9-11th Feb English Premiership

[slick]

Barclays Premier League
09 Feb 12:45 Aston Villa v Newcastle 1.85 3.40 4.50
09 Feb 15:00 Bolton v Portsmouth 2.50 3.25 2.87
09 Feb 15:00 Derby v Tottenham 6.50 4.00 1.53
09 Feb 15:00 Everton v Reading 1.53 4.00 6.50
09 Feb 15:00 Middlesbrough v Fulham 1.90 3.40 4.20
09 Feb 15:00 Sunderland v Wigan 2.10 3.30 3.60
09 Feb 15:00 West Ham v Birmingham 1.80 3.60 4.50
10 Feb 13:30 Man Utd v Man City 1.33 4.50 12.00
10 Feb 16:00 Chelsea v Liverpool 2.00 3.10 4.33
11 Feb 20:00 Arsenal v Blackburn 1.33 4.75 11.00

Odds Bet365

First thoughts b4 i put up the other fixtures are villa look tempting and should beat a pretty pish poor Newcastle side who are defending on a hope and a prayer at the moment.

Everton will be looking for points here after dropping a couple last weekend to play catch up with Liverpool again for that forth spot.

Spurs should overcome Derby but with Derby looking to continue there fine run of draws could be a harder game than expected.

Sunderland are putting in some good performances at home while Wigan look a bit rocky on the rd, home win has to be one for the shortlist.

Man U should easily overcome City in this local Derby , especially now City are without two of their best players in Elano and Corluka out through suspension, same too could be said of Rooney i suppose but the difference is United have some quality cover while City don't.

And continuing Sundays cracking line up of football , game of the weekend has to be Chelsea v Liverpool.
Should be a tight affair with Liverpool back on the up after a much needed win against Sunderland but Chelsea will be a completely different Kettle of fish and current form gives them the nod here especially with home advantage.

[farnerud]

I see too much favourites and that makes me afraid ! All Aston Villa, Tottenham, Everton and Manchester United also Wigan, Boro and West Ham are like good bets.

[fasteddy]

Some early thoughts.

Aston Villa vs Newcastle
Who do you think is the worst performing team in the EPL over the last 2 months? That's 8 matches. That's 720 minutes of football. That's 8 rounds of the campaign which equates to 21% of the season! So, which team has literally thrown away 1/5th of their season over the last 8 games? Derby? Wigan? Sunderland?......nope. Step forward Newcastle. Yep.....0-3-5 GF4 GA17. It makes for painful reading not just as a Magpies fan, but just a fan in general. Keegan has a huge task to sort this out and i'm not surprised that Shearer bowed out of any involvement. He can see what's coming!

Villa have a habit of running thru streaks this season rather than being consistent. Currently they haven't won in 3, prior to this they'd won 3 in a row, prior to that they hadn't won in 5, and prior to THAT they'd won 4 in a row. So, since Nov 3rd, when this sequence began, they've played 15 games and are 7-5-3. Not bad you'd think. There have been 7 Home games, but only 3 wins, plus they've managed a mere 3 clean sheets ...which isn't surprising when you realise that 10 of the 15 ended Over 2.5. Lot of stats there, I know, but the aim is to highlight a certain unreliability of Villa at Home and in keeping a clean sheet, but very reliable in terms of goals, while Newcastle are a side gagging on a goal and now facing a side that has been happy to concede.

O'Neill did a smart bit of business getting Wayne Routledge from Spurs for under $3m. I've always been a admirer of the boy, and Villa is the sort of set up he'll fit into very quickly and very well. Keep an eye on him.

Over 2.5 @ 2.11 betchronicle / Routledge to score @ 7.50 paddypower

Bolton vs Portsmouth
Maybe Bolton will be as confused as me as to guess how they will react to an 'away' win?....after all beating Reading last week was their first this season. That brings their total games won figure to 6, but it's not that inspiring to note that Bolton have yet to take a point from any of the previous 5 games played after a win. They've met sides in the top half 11 times this season and are 1-2-8 for their efforts. With Pompey bringing in a proven striker , and Bolton shoring up defence, this could be a very tactical battle.

Portsmouth's sigh of relief must have been heard across the planet after Defoe did the business and took a point from Chelsea within minutes of falling behind. They looked better than they have for many a week, and you could see the belief building back up as the game progressed. Good display all round and set them up micely for a trip to The Reebok.

Benjani is gone now, and for the better I think. The African Cup of Nations will soon return Kanu, Utaka, Muntari and Diop to the fold, so a very positive end to the season looks in store.

Portsmouth DNB @ 2.11 canbet / Defoe to score @ 3.25 bet365 / 1st goal time 1-30 @ 1.95 better

Derby vs Tottenham
Is this possibly the bet of the season?... Spurs @ 1.62!

It may not have been so a month ago, but what a lot has changed in that time. Ramos has sealed the defence issues, adding depth and quality withWoodgate/Hutton, while Huddlestone has been given a good run of games to cement his place in the starting line up. Lennon has been class for weeks now, and Cerny's stint between the sticks has vindicated Ramos's decision to ditch Robinosn.. The overall fitness levels have obviously improved as well. So, with that in place as well as the new blood and confidence, this Spurs side will prove very hard to beat from now on. They do have to show a better attitude 'away' from the Lane, but could they have a more perfect opportunity than Derby? I think not, Sir!

It was a 4-0 spanking the last time they met Spurs, and it's hard to see anything being different this time around. Jewell gambled on bringing in experience in January, though not all guaranteed to have the requisite quality/skill, and you can see that a harder spine is emerging, after managing to collect points two weeks in a row for the first time this season. They've got on thescoresheet 3 in row now, and in 2008 have stayed in the game for the full 90 mins each time (except vs Pompey, of course) , losing by only the single goal. Relegation is coming head on for the Rams, but pride is still there to fight for, and Hope is never far behind if luck lends a hand as well.

Spurs @ 1.62 centrebet / Spurs -1 @ 1.99 betchronicle / Keane to score @ 2.50 Hills

Everton vs Reading
Coppell needs to find a solution to 'goals' and winning away from Home, rapido style, or his goodwill from last season will soon be exhausted. Only a last minute injury time strike from Harper in their 3-1 defeat by Villa stops them from having failed to score 5 in a row. Four of those games were vs Top half sides, so there could be grounds for excuses, plus Bolton are tough to get by. So maybe it should be forgiven? No chance. They badmouthed the FA Cup! And look what has happened, eh? Trevor Brooking always gets his man! Beware.
Step up, Royals...that's the bottom line. Otherwise....relegation awaits.

The Toffeemen continue to take points, if not all 3.... as was the case vs Blackburn and Spurs the last two weeks. The last time they failed to score in consecutive games was followed by a nice 2-0 win ( vs Boro) , and Reading appeal as a side that can help replicate that sequence. Rovers and Spurs both have solid defences so there's no reason to worry as such about a failure to score, plus that referee was dreadful in knocking off a perfectly good goal from Johnson in the Rovers match. But if Moyes doesn't get off the mark here ....I think he'll start a sweat going. The Yak should be back, (I say 'should' as he appears to have different ideas), and he'll be a much welcomed return.

Over 2.5 @ 2.04 betchronicle / HT Betting: Everton DNB @ 1.76 ladbrokes

Middlesbrough vs Fulham
Boro have scored in the last 4 , are unbeaten in the last 4, lost the lead twice , came from behind to draw once , and also taken a 1-0 lead and kept it.Southgate will be delighted to see point winning performances from his squad, but that habit of 'leading but not winning' needs to be addressed. The bigger concern is the continuing lack of 'goals' in general. They have scored more than 1 goal just the once over the last 18 matches....vs Arsenal of all clubs!Alves may start this week, and be the saviour of Tyneside . Or he may start and find the supply of quality passes is not there. The midfield service needed to score in the Premiership hasn't been on showfron Boro all season, why wiil it change now?
On the plus side, they have become tougher to beat, a bit more consistent in their play, and are showing a bigger appetite for the fight, so Fulham could be a nice fixture to build on. It's up to them.

Roy Hodgson got his 3pts, and Fulham shook that 'winless' monkey off their back, with a 2-1 win vs Villa last Sunday. The Cottagers had been big losers for me in my bets, as I had kept faith with them for months, then they go and win..... I'm not on them! The week before, vs Bolton, I was all over them, but to no avail. Bogey buggers.
Bullard is getting back to full fitness and he's a match winner for any side, while the new signings all looked decent enough at first glance, but the big positive was Brian McBride's appearance: he's a quality player for Fulham and should provide a more tangible threat for Fulham for now on. They're still winless away from home, so it's a big ask to do so here, but I see them making it tough for Boro if they play as they did last week.

Fulham @ 4.50 ladbrokes / Last goal time: 74+ @ 2.00 paddypower

Sunderland vs Wigan
This must be the one. This has to be the match where I punt Wigan to get hammered and they DO!

Looking at the state of their pitch last week before kick off, I wished I could have cancelled my bet. I had read that it was a bit worse for wear , but never THAT bad. This fact broughtWigan more into the game, while West Ham couldn't find a way to find any fluid movement. Admittedly, the Hammers put in a bad one overall, but still , I think anyone going to theJJB when it plays like that will be in for a touch match.

There is much to praise Wigan over the last 8 games, in which they have never scored more than the 1 goal: 3-2-3 GF7 GA7...that makes them the 11th best side in the EPL for that period. So, Hats off.
Add into that the fact that Wigan have beaten Sunderland twice this season (League&Cup), both times 3-0, home and away, and it looks like the Wigan bandwagon may still have some speed in it yet. Say it's not so!

If it's a Home game, it must be another 3pts! Surely Roy thinks like that as well? Bolton, Portsmouth, and Birmingham certainly do now. Three out of three for the Home matches does wonders for the confidence. Last week's 3-0 defeat to Liverpool came only after a solid defence held out for 58mins. There was much to like about the way they played, and more again here should see them go close to a '4 in a row' claim. Injuries are affecting the selection process, but when it comes to attitude then the Cats are hard to beat on home soil.

HT Betting: Wigan +0.25 @ 1.70 canbet / Over 2.50 @ 2.28 betchronicle

West Ham vs Birmingham
What went wrong at Wigan? The pitch was crap, ok..I understand that, but still, Curbs should've looked at changing it around during the game.He had options. Having said that, it was good to see Bellamy back in motion. His pace. along with a few others, is what makes West Ham dangerous to play against. With a fully fit squad I see them getting closer to a Top 6 finish, but it will have to start here, vs Birmingham, vs a side battling for survival. The fight is everything now as the campaign gets into countdown mode. The Hammers have the players to make a fist of it from here on in and I'll be majorly disappointed if it's not 3pts on Saturday, especially after those wins against Man Utd and Liverpool.

Alex McLeish must have wondered what he had to do to get those 3pts vs Derby. As resilient as the Rams have been lately, Birmingham had been forcing the Top 3 to fight every inch of the way to get points over the last 3-4 weeks. A poor effort vsSunderland was a set back, so Derby had to be a win, nothing less. They failed, and now the relegation quagmire is a reality.

McLeish needs to get his players back on track immediately as a defeat here will see them firmly in the relegation zone, not merely 'threatening' to be. Results around them play a big part from now on, so he'll have one eye on theSunderland/Wigan match, as well as Fulham.

New signing, McFadden , needs to do his bit, while other new boy, Zarate , could be anything. Murphy has been brought in to shore up a weakish defence, and his contribution will be huge if he can bring hisSPL form to St Andrews. The clock is ticking, Eck!

West Ham -0.50 @ 1.86 Bet1128

[fasteddy]

Sunday's Games

Man Utd vs Man City
Seems a straight forward enough prediction here: Man Utd. Easy, eh? Best priced 1.33 ladbrokes...and even I think it's a decent bet! Not much to say about Utd as I think they're way above anything City has to offer. Yes, they dropped points against Spurs last week, but in reality Spurs are a Top 6 side , they just don't have the official papers to prove it. If you can pass the ball around as Ramos has got his players doing, and keep Utd on their back foot, there is always a shot at points. Ronaldo had a quiet match, but that was a lot to do with the total commitment of the Spurs squad. I don't see City bringing that level of skill or attitude to OT, therefore an 'away' win is not happening this week.

But what could be a reservation about lumping on the Red Devils?.....well, 1st team regulars Ronaldo, Brown and Ferdinand played a full 90 midweek for England, and Rooney was only 5 mins short of that as well, and although most clubs had the same situation, City weren't as badly hit. Sven does have the edge of the last time they met City took a 1-0 win , and in 2 of the last 3 trips to OldTrafford the City team have managed draws. If you look hard enough there are possibilities. Benjani as the lone striker shouldn't be a problem for Utd, as with all 'lone striker' roles it depends on the supply line to make it work, and Utd have the better midfield here.

Man City's great start to the season always looked difficult to maintain, and so it is proving. Without a clear striker in their ranks Sven decided to bring in a number of names from all over the place, and those actions currently leave City with about 9/10 strikers on the books and still no further forward with scoring regularly. Madness.Man Utd have conceded only 3 goals in 13 Home games: GAA 0.23. Need a miracle. Or penalty?

Arsenal took away their 'unbeaten' home record as well as the 3pts last week with a solid, if not spectacular, display. Man Utd at OT are nearly invincible, so I can't see how Sven can get his troops ready in time to seriously take anything from this game ifUtd also just play solid. Elano is easily their best player this season, but he will miss this one thru suspension ...leaving a big gap to fill. Skill, vision, movement....all of Elano's positive attributes will be a huge loss for Sven, and therefore this Derby match has to be viewed as another for Man Utd.

Man Utd to win 'to nil' @ 2.20 skybet / Penalty awarded @ 3.60 centrebet

Chelsea vs Liverpool
This sees 3rd vs 5th, but with an 11pt gap between Liverpool's game in hand will count for a lot, but first of all they need to end Chelsea's impressive '75 games unbeaten at Stamford Bridge in the league' record. Tough call. Chelsea failed to make it 10 wins in row when Portsmouth snatched a 1-1 draw last week.
Chelsea have been grinding out wins more than dominating/controlling them. Of the last 10 played 50% have seen them score just 1 or less, but they have managed 3-1-1 regardless. This rate of goals will always leave you under pressure to a late equaliser, or if you drop 2 behind the belief to get back with 2 or 3 simply isn't there, as the experience isn't a 'majority' over the season.
Chelsea have played 24 so far, and in 14 they've hit 1 or less. Remember back in early Sept they went L/D/L/D...and firing 4 blanks as well. Fortunately they do have a sound defence at the moment, and even if they only hit 1 here , there is a good chance it will be enough.

Liverpool's record when scoring 1 or less is : 1-8-3, so compared to Chelsea's 6-5-3, they have their work cut out if this ends up a low scorer, which traditionally they have been, with 21/30 meetings (all comps) being Under 2.5. Torres left the field injured in Spain's International, so could be a serious doubt for Raf come Sunday, and his absence would be key to the outcome.

Midfield 'Generalissimo' Stevie G will be facing off with Ballack and that's a battle I'm dying to see. Both in decent form, both with a license to roam, and both with support behind allowing them to drive forward when the chance presents itself. Hopefully Rafa starts with crouch as Chelsea have shown some vulnerability in the air of late, with BenHaim, Carvalho , and Cole all a bit shaky on the 'aerial' routes into the box.

Chelsea have lost a lot of that quality of slick, quick passing since Avram Grant took over, but the results have been excellent in terms of points, but not in displays.
The build up is still good, but the final third sees less complexity in its execution and more directness.

An interesting stat from the game vs Reading (H) : 74% possession, but just the 1 goal...great game byHahnemann, but 11 shots on goal should've gotten more than that.

They'd won 5 in a row before last week's 1-1 draw, but then again they had played 5 bottom half sides in a row before facing a top half one. Look at their stats vs the Bottom Half :12-1-0 = 37pts, while vs Top Half: 4-5-3 = 17pts.

Now Liverpool don't fare much better, in fact they are worse in terms of dominance vs Bottom Half clubs, but now Chelsea face the pressure of maintaining that Home record against a Top 4 side for the first time this season, and it's that fact that I think gives Liverpool an edge.

HT Betting: Liverpool +0.25 @ 1.70 canbet
Penalty awarded @ 3.60 centrebet
Liverpool DNB @ 3.25 bluesq

Monday's Game

Arsenal vs Blackburn
These two have played 15 times in the League over the last 8 seasons, and Arsenal hold the lead with 10 wins. Blackburn have managed tow in only the once in their visits to Arsenal, back in Oct 2002 winning 2-1. The more physical, less technical, aspect of Mark Hughes's team gives many a flowing, fluid and slicker passing side a headache for the full 90mins. To be fair, Blackburn have been adding a lot of quality to their ranks, with Da Silva, Benni , Warnock, and Samba all raising the bar for the rest of the squad.

Their previous meeting with the Gunners at Ewood Park ended 1-1 after Dunn hit back with the equaliser in the 72nd minute. In the Carling Cup, again at Ewood Park, they held Arsenal to a draw in 90 once more after a great fight back from 2-0 down, but extra time saw them lose out to Da Silva's strike.
Wenger may have put out his "cup' side, but Blackburn showed how hard it is for any Arsenal team to break them down.

Hughes has his side on an 'unbeaten in 7' streak, with this one being a big test of just how confident the players really are. Three of those matches were vs Top 10 sides, and they didn't win any of them, so the question remains if they can stand up to the higher level squads.

Arsenal's Adebayor has been in imperious form, with 8 goals in the last 6 , plus he's been the game's 1st G/S for 4 straight. The man is unplayable right now.
Their dropped points at The Emirates vs Birmingham came during a '3 games in 7 days' period, but as they had taken a lead against McLeish's men you'd have thought it was in bag.
Blips come and go, that's part of the game, but their Home form is so strong it always surprises you when they do fail to win.
Only Man Utd have left with anything other than Birmingham, so it's a tough task that lies ahead for Blackburn.

Their consistency in front of goals has been the backbone of this side, along with a maturing defence , and a GFA of 2.23 coupled with GAA of 0.61 provides clear proof of that.

It's Man Utd(A) in the FA Cup next, followed by AC Milan(H) in the CL....that's a hell of a 'Dear Diary' entry to be poring over for Wenger, eh?...so I'm sure the thought of injuries will be on his mind, especially with the 'bully boys of the premiership' heading in to town.

It's a tough fixture, no doubt about it, plus if Man Utd and Chelsea have already secured 3pts then the pressure will be that much higher.

A draw wouldn't be a complete disaster, but with trips to Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford still to come this season, it has to be all out for 3pts and nothing less.

Penalty awarded @ 3.60 centrebet
Highest Scoring Half: 2nd @ 2.15 centrebet
1st goal method: direct from free kick or corner @ 27.00 bluesq

[mrmuzeman]

Everton will be looking for points here after dropping a couple

Or the fcuking linesman costing us the points. Joke decision that was.

Everton are an acceptable price at anything 1.5 and above I think. Home to Reading is exactly the sort of team we put to the sword, im definitely expecting us to knock in 2 or 3 with the Yak back. I fully expect us to win and 4/7 doesnt reflect that.

I think Villa are a reasonable price at the 10/11 available. They should beat Newcastle at home really. Villa are scoring goals very freely and as we know, Newcastle are finding them hard to come by. I think something like 8/11 is more befitting.

I also think at inflated odds of 3/1, that Derby v Spurs is worth a shout for a draw. Derby cant win a game but have improved last few games and Spurs cant win away.

[murray]

Sunderland - Wigan

Sunderland	Wigan	0:3

Wigan	Sunderland	3:0

Sunderland	Wigan	0:1

Wigan	Sunderland	1:0

X2 and under for me

[expicks]

• Everton - Reading .. 1 (1.53)

The Merseysiders are on a six-match unbeaten run. But their last two outings have been goalless draws (against Blackburn and Tottenham). The Royals are on their worst run in the Premier League of six straight defeats. They have the second worst goal difference in the league of -22. And still they are without a win away (0-3-9). Manager Coppell will be without suspended Ingimarson, while Bikey and Faye are on the African Cup. Pienar is injured for hosts.

[expicks]

• Derby County - Tottenham .. 2 (1.55)

This season is a total disaster for hosts with only one win from 25 games (1-6-18). Derby's motivation decreases every match and for this one they will be without three defenders: Mears, McEveley and Davis. The guests from London have played very well over the last two league games against Man United (1:1) and Everton (0:0) and they must take easy points against the teams fighting against relegation. Now Totenham have some defenders at last after bringing in Jonathan Woodgate, Alan Hutton, Gilberto and Chris Gunter in the January transfer window. Because of suspension, Woodgate will not play in this fixture.

[ONEDUNME]

Take Arsenal out and I reckon a lay of all the home teams would make you a profit at those prices.

[Winrew]

Torres definetly out for Liverpool..

[GaNgStA kEeKs]

Originally Posted by mrmuzeman

Or the fcuking linesman costing us the points. Joke decision that was.

Everton are an acceptable price at anything 1.5 and above I think. Home to Reading is exactly the sort of team we put to the sword, im definitely expecting us to knock in 2 or 3 with the Yak back. I fully expect us to win and 4/7 doesnt reflect that.

I think Villa are a reasonable price at the 10/11 available. They should beat Newcastle at home really. Villa are scoring goals very freely and as we know, Newcastle are finding them hard to come by. I think something like 8/11 is more befitting.

I also think at inflated odds of 3/1, that Derby v Spurs is worth a shout for a draw. Derby cant win a game but have improved last few games and Spurs cant win away.

Yakubu won't be back as he has arrived late from African Nations so has been left out the squad.

Villa a good thing IMO.

[Cinny]

For me i simply cant look past an Everton and s[urs double..Reading have been simply terrible this past few games while everton will welcome back their african stars and should get all 3 points. Tottenham have been improving under Ramos and nothing less than 3 points will be sufficient against the basement battlers!

[slick]

fcuk i've lost the lot, Just spent hr and half writing up and while making final edits and hitting backspace to delete a word the pages went back the amount of times i hit the backspace, forward the page to where i began and nothing. fcuking hate it when that happens.

Aint gonna write it all out again so i'm just gonna shove in my fancys for Saturdays games as thats where i was upto and do the rest l8r on.

Aston Villa v Newcastle
Villa Win

Bolton v Portsmouth
Pompey on the half ball

Derby v Tottenham
Spurs Win

Everton v Reading
Everton Win

Middlesbrough v Fulham
Boro win

Sunderland v Wigan
Draw

West Ham v Birmingham
West Ham win

[slick]

Right onto Sun/Mon games with a lot more caution this time as i don't want to scrub the lot again.

Man Utd v Man City
I'm not looking forward to this a lot tell the truth as Man United will be looking for a reverse of the August fixture where City robbed the rags at Eastlands when Utd were the better side and Fergie was made to look a silly cnut when bouncing out of his seat thinking United had scored only for Tevez to have missed a sitter, I'll never forget that

But i have a feeling Tagart may have the last laugh here as Man U look to get back to winning ways after dropping a point to Spurs last week and they are more than capable of doing so even with the absence of rooney.

Elano and Corluka out will be a huge blow for City as they have been two of the most consistant players this season along with Petrov , Dunne and Richards and unlike United City don't have an abundance of talent in reserve to replace like for like so it will be a bit of a patch up job to fill in the gaps with probably Geovanni filling in for Elano and either Sun or Onuoha replacing Corluka at right back, probably the latter.

Citys strikers have also been firing blanks all season and allthough they have now signed Benjani it will be a big ask of him to slot in so soon and start coming up with the goods allready allthough we live in hope.

United on the other hand do look strong all about the park even more so since the return of scholes and goals bar the odd game here and there always look full of goals from most positions, i still say they are suspeptable at the back if they can be got at but i don't see this City side having that capacity yet to do such a job as once the ball goes forward from midfield it usually pitters out.

I just canmnot see anyway City can contain players like Ronaldo and Giggs and Nani tell the truth as City are pretty weak down the right and with no Corluka will also be vulnerable down the left so they could have a field day, Citys saving grace maybe that United don't possess an out and out Striker like Nistleroy otherwise City would really be put to the sword.

Its a pity this fixture for my and Citys sake wasent pencilled in to be played next week when Utd would have had the Champs league on there minds.

Man United Win and Ronaldo to score a pen hows that

Chelsea v Liverpool
Can't see past a Chelsea win here as nothing has impressed me about Liverpool since they qualified for the Champs League knock out stages.

Chelsea on the other hand have really held strong and have bonded even better since Mourinhio parted and Grant took the helm, they probably look a better team now than they have ever done and resemble a team rather than a selection of individuals.

Grant will have some hard choices to make when everybodys fit again and back from the African nations as this current side have dug in deep and played out of there skins for him.

Buying Anelka was a master stroke as cover for drogba and also stopping him going elsewhere as he is the real deal and if United or Arsenal had bought him the title may well have been over by now.

Liverpool seem to have lost the plot at the moment and playing in fits and starts which may take u so far in cup competitions but in league situations where you have to have some consistancy they don't stand a cats in hells chance of winning the Prem.

Torres out again on Sunday will hit them hard as nobody else bar Crouch who rarely gets a regular start looks likely of scoring on a regular basis.
Kewell also seems to have gone into his shell after a promising start to the season as so it seems happens to most Liverpool players bar Carragher and Mascherano even Gerrard is having a quiet season by his standards.

Same certainly cannot be said of Chelsea lately and with the return of players like Lampard , Terry and Drogba in the near future the only way for them is up surely.

Carvalho is also back for this one after his suspension which will be a bonus for Chelsea as he is playing with a cavalier attitude lately due to the confidence he has in the players around him as i've never seen him play so far up the pitch on so many regular occasions.

Cheslea win

Arsenal v Blackburn
Theres just no stopping Arsenal at the moment is there and I can't see Blackburn on current form putting up to much resistance either.

Blackburn are not quite the side that started the season so brightly and now seem to have settled in a mid table tussle for a UEFA cup spot by grinding out results recently when a few months ago they try and take games by the scruff of the neck more often than not came out on top.

Santa Cruz seems a bit quieter lately and Mcarthy looks to have gone off the boil alltogether, Bentley too maybe allthough he did have a blinder midweek for England which would have done his confidence no harm what so ever.

But when you have main players like Samba, Dunn and Pedersen suspended then against a team like Arsenal you are pissing in the wind as like Man City against United they don't possess replacements of the same calibre.

Arsenal like United and Chelsea do and can quite easily fill in the gaps for important missing players like Van Persie and Rosicky, then come up with players like Adebayor who has come on leaps and bounds this season fullfilling all his potential and scoring for fun at the moment.

In every postion from Almunia to Adebayor, Arsenal seem to have the advantage in this one but they are still susceptable to a slip up every now and again against the grain but i find it hard to back against them.

Arsenal win and no doubt Adebayor will bag another.

[parksy]

big derbys like city v utd the form book means nothing......ive seen it happen too many times down the years......it doesnt matter if one team are top of the table and the other team are at the bottom of the table.....you just never know what to expect......even the poor city teams of the last few years got draws at old trafford.....when nobody give them a cat in hells chance......ok utd should win this game on form....they look a banker.....but as i said form means nothing in this game......elano and corluka out is a big blow for city......rooney out a big blow for utd.......i think s.g.e will pack the midfield and try to kill this game......could be very little goals if richards and dunne have good games......at least city have a better chance of getting something with benjani playing up front as the lone stiker.....as with vassell they had no chance of scoring never mind getting something from the game.......i see the bookies are offering near evens on utd minus 1 goal.......it looks easy money but as i said be warned......big derbys like this often throw up surprise results.......not easy........