8/9th Mar: English Premiership

[kompressaur]

08 Mar 15:00 Blackburn v Fulham 8/15 3/1 11/2
08 Mar 15:00 Liverpool v Newcastle 4/11 7/2 9/1
08 Mar 15:00 Reading v Man City 6/4 9/4 15/8
09 Mar 15:00 Sunderland v Everton 5/2 12/5 11/10
09 Mar 15:00 Tottenham v West Ham 5/6 5/2 7/2
09 Mar 16:00 Wigan v Arsenal 5/1 11/4 8/13
Odds from Bet365

[fasteddy]

Saturday's Games

Blackburn vs Fulham
Blackburn's late strike condemned Newcastle fans to another weekend of 'tears in beers' , and with Ewood expecting another 3pts here , it could be the same for Fulham fans.
I see Fulham a bit like Birmingham....loads of potential that's taking time to be realised. Well, Birmingham hit the mark last week, so maybe this could be the Cottagers. The Londoners are 6pts adrift of 18th place, so relegation is firmly in place as it stands , but with only 4pts covering 12th -18th it's not a lost cause just yet.

Blackburn have the better all round game, plus more reliable strikers, so they are deserving hot favourites for this match, however, if Fulham can get a shock win I feel a club such as Blackburn could be the ones upset. Take out those 2 penalties vs Bolton and they're not setting the goal scoring world on fire, plus Pedersen and Derbyshire both hit injury time strikes as well....ok, they did score!...that's the main thing, I know....but there is a nagging doubt about them for me at the moment. The big positive for them is that they've been dominating vs bottom half sides this season, so Fulham really do have their work cut out for them here. BUT.....I'll take a chance on Fulham catching a break here at a ground where they have won 3 from the last 7 visits.

Fulham +1 @ 1.87 canbet / HT Betting: Fulham +0.25 @ 2.21 canbet

Liverpool vs Newcastle
Got to be a clear and easy win for Liverpool. Well, maybe not that easy, as they do like to make themselves sweat to get the points these days. Keegan needs Viduka to be on the pitch to chip in with the task at hand, whilst some return to form from Duff wouldn't do any harm either! Can't see any way for the Magpies to be competitive, although it wouldn't be any worse if they sent out the reserves as they beat Everton 3-0 midweek!...it appears to me that only Liverpool can mess it up this time.

Liverpool 2-0 @ 6.50 bluesq / HT Betting: Newcastle +0.50 @ 1.92 canbet

Reading vs Man City

Reading are dreadful: a run of 8 straight defeats, ended with a 1-0 (91st strike) win over a very poor Middlesbrough. Fact.

Man City are on their worse run all season: 1 win from last 7. Fact.

This has the makings of a dire match. Fact.

HT Betting: Man City DNB @ 2.11 Bet1128 / No Goalscorer @ 9.00 totesport

Sunday's Games

Sunderland vs Everton

Everton should take the points here, regardless of Sunderland's impressive 'season saving' Home form. Roy Keane's Cats have surprised a lot of fans with their continuing Home form, raking in an impressive 24 from their 27 points.....rating them 8th in the EPL. With a current run of 4 straight home wins there is plenty for Moyes to think about for this visit, but thankfully he has his team in tip top condition. The Yak is well and truly Bak.
Moyes can point to the 7-1 drubbing of Sunderland back at Goodsion earlier this campaign, and while that scoreline will be a fanciful dream this time round, they should lose no sleep about taking the 3pts.

The Toffees are improving in nearly every department with each game that passes, and while Sunderland have been so strong in front of their fans it's tough to see how previous wins over Wigan, Portsmouth, Birmingham , and Bolton can be compared to the current Everton side.

Everton @ 2.25 lasseters (big price) / Yakubu to score @ 2.87 Boylesports

Tottenham vs West Ham

Spurs need a solid response to their last League display: 4-1 hammering by 'lowly' Birmingham, and West Ham appear to the right side to give them that opportunity. Ramos may not be that dismayed at dropping points last week as the EPL is way beyond his players this season, with a realistic best finish of about 8th/9th to focus on, and more attention being paid to Cup runs. Possible excuses due to hangover celebrations, or simply being outplayed once again by the club that beat them 3-1 previously....either way it was a real thumping.

West Ham look more and more disorientated with each week. It's almost as though they've settled for mid table safety, and not really putting in the efforts now. Now that may seem strange to say as they've recently beaten Liverpool , and turned over Man Utd at the end of last December , but defeats by Wigan and draws with Birmingham , give cause to question their concentration levels.

Spurs have the gameplan to really make this a walk in the park...or Lane. The Hammers lack any real scoring threats, plus the once solid and reliable defence is starting to look a bit shaky under pressure. I'm sure they'll be holding a tight pattern throughout the game, but it will all be futile!!

Tottenham @ 1.95 centrebet / Huddlestone to score @ 11.00 Hills / Spurs to score 5 or more @ 29.00 skybet

Wigan vs Arsenal
Arsenal 5-0. Come on!!

Surely Wenger can get his troops recovered in time to give Wigan an 'ecky-thumping' ? Okay, they haven't been in scintillating league form recently, but if you need your players to get a fillip then this should be the place. But wait!....the PITCH ....it's a mess....this is Wigan's 12th man each week...a quagmire of a surface that reduces all visiting sides to Wigan's level. Dreams of a hammering will all depend on what's left to play on come Sunday.

Wigan's last 2 games at the JJB have been winners, and with clean sheets to boot. Can't see that being repeated here, though. Arsenal present too much skill and keep too much possession for a side like Wigan to cope with. Even with an extra game in their legs from the midweek CL tie, the Londoners will still walk away with 3 pts here.

Arsenal @ 1.70 centrebet (massive price!) / Total Goals : 4 or more @ 3.40 bluesq

[kompressaur]

Good to see you Eddy. Just off for a quick game of poker but i thought i would say hello. Good luck with your bets this weekend Eddy

[Cinny]

Everton to continue their great form and grab a win against Sunderland, their in great shape at the minute although the stadium of light is not the easiest place to go.

Arsen after a terriffic win against Milan should have far too much for Wigan. I think they can win pretty comfortably.

At the minute their the main two teams that tickle my fancy, decent prices as well.

[kompressaur]

[slick]

Ehhm this weeks set of fixtures looks pretty easy on paper but as we know things rarely turn out that way so heres hoping things run to form.

Blackburn v Fulham
Blackburn should see off the cottagers here as they push for a UEFA place and allthough they don't seem to be playing in the same vane of form as they were before christmas they have found their scoring touch again and are picking up results and points.

Mcarthy as mentioned last week is hitting similar form to last season and knocking them in again which is just aswell seeing Santa Cruz seems to have gone off the boil but you have to feel a goal for him will spark him back into life again as he's always there or thereabouts.

Blackburn from there lineup look more than capable of scoring against a pish poor Fulham side at the moment who look doomed for the drop, thye have only kept one clean sheet in the last 4 or 5 months and against an offensive side like Blackburn i fear the writing is on the wall for them with Blackburn more than capable of scoring at least a couple, whereas on the other hand you can't see where a Fulham goal will be coming from.

Blackburn win

Liverpool v Newcastle
Bit of a quandry here for Benitez with the Champs league match against Inter coming a week later than expected, so does he rest a few players or play his strongest side as he has done lately as they need that 4th Prem spot to guarantee a Champions League spot for next season.

Either way mind i can see them beating Newcastle and depending on Benitez's selection it should just be about by how many.

Liverpool have had a rough ride this season at anfield but since their cup FA exit to Barnsley they seem to have woke up and are now beginning to get there house in order, betaing teams a lot more capable than Newcastle.

Newcastle on the otherhand have been shocking this term , even more so since Keegan has took the helm and with there only away wins coming early on against Bolton and Fulham this is a totally different proposition.

Liverpool seem to have regained there confidence as they shown against both Bolton and West Ham over the last week and they will know they have nothing to fear against the Magpies.

Liverpool win +2.5 goals.

Reading v Man City
Well after the last few weeks showings from City I'm glad this wont be on the telly this weekend as it has the makings of another dire affair.

City will be wanting the points for a Euro push and Reading will know a win will probably push them out of the relegation zone if only this week for now, Can't make out the Lita affair mind as Reading can't score for toffee but Coppell insisted in not playing him this season and has now loaned him out to Charlton, very strange indeed.

I'm going to edge my bets with City though as Reading have a very leaky defence and it will suit City if Reading come out and play as the recent home games at City have seen teams just setting up shop and defending hoping to catch them on the break.
City defensively are solid and should be more than capable of keeping out a pretty meek Reading attack while at the other end City have a pretty offensive outfit with plenty of strikers who still need to prove their worth and there will be no better match than this for them to show what they are capable of with Castillo, Caicedo and Benjani all needing to put on a show as the younsgters Sturridge and Evans at Norwich both looking to impress for a team shirt next year.

Man City win 0-1, 0-2

Sunderland v Everton
This has to be a match Everton will be looking to win to keep on Liverpools tail and the way they are currently playing in the Premiership i'd expect them to do so.

Defensively Everton have come on leaps and bounds this year with Jagielka looking a completey different player in his new defensive role at centre half, I never did think he was cut out to be a Premiership player after watching him at Sheffield maybe because he used to get skinned so many times and skew wiff so may sitters when he pushed up from midfield but in defence he looks a different player and getting a good partnership going with Lescott.
Overall I like the way Everton defend as the midfielders all come back and help out and the opposing team usually struggles to break down so many players behind the ball , being able to do a quick release enabling yakubu to hold up the ball or just go off on one of his run and bang it in the net, Pienaar is also looking a decent player giving Everton width down the left and linking up well with Yakubu.

Sunderland on the other hand are now looking just to consolidate and keeping themselves in the Prem by concentrating on wining there home games allthough Kenwyn Jones seems to have gone a bit quiet recently after a lively start to the season, they will need him for that final push to steer clear of relegation otherwise the last few weeks of the season will be nail biting stuff for Cats fans.

Richardson being back and fully fit will give Sunderland at least half a chance here but it will take more than one or two good players to beat a team Like Everton who have them in every position.

Everton Win

Tottenham v West Ham
This is a game i wouldent touch with a bargepole at the moment as Spurs seem to have lost that spark since winning the Carling cup and West Ham hitting a pretty poor patch of form probbaly due to a large injury list, allthough it has to be said they have played some decent teams in that patch.

No bet for me as neither side fills me with confidence at the moment.

Wigan v Arsenal
Looks like a straight Gunners win here but everytime i say that they seem to come unstuck so i'm in two minds, more so because of the state of the Wigan pitch, if Wenger blamed the pitch for the poor peformance against United then they have seen nothing yet as it looked cut up to hell when Wigan Rugby played on it last weekend and a quagmire after the match, if the groundsman can make that pitch ship shape in seven days then he's a miracle worker.

Its so tempting to go for the Arsenal win after that emphatic win against Milan midweek but they do seem to slip up in the bread and butter matches like this one when they are not allowed that slick passing game due to the nature of the opposition and the pitch.

I'm gonna chance my arm and take Wigan on the asian handicap

Wigan +0.5, +1 @2.25

[parksy]

man city are 2-1 WITH VC BET.....if city play half as well as their last away game this is a banker bet....BIG IF BUT.....city are capable of beating anyone home or away on their day......as they proved against man utd a couple of weeks ago......but the big problem is knowing the day......a jekell and hyde team this past few weeks....you just never know....

[booboo]

hi parksy....some players missing for MC...playmaker Petrov is suspended...Defender Nedum Onuoha misses out after tweaking a hamstring and I am not sure if Elano is fit to play after sustaining an injury playing against Wigan last week...

[slick]

Elano should be fit as sven has slagged him off all week for being to soft and coming off when theres nowt wrong with him, told him to toughen himself up as theres a lot more harder players than Brown in the Prem. Wouldent mind but he was only trying to prove a point as City sent him on his way when he was in his pomp, that should have been explained b4 the game as he's a shitehouse.

City have been missing width for a while now booboo even when Petrov was in the side as lately he's insisted coming inside or going over to the right wing when things werent going that well.

Onuoha being out will be a loss as Richards is also missing but it could be a blesssing in disguise tell the truth as Corluka will step in as a cental defender which IMO is his best position and Sun takes over down the right which will give City some width and hopefully this week Sven will play Castillo on the left rather than Ireland as he's naturally left footed.

Then Ireland rather than Vasell will play on the right wing which should give City balance down both flanks, either way the absentees open up things for Geovanni who has not been given a fair crack of the whip yet and could do a job on either flank or cover for Elano.

[parksy]

oh i know petrov and onuoha are out for city today booboo.....richards as well.....but elano available......when we played utd a couple of weeks a go elano and corluka were both suspended.....and we still played super football......if city play that way again they will beat reading....not a doubt at all.....but will they....thats the question.......

[booboo]

i will leave this game alone...cos i still see a drew... :P