SoccerTips

2009-12-19T02:32:00.000-08:00

Today Analysis

Arsenal VS Hull City; Cruiser
Aston Villa VS Stoke City; Slydodge
Fulham VS Manchester United; Slydodge
Arsenal VS Hull City; Slydodge
Fulham VS Manchester United; George
Portsmouth VS Liverpool; George
Aston Villa VS Portsmouth; Ang3L
Portsmouth VS Liverpool; Ang3L
Fulham VS Manchester United; Ang3L

Coming Soon

Date	Time	Home	VS	Away	Odds
19/12/09	20:45	Portsmouth	VS	Liverpool	1 : 0
19/12/09	23:00	Aston Villa	VS	Stoke City	0 : 1
19/12/09	23:00	Blackburn	VS	Tottenham	1/4 : 0
19/12/09	23:00	Fulham	VS	Man. United	3/4 : 0
19/12/09	23:00	Man. City	VS	Sunderland	0 : 1
20/12/09	01:30	Arsenal	VS	Hull City	0 : 1 3/4
20/12/09	21:30	Wolverhampton	VS	Burnley	0 : 1/2
20/12/09	23:00	Everton	VS	Birmingham	0 : 1/2
21/12/09	00:00	West Ham	VS	Chelsea	1 1/4 : 0
22/12/09	04:00	Wigan	VS	Bolton	0 : 1/4

_________________________________________________

Free Professional EPL Tips

Date	Home	VS	Away	Result	Status
20/12/09	Arsenal -1.75	VS	Hull City	---	---
06/12/09	Fulham -0.25	VS	Sunderland	1-0	WIN
18/10/09	Blackburn -0.75	VS	Burnley	3-2	WIN
17/10/09	Sunderland	VS	Liverpool -0.5	1-0	Loss
29/09/09	Man. City -1	VS	West Ham	3-1	WIN
27/09/09	Sunderland -0.75	VS	Wolverhampton	5-2	WIN
26/09/09	Wigan +1.5	VS	Chelsea FC	3-1	WIN
20/09/09	Everton -0.5	VS	Blackburn	3-0	WIN
19/09/09	Arsenal -1.75	VS	Wigan	4-0	WIN

Portsmouth VS Liverpool

2009-12-19T02:17:00.000-08:00

19/12/2009, 20:45

Ang3L:

Torres is back! He was rested in the match against Wigan last midweek. Only played for about 27 minutes, he scored the winning goal against Wigan. He's set to start the match today and ready to score more goals. Further more they only face the rock bottom wanna be Portsmouth. Generally Liverpool have no fitness problem for this match. Glen Johnson who's doubtful also has passed late fitness test and ready to play today. Only Riera and Babel looks like will miss this match. But it will be no problem since Kuyt, Benayoun, Gerrard, Mascherano, Lucas, Torres, and N'Gog are in a good condition.

Portsmouth have no player problem, but they have a problem with their form. They're still in the bottom of the table with only 11 points gained in 17 matches. They're 1-1-3 in their last 5 matches.

Liverpool's form in the last 5 actually not so good for a big team. But, with Torres' return, I believe they will win this match easily. I expect a big win for Liverpool. Further more they also need a win to defend their position in the Europa League zone. They could slip to the 8th place if they fail to win this match.

Same analysis with the Manchester United one. -1 should be safe enought to take. 3-0 for Liverpool.

Fulham VS Manchester United

2009-12-19T02:15:00.000-08:00

19/12/2009, 23:00

Ang3L:

Fulham is very strong at home. 5 wins and only 2 losses is very good for a mediocre team for them. But, still... compared with United reputation and form, that record can be mean nothing.

United have a problem in the backline. Vidic is doubtful after got an injury in the midweek. But with Wes Brown, Evans, Ferdinand, and O'Shea all in injury list, I think Ferguson have no choice. Vidic must play if he can run. Further more van der Sar is out for this match.

Yes, United have a problem in the defense, but that's the one which made me sure they'll cover that handicap. Ferguson knows that he can't rely on the defense, so United will attack and attack today. They have to score as many as they can to cover the goal against (if any).

Rooney is in a good form, has scored 5 goals in United last 4 matches. He's ready to score again today. United have a chance to equal Chelsea's point if they won today. So, they won't accept any other result but a win. We can expect them to win this match for sure. So, I think back them on -1 handicap could be a safe bet since we will get our stake back although they failed to win with a large margin.

3-0 for United with Rooney score 2 goals and Giggs or Fletcher score the other goal!

Aston Villa VS Portsmouth

2009-12-19T02:06:00.000-08:00

19/12/2009, 23:00

Ang3L:

Aston Villa has the best form in the league for the last 3 matches. They beat Hull, Manchester United, and Sunderland in their last 3. Even, the match against United and Sunderland were away matches. It proved that they're strong home and away.

On the other side, Stoke didn't perform good enough in their last 5 matches. Lost against Hull 2-1, then luckily won 1-0 against rock bottom Portsmouth (after Sorensen saved a penalty), held Blackburn 0-0, lost against Arsenal 2-0 (could be 3-0, but Sorensen saved another penalty), and drew 2-2 against Wigan (after trailing twice plus Sorensen saved another penalty).

Villa have no problem with the winning squad. They'll play at home now. They surely have more motivation and spirit to win the match. Further more Stoke City was not so good away from home so far. Villa has managed 6 clean sheets in 17 matches, it could be their 7th tonight (or their 4th consecutive clean sheets). They also can score from anywhere. Even, Richard Dunne has scored 3 goals. Scoring won't be a problem for them, especially with Robert Huth in suspension list for tonight match.

They should win this match comfortably. 2-0 for Villa!

Portsmouth VS Liverpool

2009-12-19T02:04:00.000-08:00

19/12/2009, 20:45

George:

Anonother interesting EPL game today between the teams of Portsmouth and Liverpool.
Pompey is still stuck in the bottom of the table with only 11 points.After Grant took the team the situation seems better, but the results are not very good, of course Pompey played against big teams and it was absolutely normal to lose, at least they on the most important game recently played - against Burnley at Fratton Park.
In midweek the team made pretty decent performance against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but lost 2:1.It's true Chelsea controlled the game, but it was obvious Drogba missed the team.Even though Pompey had their chances, but Prince - Boateng showed that he's not reliable under pressure.
Now Portsmouth will play against another top 4 side, which appears to have huge troubles, but I wonder how will the team look, I still don't believe the team has enough convidence to oppose such teams.
For the match today James is still doubtful, while Kaboul returns to the squad after suspension.
Pool is on the 6th position with 27 points, 5 less than the 4th.I think the team is getting out of the crisis and the reasons are obvious:
-The disappointment after leaving CL is now behind and I think the players are focused on the performance in EPL;
-The injury crisis in the team is apparently over as Torres, Babel and Johnson return to the squad, the only missing player is Riera, so Benitez has almost full squad to choose from for the game today.
-The recent positive results should boost the confidence of the players.
Pool at last made convincing win over Wigan in midweek - 2:1, not so convincing as result, but the most important is the team played very well, so I think we can expect better days for the Reds.
I will trust Pool today, I just think the team has left all the troubles behind and they will be able to break the opposition of the poor Pompey.

I bet on Away -0.75 AH.

Fulham VS Manchester United

2009-12-19T02:02:00.000-08:00

19/12/2009, 23:00

George:

Intriguing Premiership game today between the teams of Fulham and Manchester United.
Cottagers are 9th in the table with 23 points.The team made insecure start of the season, but now is slowly cmimbing up the table and may soon intrude the Euro places battle.
But today I will bet against Fulham and the main reason is the Thursday game team played afainst Basle in Europa League.Yes, Cottagers won and secured place in the knock out stage of the tournament, so the mood in the team will be great, but I think the next game comes too soon for the team.Hodgson and his players had less than 48 hours to think over and celebrate the 3:2 win over Basle in tense and exhausting game.I just don't believe they will be in appropriate physical and psychical condition to face the Red Devils today.Sometimes for more unexperienced teams the big wins are followed by big falls, and I doubt this may happen to Fulham today.
Yes, some key players will be fresh - Duff, Dempsey and Hangeland will start today, but I doubt the team will look good as a whole, at least not for full 90 minutes.
For the game today Davies, Kamara, Johnson and Ki-Kheon are still out of the squad.
Manchester United still keeps the gap to leaders Chelsea 3 points.If they win today they will put the Blues under pressure again.
Actually the Red Devils played too in midweek - they beat Wolves at Old Trafford 3:0, but that game was on Tuesday and I think I can call it some kind of training game, as McCarthy put experimental squad and gave his top players rest, so he gave up the game even befor it started.
Unfortunately for Ferguson the injury crisis in the team is still on - Evans, O'Shea, Ferdinand, Da Silva brothers, Neville, Brown and van der Saar are all still missing.In addition Vidic is doubtful for the match today.But the maager found a way to get out of the situation using his midfielders as centre backs and the result is not bad at all.
Traditionally United played successfully against Cottagers, but in the last season the pattern was broken in a crazy game for the Red Devils.Then they lost 2:0 at Craven Cottage, received 2 red cards and deepened the crisis in the team.But now the situation is different so I expect Manchester to find the winning way against the tired Fulham again.

I bet on Away -0.75 AH.

Fulham VS Manchester United

2009-12-19T01:59:00.000-08:00

19/12/2009, 23:00

Slydodge:

After the 0-1 defeat against Aston Villa at Old Trafford, United responded with a 3-0 win against Wolverhampton and now face very tough game away against a Fulham side that have been in very good form.

Fulham have lost only 1 in their last 10 games and that was a 1-0 defeat away to Birmingham. Even though Fulham have a good start on the Asian line at +1 ball, which means a draw would be enough to win, I'm still going to side with United. Fulham have won 4 of their last 5 at Craven Cottage, however those wins were expected as they were against the likes of Hull City, Blackburn and Sunderland - all teams that have been very poor away from home. Also, none of those teams are anywhere near Manchester United in terms of quality.

It's not very often Manchester United slip, so I really think United should win this. Rooney to score.

Fulham 0-2 Manchester Utd.

Aston Villa VS Stoke City

2009-12-19T01:56:00.000-08:00

19/12/2009, 23:00

Slydodge:

Last season Stoke beat Aston Villa 3-2 at home and managed a 2-2 draw at Villa Park. Even though Stoke have really improved away from home this season, I still wouldn't bet against Martin O'Neill's side at the moment.

Aston Villa are in excellent form. Only 1 defeat in their last 11 in the League, and on a good run of three consecutive wins. At Villa Park they have 5 wins, 2 draws in their last 7 since the home defeat to Wigan in their opening game. Stoke are a very tough side, however I just feel that with the likes of Milner, Young and Agbonlahor in good form and playing with confidence, Aston Villa will create enough chances and I really do expect them to win this game.

Aston Villa 2-0 Stoke City

Arsenal VS Hull City

2009-12-19T01:54:00.000-08:00

20/12/2009, 01:30

Slydodge:

Bookmakers have set the handicap at -2, but that was before the injury to Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas. Against Burnley, when Fabregas came off injured, the Gunners really did not look like they were going to score. Their defence also looks a bit dodgy and actually IMO they were fortunate not to lose against Burnley.

Now, with Fabregas set to miss out this game against Hull City, the handicap will definitely go down to -1.75 or even -1.5. So that is why I will take this bet early, at +2 for Hull City.

-2 ball on the Asian line would mean that the Gunners would need to win by three in order to clear the handicap. The Gunners do have a fantastic record at the Emirates, however without their two best players, I really doubt that they will win by three goals or more. Since the injury to Van Persie, Arsenal have only won two of the last five in the League. They lost against Sunderland 1-0, Chelsea 0-3, and drew their last game at Burnley. I am also taking note that in their last five games without Van Persie, Arsenal are yet to score three in one game.

Not going to be an easy win for the Gunners. Arshavin to score.

Arsenal 2-1 Hull City

Portsmouth VS Liverpool

2009-12-19T01:52:00.000-08:00

19/12/2009, 20:45

Analysis:

Both sides comes into this match needing a win badly but for Portsmouth who are cash stricken since the summer have had three owners and two managers with current boss Avram Grant replacing Paul Hart finding it more difficult to get a win here.

Liverpool are sixth in the standings on goal difference with Birmingham, five points adrift of fourth-placed Aston Villa and must win to get back into the Champions League spot.

For Liverpool, every match now becomes a must win game and for Jamis Carragher who is set to make his 600th appearance will hope he can mark it win all three points here at Fratton Park.

Portsmouth under Grant has only seen one win since replacing the sacked Hart , in November but he has overseen a marked improvement in performances of the league's bottom club. If Portsmouth wins today and West Ham loses to Chelsea on Sunday Pompey could for the first time climb out of the bottom of the standings.

Last season Liverpool grabbed a late winner and Pompey, who lost at Chelsea in midweek, will want to avoid a repeat, with their cause boosted by the return from suspension of Younes Kaboul.

As for the team news, Kevin-Prince Boateng and ex-Liverpool defender Steve Finnan both overcame viruses to start against Chelsea and should keep their places in the squad. Meanwhile Liverpool are set to restore Fernando Torres to their starting lineup after the Spaniard was rested on the bench before essentially turning matchwinner in the 2-1 midweek victory over Wigan at Anfield.

The good news for Benitez is that Full-back Glen Johnson is fit to face his former club after he missed Wednesday's match with a hamstring problem. Winger Albert Riera still has a hamstring injury and is not available, but Ryan Babel returns to the squad after his ankle injury.

Take Liverpool to win and give the 3/4 ball here.

Cheers and good luck,
Cruiser

Arsenal VS Hull City

2009-12-19T01:49:00.000-08:00

20/12/2009, 01:30

Analysis:

Arsene Wenger have openly admitted about the congestion of fixtures coming into this match while Hull City have not played since 12th December but it will not stop the Gunners from going out to get the win here.

In midweek Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw at Turdmoor by Burnley, but then last Sunday they defied the odds and beat Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield.

Hull, who are just one point clear of the relegation zone, travel to London with fresh legs after Everton's Europa League commitments allowed them more time to rest. Their last match was a goalless draw against Blackburn at home and Phil Brown will be looking to take advantage of the Gunners busy schedule.

As for the team news, Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas has been ruled out of the game against Hull after suffering a hamstring injury in midweek clash with Burnley. Denilson could replace the Gunners' skipper on Saturday after recovering from a back problem which forced him to miss the midweek clash. However, Wenger will still be without Nicklas Bendtner, Tomas Rosicky, Gael Clichy and Armand Traore.

Hull have no fresh injury concerns ahead of their trip to London after managing to avoid casualties in their free week training. Manager Phil Brown is missing only midfielder Jimmy Bullard¸ who damaged a medial ligament at Aston Villa a fortnight ago, and long-term casualty Ian Ashbee, both with knee problems.

Brown has revealed the recent absence of striker Daniel Cousin was due to his shoulder injury and not because he is out of favour. The Gabon international is now fit and could be in contention.

Take Arsenal to win and give the 1 3/4 ball here.

Cheers and good luck,
Cruiser

LiveScore

2009-12-18T21:46:00.000-08:00

Betting Odds

2009-12-12T04:20:00.001-08:00

Manchester United VS Aston Villa

2009-12-12T04:18:00.000-08:00

13/12/2009, 01:30

Aston Villa have not beaten Man Utd in their last 25 visits to Old Trafford. During this time Man Utd have won 19 times. Man Utd have won the last 7 in a row against Aston Villa at Old Trafford and they have won 12 of the last 13. These staggering and mind-boggling statistics will dent the Villains' morale even before a ball is kicked today. They can, however, console themselves with the fact that United are rocked by an injury crisis. To make things worse, most injuries are to their defenders, with Rio Ferdinand, Jonny Evans, Fabio Da Silva, Rafael Da Silva, Gary Neville and John O'Shea all definitely out. Wes Brown and Edwin van der Sar are not expected to make the cut as well. Owen Hargreaves and Federico Macheda round up the casualty list. It looks like Nemanja Vidic will be partnered by Michael Carrick in central defence, with Darren Fletcher being forced to cover at right-back, with Patrice Evra on the left. Tomasz Kuszczak should come between the sticks to replace Van der Sar. Impressive 22-year-old central midfielder Darron Gibson is expected to continue in midfield, partnering Anderson, flanked by Luis Antonio Valencia and Ryan Giggs. Wayne Rooney needs to fire today because with a defence comprising of midifelders Carrick and Fletcher, they could concede. For Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill, he only has Wilfred Bouma and Curtis Davies ruled out for sure. Emile Heskey should keep John Carew out. We should see a very familiar Aston Villa side, and you would think O'Neill is going to instruct Ashley Young to run relentlessly at makeshift right-back Fletcher. Come the end of the day, however, Man Utd at Old Trafford are always going to be favourites. I expect another majestic performance from up-and-coming star Darron Gibson, and a couple of goals from Wayne Rooney.

Fate85 Recommends:

Manchester United @ -1 Handicap
Total Goals: Under

Chelsea VS Everton

2009-12-12T04:16:00.000-08:00

12/12/2009, 23:00

Chelsea have done so well this season that I do not think anyone could dispute the fact that they have earned their place at the top of the Premiership. When you have Petr Cech in goal, John Terry in defence, Frank Lampard in midfield and Didier Drogba in attack, you are always going to dazzle. Having said that, the Blues come into this home game having not won any of their last 3 games, drawing (and subsequently losing) against Blackburn and APOEL and losing to Manchester City. At home in the Premier League though? Brilliant - 7 wins out of 7, scoring an average of close to 3 goals per home game. They welcome the visit of an Everton side that have struggled due to their injury woes. Everton have now lost 5 of their 7 road games in the League. They have lost their last 2 away games in the Premiership against Manchester United and Hull, and you just feel that they would be content with a draw in London today.

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti is missing Alex, Jose Bosingwa, Deco, Michael Essien, Salomon Kalou and Daniel Sturridge. With the quality that they have, however, I do not think there is anything to worry about. Petr Cech is to be in goal, covered in defence by John Terry, Ashley Cole, Ricardo Carvalho and Branislav Ivanovic. Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, John Obi Mikel and Joe Cole should play across the midfield, with Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba playing upfront. For Everton manager David Moyes, he has Tim Cahill suspended, which is a major blow. Injuries will rule out Mikel Arteta, Phil Jagielka, Phil Neville, Victor Anichebe, James Vaughan, Leon Osman and Joseph Yobo, while there are doubts over Sylvain Distin and Dan Gosling. John Heitinga returns from a one-game ban though. Without Cahill in midfield, Jack Rodwell would need to fill big shoes here as he tries to complement the international class of Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar.

Everton have not lost by 2 goals or more in any of their last 5 visits to Stamford Bridge, and going by that fact the handicap of 1.75 is a no-brainer right? Well, no. I think Chelsea will run riot here. I think in the continued absence of Phil Neville, Phil Jagialke and Mikel Arteta, Tim Cahill has been one of the key players holding the Everton midfield together. With the Australian international missing through suspension, I am expecting a big game from John Obi Mikel as he anchors for the Londoners. Frank Lampard should have a field day powering through the middle looking to score and assist the strikers. Everton fought back to earn a point against Tottenham last time out but I think that should be as good as it gets for the Merseysiders. Ancelotti knows that going 4 games without a win is going to be close to crisis point for a team of the stature of Chelsea and the Italian would ensure an easy victory. Expect attacking football, expect goals.

Fate85 Recommends:

Chelsea @ -1.75 Handicap
Total Goals: Over

Sunderland VS Portsmouth

2009-12-12T04:14:00.001-08:00

Tottenham VS Wolverhampton

2009-12-12T04:08:00.000-08:00

Bolton VS Manchester City

2009-12-12T03:49:00.000-08:00

Liverpool VS Arsenal

2009-12-12T03:43:00.001-08:00

Hull City VS Blackburn

2009-12-12T03:34:00.000-08:00

12/12/2009, 23:00

George:

Another intriguing Premiership clash today between the teams of Hull and Blackburn.
Hull is 16th in the table with 16 points.The team moved from the bottom places in the table due to the recent good results.Tigers won 8 points from the last 5 games played, which was great record for a team that was in pretty serious crisis.I have to mark one very important fact here.The good performance of the team was inspired by the return of midfielder Bullard who was key player for some of the winning goals.In the last match that turned into fiasco (Hull lost 3:0 from Aston Villa at Villa Park), Bullard picked up injury in the beginning of the game and will be ruled out of team's games till the end of the year.I think this will be a great shock for the team and their performance will drop seriously again.
But the situation with Bullard shows one of the big troubles of the team.Apparently Hull just needs a leader, a player that can inspire the whole team, but when there is not such player the Tigers are playing very poor.In the start of the last season Hull found this leader in the face of Geovanni, but Brown discredited the players and he sank in the 'pool' of ordinary players in the team.This was followed by terrible crisis that lasted till a month ago.I wonder how will the team react now, I doubt we'll see something positive.
For the game today Bullard may be joined by defenders Gardner and Dawson, both rated doubtful.If they miss out, the tragedy in the shaky defence of the team will be complete.At least Olofinjana, Mendy and Myhill return to the squad.The latest is expected to replace Duke at the net after the not-so-good performance of Duke against Villa.
Blackburn on the other side are marking amazing progress.The team is 12th with 18 points.Rovers have only 1 lose in the last 6 games in all competitions.In addition today Allardyce is expected to lead his team officially after his heart surgery.
One of the impressive things is that the team achieved these good results without the key midfielder Dunne, who may miss the game today too.
And I will talk again about the prioritizing of Allardyce.He is aware that this game is of great importance to the team, so the motivation of the players will be huge.The away performance of the team was awful till the game with Bolton few weeks ago when Rovers won 2:0.I can say the clash today is similar, so we can expect good result for the travelling team.
Last season Blackburn gained 4 points from this opponent, beating them 2:1 at the KC, so the psychological advantage at all fronts is on the away side.

I bet on Away win DNB.

Tottenham VS Wolverhampton

2009-12-12T03:26:00.000-08:00

12/12/2009, 23:00

George:

Another intriguing EPL calsh today between the teams of Tottenham and Wolverhampton.
Spurs' great performance continues this season as the team is 4th in the table with 27 points.The team is among the 5 teams in the league till the moment that have scored over 30 goals, as their attack is 3rd best.
Spurs at the moment have great chances to gain top 4 spot and if their good performance is peristent they may broke the traditional company in the CL spots.And they have all chances.The team is doing good with Redknapp and one of the important things - this season Tottenham will not be distracted by Euro games so the focus will be on EPL.
The attack of the team is in great shape, especially Defoe, who is top scorer in Premiership at the moment.Keane and Crouch are performing decently too.Lennon is unstoppable in the wing, while Kranjcar is getting better and better with every single game played.In addition the team will be booosted by the return of Modric.
For the match today King, Woodgate and Cidicini are still out of the squad due to injuries.
Wolves on the other side are adjusting slowly to the life in Premiership.The team is 18th with 13 points.
Last weekend the team gained first win in the last 10 games and it cam against another troubled team - Bolton.I beleive Wolves have certain chances to avoid relegation, but this depends mainly on the performance of the other competitors in the fight for survival in the League.
As a whole Wolves are typical Championship side.It reminds me of the Sunderland of McCarthy few years ago that failed to break in EPL, now with some improvements at all.But the team is uncapable of positive results against much stronger teams, so I will bet against them in every single game with top team.The defence of the team is really poor under pressure, while the attack of the team is not so impressive to be able to score many goals.
In the games against Arsenal, Sunderland and Chelsea the team conceded 13 goals.Only against City they received only 1, but lost the game.
For the match today Iwelumo returns to the squad, while Zubar, Kightly and Keogh are out.
The last match between these 2 played at White Heart Lane ended 5:2 for Spurs.The attack of the home team is amazing, while Wolves are not so good in defence.I expect another convincing win for the home side with some goals score.

I bet on Home win -1.5 AH.

Bolton VS Manchester City

2009-12-12T03:22:00.000-08:00

12/12/2009, 23:00

George:

Intriguing Premiership clash today between the teams of Bolton and Manchester City.
Wanderers have serious problems this season and Megson at the moment is under pressure.The team is on the 19th position in the table with only 12 points.
Now the team is in a row of 6 games in all competitions, from which only 1 point has been taken.We can say the Megson magic worked in the previous 2 seasons and the team survived in EPL, without showing decent footboall, but the results came sooner or later.But I'm not sure this will happen again this season, as the team is not playing well, but the results this time are in unison with the performance of Trotters.
The defence of the team is far from its best shape, while in attack i can see again some kind of typical for Bolton chaos, without certain concept to attack, mainly using set - pieces and crosses from all possible positions.This strategy sometimes works, but it's not so hard to neutralize it, so I suppese team with abbitions as City must cope with it.
For the match today Davies returns to the squad after suspension.Davis and O'Brien are still injured and remain out of the squad.
City is in much better position than opponent.Team is 6th with 25 points and is still looking at the top 4 spots.The team is doing well - in spite of the recent number of draws City has still only 1 lose in the League this season, which is unique record.
About 10 day ago the situation in City was really tensious - after the team extended the row of draws to 7 in succession the position of Hughes was questioned, as he was not winning enough points from, so to say, 'easy matches'.
But then came the 3:0 win over young Gunners in Carling Cup, followed by the team's top this season - the win over Chelsea 2:1 at Eastlands.I believe these wins will have huge psychological impact on the players.
For the match today Richards is out, but Bellamy and Ireland return to the squad.
Thaditionally City is playing hard against Bolton, but I will turn back on the stats here, having in mind the new look and aims of the sky-blues.I believe after the recent results the motivation will be huge in Hughes' squad, while the poor Bolton just can't offer much.

I bet on Away win.

Hull City VS Blackburn

2009-12-11T23:32:00.000-08:00

12/12/2009, 23:00

Analysis:

Sam Allardyce who is an old friend of Hull City managers Phil Brown will have to put friendship aside as he looks to get maximum points here for Blackburn.

And with just two points separating them at the lower end of the Premier League table with Hull City in 16th and Rovers four places above them neither will be happy with a draw.

Hull City were beaten by Aston Villa 3-0 last weekend and will be eager to get back to return ways. The loss of record signing Jimmy Bullard was a big blow in that game to them. That defeat brought them back down despite Bullard helping them to turnaround their fortunes last month.

For Blackburn, Allardyce takes his team on a high after their last two meetings boasting a Carling Cup victory over Chelsea and a draw against Liverpool and will hope to get maximum points here.

But it must be said that those results came at Ewood Park and they have struggled away from home this season. On their travels they have suffered six defeats and earning just one victory so far this season.

As for the team news, Hull have injury doubts over defenders Anthony Gardner (knee) and Andy Dawson (thigh), though Brown hopes they could be fit despite missing training this week. The good news is that Midfielder Seyi Olofinjana is back in contention after missing four games with a hamstring injury. His return could help the side since the absence of star player Jimmy Bullard (knee), who faces six to eight weeks out.

Full-back or winger Bernard Mendy has recovered from a leg problem and Brown may consider recalling fit-again goalkeeper Boaz Myhill for this match.

As for the visitors,they are unlieky to risk midfielder David Dunn at the KC Stadium as he continues his recovery from a calf problem. Dunn sustained the injury against Stoke two weeks ago and missed the Carling Cup victory over Chelsea and the goalless draw with Liverpool. But Allardyce will likely field him in the match at Birmingham on Tuesday.

Take Blackburn on level ball here.

Cheers and good luck,
Cruiser

Sunderland VS Portsmouth

2009-12-11T21:48:00.000-08:00

12/12/2009, 23:00

Sunderland have now lost their last two games away to Wigan 1-0 and Fulham 1-0, however I didn't expect them to do well in those games anyways since they have been very poor away from home. At home, however, Sunderland have a very impressive record of 5 wins 1 draw and their only defeat was against leaders Chelsea. If their performances at home are anything to go by, then the Black Cats are most likely going to win this game.

Portsmouth have only 3 wins out of 15 games and they were all against teams in the lower half of the table - Wolves, Wigan and Burnley. Against teams in the top half of the table, they have not done so well, having lost all games so far this season. I expect a win for Sunderland. Bent to score.

Sunderland 2-0 Portsmouth

Manchester United VS Aston Villa

2009-12-11T21:44:00.000-08:00

13/12/2009, 01:30

Analysis:

Despite the fact that Manchester United were hard hit by injuries, they managed to overcome Wolfsburg 3-1 on Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League ith a makefshit side. United will be glad that they can call upon Nemanja Vidic back to the heart of their defence for this match against Villa at the Theatre of Dreams.

Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick acted as centre-backs in Germany but Sir Alex Ferguson can once again rely on Vidic as a more orthodox defender for the visit of Martin O'Neill's men.

Since their defeat to Chelsea, United have won their last four Premiership matcnes in a row and comes into this match with an excellent record against Villa at Old Trafford. Since the Premier League started Aston Villla have never won at Old Trafford and were beaten in a remarkable defeat here last season.

Then substitute Federico Macheda secured the winner in the most dramatic fashion when he scored in the dying seconds and they then went on to push for the title. At Villa Park they drew 0-0 but The Villians have lost 13 out of their last 14 matches against today's opponents.

But Martin O'Neill's side are looking good this season and will provide a tough challenge to United as the Red Devils look to keep the pressure on Chelsea at the top of the table.

United are in good form despite their long injury list and they took it out on West Ham last weekend when they thrashed West Ham United 4-0!

As for the team news, Michael Owen is pushing for a place in the starting lineup after the hat-trick against Wolfsburg but Sir Alex Ferguson has a number of striking options as well. Wayne Rooney has overcome a hamstring injury and is certain to start, while Dimitar Berbatov looks to have shaken off a knee problem and is also available for selection. Ryan Giggs was rested for the trip to Germany and he is also in contention.

Michael Carrick is likely to fill in once more at centre-half alongside Vidic, as Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, John O'Shea, Jonny Evans and Rafael and Fabio Da Silva are still out with injuries. Tomasz Kuszczak is set to continue in goal in the absence of Edwin van der Sar, with Ben Foster remaining on the bench - while midfielder Owen Hargreaves is still lacking match fitness.

As for Villa, they will be looking to take advantage of United's makeshift defence and score here and stake their claim for a Champions League spot. In their last two games they have scored seven times and have beaten Hull City 3-0 in their last match.

Wilfred Bouma remains out for the visitors, but James Collins returns to the side after injury. The former West Ham player has been out for the past month with thigh and groin problems but has now returned to training.

O'Neill must decide whether to recall him to the starting lineup or keep faith with Carlos Cuellar who has impressed in recent weeks alongside Richard Dunne. Stewart Downing has played Villa's past two games since his return from a long-term injury, but he could miss out from the team selection here with places in the side hard to get into especially in midfield. Stiliyan Petrov and Steve Sidwell could eb the preferred partnership in the centre of midfield, with Ashley Young moving to the left wing.

Take Manchester United to win and give the 1 ball here.

Cheers and good luck,
Cruiser

Bolton VS Manchester City

2009-12-11T21:41:00.000-08:00

12/12/2009, 23:00

Analysis:

Bolton who are winless in their last seven games are second from the bottom heading into this match and in dire need of three points as they try to get out of the relegation zone.

They started off in December losing to relegation rivals Wolves 2-1 away from home and that will not do their confidence any good coming into this match.

As for Manchester City, they upset leasders Chelsea when they came from behidn to win 2-1 and ended a seven-match streak of consecutive draws. They will now look to break into the top four and should Tottenham fail to win then they can sneak into fourth spot.

Bolton has been boosted by the return of captain Kevin Davies ahead of this match after he served a one match ban. Ivan Klasnic could drop to the bench in favour of Kevin Davies. Bolton will be without Joey O'Brien and Sean Davies (both knee), while Gavin McCann and Johan Elmander picked up minor knocks in the match at Molineux but should be fit enough for selection.

As for Manchester City, Michael Johnson misses out after he picked up a knee injury in training. Wayne Bridge is out with a knee ligament injury until the New Year so Mark Hughes has to reshuffle his defence. Sylvinho and Javier Garrido could come in as full backs but there is also Joleon Lescott or Gareth Barry available for selection.

Micah Richards, Craig Bellamy and Stephen Ireland are all carrying knee injuries and is unlikely to be risked.

Watch out for Adebayor or Tevez to get on the scoresheet.
Take Manchester City and give the 1/2 ball here.

Cheers and good luck,
Cruiser

2009-12-06T04:27:00.001-08:00

Previous Analysis

Fulham VS Sunderland; Fate85

Fulham VS Sunderland; Cruiser
Everton VS Tottenham; Cruiser
Fulham VS Sunderland; George
Everton VS Tottenham; George
Fulham VS Sunderland; Slydodge

Coming Soon

Date	Time	Home	VS	Away	Odds
12/12/09	20:45	Stoke City	VS	Wigan	0 : 1/2
12/12/09	23:00	Birmingham	VS	West Ham	0 : 1/4
12/12/09	23:00	Bolton	VS	Man. City	1/2 : 0
12/12/09	23:00	Burnley	VS	Fulham	0 : 0
12/12/09	23:00	Chelsea	VS	Everton	0 : 1 3/4
12/12/09	23:00	Hull City	VS	Blackburn	0 : 0
12/12/09	23:00	Sunderland	VS	Portsmouth	0 : 1/2
12/12/09	23:00	Tottenham	VS	Wolverhampton	0 : 1 3/4
13/12/09	01:30	Man. United	VS	Aston Villa	0 : 1
14/12/09	00:00	Liverpool	VS	Arsenal	0 : 1/4

_________________________________________________

Free Professional EPL Tips

Date	Home	VS	Away	Result	Status
---	---	VS	---	---	---
06/12/09	Fulham -0.25	VS	Sunderland	1-0	WIN
18/10/09	Blackburn -0.75	VS	Burnley	3-2	WIN
17/10/09	Sunderland	VS	Liverpool -0.5	1-0	Loss
29/09/09	Man. City -1	VS	West Ham	3-1	WIN
27/09/09	Sunderland -0.75	VS	Wolverhampton	5-2	WIN
26/09/09	Wigan +1.5	VS	Chelsea FC	3-1	WIN
20/09/09	Everton -0.5	VS	Blackburn	3-0	WIN
19/09/09	Arsenal -1.75	VS	Wigan	4-0	WIN

Fulham VS Sunderland

2009-12-06T02:30:00.000-08:00

06/12/2009. 23:00

Darren Bent inspired Sunderland's brilliant start to the season but things have started to slow for the Wearsiders. Just 1 win in their last 5 Premiership games has seen the Black Cats slump to mid-table mediocrity - perhaps where they belong. Sunderland have struggled away from home this season having now gone 6 games without a win on the road in the League - they lost 5 of those. They face a Fulham side that seem to have come good at the right time following a very slow start. The Cottagers have now lost just 1 of their last 8 Premiership games. At home they are unbeaten in their last 4 and they have won 3 of those. Fulham manager Roy Hodgson is missing Dickson Etuhu, Diomansy Kamara and Andrew Johnson, while Simon Davies is doubtdful. Damien Duff, Clint Dempsey and Clint Dempsey should all return to the frame. For Sunderland boss Steve Bruce, he sorely misses Lee Cattermole and Craig Gordon. Kenwyne Jones is struggling with a dead leg. Sunderland come into this one having not lost against Fulham in any of the last 5 against the Londoners. They, however, have been poor away from home. If Fulham could repeeat their courageous recent displays against CSKA Sofia, Blackburn and Liverpool then they are reasonable favourites for the 3 points. Having said that, Bruce has prevented his side from losing back-to-back League games this season and he may well do it again.

Fate85 Recommends:

Sunderland @ +1/2 Handicap
Total Goals: Under

Fulham VS Sunderland

2009-12-06T02:11:00.000-08:00

06/12/2009, 23:00

Slydodge:

I was expecting the handicap to be -3/4, but I think odds are really good for Fulham at only -1/4.

Sunderland have been quite impressive so far this year and I would say they are doing really well under Steve Bruce. The Black Cats have already recorded wins against Liverpool and Arsenal this season and are currently 9th with 20 points from 14 games, however only 4 of their 20 points have come away from home so it clearly shows Sunderland are not a very good away team. Out of 7 games away from home, they lost 5 and their only win was against Bolton, but then again Bolton have been one of the worst teams in the League this season.

I have noticed with Sunderland - all their away defeats were against teams that are good at home - Stoke 1-0, Burnley 3-1, Birmingham 2-1, Tottenham 2-0, Wigan 1-0. With Fulham being another team with very good home form, I am inclined to think that this game is going to end as a win for the home side. Fulham win. Dempsey to score.

Fulham 2-0 Sunderland

Fulham VS Sunderland

2009-12-06T02:07:00.000-08:00

06/12/2009, 23:00

George:

Intriguing Premiership game today between the teams of Fulham and Sunderland.
Cottagers are placed 11th in the table with 19 points.The team made pretty bad start of the season, but the play of the team gradually improved and Hodgson's side is slowly climbing the EPL table.
In midweek the team played Europa League game against CSKA Sofia at Craven Cottage and won 1:0, but the performance of the team wasn't very good.Hodgson stated that the part of the team in that competition may damage team's performance in the league, but I think it appeared to be useful for the manager as he has a chance to try some young players in official games.And after all Fulham is still in the game and can qualify for the next phase of the competition.
The team is known of the stable performance at home and they prove it once again.After the unlucky lose by Arsenal 1:0 at Craven Cottage in the end of September the team is unbeaten at home ground.
For the game today Kamara, Etuhu and Andy Johnson are still out of the squad, while Davies is doubtful.But Konchesky, Greening, Nevland, Dikgacoi, Ki - Hyeon and Eddie johnson, that all missed the game with CSKA return to the squad.
Sunderland on the other hand seems to be in the opposite condition.The team made great start of the season but recently the results are not so good.
Yes, the team is still in the top half on the table, taking the 9th place, but if they don't improve performance that won't last long.
The main trouble of the team is the bad away form.After the first few games it seemed that there will be positive change in the away shape of the team, but then the team started showing the same weaknesses as in the previous seasons.The team on only a point from the last 6 away games, and as a whole the team won only one of the last 6 games played, so the form of the black cats is far from best.
One of the reasons is the absence of Cattermole, that appeared to be the key man for the team in midfield, but he'll miss the next month or so.In addition Mensah and Gordon are injured too, while Jones is doubtful.
Here a strong hosts will meet terrible away team.Adding to that the dropped from of the Black Cats and the missing players, I give full advantage to the Cottagers.

I bet on Home win.

Everton VS Tottenham

2009-12-06T02:02:00.000-08:00

07/12/2009, 00:00

Analysis:

Everton who find themselves in an unfamiliar position at the bottom half are battling against relegation and they must avoid defeat here when they welcome high flying Tottenham to Goodison Park.

A disappointing start to the season have now put their hopes of European qualification in the balance. Everton have been badly hit by injuries this season that shows no sign of relenting, with three more players struck down in the midweek Europa League match against AEK Athens.

Everton did at least manage to claim a morale-boosting victory in a rain-soaked Greece as Diniyar Bilyaletdinov's early goal carried them through to the last 32. But how much that has taken out of the Everton players it remains to be seen after this match. As it is now Everton are just two points clear off the drop zone and need maximum points here.

Moyes will not be able to freshen up his side as much as he would like after three consecutive Premier League losses, with Jo, Sylvain Distin and Dan Gosling all doubtful after being forced off against AEK. Leon Osman has a foot injury, while Phil Jagielka, Mikel Arteta and Phil Neville are among the long-term absentees. John Heitinga is suspended after collecting a fifth yellow card of the season so Moyes is likely to ask the players to fill in unfamiliar positions here.

As for Tottenham, manager Harry Redknapp is convinced that his side can finish in the top four and they are currently 2 points away from third placed Arsenal.

And after losing out to an under-strength Manchester United side in midweek, Harry Redknapp will want to see improvement from his players. Redknapp is likely to go back to the lineup that drew 1-1 with Aston Villa last weekend.

That means that Michael Dawson and Sebastien Bassong should form the central defensive partnership once again with Ledley King (hamstring) and Jonathan Woodgate (groin) both still missing. Carlo Cudicini is facing a long spell out after injuring his wrists and pelvis in a motorcycling accident, although Luka Modric is closing in on a comeback following a fractured fibula.

Redknapp must also decide whether to start upfront with Peter Crouch or Robbie Keane alongside Jermain Defoe in attack.

Go for this match to finish all square and accept the 1/4 ball for Everton here.

Cheers and good luck,
Cruiser

Fulham VS Sunderland

2009-12-06T01:59:00.000-08:00

06/12/2009, 23:00

Analysis:

The first of the Super Sunday games sees Fulham taking on Sunderland and the Cottagers will want to climb up the standings and break into the top ten with a win over The Black Cats.

After suffering only one defeat in their last eight outings Fulham have managed to climb into the top half and will now want to improve on that in today's game. Now they will want to make a push for a European place as their target now.

Their rivals seems to be lacking consistency so there looks to be no reason why they cannot make that final push for a place in the top six at least. Their players are also firing on all cylinders which includes their attacking talents and they will be fired up for this match for sure. The likes of Erik Nevland and Damien Duff have hit the back of the net of late while American forward Clint Dempsey has found the target five times in his last six Premier League games.

Sunderland on the other hand comes into the game after a poor showing at Wigan in their last match. The player to watch out here will be Kenwyne Jones who has scored in each of his previous games with Fulham and after a three match ban he will be eager to get on the scoresheets.

But the fact remains is that they have won only two of their last seven games but they have been against big teams like Liverpool and Arsenal. Their weakness is scoring on their travels as only Stoke having found the target fewer times away from home than Sunderland with five goals. Dickson Etuhu is also out as he is suffering with a knee injury. Diomansy Kamara is also sidelined with a similar problem and will not be back until Christmas.

As for Sunderland they have announced that Jones will start this match at Craven Cottage. Lee Cattermole is out as he continues to recover from a knee ligament injury while Craig Gordon is also out with a broken wrist. Ghanaian John Mensah is also out of the side with a recurrence of his calf problem and is out of Steve Bruce side.

Take Fulham to win here and give the 1/2 ball away.

Cheers and good luck,
Cruiser

Everton VS Tottenham

2009-10-18T05:32:00.001-07:00

07/12/2009, 00:00

George:

Another intriguing Premiership clash today between the teams of Everton and Tottenham.
The Toffees are in pretty complicated condition at the moment.The team is 16th in the table with only 15 points and is dangerously close to the relegation zone.
It seems this season the multy - competition task came too much for the narrow squad f Moyes and the Scottish manager now has serious headackes with injured players.So serious that the team may be seriously involved in the fight against relegation.
Actually in the last season the team again fell into the same situation, but then they managed to cope fast and it wasn't something fatal.But now the crisis situation seems irreversible, at least at the moment.Instead of some players recovering, there are more and more names added to the injury list, after every single game played.
The team has only 1 win in the last 8 League games.In midweek Toffees clinched 1:0 win against AEK in greece that will gave them a place in the next stage of the tournament, but at what cost...
The team used to have great defence in the previous seasons, but in this one Everton conceded 25 goals in 14 games, which is terrible record.One of the causes is the departure of Lescott, but the injuies play the main part.The other rock in the defence of the team jagielka is long term injury victim.For the match today Yobo and Distin are injured and probably won't be in the squad.Heitinga is suspended and the young Gosling who may play as central defender is doubtful too.So I wonder how will look the defence of the team today?I'm sure it will be chaos there, and this against the high - flying attack of the Spurs, I don't think the result will be good for the toffees.Neville, Arteta, Vaughan, Osman and Anichebe are the other missing figures in the team for the match today.
Tottenham is 4th in the table with 26 points.The team is having great time this season, performing great, especially in attack.It reached its top 2 weeks ago in the amazing 9:1 win against Wigan.This game was followed by 1:1 draw against Villans at Villa Park.But I have to say the team from Birmingham should be happy with the point as Spurs pressed almost all the time after they conceded and were closer to the win.But in that game the defence of Villa looked good, tight, made almost no mistakes.I wonder how the experimental back formation of Everton will cope with the same situation today...
In midweek the Spurs were eliminated from Carling Cup by Manchester United, but I have to say the Red Devils made superb game in defence, mainly due to the brilliant performance of Vidic.
For the match today Woodgate and King are out, while Modric and Cudicini are long term absentees.
Usually Everton is not the easiest opponent for the Spurs, but now the Toffees are severely damaged by injuries, especially in defence, just where they need stable performance against Spurs, so I think this game will be dominated by Tottenham and they will have number of chances to score, suppose they will use some at least.
The 2 teams met earlier this season in Carling Cup clash when Tottenham won 2:0.

I bet on Away -0.25 AH.

Osasuna vs Atletico Madrid

2009-10-18T05:30:00.000-07:00

Osasuna VS Atletico Madrid
19/10/2009, 03:00

Osasuna are sitting in 12th spot, and to be honest that is just about right for a team of their stature. They have lost 3 of their last 5 games in the League, against Tenerife, Sevilla and Getafe. They beat Real Valladolid and Sporting Gijon. At home, Osasuna have been decent, losing just 1 of their last 5. Not losing does not mean winning though, and they have actually struggled to produce wins, registering just 2 victories in their last 7 at home in the League. They welcome the visit of an Atletico Madrid side that sit in 14th spot - for their standards, that is just unacceptable. Atletico Madrid have made some headway in recent years, and I think their mini successes are getting to their head. Prior to their win against Real Zaragoza last time out, Atletico Madrid went 7 games without a win in all competitions, losing to Malaga, Barcelona and Porto, and drawing with Racing Santander, APOEL, Almeria and Valencia. Their form away from home has been shocking, losing 3 and drawing 1 of their last 4, and they need to buckle up their ideas if they were to avoid a defeat today.

Osasuna manager Jose Antonio Camacho is missing Jokin Esparza, Eduardo Fernandes and Roversio Rodrigues. Carlos Aranga is still troubled by a niggling injury and he needs to pass a late fitness test in order to play. Cesar Azpilicueta returns and he should slot right into the back four for the home side. Former Birmingham striker Walter Pandiani must do well upfront, and he needs to get adequate support from Iranian midfielder Javad Nekounam and promising 24-year-old Juanfran. For Atletico Madrid boss Javier Aguirre, he is without Roberto Jimenez and Mariano Pernia, while Ignacio Camacho and Leandro Cabrera have been omitted. Aguirre welcomes back the services of Raul Garcia, Sergio Asenjo and Dominguez though. Diego Forlan will not participate in proceedings having arrived back late from Uruguay, meaning Argentine international Sergio Aguero is likely to partner former Liverpool man Florent Sinama Pongolle upfront. Simao must impress down the right wing, and the likes of Cleber Santana, Paulo Assuncao and Jose Jurado must all deliver in midfield.

This is tough game for Atletico Madrid, especially without Diego Forlan. Atletico Madrid have not enjoyed travelling to Osasuna. Their last 9 visits to Osasuna's Reyno de Navarra in Pamplona have resulted in just 1 win. Osasuna have won 7 during this time, with the other one drawn. It seems quite clear that these teams have very rarely drawn with each other in the past, and as such I believe there should be a winner out of this one. As much as I would like to say Atletico Madrid are going to make it, I feel they have been very disappointing. Sergio Aguero was hailed as one of the players to watch leading up to the new season, but the lack of support from the other big guns like Maxi Rodriguez, Raul Garcia, Simao Sabrosa and Diego Forlan means the little Argentine has struggled for form. I have never been a fan of Osasuna, but with the shape Atletico Madrid are in at the moment, I have little choice but to back the home team seeing as they are the safer bet on the level handicap.

Fate85 Recommends:

Osasuna @ Level Handicap
Total Goals: Under

AC Milan VS Roma

2009-10-18T05:26:00.000-07:00

AC Milan VS Roma
19/10/2009, 02:45

In a way we sort of always knew this day would come - the day when age catches up on the Milan veterans. They have been very poor this season in the Serie A. Their two wins this season in the League came against Siena and Bologna. Other than that they have lost against Inter Milan and Udinese, and drawn with Livorno, Bari and Atalanta. Make no mistake about it, some players just do not cut it at the top level anymore. Last time out against Atalanta, they have in their starting eleven Alessandro Nesta, Gianluca Zambrotta, Giuseppe Favalli, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo and Clarence Seedorf - all of them are over 30. In fact, Favalli is 37! And that is not including goalkeeper Marco Storari who is 32 because I feel goalkeepers get better when they are older. They welcome the visit of a Roma team that despite their poor start to the season they have now pulled everything together. They started their Serie A season with 2 straight losses against Genoa and Juventus, but since then they have not lost in 5, beating Siena, Fiorentina and Napoli, and drawing with Palermo and Catania.

AC Milan Leonardo could ditch his ineffective system of 4-3-1-2 as he adopts the tried-and-tested 4-4-2 formation. Thiago Silva and Marco Borriello both return for AC Milan but it looks like only Thiago Silva will be making the starting line-up. Ronaldinho only made the bench last time out but he could get the nod to start alongside Alexandre Pato upfront. Mathieu Flamini has been given a run in the side and he could keep up Gennaro Gattuso as he partners Andrea Pirlo in central midfield. For Roma boss Claudio Ranieri, he has been rocked by the absence of Francesco Totti. Marco Motta is also absent. Mirko Vucinic is expected to partner Stefano Okaka Chuka in attack, backed by David Pizarro, Daniele De Rossi and Simone Perotta. You have to wonder if Roma would be able to do okay without their inspirational talisman Totti, but with De Rossi pulling the strings in midfield, they should cope reasonably well.

Here's the deal - AC Milan have not beaten Roma in any of the last 8 meetings between them. Roma have avoided defeat in their last 4 visits to the San Siro to play AC Milan. In fact, they won 3 of those 4 games, including the last time they played there, winning 3-2. John Arne Riise, Jeremy Menez and Francesco Totti all scored for the visitors as they weathered two goals from Massimo Ambrosini. I think Leonardo's inexperience as a manager is very telling, and being chucked into the deep end straight away managing a big team like AC Milan is no doubt a challenge. He does not have too many options to play with seeing as his team is filled with players way past their prime. When you have the likes of 37-year-old Giuseppe Favalli and 36-year-old Filippo Inzaghi still sniffing around for first-team football, you know you have got a very serious problem. Claudio Ranieri has steadied the ship at Roma and I think they will keep up their good record against AC Milan today.

Fate85 Recommends:

Roma @ +0.5 ( or +0.25 ) Handicap
Total Goals: Under

Napoli VS Bologna

2009-10-18T05:24:00.000-07:00

Napoli VS Bologna
18/10/2009, 21:00

AC Milan VS Roma

2009-10-18T05:21:00.000-07:00

AC Milan VS Roma 19/10/2009, 02:45

Fulham VS Hull City

2009-10-17T23:28:00.000-07:00

Fulham VS Hull City
20/10/2009, 03:00

Chievo vs Bari

2009-10-17T23:18:00.000-07:00

Chievo vs Bari
18/10/2009, 21:00

Wigan VS Manchester City

2009-10-17T03:01:00.000-07:00

Wigan VS Manchester City
18/10/2009, 23:00

The problem with having so many star players in your team is that whenever there is an international break, the manager would be feeling very anxious as he knows he will have a bunch of tired players for the next club game. Man City had its stars flying to all parts of the world over the international break, and Mark Hughes would now need to figure out a team that has the highest fitness level. Man City are not in the best form currently. They have won just 1 of their last 4 games. They lost 3-4 against Man Utd and drew with Fulham in the Carling Cup and Aston Villa last time out in the Premiership. Their only win during this time was against West Ham, when Carlos Tevez netted a brace against his old team. Wigan can feel comfortable with their chances having won two home games in a row in the Premier League, against West Ham and Chelsea. They did lose 1-2 last time out, but that was an away game, and to be fair to them they had the better of the exchanges in that one.

Man City manager Mark Hughes is definitely without Robinho, Nedum Onuoha and Benjani Mwaruwari. Captain Kolo Toure, Joleon Lescott, Pablo Zabaleta, Vincent Kompany and Nigel de Jong are all uncertainties as they carry niggling injuries. It seems almost inevitable that Emmanuel Adebayor will be partnering Carlos Tevez upfront, complemented by Craig Bellamy from the left wing. Bellamy has done so well of late that I think he has left Hughes with no choice but to include him in his plans. For Wigan boss Roberto Martinez, he has a full team to choose from. Having said that, I think Jason Scotland will be keeping his starting spot having done decently when involved from the outset in recent times. Hugo Rodallega should still be the main man when it comes to getting the goals though. Wigan's defence of Mario Melchiot, Emerson Boyce, Titus Bramble and Maynor Figueroa is a very stable one, and with Chris Kirkland the usual man in between the sticks, I do believe they have the understanding among themselves to deal adequately with City's attacking talents.

I will not be surprised if punters jump on the City bandwagon for this one because having done rather disappointingly of late, people are expecting Hughes' team to pick themselves up to get back to title-challenging ways. I will be cautious though. If Toure, Lescott, Zabaleta, Kompany and de Jong all miss out, I think City will have an uphill task to even draw, what more to say win. Kolo Toure is already a success story on the blue side of Manchester, and City need him to steady the ship at the back. Wigan may not have pacey enough players, but in Charles N'Zogbia, Paul Scharner and Hendry Thomas, the Latics have enough tenacity and resilience to keep going at the depleted City backline. City have not won any of their last 5 visits to the JJB, and with them missing so many defensive players I think their horrendous run on the road against Wigan will continue. Keep an eye out for Hugo Rodallega to impress, though Jason Scotland could steal the show with his first goal for the club.

Fate85 Recommends:

Wigan @ +0.5 Handicap
Total Goals: Under

Sunderland VS Liverpool

2009-10-17T02:58:00.000-07:00

Sunderland VS Liverpool
17/10/2009, 22:00

Real test for Liverpool this, as they travel to the Stadium of Light to play a seemingly in-form Sunderland side. Liverpool have potentially detrimental team news to report, but I will leave that for later. Liverpool were shambolic against Chelsea last time out, going down 0-2. It was not so much the scoreline - it was the performance as a whole. They looked out of their depth and they showed no signs of righting the wrong of that 0-2 reverse in Florence against Fiorentina in the Champions League. Home side Sunderland are buoyant, and rightly so. They were so close to picking up 3 points against Man Utd at Old Trafford, but an injury-time own-goal by Anton Ferdinand meant they only walked away with a 2-2 draw. Prior to that they were rampant, beating Wolves 6-2. After their 1-3 loss to Sunderland in their first game at home this season, they have now registered 4 straight wins at the Stadium of Light, scoring 13 goals in the process.

Now here's the news that rocked the world of all Liverpool fans. Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez will need to devise a game plan without the injured Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. I have always said that if Liverpool lose Fernando Torres, they would have no proven goalscorer to step in, and I have maintained this stance ever since the departure of Robbie Keane. Today we will see if I am right or wrong in this regard. Steven Gerrard's absence is also a massive blow seeing as the Reds offloaded Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid in the off-season. For Sunderland boss Steve Bruce, he is without Kieran Richardson, who is suspended. Other than that, Sunderland should be very strong, especially with Darren Bent and Kenwyne Jones upfront. They have been extremely prolific, and backed by Steed Malbranque and Steven Reid, they could really do some damage here. Lee Cattermole will have an easier time for sure in midfield in the absence of Steven Gerrard.

Liverpool's record against Sunderland away from home is sensational. In their last 10 visits to Sunderland, Liverpool have won 8 of them, including the last 3. In these 3 games which they had won, they did not concede a single goal. Home and away, the Reds have won 6 in a row against the Black Cats, and really they should be brimming with confidence knowing that history is on their side. But... "brimming with confidence" would be a huge mistake today. It is bad enough to have one of Steven Gerrard or Fernando Torres out, but the sad fact now is that they are both missing. Torres and Gerrard have scored 11 of Liverpool's 22 goals this season, and they played a major role in the other goals as well. After whinging about not getting enough time on the pitch, Ryan Babel should get the nod. Fabio Aurelio could get a role in midfield as Bentiez desperately looks for cover for his two best players. Sunderland boss Steve Bruce knows the is the best chance yet to end his side's appalling record against Liverpool, and I will not be surprised if they come up with all 3 points - with Bent again prominent.

Fate85 Recommends:

Sunderland @ +0.25 Handicap
Total Goals: Under

Arsenal VS Birmingham City

2009-10-17T02:56:00.000-07:00

Arsenal VS Birmingham City 17/10/2009, 22:00

Occasionally brilliant, occasionally blundering, Arsenal welcome the visit of Birmingham City to the Emirates Stadium on the back of a thumping 6-2 win over Blackburn. That was achieved, however, after conceding two sucker-punches. Thomas Vermaelen showed again why he has been dubbed the best buy in the Premiership this season, and Francesc Fabregas had a blinder of a game once more, setting up 4 goals and scoring 1 himself. The Gunners have now won their last 6 games in all competitions, and on home turf they have won all their games this season, all by 2 goals or more. Their opponents Birmingham did admirably on opening day against Manchester United at Old Trafford, but of late they have been struggling a bit. Birmingham have lost their last 3 games in a row in all competitions, including 2 in the Premiership. They had no answers to a physical Bolton side, going down 1-2 at home, and they were edged 1-2 by fellow promoted side Burnley. They are in for a long, long afternoon against an Arsenal side that will pass the ball around all day.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is without some key players here. Croatian striker Eduardo is out with a thigh injury, and he is joined by Nicklas Bendtner, Gael Clichy, Denilson and Johan Djorou. Manuel Almunia could be included following quite a long spell on the sidelines with a chest infection, but Samir Nasri is still lacking match fitness. Andrey Arshavin and Robin Van Persie should be leading the line for the Gunners once more, with Tomas Rosicky and Francesc Fabregas the creative force in midfield. Theo Walcott made a goalscoring return in the Premier League but Wenger could leave him on the bench after he played in England's Under-21 game. For Birmingham boss Alex McLeish, striker Cameron Jerome is back and he is a big boost. Christian Benitez missed his flight from South America though so he is missing. Marcus Bent, Franck Quedrue, Gregory Vignal, Stuart Parnaby and Martin Taylor are the othern notable absentees. Birmingham do not have a bad team, with James McFadden upfront and Lee Carsley, Lee Bowyer, Barry Ferguson and Teemu Tainio in midfield. Question is, can they match Arsenal's fluency in passing and pace down the flanks? I think not.

I am backing Arsenal here. Yes, Arsenal have not beaten Birmingham in the last 2 encounters, but Arsenal are way more of an attacking threat as compared their opponents today. The last match between these sides saw Birmingham's Martin Taylor breaking Arsenal's Eduardo's leg, and in that game, Birmingham scored a 94th-minute penalty to tie the game at 2-2. Surely the Arsenal players will be keen to banish the memories of that nightmare game and register a big win here. If their massive win over Blackburn is not an indication of what is to come for Birmingham then I do not know what is. Francesc Fabregas has been in top form, and with him sniffing around behind Robin Van Persie and afforded support by Tomas Rosicky and Andrey Arshavin, the Spanish international is set for another spectacular performance. I expect the Gunners to keep a cleansheet in this one, so that should give the Correct Score punters out there something to work with seeing as I am also backing them on the handicap.

Fate85 Recommends:

Arsenal @ -2 Handicap
Total Goals: Over

Aston Villa VS Chelsea FC

2009-10-17T02:53:00.000-07:00

Aston Villa VS Chelsea FC
17/10/2009, 19:45

Finally, the English Premier League is back - seems like an eternity! Chelsea's good 2-goal win over Liverpool last time out saw them reclaim top spot, and they now travel to Villa Park to take on Aston Villa hoping to keep up their lead at the top. Chelsea came undone the last time they travelled in the League, going down 1-3 against Wigan at the JJB. Considering their superb away form prior to that defeat, you would think they are more likely than not going to bounce back and land all 3 points here. Problem is, Aston Villa are not too shabby at home. In fact, Chelsea have been finding Villa Park a very difficult place to visit, something I will discuss further in the final paragraph. Aston Villa's last League game was a 1-1 draw with Man City, and I must say even though I fancied City to hold their own, I did not expect Aston Villa to put up such an astute performance. Villa will relish the prospect of playing the leaders on home turf, and having gone 3 home games without defeat in the League, they should be confident of stepping up to the plate today in this early kick-off.

The international break has been gruelling for both teams, and while Villa have less international players and they are more centered around England, Chelsea had players flying all over. Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti saw Yuri Zhirkov injuring his club mate Michael Ballack in the game between Russia and Germany, and it is no surprise that Michael Ballack is out today alongside John Obi Mikel. Jose Bosingwa has a hamstring problem and needs to be assessed. Biggest news for Chelsea? Petr Cech is back in goal, even though Hilario kept a cleansheet against Liverpool last time out. For Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill, he is missing English duo Curtis Davies and Stewart Downing. Luke Young is back in the team but he is likely only going to make the bench. Gabriel Agbonlahor had a starring role in England's 3-0 win over Belarus in midweek, and he should be relied upon yet again. Question is, will his England teammate Emile Heskey be given the green light having fallen out of favour this sooon in his Villa career? Well, I think he is good for a start - but make no mistake about it... if he fails to impress, he may be omitted for a while after mouthing off in the press.

Alright, here it is. Chelsea's 1-0 win over Aston Villa last season at Villa Park was their first win against the Villains away from home in 10 attempts. Yes, you heard me right - Chelsea have won just 1 of their last 10 visits to Villa Park. That is a shocking piece of statistic that cannot just be ignored. If Villa come into this match in poor form, then yes perhaps we might be able to sweep it under the carpet, but we are now talking about a Villa side that put the star-studded Man City to the test, and very nearly won. Chelsea did have a good outing against Liverpool, but with them having lost 1-3 against Wigan on their last Premiership travel, perhaps some doubt still exist in the players' minds. Almost all of Chelsea's likely starting eleven today played in international matches last weekend and last midweek, and I feel tired legs would be an issue. If Villa could keep it tight at the back with the marshalling of Richard Dunne and if Steven Sidwell could assert some authority in midfield against his old side that perhaps, just perhaps, Aston Villa would be able to nick this. If not, a draw is not a bad result as far as we are concerned.

Fate85 Recommends:

Aston Villa @ +0.75 Handicap

Total Goals: Under

Wigan VS Manchester City

2009-10-17T00:42:00.000-07:00

Wigan VS Manchester City
18/10/2009, 23:00

Sunderland VS Liverpool

2009-10-16T23:55:00.000-07:00

Sunderland VS Liverpool
17/10/2009, 22:00

Analysis:

Liverpool goes into this match knowing that they have already lost three games this season and on top of that a defeat to the home side would make the home side leapfrogged them in the standings.

The Reds are now in sixth spot and will not want to drop any further than Manchester United and Chelsea at the top of the standings. Their last match they were beaten by Chelsea 2-0. However, history is on their side as they travel to face Sunderland here.

Liverpool have beaten Sunderland in their last six meetings, and they have not conceded against the Black Cats since 2002. On the form side of it, Sunderland will come out tops as they almost grabbed a win at Old Trafford last time out even. Sunderland have also won their last four home games in the league and will be looking to make it five wins in a row.

Steve Bruce has managed to bloster his squad by bringing in former Liverpool player Boudewijn Zenden on a free transfer. Even though enden is awaiting his international clearance, he is an option to start at left-back in place of the suspended Kieran Richardson. George McCartney would be the obvious option - but he missed Northern Ireland's clash with Czech Republic in midweek and is unlikely to recover in time ahead of this clash.

Paulo da Silva is also out as he will have a long trip back after he was involved in Paraguay's match against Colombia. Zenden could start at full back if neither da Silva or McCartney could start this match. Another option is to switch Phil Bardsley to left-back and possibly bring in Nyron Nosworthy to play on the right.

Kenwyne Jones is also doubtful. He played for Trinidad & Tobago against Mexico in Port of Spain on Wednesday evening and could not return back in time. Fraizer Campbell likely to start if Jones could not return back in time.

For Liverpool, they will miss the services of both Steven Gerrad and Fernando Torres. Both picked up groin injuries whilst with England and Spain respectively, and those problems ruled them out of their midweek games. Dirk Kuyt will start this match despite a concern over his ankle in his involvement with Holland's trip to Australia. Dirk Kuyt will start in attack and Ryan Babel will play alongside him.

Greek stopper Sotirios Kyrgiakos will definitely miss out for at least ten days due to a knee ligament damage. The conditions of players such as Javier Mascherano, Emiliano Insua and Lucas will also be assessed before the start.

But the good news is that Danish defender Dan Agger is available for the first time this season and he could line-up in a three-man central defence for the Reds.

Yossi Benayoun and Fabio Aurelio are pushing for first team action but Italian Alberto Auilani is still not ready for his debut.

Take Liverpool to win and give the 0.25 ball here.

Cheers and good luck,
Cruiser

THE PICK:
Liverpool to win 1-0

FIXED ODDS BETTING:
Take Liverpool to win this match

HANDICAP BETTING:
Take Liverpool and give the 0.25 ball here.

Blackburn VS Burnley

2009-10-16T10:56:00.001-07:00

Blackburn VS Burnley
18/10/2009, 20:00

Aston Villa VS Chelsea FC

2009-10-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

Aston Villa VS Chelsea FC
17/10/2009, 19:45

(07) VIL: W02-02 D01-00 L01-01 F05-05 A03-03
(01) CHE: W04-03 D00-00 L00-01 F10-08 A07-09

Carlos Ancellotti and the Blues cannot afford to fumble in their next away as they did when they went down miserably to Wigan Athletic (1-3) in their last away match 3 weeks ago. If at all the Blues and their connections hope to win the EPL crown like they did under Jose Mourinho, then they will have to ensure that they must not have consecutive losses, be it at home or away.

Their impeccable 7-match win record had been surprising broken by a team in the 12th rung of the EPL table and that surely does not augur well for a team aspiring to win the crown. It's understandable had they been beaten by the top five or so teams.

Today Ancellotti and the Blues are faced with a slight predicament or so what the Villa fans hope to think. This Wednesday they host Atletico Madrid in the 2nd match of the Group D ties. Chelsea look to be a cinch to clinch the top spot in Group D of the competition having secured 2 straight wins against FC. Porto (2-0) and Apoel Nicosia (1-0) and they don't have to be overly concerned about their position in the Group stages.

Their current concern is definitely the EPL in which they hold a slim 2-point lead and a +1 superior GD over arch-rival Man-U. Anything but a win here will see them giving up that lead as the reigning champions are entertaining Bolton at Old Trafford today and they are expected to score a massive win!

The wily Ancelotti will definitely send out his strongest side to take all 3 points available and will take on Atletico with whatever resources the Blues on the day in question. In fact they have little to ponder about as Atletico are in the worst state of condition having won just once at the Vicente Calderon and that one and only win once over newly promoted Zaragoza in the 6 matches played in the La Liga is unbecoming of a CL contestant from La Liga.

Villa will no doubt be boosted by the visitors' last away defeat at the hands of Wigan. There is no doubt they are much better than Wigan and will look to inflict yet another defeat on the EPL leaders and at the same time make their way up the EPL table. Like their visitors who will look to Didier Drogba to get them their needed goals, the Villans will count on Agbonlahor to get them the goals, no doubt with the strong support of John Carew and that versatile flanker Ashley Young. Sure the Villans will be a tougher side than Wigan but an experienced side like Chelsea will not fall intro that same dilemma as they did against Wigan.

Bet on an easy win for the visitors!

Nero Recommends:

Chelsea FC -0.75 @ Handicap

Bristol City VS Peterborough United

2009-10-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

Bristol City VS Peterborough United
17/10/2009, 22:00

(08) BRI: W04-00 D01-04 L00-02 F07-03 A02-07
(23) PTB: W01-00 D02-02 L03-03 F09-03 A11-08

The two teams didn't play each other last season as Peterborough is a newly promoted side who finished 2nd to Leicester City to earn promotion here. Bristol City on the other hand finished a creditable 10th and will no doubt be pushing for that automatic promotion, if not a chance in the play-offs. To achieve that they will have to be in the top 6 and Bristol are not too far away though it is very earl yet at this point in time.

Bristol have a very good record here at the Aston Gate Stadium where they have scored 4 wins and a draw against Scunthorpe in as many matches. Their vanquished visitors include Boro, QPR, Palace and Blackpool and it is hard to think that this newly promoted side can avoid the excellent run of the home side. Last time out at St. James Park, Bristol city fought out a close 0-0 draw against the League leader (Newcastle) and it must be said that they were unlucky not to have come away with all 3 points.

Peterborough on the other hand has a dismal away record of 0-2-3 and they could only manage to score 3 goals in those 5 matches. Even their home record of 1-2-3 is very much below that of Bristol City, not speak of the last 3 consecutive losses that they experienced to suggest that they are down in spirits and definitely out of form to the extent that even lost 1-2 to Plymouth (currently in the drop zone).

No doubt Nicky Maynard (6 goals) and his partner Danny Haynes will once again conjure the moves that will tear the visitors already weak defence apart (conceded 19 goals in the 11 matches played – average 1.7). the homes side has scored in all the matches they played here and up against this newly promoted side that's struggling to keep it's head above water, they will have little problem scoring a handful of goals to win this tie – bet on it!

Nero Recommends:

Bristol City -0.75 @ Handicap

Aston Villa VS Chelsea FC

2009-10-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

Aston Villa VS Chelsea FC
17/10/2009, 19:45

Aston Villa (7th) 4-1-2 10:6

Aston Villa have started the season well enough after getting over an opening day home loss to Wigan, but for a club that was considered to be challenging for the top four in recent seasons, the appearance of Manchester City's money-men has been a reality check for the midlands club.

As such the 1-1 draw with Man City here at Villa Park was a good fillup, but if Villa fans are going to believe that Champions League football is a possibility, then a home win over one or two of the big four clubs is really what is required.

Villa have acquitted themselves well against Chelsea here in recent seasons, with a run of two wins and three draws in five games before losing 0-1 here last season.

Aston Villa Team News:
Ashley Young (foot), Curtis Davies (shoulder) and Stewart Downing (ankle) all remain absent.

Chelsea FC (1st) 7-0-1 18:6

This game will be another big test for Chelsea's manager Carlo Ancelotti, as it's the first big away game test for the Blues who are fresh from their 2-0 home win over Liverpool.

However, in the Premier League winning away from home is also required, and while Chelsea have done well with a 3-0-1 record, the first four road games for the The Blues were arguably against weaker sides that Chelsea are expected to beat.

Chelsea's loss against Wigan can he put down losing keeper Petr Cech who was sent off following a penalty incident, but even so I felt that Chelsea were off their game prior to that event.

A win here - and Chelsea are back on track - anything less and the doubts start to form about the Italian manager's approach to away games.
(team news online Friday)

The Betting Verdict

This might be the best time for Villa to face Chelsea, immediately after the international break, and there is the possibility of an upset accordingly.

But, overall, The Blues have been looking very, very tough, and with that loss at Wigan still fresh in the minds of the Chelsea players I do not expect to see another slip-up.

I'll take Chelsea as most likely winners and the price is fair according to my estimates.

THE PICK:
Aston Villa 1-2 Chelsea FC

PERCENTAGE ESTIMATE:
Aston Villa 20% - Draw 20% - Chelsea 60%

FIXED ODDS BETTING:
Take CHELSEA to edge the lunchtime kickoff game

Arsenal VS Birmingham City

2009-10-16T09:32:00.000-07:00

Arsenal VS Birmingham City
17/10/2009, 22:00

Arsenal (5th) 5-0-2 24:10

Arsenal continue to be "the entertainers" of the Premier League under manager Arsene Wenger, especially at the Emirates where the last five league games have all seen 4+ goals scored.

Wenger insists that he has the talent to challenge for the title, although most Gooners believe that the side is still fragile when it comes to defending, and the games against Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers underline that.

However, perhaps that is the price to pay under Wenger's flowing football systems, and certainly when the side can answer back as well as they did against Blackburn, then perhaps does not matter that you concede goals if you can score four plus per game.

Of course, when the opponents are top class and the games get tight, then I suspect that this weakness will again be highlighted.
(team news online Friday)

Birmingham City (14th) 2-1-5 5:8

Birmingham City have had a tough time in their return to the Premier League, and the Brummies are battling hard in every game to scrap for the points on offer.

A feature of Birmingham's results so far has been that ALL of the league games have been decided by a margin of one goal, with a pair of 1-0 wins, and a mix of 0-1 and 1-2 losses.

This season has felt like a bit of holding pattern for Birmingham with the protracted takeover by Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung seemingly taking forever. Yeung has romised to make £40m available for transfers during the January window.

Until then I think that we will see Birmingham taking this very steady and hard-to-beat approach.
(team news online Friday)

The Betting Verdict

Once again, the international break will have an effect on the fluidity of Arsenal's approach play, although the Gunners are fortunate to have a gome game scheduled meaning that the nice flat wide surface of the Emirates Stadium will suit.

The Arsenal have been scoring goals for fun at home, but a quick look at the visitors goal difference underlines that City do not concede many goals, especially allowing for away trips to Old Trafford and White Hard Lane already.

Birmingham have proven to be a tough side to beat with all three away losses only by a single goal margin - and I don't expect this match to be a goal-fest like the previous three home games.

However, Arsenal should come out on top and secure all three points.

THE PICK:
Arsenal 2-0 Birmingham City (or 1-0)

PERCENTAGE ESTIMATE:
Arsenal 75% - Draw 20% - Birmingham City 5%

FIXED ODDS BETTING:
I expect ARSENAL TO WIN but the price is low - especially when you consider that 1.33 would be fair value.

A bet on ARSENAL TO WIN TO NIL could be a better play.

Everton VS Wolverhampton

2009-10-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

Everton VS Wolverhampton
17/10/2009, 22:00

Everton (10th) 3-1-3 9:11

Everton's manager David Moyes was blaming a midweek Europa League game for his sides 1-1 draw at home to Stoke last time out - so I wonder what he's going to make of the international break particularly with the likes of Tim Cahill travelling to Australia and back in the last seven days.

Still, Everton at home are usually quite a reliable proposition, solid defensively, and strong at set-pieces and that might be enough to see off a Wolves side that are starting to struggle on the road.
(team news online Friday)

Wolverhampton (17th) 2-1-5 7:14

Eight games into the season, and Wolves are hovering just outside the regelation zone, but it could have been a lot better if they'd been able to get something from their home game against Portsmouth.

Wolves away form has gone sour, starting with a win at Wigan, and then losing the next three away games, including a 5-2 thumping at Sunderland.
(team news online Friday)

The Betting Verdict

Everton have battled back from an abysmal start to the season (when Arsenal came an won 6-1 on opening day) and with five wins from their last six games the Toffees are back in form.

Wolves have definately gone the other way, and being the first side to drop points to Portsmouth cannot help but damage the confidence.

I have Everton as solid favourites - and this current price is fair.

THE PICK:
Everton 3-1 Wolverhampton

PERCENTAGE ESTIMATE:
Everton 70% - Draw 20% - Wolverhampton 10%

FIXED ODDS BETTING:
Take EVERTON TO WIN

Manchester United VS Bolton Wanderers

2009-10-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

Manchester United VS Bolton Wanderers
17/10/2009, 22:00

Manchester United (2nd) 6-1-1 19:8

Manchester United will be looking to bounce back to winning ways after drawing 2-2 with Sunderland in their last league fixture - with a performance that got manager Alex Ferguson ranting about referees fitness - when we're all pretty sure that it was United's midfield that was really the reason for getting hot under the collar.

United have not been destroying opponents at Old Trafford this season though, with three wins all by a single goal margin before that 2-2 draw with Sunderland, and I'm not sure that Ferguson can change the pattern too much, with the international break meaning that the team was scattered to many corners of the globe.

With the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, and the absence of a ready-made midfiled replacement, Wayne Rooney has stepped up to be the major goal scoring focus for United.

UPDATE:

Wayne Rooney will NOT play on Saturday, as he is still struggling with a calf strain when playing against Ukraine for England.

Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar will make his first appearance of the season, but Dimitar Berbatov could miss out following the birth of his first child reports the BBC? (Really? I'd be amazed if Berbatov does not play)

Bolton Wanderers (13th) 2-2-3 10:11

Bolton Wanderers might be sitting in 13th place in the table, but the Wanderers are unbeaten in their last five games (including Carling Cup), and have won their last two away games in the Premier League.

One factor weighing large against Bolton is their recent head to head record at United, with six straight losses at Old Trafford in the Premier League, and a losing 1-1-4 record at the Reebok Stadium as well in the same period.

(team news online Friday)

The Betting Verdict

It's clear to everyone that this Manchester United side miss Ronaldo in midfield, but the Red Devils still have too much for most sides when the game is played at Old Trafford.

Sunderland's 2-2 draw here in the last fixture will do for extra motivation for both sides, but the question is whether Bolton can break their awful record here.

I think United will find ways to score and win - but I'd want to hear confirmation that Rooney is playing first.

THE PICK:
Manchester United 2-1 Bolton Wanderers

PERCENTAGE ESTIMATE:
Manchester United 75% - Draw 19% - Bolton Wanderers 6%

FIXED ODDS BETTING:
MANCHESTER UNITED TO WIN is the most likely result.

but once again that's going to be a popular public pick and the bookmaker prices are not really near fair value (of 1.33).

one to avoid given the Rooney absence?

Manchester United VS Bolton Wanderers

2009-10-16T06:13:00.001-07:00

Manchester United v. Bolton Wanderers
17/10/2009, 22:00

(02) MAN: W03-03 D01-00 L00-01 F09-10 A06-02
(13) BOL: W00-02 D02-00 L02-01 F05-05 A07-04

Sir Alex will have to without Wayne Rooney (calf injury) when the Red Devils host Bolton here at the Old Trafford today. The England international will look to this break as an excellent chance to rest ahead of that upcoming CL tie against CSKA Moscow netx Wednesday. There is no need to press the panic button as there si enough depth in the Man-U side to handle the visitors today.

Up front, there is still Dimitar Berbatov and he will seize the opportunity to play despite having personal commitments after becoming a new father. Berbatov has been in Rooney's shadows since arriving here from Spurs. With the home side's top striker being indisposed, the Bulgarian will shine as he normally does at Spurs where he was brightest spark and the club's the lethal hit man.

Berbatov will be partnered with Michael Owen, another striker that has been under siege after moving out of Newcastle. No doubt he will also take this opportunity to prove that he still has a lot in him though it must be said that he has lost his as shine, perhaps due to the lack of exposure being amongst the likes of Rooney and Berbatov in Man-U's hierarchy.

Sure, Man-U is weakened by the absence of Rooney but trust Sir Alex's foresight when he did not make any special signings for a new striker with the proceeds of the sale of Ronaldo and Tevez to replace them. After all they are hosting Bolton and they ought not have too much problem of getting all 3 points if at all they hope to be able to retain their crown this season.

No doubt, the off-form Ferdinand and Vidic will have lots of problem with Kevin Davies but Vidic aerial ability in set pieces can match if not better than that of Davies. The tussle in the midfield where the battle is usually won or lost will be dominated by the home side. With the experienced Scholes, Carrick and Giggs it is hard to envisage the visitors having a greater share of the ball.

An easy win for the home side – bet on it!

Nero Recommends:

Manchester United -1.5 @ Handicap

Scunthorpe VS Sheffield Utd

2009-10-16T06:04:00.000-07:00

Scunthorpe v Sheffield Utd
17/10/2009, 19:00

(19) SCU: W02-01 D01-01 L02-04 F08-06 A08-13
(16) SHE: W02-01 D02-02 L01-03 F11-06 A07-09

The teams didn't play one another last season as Scunthorpe who finished 6th in the League 1 last season came through in the Play-Offs to earn promotion here.

Scunthorpe were stunned in their opening match in this class when they were hit with a 0-4 defeat away at Cardiff City. However they were quick to make good with that 3-2 home win when they hosted Derby County here at Glandford Park a week later . They also had their second win here when they beat Preston North End 3-1 here but that was after they had suffered 2 prior consecutive defeats at the hands of Middlesbrough (0-2) and QPR (0-1). Last time out here they were held to a 2-2 draw by Doncaster Rovers.

The home side will obviously depend very much on their top striker Gary Hooper (5 goals) to get them the winning goals here. He seems to blend very well with Paul Hayes and the duo looks set to stop the visitors from going away with any points.

United (Blades) missed out on promotion to the EPL despite finishing 3rd in the C'ship League last season. They were beaten 1-0 by Burnley in the Play-Off final and though they have vowed to make it this time around, they have started the season on a very poor note by their standards.

They have to failed to win at home on 4 occasions, having been held to draws by Leicester (1-1), West Brom (2-2) Ipswich (3-3) and Doncaster (1-1) and the loss of those 8 points sees them at the lower end of the table though they have yet to lose at home. They lost their last 2 away matches very narrowly going down 2-3 to Coventry and 1-2 to Swansea.

But for that 0-0 away draw against Boro at the Riverside, the Blades have scored in every game. That 17 goals tally in the 11 matches played (average 1.5) says that they will be able to hit a couple of goals past the newly promoted hosts. No doubt much will depend on Jamie Ward (4 goals) to get them the needed goals. He missed out with a hamstring problem in that 1-1 home draw but hope to return following a lull in the fixtures (international week).

A confident vote for the visitors – bet on it!

Nero Recommends:
Sheffield Utd -0.25 @ Handicap

Middlesbrough VS Watford

2009-10-13T05:42:00.001-07:00

Middlesbrough VS Watford
17/10/2009, 22:00

(03) MID: W02-04 D01-01 L02-01 F05-13 A07-05
(15) WAT: W01-02 D03-02 L02-01 F09-07 A13-06

Gareth Southgate and his charges know very well that despite sitting at the top end of the league table they have been performing very poorly here at The Riverside (2-1-2) and with only 5 goals in the 5 matches played to boast of (average 1.0), it not the best for a side that's bent on returning to the EPL . That 0-5 mauling at the hands of West Brom sapped their confidence and it took them quite some time to recover, going down once again when they took on Leicester City (0-1) the next time out here.

But things have changed since then and they will welcome that lull from the international week despite beating Reading 2-0 at Majdeski Stadium before then. With restored confidence, it will take a very great effort on the part of the visitors to come away from the Riverside with anything.

The newly demoted side is bent on making their way back to the EPL and it will take more than just Watford to stop them especially here where they have so much to prove to their fans to retain their support. They only have to reproduce their away form to see off Watford today. Away from home they have also beaten the likes of Swansea, Wednesday, and Scunthorpe and with pressing need to appease their home fans, we can expect them to come out blazing, what with Leroy having found that long lost touch.

No doubt much will depend on the support of Aliadiere who is expected to take on the visiting defenders as the duo goes about wreaking havoc in their half with the very strong midfield support provided by Gary O'Neill and the versatile Julio Arca.

Watford though must not be taken as an easy side to overcome. They had been in good form but have since been fading with each match since that draw at Reading. Though they have yet to win at home in their last 3 matches they have remained unbeaten in their last 4 away matches. Nevertheless that 0-4 home defeat at the hands of Cardiff City (their second home defeat in 4 days) suggests that they will be overwhelmed by the home side today.

An easy win for Boro – bet on it!

Nero Recommends:

Middlesbrough -1.0 @ Handicap

Drogba: Ivory Coast hoping for historic triumph

2009-10-13T00:24:00.002-07:00

After his goal on Saturday booked Ivory Coast's place at the World Cup finals, Didier Drogba has warned that the country have a burning ambition to make history and become the first African team to lift the famous trophy.

Drogba scored within three minutes of his introduction as a substitute against Malawi to secure a 1-1 draw and ensure that the Ivorians joined Ghana in qualifying for the finals in South Africa next summer.

And while Pele's famous prediction that an African team would win the World Cup before 2000 has proved to be overly ambitious, Drogba is determined to demonstrate to the watching world that the continent has arrived as a global football power.

"It is going to be a challenge,'' he said. "To make it to the final will not be easy because there are great teams like Brazil and Germany who have won the World Cup for many years.

"But my team-mates and I want to make history and want to change the way the world sees African football. I hope that we'll be the team that is going to go to the final and win the competition.

"Let's do everything to show people a different Africa. I was here in South Africa for the FIFA Confederations Cup in June and everything was perfect. The stadiums are good and the people in South Africa are very friendly.''

Ivory Coast were eliminated at the group stage in the 2006 tournament and coach Vahid Halilhodzic added: "We are very proud to participate in the World Cup for the second consecutive time and this time it is going to be better."

Manchester United VS Bolton Wanderers

2009-10-13T00:24:00.001-07:00

Manchester United VS Bolton Wanderers
17/10/2009, 22:00

Analysis:

United goes into this problems with problems upfront as they are missing both Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov so they will have to come up with some other alternatives here.

United's top scorer Wayne Rooney will miss out due to the calf strain he picked up on England duty while Dimitar Berbatov is still in Bulgaria following the birth of his daughter and may not arrive back in Manchester in time. But we could see Michael Owen return after he has recovered from a groin injury suffered two weeks ago.

The last time that Bolton managed to beat United was 1-0 at the Reebok Stadium back in November 2007. Since then however Bolton have failed to score against United let alone pick up a single point in their last three meetings.

United will be eager to bounce back after the 2-2 draw with Sunderland and that too they needed a last minute goal to snatch a draw.

As for the team news, Owen looks likely to start but it waits to be seen if Danny Welbeck or Federico Macheda will partner him upfront as he has hardly been featured this season. Goalkeeper Edwin van de Sar will start in place of Ben Foster after recovering from his hand injury. Gabriel Obertan (spine) and Rafael (shoulder) both played 45 minutes for the reserves on Monday so they could start on the bench at least in this match.

Darren Fletcher is rated doubtful after picking up an injury with Scotland during their trip to Japan. Owen Hargreaves is still not match fit despite resuming training following his year long absence with a knee injury. Defender Jonny Evans should recover in time to start on the bench after picking up an injury for Northern Ireland in midweek.

As for the visitors Bolton, defender Sam Ricketts could return from a foot injury to feature while midfielder Joey O'Brien is expected to miss out with a knee problem. Johan Elmander could start despite missing out for Sweden against Albania on Wednesday in the first half, as it was just a precaution then. Sadly midfielder Sean Davis is ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Take Manchester United and give the 1.5 ball here.

Cheers and good luck,
Cruiser

THE PICK:
Manchester United to win 2-0

FIXED ODDS BETTING:
Take Manchester United to win here.

HANDICAP BETTING:
Take Manchster United and give the 1.5 ball here.

Sweden VS Albania

2009-10-13T00:18:00.000-07:00

Sweden VS Albania
15/10/09, 02:45

Denmark – 21 points
Portugal – 16 points
Sweden – 15 points

With that 78th minute goal by Jacob Poulsen that gave Denmark that 1-0 win over Sweden side last Saturday, the Danes booked their ticket the South Africa for the WC 2010 Finals. But that win was most probably that last nail in the coffin of their fellow- Scandinavian's side quest to join them in the Finals!

Following Portugal's 3-0 win over Hungary last Saturday, they now have 16 points that is one point ahead of Sweden. So a win over ‘whipping horse Malta' today (a draw won' be enough should Sweden beat Albania) will see the Portuguese secure the 2nd rung and that opportunity to play in the play-off round, thus making Sweden's win here insignificant, but for that pride of finishing these series on a high!

But the show must go on and despite having only drew 0-0 when these two teams met in Albania in the first match last year, the 1¾ handicap must surely be deemed to be much too optimistic. Nevertheless, the Swedes have every reason to win today and more importantly they have what it takes to do so convincingly.

To begin with they are playing their last match here in the presence of their home fans and as news of that match between Portugal and Malta trickle in, the Swedish sorrows can only be soothed with each goals that the likes of Ibrahimovic, Larsson and their teammates score.

There is a world of difference when it comes to man for man comparison. The Swedes are miles ahead of their visitors. In fact the Swedes now rue that day when they failed to score to win in Albania and that had caused them this predicament, what with that late goal conceded to Denmark last time out.

Sweden's swansong in this competition will be a massive win against the visitors – bet on it!

Nero Recommends:

Take Sweden to Win

_

Switzerland VS Israel

2009-10-13T00:17:00.000-07:00

Switzerland VS Israel
15/10/09, 02:00

Switzerland – 20 points
Greece – 17 points
Israel – 15 points

Switzerland looks set to top this Group and claim that automatic qualification to the Finals of the WC 2010 in South Africa with a win over Israel here today (in fact a win is enough to confirm their top position). The Swiss are currently 3 points ahead of Greece and with a superior GD by just 1 goal. They are also superior in the head to head. A loss here and a massive Greek win over Luxembourg (as expected) could see the Greeks overhaul the Swiss at the top of the table!

When these two teams met in Israel in the first leg of the Group competition, the Swiss could only manage a 2-2 draw. But the Swiss cannot expect an easy night here today either. The Israelites are also making a desperate attempt to qualify with a win here today. They trail the Greek by just 2 points and a win here coupled with the Greek defeat would see them through (both hypothetical assumptions).

Nonetheless, in as afar as the Swiss is concerned, this will be their last match here in this series and they will want to repay their fans with a big win that will sustain their support as they make it to the Finals in South Afica.

With their attacks spearheaded by the astute Alex Frei and ably supported by Nkufo, the Swiss duo will be too much for the Israelites though the visitors will be boosted by the terrific form that their flanker Yossi Benayoun is currently in! The Swiss strength lies in the midfield where Inler, Barnetta and Yakin have been outstanding throughout this competition. The visiting strike team of Golan, Barda and Benayoun will have a tough time trying to outsmart and outrun the midfield machinery before they run into the likes of Senderos, Huggel and Grichting.

Don't look beyond an easy and big win for the home side simply because the Swiss look assured of that ticket to the Finals!

Nero Recommends:

Take Switzerland to Win

Germany VS Finland

2009-09-27T01:26:00.001-07:00

Germany VS Finland
15/10/09, 00:00

Germany – 25 points
Russia – 21 points
Finland – 17 points

With a match to go for each of the above teams, Germany is already assured that they top this Group and will win that automatic ticket to the WC 2010 in South Africa. Russia, 4 points Germany and 4 points ahead of Finland are also assured of that play-off ticket and those certainties make this match nothing more than just pride at stake in as far the Finns are concerned.

But the visitors cannot expect any favors from the Germans. To begin with, the Germans have yet to lose a match in this competition and have won all their matches here to date. They will want to keep that good record in tact and only the robust tackles in this match that could probably end in injuries could deter them from going for a win. With this matcxh played here at the Fubbal Arena in Munich, Germany, it is unlikely that the match will in any way turn ugly.

The Germans are a well-rounded side that's strong in all departments. Up front they have Klose, Gomes and Podolski to get them the needed goals and thse strikers are well supported by the versatile Mesut Ozil, Ballack, Rolfes, Marin and Hitzlsperger whilst their defence will be mounted by Mertesacker, Freidrich and the versatile overlapping right back Philip Lahm.

Man for man, the Finns is no match despite having seasoned campaigners in the likes of Hyypia, Litmanen, Tainio and Forssell. And even in terms of skill and strategy only Litmanen and Hyypia have the skill and experience to match their counterpart, but then the Finn duo have seen better days and are in the twilight days of their career.

There are two main reasons as to why the Germans will not hold back but to go out to win this match. The main one being the fact that they owe it to their fans to give them something to cheer for with a resounding win and the other being the fact that they will want to keep their home winning streak in tact!

A confident vote for the Germans!

Nero Recommends:

Take Germany to Win

African Qualifiers: Nigeria hang by a thread

2009-09-27T01:25:00.001-07:00

A last gasp strike from Victor Obinna kept Nigeria's slim hopes of qualifying for next year's World Cup finals alive after they stole all the points with a 1-0 win over Mozambique.

However, the Super Eagles will be relying heavily on the other result in Group B when the last round of matches come around next month after leaders Tunisia also won by the same margin against Kenya. The north Africans, though, were looking assured of a place in South Africa heading into the third minute of stoppage time in Abuja.

That is when the hosts finally broke their visitors' resistance thanks to substitute Obinna. Peter Odemwingie's cross from the left caused mayhem in the Mozambican penalty area, with goalkeeper Joao Kampango only managing to parry a shot from Obafemi Martins and Malaga striker Obinna found himself in the right place at the right time to finish from close range.

In Rades, a seventh minute goal from Issam Jomaa was enough to give Tunisia a 1-0 win over bottom-placed Kenya. The three points for the Cartage Eagles keeps them two points clear of their west African rivals at the top of the pool.

Mozambique, who host the Tunisians on the final matchday, have four points and hold the all-important third qualifying spot for the 2010 African Nations Cup - the top three teams in each of the five groups will seal their place at the finals in Angola - while Nigeria's final round opponents, Kenya, are on three points.

Ghana, the first African side to qualify for the World Cup, went down 1-0 to Benin in Cotonou. Mohamed Aoudou scored the only goal in second half stoppage time to hand the Black Stars their first defeat in Group D. The win for the Squirrels helped them confirm their place at next year's continental championships after they moved onto seven points, one behind Mali, who beat 10-man Sudan 1-0 in Bamako.

Saeed Balla was sent off after 41 minutes at the Stade du 26 Mars, but it did not stop the Desert Hawks from putting on a dogged defensive display. However, their resistance was eventually ended in the final minute of normal time when Frederic Kanoute's goal stole all the points for his side.

There was plenty of drama in Group C, where leaders Algeria were handed a massive scare before eventually fighting from a goal down to overcome Rwanda 3-1.

After Malisango Mutesa (20) handed the visitors the lead, Abdelkader Ghezzal equalised two minutes later. Nadir Belhadj (45) then gave the hosts the lead on the stroke of half-time, before Karim Ziani netted a 90th minute penalty to cap a vital win.

The three points now moves the Desert Foxes three points clear of Egypt at the top of the pool, which is now set to be decided on the final matchday when the two north African rivals meet in Cairo.

In Group E, a brace from Moumouni Dagano helped Burkina Faso assure themselves a second-place finish behind the Ivory Coast after a 2-1 win over Guinea in Accra.

The Al-Khor striker opened the scoring from the penalty spot after 37 minutes, before doubling the advantage on the hour mark. Mamadou Bah (83) pulled a goal back late on, but it was not enough as the Guineans suffered their fourth loss in five games.

Free Professional EPL Tips

2009-09-27T01:24:00.006-07:00

Arsenal VS Birmingham City
17/10/2009, 22:00

Analysis:

Arsenal comes into this match hoping to repeat their last performance when they demolished Blackburn 6-2 at home. They will be up against Birmingham who have suffered three defeats in a row so the visitors will want to avoid a fourth defeat as well.

But the Gunners are on a high with three straight wins and with the likes of Cesc Fabregas performing well, Birmingham will be hard pressed to get anything out of this match.

First-choice stopper Manuel Almunia could return after missing out for more than a month with a chest infection while number two Lukasz Fabianski is back after recovering from knee surgery. However, Gael Clichy is rated doubtful after picking up an ankle knock while on international duty with France while Abou Diaby is likely to recover in time with a similar injury before the match.

Eduardo is out with thigh injury ut Captain Fabregas will start despite missing Spain's game in midweek for personal reasons. Samir Nasri is out with a broken leg but is expected to come back for the clash with Liverpool in the Carling Cup later this month.

Birmingham have a huge injury list and the latest additions are Franck Queudrue and Keith Fahey. Queurue's absence will be a big loss to Alex McLeish who is still without injured defenders David Murphy and Gregory Vignal.

Stuart Parnaby and Martin Taylor remains out for the visitors. The good news is that the likes of midfielder Teemu Tainio and striker Cameron Jerome could come back into this match. Ecuadorian striker Christian Benitez misses out for Birmingham as he had problems from his flight home from South Africa.

Take Arsenal to run out winners here by 3 goals.

Cheers and good luck,
Cruiser

THE PICK:
Arsenal to win 3-0

FIXED ODDS BETTING:
Take Arsenal to win this match

HANDICAP BETTING:
Take Arsenal and give the 2 balls here.

Sickness sidelines Ireland for Hammers clash

2009-09-27T01:24:00.005-07:00

Stephen Ireland looks set to miss Manchester City's Premier League clash with West Ham United on Monday night after contracting a sickness bug.

• Ireland taken to hospital

Ireland's presence had initially been in doubt when he was taken to hospital on Wednesday night after complaining of dizziness during the Carling Cup win over Fulham.

The midfielder was subsequently released, with his symptoms diagnosed as nothing more serious than extreme tiredness.

However, his hopes of facing Gianfranco Zola's men seem to have collapsed amid reports Ireland contracted a virus late last week which saw him ordered home from the City training ground.

Gareth Barry had suffered from the same problem, but his recovery has apparently been quicker and he should face the Hammers as City look to move back into the top four.

If, as expected, Ireland does miss out, manager Mark Hughes will face a selection dilemma as he does not have an obvious like-for-like replacement.

Should Micah Richards recover from a shoulder problem, Pablo Zabaleta could move into midfield alongside Barry and Nigel de Jong.

Martin Petrov is another alternative in a more orthodox 4-4-2 formation, while there is also a chance £17 million forward Roque Santa Cruz could be handed a starting berth for his debut after being sidelined since his summer move from Blackburn due to a knee operation.

Saudi chief says he has never heard of Al Faraj

2009-09-27T01:24:00.003-07:00

The head of the Saudi Arabia league, Dr Hafez Al Medlej, has said that he has never heard of Portsmouth's new owner, Ali Al Faraj, and claims that takeovers at Manchester City and Pompey could lead to middle-eastern investors targeting another ten English teams.

Al Faraj's takeover at Pompey was announced this week, while Manchester City were bought by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008 - and Liverpool have recently been linked with investment from Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah al-Saud.

''I hope Al Faraj has success, but we never heard of this guy,'' he said at the Leaders In Football summit at Stamford Bridge. ''I asked my friends and no-one knows him. For three days, I see there is no picture of him in the Saudi papers.

''If he comes with the money and leaves the management to those who know about it then that's good.''

''In one year's time, if there was no backfire and everyone is settled, I am sure at least ten more investors will come. Not necessarily to the Premier League. They might come and buy some clubs at the Championship level.''

In contrast, Al Medlej is fully aware of Prince Faisal, who has been involved in discussions with George Gillett, one half of the American ownership with Texan Tom Hicks, about buying at least a part-share in Liverpool.

''They will benefit from the money that he will inject to the club,'' he added. ''It will help them bring world-class players. They have Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard and if they bring in two more they will be hot favourites again to win the league, or the Champions League.

''He is a guy with a sports mentality, he is passionate about football and he is successful in business. He's a great value to the club.''

Al Medlej also responded to criticism about foreign investors targeting English clubs.

''There was no harm done for Manchester United being taken over by Americans,'' he said. ''So why not? If the businessman will come, inject the money and leave football decisions to the football people then it's no problem.

''They just want the success. The passion comes within that. In Saudi, you have to have passion for the club.''

Mannone the match-winner

2009-09-27T01:24:00.001-07:00

Robin van Persie let his football do the talking with a well-executed second-half winner as Arsenal beat Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage - where young Gunners goalkeeper Vito Mannone had an inspired match.

• Palmer: Focus on Fabregas
• Mannone: It was the highlight of my career

The Dutchman grabbed the pre-match headlines when weighing into the diving debate by admitting he does sometimes exaggerate his reaction to fouls.

However, there was nothing false about his finish this afternoon, as van Persie latched onto a defence-splitting pass from captain Cesc Fabregas to net what proved to be the winning goal on 52 minutes. Arsenal, though, had rookie stopper Mannone to thank for securing the points with a string of fine saves as Fulham were left frustrated.

With Chelsea having lost at Wigan, Arsene Wenger's men - beaten at both Manchester United and Manchester City - had a chance to close the gap at the top of the Premier League.

The Gunners started positively, with Bacary Sagna sending over a deep cross from the right which defender Thomas Vermaelen - their leading scorer so far - headed wide. However, Mannone was soon called into action when Clint Dempsey created space for a shot at the edge of the Arsenal penalty area.

Fulham were forced into an early change after just nine minutes when Damien Duff hobbled off, replaced by Zoltan Gera. The home side continued to knock the ball about well - and almost snatched the lead on 15 minutes. Gera whipped the ball over, and Andrew Johnson's bullet header was brilliantly palmed away by Mannone - who also somehow kept out the rebound from Dempsey at point-blank range.

Fabregas fired just over after good work from van Persie, who combined with Fabregas to play in Arshavin, but the Russian was always stretching as his 10-yard effort flew high into the stands. And Nicklas Bendtner tested Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer with a low drive from the edge of the area.

There was little respite for the visitors, though, as Fulham were soon back on the offensive, quickly closing down any space. Gera flashed a shot across goal, which Mannone got a hand to, after being played in on the right by Johnson.

Fulham looked to continue where they had left off following the restart, as Bobby Zamora flashed a 20-yard drive wide. Arsenal, though, showed more determination, with Arshavin creating problems down the left.

Then, out of nothing, the visitors snatched the lead on 52 minutes, after Paul Konchesky's upfield pass was cut out and fed to Fabregas. The Spain midfielder waited, before chipping an exquisite pass which split the centre-backs on the edge of the area, where van Persie arrived on queue to kill the ball with his left foot, before guiding a fine low strike into the far corner with his right. After such a positive opening, Craven Cottage was stunned as the atmosphere fell flat.

It was almost 2-0 when Bendtner flashed the ball across goal, which Schwarzer beat away. Fulham then broke quickly through Zamora down the right, and his centre was glanced goalwards by Johnson - only for Mannone to produce another stunning save at full stretch before again denying Dempsey at the far post.

Just past the hour, Bendtner charged forwards to the edge of the Fulham box, but scuffed his shot. Fulham came agonisingly close to an equaliser when Dempsey's drive deflected off Sagna and onto the post. Then, Gallas produced a brilliant block to deny Zamora.

On 77 minutes, Mannone did well to turn away another effort from Johnson before the inspired Italian then kept out Zamora's downward header.

Bendtner had a couple of half-chances late on, and although Wenger was less than impressed by the five minutes of injury-time, during which substitute Emmanuel Eboue flashed wide when clean through, the Gunners boss was more than happy with the result when the final whistle eventually came.

Mannone: It was the highlight of my career.

Arsenal goalkeeper Vito Mannone has admitted his performance against Fulham was the highlight of his career so far. Mannone, the Gunners' third-choice stopper denied Andrew Johnson, Clint Dempsey and substitute Zoltan Gera with a number of impressive saves. And his response to being asked if it was the best performance of his career, the 21-year-old struggled to hide his delight.

"I would say yes, when you play like that in the first team," Mannone told ESPN."You have to take your opportunity. I think I did it tonight and I'm happy with the three points, it was a great win. We all enjoyed it. It was a great performance by the team and the group showed a lot of solidarity.''Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was also full of praise for the young goalkeeper and the persistence of his "special" side to make the breakthrough. "We could have scored more but I believe Fulham had chances," Wenger said. "The goalkeeper kept us a clean sheet today. Vito is a young keeper with talent and he has shown it today. It's only one game but it's good for his confidence."Overall it was a highly committed game and we needed to be special to come away with three points. At half-time I said what we were producing was not enough to win the game - we had to correct a few things tactically. I'm very happy because we've played six games, four times away. Overall I believe the attitude and spirit in the side makes me very positive about this season.''For Fulham manager Roy Hodgson, there was scant reward as his team suffered their fourth defeat of the season despite producing one for one of their best performances yet this campaign. "I did not think it was a bad performance from us,'' Hodgson said. "We defended well and attacked well against one of the Premier League's better teams. We have now played four of last season's top five and can only hope there are other teams out there who we can beat more easily."We played better than we did when we beat them here last year. Then, we scored and dug in. This time it was they who got the goal and then dug in. All these things are balm for the wound but it is the wound that is the major problem. The result of the game is that Arsenal won. We can say we were unlucky, but it's still a defeat for us and we have lost four of our last five games.''

Chelsea shocked, Keane hits four

2009-09-21T22:48:00.000-07:00

Chelsea keeper Petr Cech was sent off as Wigan recorded their first ever victory over a big four club and ended Carlo Ancelotti's 100% record as Chelsea boss with a 3-1 victory at the DW Stadium.
• Premier League gallery
Titus Bramble broke the deadlock, heading in Charles N'Zogbia's 17th minute cross before Didier Drogba scored his 100th goal for Chelsea to equalise after some comical goalkeeping from Chris Kirkland.
But the turning point was when Cech brought down Hugo Rodallega in the penalty area; referee Phil Dowd pointed to the spot and gave the Czech 'keeper his marching orders. Rodallega dusted himself off and netted from 12 yards past substitute 'keeper Henrique Hilario.
Chelsea went down to nine men at the end when Ashley Cole was injured and all the Blues' substitutions had been made, and the Latics took full advantage, Paul Scharner netting the third as Wigan completed the historic win.
A touch of class from Robin van Persie and a series of excellent saves from young keeper Vito Mannone helped Arsenal squeeze past Fulham 1-0.
The 21-year-old Italian Mannone, whose contribution has been called into question lately, was on top form, saving from Zoltan Gera and point-blank from Bobby Zamora in the second-half to to ensure a valuable clean sheet.
Arsenal struggled to impose themselves on the game until Van Persie brilliantly controlled Cesc Fabregas' flighted through ball with one touch of his left foot, before slotting the ball past Mark Schwarzer with his right. Arsenal failed to grab a second despite pressing harder after the goal, but they held on for all three points.
Goals from Dimitar Berbatov and John O'Shea fired Manchester United to the top of the Premier League for the first time this season, as the champions cruised past Stoke City 2-0.
Stoke offered little but United struggled to find a goal until the introduction of Ryan Giggs after half-time. The Welshman set-up Berbatov for a tap-in before his free-kick was met by John O'Shea to seal the victory that puts Sir Alex Ferguson's men top of the table on goals scored.
A stunning Fernando Torres capped a dominant display for Rafa Benitez's Liverpool side, as they destroyed struggling Hull City 6-1 at Anfield.
Torres' sweet left-foot strike opened the scoring after 11 minutes but his effort was cancelled out four minutes later by Geovanni's volleyed equaliser. The Spanish striker put Benitez's men back ahead with a superbly-taken second, before sealing his fourth hat-trick in Liverpool colours just after half-time.
A long-range Steven Gerrard effort and two strikes from Ryan Babel completed the embarrassment for Phil Brown's poor Tigers side, who have conceded ten goals in just two games.
Captain Robbie Keane bagged an incredible four goal haul as Tottenham got their Premier League campaign back on track with a crushing 5-0 victory over Burnley.
The Irishman put Spurs 1-0 up from the penalty spot, converting after Andre Bikey had brought down Jermain Defoe. Jermaine Jenas' deflected effort doubled Spurs' lead before the prolific Keane added a hat-trick of second half goals to complete the rout at White Hart Lane.
A last-gasp David Dunn penalty gave ten-man Blackburn a 2-1 victory over in-form Aston Villa, as Sam Allardyce's men came from behind to record their second win of the season.
Gabriel Agbonlahor scored for the fifth game running, John Carew setting up his strike partner to side-foot past Paul Robinson, but Christopher Samba equalised after some confusion in the Villa box.
Vince Grella was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a clumsy challenge on James Milner but when Richard Dunne handled in the box in the 89th minute, Dunn was on-hand to slot home the spot-kick and hand Rovers a precious three points.
Bolton escaped from Birmingham with all three points as Chung-Yong Lee struck late to seal a 2-1 victory for the Trotters.
Gary Megson's side followed-up their midweek Carling Cup victory with another win, taking the lead when Tamir Cohen headed home Kevin Davies' flick-on in the tenth minute. Substitute Kevin Phillips looked to have salvaged a point when he rifled a home an 84th-minute equaliser but two minutes later Lee was on hand to break Birmingham hearts.
Louis Saha's goal handed Everton their first away win of the season and condemned rock-bottom Portsmouth to a seventh straight Premier League defeat.
Struggling Pompey showed a fighting spirit that has been absent for most of this campaign and had chances through Kevin-Prince Boateng, Tal Ben-Haim and Aaron Mokoena, who hit the bar late on. But Saha's seventh goal in all competitions this season, a cool finish after a superb piece of control, proved enough to seal a 1-0 win for the Toffees and pile the misery on under-pressure Pompey boss Paul Hart.

Police and FA probe Craig Bellamy incident

2009-09-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

An altercation between Manchester City striker and a Manchester United fan during Sunday's dramatic derby is being investigated by Greater Manchester Police and the FA.

Owen win derby classic

Following Michael Owen's winning goal deep into injury time at Old Trafford, a United fan was seen to enter the field of play as City took their kick-off and was involved in an angry exchange with Bellamy.

The striker, who scored twice in the 4-3 defeat for his side, appeared to shove the pitch invader in the face before being confronted by Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand.

"At the end of the derby between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford, a member of the public ran on to the pitch, and was detained by police and security staff," said a Greater Manchester Police spokesman. "During this time, there was an altercation between the man and a player from Manchester City FC."

The fan has been charged with unlawfully running onto the pitch and will appear in court later this month.

Manchester City assistant manager Mark Bowen has said the club will not be taking any action against Bellamy but, in the wake of Emmanuel Adebayor's recent three-match suspension, the FA will scrutinise the behaviour of another City striker.

An FA spokesman said: "We are investigating the incident and we will be looking at the referee's match report.''

City boss Mark Hughes laid the blame with the United supporter who made his way onto the pitch and joked about a similar incident involving Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough in 1989.

"I seem to recall Brian Clough clipping someone around the ear, and he was lauded as a national hero,'' said Hughes. "Maybe it will be the same case with Craig - but I doubt it.

"I'm sure people will make a nuisance about it, but the guy should not have been on the pitch. That is not acceptable.''

Police will also investigate an incident that saw Manchester City defender Javier Garrido struck by a coin at half-time, with the missile apparently intended for Carlos Tevez on his first game at Old Trafford following his summer move to City.

Hughes said: "Something came from the crowd, but he [Garrido] is okay."

Henry says Adebayor showed a lack of class

2009-09-17T07:56:00.000-07:00

Thierry Henry has criticised Emmanuel Adebayor for a lack of class after his celebrations in front of the Arsenal fans last week.

The Togo striker ran the length of the Eastlands pitch to celebrate in front of the Gunners supporters after scoring in Manchester City's 4-2 Premier League win to sparked a furious reactions from the fans of his former club.

Arsenal legend Henry, now with Barcelona, has criticised Adebayor's actions. He told the Sunday Mirror: "The fans at Arsenal were great. They were and always will be my family. I never saw them behave badly so to react like they did at the weekend shows just how angry and upset they were. No matter what Adebayor's emotions were, he could have earned himself a lot of respect by not celebrating the goal.

"That would have shown real class and that to be honest is what most players choose to do when they score against their old clubs. I don't really understand why he didn't do that."

Henry added: "Arsene (Wenger) puts a lot of investment in you when he sees talent and I don't think it would hurt for Adebayor to show him, the club and the fans a little respect."

Soccertips for 23/8/2009

2009-08-23T02:28:00.001-07:00

West Ham United VS Tottenham Hotspur -0.05
1-2 WIN

Burnley +0.05 VS Everton
1-0 WIN

Fulham VS Chelsea FC -1.0
0-2 WIN

Soccertips for 22/8/2009

2009-08-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

Arsenal -2.0 VS Portsmouth
4-1 WIN

Birmingham VS Stoke City +0.05
0-0 WIN

Hull City VS Bolton Wanderers +0
1-0 LOSS

Manchester City VS Wolverhampton +1.5
1-0 WIN

Sunderland -0.05 VS Blackburn Rovers
2-1 WIN

Wigan Athletic +1.0 VS Manchester United
0-5 LOSS

Soccertips for 20/8/2009

2009-08-19T07:07:00.000-07:00

Birmingham -0.5 VS Portsmouth
1-0 WIN

Burnley +1/1.5 VS Manchester United
1-0 WIN

Hull City VS Tottenham -0.5
1-5 WIN

Liverpool VS Stoke City +1.5
4-0 LOSS

Soccertips for 19/8/2009

2009-08-18T03:27:00.001-07:00

Sunderland VS Chelsea FC -1.0
1-3 WIN

Wigan Athletic -0.5/1 VS Wolverhampton
0-1 LOSS

Soccertips for 15/8/2009

2009-08-15T03:36:00.000-07:00

Chelsea FC -2.0 VS Hull City

2-1 LOSS

Aston Villa -0.5/1 VS Wigan Athletic

0-2 LOSS

Blackburn Rovers VS Manchester City -0/0.5

0-2 WIN

Bolton Wanderers VS Sunderland +0/0.5

0-1 WIN

Portsmouth VS Fulham +0

0-1 WIN

Stoke City -0.5 VS Burnley

2-0 WIN

Wolvershamptopn VS West Ham United +0

0-2 WIN

Everton VS Arsenal -0/0.5

1-6 WIN

Soccertips for 24/5/2009

2009-05-24T03:30:00.000-07:00

Arsenal -1.5 VS Stoke City
4 - 1 WIN

Aston Villa VS +0.5 Newcastle
1 - 0 LOSE

Blackburn Rovers -0.5 VS West Bromwich(WBA)
0 - 0 LOSE

Fulham VS +0/0.5 Everton
0 - 2 WIN

Hull City -0 VS Manchester United
0 - 1 LOSE

Liverpool -1 VS Tottenham Hotspur
3 - 1 WIN

Manchester City VS +0.5/1 Bolton Wanderers
1 - 0 LOSE

Sunderland VS -0.5 Chelsea FC
2 - 3 WIN

West Ham United -0/0.5 VS Middlesbrough
2 - 1 WIN

Wigan Athletic VS +0/0.5 Portsmouth
1 - 0 LOSE

Soccertips for 24/5/2009

2009-05-23T09:18:00.001-07:00

Almeria VS +0 Espanyol
0 - 3 WIN

Malaga -0 VS Real Betis
1 - 1 DRAW

Sevilla -1 VS D. La Coruna

1 - 0 DRAW

Soccertips for 21/5/2009

2009-05-20T06:28:00.001-07:00

Shakhtar Donetsk -0 VS Werder Bremen
[90 minutes] 1 - 1 DRAW
[120 minutes] 2 - 1

Soccertips for 19/5/2009

2009-05-18T08:21:00.000-07:00

Portsmouth VS +0/0.5 Sunderland
3 - 1 LOSE

Soccertips for 17/5/2009

2009-05-17T01:01:00.000-07:00

West Bromwich(WBA) VS -1/1.5 Liverpool

0 - 2 WIN

Chelsea FC -1.5 VS Blackburn Rovers

2 - 0 WIN

Soccertips for 16/5/2009

2009-05-16T01:48:00.000-07:00

Manchester United-Arsenal Celebration Premier League Winner
by BradGX

Manchester United VS +1 Arsenal
0 - 0 WIN

Bolton Wanderers -0/0.5 VS Hull City
1 - 1 LOSE

Everton -0.5/1 VS West Ham United
3 - 1 WIN

Middlesbrough VS +0 Aston Villa
1 - 1 Draw

Newcastle VS +0.5 Fulham

0 - 1 WIN

Stoke City VS +0/0.5 Wigan Athletic
2 - 0 LOSE

Tottenham Hotspur -0.5 VS Manchester City
2 - 1 WIN

Soccertips for 14/5/2009

2009-05-13T06:20:00.001-07:00

Wigan Athletic VS -1.5 Manchester United
1 - 2 LOSE

Soccertips for 13/5/2009

2009-05-12T06:48:00.001-07:00

Koln FC VS -0.5/1 Hertha BSC Berlin

1 - 2 WIN

Soccertips for 12/5/2009

2009-05-11T07:18:00.000-07:00

Newcastle -0.5 VS Middlesbrough ★★

3 - 1 WIN

&

Take Under 2.5 ★★★★

3 - 1 LOSE

★★★★★ Confident Level

Soccertips for 10/5/2009

2009-05-10T03:18:00.000-07:00

Manchester United -1.5 VS Manchester City
2 - 0 WIN

Arsenal -0 VS Chelsea
1 - 4 LOSE

Soccertips for 9/5/2009

2009-05-08T23:33:00.000-07:00

Blackburn Rovers -0.5 VS Portsmouth ★★★★
2 - 0 WIN

Bolton Wanderers -0/0.5 VS Sunderland ★★
0 - 0 LOSE

Everton -0/0.5 VS Tottenham Hotspur ★★
0 - 0 LOSE

Fulham -0 VS Aston Villa ★★★
3 - 1 WIN

Hull City VS Stoke City +0/0.5 ★★
1 - 2 WIN

West Bromwich(WBA) VS Wigan Athletic +0/0.5 ★★★
3 - 1 LOSE

West Ham United VS Liverpool -1.0 ★★★★
0 - 3 WIN

★★★★★ Confident Level

Soccertips for 7/5/2009

2009-05-06T06:47:00.000-07:00

Chelsea FC -0 VS Barcelona
1 - 1 DRAW

Soccertips for 6/5/2009

2009-05-05T05:10:00.000-07:00

Arsenal -0 VS Manchester United
1 - 3 LOSE

Soccertips for 5/5/2009

2009-05-04T06:32:00.001-07:00

Aston Villa -1 VS Hull City ★★★★
1 - 0 DRAW

★★★★★ Confident Level

Soccertips for 3/5/2009

2009-05-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

Liverpool VS +1.5/2Newcastle ★★
3 - 0 LOSE

Sunderland -0 VS Everton ★★★★
0 - 2 LOSE

★★★★★ Confident Level

Soccertips for 2/5/2009

2009-05-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

Middlesbrough +1 VS Manchester United ★★★
0 - 2 LOSE

Chelsea FC -1 VS Fulham ★★★★
3 - 1 WIN

Manchester City VS +0.5 Blackburn Rovers★★★
3 - 1 LOSE

Portsmouth VS -0/0.5 Arsenal ★
0 - 3 WIN

Stoke City VS +0.5 West Ham United ★★
0 - 1 WIN

Tottenham Hotspur -1 VS West Bromwich(WBA) ★★★★
1 - 0 DRAW

Wigan Athletic -0.5 VS Bolton Wanderers ★★
0 - 0 LOSE

★★★★★ Confident Level

Soccertips for 28/4/2009

2009-04-27T00:07:00.000-07:00

Newcastle VS +0.5 Portsmouth

0 - 0 WIN

Soccertips for 26/4/2009

2009-04-26T07:18:00.000-07:00

Blackburn Rovers -0/0.5 VS Wigan Athletic

2 - 0 WIN

Soccertips for 25/4/2009

2009-04-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

Bolton Wanderers VS -0/0.5 Aston Villa

1-1 LOSE

Everton -0.5/1 VS Manchester City
1-2 LOSE

Fulham -0.5/1 VS Stoke City
1-0 WIN

Hull City VS -1/1.5 Liverpool
1-3 WIN

West Bromwich Albion VS +0/0.5 Sunderland
3-0 LOSE

West Ham United VS -0.5 Chelsea FC
0-1 WIN

Manchester United -1/1.5 VS Tottenham Hotspur
5-2 WIN

Nero

2009-04-22T01:41:00.000-07:00

Kazakhstan VS Croatia
14/10/09, 23:30

England – 24 points
Ukraine – 18 points
Croatia – 17 points

England had booked their tickets to the WC 2010 Finals in South Africa even before they lost 0-1 to Ukraine last Saturday. It is now the battle between Ukraine and Croatia to decide who will take the second position and win that opportunity to join them through a play-off match.

The Ukrainians are odds on favorite to get the nod because they are 1 point ahead in this last match of the series and they travel to play cellar team Andorra. It is most likely that both teams will end up as victors but that slim lead will be the decider!

When Croatia hosted Kazakhstan last year, they beat their visitors 3-0. It was an easy win and the Croats were seen to be playing at half clutch. With the likes of Ivica Olic and Eduardo in their ranks, they could have easily doubled their scores. Today they're chasing a win that is well within reach but it may not serve their purpose if the Ukrainians beat their hosts in the other deciding match.

Nevertheless, the Croats will have to play to win and to hope that Andorra can hold their visitors to a draw. With Petric, Olic and Eduardo to form that lethal 3-pronged attack, it hard top think how the Kazakhstanis will stop that flow of goals from the visitors.

Likewise, it is equally hard to envisage the home side scoring a goal or two that will make it harder for the visitors to win this match. The Croat defence mounted by the seasoned Robert Kovac and flanked by Simunic and Corluka looks to be impregnable in as far as Kazakhstan is concerned. The Croats have conceded only 12 goals in total and 9 of those had been at the hands of England! After all the Kazakhstanis have scored only 10 goals in the 9 matches played and 6 of those had been in their wins (3-0 and 3-1) over Andorra!

An easy for the visitors – bet on it!

Nero Recommends:

Take Croatia to Win

Gooner

2009-04-21T00:14:00.000-07:00

Manchester City VS West Ham United
29/09/2009, 03:00

Manchester City

Manchester City have had a controversial last couple of games.

First Adebayor-gate in the home win over Arsenal and then Fergie-time and Bellamy-gate in the Manchester derby defeat on Saturday.

City also put out a strong side against a Fulham reserve side in the Carling Cup, leading to a big rush of bettors money for the Citizens. But punters were left with burnt fingers as City inexplicably needed extra time to sneak past the Cottagers.

Will they struggle to see off West Ham in the league in monday nights television game?

Well, taking Fulham out of the equation they are in fine form.

Blowwing away Arsenal and forcing Man United to rely on Ferguson to decide when the final whistle should be blown is no mean feat. Even without Adebayor, City look powerful.

West Ham United

West Ham are never traditionally good travellers anyway, and the Hammers are in bad shape at the moment.

Four points from five games including a particularly disappointing 0-1 defeat at Wigan in their last away game.

Manager Gianfranco Zola and assistant Steve Clarke are undoubtedly doing their best, but away from Upton Park there is little to inspire confidence in the Irons.

Head-to-Head

Man City are 5-1-1 in previous encounters at home.

The Betting Verdict

That Fulham game was a worry, City may be a little jaded after all that has happened in the last twon weeks,

But all you can do is compare squad quality and form, and in both senses Man City look far too powerful for West Ham here.

A simple comparison of class and form shows Man City to be a long way ahead of West Ham here. Lets not complicate things - home win.

Craig Bellamy for anytime scorer against his former club might not be the worst fun bet in the world either.

CAGED Recommends:

Take Manchester City to win

Man City 70% - Draw 20% - West Ham 10%
(Percentage Estimation)

_____________________________________________________

Sunderland VS Wolverhampton
27/09/2009, 23:00

Analysis:

The Stadium of Light will host this match between Sunderland and Wolverhampton Wanderers and both teams are coming into this match unable to maintain any level of consistency.

In the opening six matches Sunderland have alternated between losing and wining matches and last weekend were beaten by Burnley 3-1. But in midweek they bounced back and gave a convincing performance against Birmingham. Bruce did after all put out a strong side in the Carling Cup whereby defenders John Mensah and Paulo da Silva played well enough to earned praises from Steve Bruce.

Now Bruce must decide if he wants to keep faith in them or bring back the likes of Anton Ferdinand, George McCartney and Phil Bardsley for today's match. Prior to kickoff Lee Cattermole who did not feature in their last two games will be given a late fitness test to see if he has healed from his heel problem, while goalkeeper Marton Fulop is still struggling with a similar injury.

Fraizer Campbell is likely to go back to the bench as Darren Bent returns upfront after he was rested against Birmingham.

As for the visitors Wolves, they are in mid-table after picking up seven points from six games. Even though they were beaten by Manchester United, they did well in their Premier League game to beat Fulham 2-1.

Mick McCrathy will be boosted by the return of several key players and also he will be glad that Michael Kightly and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake are playing well now. However they are likely to be bench as Black Cats boss McCarthy makes a host of changes for this match.

The visitors will have on-loan Chelsea central defender Michael Mancienne who was ineligible to feature against United back in the side while strikers kevin doyle and Andy Keogh will also make a start here.

In goal Marcus Hahnemann will be relegated to the bench to make way for Wales international Wayne Hennessey. At right back we will see Greg Halford returning to the side to replace Kevin Foley. Dave Edwards will start replacing winger Kightly after being rested in midweek.

Cruiser Recommends:

Take Wolverhampton accept 3/4 ball

Correct Score: Sunderland 1-1 Wolverhampton

Gooner

2009-04-18T06:22:00.000-07:00

Manchester United VS Manchester City
20/09/2009, 20:30

Manchester United

Manchester United have had 5 days to prepare for this match after wining their first Champions League game of the season in Turkey. They have started well since the departure of Ronaldo and will look to put their city rivals back in their place after this game.

United have a 4-0-1 record in the Premier League this season which puts them in 2nd place in the table. Of these 5 games, only 2 have taken place at Old Trafford, both resulting in home wins with 3 goals scored and only 1 conceded.

United have won 4 games in row since they lost at Burnley in only the 2nd game of the season.

There were no new injuries resulting from the game at Besiktas. Paul Scholes, who scored the winner in Turkey, is suspended after his sending off at Tottenham and Rio Ferdinand is a doubt after pulling a muscle last weekend. Sir Alex Ferguson will still be expected to make changes with the likes of John O'shea, Darren Fletcher and Ryan Giggs expected to come into the side.

Manchester City

After all the expectation of the Summer, Manchester City have not failed to live up to such demands. However, after their impressive win over Arsenal, all of the newspaper talk has been about Emmanuel Adebayor and the 'stamp' on Van Persie.

That talk has begun to subside somewhat, especially in Manchester, as the most eagerly anticipated Derby in 40 years comes round.

City sit in 3rd in the Premier League as one of 2 clubs with 100% records. They are 4-0-0 and have kept clean sheets in 3 out of 4 games they have played in the League. City have a 2-0-0 away record where they have scored 3 goals and are yet to concede.

The Citizens have won 5 straight games in all competitions this season.

Emmanuel Adebayor has been suspended for his actions from last week and misses out alongside Robinho, Roque Santa Cruz and Benjani. Carlos Tevez is going to need a late fitness test to play against his former side, but Stephen Ireland should be fit to start.

Head-to-Head

This is a new era in terms of the money that City have spent to close the gap to United.

Recent seasons at Old Trafford have seen a range of results with United wining 3, City wining 1 and 4 draws from the last 8 Premier League games at the stadium.

Prediction

Manchester United will be focused on this game as could be seen from the team selection at Besiktas and the early withdrawal of Rooney in that game. United had their best performance of the season so far last week at Tottenham, and confidence should be high.

Another side with a lot of confidence will be Manchester City although the loss of Adebayor could prove to be crucial here. While they have had the results so far this season, they are still allowing a lot of chances against themselves and United are capable of taking advantage.

I think, and feel, United are going to be too good for City here and will go forward with the 3 points here. City are going to a lose some of their threat with the injuries they have to attacking players and this leaves the edge in United's favour.

From: AULS

AULS Recommends:

Take the Manchester United @ Handicap

Correct Score: Manchester United 2-0 Manchester City

_____________________________________________________

Chelsea FC VS Tottenham Hotspur
20/09/2009, 23:00

Chelsea FC

Chelsea have made a strong start to the new season in similar fashion to the start they made last season under Luiz Scolari, but this has to be seen as the biggest test of their mettle so far.

The Blues are keeping their flag flying high as they sit on top of the Premier League with a 3 point gap to 2nd place Manchester United. They have a 100% record of 5-0-0. Chelsea are 2-0-0 at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League and they have scored 5 goals in those games with only 1 conceded. However, it must be stated that these 2 wins have come against Hull City and Burnley.

Chelsea have won 6 games in all competitions this season. They have won 10 competitive games in a row following on from last season and are unbeaten in their last 20 games in all competitions. The last team to beat them? Tottenham Hotspur.

Joe Cole will not take part here as he is expected to start in their Carling Cup game on Wednesday. Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa are available after suspension in Europe. Deco is a doubt and will have a late fitness test.

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur are another side that have made a fantastic start to the new campaign, although they suffered a comfortable defeat to Manchester United last weekend. This is a tough place to bounce back historically for Spurs.

Spurs are 4th in the table at the moment but will likey start in 5th after other results over the weekend before they kick off. They have a 4-0-1 record in the League, leaving them 3 points off the pace set by Chelsea. They are 2-0-0 away from home where they have scored 7 goals and conceded 2.

Spurs had won 5 straight games in all competitions before the visit of United last weekend. It is interesting to note that Tottenham have only drawn 1 of their last 15 games in all competitions.

Heurelho Gomes has returned to fitness and will compete with Carlo Cudicini for a place in goal. Gareth Bale has made his return to the first team squad after recent injury.

Head-to-Head

It is interesting to see that Chelsea have failed to win any of their last 4 matches against Tottenham in all competitions, including 3 Premier League games in a row.

Chelsea had won 3 Premier League games in a row at Stamford Bridge against Spurs before the 1-1 draw last season.

Prediction

Chelsea have looked good so far this season, but have also been in the position of losing a game in 3 of their 5 Premier League matches so far this season including against Hull at home. While they overpowered these sides, I think it will be a lot tougher against Spurs if they go behind here.

Tottenham will have been disappointed with their performance last week after going a goal up against United before being comfortably beaten. They have played Chelsea a lot tougher in recent meetings and should still feel confident in what they want to achieve this season.

Chelsea have played well as I have stated, and while I admire the fight they have shown, they will have a real test here. I am going to play Tottenham on the handicap as I think it is possible that this match could end in a draw.

From: AULS

AULS Recommends:

Take Tottenham @ +1 Handicap

Correct Score: Chelsea 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur

_____________________________________________________

Everton VS Blackburn Rovers
20/09/2009, 22:00

Everton

Everton are looking to get their season kick started as soon as possible and will be hoping that their new signings bed in since the departure of Joleon Lescott. They also had the misfortune of losing Phil Neville for a few months and Mikel Arteta has had a setback in his recovery.

The Blue half of Merseyside see their side sitting in 19th spot in the Premier League with their 1-0-3 record. At Goodison Park, Everton are 1-0-1 so far with 3 goals scored and 7 conceded although that is skewed by their opening day 1-6 loss to Arsenal.

The Toffees are lacking any real consistency at the moment which is preventing them moving up the table although they have won 3 games in a row at home since that loss to Arsenal.

Diniyar Bilyaletdinov is a doubt and Neville is out. Lucas Neil just signed but is unlikey to start on limited training.

Blackburn Rovers

Sam Allardyce is getting his Blackburn Rovers team back into full fitness now as they bid to move up the table. As with any Allardyce team, they are a tough team to beat although scoring enough goals may present a problem of its own.

Blackburn sit in 15th position in the table with a 1-1-2 record. Due to the number of European commitments that other sides have had this season, Blackburn have only played 1 away game so far this season in the League. On that occasion they lost 2-1 at Sunderland but could have got a point with a little more luck.

Rovers are unbeaten in 3 matches in all competitions, wining 2 of those games.

Another positive for Allardyce is the return of Benni McCarthy from injury. Steven Nzonzi is also available meaning the manager has a full squad to choose from.

Head-to-Head

Everton have only won 1 of their last 7 matches with Blackburn in all competitions. Blackburn are also unbeaten in their last 4 Premier League matches with Everton.

Blackburn are also unbeaten in their last 2 visits to Goodison Park, wining this fixture 2-3 last season.

Prediction

Everton have begun to play a little better in recent weeks but they are not performing over the course of 90 minutes to warrant results. I am sure David Moyes will get this team turned around, but this is going to be a difficult test for them.

Blackburn have proven difficult to beat under Sam Allardyce since he took over last season, and they have a full squad to pick from. Goals are always a concern but the return of McCarthy could be the difference between a relegation scrap and a mid-table finish.

I think this is a close game to call but cannot back Everton at odds on. Blackburn have a good recent record against the Merseysiders and I will pick them not to lose.

From: AULS

AULS Recommends:

Take Blackburn Rovers @ +0.5 Handicap

Correct Score: Everton 1-1 Blackburn Rovers

Fate85

2009-04-15T05:58:00.000-07:00

Manchester United VS Manchester City
20/09/2009, 20:30

This is perhaps one of the biggest Manchester derbies in recent memories, as Man Utd welcome the visit of big-spending Man City looking to show who is boss in Manchester - until the next derby that is. I have given United a hard time in my previews previously but they have impressed me. They went into half-time at 0-0 with Wigan, but they found it in them to score 5 in the second-half. They trailed Arsenal 0-1 and were playing horribly, but they found it in them to score 2 in comical circumstances. They conceded a first-minute strike from Jermain Defoe, but they found it in them to score 3 in reply. They may be without Cristiano Ronaldo, but they are every bit as Man Utd as before. Following big games against Arsenal and Tottenham, United now seek to add City to their hit list. City have started the season with 4 straight wins. They strolled past Blackburn, Wolves, Portsmouth and Arsenal. They know, however, Man Utd is a different kettle of fish altogether. They know also that a win against United here will underline their status as one of the hottest teams on the planet.

Man Utd manager Sir Alex Ferguson is without the experienced Paul Scholes, who serves a suspension. Rio Ferdinand and Rafael are doubts ahead of this game, while Owen Hargreaves, Gabriel Obertan and Edwin Van der Sar are out. Scholes' absence in midfield means Darren Fletcher should partner Michael Carrick in the middle, even though Anderson is a chance as well. Nani and Luis Valencia should take the wings, with Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney upfront. In a game this big, look no further than Rooney to put on a show. I expect him to score, and I expect him to do it in the first-half. For Man City boss Mark Hughes, he is without top scorer Emmanuel Adebayor, who is serving a deserved 3-game ban. Robinho is missing as well, but Stephen Ireland, Vincent Kompany, Carlos Tevez and Roque Santa Cruz are a chance to play. If Tevez fails to make the cut, City would look a lot like last season in terms of attacking personnels, with Craig Bellamy, Martin Petrov, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Stephen Ireland making up the front 4. The newly recruited defensive qualities of Gareth Barry, Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure should prove particularly useful today.

I do not think this is a hard game to call. I expect United to establish themselves yet again as the team to beat in the Premiership with a good win against the Citizens. Ferguson rested Dimitar Berbatov, Ji-Sung Park, Darren Fletcher and Anderson in midweek's game against Besiktas, while Michael Carrick, Wayne Rooney and Luis Valencia were all substituted with time remaining. Man City have been arrogant - no doubt about it. Mark Hughes has done a bit of trash talking in the press, while players like Emmanuel Adebayor has followed suit. I don't think Man City have a right to look down on other teams at the moment because they have achieved nothing as yet. I think their arrogance will prove their downfall today. If Tevez fails to pass a lateness fitness test, City should look weak on paper. I like the combination of Toure and Lescott in central defence, but I also like the abilities of Rooney and Berbatov to carve up any defence in the world. I am going to back the home side for a comfortable win. The HT/FT bet looks good value.

Fate85 Recommends:

Manchester United @ -0.75 Handicap
Total Goals: Over

__________________________________________________________

Everton VS Blackburn Rovers
20/09/2009, 22:00

Everton made light work of AEK Athens in the Europe League in midweek, but they need to really put some points on the board now in the Premiership or risk being sucked into a relegation dog fight later on. Everton have done poorly this season in the League, losing 3 of their opening 4 games. They were destroyed 1-6 by Arsenal in the first game. They then traveled to Turf Moor to lose 0-1 to newly promoted Burnley. They did okay against Wigan, winning 2-1, but they were brought back down to earth immediately as they suffered yet another defeat, this time a 1-2 reverse against Fulham. They welcome the visit of a Blackburn side that have played well without getting the deserved results. The Rovers played well and dominated proceedings against Man City, Sunderland and West Ham, but found themselves getting just 1 point from those 3 games. They made things right last time out with a 3-1 win against Wolves, but seeing as it was a home game against a newly promoted side that have a poor history playing away from home in the Premiership... I will reserve my praises for now.

Everton manager David Moyes has been rocked by the news that club captain Phil Neville is going to be out for about 3 months with a posterior cruciate ligament tear. The Toffees have done well with the signing of Lucas Neill as a quality cover, but the Australian should be deemed too unfit to play a full game at the moment. Diniyar Bilyaletdinov is a doubt with a groin strain. Victor Anichebe, Mikel Arteta and Phil Jagielka all join Phil Neville on the sidelines. Jo kept out Louis Saha last time out, and he should start again. Marouane Fellaini was benched last week but with Neville missing, he should slot right into midfield. For Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce, he has a fully fit squad - how often can we say that?! Steven Nzonzi and Benni McCarthy both return from injuries as Blackburn go in search of only their second Premiership win this season. Jason Roberts has been very impressive this season, and I expect him to start upfront, supported by Morten Gamst Pedersen, El-Hadji Diouf, David Dunn, Vince Grella and Keith Andrews from midfield. I feel Blackburn's over-reliance on Roberts might hurt them though.

Everton come into this match as slight favourites, but Blackburn are not going to travel to Goodison Park to lie down and die without putting up a good fight. Last season, Blackburn secured all 3 points in the corresponding fixture with goals from David Dunn, Roque Santa Cruz and Andre Ooijer ensuring a 3-2 win. Having said that, I feel Everton should win this. They are better than we give them credit for most of the time, and the players they have got are of a certain quality. They may have lost Joleon Lescott, but the signing of Sylvain Distin and John Heitinga more than make up for the loss of the Englishman. Blackburn have adopted the famous Sam Allardyce style of play, being the physical approach, but with the Toffees having some hard nuts in there in the form of Fellaini and Cahill, I doubt Blackburn could have it all there way in the physical department. I have some serious doubts about the Rovers defence, albeit at full-strength. I think in Jo and Cahill, Everton should find a way to wiggle their way through Blackburn's suspect defence. Following last season's 2-3 loss, it's payback time!

Fate85 Recommends:

Everton @ -0.5 Handicap
Total Goals: Under

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Chelsea FC VS Tottenham Hotspur
20/09/2009, 23:00

Chelsea are in blinding form. Following 5 straight wins in the Premiership, Chelsea opened their Champions League campaign with a 1-0 win over Portuguese giants Porto. With 6 wins from 6, the Blues should come into this match brimming with confidence. They play a Tottenham side that started the season brightly, storming past Liverpool, Hull, West Ham and Birmingham. However, their run came to an abrupt halt when they played champions Manchester United last time out. Having taken the lead through Jermain Defoe, Spurs conceded 3 to lose 1-3 in the end. They would be keen for an immediate rebound, but seeing as they are away at Stamford Bridge playing a Chelsea side that seem incapable of doing any wrong currently, I do not fancy their chances. Chelsea have won their last 4 games at home in the Premiership, scoring 10 goals in the process, while only shipping 2. Spurs may have won their last 2 away games in the League, but Hull and West Ham are never in the class of Chelsea.

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is not going to risk Joe Cole. Paulo Ferreira and Yuri Zhirkov are the other two definitely missing. Defender Alex and midfielder Deco are doubts. Ancelotti had Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa suspended in midweek, but they both return today. Nicolas Anelka should retain his spot in the starting eleven following his winner against Porto. He should partner Didier Drogba. Michael Ballack, Michael Essien, Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda should feature in one of the strongest looking midfield quartets in the world. For Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp, he has doubts over the fitness of Gareth Bale. Michael Dawson, Jonathan Woodgate and Luka Modric are all missing. Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane should again keep out Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko. Aaron Lennon, who has been impressive this season, should start on the right wing yet again, with Niko Kranjcar on the left. Wilson Palacios and Tom Huddlestone must find a way to win the midfield battle coming up against Michael Essien and Michael Ballack.

You've got to like Chelsea for this one. Tottenham may have made a good start to the season, but they failed their first major test of the season when they went down to Manchester United last time out. That should take some self belief and momentum out of them for sure. Chelsea have continued to roll on, and they have justified bookmakers' pre-season favouritism of them being the front runners for the Premiership title of 2009/2010. Didier Drogba had a trouble-laden campaign last season, but he has returned to his usual self, firing in shots and scoring goals for fun. Michael Essien has developed into one of the most complete midfielders in the world, being able to defend as well as link up with the attacking players. With pace down the wings from Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka, I have a good feeling about Chelsea scoring in the first-half, and maintaining that lead throughout. Tottenham will fight for every ball, but they lack the all-round quality to compete on even grounds.

Fate85 Recommends:

Chelsea FC @ -1 Handicap
Total Goals: Over