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With only one FA Cup Quarter Final replay to come, the line up for the Semi Finals is pretty much set. The big tie is between Aston Villa and Chelsea, after their wins against Reading and Stoke respectively. Chelsea have been strong favourites to retain the FA Cup from the outset, and have comfortably made their way back to Wembley. The semi finals are held at Wembley on April 10th and 11th and look to be setting up some thrilling matches. Villa inflicted a defeat upon Chelsea in the league earlier in the season, and so Carlo Ancelotti will having something interesting to throw into his team talk in preparations. Martin O’Neill’s Aston Villa have been one of the successes of the season, reaching the Carling Cup final as well. For Aston Villa, the FA Cup represents a great chance to make amends for a loss there to Man Utd.

Villa’s win over Reading in the Quarter Finals, was the first time O’Neill had won a match in March since taking over at Villa. Their reward has been the toughest draw they could get in the semi final, but you generally have to beat the best at some point to win a competition. They will have nothing to fear though, having beaten them and Manchester United this season. Portsmouth, for whom the FA Cup has been the one bright spark of the season so far, as they face financial and Premier League survival. Pompey earned a proud and battling victory for their fans and boss Avram Grant over Birmingham on Saturday to book their place in the semi’s. Can they complete a fairy tale in the FA after so much doom and gloom? Imagine him lifting the cup in the final against his old club Chelsea!

Fulham and Tottenham played out a stalemate, as was expected. Spurs will probably be happier with that, with a whole host of injury problems at the moment. Taking the fixture back to White Hart Lane, where they have the opportunity to put out a stronger side, will make them favourites. But Fulham are no pushovers this season, as they are going well in Europe and safe and secure in the middle of the league. They have played some good football, and there should be a lot of life left in this tie yet. The replay is on March 24th.

FA Cup Outright
Chelsea – 11/10 at Totesport
Tottenham – 7/2 at Totesport
Aston Villa – 9/2 at Stan James
Fulham – 14/1 at Stan James
Portsmouth – 14/1 at Coral

Chelsea look to defend their FA Cup crown with a home fixture against Stoke on Sunday. The Blues do have some selection problems ahead of the match, with the defence awaiting news on the fitness of Ricardo Carvalho. They will also be missing the influence of Michael Ballack who was sent off in last week’s defeat against Manchester City in the league. Chelsea also heard news this week that defender Jose Bosingwa won’t be back in action this season. Regardless of their starting line up, Chelsea will go into the match as favourites. The defeat at Stamford Bridge to Man City, was the first defeat which Chelsea have suffered at home all season, and ended a run of 37 consecutive games without defeat at home. Their plight wasn’t helped by the fact that goalie Petr Cech is out of action.

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti needs to get his team going again, the way they were earlier in the season. Backup goalie Hilario, is no Petr Cech, and that means the Chelsea defence, which looked vulnerable defending set pieces this season, will need to dig deep and stand firm. Having lost their last two games, one against Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan, and the 4-2 loss against Man City in the Premier League will have set nerves jangling just a little bit around Stamford Bridge. They started out as favourites for the FA Cup though, and having seen Man United, Liverpool and Arsenal all fall cheaply, it will be a surprise in many circles, not least the bookmakers, if Chelsea do not lift the trophy. They will firmly have their eyes set on a semi final place, as they take on Arsenal’s FA Cup conquerors Stoke City.

Recent England call up, defender Ryan Shawcross will be missing at the heart of the Stoke defence. It will have been hard to avoid the reason why. He was the one who ended Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey’s season with a boisterous tackle, which got Arsene Wenger all hot under the collar. Stoke, under Tony Pulis, have given a good account of themselves this season, and look fairly secure in their mid table position. They had an extended unbeaten run in the Premier League, during 2010, until they lost their last match against Arsenal last weekend. Pulis has turned Stoke into one of those sides which are extremely tough to play against, as they favour the physical and direct route to goal.

Stoke’s win column away from home, is looking a little sparse though as they have only managed two in the Premier League. This, for betting strategies, is another aspect which will have betting leaning towards a Chelsea win. Stoke do have an offensive weapon from the thrown ins, as Rory Delap launches horizontal missiles goal wards, and gets such distance on them, it is the equivalent of a corner when Stoke get at throw in anywhere in the final third of the pitch. Stoke gave Chelsea run for their money on the opening day of the season, when the Blues had to come from behind to seal a late win at the Britannia Stadium. Stoke will be the sternest test Chelsea have had in the FA Cup this season, as the Premier League favourites have played only Championship opposition up until now.

BETTING STATS (All competitions)

Head to Head
Stoke 1, Chelsea 2
Chelsea 2, Stoke 1
Stoke 0, Chelsea 2

Last 5 Match Goals:
Chelsea: 10 For, 9 Against
Stoke: 6 For, 7 Against

Last 10 Form
Chelsea: W6, D1, L3
Stoke City: W3, D6, L1

Win Percentage:
Chelsea have an 85.7 win percentage at home
Stoke have a 12.5 win percentage away from home

MATCH PRICES
Chelsea to win: 3/10 at Expekt
Draw: 5/1 at Bet365
Stoke to win: 11/1 at SkyBet

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: Chelsea will be expected to reach the semi finals. They will want to gain a bit of confidence by winning this one at the first attempt. With their dodgy away form this season, Ancelotti will not relish this going back to the Britannia for a replay. One streak which may be worth taking a punt on, is an Anytime Scorer Bet on Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge, who has scored in each round of the competition so far. He has four in the competition, the same as Stoke’s Ricardo Fuller, who is their best source for goals. As for the Handicap, the best returns will come from backing Stoke in the positive. Yes, they may lose, but they could be tough enough to hold on to:
Stoke +1.5 Asian Handicap: Evens at Bet365

Daniel Sturridge Anytime Scorer: Evens at SportingBet
Ricardo Fuller Anytime Scorer: 4/1 at SkyBet

All eyes will be on John Terry and Wayne Bridge in the Chelsea v Man City betting fiesta, for Saturday’s early kick off at Stamford Bridge. Enough has been said about them in the media, but now they come together for the first time since all of the revelations broke. There have been questions over the focus of John Terry at the back since all the of the media coverage, with fingers being pointed at him for some of Chelsea’s conceded goals since then. Boss Carlo Ancelotti insists that Terry’s attention is not in doubt, despite the fact that the duo have refused mediation by the PFA. Still, there will be floods of punters making the most of online betting for this one, as it dominates the league matches.

Chelsea failed to get the better of ex-manager Jose Mourinho on Wednesday when they travelled to the San Siro to take on Inter Milan. The organised Inter defence highlighted Chelsea’s lack of creativity on the night, and Ancelotti oddly stuck to a 4-3-3 formation which wasn’t helping at all. This could be important tidbits of information to plan your betting strategies for Saturday. Malouda at left back, filling in for Ashley Cole looked a liability, and with Petr Cech picking up and injury that will keep him out of action for a month, this are things which can sway betting. Staying on the injury front, Chelsea are still without Essien and Deco in the midfield.

Still, their attention turns back to premier league and veteran keeper Hilario will take over the mantle of number one goalie for a while, with only England under-20 international Ross Turnbull as backup availability. Despite dominating possession, Chelsea couldn’t break down an organised and stubborn defence. This is the approach that Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini would be wise in adopting against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, where the London side have only dropped two points all season. They saw their lead at the top of the Premier League cut back to one point, as Manchester United picked up a comfortable win over West Ham midweek. Chelsea still hold a game in hand over their rivals though, which will even out this weekend, as United are in the Carling Cup final on Sunday.

Manchester City are going through a rough time at the moment, only winning two of their last eight games. Roberto Mancini must be feeling the pressure, as they have looked dour and without confidence, largely sparked by the absense of Argentinean genius Carlos Tevez. Tevez was given leave to return to his home country after the premature birth of his daughter. He has returned and should be available for selection on Saturday, which is quite timely as fellow striker Emmanuel Adebayor picked up a red card in City’s FA Cup replay exit to Stoke in midweek, which means that he will miss the match.

Mancini is under pressure already in his new job, and Manchester City need to get going again. They are still firmly in the hunt for a top four finish in the Premier League, but only if they can find some consistency and start winning games again. Two lacklustre drawn games in a row and a defeat in the FA Cup, isn’t a sign of the true direction that the Eastlands hierarchy want the club to be going in. The FA Cup was seen as their best chance for silverware after spending big in the summer, but they seem to be stuck in the mud a little bit. There is a lot riding on this game, purely from a football perspective. Chelsea need a good win to send them four points clear at the top of the league, while City could be hurting if they drop more points.

BETTING STATS

Last 5 Head to Head
Man City 2, Chelsea 1
Chelsea 1, Man City 0
Man City 1, Chelsea 3
Man City 0, Chelsea 2
Chelsea 6, Man City 0

Last 5 Match Goals
Chelsea: 8 For, 4 Against
Man City: 6 For, 3 Against

Last 10 Form
Chelsea: W6, D3, L1
Man City: W6, D2, L2

Win Percentage:
Chelsea have a 92.3 win percentage at home
Man City have a 23.1 win percentage away from home

Match Prices:
Chelsea to win: 5/11 at Expekt
Draw: 7/2 at Bet365
Man City to win: 15/2 at Bet365

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: City caused Chelsea headaches at Eastlands back in December, when they won 2-1. While Chelsea still look a little uneasy on the road, things are a different matter at Stamford Bridge, where the fans expect nothing less than three points. City, who are the draw specialists, could drag the game down into something of a stalemate as they try desperately not to lose. Chelsea should be the stronger team, as they do have quality and class. Crucial injuries will hurt them at the moment, but the scales should still be tipped slightly in their favour.
Chelsea -1 Asian Handicap: 4/5 at Stan James

Jose Mourinho, aka "The Special One" brings a special refund offer at Centrebet. Chelsea are gearing up for their big match against Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday night, heading into battle against the familiar figure of ex-boss Jose Mourinho. Centrebet are drumming up interest with a great offer on the Inter Milan vs. Chelsea game, by offering a refund on all losing correct score bets if Mourinho’s men win 1-0. That’s right, because of him being famed for 1-0 results while he was at the helm with the London club, and Centrebet will reward if it happens again. So if you are backing a Chelsea win by the score of 1-0, and Inter finish the match as 1-0 winners instead, you will get a refund on your stake for the losing bet.

Highlighted Correct Scores at Centrebet
Inter to win 1-0: 7.00
Inter to win 2-1: 10.00
Chelsea to win 0-1: 7.20
Chelsea to win 1-2: 10.00
Draw 0-0: 7.20
Draw 1-1: 6.00

So join up with Centrebet today to take advantage of this offer ahead of the big match on Wedneday.

The big influx on sports betting, and football headlines of the week will be surrounding the re-uniting of The Special One, Jose Mourinho with Chelsea. Inter Milan host Chelsea on Wednesday, the second of two major Italian v English Champions League clashes. Manchester United beat AC Milan 3-2 at the San Siro last week, and Chelsea will be hoping to leave with less damage done to their defence. Mourinho spent 3 and a half successful years at Stamford Bridge, winning the Premier League title twice for the Stamford Bridge outfit, building a lot on defence. Now he will have to use all of his craft and while to undo a lot of the legacy that he built, which still remains in place today under the new management of Carlo Ancelotti.

Mourinho is one of the great characters of the game, and is something to consider when looking at online betting prices on this match. Between two evenly matched teams, the manager can make all the difference. Both confident and outspoken, Mourinho certainly knows how to play up to the press, and is in many ways refreshing in his honesty. He left Stamford Bridge under a bit of cloud, but his efforts were greatly appreciated by the Chelsea faithful. Mourinho took over at the helm of Inter Milan, after they sacked now Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini for not brining them Champions League success. That is the amount of pressure which Mourinho is under, and while they are stretching their legs at the top of Serie A, domestic honours is often not enough these days for Europe’s elite. A season is apparently not complete without Champions League honours.

For the Nerazzuri, three Serie A titles in a row certainly wasn’t enough, and it cost Mancini his job, and Mourinho has yet to make a real impact with Inter in the Champions League. Keen to build a team with his identity all over it, Mourinho sold Zlatan Imbrahimovic, and brought in Samuel Eto’o, Wesley Sniejder and Diego Milito, which many believe gave Inter a lot more strength. Since the deal, which was a gamble, betting on team quality as opposed to a superstar, Inter have developed from being a one dimensional team, which was hitting the big man Ibrahimovic, to one with attacking threat from everywhere. Sneijder and Diego Milito look to have been two strokes of genius by The Special One, as both have been in outstanding for this season. The pressure is now on Mourinho to deliver in the Champions League, and to make Inter one of the strong favourites, like Barcelona, Real Madrid and Wednesday night’s opponents Chelsea, season after season.

Inter suffered a small set back on Sunday, when they were held to a 0-0 draw against Sampdoria, in which they had Walter Samuel and Ivan Cordoba sent off. Betting on them remains strong to win Serie A, but perhaps discipline is becoming a factor as the pressure mounts, as Sniejder was shown a red card too in their derby win over AC Milan. That wasn’t the end of it though, as two more players picked up bans for incidents off the pitch, and Mourinho will find himself in hot water again after making a “handcuffs” gesture about the refereeing decisions going against his team. Mourinho doesn’t believe that too much has changed since he left. After recently taking a trip to Stamford Bridge to soak up the atmosphere and so that the return fixture wouldn’t get caught up in the emotions of the first time being back there, Mourinho understands exactly where Chelsea are at under Ancelotti.

Mourinho believes that defensive tactics and positioning are the same, the formations of a 4-4-2 diamond and a 4-3-3 which Chelsea switch between are still in place from his days there. So to is the warm up procedure, and of course, the bulk of the players. The likes of Terry, Lampard, Carvalho, Joe Cole, Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba were all part of Mourinho’s success at the club. Chelsea are top  of the Premier League at the moment, but haven’t looked as consistent as in past season. Still, they remain one of the favourites to lift the domestic title, as well as the FA Cup and Champions League for the first time. They are the nearly men of the Champions League, and Mourinho himself suffered two semi finals defeats while in charge. It is hard to see Inter losing at home, as Mourinho hasn’t lost a home league game in 8 years, and betting strategies should reflect that, as well as Chelsea‘s slightly dodgy away form.

This is the big clash of knock-out stages, and a tight game should be in order. Does Mourinho have an advantage by knowing Chelsea? Or do the Chelsea players have an advantage in knowing Mourinho? Chelsea earned a battling 2-0 win away at Wolves on the weekend, and they have had their problems against lower opposition away from Stamford Bridge this season. They do have the players with the big match experience though, and they will need all of that on Wednesday night. Inter Milan keeper Julio Cesar was involved in a car accident on Sunday, which may keep him out the first leg, with bruising and cuts. He will be assessed ahead of the game, otherwise Francesco Toldo will step in.

BETTING STATS

Last 5 Match Goals (League)
Inter Milan: 5 For, 1 Against
Chelsea: 8 For, 5 Against

Overall Stats (League and Cups)
Inter Milan: P35, W22, D10, L3
Chelsea: P39, W27, D8, L4

Win Percentage
Inter Milan have an overall 62.9 win percentage
Inter Milan have a 75.0 win percentage at home

Chelsea have an overall 69.2 win percentage
Chelsea have a 47/4 win percentage away from home

Last 10 Match Form
Inter Milan: W6, D4, L0
Chelsea: W8, D1, L1

Champions League Form:
Inter Milan: DDDWLW
Chelsea: WWWDWD

Match Prices:
Inter Milan to win: 7/4 at Totesport
Draw: 21/10 at Bwin
Chelsea: 19/10 at BetFred

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: Not much to choose in the betting above, but Inter’s a pretty nice price at home. Inter Milan finished as Runner’s Up in their group, behind Barcelona. They did hold Barca to a 0-0 draw, so this isn’t going to be an easy task for Chelsea, although only two wins for Inter out of their six group matches wasn’t startling form. They have a great midfield, but there shouldn’t be too much to chose between the teams on the night. A draw is favourable in the betting, but Chelsea shouldn’t be too overawed by the occasion. Carlo Ancelotti will know about the Italian way of course, and should be an even contest between two very good sides. Depending on which way you are going to lean here are some betting options. 
Chelsea +0.5 Asian Handicap: 1/2 at Bet365 is a decent price
Or
Inter Milan -0.75 Asian Handicap: 2/1 at Bet365 is a similarly nice price

The draw for the Sixth Round of the FA Cup has thrown together two of the remaining favourites. Manchester City, if they can overcome Stoke in their Fifth Round Replay, will have to travel to Stamford Bridge in the Quarter Finals to take on favourites Chelsea. This will no doubt have extra spice in the media, as it could bring together John Terry and former team mate Wayne Bridge, who are at the centre of all the media circus. Only one of the four Quarter Final ties are actually known, as there are four replays waiting to come.

With Portsmouth’s late goal show against rivals Southampton seeing them into the Quarter Finals, which was a nice bit of relief from all of the terrible troubles they are in financially, they have earned themselves an all Premier League tie against Birmingham. Alex McLeish’s Birmingham battled to a 2-1 win over Derby to earn their Quarter Final place. Bolton and Tottenham will have to go at it again, after an entertaining game ended in 1-1 tie at the Reebok. The high flying Spurs had to come from behind to keep their FA Cup dream alive, and England striker Jermain Defoe duly shot his team to a replay. Spurs had a big chance to win it, with Tom Huddlestone having a penalty saved by Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Crystal Palace were devastated when Aston Villa snuck a late equaliser, after wrongly being awarded a corner. Palace boss Neil Warnock, not known for his diplomacy was absolutely fuming at the linesman who awarded the erroneous corner Villa. The Premier League side were really on the ropes and looking to be about to make an exit in a fantastically high paced cup tie, but were handed a lifeline in the dying moments. The replay won’t be too bad a thing for Palace, as they have their financial worries after going into administration. If they can get past Villa, then a tie against a fellow Championship side will await them.

The all Championship tie between West Brom and giant-killers Reading ended in a two all draw, while Premier League side Fulham routed League Two side Notts County 4-0. But the big match of the Quarter Finals will be Chelsea v Manchester City if that happens. City, who were favourites to beat Stoke, will need to raise their game though. Despite starting brightly at home, they simply drifted out of the game, which again highlights the fact that boss Roberto Mancini still has a lot of work to do in order to make the side competitive on a regular basis. The draw for Stoke was fully deserved as Ricardo Fuller popped up to head the equaliser. The glamour tie against Chelsea awaits the winner of the replay.

FA CUP QUARTER FINAL DRAW
Chelsea v Manchester City/Stoke
Fulham v Bolton or Spurs
Reading or West Brom v Crystal Palace or Aston Villa
Portsmouth v Birmingham

FA Cup Outright Odds
Chelsea – 11/8 at Victor Chandler
Aston Villa – 6/1 at Ladbrokes
Tottenham – 13/1 at SkyBet
Man City – 10/1 at Blue Square
Birmingham – 12/1 at Blue Square
Fulham – 14/1 at Ladbrokes

It’s the big glamour tie for Cardiff in the FA Cup, and it is their reward for a home win against Leicester in the previous round. Cardiff need the big pay day, and while a win against the Premier League leaders would be a massive victory, so would taking the match to a replay. The Welsh side have been trying to keep her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs wolves from their door, successfully having another winding-up order delayed. They are having to borrow advance money from tickets sales, as well as sell some of the land they owned, and this is all from a club which is seriously in the play-off hunt for promotion to the Premier League. The visit to Stamford Bridge is their big day out, and it will help them stave off money worries for a little bit.

But they are not going to go to their illustrious rich counterparts just for the money. The Championship side firmly believe that they can cause an upset. They are certainly carrying the form to do jus that, as they have won five out of their last outings. The loss in that run of games came by then Championship leaders Newcastle, who tore the Cardiff side apart. Unfortunately for Cardiff, they can’t take a fully fit squad to Stamford Bridge, as they announced that midfielder Stephen McPhail won’t take part in the game. With main threat up front Jay Bothroyd touch and go whether he will be able to play, boss Dave Jones will be unlikely to be able to put out a full bench of substitutes, such is the injury crises he is having to deal with.

No such problems for Chelsea, although they have just lost Ashley Cole for three months, as under fire Captain John Terry is in Dubai taking a break away from the game to sort out his personal life. Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti still refuses to take the competition light heartened, as name a strong team, with Hilario taking over in goal from Petr Cech. Cardiff will have to deal with Didier Drogba and Daniel Sturridge up front, as Nicolas Anelka gets a well earned rest. The major changes comes in defence, where Paolo Ferreira and Alex come in as replacements for England duo Terry and Cole. The Blues are steadfast in their ambitions to hold on to the title which they won against Everton in last year’s final.

It was against Everton during midweek that Chelsea’s unbeaten 2010 came to an end in 2-1 defeat, with both Toffees goals coming from Louis Saha, who did his old club Manchester United a huge favour. Cardiff are on a pretty good run of form away from home, and will be hoping that they can repeat their success of 2008 when they reached the FA Cup final. For now, they will have to overcome the strongest opposition left in the competition this year, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United all having taken their exit.

BETTING STATS

Last 5 Match Goals
Chelsea: 9 For, 4 Against
Cardiff: 15 For, 8 Against

Last 10 Form
Chelsea: W6, D3, L1
Cardiff: W4, D4, L2

Win Percentage:
Chelsea have an 89.5 win percentage at home
Cardiff have a 41.2 win percentage away from home

Match Prices
Chelsea to win: 2/11 at Boylesports
Draw: 13/2 at Paddy Power
Cardiff to win: 16/1 at SkyBet

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: On their day, Chelsea should be a good two goals better than Cardiff, but Cardiff are going well at the moment, despite all of their financial woes. They can put up a fight, but could be missing two of their most creative and influential players. Chelsea are sending a strong line up into competition as they look to hold on to their FA Cup title. At home, it is hard to bet against Chelsea playing lower opposition.
Cardiff +2 Asian Handicap: 9/8 at Bet365

Chelsea will be hoping that their football can start making the headlines of the back pages again, as the fuss and furore of captain John Terry starts to fade. Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti is to hold talks with club Captain John Terry, to see if he needs time away from the game to get himself together. After being stripped of the England captaincy by Fabio Capello, it has been a difficult week for defender Terry. However, in their 2-0 victory over Arsenal on Sunday, John Terry did what he did best, and looked in superb form out on the pitch, helping his side to a very important victory. While the Chelsea fans and his team mates seem to be behind him, any defensive errors will probably be pounced upon by the media, putting more pressure on him. But the whole affair could be exactly what unites the Chelsea corps for a strong season finish.

After suffering a dead leg against Arsenal, he has been passed fit to take his place in the starting eleven in their tricky midweek game against Everton. Chelsea really need to keep up the pressure on Manchester United, as they only hold a slender two points lead over them. These are those tricky games away from Stamford Bridge, which Chelsea have struggled so much with this season. Everton are a solid, workhouse team, and managed to hold Chelsea to a 3-3 draw at Stamford Bridge, the only team to have left there with something this season. Chelsea fans will have been heartened by the return of Didier Drogba from the African Cup of Nations, as it was his two goals which secured the win against Arsenal. Chelsea are missing Michael Essien still, and Portuguese midfielder Deco, who is reportedly on the brink of retiring from international duty, needs a check on his knee. If Chelsea can win away at Goodison, it should instil a new sense of belief that they can take the Premier League title this year.

Everton won’t have Steven Pienaar available for the big home game, as he saw red in the derby match against Liverpool on the weekend. Not many teams can score that many against Chelsea, which made their three goals at Stamford Bridge all the more surprising. They were, however, able to capitalise on Chelsea’s apparent lack of control in defending set pieces, and that is something which boss David Moyes will no doubt be pressing home to his players. Everton started slowly to the new season, but of late, with a squad getting back to full fitness, with only Fellaini missing. This has been highlighted by a strong run of home form, but they are still lacking in enough fire power to really push them up the league. They are down in tenth, but with a goal difference of -2, it highlights the fact that they are lacking an offensive game. You know what you are going to get with Everton though, a hard working, hard tackling, defensively sound set up.

How much they can influence a game in sustained attacking pressure is another matter though, and Chelsea’s ball possession is usually enough to take a lot of that pressure away. Everton will need to be high tempo and physical, as that is what could knock Chelsea off their stride. Moyes will know that Chelsea are still hesitant and edgy on their travels, and that is something which they could capitalise on. Their defence will need to stand firm though, as it’s very rare that Chelsea fail to find the back of the net, and with the combination of Drogba and Lampard totalling more goals than the Everton team in total, the league leaders will go to Goodison, expecting nothing less than a win. Everton could well have other plans with a solid performance.

BETTING STATS

Last 5 Head to Head (League)
Chelsea 3, Everton 3
Chelsea 0, Everton 0
Everton 0, Chelsea 0
Everton 0, Chelsea 1
Chelsea 1, Everton 1

Last 5 Match Goals
Everton: 7 For, 3 Against
Chelsea: 15 For, 4 Against

Last 10 Form
Everton: W4, D5, L1
Chelsea: W6, D4, L0

Win Percentage
Everton have a 41.7 win percentage at home
Chelsea have a 50.0 win percentage away from home

Match Prices
Everton to win: 9/2 at 888Sport
Draw: 11/4 at Boylesports
Chelsea to win: 8/11 at Bet365

Betting Advice: A draw wouldn’t be a great surprise here. Everton are pretty good at home, and with Chelsea’s problems on the road, it could all even out. This makes for some good betting options. A draw no bet for either team would offer some comfort, as it should be a pretty tight affair. Chelsea are the better side, but Everton are able to put them off their natural game and cause an upset.
Everton +1 Asian Handicap: 19/20 at Victor Chandler

Despite having lost the England captaincy, John Terry will still have the armband when he steps out at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, in the weekend’s big Premier League match. By the time the match comes around, Chelsea would well have been knocked off the top of the league again by Manchester United, who are just two points behind them. Chelsea’s poor showing in failing to beat second from bottom Hull during midweek, means that once again they have failed to capitalise on the opportunities which Manchester United have handed them throughout the season. With Manchester United, uncharacteristically showing a lot of faults this season, Chelsea, if they had been on top of their game, should have been well clear at the top by now.

That has not happened, and now this London derby takes on extra importance, as Chelsea need to defeat one of their closest challengers. For Arsenal, they need to win to keep in touch. There is increasing pressure at the top of the Premier League now, with momentum seeming to have shifted in the favour of Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils. If Chelsea could play all of their remaining games at Stamford Bridge, then they would probably be OK, as they have only dropped two points there all season. It is on their travels they have experienced all of their problems, so boss Carlo Ancelotti will be happy to be back in the relative safety of home turf, and have his squad relatively injury free.

Ashley Cole will return to the side after a problem which kept him out of the starting line up against Hull, and the Blues are only really missing the work of Michael Essien. The other question is whether Didier Drogba hampers the game of Nicolas Anelka, who seems to go into shell playing second fiddle to Chelsea’s main man. Some good news for Chelsea, is that they have had their potential transfer ban wiped out after the issues about poaching Gael Kakuta, so they will be free to add to their squad. Back in November, Chelsea played Arsenal of the Emirates park, where they ran out comfortable 3-0 winners. Since then, Chelsea has slipped and stumbled their way along the path to their title challenge, looking out of sorts on the road. Their main problem, as highlighted by Hull, is defending set pieces. That would naturally be one area which the opposition would attack, but Arsenal are lacking something aerially, and certainly are missing a powerful forward in the mould of a Didier Drogba.

The Gunners do not have a great record against Chelsea, and Arsene Wenger’s men need to look for points. The heavy loss to Manchester United on their last outing, meant that they lost ground on second place. Another defeat could potentially open up a seven point gap. With Liverpool to come next, this has been a testing run of Arsenal’s nerve. You can usually rely on Arsenal for goals, but they have hit the back of the net only once in their last two games. They have had their striker problems, missing Robin van Persie, Nicholas Bendtner and Eduardo (who will again be missing on the weekend). They have class in the form of Andrey Arshavin and Cesc Fabregas, but as highlighted in the first meeting between the two clubs in November, that was nowhere near enough to compete with Chelsea. It wasn’t enough to live with Manchester United last weekend.

BETTING STATS (League only)

Last 5 Head to Head
Arsenal 0, Chelsea 3
Arsenal 1, Chelsea 4
Chelsea 1, Arsenal 2
Chelsea 2, Arsenal 1
Arsenal 1, Chelsea 0

Last 5 Match Goals
Chelsea: 15 For, 5 Against
Arsenal: 9 For, 7 Against

Last 10 Form
Chelsea: W5, D4, L1
Arsenal: W6, D3, L1

Win Percentage:
Chelsea have a 91.7 win percentage at home
Arsenal have a 50.0 win percentage away from home

Match Prices
Chelsea to win: 5/6 at BetFred
Draw: 13/5 at Bet365
Arsenal to win: 4/1 at Blue Square

Betting Advice: If Chelsea are on top of their passing game, then they should win this fixture, which will guarantee they remain in top spot. They are not going to get many more chances to capitalise on mistakes by Manchester United, and so they will need to iron out at issues at the back immediately. Fortunately, the way Arsenal play, it is right into the hands of the Blues. Arsenal like playing the pretty stuff, which Chelsea can more than match them at, as well as having the physical power of Drogba to mix it up. Another defeat for Arsenal would seriously put them back, but betting is leaning towards a home victory.
Chelsea to win with a clean sheet: 7/4 at Boylesports

**Victor Chandler are offering refunds on all losing first goalscorer and correct score bets placed on the Chelsea v Arsenal match, if Chelsea forward Didier Drogba finds the back of the net at any point during the game. The refund will be given as a free bet on your Victor Chandler account! They are also endorsing the value of their “Don’t Hit The Bar” promotion, which will spare some heartbreak on losing accumulators. Victor Chandler will refund any stake (up to the value of £50) placed on a five-fold or bigger accumulator, which fails by just one losing selection. This is a nice bit of coverage on football accumulators, in which selections must only be on win/draw/win markets. For new customers opening accounts to make the best of these offers, there is up to £100 worth of free bets to be had a generous welcome offer from this excellent bookmaker. Check for full details by following this link.

While it’s clear that In-Play betting is becoming increasingly popular with customers, there are still many of us that like to place antepost bets either before or during the start of the football season. While a bet on a live game is often settled within minutes, a long-term bet means that you can enjoy your wager over the course of the season, before eventually it’s settled as a winner or loser by May.

There are still several issues to be decided in the Premier League, with the winner likely to come from a select group of two teams. Despite talk of Liverpool and Manchester City mounting a challenge this term, they are 100/1 (Sporting Bet) and 33/1 (Paddy Power) respectively to finish top of the pile. In addition, many people have started to write off Arsenal (for the second time this season) after the Gunners lost 3-1 at home to Manchester United on Sunday. Arsene Wenger’s team are now out to 10/1 with Sky Bet to win their first title since 2004, although it appears that they might not have enough quality.

Which leaves us with Chelsea and Manchester United. The Blues have been trading at odds-on for most of the season and the Blues are still available at a best price 5/6 (bet365), despite drawing with Hull on Tuesday. Carlo Ancelotti’s team still have to visit Old Trafford this season, something which might convince many that the Red Devils are clearly the value bet at 6/4 (Ladbrokes). With United having an easy match against Portsmouth on Saturday and Chelsea entertaining Arsenal on Sunday, it could be all change at the top.

While only three teams can possibly win the Premier League, it’s fair to say that eleven sides could be relegated this term. Some shrewd punters were backing Portsmouth at fancy odds of 5/1 before the season started, although their financial state and bad opening results saw Pompey quickly start trading at odds-on. It seems implausible that they are going to get out of the bottom three by the end of the season, although Coral and Victor Chandler are still prepared to offer odds of 1/5.

If Avram Grant’s team are doomed, then every other team will believe that they can escape the drop. Indeed, Hull City didn’t look like a team destined for the drop when drawing with Chelsea on Tuesday and Coral have eased the Tigers to 8/11 on their relegation market. Phil Brown’s team never give up and actually have form at the KC Stadium which might allow them to survive. Burnley are the same price (8/11 bet365) to return to the Championship next term, with the Clarets sinking like a stone in previous months. You could have backed them at around 4/1 when they had a bright opening to the campaign, although they need some inspiration from somewhere.

Wolves (11/8 Ladbrokes), Bolton (7/2 William Hill), Wigan (5/1 Ladbrokes) and West Ham (6/1 Stan James) are definitely too close to the bottom of the league for comfort, with the Hammers a surprisingly big price purely because they have new owners who have drafted in Benni McCarthy and Mido. It promises to be a scrap to the death at the wrong end of the Premier League table.