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There is a breakaway leader at the top of the scoring charts, with Wayne Rooney’s recent four-goal salvo against Hull shooting him clear of his nearest competitors. With the England striker scoring at the Emirates on Sunday, the bookmakers aren’t expecting anyone to usurp the Manchester United striker, with Coral prepared to offer a best price 4/9 ahead of the Red Devils’ encounter with Portsmouth on Saturday. It’s in this match where the 24-year-old could effectively win the contest, although stranger things have happened than someone bridging the five-goal gap at the top.

Especially when you consider that Didier Drogba has fifteen goals to his name this term after scoring the equaliser at the KC Stadium on Tuesday night. The Ivorian has a phenomenal strike rate in a blue shirt and Stan James’ 8/1 could be an interesting price when you consider he’s playing against favourite team Arsenal on Sunday! The bookmakers are still also offering each-way betting on the contest, with firms like bet365 offering 1/3 odds for the first two places and Sporting Bet offering 1/5 odds for the first three places.

Indeed, it’s crying out for a bookmaker to offer a “without Wayne Rooney” market, with Jermain Defoe (7/1 bet365) also having fifteen goals to his name and Darren Bent (20/1 bet365) having scored fourteen despite playing for a Sunderland team who have been struggling for months. Fernando Torres was the original favourite on this market at odds of around 4/1 and, while the Spaniard got off to a flying start for Liverpool, it was almost inevitable that injury would halt his in his tracks this term. Definitely one to swerve at short odds next term if he’s still playing at Anfield!

Meanwhile, there is a big chase for fourth place in the Premier League this term, something which would provide access to next season’s Champions League. There is a massive financial gulf between qualifying for Europe’s blue riband club competition and the Europa League, with Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham and Aston Villa all pushing hard to be in the top quartet. It’s Spurs who currently occupy that golden fourth place, with bet365 offering 10/3 that they are rubbing shoulders with the likes of Barca and Real next term.

However, the bookies think it’s more likely to be Manchester City who take their place among Europe’s elite. They certainly have the biggest finances, although they look defensively suspect away from home and odds of 10/11 (Paddy Power) that they snare a place in the Champions League might not be to everyone’s liking. Liverpool are still realistic contenders, having finished in the top four for several consecutive seasons and bet365 offer 15/8 that they feature in next season’s competition. Aston Villa might be the outsiders, although they have a strong first team and the backers of the 9/2 (Sporting Bet) might just have themselves a value bet.

After Manchester United’s clinical display against Arsenal at the emirates on Sunday, Chelsea have an immediate change to put further distance between them and second placed United. The gap is down to one point at the moment, with Chelsea enjoying a slender one point advantage over Alex Ferguson’s Red Devils. Chelsea have had their problems on the road this season, but their weekend victory over Burnley will hopefully have stopped the rot for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, bringing a bit more belief in themselves that can win away from Stamford Bridge.

Midweek opponents Hull gave Chelsea a real fright on the opening day of the season, when a late goal by Didier Drogba sealed all three points for the Blues at Stamford Bridge. This fixture was the one which got postponed mid January due to the adverse weather conditions which swept through the UK. Chelsea now are back at full strength, with all of their African Cup of Nations players back at the Bridge. Drogba is likely to be back in the line up for the tricky away fixture, but there will be no Michael Essien as he is still out injured for some time.

Chelsea need to send a message straight back to Manchester United, that they are going to fight all the way to wrest the Premier League crown away from Old Trafford. Their performance against Burnley will have given them hope, although it was not the most clinical or ruthless of performances. They were much the better team, but appeared to struggle to hit top gear, relying on a lot of unfamiliar long balls from the back. Still, Frenchman Nicolas Anelka continues his fine form for the blues, and under pressure John Terry looked unfazed throughout the 90 minutes. His defensive partner, Alex, however, looked a shade of the quality needed to steady the defensive cores though. The much more influential Ricardo Carvalho should retake his place along side Terry on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s match against Hull, is one of those games which proves what Champions are made of. Although Hull are second from bottom in the Premier League and seriously struggling to pick up points, and it has been a long time since they could celebrate a victory in the league. Hull have only won four matches all season in the Premier League, and their plight to avoid relegation seems a very long uphill one. Recent fixtures between the two sides have averaged Chelsea scoring three goals against the Tigers, which, for a leaky Hull defence, won’t send good signals.

This is the time when Chelsea really need to step up their title challenge. With United looking good, the Blues can ill afford another slip up on the road. A win on Tuesday will open up the four point gap again, and help build further momentum of their next game, a huge home fixture against Arsenal on Sunday. If Chelsea put their next two games to bed without any problems, then they will have taken massive strides towards the title, and probably ended London rivals Arsenal’s hopes of living the Premier League title dream.

BETTING STATS

Last 4 Head to Head
Chelsea 2, Hull 1
Chelsea 0, Hull 0
Hull 0, Chelsea 3
Hull 0, Chelsea 4

Last 5 Match Goals
Hull – 5 For, 11 Against
Chelsea – 14 For, 4 Against

Last 10 Form
Hull – W1, D5, L4
Chelsea – W6, D3, L1

Win Percentage
Hull have a 36.4 win percentage at home
Chelsea have a 54.5 win percentage away from home

Match Prices
Chelsea to win: 2/7 at Bet365
Draw: 9/2 at Victor Chandler
Hull to win: 14/1 at Stan James

Betting Advice: Chelsea should win hands down, but whether it will be one of their total supremacy games in another matter. Hull will try and defend their way to at least a point, and Chelsea need to be a bit more ruthless than they were on Sunday against Burnley. Still, with Drogba back in action, it should make a big difference with having two world class strikers up front, instead of Anelka roaming around alone up there. Will it be a goal fest? Probably not, but Chelsea are at the very least a couple of goals better than Hull in a handicap. That said, a Chelsea -1 Handicap at Bet365 for 5/6 is a pretty decent price.

The African Cup of Nations, after its tragic start involving the withdrawal of Togo, has been throwing up some interesting results so far. It is still early days in the competition, but the majority of the major powerhouses have really yet to show their hands. The tournament started with a fantastic match involving Angola and Mali which ended in a four-all draw, with Mali netting four times in the last twelve minutes to rescue an incredibly unlikely draw. That perfectly set the tone for some exciting football for the early stage of the round of group matches. The second day of the tournament produced a double surprise. England’s World Cup 2010 opponents Algeria were played off the park in a 3-0 defeat by little fancied Malawi. If the England management were watching that game, they would not see too much to fear. Their subsequent 1-0 win over Mali would not have done much to inspire their hopes for making an impression at the World Cup 2010.

The Ivory Coast, favourites for the tournament due to their skill and experience, didn’t get their campaign off to an ideal start either. The Ivory Coast have had pretty much the same team for the past three African Cup of Nation tournaments, and combined with the world class players they have, are fancied to take the title this year. This surely should be their time. But they need to step up a gear as well, as they could only manage a 0-0 draw against Burkina Faso, who pretty much defended all of the match, but still, the worrying thing for the Ivory Coast, is that they could not find a way to break down the defence. With Togo withdrawing from their Group, the Ivory Coast needed to approach their match with Ghana with victory in mind to ensure their progression in the tournament.

Ghana should be a much stronger team than they are, and are having to field a relatively young side. With so many players missing through injury, it is a bit of a makeshift team, which doesn’t really represent their chances of making a big impression at the World Cup. Still, they gave the Ivory Coast a good game. After a slow start and falling behind one nil to a slick counter attack from the Ivory Coast, Ghana did respond really well, stringing some nice fluent plays together. They couldn’t however sustain enough pressure after the break to get back into the game, and the Ivory Coast ran out 3-1 winners with Chelsea’s Drogba netting in the 90th minute. They did suffer one casualty though, with Arsenal Emmanuel Eboue being sent off. But the victory sees them as the first team through to the quarter finals.

Egypt have been the most impressive so far. The current title holders breezed past Nigeria 3-1, showing that they really mean business. They are probably worth an each way bet, because they are good enough to get to the final, and they have bugged the Ivory Coast in the previous two tournaments by knocking them out, so they have good history there against this year’s fancied team. Perhaps one of the biggest surprises too, came in Cameroon’s opening match against the Gabon. Bear in mind that Cameroon is expected to be as much of a force in the World Cup and the African Cup of Nations as the Ivory Coast are. They suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Gabon. The Cameroon side will now need to pick up at least a victory against Zambia or Tunisia to get through.

So, sort of at the half way mark of the group stage matches, Group A is all to play for, with hosts Angola giving a good account of themselves at the top of the group, closely pursued by Malawi and Algeria. The Ivory Coast, with their victory over Ghana are looking in good position to reach the quarter finals, and Ghana now need to beat Burkina Faso to get through. Egypt should run out comfortable winners of Group C, while Gabon lead the way in Group D. The next round of matches in the group should sort things out, and everything could be really tight, or both Tunisia and Cameroon could be out at this early stage.

Forthcoming group stage matches to look out for in the African Cup of Nations is the Cameroon v Zambia clash on the 17th, and Angola v Algeria on the 18th.

African Cup of Nations Outright Winner:
Ivory Coast – 13/5 at Stan James
Egypt – 9/2 at BetFred
Cameroon – 6/1 at Ladbrokes
Ghana – 9/1 at Ladbrokes
Nigeria – 12/1 at SkyBet

Selected Match Prices
Cameroon to win: 8/15 at Coral
Draw: 10/3 at Totesport
Zambia to win: 6/1 at Bet365

Angola to win: 7/5 at Totesport
Draw: 9/4 at Coral
Algeria to win: 39/19 at Expekt

Premier League Leaders Chelsea have probably been welcoming the break from action due to the weather. They have not pulled on their boots since January 3rd’s 5-0 thumping of Watford in the FA Cup Third Round. Their season has been spluttering a bit since a long run of fantastic form which elevated them to the top of the Premier League tree, and this break has allowed Nicolas Anelka to recover fully from a hamstring problem. This is incredibly important to the ambitions of the Blues in January, as other strikers Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou are away on African Cup of Nations business, leaving Chelsea light on experience up front. There have been many rumours flying around the back pages about Chelsea signing one half of German side Wolfsburg’s deadly duo, Edin Dzeko, which would be something of a great coup for the club. As of yet, that just remains as rumours.

With Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel missing, Chelsea will be feeling the pinch on their playing staff during January, and they can ill afford injuries. Influential midfielder Deco has been on the fringe of action because of injury, and with Michael Essien missing, arguably the Chelsea midfield is not as strong as it could be. A month ago, this would have perhaps been a tougher match for Chelsea, when Sunderland were looking a stronger side with Darren Bent banging in the goals. Sunderland though have been on a drastic slide, only managing to pick up one win in their last eight Premier League matches. Sunderland boss Steve Bruce has flown his players off to sunny climes to shake off the winter blues, hoping that some Portuguese air will inject a spark back into their play.

Such are things at the top of the league this season, Chelsea’s slip ups have gone unpunished by nearest rivals Manchester United and Arsenal. United were held to a draw at Birmingham last weekend, which meant that they missed the chance to go top. Instead they have allowed Chelsea to remain one point ahead with a game in hand. Arsenal also failed to take their chances as they drew against Everton, when a win could have put them level on points with second placed United, maintaining a game in hand over them still. So any three of the top three could be at the head of the class come the end of the weekend.

These are the games which Carlo Ancelotti needs to win with the least amount of fuss, and against Sunderland, they have an excellent record as can be seen in the stats below. After their break, they need to start building momentum again for the second half of the season. Just how many more let-offs they will be allowed by the chasing pair of Manchester United and Arsenal remains to be seen. Because the weather helped them by having their match against Hull cancelled, Chelsea will now only have to face Birmingham in the league on the 27th, while Drogba and co are away playing for their countries. That rounds off some good news for the Blues who have really strong title ambitions, but just need to find that ruthless touch again.

BETTING STATS

Last 5 Head to Head
Sunderland 1, Chelsea 3
Sunderland 2, Chelsea 3
Chelsea 5, Sunderland 0
Sunderland 0, Chelsea 1
Chelsea 2, Sunderland 0

Last 5 Match Goals
Chelsea – 8 For, 6 Against
Sunderland – 7 For, 10 Against

Last 10 Matches Form
Chelsea – W6, D3, L1
Sunderland – W1, D4, L5

Win Percentage
Chelsea have a 90.0 win percentage at home this season
Sunderland have a 10.00 win percentage away from home this season

Match Prices
Chelsea to win: 1/4 at Victor Chandler
Draw: 5/1 at bwin
Sunderland to win: 14/1 at 888Sport

Betting Advice: Yes, Chelsea should win this one. Yes Chelsea really need to win this one. The longer they can stay ahead of United with a game in hand, the more likely the Premier League title will be going to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season. The fixture pile up may hit Chelsea, and adversely affect them at some point, especially with Manchester United out of the FA Cup. But United do have  a two-leg Carling Cup semi final to play against Manchester City in the immediate future, so Chelsea will be hoping that takes more out of their challengers for the title. Chelsea beat Sunderland at the Stadium of Light earlier in the season, and if they can negotiate their way to a nice victory, bolstered by the goal fest they put on against Watford, it could mean they are over a big hurdle in what could have been a troublesome January. One thing you’ll also notice is the abundance of goals in the matches between the two sides, so it’s worth taking an over 2.5 goals bet.
Over 2.5 Goals: 4/6 at SkyBet
Sunderland +1.5 Asian Handicap – 7/10 at Paddy Power

While the snowy weather will see many matches postponed in England throughout January, there should be no such problems in Angola, where the 27th African Cup of Nations will take place. While many Premier League managers would describe this tournament as nothing more than an inconvenience, there’s no denying that this is a vibrant competition featuring many of the world’s best footballers. It’s also an opportunity to check out several of the teams who will be lining up at the 2010 World Cup, although here are a few pointers when it comes to placing your bets on the ANC.

1)    The host nation tends to do well

Home advantage shouldn’t be underestimated in Angola, especially when you consider that every host nation has qualified for the knockout stages since 1992. Furthermore, since the biennial competition began in 1957, there have only been four occasions when the team playing on home soil hasn’t reached the semi-finals. Benfica’s Pedro Mantorras is a classy striker who can certainly help them on their way out of Group A, while former Manchester United forward Manucho should also be a force to be reckoned with. While we shouldn’t place too much pressure on a team that’s just emerged from a civil war, it’s worth noting that Tunisia (2004) and Egypt (2006) both won the competition recently as hosts.

2)    Egypt have won the last two renewals

While Egypt winning the tournament on home soil in 2006 was a great achievement, it was even more impressive when they successfully defended their crown two years later. While the Pharaohs controversially missed out on a World Cup place after losing in a play-off to Algeria, it might make them all the more determined to win this tournament and complete a hat-trick. Although Mido and Amr Zaki will not be featuring for the Egyptians this time around, the team have a quality striker in Mohamed Zidan, while former Spurs midfielder Hossam Ghaly will bring plenty of experience.

3)    There should be plenty of goals scored

While many people associate the ANC as a competition featuring low-scoring matches, this trend was bucked in 2008 and there’s every reason to suggest that the goals will be flying in this time around. Of the 32 matches played two years ago, 19 featured three goals or more, with five of the six Ivory Coast games involving Over 2.5 Goals. While Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou offer plenty in attack, the Cote D’Ivoire are also vulnerable at the back.

The Ivory Coast are currently favourites (5/2 Stan James) to win the 2010 African Cup of Nations, although the market leaders will have to cope with high expectations and their last triumph came along in 1992. Two victories and one runner-up place in the past five tournaments suggest that Cameroon (11/2 Sporting Bet) might be a better bet at twice the odds, especially with the excellent Samuel Eto’o leading the line.

The African Cup of Nations is often rife with controversy because of the timing of the tournament. The loss of top African players does have a major impact at clubs around Europe in the month of January, but the African Cup of Nations kicks off on January 10th, awash with a wealth of top talent. Group B is arguably the most interesting, as it contains Didier Drogba’s Ivory Coast, and Michael Essien’s Ghana. Both nations are tipped to provide a lot of strength at power at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, and following this tournament will give a good impression of what the rest of the world can expect.

England will have some vested interest in the tournament, as World Cup 2010 group opponents Algeria are contesting. Egypt are also involved, and England will be playing a friendly match against them at Wembley on March 3rd. But it is the big names which will grab all of the highlights, with the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt and Cameroon looking amongst the strongest contenders to lift the trophy. If, for example, the Ivory Coast make it the final, then Chelsea will be without strikers Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou for pretty much the entire month of January. With other players from the Premier League such as Emaneul Adebayor, Song, Eboue, Yakuba and Toure, there is plenty of well known names to watch out for.

The tournament is being held in Angola, and all of the teams are there, ready to go. As hosts, Angola open the African Cup of Nations on January 10th, with a match against Mali. The 16 teams will be looking to make a final appearance on January 31st. January 15th could be the big day to watch out for in the group stages of the African Cup of Nations, as that is when the two power houses of the Ivory Coast and Ghana go head to head. There will no doubt be some interest in the possibility of another Egypt v Algeria clash, which was so hotly contested in World Cup Qualification. The two teams had to go to a play-off after finishing their group with identical records. Algeria, amidst scenes of crowd troubles, won the day, making it to the World Cup.

Egypt will look to do better in the quest for the African Cup of Nations trophy, which looks not too unlike the World Cup. Held every two years, the tournament has grown in stature on the world stage, and it is the Egyptians who are the current holders, after beating Cameroon 1-0 in the 2008 Final. The football played is often attack minded and open, and because of the rivalries from the continent, are very passionate. The current holders open their account against Nigeria on the 12th. The top two from each of the four groups, progress into the quarter final stage.

GROUP A: Angola, Mali, Malawi, Algeria
GROUP B: Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo
GROUP C: Egypt, Nigeria, Mozambique, Benin
GROUP D: Cameroon, Gabon, Zambia, Tunisia

African Cup of Nations Betting

Outright Winner:
Ivory Coast – 5/2 at Stan James
Ghana – 5/1 at Bet365
Cameroon – 11/2 at BetFred
Egypt – 9/1 at Paddy Power
Nigeria – 10/1 at Stan James

Top Goalscorer
Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) – 9/2 at Paddy Power
Samuel Eto (Cameroon) – 5/1 at Blue Square
Matthew Amoah (Ghana) – 12/1 at 888Sport
Frederic Kanoute (Mali) – 14/1 at Blue Square
Emauel Adebayo (Togo) – 14/1 at 888Sport

Betting Advice: Make no mistakes, the Ivory Coast are a strong side, and should cause problems at the World Cup, despite being lumped in the Group of Death along with Brazil and Portugal. But as strong and as powerful as the Ivory Coast are, the same can be said of Ghana. They are a fluent, fast moving and free scoring team, with players from all over Europe. They may not have the big names stars much beyond Michael Essien, but they are a force to be reckoned with, both in the African Cup of Nations and the World Cup 2010. Their star striker Matthew Amoah is worth a good bet, even each way on finishing as top scorer.

Seeing as we’ve reached the midway point in the season, we thought it would be shrewd to quickly assess who the best punts are in terms of who will finish the Premiership season as the leagues most prolific striker. With 20 matches already played for some teams, we have three frontrunners setting the standards with 14 goals-a-piece; Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur), Didier Drogba (Chelsea) and Wayne Rooney (Man Utd). Each are plying their trade with a team currently occupying a top four berth, which just goes to show that having quality assistance makes a tremendous difference to a strikers goalscoring return.

English Premiership Top Goalscorers (As of 31/12/09):

Jermain Defoe 14

Didier Drogba 14

Wayne Rooney 14

Darren Bent 13

Fernando Torres 12

Louis Saha 10

Cesc Fabregas 9

Carlos Tevez 9

Gabriel Agbonlahor 8

Carlton Cole 7

Jermain Defoe – The former Pompey front man made his return to Tottenham nearly a year ago today and has proved a shrewd acquisition ever since, even if the Spurs fans didn’t know what they already had in front of their own noses. In his second stint at the club, Defoe has bagged 17 goals in just 24 appearances in all competitions. This season, Defoe has been the catalyst for Tottenham’s top four push and has scored exactly a third of their league goals this term.

Main Strength: Pace

Defoe’s biggest asset is his pace, without a doubt, but his all around striking ability has gradually improved since his spell at Portsmouth under the same manager, Harry Redknapp. His movement, both on and off the ball, has come on leaps and bounds, while his quick ability to read the play has been one of several positive reasons why Defoe has been such a handful for opposing defences during the early parts of the season.

Goals: 14

Starts-Sub: 16-2

Club: Tottenham Hotspur

Top Goalscorer Odds: 10/3 Boylesports

Didier Drogba – The Ivorian has not only been Chelsea’s best player this season but also probably the best performer in the league on current form, possibly even in Europe. When Drogba goes on one of his free-scoring, confidence beaming runs, the 6ft 2in powerhouse is close to unstoppable. After a difficult season last term, Drogba has come on strong in the early part of this season, but now his priority’s turn towards his International duties with the Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations. The former Marseille front man will be sorely missed as, like Defoe, Drogba has scored a large part of Chelsea’s goals this season and has been one half of a lethal striking duo involving himself and Nicolas Anelka. A partnership many thought would never work.

Main Strength – Strength

You don’t appreciate just what an athlete Didier Drogba is until you see him in person, strutting his stuff on that green acre of grass. His 6ft+ height enables him to tower over even the tallest of defenders but it’s his abundance of strength which makes him stand out from the rest and what makes him one of the most feared strikes on the planet. He has the strength to brush even the strongest and bulkiest of defenders aside and yet he still has the composure to finish with aplomb when given a sniff of a chance. Arguably the worlds best striker on present form but his International stint will stop him firmly in his tracks, especially if Ivory Coast do go all the way.

Goals: 14

Starts-Sub: 18-0

Club: Chelsea

Top Goalscorer Odds: 5/1 Bet365

Wayne Rooney – Just the name should be enough for all you Englishman and women out there. He is, quite simply, England’s brightest talent and he’s not only pivotal for his club, Manchester United, but even more so for England’s chances in the forthcoming summer World Cup in South Africa, although the conditions will be far from sun & shades out in Africa come July.

Rooney has been embracing our screens with scintillating displays ever since his arrival onto the scene at Everton, with his memorable long range strike against Arsenal catapulting him into the arms of Sir Alex Ferguson. However, his performances in a United shirt have confirmed what we pretty much knew all along, that Rooney is a world-class player. He has been United’s stalwart this season, driving the Red Devils forward whenever they have had their backs to the walls. Rooney never cowers away, he thrives on difficult situations and he’s actually been the only shining light in what has been a pretty poor United outfit this season.

Main Strength: Work Rate

Wayne Rooney has similar characteristics to Carlos Tevez, a former team-mate of Rooney’s. Whenever United have looked sluggish, which has been a lot this season, Rooney has picked up the pace by closing down every single opponent who dares to come into possession of the ball. Rooney just doesn’t know when to give in and you’ll often see him running right back to defence in order to make a tackle just so United can gain possession and start another offensive push. This sort of attitude infects those around him to do the exact same and try match his high levels. Those at the club strive to match Rooney’s work rate and high footballing standards, while those outside the club just want to be like him. What’s more, he is actually a decent chap off the field, although he’s like a possessed bulldog on it at times.

Goals: 14

Starts-Sub: 19-0

Club: Manchester United

Top Goalscorer Odds: 13/5 Boylesports

Darren Bent – Bent was the loser of the Tottenham camp under Harry Redknapp, and even with some newspaper columnists, but the England hopeful has put them all to shame with a superb start to the season which has seen the former Spurs man score 13 goals in 20 appearances for Sunderland, a club that were struggling to fend off relegation last season. Bent’s goals this term has enabled Sunderland to challenge for a top ten finish, and, outstandingly, claim the scalps of both Arsenal & Liverpool, with Bent scoring the only goal in the two 1-0 victories over both sides. His confidence at Spurs may have taken a battering but his morale will have sky-rocketed through the roof after a superb opening to the campaign with the Black Cats.

Main Strength: Awareness

Bent has always possessed a fair amount of pace and acceleration, whilst his finishing has generally been OK, but it was his off-the-ball awareness that tended to let him down as he didn’t have that predatory striker instinct which made the likes of Les Ferdinand & Alan Shearer so prolific in front of goal at club level. However, Bent appears to have got the knack of that old adage ‘being in the right place at the right time’ as time and time again this season, Bent ends up with the ball at his feet inside the penalty area. It’s not always about scoring the perfect 20 yard goal but more about sticking the tap-in’s into the goal, as those sort of goals come about more often, which is why Bent has prevailed this season.

Goals: 13

Starts-Sub: 20-0

Club: Sunderland

Top Goalscorer Odds: 7/1 SportingBet

Fernando Torres – Does this lad really need any introduction? The Spaniard stormed onto the scene with an unbelievable début season, scoring 24 in just his first ever season in the Premiership, two season ago, before enduring an injury ravaged season last term. To be fair, he has had his fair amount of injuries this season, with a hernia the latest in a long list of Torres injuries. However, even a cast-iron cast wouldn’t stop this lad scoring as he’s just unstoppable on his day, and he has his day just about every other week, which is why he’s just so deadly. This season, despite starting just 14 times for Liverpool, has notched up 12 goals, just two off the leaders who have played a good handful of games more than him. He narrowly missed out on the Golden Boot in his first season, but will be eager to go one better this season providing he eases off the injuries.

Main Strength: Finishing

I can’t think of a better finisher of the ball than Fernando Torres in today’s game. Stick the Spaniard in a one-on-one situation, heck even a three-on-one, and, chances are, he will skin both defenders and stick it away with ease. He makes goalscoring look so easy, with some composed finishing and neat ball work in tight spaces. That’s another thing with Torres, he not only has the pace to skin a defender but the skills to do so, as well as the know-how to beat a man to the ball from set-peices. You’d be hard-pressed to find a defender who hasn’t been made to look foolish by the Liverpool No.9, just ask Nemanja Vidic (Man Utd), who was supposedly one of the world’s best defenders last season, and yet Torres tore chunks out of him at Old Trafford, both last season and this season.

Goals: 12

Starts-Sub: 14-1

Club: Liverpool

Top Goalscorer Odds: 4/1 Coral

The four mentioned above are what I consider to be the main contenders for the crown. Carlos Tevez (Man City) could be a possible outsider but I can’t see him scoring enough regular goals to put him in the frame.

A few factors that could affect the outcome:

• Injuries (both to themselves and team-mates, as players like Defoe thrive on a quality supply)

• International Duty

• Discipline (Be careful of fiery characters; such as Wayne Rooney, who can lose his cool when things aren’t going his way which could then lead to a suspension)

• Form (For both the player and the team)

There are others, things like off the pitch problems with club debts, transfers, hiring and firing of managers etc. All of which could affect the overall morale of a camp, but they are the main ones that could come up with off the top of my head.

Our Golden Boot Pick: Fernando Torres

If he’s fit; he starts. If he starts; you’d fancy him to score. It’s as simple as that for us. Torres could go games without a goal and yet he would still have it within him to pull a hat-trick out of the blue. He’s immensely talented, one of the very best strikers on the planet when in tip-top shape, and an injury free end to the season would make him a very strong candidate for the crown as the two goal deficit he faces at the moment is nothing for him, especially now Drogba will miss the best part of January’s fixtures.

Odds: 4/1 Coral

We’re approaching the halfway stage of the English football campaign, with most top flight teams having played at least fifteen matches. As usual, the Premier League can only be won by champions Manchester United or Chelsea, with both showing the sort of consistency required to land the title. However, it’s a different story when we look at the Top Goalscorer market, with no less than five players being quoted at single figure odds by the bookmakers.

This market traditionally goes down to the wire, with Nicolas Anelka winning the Golden Boot on the final day of last season. However, it’s his Chelsea strike partner who is proving to be prolific this term, managing 11 in the Premier League to date. Didier Drogba might be a great bet at 3/1 (Sporting Bet) if it wasn’t for the fact that he’ll be jetting out to Angola for the African Cup of Nations in January. This will see him miss at least four matches for the Blues and it could knock the player out of his stride.

It’s Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe who leads the way at the moment, with the pocket-sized Spurs striker managing 12 goals this season. He looks to be in great form as he looks to cement a place in Fabio Capello’s England squad, although it’s worth noting that five of his dozen goals came in one match. I often think that it’s better to back players who score on a game-to-game basis rather than lots of goals in one go. Ladbrokes share the same view and go 4/1 that he finishes at the top.

It’s possible that Fernando Torres would be top of the tree had injury not played a part this season. The Spaniard has missed the last few games for Liverpool, although he has a tremendous scoring record when he has played in a red shirt this season. A tally of ten league goals sees him just two off the pace and it appears he’ll be back for the visit of Arsenal on Sunday. El Nino has pretty much returned to the odds (4/1 Sky Bet) that were given to him at the start of the season but can he now stay fit and kick on?

The other player to have hit double figures in the Premier League this term is Wayne Rooney, who is certainly what you’d describe as streaky in front of goal. Before United’s game at Portsmouth on 28th November, the England striker had scored just one goal in six games, although class is permanent and he’s now up to eleven goals this season after a hat-trick at Fratton Park. If he stays free of injury, he should easily reach the 20 goals mark, a tally which has been enough to win this contest on two of the past three seasons. Victor Chandler go 3/1 that he goes into the World Cup looking for a Golden Boot double.

Will the top goalscorer come from this group of four? You have to go back to the 1999/2000 season to find the last time a player from outside the ‘Big Four’ won this market, with Kevin Phillips banging in 30 for Sunderland. The Black Cats have a new prolific striker this term, with Darren Bent on the tails of the leaders with nine goals. Although the England hopeful has failed to score for the last three matches, he is the penalty taker for the Wearside club and won’t have the distraction of Europe in the New Year. Ladbrokes offer 10/1 that the former Spurs striker lands the spoils.

Emirates Stadium
Sunday, November 27
Kick Off 4pm

It is one of the most eagerly anticipated derby matches of the season, as the Premier League sees Arsenal vs. Chelsea topping their weekend bill. Arsenal are playing catch up to Chelsea, and the Gunners currently sit in third place, 8 points behind the leaders. A defeat at home to the title favourites, would put them a massive 11 points behind them after just 14 matches of the new season, and that in itself will be a total which will be hard to overcome for Arsene Wenger’s men. Arsenal suffered a surprise defeat at home in the Premier League last weekend, falling 1-0 to visitors Sunderland. They regained some composure to see of Standard Liege in the Champions League in midweek, and that will have eased Wenger’s mind.

Both sides have players on the injured list, as to be expected around this time of the year. The main problem for Arsenal is in left back position, where Gael Clichy is missing still through and injury, and cover, and touted future England star Kieren Gibbs will also miss the game after fracturing a metatarsal in the Champions League victory. There is also concern over William Gallas, but the defender is likely to face up to his old club. Arsene Wenger will also be without star striker Robin Van Perise, as the Dutchman will be out for several weeks. For Chelsea, there may be a sooner than expected return to action for Frank Lampard, after he had to pull out of the recent England friendly against Brazil with a torn muscle. He could make the starting eleven if he comes through a late fitness test, and fellow midfielders Deco and Michael Ballack both returned from respective injuries during Chelsea’s midweek win over FC Porto.

The two London sides are the Premier League’s top scorers, with Arsenal topping the chart with three more goals scored than the Blues. However, Chelsea have the tightest defence in the league, and have a good sequence of clean sheets going. That is exactly what boss Carlo Ancelotti is building his success upon, and from that confidence comes the ability to go forward and score goals, something which Chelsea have been doing for fun lately. Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka gets the chance to put one over on his old club, and is becoming an icon of dependability for Chelsea. It was Anelka who got the solitary goal in the victory over Porto which confirmed Chelsea as winners of their Champions League group. The Frenchman has been carrying the weight of the Chelsea attack, especially when Didier Drogba has been missing. Whatever the personal, Chelsea seem to keep going from strength to strength. Droga will likely be starting after returning to action against Porto.

Arsenal however, will need to ensure that they find a way to be sharp in front of goal without Van Persie. He is a key player for them, and they do not quite have anyone who brings the same composure in linking up with the midfield. The 1-0 loss against Sunderland saw the Gunners firing blanks for the first time in 21 matches, and the game just illustrated the importance of Van Persie to Arsenal. They will need to be resourceful and find ways to try and break down the strong Chelsea defence. At this stage of the season last year, Arsenal beat Chelsea, and it was the road to ruin for short-lived boss Big Phil Scholari at the helm at Stamford Bridge. But now the Blues have the calm and collected Carlo Ancelotti, no stranger to success. Chelsea are five points ahead of Manchester United, and they will expect it to be at least the same come Sunday evening.

Betting Stats:
Last Five Premier League Head-to-Head
Arsenal 1, Chelsea 4
Chelsea 1, Arsenal 2
Chelsea 2, Arsenal 1
Arsenal 1, Chelsea 0
Arsenal 1, Chelsea 1
Arsenal 0, Chelsea 2
Arsenal 2, Chelsea 2

Last 10 Matches
Chelsea W8, D0, L2
Arsenal W6, D1, L3

Win Percentage
Arsenal 100% Home record (5 from 5)
Chelsea 66.7% win success away from home (4 out of 6)

Last 8 Premier League Games Goals:
Arsenal 23 Goals For, 7 Goals Against
Chelsea 21 Goals For, 5 Goals Against (current 4 game clean sheet streak)

On a normal run of things, it would stand to reason to expect plenty of goals in this game. The confidence is visibly growing in Chelsea, both in attack and in defence. The physical presence of Drogba alone should cause the Arsenal centre halves problem, and Chelsea have a wealth of experience and class in the middle of the park to tear teams apart, something they have been showing of late. Arsenal are not adept at keeping clean sheets, and that means Chelsea should be able to find the back of the net without too much difficulty. Arsenal will need to be at the sharp passing, creative best, with the likes of Andriy Arshavin and Cesc Fabregas running the show. How much of a look in they will get against the likes of Lampard, Ballack, Deco and Essien though, could be the big difference between the two sides. Chelsea have the all round game, Arsenal can look brilliant on their day, and can be out muscled.

Arsenal to win: 9/5 at BetFred
Draw: 12/5 at Boylesports
Chelsea to win: 7/4 at Totesport

Betting Advice: Chelsea are rightly favourites, but there isn’t a lot to chose from between this two free scoring teams. The visitors will be at full strength, whereas the Gunners won’t be. A draw wouldn’t be too bad for the Blues, whereas it would mean Arsenal would likely lose further ground to those around them in the league. For great value, head on over to Ladbrokes, for a Quatro…
Chelsea to win or draw with 3 or more goals scored in the match: 21/10 at Ladbrokes

Anytime Scorer:
Dider Drogba – If he plays, he would be worth taking as anytime scorer (2/1 at Coral). Why? In eight matches against the Gunners, he has netted 8 times.
Nicolas Anelka has 7 goals in 9 match against his former club Arsenal too (2/1 at SkyBet) .

Clean Sheet
Chelsea to keep a clean sheet – 5/2 at Paddy Power
Chelsea to win with a clean sheet – 10/3 at Boylesports

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just where will your money be going on Sunday?