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Swansea v Everton

Two of the strong starters this season meet in the lunchtime kickoff this Saturday. Both sides have almost identical form after both winning their first three matches in all competitions but then failing to win in the last two. Both teams are currently on 7 points, but Swansea’s better goal difference puts them in 5th, two places above Everton.

Everton come into this game as favourites after a cruel game of Monday night football where, in our opinion, they should have comfortably won had decisions gone their way. Swansea had quite a different last match, losing 2-0 away to Aston Villa. We mentioned in our last edition that Swansea would have found it tough there with Villa’s confidence on the up and we think they might find it hard again this week.

The home advantage for Swansea could proof to be the stumbling block for Everton, as teams often struggle with the long journey to Wales, and they remain unbeaten at home in their last 5 matches. Everton currently boast a statistic arguably better than that though, losing just once in the Premier League in their last 13 matches. This statistic, combined with the determination they will have after being denied 3 points in their last game, leads us to think Everton will win this one.

Swansea remain without Chico Flores who picked up a three match ban after his red card against Sunderland. With Kyle Bartley and Neil Taylor also out with long term injuries, the defence looks fairly week for Swansea at the moment. Everton currently just have the one main injury, with Darren Gibson sidelined for another couple of weeks.

Match Predictions

Due to Swansea’s defensive problems, we fancy Everton to at least get something from this match so depending on how we are feeling on the day, we will be looking at Everton Double Chance, or jut the Everton win.

We also think that the home advantage should mean that Swansea at least get a goal so the next bet we fancy in this game is Both Teams To Score.

The players we think may get on the score sheet in this one are Michu for Swansea and we’ll go for Miralles again, a goal is coming for him!

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Chelsea v Stoke

After a stumble last week, Chelsea will be hoping to get back to winning ways this weekend with a home fixture against Stoke. With a number of top teams playing each other this weekend, Chelsea will see this as an opportunity to increase their lead at the top of the league. They will need to stay focused though, against a Stoke side who haven’t lost yet this season. Okay, they haven’t won yet either, but they do look solid and have picked up good points against Man City, in their last game, and Arsenal.

Chelsea have won 8 out of the last ten matches between the two sides, so we’re quite confident they will get back to winning ways this weekend. We don’t think it will be quite as convincing as the 7-0 win back in 2010 but with Hazard and Torres on form, it could be a convincing win for Chelsea.

Stoke have the fitness advantage going into this game as Chelsea had a tough European fixture against Juventus this week, so will no doubt still be feeling a bit tired. The signings Chelsea have made though have increased the depth in the squad, you only have to look at their bench from the Juventus game to see how many top players they have waiting for their chance.

With Andy Wilkinson suspended for three matches for Stoke, Ryan Shotton is likely to start at right back. Matthew Etherington is back fit again and is expected to start on the left, a great boost for the Stoke fans. Chelsea are expected to be without Sturridge, Oscar and Marin, all through injury but have Mata available along with Moses and Azpilicueta who could make their first home start.

Match Predictions

Chelsea should win this one, but the straight win doesn’t represent much value (unless you’re sticking it in an accumulator) so we will instead pick them to score over 2.5 goals.

Hazard should play through the middle again with Mata replacing Oscar so we think he may get another goal. With Torres upfront on his own, there’s always the good chance that he will score again as well.

Terry may be rested for this game, with Ivanovic taking his place at centre back. Him and Luiz doesn’t sound like the most solid of defences so we will also take Both Teams To Score in this game.

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Liverpool v Man Utd

Liverpool versus Man United; one of football’s fiercest rivalries, kicks off again this Sunday and Brendan Rodgers’ knows that his side needs to take all three points from this one, to appease the slightly nervy kopites, after their winless run to the Premier League season. However it’s obvious that Sir Alex Ferguson will not just let his men roll over at Anfield, not a chance.

I’ll begin with Liverpool. Rodgers’ took the bold move to rest many of his first team players for Thursday night’s Europa League game in Berne; however it does allow him to have a full, fresh side to select from against United; a decision which may now work in the favour of Rodgers. Nuri Sahin is a player who may have a big effect on the game. His ability to spot a key pass when no one else does is amazing, a real pass-master, and the sort of player Liverpool have required since Xabi Alonso left. The other key man, for me, is Luis Suarez. Although not everyones cup of tea, Suarez can change a game in an instant, I expect a goal from him on Sunday if Liverpool are to win.

Manchester United also played in midweek, hosting Turkish giants Galatasary on Wednesday night. However, Sir Alex didn’t rest all his big names, in fact Robin van Persie, Shinji Kagawa, Nemanja Vidic and more all started the game, and those extra minutes may cause unwanted fatigue on Sunday. If he is able to surpass his fatigue though, I expect van Persie to be amongst the goals at Anfield this weekend, continuing the rich vein of form he has showed already this season. Also, I’m expecting a big game from Vidic. When he is at his best, he’s an unpenetrable force, whose sheer presence makes opponents tremble. The battle between him and Suarez will be intriguing to say the least.

Prediction – Man United 2-1 Liverpool

Match Predictions

Another game to add to the Both Teams To Score coupon here as the quality both teams posess always points to lots of goals.

The stand out players for these two teams have to be Robin Van Persie and Luis Suarez and we will back both players to get on the score sheet this weekend.

We can also get pretty decent odds on the Manchester United win in this game so we will probably add that into the accumulator.

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Man City v Arsenal

Arséne Wenger’s high flying Arsenal visit the Etihad stadium for what should be an enticing clash. The Gunners are on high form going into this game, after coming off the back of a 6-1 victory against Southampton and a midweek win away at Montpellier in the Champions League. They will be looking to snatch a win against a depleted Manchester City, who let slip a 2-1 lead at the Bernabéu, which saw them come out eventual 3-2 losers in their latest match.

Mancini’s Citizens will be seeking vengeance; with players such as Javi García, Tévez, Touré and the return of Agϋero they still represent a massive threat. The reigning champions have picked up eight points in their four games, two wins and two draws, and are currently going through a sticky patch in form, their latest Premier League result recorded was a 1-1 draw to Stoke. Centre back Nastasic could be looking at starting the game after he impressed in his debut in their Champions League loss versus Real Madrid. Agϋero might have to wait for a starting place after Tévez and Džeko have both impressed in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, Podolski looks like he is capable of leading the Gunners’ attack this season, after scoring a well taken free-kick against Southampton and then calmly slotting away a goal against Montpellier mid-week. Although he probably won’t replicate RVP’s efforts from last season, he seems like he could go close. Gervinho is on good goal scoring form, so would be an almost definite start. Arsenal’s defence has been rock solid so far, conceding only one goal in four games, however this stat will be tested with the attacking threat Man City possess, so it should be a great spectacle.`

Prediction: Manchester City 2 Arsenal 1

Match Predictions

A tough game to call this one, but once again, probably a good bet for Both Teams To Score. They both have been good going forward so goals looks like a given in this game. Over 2.5 goals is a pretty similar bet but it does look like it may be a winner.

We don’t think this game will end in a draw but just can’t decide which way it will go so we will probably pick the Man City or Arsenal bet, meaning we will only lose if the match finishes in a draw.

After finding his goalscoring form, we will back Podolski to add another to his tally this weekend. Aguero also may make his return, if he does, he could be another good bet to score anytime.

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Newcastle v Norwich

Newcastle Utd play host to Norwich City at the Sports Direct Arena on Sunday.

Reports this week of player rift because of squad rotation could see an opportunity for Norwich to capitalise. Striker Demba Ba was clearly unhappy to be named among the substitutes for Monday night’s draw at Everton, in which he came off the bench to score both his side’s goals, while his agent added fuel to the fire when he hinted that the Senegal international might have to look elsewhere if that were to be repeated.

Ba has been left out of Thursday’s European cup tie and didn’t travel with the squad. Pardew may well leave him on the bench for Sunday’s game.

Norwich are not fantastic on the road, the canneries have only won one from eight, drawing two and losing five. Chris Houghton’s team are unbeaten in five as he takes on his former club and would like nothing better to come away with all 3 points. Norwich got their first clean sheet of the season last time out against West Ham at Carrow Road. The Canaries will be looking for a bit more luck with two big penalty shouts going against them in the last league game against the Hammers.

Debutant Harry Kane had a golden chance to clinch three points for City in the dying seconds and will be looking to build on his solid display if chosen for this fixture.

Last season saw Newcastle take the spoils with a 1-0 victory.

Match Prediction Newcastle 1-1 Norwich City

Match Predictions

Norwich have not kept a clean sheet in their last 35 Premier League away games, while Newcastle have won eight and lost just one of their last Premier League home games in 2012. This statistic leads us to believe there will be goals in this game so Over 2.5 looks a good bet.

Ben Arfa has continued his good form this season, so we will back him to score another goal this weekend as an outside shot, with Ba to score as well if he has finished his strop about being benched for one match.

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Southampton v Aston Villa

Bottom of the league Southampton will be hoping to record their first point of the season in front of a home crowd this Saturday. They are up against a Villa side who have recently hit a bit of form and will be looking to continue where they left off last weekend.

Southampton had a day to forget last week when they made the trip to The Emirates. Arsenal were a class above The Saints, and Nigel Adkins will be hoping the confidence in the dressing room hasn’t been knocked too badly.

Gaston Ramirez made his debut at the weekend, coming on after 45 minutes and did show moments of why he is Southampton’s record signing but the game was already over and he had little chance to make a difference. Aston Villa rose to 11th last week with a 2-0 win over Swansea, after a bad start to their league campaign. Another debutant, Christian Benteke, came off the bench and scored injecting a bit of much needed positivity into the Aston Villa camp.

Both Ramirez and Benteke are expected to make their full debuts in this match, and their performances may prove to change the match. After Southampton’s poor start to the season, many people will be expecting an Aston Villa win, but having not won in their last 10 away matches, it won’t be easy.

Jos Hooiveld had to go off for Southampton against Arsenal is likely to miss out on this game. Villa have no new injury worries and will probably stick with the same team that beat Swansea, apart from a start for Benteke who may replace Weimann up front.

Match Predictions

We think both teams will be happy if this game finishes a draw and with Southampton coming back from a 6-1 loss, it is likely that they will try and shut up shop. This is why we believe this will be a fairly low scoring game and will back Under 2.5 goals.

Both debutants have a good chance of scoring this weekend especially if they start the match, so we will be waiting to see the team sheet before placing any goal scorer bets.

If anything, Villa have the edge in this game, so we will also look to back Aston Villa or Draw at fairly short odds.

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Tottenham v QPR

Spurs take on QPR at White Hart Lane this Sunday. Mark Hughes’s men will be looking to kick start their season with only one victory so far.

Spurs come in to this game on the back of a Europa League match; AVB’s men will be looking to build on the average start they have made this season in the Premier League lying mid table.

Spurs will look to Defoe to lead the attack against QPR, using their familiar 4-5-1 formation. The England striker has been in good form of late and has had the most shots than any other Premier League striker with 26. QPR’s record on the road is not great; they have not managed to keep a clean sheet in their last 18 away games in the Premier League and this could be the wrong time to face Defoe and Spurs as they have only lost 2 out of their last 20 league games at home. Tottenham are still waiting to discover how long Benoit Assou-Ekotto will face on the sidelines amid fears he could be ruled out for up to a month with a knee problem.

QPR have striker problems with Andy Johnson looking set to miss the majority of the season after suffering a serious knee injury during Saturday’s goalless draw against Chelsea. Rangers need to get some points on the board as they lie 18th in the Premier League going in to this fixture.

The corresponding fixture last season saw Spurs victorious in a 3-1 win.

Score PredictionSpurs 2 - QPR 0

Match Predictions

After a win last weekend, we think Spurs will continue their good form and record a win over QPR. Spurs to score over 1.5 goals looks a good bet or the straight Spurs win if you prefer just to back a team to win.

As a bit of a break from tradition, and an outside shot, we also quite like Both Teams To Score - No in this game as QPR seem to be struggling for goals a bit this season.

Defoe has really restored the faith that AVB showed in him this season and with Adebayor missing, we think Defoe will get on the score sheet against QPR.

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West Brom v Reading

After differing starts to the season, both West Brom and Reading lost last weekend. It was Steve Clarke’s first taste of defeat since he took on the manager’s role at West Brom, in a game where his team never really got going, and wasn’t helped by Odemwingie’s shocker of a red card. Reading remain on one point after AVB’s Spurs side finally got going with a 3-1 win.

Reading have had the better of the form between the two in the last 6 matches, winning 3 out of the 6 compared to West Brom’s 1 but this shouldn’t be a statistic to rely on. West Brom have seen big improvements over the past couple of years and where this game would formerly have been a relegation clash, we now think West Brom should record their 3rd win of the campaign.

Both sides have attacking options for this game and may choose to mix things up a bit up front. Odemwingie’s suspension means that Lukaku may earn his first start of the season. Stephen Reid may be fit again to play in this match, but while he remains a doubt, Steve Clarke is probably unlikely to risk him.

Reading’s attacking options come in the form of Adam Le Fondre and Hal Robson-Kanu. Le Fondre has been in impressive form for Reading in all competitions this season, and also has a goal and an assist to his name, so is likely to partner Pogrebnyak up front.

It will be interesting to see how both teams pick themselves up for this game, and it could really go either way. West Brom’s home advantage could prove to be a deciding factor.

Match Predictions

This game, like the Southampton one, we also think will be quite a cagey affair with both teams desperate not to lose. It’s for these reasons that we think Under 2.5 goals is a good bet.

Adam Le Fondre is a natural goal scorer and we think if he plays, he has a very good chance of scoring. After an impressive start to his West Brom career, we fancy Lukaku to also score, but once again only if he starts.

A tough game to call this one and one where the result may be a really important one come the end of the season.

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West Ham v Sunderland

8th placed West Ham welcome Sunderland to Upton Park on Saturday where the Hammers will be looking to continue their impressive start to the season.

Sam Allardyce’s side have won two of their opening four fixtures, drawn one and lost one, scoring four goals in the process. What perhaps is even more encouraging for the promoted side is that they have kept three clean sheets already this season in games against Aston Villa, Fulham and Norwich.

Much of their early season success can be attributed to club captain Kevin Nolan who seems to have been galvanized by the arrival of former team mates Andy Carroll and goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen at Upton Park. The former Bolton and Newcastle midfielder has chipped in with two goals already this season and will be looking for more against the Black Cats.

But Martin O’Neill’s side will be no pushover, that’s for sure. They have drawn every game so far this season and will be desperate to record their first win on Saturday. They’ve played a game less than everyone else as well, due to their game with Reading being called off because of a waterlogged pitch.

They’ll be looking for striker Steven Fletcher to continue his run of good form against the Hammers, the £14m former Wolves hitman has already bagged three goals this season and looks very sharp.

One man Sunderland will have to do without however is winger Adam Johnson. The former Manchester City man is struggling with a thigh problem and O’Neill has confirmed he will not be rushing the England man back to first team action.

Both sides will have one eye on their midweek Capital One cup ties with West Ham hosting Wigan and Sunderland travelling to MK Dons. Nevertheless, this promises to be a fascinating encounter.

Match Predictions

I’m going to say it again, it’s one of those games that’s really hard to call. I guess that’s why we love the Premier League right?

We fancy Both Teams To Score again in this match (going to be a long coupon this weekend) as both sides have goal scoring ability in their side.

Sunderland’s goal scoring ability is in new signings Adam Johnson and Steven Fletcher so if either of those are on the score sheet come the full time whistle, we won’t be surprised. West Ham’s goal scoring ability comes in the shape of captain fantastic Kevin Nolan who has made a brilliant start to the season and seems to be enjoying being back in the Premier League.

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Wigan v Fulham

Wigan have had an unremarkable start to the season – winning one, drawing one and losing two – however, they have only lost to two top teams in Manchester United and Chelsea. They got a valuable away win to Southampton and a decent draw against Stoke at home, can they go one better against Fulham, and clinch all three points?

They will probably keep their familiar 3-4-3/5-4-1 formation to take on Fulham, without a lot of personnel changes, with no major injuries or suspensions – the sole worry being Alcaraz is carrying a slight knock, who has had a good start to the season, despite his side shelling eight goals already. Winning all six of his tackles and half of his sixteen ground duals, the Latics will definitely be hoping he can shake off his knock. If Wigan deserve praise for anything, it is their tackling. As a team, they have a tackle success rate of 89%, which is a brilliant completion rate – I haven’t checked all the others, but I would put my money on it being in the top four.

They have a slight dilemma upfront as new-boy Arouna Kone will want to add to his first goal, and Franco Di Santo is their current top scorer with two goals so far this season, so Martinez will have a tough decision to make, but with Di Santo scoring against Stoke, I personally would pick him, as he would want to carry on scoring at home.

Fulham have also had a shaky start to the season, losing their two star players to Spurs in the last few days of the transfer window would always be tough to come back from – and it seemed that way as they lost against 3-0 against a West Ham side, inspired by Andy Carroll. However, after a good 3-0 win against the then unbeaten West Brom, can Fulham put a decent run of results together, beating Wigan on the way?

They have a few injury worries, with Diarra and Ruiz both being doubtful, so their passing game and creativity could take a hit, and they will definitely be a lot weaker without them.

Match Predictions

Like Wigan, Fulham play a great passing game, with a pass completion of 86% including set-pieces, so this will definitely be an interesting and entertaining encounter, with two teams trying to keep the ball and outplay each other – rather than ‘trying to concede one less than the other’.

Dimitar Berbatov and Rodallega are both expected to play, which should be interesting. It will be interesting to see how Berbatov does, after getting two goals on his debut and we always find it interesting to see players against their former club, so we are looking forward to seeing how Rodallega gets on at the DW again.

I could (and probably will) be wrong, but I think this will be an open game and potentially high-scoring, as both teams are quite solid – but can be prone to the odd defensive error!

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