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

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

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

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

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

BETTING STATS

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

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

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

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

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

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

Manchester United have found themselves playing catch up to Chelsea again in the race for the Premier League title, and they need to pick up three points on Tuesday night against West Ham. The Red Devils lost heavily to Everton on the weekend at Goodison Park, which allowed Chelsea to open up a four point gap at the top of the table. A home tie against a lower table, may before have tempted Ferguson to put out a weaker side, especially with a big date coming up on Sunday in the final of the Carling Cup against Aston Villa.

But they cannot afford to lose more ground on Chelsea, as the final stretch of the Premier League approaches, and Ferguson will be seething after being beaten so comprehensively by Everton, who had just beaten Chelsea previously. The loss came on the back of a good second half performance at the San Siro, in beating AC Milan 3-2. But the signs were there in the first half of that match, that United may be on a little shaky ground, as they were overran and outplayed, exactly what Everton did against them. Now they face a West Ham side who have been struggling at the bottom of the league all season, and finally managed to string two wins together.

West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola is a Chelsea legend, and he could do his old club a massive favour by masterminding Manchester United’s downfall at Old Trafford. The likelihood of that happening is not all that high, as the Hammer’s away form has been dismal all season, as they fight to stay above the drop zone. West Ham rely a lot on England World Cup hopeful Carlton Cole for their attacking power, and he has hit the back of the net nine times in the league, for a decent return. The last time the two sides came together at Upton Park, the defending Champions cruised to a 4-0 win, and need something like that again. After scoring clean sheet wins against Birmingham and Hull at home, the Hammers now face a tough task at Old Trafford. Facing a United side who are looking to fiercely bounce back, probably isn’t what they wanted right now.

BETTING STATS

Last 5 Head to Head
West Ham 0, Man Utd 4
West Ham 0, Man Utd1
Man Utd 2, West Ham 0
Man Utd 4, West Ham 1
West Ham 2, Man Utd 1

Last 5 Match Goals
Man Utd: 14 For, 5 Against
West Ham: 7 For, 3 Against

Last 10 Form
Man Utd: W6, D2, L2
West Ham: W3, D4, L3

Win Percentage:
Man Utd have an 84.6 win percentage at home
West Ham have a 7.7 win percentage away from home

Match Prices
Man Utd to win: 2/9 at SkyBet
Draw: 6/1 at Totesport
West Ham to win: 16/1 at Boylesports

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: Hard to see anything other than a good win for United. That’s it basically. Rio Ferdinand returns after serving his four match ban for United.
Man Utd +1.75 Asian Handicap: 11/10 at Paddy Power

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

This may not be the most enticing looking fixture on the weekend’s Premier League card, but it has a lot of significance, and worth taking a look at. Portsmouth’s problems have been well documented as they fumble from one financial crisis to the next. The most recent development is that they have asked for permission to sell players outside of the transfer window, in order to desperately raise some funds so that they try and avoid a winding up order which would place them into administration. The cost of that happening would mean they would lose 9 points and for a team seven points adrift at the foot of the Premier League, that would spell certain relegation from the top flight.

Unfortunately, the Premier League is unlikely to endorse Pompey’s wish of being able to sell players to get some cash to put towards their debts. This is because some members feel that it would be an unfair advantage to other teams who are battling relegation. The first impression is that the team would be weaker if they sold their stars, but what other managers are about is that a player sold by Portsmouth could pop up and score a crucial goal and send the other team down. The players sold by Portsmouth under their plan, would probably only be eligible to play in the Premier League. While there is a lot of sympathy around for Portsmouth’s plight, their salvation won’t come at the expense of other clubs putting themselves at risk.

Most notably, Burnley’s boss Brian Laws summed everything up by saying that Portsmouth got themselves into the mess, and they should get themselves out. Burnley are second from bottom in the Premier League and are fighting for their own survival. But, back to football, and while Portsmouth enjoyed a happy day in the FA Cup against rivals Southampton, their league form is dreadful. They have won just four games all season, and have amassed only 16 points. Not only do they not have the quality to play their way out of trouble, boss Avram Grant already needs to perform some kind of miracle already to get them safe, but if they are taken down to just 7 points, it would be season over for them. Grant was not happy at the prospect of seeing more players being sold.

Portsmouth picked up a point against rapidly slumping Sunderland in their last Premier League outing, and now they take on Stoke, with no idea really what is coming next. Stoke beat Portsmouth 1-0 in the league at the end of November, but Portsmouth thumped them 4-0 in the Carling Cup in October. Sadly Portsmouth’s lack of goal production is there for all to see, and Stoke, who are enjoying a steady season, will be eagerly eyeing up three points. Stoke have had their critics under boss Tony Pulis, not that he would bat an eyelid at them. They recently gained back to back draws against Manchester City, once in the league and then in the FA Cup, with the replay still to come.

Stoke have drawn four of their last six games, but are enjoying a run of going unbeaten, including a 1-1 draw against Liverpool. Stoke critics have lambasted their direct and physical approach to the game, and there isn’t much flair about the side. Still, they’ll be happy enough when they are in the Premier League next season, something the Pompey fans probably won’t be able to enjoy. Stoke have a few injury worries, most notably Matthew Etherington and Danny Higginbottom, while Portsmouth’s injury list accounts for about half of their team. Stoke’s unbeaten 2010 looks set to continue on Saturday, and Portsmouth plight looks set to deepen.

BETTING STATS

Last 3 Head to Head League
Stoke 1, Portsmouth 0
Stoke 2, Portsmouth 2
Portsmouth 2, Stoke 1

Last 5 Match Goals
Portsmouth: 2 For, 10 Against
Stoke: 6 For, 3 Against

Last 10 Form
Portsmouth: W1, D3, L6
Stoke: W2, D5, L3

Win Percentage
Portsmouth have a 25.0 win percentage at home
Stoke have an 8.3 win percentage away from home

Match Prices:
Portsmouth to win: 7/5 at Boylesports
Draw: 12/5 at SkyBet
Stoke to win: 9/4 at Coral

Asian Handicap Betting Advice: Don’t think that there is going to be too much at it. If it was an away match for Portsmouth, you could see them crumbling, but the home fans may give a little boost now their backs are against the wire. They probably aren’t going to go out and score a hatful, but whichever way you lean, whether it is Stoke by a small margin in the plus, or Pompey in a slight minus, it should even out to a little profit, but be backed up in the case of a likely draw.
Stoke + 0.25 Asian Handicap: 10/11 at Paddy Power

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

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

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

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

BETTING STATS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The action seems all non stop in the Premier League at the moment, with a full midweek fixture list, which throws up some fascinating match ups. Red hot Manchester United travel to Aston Villa in one of the feature matches, in a dress rehearsal for the Carling Cup final. Martin O’Neill has turned Villa into a force to be reckoned with, backed up by a strong England presence of the likes of James Milner, Emile Heskey, Gaby Agbonlahor and Ashley Young. They could be without Heskey as he picked up a knock in their 0-0 draw with Tottenham on the weekend. Martin O’Neill has adopted an attacking frame of mind this season, with an emphasis on width, which is an entertaining joy to watch most of the time. Villa have played their way into Champions League contention, but have had some slip ups against Liverpool and Arsenal fairly recently, which means they are mired in a tough dog fight.

Villa do have the chance to gain an impressive double over Manchester United, as they travelled to Old Trafford earlier in the season, and ran out 1-0 winners. Despite their nice width, Villa have really built on the defence of their team, proving to be extremely stubborn and watertight. That is what won them the impressive victory at OT, managing to shut out Wayne Rooney, which at the moment seems like mission impossible. If there is one criticism of the new and improved Villa, its that they aren’t finding the back of the net enough. Just 17 goals at home is a long, long way short of the six teams which stand above them in the league. Still, they are enjoying a great season, have the Carling Cup to look forward to, are still challenging in the FA Cup, and that all important Champions League spot is still up for grabs.

For United, the one man show of Wayne Rooney continues to fire on all cylinders, putting the England striker on a mantle with the best players in the world. His form is incredible. He has already matched his best goals tally for a season, and in the last 23 matches, he has scored 21 times. United have a great record against Villa, and will be looking for revenge over the defeat inflicted upon them on their home turf. United have slowly gotten stronger over the season, and seem to be hitting top form just when it matters, and it could be a busier night for the Villa defence, than even the game at Old Trafford. Rooney is the key man to shut down, as it is hard to refute the claims that Manchester United are a one-man team.

United briefly got back to the top of the league, but Chelsea reclaimed top spot with a two point advantage after they beat Arsenal on Sunday. United have been let of the hook so many times, that they look set to carry forward the defence of their title with a gale force blowing behind them. Chelsea should have been out of sight by now, after United put in some dismal performances in the first half of the season, but still only a two point gap separates them. They come up against a Villa defence who have kept out the opposition, 8 times out of their last 10 games. Their defence hasn’t been great on the road, but whether Villa’s limited goal power, with only Agbonlahor weighing in heavily with 10 goals in the league.

BETTING STATS

Last 5 Head to Head
Man Utd 0, Aston Villa 1
Man Utd 3, Aston Villa 2
Aston Villa 0, Aston Villa 0
Man Utd 4, Aston Villa 0

Last 5 Match Goals
Aston Villa: 2 For, 1 Against
Man Utd: 16 For, 2 Against

Last 10 Form
Aston Villa: W5, D3, L2
Man Utd: W7, D1, L2

Win Percentage
Aston Villa have a 50.0 win percentage at home
Man Utd have a 62.5 win percentage away from home

Match Prices:
Aston Villa to win: 10/3 at Coral
Draw: 13/5 at SkyBet
Man Utd to win: 10/11 at Bet365

Betting Advice: United don’t draw many games, so it’s generally good advice to not go for that when it comes to them. However, Villa are lean at the back, and lean up front, so again if they are going to get three points out of this, it’s fair to assume that it will be by just the odd goal. Therefore leaning towards Aston Villa with Asian Handicap head-start, could be a good idea, as they should be stubborn enough for a draw:
Aston Villa +0.5 Asian Handicap: 39/40 at Bet365

Manchester City squandered a golden chance to take control of the race for fourth place in the Premier League on the weekend, as they crashed away to a bustling Hull City side. Second from bottom Hull had earned themselves some plaudits, holding league leaders Chelsea to a draw during midweek, and their hopes of surviving in the Premier League were given a great boost by turning over Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City. That was Hull’s first victory in the league for 11 games, and those vital three points saw them shoot up the table to 14th, three points out of the drop zone. Four points from their last two games will have renewed hopes that they will be a Premier League outfit next season.

For Manchester City, there will be questions asked about this latest upset. It came just over a week after they were dumped out of the Carling Cup semi final by Manchester United, and Saturday’s three points will enact further calls from Mancini for his players to dig a little deeper. Still, Manchester City are not that badly positioned, just three points out of fourth place, with two games in hand still over Liverpool who occupy that precious spot. While City have found a new leash of life under Italian boss Mancini, they cannot start getting complacent that they will have their best finish for years. There is a lot of work to be done until the end of the season, and with Liverpool, Tottenham and Aston Villa all in the hunt for the Champions League spot, nothing can be taken for granted.

Although Mancini has reported players being a bit tired, City do have a busy period. With a full list of midweek games this week, back to back games against Stoke will follow. Man City plays hosts to Stoke in the FA next Saturday, before visiting their opponents just three days later. The City fans have been injected with a lot of hope after a summer of big spending, and while the FA Cup remains a very viable proposition for them, with three of the big four having fallen by the wayside, City’s main focus should remain on fourth place. That would really earmark a new era of progress for the blue side of Manchester, who have long lived in the shadows of their Old Trafford neighbours.

The will get the chance against another of the league’s strugglers, as they take on Bolton on Tuesday. Bolton boss Owen Coyle has his work cut out to save his new team from relegation, as they are just one point out of the zone. After successfully beating his old club Burnley, Bolton have only picked up one point out of their last two games. Things are so tight down the bottom that every point is vital, and Bolton may look to Hull for inspiration. Their good work against top opposition, can be repeated, and they need it to be, if they are going to secure their Premier League future.

BETTING STATS (League Only)

Last 5 Head to Head
Bolton 3, Man City 3
Man City 1, Bolton 0
Bolton 2, Man City 0
Bolton 0, Man City 0
Man City 4, Bolton 2

Last 5 Match Goals
Man City: 10 For, 5 Against
Bolton: 3 For, 8 Against

Last 10 Form
Man City: W6, D1, L3
Bolton: W2, D4, L4

Win Percentage
Man City have a 72.7 win percentage at home
Bolton have a 20.0 win percentage away from home

Match Prices
Manchester City to win: 5/11 at Coral
Draw: 10/3 at SkyBet
Bolton to win: 8/1 at Victor Chandler

Betting Advice: City should win this, as Bolton are struggling for goals and points. There is a lot of work to be done at the back, but they also need to find ways to find the back of the net. It will be tough against a City side, who, as a whole have looked pretty solid for most of the season. A good Asian Handicap in favour of Bolton, could work here.
Bolton +1.75 Asian Handicap: 10/11 at Victor Chandler

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

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

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

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

BETTING STATS (League only)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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