because they have looked pretty ordinary on the road, and they rely on the fortress that is Old Trafford to carry them towards the league title. They pretty much have one hand on it at the moment, and they will have an even tighter grasp if City fail to beat them. United have a strong 47% win percentage against City at Old Trafford, while City’s triumphs just crack 19% of the fixtures. Surprisingly the average goals per match in this fixture are closer than one may think, with United averaging 1.6 goals against City at Old Trafford, and City averaging almost 1.2 goals. Not a vast difference, but enough. United ran out 3-1 winners in this fixture last season, winning the last three straight against City. February 2008 was the last time that City recorded a win at Old Trafford.

What was carrying City this season was their mightily impressive form on the road. Because boss Roberto Mancini was  largely taking a defensive approach to things, keeping things tight in the middle of the park and relying on the output of Carlos Tevez, City were running a tight ship and keeping things in order. However, over the last three away matches, their formed has dipped, and has really hindered their chance of winning their first Premier League title. An away 0-0 draw at Arsenal can be forgiven, but a subsequent loss to a lowly positioned Aston Villa and a draw at Birmingham, has seen eight points been lost on City’s season. Suddenly it isn’t looking so likely that they can be genuine title contenders. Their dip in away form has seriously hurt them, and while they have the joint best defensive record in the league still along with Chelsea, they have lacked just a little bit of punch up front. The impetuous, mercurial, call him what you will, Mario Balotelli has been absent for a while now, and that took a spearhead from City’s attack. They did respond by bringing in Edin Dzeko from Wolfsburg, but since trying to more offensive, they have shot themselves in the foot a bit. Suddenly they are conceding goals left right and centre, and there doesn’t seem to be a quick fix. They are just not as playing as tight as a unit, not playing with that same sense of closing down all space in front of the back line as they were earlier in the season.

Hands down this has to be a win for Manchester City if they are going to keep their title credentials alive. If they drop three points and are still a game behind United after the weekend, then they can almost count themselves out. If, however, they draw themselves to within two points having played just a game more, it will be game on again. City however, have a pretty poor record against their main rivals. One win in twenty six visits to Old Trafford really doesn’t inspire the laying down of a large wager on City picking up three points. Combined with that record, City have failed to score on four of their last five matches against United, and their bright hope again seems to be Carlos Tevez, who has hit four goals in the last six matches against his old club. Are United vulnerable enough right now for City to take them down at Old Trafford? You would hardly think so to be honest, as United are a tougher prospect when they have been wounded. It City do come away with a win, your football betting on this one would probably be guided by nothing more than a one goal margin of victory for the visitors. United are without Ferdinand, who mopped everything up against City at Eastlands, but they still manage to stand strong, especially at home, where they have conceded just eight golas all season.

The goal scoring averages all point to United edging it. They average 2.84 goals at home this season, while City average 1.6 goals away from home. United have also picked up nearly 55% of clean sheets in their home matches this season, so if City are going to get anything out of this, they may need to rely on set pieces, as United have conceded the highest percentage of headed goals in the league this season, which doesn’t exactly fall into Carlos Tevez territory, but the big guns going up for corners and free kicks, may just be the key for City getting something out of this match. You want to see a brave City go for it, but they will probably try to keep things as tight as possible for as long as possible, and catch United on the break. A draw is really plausible for the Blues, but they are going to have to work hard for it, much harder than they did at Eastlands where they lacked the creative impetus to crack the United defence. City also go into the match without England winger Adam Johnson, who sits on the sidelines with Balotelli nursing an injury. A draw is not beyond the realms of possibility for City, they can’t afford to be wasteful in front of goal though.

Online Bookmaker Promotion: Check out BetFred for your weekend’s Manchester United v Manchester City betting odds. Not only is the highly recommended online bookmaker strong in the prices, but they are running their Double Delight and Hat trick Heaven promotion. This has been a recurring feature of BetFred’s Premier League Betting, and if the player you back as  First Goalscorer buries the first goal of the match and then goes on to grab a second at anytime in the game, BetFred will pay out double the initial odds. If that same player then goes on to bury a hat trick after being First Goalscorer, then the bookie will treble your odds. Worth looking at, especially with Berbatov at 4/1 and Tevez at 11/2 there are some good odds, which could be doubled or trebled! BetFred welcome new customers with a £50 free bet and come highly recommended.

Manchester United v Manchester City Premier League Betting Statistics

Last 5 Head to Head
Manchester City 0, Manchester United 0
Manchester City 0, Manchester United 1
Manchester United 4, Manchester City 3
Manchester United 2, Manchester City 0
Manchester City 0, Manchester United 1

Manchester United have an 92% win percentage at home in the league this season
Manchester City have a 46% win percentage away from home in the league this season

Manchester United are on a streak of 13 home games with no defeat
Manchester City are on a streak of 3 away games with no win

Manchester United have scored 37 goals, and conceded 8 at home
Manchester City have scored 21 and conceded 12 goals in their away matches

Manchester United average 2.8 goals per match at home this season
Manchester City average 1.6 goals per match away from home this season

Manchester United have scored the bulk of their goals in the 31-45 minute bracket
Manchester City have scored the majority of their goals in the 0-15 and 16-30 minute bracket

Manchester United have opened the scoring in 72% of their matches
Manchester City have scored first in 61% of their matches

Manchester United 2010/11 top scorer: Berbatov, 19 (15 of them at home)
Manchester City 2010/11 top scorer: Tevez, 18

Manchester United 2010/11 Season Form: P25 W15 D9 L1 GF55 GA24 Pts 54 (1st)
Manchester City 2010/11 Season Form: P26 W14 D7 L5 GF42 GA22 Pts 49 (3rd)

Aston Villa v Manchester City Betting Tip & Odds: Manchester City are favourites and rightly so. They have had to take the back seat to Villa in terms of spending at the moment, but they will be the happier team. They are growing stronger all the time, and showing off their title credentials, especially on the road. They are just solid in the midfield and at the back (apart from a couple of recent rush of goals conceded), and with Tevez scoring freely and taking chances, they will continue to get better now Dzeko is there. Will Darren Bent make a different to Villa? In the long run maybe, as they are crying out for a genuine goalscorer. They aren’t good enough at the back though and half a chance is all that City need to close out a game. City have won the last two meetings between the sides convincingly. Worth a Manchester City -1 11/5 Asian Handicap for 11/5 at Bet365

Aston Villa to win: 11/4 at Boylesports
Draw: 12/5 at BetFred
Manchester City to win: 23/20 at William Hill

EPL Match Preview: Well, this could be the match of two new signings up front really. Aston Villa have landed the services of England striker Darren Bent, in a surprise move from Sunderland. Bent dropped from a top six club to a relegation threatened team, but the striker said that he understands Villa are in a false position and he has a chance to really spearhead a new revolution at Villa Park under Gerard Houllier. The Frenchman has broken the Aston Villa spending record in getting Bent from Sunderland, but the Black Cats boss Steve Bruce hasn’t been particularly happy about the way Houllier went about his business in getting Bent to move. Naturally Bruce would be a bit aggrieved at losing a player who has consistently found the back of the net for Sunderland, and it really must be doubly bitter to see Bent leave at a time when Sunderland are actually doing pretty well. Anyway, back to the matter at hand, and that is Aston Villa’s safety in the Premier League. Darren Bent is primed and ready to go for his new club, and he will be charged with the responsibility of breaking down one of the best defences in the league. Gerard Houllier hasn’t stopped the spending, grasping the opportunity to put his own identity on the team at last, with Jean Makoun waiting for clearance to play. Houllier also gets back Ashley Young  into the side.

Villa haven’t been good at all, it’s fair to say, and over their last ten Premier League matches, they have won just once, a Midlands derby at home against West Brom. The problem with Villa is that their defence can rarely stand up to any kind of attack, and they have leaked 39 goals this season, the second highest amount in the Premier League. They have also had their problems up front, with a very lean attack, and wide man Stuart Downing is top scorer with just 5 goals. It highlights a lot of the problems at Villa Park, but with the experience Houllier can bring to the table, and with a big of cash in the right place, Villa should be ok. They have actually played some attractive football, but they have been just too lightweight up front and too disorganized at the back. The arrival of Bent should at least cure one of those problems, and he will fit into quite a young Aston Villa side, which means that there is a lot of potential and ambition surrounding the club. Villa need to find a way to keep some clean sheets, starting right here, or else they are not going to be in this match at all, not with the threat up front Manchester City are now carrying with their new signing.

That signing is Edin Dzeko from Wolfsburg. He has already has his run out in Manchester City colours, and paired up front with Carlos Tevez, the blue half of Manchester suddenly carry a lot more attacking threat. Bizarrely though, now they are more threatening up front, something has happened at the back, and their highly impressive defence has been breached five times in the past two matches (one league and one FA Cup game). It started with a thrilling 4-3 win over Wolves really and that is the most important one, as we’re focusing on league form. Prior to that City had notched up three clean sheets, and while City conceding more than two goals in a match is not going to break out too often, it means they are going to continue to be a threat at the top of the Premier League. They have won four of their last five league matches now, a negative display, much in the defensive mould we have seen them in this season, ending in a 0-0 draw at Arsenal the only disturbance on that run of form. City are level with Manchester United at the top of the Premier League, but have played two games more. All they can do is keep on winning and hope United slip up somewhere down the line. Can City win this one? Yes, because they have shown that they really know how to get the job done on the road in the league this season, suffering only two losses. They are undefeated in their last six away matches, and are steadily showing that they are coming together as title contenders.

City will be bolstered by the return of Nigel de Jong, Gareth Barry and Kolo Toure, along with Edin Dzeko after they all missed the FA Cup win over Leicester in the week. There’s no Mario Balotelli though, as he is still out injured, but that hasn’t stopped him stirring up Manchester United and Barcelona and Jose Mourinho in his unabashed confident manner. It was Balotelli who netted a hat trick when City met Villa at Eastlands at the end of December. That match ended up 4-0 and Villa simply weren’t in the game. WE really should expect more of the same, and Carlos Tevez is still in the form of his life. Clearly one of the best players in the Premier League by a country mile, and now that he has a new strike partner with a formidable goal scoring record in Dzeko, City could go from strength to strength, and as for poor Villa, well their big splash into the January transfer market could all get washed away under a cloud of not being able to pick up any points at home on Bent’s debut.

Online Bookmaker Promotion: If Aston Villa new boy Darren Bent scores the last goal of the match, popular online bookmaker Paddy Power will refund all lost stakes placed on First/Last Scorer, Correct Score and Scorecast markets placed on the match. Will Bent perform? Good promotion again from Paddy Power, and if you need to open an account with them to take advantage of this coverage, then there is a great £50 free bet welcome offer to snap up as well!

Aston Villa v Manchester City Premier League Betting Statistics

Last 5 Head to Head
Man City 4, Aston Villa 0
Manchester 3, Aston Villa 1
Aston Villa 1, Man City 1
Man City 2, Aston Villa 0
Aston Villa 4, Man City 2

Aston Villa have an 36% win percentage at home in the league this season
Manchester City have a 55% win percentage away from home in the league this season

Aston Villa are on a streak of 2 home matches with no win
Manchester City are on a streak of 6 away matches with no defeat

Aston Villa have scored 15 goals, and conceded 13 at home
Manchester City have scored 19 and conceded 9 goals in their away matches

Aston Villa average 1.3 goals per match at home this season
Manchester City average 1.7 goals per match away from home this season

Aston Villa have scored the bulk of their goals in the 76-90 minute bracket
Manchester City have scored the majority of their goals in the 0-15. 46-60 and 61-75 minute brackets

Aston Villa have opened the scoring in 45% of their matches
Manchester City have scored first in 60% of their matches

Aston Villa 2010/11 top scorer: Downing, 5
Manchester City 2010/11 top scorer: Tevez, 14

Aston Villa 2010/11 Season Form: P22 W5 D7 L10 GF24 GA39 Pts 22 (17th)
Manchester City 2010/11 Season Form: P23 W13 D6 L4 GF37 GA19 Pts 45 (2nd)

FA Cup replays dominate the midweek football action, starting with Manchester City trying to take down Leicester at the second attempt. The Blues were held by the Foxes at the first attempt, as the Championship side in a great FA Cup tie. City were in the lead 2-1 in the second half, with James Milner and Carlos Tevez both on the score sheet, but a blunder by England number one keeper Joe Hart, gave Sven Goran Eriksson’s Leicester a share of the spoils. It was something of a surprisingly boisterous effort by Leicester, who really rattled City at times, especially when the set pieces came flying into the box, as the usually sound City defence, could not deal with the physical presence of Leicester defender Bamba, who was making his debut. It was the former Hibernian player who opened the scoring on the day. A place in the fourth round of this year’s FA Cup against Notts County is up for grabs, as the two battle it out at Eastlands on Tuesday. In the end, Leicester had more possession in the match, and more attempts on target, as they played with great heart and character. City will be favourites in the replay, especially at home, but after they scraped a 4-3 win against Wolves in the Premier League on the weekend, Sven Goran Eriksson will be telling his players that they are more than capable of causing an upset. It will all be about whether or not they will be able to carry that momentum through from the first match. They have the added strike power of Yakubu, who has just joined the Foxes from Everton.

More often than not, if the underdogs do not make the most of their opportunity and take out the higher opposition at the first attempt, then they seldom get change from a replay. Especially when it is at the home of the superior side. Manchester City have the class and skill to see this match out, now that all the excitement of the first leg is over. Leicester, based on the first performance against City, may offer glimpses, but you will expect a much more solid home, professional performance from Roberto Mancini’s men. There will be no place in the side for new signing Edin Dzeko, as he is ineligible to play, and Mario Balotelli is injured, leaving most of the work up front to be done by Carlos Tevez, who has to be worth a shout in the Anytime Goalscorer market (4/5 at Blue Square).

Manchester City to win: 4/11 at William Hill
Draw: 9/2 at Totesport
Leicester to win: 9/1 at SkyBet

The gates of the January transfer window will be thrown widely open tomorrow, as teams look to bolster their squad for both title challenges and survival across the football leagues. Focus of course will primarily be on the big movers and shakers in the Premier League, as one wonders what movement there will be. There are some big names being touted around in the gossip columns already, but historically, the January Transfer window falls a little bit short on excitement. It is rare to get a big name signing, as clubs will prefer to hold on to key and star players until the end of the season. Usually the type of player who gets moved, is those who are spending far too much time warming the bench at their club, and those veteran types who get snapped up by lower standing teams to add valuable experience to try and ward of relegation. Still, that doesn’t stop the rumours spreading, and of course football betting opportunities from arising. We’ll take a look over some of the top rumours and assess the chances of where a player may end up. Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has said that there is no need for him to spend in the summer, and indeed may lose players with West Ham interested in Michael Owen, and striker Macheda the most likely candidate to be moved out of the club, possibly on loan. Arsene Wenger has not dismissed the idea of spending, but it is going to be hard seeing him add to his squad during January, realistically, there is no need to, and who knows with Chelsea? There is a likelihood that they would dip into the market, simply to score some good PR points with their fans. They have been linked with Brazilian David Luiz, a centre half at Benfica, but that is about it. There is a strong possibility that it will happen though, if they can come to some agreement over a fee.

Manchester City
It is hard to talk about trades without heading straight to Eastlands. Manchester City have the cash, and they are ready to spend apparently. Top of their list is striker Edin Dzeko, who the club are apparently desperate to bring in. His arrival from Wolfsburg could mean the departure of unsettled Mario Balotelli back to Italy. Dzeko is a player who has been linked with Chelsea for a long time, but in a bidding war, City look as if they will be able to stump up the goods. However, just as interesting, is who may leave City in the January Transfer window, as they have a big squad, and with all of the supposed discontent flying around there this season, some players are falling into the bit-part category and may just be moved. Carlos Tevez is of course likely to stay now after taking back his transfer request, and 12/1 at SkyBet for a move to Real Madrid sums up the chances of him leaving. It’s not happening. Emmanuel Adebayor though, has a lot more potential for being shown the door. Italian club Juventus are hot on his heels and are priced at 6/4 with Skybet to land him in the January Transfer window. Inter Milan are second favourites at 4/1 with SkyBet. It could be a striker clear out at Manchester City, with out of favour Roque Santa Cruz looking to secure a permanent move away. He should stay in the Premier League, and could be a decent catch for Fulham at 2/1, or more likely, Everton at 5/2 (both with SkyBet). Fulham won’t have the cash to spend, and he seems to fit better with the Toffees. What about Shaun Wright-Phillips? He would inject some life into teams like West Ham, Newcastle or Stoke, who are all front runners to get him at 5/1. Less of a likely move though.  Goalkeeper Shay Given, does look as if he wants away though, and Italian club Roma look favourites to poach him at a price of 4/1, while Celtic are also in the mix at 9/2. Aston Villa makes a reasonable destination for him though priced at 6/1, as Villa would likely send Brad Friedel the other way in a part exchange deal. There are conflicting rumours about Wayne Bridge, who could go to West Ham, but on loan. Apparently City have already turned down an offer from the London club.

Tottenham.
It is with little surprise really that Spurs are being linked with so many players. Their chairman is ready to bankroll some new faces coming into the club. The club are on a definite upward trend, and could really use a world class star just to accent their already strong squad. Trouble is, will they be able to find such a man. Boss Harry Redknapp doesn’t seem to think so, as he knows how tough it is to pry players away from their clubs in January. Still, it doesn’t stop the speculation. How long can Newcastle fend off the advances for their star striker Andy Carroll? After earning himself an England call up this year, the bruising, classic English centre forward has not let stepping up a level to the Premier League halt his development. Clubs will want him, that is for sure, and there is one likely destination, and that will be Tottenham (3/1 at SkyBet). He would just be a perfect fit, he has that ruggedness to mix things up a bit in Harry Redknapp’s side, and would make a fantastic addition. Unlikely to head anywhere else than there. It has been no secret that Spurs have wanted West Ham midfielder Scott Parker for some time now. Parker is at really short odds of 4/5 with Skybet to head to Spurs in the January Transfer window. Is he really the star that Redknapp is looking for though? Everton’s Steven Pienaar is being linked with Spurs to, but at odds of 4/1, seems unrealistic. Aston Villa’s Ashley Young is also linked heavily with a move away from the troubled club, and Spurs are favourites to land his services. It’s a little more difficult to see him fitting into the squad though. Redknapp is a big fan of Young though, and could work a player deal to make it happen, with the likes of David Bentley and Robbie Keane going the other way. There is one other big name which is being linked to Tottenham. That is the one and only David Beckham. He is likely to go out on loan again from LA Galaxy, as he looks to hone his fitness in Europe once more. There are big rumours that he’ll be at an English club, but it won’t be Manchester United. His insistence once that he would only come back to the Premier League with his former club, may go out of the window, and Tottenham are 10/11 favourites to be the English team to get him, although Chelsea would make a great fit as they look for experience to fill their bench. Everton are the only other team which are really in the running for him, but that sounds a bit unlikely, but nevertheless are priced at 12/1 to make the deal.

Liverpool
They have been keenly tracking the services of Ashley Young for some time now, but while Aston Villa boss Gerrard Houllier has a lot of work to do to turn around the fortunes of the club which he inherited, he has insisted that Young will not be sold. That puts Liverpool’s plans of getting him in the January Transfer window (at 6/1 with SkyBet) firmly on hold. West Ham’s Carlton Cole seems a more viable prospect though. He’s had a tough season down at Upton Park, and a big move could ignite his career again. Cole is 4/1 at SkyBet to move to Liverpool, but with Avram Grant trying to salvage something from West Ham’s season, and looking to bring in talent himself, could be reluctant to let him go. Hence the price. The most fascinating transfer saga at Anfield, is of course Fernando Torres. Will the Spanish striker, who is a world class player want to carry on a team which loses 1-0 at home to Wolves? A January Transfer may be out there, and Manchester City would be the likeliest destination if he goes, priced at 4/1. Liverpool are in dire need of something, but the transfers that boss Roy Hodgson made in the summer, really have not paid off. He could be out of a job before he gets the time to make any deals.

All of the above prices can be found at online bookmaker SkyBet. The coverage on their site is fantastic, as to be expected, and the Sportsbook extensive, all backed up with news and statistics. As a welcome offer for new customers, SkyBet offer a free £10 bet for new customers opening an account.

Newcastle United v Manchester City Betting Tip & Odds: Well, some interesting Boxing Day stats, are that City have won their last three Boxing Day matches, while Newcastle haven’t won a Boxing Day match in their last eight attempts. One of the most interesting stats though, is that in their last four encounters, City have scored exactly twice in each of them. We smell a Boxing Day trend to jump on here, even though it’s hard to see City scoring two goals in a game (something they have only done twice in their last eight matches). So, instead we turn to Carlos Tevez as he will have to be the man again,  but he enjoys playing Newcastle, with three goals in four matches against them in his career. Worth a crack as Anytime Goalscorer at 11/8 with Coral, but for our tip, there really looks to be little harm in taking Manchester City as 47/20 -1 Asian Handcaip with Bet365 which is just over doubling your money for a City two goal win, and a stake refund for them winning by one goal. This is based on City being a better away team than home team. They score more frequently away from home, and Newcastle concede enough to be edged out.

Newcastle United to win: 12/5 at BetFred
Draw: 12/5 at Boylesports
Manchester City to win: 5/4 at Bet365

EPL Match Preview: This is an interesting match, with new Newcastle boss Alan Pardew, looking to build upon the success of his opening victory over Liverpool. He walked into something of a sticky situation, but Pardew isn’t a man to run from challenges. Controversy and confrontation has followed him everywhere. So, Newcastle are a team, which in sports, are referred to being as “on the bubble”. They really could go either way, as they are hovering in mid table, a not too shabby five points off sixth place. Really is not too bad considering that they are on their return to the Premier League. Apparently it wasn’t good enough to save previous boss Chris Hughton his job though. Newcastle’s season can pretty much be summed up by their last three matches. They held Chelsea to a draw, lost to West Brom and beat Liverpool. There is potential there clearly in the team, but they need to find some more consistency. The biggest problem is finding a way to plug the holes at the bag. There really isn’t much problem with them going forward, not with Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan banging in 18 league goals between them. They just need to find a way of stopping them go in at their own end. A Sunderland type defence and Newcastle are immediately a better team. But would a more defensive Newcastle take something away from their presence. Under Hughton they were not afraid to have a go at other teams.

Newcastle matches are pretty much always entertaining for one reason or another. There is seldom a shortage of goals in their matches anyway. Games this season with Newcastle at home are average 3.33 goals per match, which means the fans at St James part are getting some great entertainment. This is the Newcastle who crushed Sunderland, who beat Arsenal, who held Chelsea and hammered Liverpool. There should be goals in them, but in facing Manchester City they will be facing a much sterner test, and this is why this match should be a great battle. Has Pardew had enough time to really take on one of the big boys. It begs to wonder. By and large, Manchester City’s defence has stood strong all season, and is a large part of their success. City are not a prolific high scoring team like Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United, and in fact have scored two goals less than their Boxing Day opponents in the season so far. The Tevez saga looks to be behind them now, with him having rescinded his transfer request, and now they should settle down. However, and there is always an however with Manchester City or so it seems. The news that Tevez was staying and playing, really was let down by the fact that they went and lost to ten man Everton. That really was a major blow for City in their quest to prove that they are a genuine title contender, so has the Tevez saga, even though it looks to have been smoothed over, caused an irreparable crack in City’s season.

Going to Newcastle to try and get back to winning ways is not going to be an easy one for Manchester City. All too often they have failed to come out of their shell when they have needed it most, and their defence will have a long afternoon trying to stand up to the direct assault from Newcastle striker Andy Carroll. City are still looking like a team of individuals, and they were shown up by the teamwork of Everton on the day. What City need to back up the brilliance they have in their side, is much better teamwork. They rely too much on Tevez for everything up front, and even though Mario Balotelli has been crowned the best youngster in the world, he does not look as if he is really up for the rugged hard work that is needed in the Premier League. Comparing yourself, as Balotelli did, to being almost as good as Lionel Messi really needs some backing up. He’s a long, long way from that. City have not shown a great penchant for attack all season, and that has ultimately let them down. They do get back midfielder Nigel de Jong, which really only stifles them more in the middle of the part. Heading to the North East hasn’t been too successful for Manchester City, having won just one of their last six matches against Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesborough combined. They have not won on their last four visits to the north east, and this has every potential of being another miserable day for Mancini. Two points off leaders Manchester United, and their rivals have two games in hand over City. The damage may really have already been done. However, on the scale of things, would edge City to come out of this with a win. They need to.

Online Bookmaker Promotion: Doesn’t happen very often with Newcastle, but if this match happens to end up as a 0-0 score line, then Stan James will refund all lost bets placed pre-match on any goalscorer markets. This is great coverage really, and even though you have the likes of Carlos Tevez, David Silva, Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan on the pitch, if City’s defence holds firm, while misfiring up front, this money back special from Stan James makes good sense. There is a free £25 bet awaiting new customers when opening a new account.

Newcastle United v Manchester City Premier League Betting Statistics

Last 5 Head to Head
Manchester City 2, Newcastle United 1
Manchester City 2, Newcastle United 1
Newcastle United 2, Manchester City 2
Newcastle United 0, Manchester City 2
Manchester City 3, Newcastle United 1

Newcastle United have an 33% win percentage at home in the league this season
Manchester City have a 56% win percentage away from home in the league this season

Newcastle United are on a streak of 3 home matches with no defeat
Manchester City are on a streak of four away matches with no defeat

Newcastle United have scored 19 goals, and conceded 11 at home
Manchester City have scored 16 and conceded 8 goals in their away matches

Newcastle United average 2.1 goals per match at home this season
Manchester City average 1.7 goals per match away from home this season

Newcastle United have scored the bulk of their goals in the 31-45 minute bracket
Manchester City have scored the majority of their goals in the 61-75 minute bracket

Newcastle United have opened the scoring in 41% of their matches
Manchester City have scored first in 61% of their matches

Newcastle United 2010/11 top scorer: Carroll, 10
Manchester City 2010/11 top scorer: Tevez, 10

2010/11 Season Form: P17 W6 D4 L7 GF27 GA26 Pts 22 (8th)
Manchester City 2010/11 Season Form: P18 W9 D5 L4 GF25 GA15 Pts 32 (3rd)

Manchester City v Everton Betting Tip & Odds: Has draw written all over it. Neither team play the most expansive or attacking football that could be played, and it will all be about whether or not City can be ruthless enough to break down the visitors. That could all hinge on whether Carlos Tevez plays or not, but even then, City, who haven’t lit up the scoring charts this season, may still struggle to break down Everton. Yes, the Toffees are lingering down the bottom of the league, but they will work hard, just as they did at Stamford Bridge for their draw there. They have their threats from Cahill, and while City will probably have more possession, it will all likely be a matter of cancelling each other out. However, an Manchester City -1 Asian Handicap at 7/5 at Paddy Power is a decent enough price to warrant having a flutter.

Manchester City to win: 3/4 at Paddy Power
Draw: 11/4 at SkyBet
Everton to win: 9/2 at BetFred

EPL Match Preview: There’s only one big question surrounding this Premier League match, which looks as if it will survive the big weekend freeze, and that is, will Carlos Tevez play? Current indications, is that although there is a frosty atmosphere expected in the Manchester City dressing room, the Tevez storm front may blow over quicker than expected, to bring a little winter sun onto the pitch at Eastlands on Monday night. Terrible clichéd weather puns aside, it looks as if, despite handing in his transfer request, the unhappy Argentinean will play against Everton. The club are refusing to let him leave (although that may change in the January transfer window is some big money offers come flooding their way for the star player) and Tevez’s agent has said that Tevez will not refuse to play, so it all points to City’s top scorer pulling on his shirt, gloves and neck scarf for the visit of Everton. Boss Roberto Mancini will he hoping that Tevez will be giving his best, if he does pick him, as that is the danger now, half hearted performances from Tevez. That won’t help Manchester City’s push towards the top of the Premier League, as nobody else at the club has stepped up to claim goal scoring responsibilities.

Tevez has scored almost 50% of the club’s 24 goals in the Premier League this season, and so will be missed if he is there but not 100% there. The goal scoring department is actually letting Manchester City down this season. Yes, with a win here they could go top, but if Tevez departs then Mancini has problems. Emmanuel Adebayor has not got any kind of goal scoring touch at the moment, Jo doesn’t look as if he will be anywhere near as prolific as Mancini would want him to be, and the immature antics of big hope Mario Balotelli looks as if he may not have been worth the gamble after all. With David Silva anonymous as well, City do not have a lot of production up front. It doesn’t help with fielding quite a dreadfully dull midfield pairing of Gareth Barry and Nigel de Jong (although the Dutchman will be missing from this one because of a match suspension). City have not excelled at home in the way that Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United have, and it is the one thing which is really holding them back from being genuine title contenders. Fortunately Mancini’s incredibly cautious and uninspiring approach to the way football should be played, is serving them well. City have the second best defensive record in the league behind only Chelsea, and that is what has kept them in the hunt. City are now unbeaten in their last seven matches, and only Manchester United can boast a better record than that at the moment. With a win, City would go top by just one point, but will have played two more games than United. There is a long way to go though of course, but at least they are keeping pace.

This is exactly the type of game where they need to break out of their shell, but they won’t. This is a chance to go top so a lot is at stake. They are at home, and their opponents are in an uninspiring run of form. But City will continue to do what they have been doing, and take a steady approach to matters. They look a tough side to break down, but they need extra help in taking chances up front, and for someone to step up and be more creative from the midfield. England winger Adam Johnson sits on the bench, and that gives an indication of the approach from Mancini. Getting a draw one supposes is a better result than losing after all, but there just doesn’t seem enough impetus coming from City to go and take games by the scruff of the neck and impose themselves. One wonders if they have an extra gear. A bit of creative flair is exactly what they will need to try and break down Everton, who have now drawn five of their last eight matches. The other three have results in two losses and one win. It’s not great times on Merseyside at the moment, certainly Everton are not where they are supposed to be. Everyone expects David Moyes’ side to be a top half of the table team, and really they should be. They have the same problems which plague City though, in that they haven’t got any firepower up front to make a big difference. A quality striker or two would make a huge difference to the Toffees, who also like to play a very solid game all over the pitch. If they are heading to Manchester City for a match, then you can expect them to be going there and hoping not to lose. You can’t see them going there and being all gung ho about winning. That’s probably how this match will play out. City haven’t been prolific in front of goal at home, and neither side have a lot of punch up front. This could be a midfield battle, with defences being well on top for most of the match. Everton did win both encounters last season by a 2-0 scoreline, but everything about this one points to a draw. Everton work hard as a team and will do all they can to nullify the threats from Manchester City. Both teams are hard to break down actually and unless Tevez brings a spark of genius, to break a tight game, this one will probably end in a stalemate.

Online Bookmaker Promotion: Decent money back special from Stan James on this one. If you have a bet on any goalscorer market for this match and the match ends in a 0-0 draw, then Stan James will refund your lost stake as a free bet. This makes having a crack at the usual suspects worthwhile. Carlos Tevez is 5/4 as Anytime Goalscorer, while Tim Cahill is a nice 3/1 bet. If you want to go First Goalscorer, then Tevez is 9/2 there, with Mario Balotelli at 5/1. With a nice £25 Free Matched Bet when you open a new account with Stan James, your football betting on goalscorer markets are always well covered with the highly reputable bookie.

Manchester City v Everton Premier League Betting Statistics

Last 5 Head to Head
Man City 0, Everton 2
Everton 2, Man City 0
Everton 1, Man City 2
Man City 0, Everton 1
Man City 0, Everton 2

Manchester City have an 50% win percentage at home in the league this season
Everton have a 12% win percentage away from home in the league this season

Manchester City are on a streak of no defeat in 3 home matches
Everton are on a streak of no win in four away matches

Manchester City have scored 8 goals, and conceded 5 at home
Everton have scored 8 and conceded 8 goals in their away matches

Manchester City average 1 goal per match at home this season
Everton average 1 goal per match away from home this season

Manchester City have scored the bulk of their goals in the 16-30 and 61-55 minute brackets
Everton have scored the majority of their goals in the 76-90 minute bracket

Manchester City have opened the scoring in 54% of their matches
Everton have scored first in 41% of their matches

Manchester City 2010/11 top scorer: Tevez, 10
Everton 2010/11 top scorer: Cahill, 8

Manchester City 2010/11 Season Form: P17 W9 D5 L3 GF24 GA13 Pts 32 (3rd)
Everton 2010/11 Season Form: P17 W3 D9 L5 GF18 GA20 Pts 18 (15th)

Two months ago, you could have got odds of 80/1 that Andy Carroll would be the top goalscorer in the Premier League this season. However, the Newcastle striker has embarked on a goal spree which means he has to be taken seriously in the race to win the Golden Boot.

Ladbrokes are the only firm to offer double figure odds with their quote of 12/1, which can be explained by the fact that the Magic Sign don’t have big liabilities on the England international. At each-way terms of ¼ the odds for the first three places, this price is worthy of consideration when Carroll stands on ten goals.

The other player on ten at the moment is Carlos Tevez, although the striker’s odds have been on the drift from the moment that he handed in a transfer request at the start of the week. Many people who backed him at 14/1 in August must have thought they were on to a good thing, although Boylesports are prepared to lay 7/1 since the latest reports coming from Eastlands. Ladbrokes are wary of taking on Tevez and still have 3/1.

Both of these players are currently one goal behind Dimitar Berbatov, with the Bulgarian available at 4/1 with Stan James to remain top of the pile come the end of the season. In my opinion, these odds are too short, especially as Sir Alex Ferguson opted to leave Berbatov on the bench for the recent 1-0 win over Arsenal and might do the same for the weekend trip to Chelsea.

In addition, eight of the forward’s eleven goals have come in two matches, at home to Liverpool and Blackburn. When Berba’s in the mood, he’s really in the mood, although it could well be the case that Wayne Rooney (50/1 Coral) starts taking the lion’s share of the Manchester United goals.

Rooney was wasteful from the penalty spot against the Gunners, a day after Didier Drogba had missed from ten yards for Chelsea and it’s clear that the Ivorian is not firing on all cylinders this season. However, the Blues striker is only four goals behind Berbatov, with William Hill offering 4/1 that he retains his Golden Boot ahead of his rivals this season.

It’s hard to see any of these four players being beaten to the Top Goalscorer award, despite the fact that Samir Nasri (33/1 Ladbrokes) and Johan Elmander (50/1 Skybet) have eight goals to their name this season. In the case of Nasri, he is ultimately a midfielder who has enjoyed a recent purple patch but can’t be expected to score on a regular basis.

Elmander has never been as prolific as the first half of this season and the fact that Kevin Davies takes the penalties weighs against the Swede. Nevertheless, Drogba and Rooney might find themselves removed from duty after their weekend misses!

It wouldn’t be a Premier League season if it wasn’t for some drama surrounding Carlos Tevez. The Manchester City player handed in a transfer request, after a dismissing reports earlier in the season that he was unhappy at Eastlands. He has reportedly been homesick as his family live back in Argentina, and there are rumours that he wanted to leave the club in the summer, but was convinced to stay by boss Roberto Mancini. Well, either all of his words of confidence that he was happy at the club was a bit of diplomacy on the Argentineans part, or something untoward as happened. The reason Tevez wants away, is apparently because of personal issues he has with certain executives at the club, although who these people are remain a mystery. Now there could be one almighty stalemate at City, with the club insisting that they will not sell him, forcing the 26 year old to stay and fulfil his contract. Tevez, who moved to City from neighbours Manchester United, still have a good three and a half years on his contract, and there has been speculation that he will refuse to play for the club again. Club owner Sheikh Mansour is not willing to give up on the star player yet, wanting him to stay until the summer and help City in their quest for the Premier League title and European glory.

Tevez has been one of the most devastatingly in form players this season in the Premier League, and there would not be a shortage of clubs lining up to take him of Man City’s hands. In a transfer fee, he would certainly command a big sum, and no doubt the major Spanish clubs would be interested. In all likelihood though, if the rumours of his homesickness are true, then he could well head back to Argentina. There is a cloud over whether or not he will play again for Manchester City this season, and their next match is in the Europa League on Thursday against Juventus. City will miss him, as he has carried them all season in the goal scoring department, is their true creative outlet. The former West Ham and Manchester United player could just have upset Manchester City’s hopes for the season. Even if he stays, even if he plays, will it be the same genius that has lit up matches before, or will the transfer saga simply be a negative for the whole of the club. For the club captain to be causing such disruption, it is bound to have a negative impact somewhere down the line, if not simply missing him as the most important player on the team. There is always the evident friction between Tevez and Mancini too, highlighted when Tevez started rowing with the boss after being substituted against Bolton.

Tevez did show up for training on Tuesday with his team mates, but this probably is not too much of an indication as to whether he will play on Thursday or not. Boss Mancini was not at the training as he is in Italy, and so Tevez may not even get on the plane to face Juventus. The two parties are apparently going to meet across the table on Friday, with Mancini probably doing all he can to smooth things over with the Argentinean and trying to convince him to stay. If Tevez goes though, either in the January transfer window, or at the end of the season, where is his likely destination? Naturally topping the list would be Any South American Club which is a great offer at 7/4 from Victor Chandler. With the reports that Tevez is missing his daughters, a move back to the continent does make a lot of sense. Boca Juniors for 8/1 at Paddy Power and Corinthians for 11/1 at Paddy Power lead the South American charge. However, would the temptation of a move to Real Madrid (9/4 at BetFred) or Barcelona (13/2 at Victor Chandler – just imagine trying to defend against Tevez, Iniesta, Xavi, Villa and Messi in the same side) convince him to stay in Europe. Perhaps in a way it would be a little bit closer to home, and he would have genuine chances of major silverware.

What would tempt Tevez to stay in England though? Is there anything? He clearly wouldn’t go back across the divide to Old Trafford from whence he came, but what about Chelsea? He would be the perfect spark of inspiration that would breathe new life into them. BetFred have priced Chelsea at 8/1 to be Tevez’s next club. When would Tevez leave? To Leave During January Transfer Window is 6/4 at Stan James, while Not To Leave During January Transfer Window is 1/2 at Stan James. What of the rest of the season at Manchester City if he really is going to be forced to stay. Will he play again? You can take odds of 4/11 at SkyBet for Tevez to play for Man City again this season, and 2/1 at SkyBet for him not play.