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What next in the season for Liverpool? Every game is a must win for them now, as boss Rafa Benitez looks to salvage something from the season. Their highest priority is reaching fourth spot in the Barclays Premier League, and they are only one point away from there in sixth at the moment. The story does not read as simple as that though, because they will have a tough fight on their hands from Tottenham, Man City and Aston Villa for that. A defeat against Wigan would leave them reeling, with both Man City and Aston Villa having games in hand over them. Failure to reach the final Champions League spot for next season, would be a massive blow for the Anfield outfit, but that is what Benitez has promised.

The Reds have picked up their form somewhat, at least in terms of results, even if their play has still been leaving a lot to be desired. Six of their eight defeats have come on the road this year in the Premier League, something that looked unheard of at the start of the season, when they were expected to book a Champions League spot as one of the Big Four. They are lagging some way behind Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal this season, but there have been signs that they are not going to give up on the season without a fight. Having only lost one of their last 10 Premier League Matches, and that to Arsenal, has seen them play their way back into contention. They do have the failure of the other teams around them to capitalise on chances to pull away to be grateful for, but it has left them firmly in the hunt.

Liverpool failed to get out of the group stage of the Champions League, and now have the uphill task of trying to play their way back into next year’s competition. Failure to do that, could have a big impact on their summer signings, and financial resources for next season. They have extra reason to be hopeful, because star striker Fernando Torres is back, and being the main source of goals, the Spaniard is crucial to securing any success. Wigan’s fortunes however, have been the reverse of Liverpool’s, as they started out strongly this season, but just one win in the last thirteen matches in the league, has seen them fall rapidly backwards towards the relegation zone. The reverse fixture of this match in December, saw Liverpool win 2-1 at home, with goals from Ngog and Torres.

Wigan are pretty much at full strength, but what has happened to Roberto Martinez’s side, is a bit of a mystery.  History is not on their side for this one, neither is current form. Wigan have never beaten Liverpool, but now would probably be the best time ever. It is all falling apart for Wigan, as their try and battle their way out of their enormous slump without much luck. They were a difficult team to play against, and gave teams a good run for their money, but this season has been a different story altogether and their leaky defence, especially away from home, has left them just one point above the drop zone. Suddenly not getting relegated will seem like a success, in contrast to putting in a challenge for a top half of the table finish.

As well as gaping holes at the back away from home, Wigan have become incredibly shy in front of goal as well, just like Liverpool have on their travels. It is hard to see where the next win for Wigan is coming from, but they have to start finding ways soon to correct the situation, or else it may be too late to prevent them from playing Championship football next season. Their tally of just 11 goals at home this season, is just one better than Wolves, who have the worst record at home in the Premier League. They are ready to throw midfielder Victor Moses into the action, after the youngster, who moved from Crystal Palace, has injected a bit of life and enthusiasm into the middle of the park. But that does not always equate to quality, and lack of quality does not bring in those crucial points.

BETTING ADVICE

Last 5 Head to Head
Liverpool 2, Wigan 1
Wigan 1, Liverpool 1
Liverpool 3, Wigan 2
Liverpool 1, Wigan 1
Wigan 0, Liverpool 1

Last 5 Match Goals
Wigan: 2 For, 6 Against
Liverpool: 5 For, 2 Against

Last 10 Match Form
Wigan: W1, D4, L5
Liverpool: W6, D2, L1

Win Percentage:
Wigan have a 23.1 win percentage at home
Liverpool have a 28.6 win percentage away from home

BETTING PRICES
Liverpool: 8/13 at Bet365
Draw: 3/1 at Victor Chandler
Wigan: 11/2 at BetFair

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: The Reds should win this one, but their form on the road is not great, especially not in front of goal, having failed to score in five of their last seven away fixtures. That combined with Wigan’s lack of goals, should draw betting strategies towards a draw, or at least a Draw No Bet on the side of Liverpool. The form of Wigan is shocking, and they were thumped 3-0 at home by Spurs recently, a side which Liverpool beat. Bets will naturally lean towards Benitez picking up another vital three points, and a draw is more than possible, but a Wigan win would really come out of the blue. As a draw is likely, backing Wigan with a positive will bring a decent price:
Wigan +1 Asian Handicap: 11/10 at Victor Chandler

Sunday’s big Premier League game is between the two main forces in the race for fourth spot in the league, which equates to that all important Champions League spot next season. Usually this spot would be reserved for Liverpool, but this season they are having to work extremely hard to get it. After crashing out of the Champions League this season, having to make inroads in Europe in the Europa League, Liverpool’s Champions League participation for next season is in serious jeopardy. They are coming under fire from not only Sunday’s opponents, but from Tottenham and Aston Villa as well, who are all in the hunt. Sunday’s game against Manchester City throws up the prospect of them falling four points behind fourth placed City in the race for the Champions League.

Add to that equation the fact that Manchester City will still have a game in hand over Liverpool, and the task will start looking monumental. Reds boss Rafa Benitez has made a promise to the Anfield faithful, that he will get Liverpool into fourth place, after enduring a season which has been full of disappointments. The Europa league is all that the Reds have to play for this season in terms of silverware, and it has been quite a fall from grace for them, with Benitez having to shoulder most, if not all of the blame. Liverpool have lacked a cutting edge going forward, even when Fernando Torres has been fit, for the level of support around him and Steven Gerrard, just has not been up to par. Still, they are battling on and trying to get something out of what is left in the season.

Liverpool beat Europa League opposition Unirea Urziceni in midweek, by a 1-0 scoreline. The match was uneventful and dour, largely thanks to the visitors playing ten men behind the ball, and Liverpool lacking the creativity to do much about it. They lost their last league outing, which was a trip to the Emirates against Arsenal, and that allowed Manchester City to sneak ahead of them in midweek. This is an extremely crucial match in the scheme of things, as with Aston Villa and Tottenham both in action on Sunday as well, the standing could take on a major shift, with Liverpool finding themselves down in seventh place if things don’t go their way. But they can take heart, that it is a rare occasion when Manchester City pop up with a win over the Reds.

Manchester City have had their problems this season, after spending big in the summer. They have seen the departure of manager Mark Hughes, with replacement Roberto Mancini looking to really shake things up at the club with a strong start. They have fallen back into less than impressive ways again though, looking unconvincing in their abilities to win matches. They drew with Stoke in the FA Cup, and then tied with them again a few days later in the league, and that is exactly the type of opposition which they need to be ruthless against. Now, with suspensions, injuries and personal lives stacking up against them, they need to dig deep to get back to fluent, convincing, winning ways. A win for City on Sunday, could be a huge turning point in the season.

There have been rumours of a bust up between boss Mancini and striker Craig Bellamy, but Mancini may need him for Sunday’s game, as star player Carlos Tevez is back home in Argentina looking after family affairs with the birth of his daughter. With the fuss surrounding full back Wayne Bridge in the John Terry scandal, recent signing Patrick Vieira’s charge of violent misconduct, and the inability to get Robinho up to scratch, it appears that Mancini really needs to tighten the ship and get some team spirit and belief going. They do have one good thing in their favour, and that is their great home form this season. Like league leaders Chelsea, they have yet to lose a home game at Eastlands this season, and have lost fewer than Arsenal and Manchester United, who are above them in the league. In contrast to Sunday’s opponents Liverpool, who have lost 8 times in the league this season, City have only lost four times, all on the road. But they have let far too many chances slip though, and have piled up the drawn matches under Mark Hughes, which could cost them dearly in the end.

BETTING STATS

Last 5 Head to Head
Liverpool 2, Man City 2
Liverpool 1, Man City 1
Man City 2, Liverpool 3
Liverpool 1, Man City 0
Man City 0, Liverpool 0

Last 5 Match Goals
Man City: 6 For, 5 Against
Liverpool: 5 For, 1 Against

Last 10 Form
Man City: W6, D1, L3
Liverpool: W6, D2, L2

Win Percentage
Man City have a 75.0 win percentage at home
Liverpool have a 30.8 win percentage away from home

Match Prices:
Man City to win: 13/8 at Victor Chandler
Draw: 23/10 at Totesport
Liverpool to win: 2/1 at SkyBet

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: This looks to have draw written all over it. Liverpool have developed of knack of picking up vital wins against the teams immediately around them, and their defence will keep them in with a good chance. With no Tevez to inspire them, City may struggle again for fluency, and it could all peter out into a non-event. A draw wouldn’t be a disaster for either side, neither would it be satisfactory. If anything, backing City, simply because of their great home form, would be the way to lean in betting.
Manchester City -0.5 Asian Handicap: 6/4 at Paddy Power

Liverpool enter on to the stage of the Europa League tonight, with a home tie against Unirea Urziceni. The Romanians, managed by ex-Chelsea player Dan Petrescu, made a good impact in the Champions League, and were unlucky not to get out of their group, finishing in third place on the last day. They even picked up a good 1-0 win over strong Spanish side Sevilla, and demolished Rangers 4-1 in the group. This may not be as easy a game as Liverpool would have hoped for, but at least they are still in European competition, the last piece of silverware they have a chance of winning.

The Reds still have to soldier on without star striker Fernando Torres, but boss Rafa Benitez has been boosted by the news that Jamie Carragher has recovered from a knock to take his place in the line up at Anfield. For all of their faults going forward, Liverpool have looked pretty solid at the back for the large part. That is something which they can actually build upon for next season, and take confidence from in going forward. The lack of creativity in midfield has hurt the Reds this season, and without Torres they have next to nothing up front. Granted they have been dogged by injury, and Benitez, in getting players back, will have some tough calls to make

Yossi Benayoun, who has been up there with the likes of Gerrard and Torres in terms of turning in good performances consistently this season when playing, is fit to play again, and he could come into the side at the expense of summer signing Alberto Aquilani, who has yet to show much return on his hefty transfer figure. The Reds can appease the Kop a little with a good run in the Europa League but need to improve massively on the sorts of performances which they turned out in the Group stages of the Champions League. During that they lacked inspiration and a cohesive game plan going forward. While results in the Premier League have showed signs of improvement, seeing the Reds playing their way into contention for the all important fourth place in the Premier League, there is still much work to be done by Benitez in ensuring Liverpool can get back to the standings where their fans expect them to be.

Liverpool to win: 3/10 at Totesport
Draw: 9/2 at Victor Chandler
Unirea Urziceni: 12/1 at Victor Chandler

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: Liverpool should be strong enough in defence to see their way through this tie. That won’t be enough though, as they need to get their noses in front in the first leg, so that they can ease the pressure off themselves for the return trip to Romania. They do have selection problems, but it will be another one of those surprises and upsets in their season if they do not get through this task.
Unirea Urziceni +1:  2/1 at Bet365

Arsenal’s Premier League title seems to have come off the rails in the very short period of three matches. After mounting an excellent charge with some great form, they hid the skids when they travelled to Villa Park for a midweek game, and could only manage a 0-0 draw. That wasn’t good enough for Arsene Wenger’s men, but it wasn’t the end of the world. The following two games however, probably were in terms of ending any hopes of winning the Premier League this season. First they crashed at home 3-1 to Manchester United, who simply outclassed them, and the subsequent defeat against Chelsea has left them trailing 7 points behind second placed Manchester United. It will be a long way back now for Wenger’s Gunners. According to Spanish media, star Midfielder Cesc Fabregas has verbally agreed to sign for Barcelona in the summer, though nothing has been confirmed by the Gunners yet.

With a war of words ensuing between Wenger and Chelsea’s Michael Ballack, who bit back against the Arsenal bosses claims that Chelsea didn’t put on a good footballing performance in their 2-0 victory over Arsenal, Wenger’s team could now be left in no man’s land. They clearly do not look good enough to keep up with the top two, but are too good to finish any lower than third. However, the picture could all change again with their midweek fixture at the Emirates against Liverpool. The Merseysiders are just five points back of Wenger’s men, and another defeat for Arsenal would put even their third place finish into some kind of jeopardy. The fixture list hasn’t been too kind to Arsenal, with a run of games back to back against the other three of the Big Four, as they are known. Wenger will need to stop the rot and get their form back, and getting three points on Wednesday, putting them 8 points ahead of the fourth placed team, would seriously hamper Liverpool’s plans of finishing in the last Champions League spot.

Liverpool have had their problems this season, and are lacking quality all over the park, but somehow they still manage to keep on picking up points. They will have been boosted by their derby day win over Everton on the weekend, and a run of games against lower opposition, has seem them climb into a surprising fourth place. For most of the season they have looked like a side which are a lot worse than a fourth place finish, but the difference this season, is that they are not comfortably back in the top four. They certainly haven’t had their own way with things, and with injuries to Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres not helping, they are more grinding out results than playing with any kind of cohesion, flair or passion.

But, credit where it is due, boss Rafa Benitez has dug really deep to get his team back into Champions League contention. There have been cries for his job, after crashing out of the FA Cup and Champions League, but he has stuck to his guns and persevered. It’s not where Liverpool want to, as fourteen points back out of first place is a monumental difference in class. Instead they find themselves leading the chasing pack for fourth spot, which includes Manchester City, Tottenham and Aston Villa. Liverpool could do themselves a huge favour by beating Arsenal, who must have their backs against the ropes right now, as the Reds will be worried about Manchester City, level on points with them, with a game in hand.

There are still clearly issues which need working out by Rafa Benitez, as highlighted in a poor 0-0 against Wolves, and the FA Cup exit to Championship side Reading. This summer could be the most important one in his Liverpool tenure, as he is going to need to sign some quality players to fill out his starting eleven. One thing they do have going for them, is their defence, which remains difficult to break down. It is going forward where they are lacking a cutting edge, looking directionless without real quality in the team. If Benitez can take the positives of the defence and build outwards for them, then that promised land of a fourth placed finish could still be achieved against the odds. It is not going to be an easy ride, but grinding out results at this point of the season, should be enough to keep the Kop happy until the summer.

BETTING STATS

Last 5 Head to Head
Liverpool 1, Arsenal 2
Arsenal 2, Liverpool 1
Liverpool 4, Arsenal 4
Arsenal 1, Liverpool 1
Liverpool 4, Arsenal 2

Last 5 Match Goals
Arsenal: 7 For, 7 Against
Liverpool: 6 For, 1 Against

Last 10 Form
Arsenal: W5, D3, L2
Liverpool: W6, D2, L2

Win Percentage
Arsenal have a 75.0 win percentage at home
Liverpool have a 33.3 win percentage away from home

Match Prices
Arsenal to win: 11/10 at Bet365
Draw: 12/5 at SkyBet
Liverpool: 3/1 at Victor Chandler

Betting Advice: Liverpool have won only 4 out of their 12 matches on the road, and Arsenal’s slick passing found a way to beat Liverpool when they met earlier this season. That should be the difference again at the Emirates. Despite their two crucial losses against Man Utd and Chelsea, Arsenal are still a good side, and have a strong home record. It will need a lot of creativity to beat Liverpool, and break them down at the back, but their passing game should be good enough. Wenger will know the importance of this game, and Arsenal need to get back on draw. Liverpool would probably be happy with a draw themselves, as it’ll show another step in the right direction. Having lost against all top three opposition already, they’d settle for an away point.
Liverpool +0.5 Asian Handicap: 5/6 at Victor Chandler

It is a major weekend in the Premier League, with the action kicking off with the Merseyside derby between Liverpool v Everton. Betting will be rocketing on the game, as the Toffees go in search of revenge for their 2-0 home defeat in November. A sluggish start to the season has been redressed somewhat by boss David Moyes, as he has finally gotten some of his players back from injuries. The injury crisis at Goodison was almost bordering on the comical, as the blues lost player after player. Still, Moyes, in his frugal and understated way, has dragged the club back up into the top ten. It would take a monumental effort to get anywhere near the fourth spot that would seal a Champions League place, but they could do themselves a huge favour by beating their bitter rivals.

Everton are not one of the expansive top six sides in the Premier League, but they fall in to the category of being diligent workhouses, which usually secures them a top half of the table finish. With a game based on defence first, they aren’t going to go out and blitz teams like the top three can do, but they can grind out good honest results. That’s what they have done in their last two Premier League matches, with wins over Wigan and Fulham, which was a nice way to bounce back after losing in the FA Cup to Birmingham. The Toffees are definitely on the up at this point of the season, and with the likes of Phil Jagielka and Michael Arteta all coming back from injury, the competition for places will hot up again, and that should drive Everton further.

What hasn’t been said about Liverpool this season? Well, maybe apart from “that was an excellent performance”. They have been rocked with an injury to their star forward Fernando Torres, and haven’t had Steven Gerrard at their disposal all season either. That said, they have played their way into fifth place, but once teams beneath them catch up on their games in hand, it could be a completely different story. They could easily be down in sixth or seventh if they don’t pick up a win against Everton at Anfield in Saturday’s early kick off. Last season, they were frustrated after being held to two 1-1 draws by Everton, in cup and league. That won’t be enough for them this season, as they can’t afford to start going backwards again.

Despite their problems, they have managed to beat both Tottenham and Aston Villa in their last five league games, but the scorelines flattered them both times. They have a problem with quality of players in the starting eleven and that is evidently not good enough for a club of Liverpool’s stature. There is only one man to take the fall, and that is coach Rafa Benitez, as he’s the one who has made all the signings. But the results have been brighter recently, on the large part, if not the performances. They haven’t lost in six league matches, which sounds good, but draws against Wolves and Stokes masks the true identity of the team. So does the FA Cup exit to Championship strugglers Reading. Somehow they are showing their stick-ability, and are getting results. That may just be enough to help them fulfil the promise that under fire Benitez made, that they will finish fourth.

BETTING STATS

Last 5 Head to Head (League)
Everton 0, Liverpool 2
Liverpool 1, Everton 1
Everton 0, Liverpool 2
Liverpool 1, Everton 0
Everton1, Liverpool 2

Last 5 Match Goals
Liverpool: 6 For, 1 Against
Everton: 9 For, 2 Against

Last 10 Form
Liverpool: W5, D3, L1
Everton W4, D5, L1

Win Percentage
Liverpool have a 66.7 win percentage at home
Everton have a 27.3 win percentage away from home

Match Prices
Liverpool to win: 9/10 at Blue Square
Draw: 5/2 at Bet365
Everton: 15/4 at Boylesports

Betting Advice. Two decent defences, would mean that this derby was leaning towards a draw. It is tough to see Everton coming away from Anfield with anything more than a draw, but David Moyes would be pretty happy with that. Liverpool need a convincing win, but this game will probably be a tight, scrappy affair with a lot of pride at stake. Neither team possesses great attacking flair, so if a win comes, it’ll likely be by an odd goal.
Everton +0.5 Asian Handicap: 41/40 at Bet365

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

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

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

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

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

After picking up a vitally important win against Spurs in their last league outing, Liverpool will look to capitalise on that by beating Wolves. Despite not dominating the match by any stretch of the imagination at Anfield, Liverpool got an early lead through a Dirk Kuyt goal, and then it was a matter of keeping out the more inventive, more flowing attacking prowess of Tottenham. Liverpool had more possession, but Spurs worked better with what they had, except where it matter, right in front of goal. The victory was sealed with a late penalty by Kuyt to seal three points, which are crucial in the race for fourth place. That win put Liverpool just one point behind Spurs who are currently fourth. It is not as all clear cut at it sounds though, as Aston Villa and Manchester City who have games in hand over both Spurs and Liverpool will play a major factor in that final Champions League spot. It is odd how things fall into perspective, as Liverpool are deemed to be having a woeful season, whereas Tottenham, Man City and Aston Villa are all having great ones, yet only two points separate them all.

Playing a lowly Wolves, who are hovering just above the drop zone, should provide another three points for Rafa Benitez. After all the speculation of how much longer he would be able to hang onto his job at Anfield, there are new rumours flying around about his position. Only now, as far as Rafa must be concerned, it is flattering rumours that he is being head-hunted by Italian giants Juventus. That would certainly offer a way out of the struggles of this season at Anfield for the Spaniard, without having been given an acrimonious boot. An unthinkable defeat against Wolves may tip if his hand if the rumours are to be believed.

*Update: Benitez’s Agent has stated that Rafa is not going anywhere, and is tied to a deal which could keep him in the hotseat at Anfield until 2014. Apparently there has been no official contact from Juve.

The Reds have been trying to sign Kenwyne Jones from Sunderland, as they look for a quality striker to replace the absent Fernando Torres who is missing through injury. There is a lot of bad press flying around between the two clubs, and any deal is looking highly unlikely at this stage. Wolves, who have an FA Cup replay to contend with against Crystal Palace, badly need a win to ease some pressure surrounding the worries of relegation. Having lost their last three league matches, they are sliding badly and need to stop the rot. Scoring goals would certainly help that situation, as they have only managed two league goals in their last five matches.

Wolves are the league’s lowest scorers at home, tied with Birmingham on nine goals each. Wolves have only managed 8 goals away from home as well, which won’t instil a lot of confidence in their fans that they can go out and turn over Liverpool. If they could, it would be a huge boost in confidence for them. The two sides met just after Christmas at Anfield, where Liverpool were fairly comfortable 2-0 winners, and while the Reds aren’t full of goals themselves, and missing two main sources of goals in Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, they should have the edge again on Tuesday night, by way of the fact they aren’t anywhere near as leaky at the back as Wolves.

Update: There is a chance that Gerrard could return to action against Wolves. Gerrard’s hamstring was expected to keep him out longer, but after training on the weekend, he could put in an appearance.

BETTING STATS

Head to Head
Liverpool 2, Wolves 0

Last 5 Match Goals
Wolves – 2 For, 10 Against
Liverpool – 5 For, 3 Against

Last 10 Match Form
Wolves – W3, D0, L7
Liverpool – W5, D3, L2

Match Prices:
Wolves to win: 5/1 at Victor Chandler
Draw: 13/5 at Bet365
Liverpool to win: 8/11 at Totesport

Betting Advice: Unlikely to be anything other than a Liverpool win. They may not have been great this season, but wins against Villa and Spurs recently have shown that it’s not all doom and gloom. There’s hope, and if they can get through this period without Torres and Gerrard, they should be all the stronger for it.
Wolves +0.75 Asian Handicap – Evens at Bet365

Arsenal’s recent strong run of form has seen them reach the top of the table, although the bookmakers are in little doubt as to which team are likely to finish as champions. Despite the Gunners occupying first place, firms such as Ladbrokes and bet365 are prepared to offer 3/1 about Arsene Wenger’s team winning their first title since 2004. This is despite the North London bridging a gap of eight points that existed between them and Chelsea at the end of October when the Blues won 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium.

Indeed, Carlo Ancelotti’s team are no better than 4/5 (Sky Bet) to regain top spot in the Premier League and remain there until the end of the season. Chelsea started the season in blistering fashion, although away defeats to Aston Villa to Wigan proved that this team weren’t invincible. Although they showed little sign of missing their African Nations Cup participants when beating Sunderland 7-2 last Saturday, the Blues have some tricky fixtures with Arsenal visiting Stamford Bridge on 7th February. Meanwhile, the title favourites have consecutive away trips to Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United in April and May.

Manchester United are expected to beat Hull City on Saturday and actually leave Chelsea sitting in third place. Although the Red Devils have been wobbling in the past couple of months, it’s clear that Sir Alex Ferguson has experienced big problems with injured defenders and it will be with a sigh of relief that Rio Ferdinand will return to the back line.

With Nemanja Vidic also expected back in the team, it’s possible that the champions could enjoy a run of clean sheets that occurred last season from Boxing Day until February. Something like this would surely put them in pole position and bet365 and Sporting Bet’s 3/1 that they manage a fourth consecutive title could be the value proposition. However, there is a nagging doubt that this United team just can’t reach the same heights that they did when Cristiano Ronaldo was in the team.

Meanwhile, the race for fourth place in the Premier League is hotting up, on the basis that the above trio occupy the top three places. Many of the top bookmakers offer odds on which team will land a top four finish and Manchester City are the 6/5 favourites (Ladbrokes). Although Roberto Mancini’s team are level with Tottenham and a point better off than Liverpool (having a game in hand on both teams), their recent defeat at Everton suggested defensive concerns which could hinder their ambition.

In addition, Liverpool look like they have created a siege mentality and some might think 7/4 (bet365) is a big price about a team that feature in the top four of the Premier League so regularly. With key players to return from injury and the luck to go their way at some point, perhaps they will edge it. Then again, Tottenham could usurp both teams, with the return of Aaron Lennon clearly crucial to their hopes of making the top four. Ladbrokes make them 7/2 chances.

David Sullivan and David Gold have recently bought 50% of West Ham United and the bookmakers are sensing a wind of change at Upton Park. The club are heavily in debt to the tune of over £100 million and, although Sullivan claimed this week that Gianfranco Zola’s position as manager is safe until the end of the season, firms have taken a more cynical view. Paddy Power offer 6/4 that the Italian is the next Premier League manager to leave his post and Sky Bet go even shorter with their quote of 5/4. The former Chelsea striker is a popular figure with Hammers supporters, although it’s possible that the new owners will want to draft in their own candidate.

Indeed, Sky Bet have created a ‘Next West Ham Manager’ market and the strong favourite is Mark Hughes. The UK-based bookmaker offer just 10/11 that the former Manchester City manager is brought in and the Welshman did perform minor miracles at Blackburn Rovers with a shoestring budget. Despite being Zola’s predecessor, Sky Bet have Alan Curbishley next on the list at 7/1, with former Hammer Slaven Bilic also available at these odds and declaring an interesting in English football management.

Meanwhile, Rafael Benitez is unsurprisingly short at 5/2 (Paddy Power) on the ‘Next Manager to Leave’ market, although the Spaniard has been trading at short odds before and lived to tell the tale. It appears that the Liverpool manager had a vote of confidence from co-owner George Gillett this week, who described him as ‘one of the world’s top managers’. It doesn’t appear as though any exit from Anfield is imminent, although this is a bet that might be profitable if no other manager steps down between now and May.

There doesn’t appear to be too many other managers whose positions are in threat at the moment, although Sky Bet don’t think Sam Allardyce is out of the woods despite Blackburn’s recent 2-0 win over Fulham. They offer 5/1 that the former Bolton gaffer is the next to walk, although Paddy Power are happy to lay him at odds of 9/1. His former number two Phil Brown is also required to produce the results that will keep the Tigers in the Premier League or face the sack and Paddy Power go 7/1 about the Hull manager which is the same as Sky Bet.

Meanwhile, Sky Bet have created a number of other manager specials, including Next Liverpool Manager. Unsurprisingly, Kenny Dalglish is 5/2 favourite as he’s the obvious temporary successor to Benitez, although Guus Hiddink (5/2) and Jose Mourinho (3/1) are more viable candidates to assume the Anfield hotseat. Perhaps the Special One is waiting for Sir Alex Ferguson to vacate the Old Trafford manager’s position, with Sky Bet making him 3/1 co-favourite to manage Manchester United next. Martin O’Neill also appears to be in the running.

It seemed too good to be true on Saturday. Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea seemed like a successful treble in the making, with Burnley, Hull City and Sunderland all facing mammoth tasks to get something out of their matches. While the Black Cats found themselves trailing 4-0 at half-time to an outstanding Blues performance, the other teams did themselves enormous credit and illustrated the perils of lumping on favourites at odds-on in the Premier League.

While Manchester United were a pre-match 1/4 with bet365 against a Clarets team that have been very travel-sick this season, punters that had backed Sir Alex Ferguson’s team were made to sweat before the champions found a breakthrough just after the hour mark. While Brian Laws’ appointment has met with a negative press, he sent out an organised and determined side that created a few chances of their own. The Red Devils were 4/7 on bet365’s In-Play market before Dimitar Berbatov scored and illustrated the advantages of betting during the live action.

However, those that backed Tottenham either before or during the game had their fingers burnt, with Spurs once again failing to beat so-called lesser opposition at White Hart Lane. Punters will now be leaving Harry Redknapp out of their weekend accumulators for the rest of the season, with the bookies rubbing their hands together after offering pre-match odds of 2/7 about the home team. On another day, it could have been quite different with Hull keeper Boaz Myhill producing a goalkeeping masterclass for the Tigers, although Tottenham do seem to lack the nous to break down stubborn opposition after losing at home to Stoke and Wolves.

Chelsea proved to be the Saturday banker and are clearly the stand-out team in the Premier League right now. However, the Blues only get three points for their 7-2 mauling of Sunderland, although it clearly pays to study the line-ups before placing your bets. After all, Steve Bruce explained after the game that with Michael Turner, Anton Ferdinand and Nyron Nosworthy missing, the manager had to play midfielders in defence and that was a core explanation as to why a talented side were out of sight after just twenty minutes.

However, a victory of this nature is a rarity in the Premier League these days, with teams generally being well-organised and capable of pulling off a shock. Since the first few weeks of the season, putting the ‘top six’ sides in any kind of multiple bet is now more than a calculated risk, especially as Liverpool have failed to put together any kind of consistent run since the campaign began. At the moment, it’s far more sensible to look at single bets and perhaps the odd double, with some swotting up on likely team selections likely to yield more dividends. With Aston Villa and Arsenal likely to be well-fancied in doubles on Sunday, we shall see if blindly backing the favourites pays off or continues to be a risky business.