Hull

Saturday 13th August

English Championship

Ipswich v Hull City

The Premier League takes centre stage this weekend as it stages it’s first round of fixtures but our first stop takes us into the Championship which started last week.

Ipswich started the season in impressive fashion defeating Bristol City 3-0 away from home. It was the perfect start for Paul Jewell who begins his first new season at Portman Road since taking charge at the start of the year. Jewell has been relatively busy in the summer with players coming and going. Connor Wickham, Gareth McAuley, David Norris and Pablo Counago are the most notable departures from Portman Road whilst they have brought in Lee Bowyer, Ivar Ingimarsson, Jay Emmanuel Thomas and Michael Chopra, amongst others, in their quest for promotion. Despite losing a lot of their mainstays of recent seasons Ipswich look stronger this year and expectation is high amongst the fans. Jewell himself is no stranger to the league and has gained promotion with Bradford and Wigan from the Championship, so they certainly have the right man in charge.

Jewell has further strengthened his midfield with the loan signing of Keith Andrews from Blackburn, it’s another quality addition and he looks set to make his debut tomorrow.

Hull have stabilised since being relegated two seasons ago and Nigel Pearson has done well to bring in some much needed reinforcements. Matty Fryatt and Aaron McLean are two players who bring with them goals and have had a few months to get used to their new surroundings after signing last year, more will be expected from them this time around. Jack Hobbs was their most expensive purchase of the summer after signing from Pearson’s old club Leicester City. Pearson has also signed the likes of Kevin Kilbane, Dele Adebola and Paul McKenna which will bring much needed experience to what is a relatively young group of players. Hull were denied by Blackpool in their opening match of the season with the Seasiders pinching a late goal to take all three points at the KC Stadium. It was a reminded to all that the Championship is one of the most competitive leagues in English football.

Ipswich will be looking to Michael Chopra for a lot of their goals this season and the prolific striker got off to the best possible start with a double in last Saturday’s 3-0 success. He is used to scoring goals, it’s what he was bought for and his partnership with Nathan Ellington will be one of the most potent in the division.

Hull will be hoping they can secure their first points of the season after their sticky start last Friday so it would be no surprise to see them set out with a defence minded approach. Pearson likes to build from the back so will look to frustrate Ipswich who are at their best when allowed to dictate the pace of the game and get the likes of Bowyer and Lee Martin on the ball.

Success in this league revolves around a strong home record which Jewell will be well aware of. With so much attacking options in the team, the home side have the definite advantage and I think it will be enough for them to secure their second straight league victory.

My Selection: Ipswich to beat Hull

Best odds available: 21/20 available with William Hill

Scottish Premier League

Celtic v Dundee United

Celtic play their first home game of the season tomorrow, after two away matches, against a so far unbeaten Dundee United side who will be hoping they can repeat last years feat of taking a point from Celtic Park.

Neil Lennon and his Celtic side have enjoyed a 100% record thus far after two away matches at Hibernian and Aberdeen. They have yet to concede a goal either but have been struck down with numerous injuries so early in the season. Mark Wilson, Beram Kayal and Glenn Loovens all look set to miss out tomorrow but the biggest blow to Lennon is that last season’s player of the year, Emilio Izzaguirre will be out for up to six months with a broken leg sustained in the victory at Pittotdrie last Sunday. Charlie Mulgrew will deputise in his absence for now but it the little Honduran is a big player who will be missed. Scott Brown looks set to take the armband for the first time this season after missing the opening games through suspension, he picked up a knock whilst on international duty but should shake it off in time to lead out the Hoops tomorrow afternoon.

Dundee United have a different look to them this season after three of their best players have moved on in recent weeks. David Goodwillie followed Prince Buaben and Morgao Gomis out the door. Peter Houston is unable to delve into a massive transfer budget so the free transfers of John Rankin from Hibs and Willo Flood from Middlesbrough are decent alternatives in the midfield. Houston will be hoping that Johnny Russell can take a further step forward this season and attempt to fill the void that Goodwillie has left. Russell is certainly talented and will score goals, but it’s a matter of whether this will have come a little too soon for him, time will tell. United have one win and two draws from their first three games. Their only away game thus far resulted in a 1-0 victory at Tynecastle over Hearts so there will be a belief when they travel to the East end of Glasgow tomorrow that they can come away with something.

Celtic have not been the busiest of clubs in the transfer window this summer so the team looks very similar to last season with only Kelvin Wilson and Adam Matthews added to the starting XI for tomorrow’s match. It means that going forward they will rely on the likes of Anthony Stokes, who has already scored twice this term, Kris Commons and last years top scorer Gary Hooper. Hooper has failed to get off the mark yet this season but has scored several in pre-season and will be itching to get going in competitive football.

The odds on a home win are a little primivative to say the least and seeing as though United are no pushovers, I’m inclined to give the handicap a miss with this game. Instead, I see value in Gary Hooper to score at anytime during the match and for Celtic to be victorious. Four bookmakers carry odds for such bets with the best odds available with BlueSquare and 888Sport.

My Selection: Gary Hooper to score in 90 minutes and Celtic to win

Best odds available: 5/6 available with BlueSquare

Saturday 10^th April

English Premier League

Hull City v Burnley

Another week in the Premier League and another massive game at the bottom of the table as Hull and Burnley go toe to toe at the KC stadium.

Iain Dowie has won 1 and lost 2 in his first 3 games in charge of Hull but there definitely seems to be an improvement in their displays since he took over. His first game in charge away to Portsmouth was a hard defeat to take considering they were leading 2-1 in the dying minutes only to lose two goals. Their next game was at home to Fulham where they turned in an excellent performance to clinch a 2-0 win and give them renewed hope in their battle against the drop. Confidence was high going into last weekends away match at Stoke but they were brought back down to earth with a comprehensive 2-0 loss. Not many teams come away from the Britannia with much so it may not have been a surprise but it was still another 3 points away and 1 less game to play. Dowie must now recharge his troops ahead of tomorrow’s match. It really is a must win match and one which he will have targeted for 3 points as soon as he was installed as Hull’s manager last month.

Burnley are on an horrendous run which culminated last week in an embarrassing 6-1 home defeat to Manchester City. Brian Laws’ side were 5-0 down going in at half time and you have to wonder what that defeat has done to confidence as well as their already remote chances of staying in the Premier League for another season. They are currently 4 points behind 17^th placed West Ham but more crucially, they haven’t managed to collect maximum points from a game since the beginning of February. They have lost 9 out of a possible 10, drawing the other one. They are damning statistics and you have to think that they are all but down. Even if they win tomorrow, Burnley will be 1 point adrift of Hull who will still have a game in hand over them. As well as their recent run of horrific form, they are still chasing their first away win of the season as we approach the last 4 weeks of the season. 1 point from a possible 48, 11 goals scored and 47 conceded (just under 3 goals a game). You wouldn’t fancy them doing anything constructive on the road when you look at such a record.

These two sides know it’s win or bust basically at this stage of the season and as such you can expect a tense 90 minutes. Both defences leak goals however so it would not be a massive surprise if there were some goals in the fixture, then again, you wouldn’t be shocked if it was a dour encounter with 1 goal settling the game. Due to the nature of the match and how important it is for both sides to get all 3 points, I’m ruling out the draw. It doesn’t benefit anyone so late in the season so I think both sides will be going for it right up until the last kick of the ball if it is a stalemate at that point. Hull have a decent home record for a side who are in a relegation battle with 6 wins and 5 draws from 15 matches. Jimmy Bullard is back fit and his influence cannot be underestimated. He’s creative, he’s a leaders and most importantly he scores crucial goals. I’ve often considered Burnley to be weak in the midfield with no real quality, Hull certainly do in the shape of Bullard and to a lesser extent Stephen Hunt, and for that reason, I’m tipping them to take all 3 points.

My selection: Hull to beat Burnley at a best priced 3/4 available with Paddy Power

English Championship

Middlesbrough v Sheffield Wednesday

Both sides are in desperate need of the points for very different reasons at the Riverside tomorrow as ‘Boro are still chasing a play-off spot whilst Wednesday are battling for their lives at the bottom.

Gordon Strachan has not had the season he would have wished for since taking over from Gareth Southgate earlier on in the season. After enjoying plenty of success at Celtic over the last 4 years, the stop start nature of this season will have surprised him. His side have never been able to put a proper run of form together and as a result they find themselves trailing in the search for a play-off spot behind far lesser clubs in the shape of Blackpool, Leicester and Swansea. Strachan tried to recreate the environment he had in Glasgow at the Riverside by bringing in several players from Celtic in the January transfer window. Stephen McManus, Willo Flood, Barry Robson, Chris Killen and Scott McDonald all arrived to link up once again with their former manager. Robson has been the biggest success to date whilst McDonald is back fit and will undoubtedly score goals at this level after such a successful spell in the SPL over the last few years.

Sheffield Wednesday are also a big club in the Championship, but they might not be for much longer – they could end up being a massive club in League 1 next season. They have struggled for much of the season at the foot of the table and have it all to do if they want to survive. They are level on points with Watford who sit directly above them but out of the relegation zone, only Watford have a game in hand. Alan Irvine was brought in at the turn of the year to lead the club to safety after the sacking of Brian Laws, after a initial good start, the players have reverted to form. They have won just once in their last 8 games but at the same time, have lost just twice in that run of fixtures. Draws  are decent enough at this stage of the season for a lot of clubs, but when you are fighting for your lives you really need to pick up more wins in as many games.

‘Boro are 6 points outside of the final play-off spot with 4 games to play. It looks very much like an uphill battle but one thing you can be sure of is Strachan’s teams going to the wire. They will never give up on anything until it is mathematically impossible. Blackpool travel to Newcastle this weekend, whilst Leicester go to Peterborough who will be on a high after appointing Gary Johnson as manager during the midweek. It’s not inconceivable that Middlesbrough could find themselves just 3 points off of 6^th place tomorrow evening if results go their way. They had an excellent 2-0 away win down at Plymouth  on Easter Monday so it’s clear that they still have the desire to go up. They also have an excellent record of tomorrow’s opponents with 4 wins in the last 4 games in this fixture.

My selection: Middlesbrough to beat Sheffield Wednesday available at 8/11 with Betfred

                           Scott McDonald to score anytime at a best priced 6/4 with Skybet

Arsenal, who have somehow managed to claw their way level on points with Chelsea at the top of the Premier League, will be looking to capitalise on any mistake made by the Blues or Manchester Untied over the weekend. After a storming win over Porto in the Champions League midweek, the Gunners have bounced back from looking well out of the title race in the Premier League. Back to back defeats against Chelsea and Manchester United, had seemed to put them completely out of the picture as far as winning the league went. But less than perfect form by Chelsea and Man Utd, have let Arsene Wenger close the gap, and once again become a real candidate for the title. This is all without some of their key players, and shows the resilience of the London side.

They travel to the KC Stadium for Saturday’s evening kick off, to take on Hull, who have only won once in 14 league games. Thanks to that dire form, Hull are rooted second from bottom, and have a bit struggle on their hands to ensure that they will play Premier League football again next season. They have taken a battering on the road, failing to pick up a single win, and having the worst defensive away record in the league. Therefore, all five of their wins have come at home, but they have big problems. These is a battle of two contrasting fortunes, with just about eight games left to go after the weekend, if Arsenal can pick up another three points against the struggling Hull, they will be having big ambitions. There is doubt over whether Cesc Fabregas will be fit enough to play, and Tomas Rosicky is also a doubt. With the likes of Aaron Ramsey, William Gallas, Kieron Gibbs and Robin Van Persie missing, there are a lot of starters missing for Wenger. They will await a late decision on whether Sol Campbell will be fit enough too.

Arsenal are the Premier League’s top scorers, despite all of their problems. They manage to find goals from somewhere, and will be cheered by Nicklas Bendtner’s hat trick in midweek, as he was under some pressure to deliver goals after coming back from injury. One thing Arsenal have is a good team spirit, something which has come into question this week at Hull. There was, apparently, a bust up between Jimmy Bullard and Nick Barmby, which Hull boss Phil Brown has had to make a public apology for. This is the last thing which Hull needs as they go in search of a win which could lift them out of the relegation zone. Having only scored once in their last three games, there doesn’t appear to be much hope for them going into the match against the free scoring Gunners.

It has been another tough season for Hull, who only remained in the Premier League by the skin of their teeth last season. There is a little spice in this Saturday Premier League fixture, as there were reports of a brawl in the tunnel when the two sides met in December, and Wenger had previously snubbed Brown after the Hull boss had made comments about Arsenal’s star player Cesc Fabregas.

BETTING STATS

Head to Head
Arsenal 3, Hull 0
Hull 1, Arsenal 3
Arsenal 1, Hull 2

Last 5 Match Goals
Hull: 4 For, 11 Against
Arsenal: 9 For, 4 Against

Last 10 Match Form
Hull: W1, D4, L5
Arsenal: W6, D2, L2

Win percentage:
Hull have a 38.5 win percentage at home
Arsenal have a 50.0 win percentage away from home

Match Prices
Hull to win: 8/1 at ExtraBet
Draw: 10/3 at Paddy Power
Arsenal to win: 4/9 at Boylesports

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: This really should be a banker for the Gunners. Will they romp to another 3 goals? Quite possibly, more so if they were at home. They need to keep the pressure up on Chelsea and Man Utd and should secure the win. With that strong advantage, it’ll be wise to back Hull at a positive handicap.
Hull +1.75 Asian Handicap: 9/10 at Victor Chandler

Saturday 20^th February

English Premier League

West Ham United v Hull City

It’s yet another battle between two sides at the bottom of the table desperate for points as Phil Brown leads his Hull side to London set to take on improving West Ham.

The Hammers have finally begun to pick up points regularly for really the first time this season. Gianfranco Zola’s side have lost just one of their last 5 but at the same time, they’ve only won one of those. It may not be pretty reading compared to the form of the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Everton but when you put it alongside teams in and around them, there’s not too many who can rival it in terms of not losing games – which is fundamental at this stage of the season. Their last match saw a very convincing 2-0 win over high-flying Birmingham at home. It was a win that owed much to the influence of Carlton Cole. The England striker scored his first goal since returning from injury and he led the line exceptionally well. He can be the catalyst between now and the end of the season for the East London club and it’s imperative he remains fit and healthy. He was partnered upfront by one of the club’s new singings in the January window – Mido. The former Middlesborough, Wigan and Tottenham player has been a regular fixture in the Premier League so it was no real surprise to see him return to these shores last month. He could prove to be an astute signing between now and the end of the season and along with Benni McCarthy and Ilan, West Ham have certainly strengthened what had been a problematic area in the earlier part of the campaign.

Hull will again have to make do without the talismanic figure of Jimmy Bullard. The midfielder is still recovering from injury but could be given a place on the bench to boost team morale if nothing else, as the former Fulham man is without doubt the best and most important player at the football club. City will be looking for their first away win of the season on Saturday which is a damning statistic when you think that only they and Burnley remain winless on the road. They have scored a measly 7 goals as well on their travels, conceding 31, the 3^rd worst record in the division. Phil Brown is tasked with sorting this out but it remains to be seen whether he has the players and quality at his disposal to do so. Many feel that Hull were extremely lucky to survive their maiden season last year, with a horrendous run of form after Christmas meaning they relied upon other teams keeping them up whilst sending Newcastle down. This season they have performed at a decent enough level at home with 5 wins and 5 draws from 13 games but have let themselves down with some horrific away results. Their most recent away defeat came against Blackburn where the 1-0 reverse flattered them. It was a game which only ever looked like having the home side triumphant at the end, but poor finishing allied with some great saves from Boaz Myhill meant they were always in the game without ever really looking like scoring.

West Ham have won 2 and drawn 1 of their last 3 games and they’ve kept 3 clean sheets in the process. They have class all over the field from their keeper Rob Green, to Matthew Upson, Scott Parker, Valon Behrami through to Cole up top. It’s a very strong spine they have in their team and is arguably why they have by far the best goal difference of the 7 teams involved in the relegation battle. Their squad is packed full of international players, several of whom will be playing in South Africa this summer so they will be motivated even more so to go there on a high by helping their club out of this predicament.

Hull do not look the same team without Bullard in the midfield so the sooner they get him back the better they’ll be. Until he is fit enough to return, a lot of expectation will be heaped upon Stephen Hunt. The Irish wide player is the club’s top scorer this season with 6 and he’s been the subject of much interest despite only moving to the KC Stadium last summer. He’s the infectious player a club like Hull needs and he’s done will thus far. He can only do so much though and it’s upfront where they tend to fall down.

West Ham won this match pretty easily last season, winning 2-0. It was a performance which merited an even bigger margin of victory but I’m positive if you offered Zola any sort of win on Saturday, he wouldn’t care one bit about how they achieved it. Hull do not have enough upfront to worry a stronger West Ham defence whilst Cole looks to be getting back to his best and is likely to prove too much for a porous Tigers backline.

My selection: West Ham to beat Hull

Best odds available: Best priced 5/6 available with Boylesports

English Championship

Newcastle United v Preston North End

Newcastle will be looking to extend their unbeaten home record this season when Preston come calling on Saturday.

The home side returned to the top of the Championship on Wednesday with a 4-1 success of crisis club Crystal Palace. They had to come back from a goal down in the first half but their superior class and quality of player prevailed as they made chalked up their 12^th home win of the campaign. Despite being top for much of the season, Chris Houghton refused to rest on his laurels and strengthened his side during the transfer window. He brought in a total of 5 players on a mixture of loans and permanent deals and all 5 have played some part in the fixtures since. Arguably the most effective, certainly in an attacking sense, has been Wayne Routledge. The little winger joined from QPR and has made an immediate impact in the North East. He’s provided balance in a position which has seen many a player tried in it. He scored in the 4-1 win over his old club and he’s created several goals with his sharp wing play and accurate crossing. He’s a dream provider for the likes of Andy Carroll and Shola Ameobi, as well as fellow new signing, Leon Best. Newcastle have the best home defensive record in the league, and joint best overall. It’s been added to by the capture of Mike Williamson from Portsmouth. The former Watford stopper has slotted in seamlessly and looks to be the solid, no nonsense centre back that the club have been looking for in their attempts to go straight back up.

Preston are on to their 2^nd manager of the season with Darren Ferguson taking the reigns after the sacking of Alan Irvine. Ferguson has found it hard thus far with only 1 win in 5 league games. They suffered an embarrassing 5-2 thrashing on Tuesday away to Derby in a match which could easily have been even worse for North End had it not been for some woeful finishing from the Derby players. Everytime Derby attacked they looked threatening and their key players were afforded too much space, especially Rob Hulse who simply bullied the Preston centre halves whenever they did decided to get close to him. It’s worrying times for Ferguson as he’s unable to call upon a massive squad anyway, but when his key players such as Sean St Ledger and Ross Wallace are off the boil, it’s very difficult to bring anyone else in to freshen things up. They won’t find things any easier on Saturday when they travel north, especially when you consider they have lost 9 away games already this season, including 6 of the last 7.

Newcastle have been like a juggernaut at St James’ this year and they know it must continue to roll along with the league being so tight and also because their away form is not nearly as good as their home. It’s these type of games which will determine where they finish come May as everyone will drop points, but it’s dropping silly points such as a home game against a side out of form which will severely dent their promotion aspirations. Preston look far too weak at the back to hold out for anything other than damage limitation – comfortable home win.

My selection: Newcastle to beat Preston

Best odds available: Best priced 4/7 available with Stan James and Coral

Scottish Premier League

Motherwell v Hibernian

Motherwell are not quite out of the running for 3^rd place but they know that anything other than 3 points against the team currently in that position, Hibs, will all but end their hopes.

Craig Brown has done a fantastic job since taking over from Jim Gannon on a temporary basis until the end of the season. The former Scotland manager has led his new side to 7 matches unbeaten in the league, including 4 wins. What’s been most impressive about this is the fact he’s used exactly the same players as his predecessor but far more effectively. It’s a very young squad he’s working with so inconsistency could have been a problem – it’s been anything but. They’ve brushed aside Aberdeen and Kilmarnock away from home whilst winning against St Mirren and Hamilton at Fir Park of late, but there best performance was 10 days ago at home to Rangers. They dominated the match from start to finish and if not for a shocking offside call, would have been 2-0 up with 20 minutes to player. As it was, Rangers leveled the match late on but the home side earned many plaudits for their way of playing.

Hibs have had a good season up till now but there are signs there that they have ran out of good performances and that little bit of luck. They are now 3 games without a win and have conceded 10 goals in the process, taking only a solitary point which they had to rely on a last minute penalty against Aberdeen to earn. They have stuttered of late and it’s probably down to the fact they’ve overachieved in the first half of the season thanks to a load of Anthony Stokes’ goals and some excellent support from Liam Miller in the middle of the park. These two have failed to perform in the last couple of weeks which has had a serious effect on results. They can’t keep pulling them out the bag all season and it looks as though they are tired from their early season exertions, especially when you consider that both have played little football in the last couple of seasons.

‘Well currently sit 8 points behind Saturday’s visitors so a win is a must to narrow the gap and put the pressure on between now and the split. Hibs were thumped 5-1 in midweek away to St Johnstone and it will be interesting to see how the players react on Saturday. I thought they looked out of ideas against Rangers last Sunday whilst their defence looked more vulnerable than it has done for much of the season. Motherwell are on a roll at the minute and the value certainly lies with a home win on Saturday.

My selection: Motherwell to beat Hibs

Best odds available: Best priced 6/4 available with several bookmakers including Skybet

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.

It turned out to be a rather poor week last week, especially with Liverpool losing away to Sunderland. I was under the impression that Gerrard and Torres would make it which, as I stated in my preview, played a large part in my tipping of them. Hopefully I’ll get back on track this week.

Saturday 24^th October (12.45)

English Premier League

Wolves v Aston Villa

Tomorrow’s meeting will be the first time these two rivals have played each other in the league for over 5 seasons. Villa will be looking to build on an excellent win over Chelsea last time out whilst Mick McCarthy’s Wolves are winless in their last 4 so will be looking to stop the rot tomorrow afternoon.

Wolves won the Championship at a canter last season but have stuttered on their return to England’s top flight. McCarthy has not invested too much money attempting to bring his squad up to the required quality and quantity to stay in the Premier League. Kevin Doyle, Greg Halford and Stefan Maierhofer have been 3 of his summer signings brought in for a bit of cash. The former Republic of Ireland manager has instead chose to persevere with the players who earned the clubs promotion last season. Stalwarts of that team such as Karl Henry, David Edwards and Richard Stearman have all played more often than not this term. From their opening 9 games, Wanderers have won twice and lost five. One of those wins came against Fulham at the end of September at Molineux. Their other home games have resulted in defeats to Portsmouth and West Ham with a draw against Hull City. If they wish to stay in the top division, their home form will have to improve sooner rather than later. Last time out, Wolves earned a credible draw away from home against Everton.

Martin O’Neill’s Villa have been very impressive for the majority of this season with only a couple of poor performances in matches where they would expect to pick up points in. There’s no secret or magical ingredient involved, it’s down to good organisation, hard work and skill and pace upfront. O’Neill has basically bought an entire new defence for his sides assault on a Champions League place next season, and it was two members of his new look defence that got the goals last weekend against Chelsea. Richard Dunne and James Collins scored from set-pieces in the come from behind 2-1 victory. With the World Cup coming up next summer, James Milner, Ashley Young, Gabby Agbonlahor and Emile Heskey will be giving their all to earn a place on England’s plane to South Africa. Milner and Agbonlahor especially have upped their game this term and the signs are there that Young is getting back to his best. Villa’s last away match was a 2-1 reverse at Blackburn but they have already won on the road against Liverpool and in another Midland’s derby at Birmingham.

Wolves will be minus Maierhofer after the giant Austrian’s red card at Goodison last week so one of Sylvain Ebanks Blake, Andy Keogh or the fit again Chris Iwelumo will partner top scorer and record transfer Kevin Doyle tomorrow. It may be that McCarthy decides to play one up front with two wide players in support to keep it tight in the middle of the park, however, if he chooses to go this way it will mean an extremely hard shift for Doyle against a disciplined and well-oiled back Villa back four. O’Neill will more than likely play the same XI that started against Chelsea last week with John Carew preferred over Emile Heskey upfront. Luke Young is back training but is unlikely to start with Carlos Cuellar in great form at right back.

Villa have pace in abundance going forward and have the set piece delivery to make their clear height advantage worthwhile. They’ll get their fare share of opportunities in the air with Milner and Young’s expert delivery for the aforementioned Dunne, Collins, Carew and Cuellar. This is where I think the game will be won and as Wolves have already lost several goals from corners and free kicks I think the Villain’s will come through this match rather comfortably.

My selection: Aston Villa to beat Wolves

Best odds available: 23/20 available with several bookmakers including Bluesquare

English Premier League

Hull City v Portsmouth

The proverbial relegation 6-pointer takes place tomorrow at the KC stadium as 18^th placed Hull City entertain bottom dogs Portsmouth.

I, along with many others, expected Hull to struggle this term after the way they finished last season coupled with the loss of a couple of important players in the shape of Michael Turner and Manucho.  The biggest surprise I find is that there are still two teams below them in the table. Phil Brown has invested heavily in the last 10 months to improve results on the park with Jimmy Bullard, Stephen Hunt, Seyi Olofinjana and Kamel Ghilas all coming in for substantial fees. Strikers Jose Altiodre and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink have also been acquired to the ranks in an attempt to score more goals and ultimately, earn more points. Hull have won two and lost two at home this season which isn’t too bad at all. Their wins have came against Wigan and Bolton whilst they lost to Tottenham and Birmingham City.

Portsmouth have been in turmoil for most of the season but things may just be beginning to turn around for Paul Hart and his troops. Takeover rumours, aligned with player sales have meant that it’s never been easy for the Pompey on the park this season. The likes of Glen Johnson, Peter Crouch and Niko Kranjcar have all departed as has captain Sylvain Distin. Hart has not had much money to play with in his pursuit of replacements but has managed to add a plethora of new faces. The main one’s include Kevin-Prince Boateng, Tommy Smith, Steve Finnan and Jamie O’Hara on loan from Spurs. It has taken a month or two for Hart to assemble his strongest team from a large squad but it looks as though he’s getting closer to knowing what he wants and who he wants. They may only have three points (the win at Molineux) but they have performed admirably in the last month. That win was in between impressive performances in defeat against Everton and Spurs. The Spurs match inparticular was hard to take considering the chances the home side missed, most notably Aruna Dindane’s sitters.

Both sides desperately need a win tomorrow for obvious reasons, Portsmouth especially. Lose and they will be cast further adrift from the teams above them. Michael Brown will miss out after his late ordering off last week but Jamie O’Hara (ineligible to play last Saturday) will slot in for him. Otherwise it should be a similar side to the ones that have taken the field the last few games for the away side. The big news for Hull will be the likely starting place for Jimmy Bullard who was injured in January after his transfer to the tigers. He will be joined in tomorrow’s squad by Anthony Gardner and Nick Barmby.

I’ve been impressed with Portsmouth whenever I’ve seen them. They’re direct, play decent football and create a lot of chances. The only reason they’ve accumulated just 3 points is their poor finishing so I’m taking a chance and going with Paul Harts men in the hope they take a couple of the chances they are certainly going to make.

My selection: Portsmouth to beat Hull City

Best odds available: 15/8 with a couple of bookmakers including Coral

English Championship

Plymouth Argyle v Ipswich Town

Another battle between two sides at the wrong end of the table desperately in need of 3 points this time in the Championship as winless Town travel to Plymouth as Roy Keane’s men look to hold on to the lead for 90+ minutes.

Paul Sturrock’s Argyle have struggled for the most part this season, only recording two wins from their opening 13 matches. This form has led to calls for the manager to be sacked and the word around the club is that Sturrock may well be axed should Plymouth fail to get a result tomorrow against the only side currently below them in the table. Their only home win this season came against Scunthorpe at the start of the month, since then they have lost to Blackpool and Bristol City.

Ipswich have actually drawn more games than they have lost this season but the fact they have not won means they prop up the Championship at this point. They have drawn 3 of their last 4 matches, most recently against Watford at home during the week. Town’s Achilles heel has been conceding goals in the dying minutes of games. This has been the case in 3 of their last four matches, so instead of picking up 7 points in that time, they have only managed to gain a paltry two.

I watched a bit of Argyle’s match away at Blackpool last Saturday and they looked very much like a team who have stopped playing for their manager. There was no drive or energy about their performance and the heads were down as soon as Blackpool scorer their first. The opposite applies to tomorrow’s visitors who have fought and scrapped for everything in the last month. A win is just around the corner and I think they’ll repeat last year’s feat and come away from Home Park with maximum points.

My selection: Ipswich to beat Plymouth

Best odds available: 9/5 available with Ladbrokes

Happy punting and Good luck

Saturday 10^th January

English Premiership

Everton v Hull

After both sides were involved in FA cup action last Saturday, it’s back to the Premiership and a clash between two sides in the top 8.

Hull were the surprise package during the first half of the season, remaining in the top 6 of the EPL for long periods of the first round of games. The points they accumulated earlier on in the season may prove to be invaluable come the end of the season if their recent form is anything to go by. Their last win the league came over a month ago at home to Middlesborough. You also have to go back to the end of October for their last win on the road. They have however, only lost two of the following 5 matches, both defeats coming to the Manchester clubs.

Everton on the other hand, took a while to get going, especially at Goodison which had proved such a fortress in the past seasons under Davie Moyes. Beset with numerous injury problems to key players resulted in the Toffees going 6 before gaining their first league win on home soil against Fulham. Since that victory, they have drawn 2, lost 1 and in their latest home game, brushed aside Sunderland 3-0. They are unbeaten in 5 games in all competitions winning 4.

Tim Cahill has proved pivotal in Everton’s recent good run playing as a lone striker for much of the last month in the absence of Yakubu, Saha and Anichebe. The latter, however, started last weekend’s cup tie and should keep his place in the starting line-up with Cahill in support. Hull will hope for a bit of magic from Geovanni who has been their talisman, especially away from home.

Everton have aspirations of European football and if they wish to achieve that, they must beat a Hull side on their worst form of the season thus far. Moyes will be hammering home how important it is to get all 3 points tomorrow with their next 3 matches against Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United. Teams are now getting accustomed to Hull’s style of play and the promoted side may find things a lot different in the 2^nd half of the season, beginning tomorrow.

My selection: Everton to beat Hull

The best price available for an Everton win is 4/6 with several bookmakers including Skybet

English Championship

Ipswich Town v Sheffield Wednesday

One point separates these two sides which suggests it has all the makings of a close fought encounter at Portman road on Saturday.  

The home side have a squad equipped to challenge for a play-off spot and play some lovely football a lot of the time. It could be argued that their young midfield is too inconsistent to put a run of victories together which is needed in this league. Their last 5 games have saw a return of 7 points whilst they have lost 2 of their last 3 home games. It should be noted, however, that these defeats came against top sides in the shape of Birmingham and Cardiff, two sides which have quality in abundance and both coming away with victories by the odd goal.

Sheffield Wednesday have stuttered of late having been challenging for a play-off spot themselves in the earlier part of the season. Their home form was key to their lofty position having only picked up 2 wins on the road, losing 8 and drawing 3. Both wins came against sides in the lower half of the table in the shape of Blackpool and Charlton. Manager Brian Laws has attempted to pick up points by playing good football, which is not always the most effective way in the Championship.

Whenever the home side have came up against mid to lower half of the table sides, they have inevitably brushed them aside, with wins over Bristol City, Derby and Barnsley amongst their 5 home successes. They themselves will play football the way it should be played and with the visitors missing the likes of Clarke, Tudgay and Wade Small.

Already 6 points behind 6^th place, the home side cannot afford to fall any further behind at this stage of the season and will be looking to record a much needed win. Wednesday concede goals on the road, they have managed to ship 30 goals on the road, the highest amount of any side in the league. Whoever play’s upfront for the home side will not get a better chance to grab a couple and kick-start their season.

My selection: Ipswich to beat Sheffield Wednesday

The best price available for an Ipswich win is 5/6 available with several bookmakers includinng Betfred

English Championship

Sheffield United v Norwich City

Tomorrow’s clash see’s two sides needing the points for very different reasons. The home side find themselves in 6^th place and occupying the 4^th and final play-off spot whilst the visitors are at the opposite end of the table only two points outside the relegation zone.

United come into this game in relatively good form with 3 wins and 2 draws from their last 5 matches. They can also count themselves very unfortunate in one of those matches when Crystal Palace equalized in the 4^th minute of injury time. Their home form has been decent with 6 wins and only 3 defeats. It should also be noted that these defeats have came against sides above them in the table, in the shape of Burnley, Reading and Wolves.

Norwich City have been rather disappointing this year considering the amount of players they brought last summer. They have lost 4 of their last 5 matches in the league with the other game resulting in a narrow win over hapless Charlton at Carrow Road in December. Their away form has been especially poor this year, picking up 8 points (2 wins and 2 draws) in 13 matches. They have only managed 11 goals in these games conceding 24.

With Preston North End, Crystal Palace and QPR breathing down Sheffield United’s neck in the play-off place hunt, they will be desperate to pick up 3 points and continue their recent good form.

My selection: Sheffield United to beat Norwich City

The best odds available for a Sheffield United win is 7/10 available with Paddypower

, they have inevitably brushed them aside, with wins over Bristol City, Derby and Barnsley amongst their 5 home successes. They themselves will play football the way it should be played and with the visitors missing the likes of Clarke, Tudgay and Wade Small.

Already 6 points behind 6^th place, the home side cannot afford to fall any further behind at this stage of the season and will be looking to record a much needed win. Wednesday concede goals on the road, they have managed to ship 30 goals on the road, the highest amount of any side in the league. Whoever play’s upfront for the home side will not get a better chance to grab a couple and kick-start their season.

My selection: Ipswich to beat Sheffield Wednesday

The best price available for an Ipswich win is 5/6 available with several bookmakers includinng Betfred

English Championship

Sheffield United v Norwich City

Tomorrow’s clash see’s two sides needing the points for very different reasons. The home side find themselves in 6^th place and occupying the 4^th and final play-off spot whilst the visitors are at the opposite end of the table only two points outside the relegation zone.

United come into this game in relatively good form with 3 wins and 2 draws from their last 5 matches. They can also count themselves very unfortunate in one of those matches when Crystal Palace equalized in the 4^th minute of injury time. Their home form has been decent with 6 wins and only 3 defeats. It should also be noted that these defeats have came against sides above them in the table, in the shape of Burnley, Reading and Wolves.

Norwich City have been rather disappointing this year considering the amount of players they brought last summer. They have lost 4 of their last 5 matches in the league with the other game resulting in a narrow win over hapless Charlton at Carrow Road in December. Their away form has been especially poor this year, picking up 8 points (2 wins and 2 draws) in 13 matches. They have only managed 11 goals in these games conceding 24.

With Preston North End, Crystal Palace and QPR breathing down Sheffield United’s neck in the play-off place hunt, they will be desperate to pick up 3 points and continue their recent good form.

My selection: Sheffield United to beat Norwich City

The best odds available for a Sheffield United win is 7/10 available with Paddypower

(Sunday, 19 October, 3pm)

Hull V West Ham

Up till this point, Hull have been the the surprise package and have pulled off some unbelievable results to climb up to 3rd in the league table. This Sunday they will host West Ham with both hoping to get their first ever win over their opponents in the league with no previous league encounters between the two sides being played before.

Hull City have been tremendous so far which has largely been down to some superb long range efforts from summer signing Geovanni. He has already scored two crackers against both Arsenal and Tottenham and another strike this Sunday could ensure the result they will be desperate for. Hull are undefeated in four league games and will be looking to make it 3 straight league wins. They do defend well in numbers and can punish teams on the break and we won’t back against them pulling off another great result this weekend.

West Ham’s new manager Gianfraco Zola will be looking for a massive improvement from his players after they were spanked by Bolton at home. Their away form has been poor this season losing two of their three away league fixtures. Without Dean Ashton they lack the presence of a regular goal scorer. Craig Bellamy has returned to fitness but he will need a couple more matches before he returns to his old goal scoring manner.

This is a tough game to call and we can’t find any case for West ham right now. Hull have been the surprise package this season we expect them to get some sort of result this Sunday. A home win is 6/4 with Bet365 and an away win is 2/1 with Skybet.

Preview by Matthew Chapple