frank lampard

There is some big action happening in the English Premier League this weekend, and online bookmaker Paddy Power are running some Money Back Specials to offer you some insurance on your football betting. This weekend, as we get back to domestic action after the international break, sees Liverpool v Manchester United as the top billing fixture. United have been in storming form from the start of the season, but Kenny Dalglish can make a big impact by continuing his good managerial form against the Red Devils at Anfield. A win for the Reds would pull them pull within three points of Sir Alex Ferguson’s men. There are of course, bigger implications, because if Liverpool win, then it will allow Chelsea, with victory over Everton, to pull level with United, and if City were to beat Aston Villa, then the blue side of Manchester would be sitting on top of the table at the end of Saturday’s matches. So a big weekend in Premier League football betting, and popular online bookmaker Paddy Power have a great Money Back Special running to cover all three of these massive games.

Liverpool v Manchester United
Liverpool are relying on the goals of Luis Suarez to fire them forwards this season, with the striker having netted four times so far this season. If Suarez scores at any time during the big match, then Paddy Power will pay out refunds on all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast singles placed on the match. This is a great offer, because the lively Suarez looks a genuine threat in a Liverpool shirt. Will he be able to trouble the back line of United, which may include Nemanja Vidic (who has been sent off three times against the Reds)?

Chelsea v Everton
Andre Villas Boas has seen his side come into a bit of form, hitting nine league goals in their last two matches. That has been a good response after losing to title rivals Manchester United. For this important match at Stamford Bridge, if Frank Lampard or Tim Cahill score the last goal of the game, then Paddy Power will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast single bets which have been placed on the match. Lampard hasn’t played as much this season, but he has still hit four goals (from five shots) in the league so far. Everton are struggling for goals, and need Tim Cahill to be fit and to get back amongst the goals for their trip to London.

Manchester City v Aston Villa
This will be another good test of City’s title credentials, as they host the unbeaten Aston Villa. City are trading blows with United at the top of the English Premier League and they will sense the chance of perhaps pulling clear of their rivals, if Liverpool help them out. But City, who have been prolific in front of goal, need to keep on trucking. If Mario Balotelli scores the last goal of the match at Eastlands, then Paddy Power will refunds all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast singles placed on the match. Good coverage here with the Italian playing a vital support role to Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero.

There is a lot on the line this weekend in your Barclays Premier League betting. The highly popular Paddy Power, who offer plenty of great football Money Back Specials like this, are there again, risking payouts. It is great coverage an always worth taking when you can get your hands on it, because you just never know. When you open an account as a new customer with Paddy Power, you can get a free £50 bet as a sign up bonus. The bookmaker will match the value of your very first stake on a new account, up to the value of £50, which means that you could get a good sum of free money to enjoy your football betting with!

Bolton Wanderers v Chelsea Betting Tip & Odds: Well, this looks on paper that it could be a draw, based on current form alone. However, Chelsea have a very strong away record at Bolton, and that is the trend to go with. The Blues maybe have started to build some confidence, even though they are way short of having enough to go on and win the league. That boat has probably sailed, but there is a lot of work still to be done in order to secure a Champions League place. The big question is, can they build on their victory over Blackburn? Well, there is some value in believing that they won’t. Bolton’s home record is just too difficult to ignore, and Chelsea’s less than 30% success rate on the road, isn’t enough to tip the scales towards them. Going for coverage on a Bolton win here, yes the outright win price is better if you want a long punt, but a Bolton +0.5 Asian Handicap for 5/4 at Victor Chandler looks good value, and covers them on a win and a draw.

Bolton Wanderers to win: 9/2 at Bet365
Draw: 14/5 at Totesport
Chelsea to win: 7/10 at Stan James

EPL Match Preview: It is amazing what a couple of wins can do. After thumping Ipswich 7-0 in the FA Cup, and then beating Blackburn at Stamford Bridge in the league, everything suddenly seems right in Chelsea’s world. Let us not forget, that those two matches followed a shock 1-0 defeat against Wolves for Carlo Ancelotti and his Blues. So, is the Italian boss out of the woods yet? No, although he just doesn’t seem likely to lose his job, and with no apparent urge of bringing in anybody during the January transfer window, it may simply be a case of consolidation for Chelsea over the rest of the season. They are still sitting in fourth place in the league after all, but they are ten points adrift of unbeaten leaders Manchester United, who again showed their title credentials by hammering Birmingham on the weekend. This is a sign of how far Chelsea have fallen over the second half of the season, and at this point it looks far too much to claw back. They do still have two games to come against United, and if Chelsea were to pick up those six points, the title race would be a heck of a lot closer. But in between all that, Chelsea need to pick up points, and not add to their six defeats which they have accumulated this season. It is still only two wins in their last eight league games for Chelsea, so while there are more promising signs, thanks to Ivanovic and Anelka’s goals against Blackburn, there are no certainties, no easy three points for Chelsea anymore. Certainly Monday night’s opponents Bolton are not going to roll over.

Chelsea picked up a win over Bolton at the end of December, and that was a really big three points for them then. Now they need another result, and a repeat of that 1-0 scoreline would do them well. In fact, the last two matches between the sides have now ended in a 1-0 score line in Chelsea’s favour, so that could be a good tip for you if you like playing Scorecast bets. But this is a tough challenge, going away from home, to Bolton who have been knocking on the door of the top six this season. Chelsea are going up north to face a side which has lost only once at home this season. Fortunately though, the Reebok Stadium has been a happy hunting ground for the Blues, and they have not lost there for 13 years, which is a pretty good trend to back. The last time they went there, Chelsea ran out 4-0 winners, but the Blues aren’t the same side as they were in 2009. They are still searching for confidence, and may have to entertain themselves through this match without the influence of Frank Lampard in the middle of the park. Lampard has a back problem and is uncertain to make the starting eleven. Incidentally, Lampard has hit seven goals in eleven Premier League matches against Bolton. John Terry will probably play, the centre half picked up an injury which has meant that he has missed some training, but the captain is likely to be thrown in action again, as Chelsea need him for this very difficult away fixture. There is still no word as to whether Chelsea are buying centre half David Luiz or not in January, they could certainly use his covering at the back.

So, this really will be a big test to see if Chelsea really are on the road to recovery. Bolton need to change some history here and stop Chelsea enjoying playing on one of their favourite away grounds. The Wanderers have lost twelve of the last fifteen meetings between the two sides, and they are shipping an average of two goals per game at home against Chelsea, over the last seven meetings there. The defeat by Chelsea back in December, really put the skids on Owen Coyle’s charge towards the top. Prior to that, it looked as if they were going to be putting pressure on sixth spot, but their form has dropped, they are without a win in 2011 and Coyle has issued a rallying call for his men, following their 2-0 defeat at Stoke, which simply wasn’t good enough. Bolton have picked up David Wheater, a centre half from Middlesbrough, who will probably move right into the line up against Chelsea.. The youngster is a good signing for Bolton, and shows that they are looking for the future in their Premier League. It has been twenty matches since Bolton even kept a clean sheet against Chelsea, and so, Wheater will have his work to cut out. They need to start picking up points again, having gained just one point out of the last twelve.

Bolton hold a 42% win record at home against Chelsea, but the Londoners have a 32%, which isn’t too far behind. It totals to just six wins less than Bolton have managed in the fixture at home. The Trotters went on a three game streak where they conceded four goals per game against Chelsea, but is that likely to happen? Not really. Bolton are sliding backwards a bit, they have now slipped down to ninth and haven’t won a game in four matches. They have just two wins in their last eight, but their home record stands pretty strong and you would have to think that they are probably good for a draw on the night. That would be a big point for them, and the match will mark and honour Nat Lofthouse, who put in over 500 career matches for Bolton, who passed away last week. Honours even would sound about right, but the betting markets are suggesting that Chelsea are expected just to nick this one by the skin of their teeth. On an emotional night for the home fans, it could totally swing the other way and Bolton edge things for all three points.

Online Bookmaker Promotion: Boylesports have a great promotion going for this match. If Chelsea are winning at half time, but go on to lose the match, the bookie will give refunds on First/Last/Anytime Goalscorer, Score Two, Hattrick and Scorecast bets placed on the match. This covers bets placed prior to kick off, and on singles only. Pretty good coverage if you are looking at those markets anyway. With Didier Drogba at Evens as Anytime Goalscorer, these are the kind of prices you can look at, with a bit of insurance on the side from this Boylesports promotion. The popular bookie welcomes new customers to their website, with a free £20 bet!

Bolton Wanderers v Chelsea Premier League Betting Statistics

Last 5 Head to Head
Chelsea 1, Bolton 0
Chelsea 1, Bolton 0
Bolton 0, Chelsea 4
Chelsea 4, Bolton 0
Chelsea 4, Bolton 3

Bolton Wanderers have an 45% win percentage at home in the league this season
Chelsea have a 27% win percentage away from home in the league this season

Bolton Wanderers are on a streak of 6 home matches with no defeat
Chelsea are on a streak of 6 away matches with no win

Bolton Wanderers have scored 22 goals, and conceded 13 at home
Chelsea have scored 14 and conceded 12 goals in their away matches

Bolton Wanderers average 1.18 goals per match at home this season
Chelsea average 1.2 goals per match away from home this season

Bolton Wanderers have scored the bulk of their goals in the 76-90 minute bracket
Chelsea have scored the majority of their goals in the 76-90 minute bracket

Bolton Wanderers have opened the scoring in 52% of their matches
Chelsea have scored first in 54% of their matches

Bolton Wanderers 2010/11 top scorer: Elmander, 9
Chelsea 2010/11 top scorer: Drogba, 9

Bolton Wanderers 2010/11 Season Form: P23 79 D9 L7 GF34 GA31 Pts 30 (9th)
Chelsea 2010/11 Season Form: P22 W11 D5 L6 GF38 GA19 Pts 38 (4th)

Chelsea v Blackburn Rovers Betting Tip & Odds: All stats really point to Chelsea picking up a home win. Blackburn aren’t great on the road at the moment, and while Chelsea haven’t been great over the past couple of months, they are expected to win here. The FA Cup win over Ipswich may have just given them the missing edge of confidence. There’s nothing like a 7-0 rout to give you a good fillip. This really is an interesting one, as Chelsea look to have blown their title chances, but if they start producing the form which they had over the first part of the season, then at least they can keep things interesting. The return of confidence could be the big goal factor here for the Blues and a home three points. Still going to be tough, and probably tight, even though Blackburn’s defence is on the weak side. There is some value in taking Blackburn +1.5 for 11/10 at Bodog as it covers a win on your bet up to everything including a 1 goal defeat for Rovers. If you are expecting Chelsea to run up the goals, then Chelsea -1.75 for 11/10 at Victor Chandler looks around right.

Chelsea to win: 3/10 at Totesport
Draw: 9/2 at Bet365
Blackburn Rovers to win: 12/1 at Victor Chandler

EPL Match Preview: Well, Chelsea produced a more familiar scoreline last weekend, as they trounced Championship side Ipswich 7-0 in the FA Cup. While there has been a bit of a sigh of relief around Stamford Bridge that Chelsea have broken out of their shell after some poor form, it has to be put into context. This was Ipswich, who had just fired Roy Keane as boss because they had not been doing so great of late. But, while the victory was expected from the defending Premier League Champions against weaker opposition, will it have done a big thing for their confidence? That is something which has really been lacking at the club as Chelsea have slipped backwards in the Premier League title race. There is still a great deal of pressure on Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti to rally the players at the Club, and with no major impact looking to come in during the January Transfer window, the Blues need to pull themselves together. They have just one Premier League victory in their last nine matches, and their latest ignominy was a 1-0 defeat against Wolves. One of the most noticeable problems for Chelsea, is that their forwards have simply stopped producing the goals, and even the return of Frank Lampard to the side has failed to really spark them back into life much. Lampard has been quoted that the atmosphere at the club feels like it was in the final days of Felipe Scolari’s managerial tenure there. How much will the Chelsea board be able to take? A defeat against Blackburn at home, could just be the final straw.

Fortunately, the Blues do have a fairly strong squad to chose from, and are relatively injury free, something which has not happened too often this season. They are only missing Alex from the back, along with Mikel, Zhirkov and Benayoun in the midfield department. Chelsea have to get out of whatever low gear they have been stuck in since being trounced by Sunderland at home back in the middle of November. It really has been a major struggle for them, and now they are a massive nine points behind leaders Manchester United having played a game more. The stats show that Blackburn are a side against which Chelsea have enjoyed a lot of success, winning eleven of the last fourteen matches against the Rovers. Chelsea have lost just one match against Blackburn in that run. There are some good trends to follow in the goal scoring records here, as Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka have enjoyed much success against the Rovers. Lampard (7/5 at Unibet Anytime Goalscorer) has five goals in four matches against Blackburn at the Bridge, while Anelka (5/4 at Unibet Anytime Goalscorer) has great figures of eleven goals in fifteen matches against them. Anelka looks likely to get a recall to the starting eleven, even though his goal drought this season has been one of the most noticeable of the Chelsea forwards. You really would back Chelsea here, especially if they get their noses in front, as Blackburn are the only team this season, not to have recovered points from a losing position. The big cup win was a boost, now they need to take a grip on things from here.

Blackburn are a club under something of a transition. New owners have come in to clear their debts, and Sam Allardyce has been kicked out of the door. Steve Kean has been charged with managing the squad until the end of the season, as the new owners are in no rush whatsoever to name a permanent manager. While Blackburn are holding their own in tenth place in the league, their form is still completely hit and miss, but did get a tight 1-0 victory over Championship leaders QPR in the FA Cup, in what was a potentially big banana skin for them. While Brazilian ace Ronaldinho is not heading to Ewood Park, Blackburn have secured the services of striker Roque Santa Cruz from Manchester City, albeit on loan, and he is eligible to play. Blackburn also get back starting keeper Paul Robinson, and striker Nikola Kalinic, which will be good news for Steve Kean, as their ranks have been a bit depleted as of late. Blackburn to have to play against some history here as they have not picked up a victory at Stamford Bridge in seven matches now, and Rovers have struggled to even score against Chelsea in recent times as well in the league. Perhaps the biggest worry, and something which should influence your football betting here, is the away form of Blackburn Rovers. They have suffered four defeats in their last five matches on the road  now, dropping a great deal of points. Will the return of Roque Santa Cruz help Blackburn? He must be well worth a punt in the Anytime Goalscorer market (19/4 at Unibet).

Blackburn have won just two out of their last six Premier League matches, but their previous match, which was a 3-1 beating of Liverpool, resulted in the Reds boss leaving Anfield. Could another possible upset have the same effect on Ancelotti? Blackburn lost to Chelsea 2-1 at Ewood Park back at the end of October and are substantially behind in the head to head record. At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have a 50% win percentage, while Blackburn have won on just 23% of their visits to the Bridge. Chelsea have hit 98 goals in those matches, while Blackburn have managed just 57, all pointing to a good home win. Will Blackburn be the first side to feel the backlash of Chelsea coming out of their confidence slump? Will this just be another false dawn for the revival of the London Blues? Last year’s fixture ended in a 5-0 romp for Chelsea, and that is just what the Stamford Bridge crowd really need right now. It probably won’t be a 5-0 effort from the Blues, but are still worth looking at for a comfortable home victory. Confidence is a huge factor in football betting.

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Chelsea v Blackburn Rovers Premier League Betting Statistics

Last 5 Head to Head
Blackburn 1, Chelsea 2
Blackburn 1, Chelsea 1
Chelsea 5, Blackburn 0
Chelsea 2, Blackburn 0
Blackburn 0, Chelsea 2

Chelsea have an 70% win percentage at home in the league this season
Blackburn Rovers have a 27% win percentage away from home in the league this season

Chelsea are on a streak of 3 home matches with no defeat.
Blackburn Rovers are on a streak of 9 away matches with no draw

Chelsea have scored 22 goals, and conceded 7 at home
Blackburn Rovers have scored 14 and conceded 25 goals in their away matches

Chelsea average 2.2 goals per match at home this season
Blackburn Rovers average 1.2 goals per match away from home this season

Chelsea have scored the bulk of their goals in the 76-90 minute bracket
Blackburn Rovers have scored the majority of their goals in the 46-60 minute bracket

Chelsea have opened the scoring in 52% of their matches
Blackburn Rovers have scored first in 59% of their matches

Chelsea 2010/11 top scorer: Drogba, 9
Blackburn Rovers 2010/11 top scorer: Kalinic, Pedersen, 4

Chelsea 2010/11 Season Form: P21 W10 D5 L6 GF235GA19 Pts 36 (5th)
Blackburn Rovers 2010/11 Season Form: P10 W8 D4 L10 GF29 GA35 Pts 28 (10th)

Chelsea v Aston Villa Betting Tip & Odds: Chelsea should win this one. Neither team are in great form, but Aston Villa’s is just worse than Chelsea’s. Chelsea will be relieved to have picked up a win over Bolton to end their winless streak, and if they are going to get back on the title campaign, they have to beat a miserable Aston Villa. Chelsea are still not looking too sharp going forward, so there is unlikely to be a heavy defeat for the visitors, to the magnitude of the 7-1 thrashing last season, but looking at an Asian Handicap tip, there have been a couple of things to weigh up. How well with Aston Villa defence stand up? Will the Chelsea forwards make Villa’s poor defence look good? Is this the right match for Chelsea, facing the Premier League’s leakiest defence? For the tip, we are leaning towards the latter. Chelsea have firepower, they just haven’t used it. The bookies are expecting a good win, so much so, there’s not a lot of value in a Chelsea minus on the handicap, unless you go out to -2 Chelsea Asian Handicap which is 7/5 at Victor Chandler. Otherwise you will be stretching 21/10 at Bet365 for Aston Villa +1 if you think they are good enough for a draw. However, assuming Chelsea are going to win (because if you think Villa are, then just take them outright!), then a Chelsea -1.75 should make a better prospect for Evens at Bet365.

Chelsea to win: 2/7 at Coral
Draw: 5/1 at Stan James
Aston Villa to win: 14/1 at BetFred

EPL Match Preview: Well, Chelsea have rediscovered their winning ways. The Blues picked up a 1-0 victory over high flying Bolton during the week, which was their first victory in seven matches. Certainly not title winning form at all, but that crucial victory just kept them in touch in the congested top five places. Down in fourth place, which is unfamiliar territory for Chelsea, they are four points behind Manchester United, which doesn’t sound all that bad really, considering the poor form they have been in, but it could be worse as United have a game in hand over Carlo Ancelotti’s men. So, the big question now, is that has Florent Malouda’s simple winning goal against Bolton, turned the tide on Chelsea’s season again? Is there now something to build upon? Well, the jury will be out on that one, as again the lack of depth at the squad comes into question against Aston Villa, as Branislav Ivanovic misses the match through suspension. Carlo Ancelotti will now have to rely on the services of much criticised Paolo Ferrera, or inexperienced youngster Jeffrey Bruma to fill in the hole. There will be no John Obi Mikel in the holding midfield role either, which means that the far from impressive Ramires should get another start in the middle of the pitch. In the match against Bolton, Chelsea had Van Aanholt, Bruma, Kakuta and McEachran along with sub goalie Ross Turnbull there. It is not a bench which is built to go on and win the Premier League title, and this will be their biggest downfall this season. There is not much room for injuries, not much room for loss of form, as Ancelotti can simply not change up and rotate the squad to the extent of which Arsene Wenger at Arsenal can.

So, this leads to another important question. Will Chelsea now spend in the January transfer window? It is easy to see that as being the solution to their problems, but it is not easy purchasing quality players at this time of year. Teams don’t want to let their stars go until the end of the season, and so usually it is only those football exiles which get bounced around in transfers. The thing about the youngsters which were on Chelsea’s bench, is that it is a very promising, very exciting crop of players which should form the future of the club. McEachran is highly touted, along with Bruma, and Gael Kakuta looks as if he could be a real star, once he gets a full run in the side and gains experience. So will the club stick with their youth, or find some kind of solutions by spending? We’re certainly not going to see any hints from owner Roman Abramovich, as he, as usual, is keeping completely quiet on the whole situation. Is there a place for David Beckham perhaps, on loan, to make a return to the Premier League? He could be the temporary experience that Ancelotti will bite with. The only other rumour around, is that Chelsea are pushing for David Luiz, a young Brazilian centre half, but don’t look ready to offer what Benfica want for him. So it could be the same old Chelsea pushing on for the rest of the season. This means that it will be a predictable line up on New Year’s Day for them, as they look to win back to back games. When Aston Villa went to Stamford Bridge last season, the Blues ran riot in a massive 7-1 victory. There is no chance of that happening again, and they will be happy at this stage to pick up another 1-0 win.

Chelsea have a decent 51% winning record against Aston Villa at home, and it should put them in good stead, simply because Villa are in a terrible run of form. This is not a clash of two in form teams by a long way. Both are falling short of the standards they set themselves last year, that is for certain. Chelsea have not lost a home match against Aston Villa since the 2001/02 season, and that is a run of eight Premier League matches. Midfielder Frank Lampard, who has just recently returned to the starting line up, has a fantastic scoring record against Aston Villa, which should be paid attention to. Lampard has hit nine career goals against Villa, which makes the team which he has scored most frequently against (Lampard is 6/4 at Paddy Power as Anytime Goalscorer). So the Blues have broken their winless streak, but the signs of plenty of goals flowing from their forwards is not there. Perhaps with Aston Villa’s leaky defence, this will give them a bit of breathing room to rediscover their scoring touch. They do have the comfort of a home match, and Chelsea still do have the best home defensive record in the Premier League. The victory against Bolton was crucial, after Chelsea had been embarrassed in the previous match against Arsenal. It was just what they needed, and they have a great opportunity to build now from that platform. Worth backing them for a good home win against the struggling Midlands side.

The festive period hasn’t not been one of much cheer for Aston Villa at all. After losing to ten man Tottenham at home on Boxing Day, they then were demolished 4-0 away at Manchester City. Those two defeats has seen Aston Villa lose five of their last six matches. This is not the water tight, organised team that Martin O’Neill sent out last season, and while the Villains have been wrought with injury for most of the season, and have had to rely on youngsters, they have fallen into dangerous territory and form. Their only salvation in recent times was a 2-1 victory at home over West Bromwich Albion, but for a team which has conceded the most set play goals of all Premier League teams, things are not looking bright. There are rumours that the board are losing patience with Gerrard Houllier, even though he hasn’t even been there for too long. There are rumours of discontent, pulling the dressing room apart Their defense is suffering badly at the moment, and they have not kept a clean sheet on the road all season long, while at the other end, they have failed to score in over 50% of their away matches. Aston Villa, along with West Bromwich Albion, have conceded the most goals in the Premier League this season.  It doesn’t make great reading for a trip to Stamford Bridge, where their good defence shipped seven goals last season. However, it’s unlikely to be that bad for Villa on Sunday, even though they are expected to lose. There is just too much wrong with Villa at the moment to expect a win for them.

So that leaves the summing up of whether or not Villa are even good enough for a draw. Chelsea are not in great form themselves, but the home side should enjoy plenty of possession. It seems as if this match will be a matter of just how long the Villa defence can hold out, but one weapon that Aston Villa do have is speed and width. If they get up a head of steam, then they may create the odd chance that could see them steal a point. You have to have faith thought that the Chelsea defence will be much better than Aston Villa’s, and Chelsea will carry more of a threat up front than Aston Villa will. When Stuart Downing is your top scorer with just five goals on the season, things are dire. Will Downing and Ashley Young be sold in the January transfer window, as rumours are suggesting? To be honest, with or without them, Aston Villa are in a slump and one that should see them suffer yet another defeat on the road. For the team who had one of the best away records in the Premier League last season, with just one win, one draw and seven defeats on the road, there doesn’t look to be much light at the end of the tunnel for them.

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Chelsea v Aston Villa Premier League Betting Statistics

Last 5 Head to Head
Aston Villa 0, Chelsea 0
Chelsea 7, Aston Villa 1
Aston Villa 2, Chelsea 1
Aston Villa 0, Chelsea 1
Chelsea 2, Aston Villa 0

Chelsea have an 78% win percentage at home in the league this season
Aston Villa have a 11% win percentage away from home in the league this season

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

Chelsea have scored 19 goals, and conceded 4 at home
Aston Villa have scored 5 and conceded 22 goals in their away matches

Chelsea average 2.1 goals per match at home this season
Aston Villa average 0.5 goals per match away from home this season

Chelsea have scored the bulk of their goals in the 76-90 minute bracket
Aston Villa have scored the majority of their goals in the 76-90 minute bracket

Chelsea have opened the scoring in 52% of their matches
Aston Villa have scored first in 52% of their matches

Chelsea 2010/11 top scorer: Malouda, Drogba 8
Aston Villa 2010/11 top scorer: Downing, 5

Chelsea 2010/11 Season Form: P19 W10 D4 L5 GF33 GA15 Pts 34 (4th)
Aston Villa 2010/11 Season Form: P19 W5 D5 L9 GF20 GA34 Pts 20 (15th)

Chelsea v Bolton Wanderers Betting Tip & Odds: Really strongly fancy a 1-0 win for Chelsea in this one (see below for more details about that), but with Correct Scoreline bets more of a risky business, we will stick in the field of Asian Handicaps for the tip here. Chelsea aren’t playing well, Bolton are doing ok. This should be a tough match, for both sides really, but the impetus is on the home side. They need to break out of their shell and get forward with some confidence. They have a good record against Bolton and you really have to expect Chelsea to break out of their six match winless streak at some point. This could just be the match they need to heal their bruises after the footballing lesson that Arsenal handed them. Short on confidence, short on goals, but Chelsea are still worth backing to win. A Chelsea -2 Asian Handicap is worth a punt at 27/20 at Bet365. However, there are some decent prices taking Bolton in the positive here, somewhere around Bolton +1.5 Asian Handicap for 43/40 at Bet365 is decent value, but there is a great price of 13/10 at Victor Chandler for Bolton +1.75 which is even better value for the coverage, and just edges the tip here.

Chelsea to win: 1/3 at Paddy Power
Draw: 5/1 at Victor Chandler
Bolton Wanderers to win: 11/1 at Totesport

EPL Match Preview: Where do Chelsea go next? No win in seven matches, having blown a five point lead at the top of the Premier League, to now find themselves in fifth, seven points behind leaders Manchester United, is something of a dire position. For all of the heroics that Carlo Ancelotti performed last year in winning the double with Chelsea, that is not happening this year. It is still the same crop of players with which he operated last season, but they have hit a brick wall. Just four goals scored in their last six matches. Three defeats in their last six matches. It is a far cry from the Chelsea side which won their opening five fixtures of the campaign, scoring 21 goals and conceding just one. Ever since assistant coach Ray Wilkins mysteriously left the club, Chelsea have not won a match. Coincidence? Their performance in their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates, suggested that they have a long way to go to get back to their best. They did get Frank Lampard back into the midfield, but as the game wore on, he became less effective, somewhat understandably. But having to keep him on the keep as he looks to get his match sharpness, highlights a major problem with Chelsea. They don’t have the strength in depth on the bench. They went into the match against Arsenal without a recognised striker on the bench, and when your main talisman Didier Drogba is not his formidable self, then you have problems. Strike partner Salomon Kalou was anonymous all night, and there was a stark lack of penetration, and even creation coming from Chelsea.

How does Ancelotti get over this? Does he deserve the boot? Realistically, no. There is just something not right at the club, a cog not turning in the machine properly. Immediately, the Lampard and Essien combination in midfield, gave them a better balance. Chelsea need Lampard, make no mistake about it. But Ancelotti’s hands are tied, in that he can’t change things up, because he hasn’t got the players at his disposal to do so. He has to stick with out of form players, he has no choice. The Blues defence looked very sloppy against Arsenal, gifting the Gunners two of their goals. The kind of mistakes which they made, come from lack of confidence. Chelsea do get Nicolas Anelka back into the squad, after missing the Arsenal match, but it has been over ten hours since he found the back of the net in the Premier League. Not inspiring stuff at all. Can they find something to get back on track? They can’t afford to drop more points, as already it is unlikely that Manchester United are going to drop over seven points during the rest of the season, just to allow Chelsea back in the title race. Ancelotti said that his side really need a wake up call, and their sleeping side have to shake off whatever Blues are plaguing them and beat Bolton. The defeat against Arsenal was a massive blow to Chelsea, now they are in an even deeper hole which they have to get out of. Chelsea do have a good record against Bolton at Stamford Bridge, winning 52% of the meetings between the clubs there, almost outscoring the Wanderers by a 2:1 ratio. The corresponding fixture last April produced a 1-0 win for Chelsea, and they would be extremely happy with that.

But Bolton are a much improved side this year, with boss Owen Coyle enjoying a wonderful season. This is the position which they are in. Bolton, with a win over Chelsea, could leap frog the Londoners in the league table, and take fifth spot. That would be an incredible achievement, and Bolton really are the surprise package of the season. They are in a spot of bother with injuries though, as they could barely fill their bench on Boxing Day, but they still triumphed over West Brom with a win. However, there are signs that their away form is taking a dip. They have lost their last two away matches, both by a score line of 1-0 (the same scoreline which they lost by at Stamford Bridge last season). They have struggled against Chelsea though, and haven’t won in their last thirteen attempts against the London side, and the weakened Wanderers may have to watch for Nicolas Anelka on his return. Anelka has hit four goals in his last six Premier League matches against the Trotters (15/13 Anytime Goalscorer at Unibet). There’s also Drogba, who has four goals in four matches against them (10/11 Anytime Goalscorer at Coral). Oh, and Frank Lampard, who has eight career goals against them (7/5 Anytime Goalscorer at Unibet). This really has the feel of a turnaround for Chelsea. A strong team is coming to Stamford Bridge, but it is a weakened one, and with history firmly on the side of the Blues, and with Bolton failing to keep a clean sheet against Chelsea in a staggering run of 19 matches, it points to a home victory. Chelsea need it, and their defence, which has the best home record in the league, should just seem them over the line.

Chelsea v Bolton Wanderers Premier League Betting Statistics

Last 5 Head to Head
Chelsea 1, Bolton 0
Bolton 0, Chelsea 4
Chelsea 4, Bolton 3
Chelsea 4, Bolton 3
Botlon 0, Chelsea 2

Chelsea have an 75% win percentage at home in the league this season
Bolton Wanderers have a 22% win percentage away from home in the league this season

Chelsea are on a streak of two home games with no win
Bolton Wanderers are on a streak of two away matches with no goal scored

Chelsea have scored 18 goals, and conceded 4 at home
Bolton Wanderers have scored 11 and conceded 13 goals in their away matches

Chelsea average 2.25 goals per match at home this season
Bolton Wanderers average 1.22 goals per match away from home this season

Chelsea 2010/11 top scorer: Drogba, 8
Bolton Wanderers 2010/11 top scorer: Elmander, 9

Chelsea 2010/11 Season Form: P18 W9 D4 L5 GF32 GA15 Pts 31 (5th)
Bolton Wanderers 2010/11 Season Form: P19 W7 D8 L4 GF32 GA25 Pts 29 (6th)

Arsenal v Chelsea Betting Tip & Odds: Should be a cracking match, with lots of permutations going on with it. There is a sense of balance between the two sides, with them both needing to be better than they have been of late. Chelsea’s form has deserted them more than what Arsenal’s have though, and it may prove crucial here. There is a lot of sense in backing a drawn match here, both would probably be happy at avoiding defeat. But, with Arsenal have a little more to offer up front, and being at home, they are worth backing in some form. Therefore it is to the Asian Handicap markets we go for our tip, and an Arsenal -1 Asian Handicap for 31/10 at Bet365 is pretty good value for a top three side being at home. If chances fall their way, you would expect the Arsenal strikers to finish better than the Chelsea ones at the moment. Therein could lie all the difference, albeit it a slight one. Arsenal do have a 49% win percentage against Chelsea at home.

Arsenal to win: 13/8 at Bet365
Draw: 23/10 at  Skybet
Chelsea to win: 7/4 at Extrabet

EPL Match Preview: This a great fierce rivalry to stoke up the fires for Monday, as Chelsea head to Arsenal. This is a match which now is a crucial must win for both sides. Arsenal are two points back of leaders Manchester United at the top of the league, but have played a game more. A loss now would put them further back, but the likes of Manchester United’s Patrice Evra and Nani may have just riled Arsenal up enough to see them put in a good performance against Chelsea. The Manchester United players have been saying that Arsenal won’t be winning the league this year, because basically they are not been good enough. Arsenal though have not enjoyed much of a good time against Chelsea though, including this year when they lost 2-0 on their visit to Stamford Bridge. It seems with Arsenal you are going to either get a win or a loss, as they have only drawn two matches this season. They have visibly missed the influence of captain Cesc Fabregas at times through the midfield, and they froze in the headlights when they went to Old Trafford recently, and they cannot afford to do the same at the Emirates against Chelsea. The big boost for Arsenal, is that both Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie are ready to start. It will be the first time since August that Arsene Wenger has had that luxury. However, they really don’t like playing Chelsea, especially Didier Drogba who just enjoys scoring against them. The defensive frailties and toughness of mentality are still the biggest problems with Arsenal, but of course the natural talent is there. They are the team with all of the flair, the ones who play the most attractive style of football. It may just be enough this time to get them past a below par Chelsea.

Arsenal do have a strong home record against Chelsea overall throughout history, but they have lost their last two matches there, in a run of four straight losses against Chelsea. They are still missing Thomas Vermaelen from the back, and it could be a factor with the menace of Didier Drogba threatening the Arsenal back line. While Arsenal are a prolific team, they have really struggled to break down Chelsea. Chelsea just seem to know how to play Arsenal perfectly, and the Gunners have managed just one goal in four matches now against the Blues. What is also a bit of a worrying trend for Arsenal fans, is the fact they are losing matches at home this season, something which has been pretty much unheard of. Three defeats out of eight home matches this season really isn’t the form of Champions to be honest. It is not the stronghold that it is meant to be. So can Arsenal raise their game to pick up an extremely vital three points? Well if ever there was a time to do it, now would be it. Winning would give them a huge advantage over London rivals Chelsea as well so there is a lot at stake. What could tip the balance in this match, is the firepower between the two sides. Arsenal rarely struggle to hit the back of the net, something which Chelsea have as of late. With Marouane Chamakh and Samir Nasri especially threatening, they have the creativity to undo Chelsea. In a current form of goal scoring, Arsenal would win this one. They won’t be as stifled as they were against Manchester United in their last outing.

Both sides have had a long time to rest, something which has helped both sides really. Back into the starting line up comes Frank Lampard, whose goals for Chelsea have been sorely missed this season. Chelsea put in a much more spirited and all round better performance against Tottenham in their last match, after boss Carlo Ancelotti had dropped Didier Drogba from the starting line up. The talisman came on to score though to help Chelsea secure an away draw, and he really should be in the line up against Arsenal. Drogba has an incredible 13 goals in 13 matches against Arsenal in all competitions. There really are not that many problems for Chelsea, certainly not as many as they have had through the season. They are now only missing Yossi Benayoun, Yuri Zhirkov and centre half Alex. Captain John Terry has voiced his concerns over the lack of depth now at the club, but Ancelotti has insisted that there is nothing wrong, there is a good crop of young players, ready to fill in important roles. The results of late though have told a completely different story though, as they have picked up just three points out of the last fifteen which have been available. That’s no win in five league matches. While the midfield has been lacking the same composure without Lampard and Michael Essien at times, the strikers seem to have, well, gone on strike. Didier Drogba has been in miserable form compared to his high standards, and Nicolas Anelka has completely forgotten where the goal is, not having score in over ten hours of play.

Chelsea are on a run of three drawn matches, and they are three points behind leaders Manchester United now, plus at a one game disadvantage, after leading the way for so long after an incredibly strong start to the season. They have to discover form immediately if they are going to keep in the race. A loss would put them a big four points back of Arsenal. They cannot afford that, but there is a lot of promise for Chelsea here, as Arsenal’s form against both them and Manchester United have been terrible really. Arsenal haven’t beaten either of their rivals in the league in their last eleven matches now, and the Gunners have only won just once out of the last seven home meetings against Chelsea now. But maybe the tables are about to turn, with Chelsea still searching for top gear. This is a big opportunity for Arsenal and will probably be worth backing. Will Frank Lampard have a big say though on his return to the Chelsea starting eleven? He will be worth having a punt on as Anytime goalscorer, especially at a price of 5/2 at Bet365. This match could swing either way, Chelsea have the better defence, Arsenal have the better attack in form at the moment. For your football betting, home advantage really should play a part, but Arsenal have shown big frailties at the Emirates. Chelsea haven’t traveled well. Is this a match of parity and a draw? Bookies seem to think so.

Online Bookmaker Promotion: Paddy Power are offering a money back special on Monday’s big Arsenal v Chelsea Premier League match. If you have a losing First/Last Goalscorer, Correct Score or Scorecast single on the match, because the game ends 0-0, then you get your stake refunded as a free bet. There are plenty of goal scoring talent on show, with Drogba, van Persie, Chamakh, Anelka, Nasri, Fabregas and Lampard in the mix, but if they all have an off day, then you will be covered. Paddy Power also offer a free £25 matched bet for new account holders.

Arsenal v Chelsea Premier League Betting Statistics

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

Arsenal have an 62% win percentage at home in the league this season
Chelsea have a 33% win percentage away from home in the league this season

Arsenal are on a streak of eight home matches with no draw
Chelsea are on a streak of four away matches with no win

Arsenal have scored 19 goals, and conceded 10 at home
Chelsea have scored 13 and conceded 8 goals in their away matches

Arsenal average 2.37 goals per match at home this season
Chelsea average 1.44 goals per match away from home this season

Arsenal have scored the bulk of their goals in the 76-90 minute bracket
Chelsea have scored the majority of their goals in the 76-90 minute bracket

Arsenal have opened the scoring in 64% of their matches
Chelsea have scored first in 52% of their matches

Arsenal 2010/11 top scorer: Nasri, 8
Chelsea 2010/11 top scorer: Drogba, 8

Arsenal 2010/11 Season Form: P17 W10 D2 L5 GF36 GA16 Pts 34 (2nd)
Chelsea 2010/11 Season Form: P17 W9 D4 L4 GF31 GA12 Pts 31 (17th)

Chelsea v Sunderland Betting Tip & Odds: Taking the Blues to win at home this season is proving to be something of a banker. Chelsea dominate the stats against Sunderland in the head to head, and both sets of fans will remember the 7-2 thrashing handed out by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last season. However, Sunderland are better than they were last season. So, while there were initial concerns going into the season about the quality of the Chelsea defensive line, they have held up better than expected. That won’t cheer the low scoring Sunderland as they roll into Stamford Bridge, but Sunderland do have a good record against top opposition in the Premier League this season. Still, you have to go with home advantage and that extra bit of quality that Chelsea can produce. Chelsea 2-0 correct Score 13/2 at Paddy Power

Chelsea to win: 1/4 at Victor Chandler
Draw: 11/2 at SkyBet
Sunderland to win: 16/1 at Boylesports

EPL Match Preview: Interesting match up this one, with Premier League champions Chelsea looking to defend a 100% record at Stamford Bridge this season. Their unbeaten run, which has yet to concede a goal at home in the league, was extended midweek when the Blues ran out 1-0 winners over London rivals Fulham. It certainly was not a classic performance, but it got the job done and allowed Chelsea to open up a four point lead at the top of the league. There seems to be an abundance of injury problems around at the moment, but  Chelsea do get back top scorer Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka. The club have received news that Frank Lampard’s recovery from injury has hit a snag, and that he will still be out for a further three weeks. That is a big blow for Chelsea, who will also miss Michael Essien in the middle of the park, after he picked up a red card against Fulham in the week. Chelsea still have a lot of class, control and quality, even though they have been knocked back from their strongest starting eleven. The win over Fulham in the week was important, as it was their bounce-back game after losing away to Liverpool on the weekend. If they can get over the visit of Sunderland without too much hassle, and see Manchester United drop points at Aston Villa, things could look very rosy for the Stamford Bridge crew ahead of the midweek international break.

With the class that Didier Drogba, Anelka and Malouda (who is in the France squad to face England at Wembley next week) can deliver up front, in whatever combination boss Carlo Ancelotti has to, or decides to go with, it should be enough to deal with Sunderland. The Chelsea defence is not easily breached at home, and that will give the visiting Sunderland some problems. While the Bookies have Chelsea down as strong home favourites, the match could be a lot closer than a simple stroll in the park. A below strength Chelsea isn’t often as convincing as they perhaps should be, and Ancelotti will be wary of the difficulties that Sunderland have caused other top teams this season. Still, for your Chelsea v Sunderland betting, you have to look at the league table and the amount of goals scored and conceded between the two teams, and still have a good wager on a Chelsea win. They haven’t failed to score at home this season and you don’t expect them to here, so you can go into the Anytime Goalscorer markets with your online bookmaker, and confidently back Drogba or Anelka, as they will be the main sources of goals. Coming back the other way, Chelsea have received some good news that Sunderland striker Darren Bent has picked up an injury and will be missing for a few weeks.

That will aid Chelsea’s cause, although it’s a shame because it puts Bent out of the England match, and out of having the chance to shine against one of the best defences in the Premier League. Sunderland have made good nuisances of themselves this year, beating Manchester City, and holding Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham to draws. In fact, Sunderland have drawn seven matches this year, won three and only lost two. They were looking for more consistency under the second season of Steve Bruce’s management, and that is what they have got. Sunderland will still pose some threat up front, because the goal scoring responsibilities will fall onto the young shoulders of Asamoah Gyan, the Ghana striker who has hit four goals in his debut season so far, including two in the win over Stoke last weekend. So there is a big threat there, and the Chelsea centre half pairing (which will be Terry and Ivanovic as Alex is out injured) will have to watch out for his speed. Because of their good record against the big clubs this year, Sunderland should really have nothing much to fear, and take a no lose attitude to Stamford Bridge. Defensively, Sunderland are pretty solid themselves but they are just lacking that extra potency up front, which comes from a lack of genuine quality in the middle of the park, and delivering quality balls forward. Sunderland work hard, they play hard and they won’t roll over. Another draw for them would be a point very well earned, and it would most likely come through a 0-0 draw if you are looking for what technically would be a bit of an upset.

Online Bookmaker Promotion: BetFred are offering the chance to double or even treble your First Goalscorer Odds this weekend. When you back a player as First Goalscorer and they acheive that feat, if they then go on to score a second in the match, then BetFred will double the odds for you. If that player manages to hit a hattrick, then your initial odds will be trebled. That’s big bonuses for your first goalscorer markets, and with the goalscoring potential in Chelsea’s line up, it’ll be worth visiting BetFred. THe Online Bookmaker also offers a Free £50 bet for new customers.

Chelsea v Sunderland Premier League Betting Statistics

Last 5 Head to Head
Chelsea 7, Sunderland 2
Sunderland 1, Chelsea 3
Sunderland 2, Chelsea 3
Chelsea 5, Sunderland 0
Sunderland 0, Chelsea 1

Chelsea have an 100% win percentage at home in the league this season
Sunderland have a 0% win percentage away from home in the league this season

Chelsea have scored 17 goals, and conceded 0 at home
Sunderland have scored 5 and conceded 10 goals in their away matches

Chelsea have scored the bulk of their goals in the 76-90 minute bracket
Sunderland have scored the majority of their goals in the 76-90 minute bracket

Chelsea have opened the scoring in 66% of their matches
Sunderland have scored first in 41% of their matches

Chelsea average 2.8 goals per match at home this season
Sunderland average 0.8 goals per match away from home this season

Chelsea 2010/11 top scorer: Malouda, 7
Sunderland 2010/11 top scorer: Bent 6

Chelsea 2010/11 Season Form: P12 W9 D1 L2 GF28 GA5 Pts 28 (1st)
Sunderland 2010/11 Season Form: P10 W2 D3 L5 GF10 GA16 Pts 16 (9th)

Liverpool v Chelsea betting odds

Liverpool to win: 3/1 at Bet365
Draw: 12/5 at SkyBet
Chelsea to win: 11/10 at BetFred

Chelsea will look to end the mini revival that Liverpool have started, when the roll into Anfield on Sunday. This is the weekend’s top Barclays Premier League clash, and the league leaders will be looking to inflict another comfortable victory over the Reds. In the corresponding fixture last season, Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-0 in the run in to the title. Again this year, there is contrasting fortunes between the two clubs, both with the quality of players in the respective squads, the style of play and perhaps most importantly of all, confidence. There is also the small matter of the 13 point gulf between the two sides, just ten matches into the new season. The Chelsea squad is bristling with confidence, and even though they suffered a defeat against Manchester City in the league, even that seems like it has long been forgotten and just marked off a bad day at the office in front of goal. Chelsea are going strongly this season, even though they have not been at full strength since the start of the season, and have really put some faith in youngsters to fill positions on the bench. With no apparent inclination to go shopping in the January transfer window, Carlo Ancelotti looks happy with the players that he has at his disposal. Perhaps the biggest personification of the attitude and confidence that the Stamford Bridge crew has, can be summed up in former Liverpool player Nicolas Anelka.

The Frenchman has been in great form this year, and is finally looking like he has found his natural home, and is allowed to do his natural role. His role has often fallen into being the supporting platform to let Didier Drogba go on and grab all of the glory, but when you stop and watch Anelka specifically, you can see what a valuable contribution he makes to the team. Yes, Nicolas Anelka is a team player. Once labelled “Le Sulk” Anelka, once rejected by Liverpool despite strong performences, in something of an understated way, Anelka has fired a riposte to his critics that cannot be faltered. He drops deep, picks the ball up and runs with it. His strength is fantastic, his skills on the deck to beat players is to be admired and his vision, sublime. He is probably in the form of his life, playing better than ever and a real threat to defences across the country, and Europe. His performances in Europe, in particular have been ones to admire, as the nature of European competition really suits his style. In the Liverpool v Chelsea fixture, his club will again need him, as club top scorer Florent Malouda will be missing for the Blues, as he recovers from injury. Nicolas Anelka is 2/1 at Stan James as Anytime Goalscorer. Chelsea have been struggling with injuries all season, but they have barely missed a bit. Frank Lampard has been absent for the large part, but Ramires and Michael Essien have filled in wonderfully. Chelsea will be bolstered by the news that Lampard will likely return to action on Sunday and makes a great bet at 5/2 with Stan James as Anytime Goalscorer. When Drogba has been missing, Salomon Kalou has carried the can, along with Malouda who, like Anelka, is probably enjoying peak performances in his career. Losing Malouda will be a bit of a blow, but the Blues title campaign looks set to rumble on.

Further north, Liverpool have lost Joe Cole through injury for a few weeks, meaning that he will miss his chance to shine against the club which let him walk for free in the summer. Cole’s absence for Liverpool sounds a much more desperate situation than Malouda’s for Chelsea. Liverpool are also missing Dirk Kuyt, and you look at those two names and see that there is most of the creativity taken out of the side. Liverpool do not have either the starting eleven quality or the squad to match that of Chelsea’s. That is why there is such a big points difference. That is why Chelsea are title contenders and are playing in the Champions League. That is why Liverpool are fighting for middle table securing and enduring nights in the Europa League. Star striker Fernando Torres, who has been rumoured to be heading to Stamford Bridge in the summer, but was played down by Ancelotti, has taken on a lot of the blame for Liverpool’s poor season. After struggling for full fitness, when he has been on the pitch he has been starved of quality ball from a poor midfield. Blame previous boss Rafa Benitez, or blame current boss Roy Hodgson for Liverpool’s lack of quality players, the situation is what it is. Hodgson decided to bring in experienced players, having no cash to spend, and Joe Cole, Christian Poulsen, Milan Jovanovic, Paul Konchesky have all failed to ignite the club, while Portugal’s Meireles looks to have good potential, but needs more quality around him.

Two 2-0 defeats last season against Chelsea for Liverpool, both home and away, marked the margin between the two clubs. Nothing really has changed since then. That is why Chelsea, even being the away team, will be the ones to look for in your betting. Chelsea are the better team, both tactically and in terms of quality and finishing. You look at the two sides and you see goals in Chelsea, whereas you see Liverpool looking for scraps. While Liverpool will naturally look for this to be a stepping stone to really get their season going, at the moment it looks a pretty big stretch that they are good enough to pull it off. Chelsea do not have a particularly great record at Anfield, winning just 15% of the matches they have played there throughout their history. As Drogba stated, “there is never a good time to go to Anfield” highlighting that there is still a lot of work to be done to secure victory. Chelsea slipped up away from home against Manchester City, when City suffocated the Blues and caught them on the counter attack with a moment of brilliance from Carlos Tevez. That will likely be the Liverpool game plan, as they will concede a lot of possession to Chelsea. As shown in their midweek triumph over Napoli, Liverpool are still overwhelming reliant on Steven Gerrard. However, it is the return of Frank Lampard which may big the biggest factor here. If Chelsea shut down Gerrard, Liverpool are lost, but if the Reds keep Lampard quiet, then there are still major threats from all over the park. That is the difference in class between the two sides, and why your Liverpool vs. Chelsea betting should be backing the visitors. Lampard is 8/1 at BetFred for Last Goalscorer – a winning return goal for him?

Malouda and Lampard sit out Chelsea v Spartak Champions League fixture

Stamford Bridge, Wednesday November 3rd: There is a gulf in class between these two teams, especially when looking at the history of the Champions League. Chelsea have won their group five times out of the last seven attempts and have a strong unbeaten run of 21 group match game undefeated at Stamford Bridge. The Blues really are in a strong position in the betting to win this match, and that’s is an obvious choice. Not since 2003 have they lost a home match in the Group Stages of the Champions League. The Blues do not have a great deal of history against Russian teams in Europe. Their only encounter against Russians was back in 2004/05 when they faced CSKA Moscow (winning both fixtures). Their opponents, Spartak enjoyed some good success in England on their travels, prior to 2000 and then it all went downhill a bit and haven’t picked up a win on their three previous visits. Spartak are not too bad on their travels, and how they played as a tight unit, you can see why. They have picked up victories in their last two away matches in the Champions League. Really with Chelsea being so dominant in the betting, it’ll be good to look for other markets. A good Chelsea/Chelsea Half Time/Full Time bet is maturing around 7/9 at Bwin, while a slower start for a Draw/Chelsea Half Time/Full Time bet is worth 7/2 at Unibet, but naturally a little more unlikely. A comfortable 2-0 victory for Chelsea fetches 11/2 at Totesport in the Correct Score market, while in the Asian Handicap markets Chelsea -2 looks interesting for 13/10 at Paddy Power, while Spartak +1.75 is intriguingly priced at Evens with Bet365.

Chelsea to win: 1/4 at Bet365
Draw: 11/2 at Victor Chandler
Spartak Moscow to win: 14/1 at Totesport

Online bookmaker SportingBet are running a déjà vu Champions League betting offer involving all British teams (plus the AC Milan v Real Madrid fixture). For this Chelsea v Spartak Moscow fixture at Stamford Bridge, all losing First Goalscorer, Anytime Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast bets will be refunded as a free bet, if the same Last Goalscorer is the same one from when the two sides met on Match Day Three. In this case it was Nicolas Anelka who scored the second and final goal of the match. If the Frenchman is Last Goalscorer again in the rematch at Stamford Bridge, then SportingBet will pay out refunds for lost bets on the above markets. If you open a new account with SportingBet, then an increased offer of a free £50 bet is also up for grabs until the end of November 2010.

Chelsea Betting

Chelsea will go into the reverse fixture against Spartak Moscow in the Champions League on Wednesday night, without Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda. While Lampard has missed a large chunk of the season, French winger Malouda has been in impressive form, and is joint top scorer at the club along with Didier Drogba. They will miss his direct, attacking influence on Wednesday though, as the Blues look to keep their 100% record in the group going this year. This match is all about momentum, with the London side clearly the best team in the group. Two weeks ago they rolled out onto the artificial Spartak turf and put in a superbly professional display, and goals from Zhirkov and Anelka produced a good, solid 2-0 win. That was potentially the trickiest fixture of the group for Chelsea, and now they can take to the stronghold of the Stamford Bridge pitch and look to pick up another three points. Chelsea will want to confirm their place in the knockout stage, not only by qualifying, but by taking top spot. Chelsea have had injury problems, and while they fielded a strong starting eleven in Moscow, their bench was full of youngsters and inexperience. Although Chelsea are sitting a little weakened at the moment, they are still strong enough to take out teams like Spartak Moscow, and you have to back them in the betting to come through this. They performed admirably a fortnight ago at the scene where they lost the Champions League final to Manchester United a few years ago, and under Carlo Ancelotti, there is a relaxed calmness which gets the job done. Stamford Bridge is almost a banker for three points in the Champions League for Chelsea, and there is no reason why Wednesday should be any different. One more win should guarantee participation in the knockout stage for Chelsea, and that would leave a mighty scrap between Marseille and Moscow for second place. Nicolas Anelka for example is bringing a nice price of 4/1 at Paddy Power for First Goalscorer. He really does well in Europe and has the class and speed to get Chelsea underway again here. Didier Drogba is 3/1 at Blue Square for First Goalscorer.

Spartak Moscow Betting

Spartak Moscow actually produced some moments of very good football a fortnight ago. There was a clear pattern to their game, and that was to come out strong in each half and try to use power plays to overhaul their more illustrious opponents. With wasted chances however, in both halves, they soon lost grip on possession, which is hard enough to get against Chelsea, and conceded all three points. They do look a decent side though, having previously picked up two wins out of two against Marseille and Zilina in the group, and they are in a strong position to go through. However, it looks likely that their big clash with the French side will determine second place, as they are unlikely to get any change whatsoever out of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. At home they ran out steam and ideas quickly, although they did cause moments of panic in the Chelsea defence, but even then the strikers were wasteful of half chances that came their way. The Blues are just too good a side to let a victory slip.

Chelsea v Spartak Moscow Betting Prediction:

Look for a strong home win, maybe not with the big sparkling of fireworks one would expect, as these group Champions League matches are more about getting the job done, and Chelsea are a little under strength. Something around 2-0 sounds about right again.

The bookmakers are expecting Sunday’s clash in Bloemfontein to be the biggest betting match of all time, with nothing getting the juices flowing more than a Germany v England contest during the World Cup. It’s a brilliant time to be opening a betting account or two, considering some of the excellent new customer offers that are available right now, while firms also have a number of great match offers available.

Bet365 continue to offer up to £200 in free bets to new customers through their 100% Match Deposit Bonus promotion. Simply make your first deposit and this popular bookie will match this with a free balance which can be used on any sporting market, including the hundreds that are available for the 2010 World Cup.

Bet365 also have a ‘Penalty Payback’ promotion for the World Cup, which means that if you back a team on the outright market and they lose on penalties, you will get your stake refunded. Since it emerged that England were playing Germany, there’s been lots of talk about extra-time and penalties, so it might be worthwhile backing the Three Lions at 10/1 to go all the way. Joachim Low’s team are 11/1 with bet365.

Finally, bet365 have their 0-0 cashback offer for England v Germany and every other football match in the World Cup and beyond. That means that all losing First / Last Goalscorer, Anytime Scorer, Correct Score and HT / FT bets are refunded if the game ends goalless. We’re expecting a tight contest!

Over at Paddy Power, you can always be sure of a good promotion for the big World Cup matches and England v Germany is no exception. They have a bore war promotion running which is similar to bet365 in that they will refund all losing 1st/last goalscorer, correct score and scorecast singles on this match if it ends 0-0. There are also £30 in free bets available to new customers when you register for the first time.

Ladbrokes are determined to make a splash for new and existing customers that visit their website this weekend, with anyone opening an account getting a £25 free bet just for depositing £5! This 500% deposit bonus is available during the World Cup and has proved immensely popular, with many people winning with their free bet last Wednesday by backing England. Perhaps you can do the same on Sunday, with the world’s biggest bookmaker offering odds of 5/1 that the match goes to a penalty shoot-out.

Sky Bet like to offer customers lots of extra value for the big England matches and some of their odds for the game at the Free State Stadium are very attractive. You can get odds of 12/1 that England win in extra time, with £10 staked landing you a nice profit of £120. Apparently Wayne Rooney has been looking sharp in training and is available at 20/1 to get his team off to a blinder by scoring in the first ten minutes, while the Manchester United forward is 14/1 with the same firm to score in both halves.