Football, racing and more with expert advice. Get the best football bets and prices!

Having tuned in to watch what will surely prove to have been a great game between Arsenal & Man United on sunday, the armchair football fans have the different delights of Sunderland vs Stoke City to get stuck into & it should be a fascinating battle.

We have used the term ‘fascinating battle’ because given the nature of how both sides play, this looks certain to be a competitive, physically intense match with power & strength likely to be as important as technique & skill.

Now that is not meant to be dismissive of either Sunderland or Stoke City who have certainly demonstrated moments of quality, but the facts are the nature of this game & the importance of it dictates that open, passing football will not be to evident here.

Steve Bruce is becoming increasingly worried with Sunderland’s terrible recent form & there can be no denying how important this home match is to Sunderland with 3 points absolutely necessary here.

Having beaten Arsenal & Liverpool, Sunderland have slipped alarmingly down the table with now only 3 points separating them from the relegation zone which seemed unthinkable 2 months ago.

The saving grace for Steve Bruce & Sunderland is the fact that their home form is very strong & 5 wins & 3 draws from 10 home league matches is a record that should give the Sunderland players the belief to go for the win here.

Steve Bruce will be fully aware of the threat Stoke City will bring but the key to this game will be how Sunderland play & as long as they defend properly then they should have an excellent chance of getting the result they want here.

Stoke City come into this match having turned their season around having faced a similar run of form to that what Sunderland are going through now.

Stoke City were struggling for form & confidence but an excellent win over Fulham, a win in the F.A. Cup 3rd round, a deserved draw against Liverpool & then a great performance to beat Arsenal 3-1 in the Cup last weekend have all helped to give Stoke City a massive boost in morale & confidence.

Indeed, the Stoke City performance against Arsenal had everything & that should give the Stoke City players the belief to go to Sunderland & aim for a positive result.

The major negative for Stoke City is that their away form is terrible with only 1 win from 10 away matches & that has to be a concern against a side with such a strong home record as Sunderland.

This is going to be physical, incredibly competitive & certainly is hard to call with nothing much between the sides but home advantage could be the deciding factor & we are taking Sunderland to just edge this one with Darren Bent to lead the way.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Sunderland to win

Correct Score options: Sunderland to win 2-0/2-1

Player to score first each way/Player to score anytime: Bent/Jones/Malbranque

Scorecast options: Bent/Jones/Malbranque score 1st & Sunderland win 2-0/2-1

Double Result: Sunderland Half Time & Full Time

Ask any genuine football fan where they would want to be this sunday & surely the answer from the majority would be to be at the Emirates for this mouth watering clash of title rivals Arsenal & Manchester United.
Arsenal vs Manchester United clashes are famous for their great mix of drama, excitement, top quality play, electric atmosphere & physical intensity that sets them apart from other matches and everything looks set up for that to be the case yet again here.

3rd place Arsenal against 2nd place Manchester United makes this an absolutely vital, high pressure must win but cannot afford to lose type match with only 1 point separating them & in terms of the title race defeat for either side could be a serious & perhaps fatal blow.

In terms of form going into this match them both Arsenal & Manchester United will be happy enough with their overall form in recent weeks & certainly both will feel confident of getting a result.

Arsenal did lose 3-1 at Stoke City & only drew 0-0 with Aston Villa in their most recent match but those were away matches & their home form in the league has been sensational this season.

Arsenal have won 9 & drawn 1 of their 11 league games at home with only 1 defeat and incredibly they have scored an average of 3 goals in every home league match so far this season so they will believe they have the ability to go for the win here.

Cesc Fabregas is the absolute key to Arsenal & his performance in this match could well decide the outcome but of equal importance will how well Arsenal perform defensively because that is a concern & especially against the quality of Manchester United.

Manchester United cannot come into any game on a bigger high than they do for this one having beaten their local rivals Manchester City in a Cup Semi final.

That win was absolutely vital to Manchester United & could well inspire them to kick on again this season and push for success in every competition in which they remain.

Manchester United aim to win the league every season & this season more so than others because title success this year will give them an unprecedented 4 league titles on the bounces & that is the motivation they have.

Alex Ferguson knows that Manchester United have not been at their best in large parts of this season but what has never faulted or decreased is the hunger & desire within the club to be successful and a determination to win matches and that is what we are expecting here.

Wayne Rooney is quite rightly getting all the praise for producing the best football & all-round game of his career so far & his goals are the prime reason why Manchester United have a chance of winning trophies but others such as Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher, Patrice Evra & Ryan Giggs are all playing to their maximum to push United on as well.

Arsene Wenger vs Alex Ferguson, top quality against top quality, two teams committed to playing attacking football gives this match everything & the potential to be one of the best matches of the season with anything possible but Manchester United arrive here on such a high & with Wayne Rooney in such prime form that they look the value call to win what should be a great match.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Manchester United to win

Correct score predictions: Manchester United to win 2-1/3-1

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Rooney/Fletcher/Giggs

Scorecast options: Rooney/Fletcher/Giggs score 1st & Man United win 2-1/3-1

Double Result: Manchester United Half Time & Full Time

This is a massive match for both Manchester City & Portsmouth as they both have different targets to achieve yet the same desire to win the 3 points on offer.
Manchester City have a clear plan to be amongst the best & then ultimately become the best and the key to that plan is to get into the top 4 and that now has to be their aim after being knocked out of the Carling Cup by Manchester United.

That defeat by Manchester United was obviously a massive blow for everybody connected to Manchester City but they cannot afford to wallow in self pity & it is important they look to bounce straight back with a win in their next game & they will believe this game against bottom side Portsmouth is the perfect opportunity to do just that.

Manchester City have been absolutely rock solid at home this season with 7 wins & 3 draws from their 10 home league matches with victories over Chelsea & Arsenal amongst those games to prove the quality & strength they possess when they play at home.

We expect Manchester City to come out firing in this one with the likes of Tevez, Bellamy, Ireland, Barry all committed players who will want to show their pride & nothing other than a win here will suffice for them.

Avram Grant must privately be regretting taking over as manager of Portsmouth but he is now stuck with that & the task he faces to turn around a club in the worst possible turmoil looks incredibly daunting.

The cold facts are Portsmouth lie bottom of the table because they have not been good enough & despite the fact Portsmouth do play with commitment & determination to compete, they lack the quality within the squad & it really is hard to envisage them getting a result here.

Only 1 away win from 10 matches & only 5 away goals scored does not inspire confidence in Portsmouth here & it looks another simple task for Manchester City to show their character, put their defeat against United behind them & show their undoubted extra quality to get another home win here.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Manchester City to win

Correct Score options: Manchester City to win 3-0/4-0

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Tevez/Bellamy/Ireland

Scorecast options: Tevez/Bellamy/Ireland score 1st & Man City win 3-0/4-0

Double Result: Man City Half Time & Full Time

Brian Laws knew he faced an incredibly tough job when he took over & the fact he faces Chelsea here having already lost his first 3 games in charge must be hard to take as he searches for much need boost for Burnley.
Burnley have been tremendous at home this season with 5 wins & 4 draws from their 10 home league matches and indeed without their home form they would already be relegated so it is obvious how important home form & gaining points at home is to Burnley.

Clearly facing a Chelsea side who have hit top form again is going to be an incredibly tough challenge but we expect Burnley to give absolutely everything in this match & they will do their very best to positive & compete with Chelsea so that should make for a good game.

Carlo Ancelotti must be very happy right now with his Chelsea players after a fantastic recent run of results which culminated with a very comfortable 3-0 home win against Birmingham City who had gone into that game unbeaten in their previous 15 matches.

That performance against Birmingham City highlighted all of Chelsea’s strengths with great variation in their play, great experience amongst their squad & most importantly great quality with Lampard leading the way & finely supported by the likes of Terry, Ballack, Cole, Malouda, Anelka & indeed the entire Chelsea team.

Chelsea come into this game in red hot form having stuffed Watford 5-0, Sunderland 7-2, Preston 2-0 & Birmingham City 3-0 and all that without having Drogba available but he has now returned and could well play a part here which would be another massive boost for Chelsea.

It will be fascinating watching how Burnley approach this game against Chelsea & we do expect them to have a go which should open up the game but in terms of a result we cannot oppose Chelsea who are a formidable team in excellent form & they certainly look a rock solid bet to get 3 more vital points.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Chelsea to win

Correct Score options: Chelsea to win 3-0/3-1

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Lampard/Anelka/Ballack

Scorecast options: Lampard/Anelka/Ballack score 1st & Chelsea win 3-0/3-1

Double Result: Chelsea Half Time & Full Time

The betting market for this match has Wigan & Everton on very similar odds to win this & that is the biggest clue that is likely to be a competitive battle which is hard to call.

Wigan & Everton have both been very inconsistent so far this season & that has made it very tough predict how their matches will turn out.

Wigan have experienced incredible highs & lows with victories over Aston Villa & Chelsea mixed in with embarrassing thrashing like losing 9-1 to Tottenham & 5-0 to Manchester United twice.

The only consistent factor about Wigan this season has been Roberto Martinez’s insistence on playing positive, passing football & we certainly expect the same here.

Wigan’s home record of 3 wins, 3 draws & 3 defeats shows there is no way of knowing what Wigan will do here & anything really is possible with Wigan.

The biggest concern for Wigan is their incredibly fragile defence which is the joint worst in terms of goals conceded in the Premier League with an average of more than 2 goals conceded per match.

David Moyes will be determined to make sure Everton kick on again from this point & certainly their 2-0 home win over Sunderland should give them the confidence to do that.

Everton have improved greatly in recent weeks & although they lost 2-1 in the Cup last weekend, Everton have not lost in the Premier League since the end of november.

Everton have had deserved draws against Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham & Birminham City in that time as well as solid 2-0 wins over Man City, Everton & Burnley so we are expecting Everton to be confident & hard to beat here.

We are not expecting this to be a game of great quality with it more likely to be about intense, competitive possession & the fact Wigan are playing means anything is possible but we like the look of Everton as a value bet to get 3 points here.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Everton to win

Correct score options: Everton to win 2-0/2-1

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Saha/Cahill/Fellaini

Scorecast Options: Saha/Cahill/Fellaini score 1st & Everton 2-0/2-1

Double Result: Everton Half Time & Full Time

This is an absolutely massive game for both West Ham & Blackburn so this should be an intense, competitive match.
West Ham United’s one clear target for the remainder of the season is to finish 17th or above to avoid relegation which they quite literally cannot afford given their perilous financial state.

16th is where West Ham currently reside in the league table but that is only by the virtue of goal difference so every point is vital & especially the points available at home.

Home form is going to be the vital key to West Ham’s survival bid & given they play a Blackburn side who have only won once away all season they have to be positive & go for the win here.

Gianfranco Zola was pleased to get a draw at Portsmouth & indeed West Ham come into this match unbeaten in their last 4 premier league matches so they should be confident & have enough belief to go for a win here.

The key to West Ham’s chances of winning this will lie in how they perform defencively because their biggest weakness is conceding too many goals & if they can keep it tight then they have a great chance to get all three points.

Blackburn Rovers come into this match on the back of two absolutely massive home wins against Fulham & Wigan which have given them a massive boost.

Prior to those two wins, Blackburn were looking as though they were struggling sitting only just above the relegation zone but those two wins have massively eased the pressures & threat of relegation.

Blackburn will come here confident after those wins & will feel they can get a result but the one major negative for them is their horrendous away record with only 1 win in 11 away games & only 8 goals scored during those matches.

This match is another tough call for punters as it looks set to be a really competitive battle & we don’t expect there to be too much between them & on the day home advantage could be the key & West Ham look the bet to just edge this.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: West Ham United to win

Correct Score options: West Ham United to win 2-0/2-1

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Diamante/Noble/Nouble

Scorecast options: Diamante/Noble/Nouble score 1st & West Ham United win 2-0/2-1

Double Result: West Ham Half Time & Full Time

The Premier League has been incredibly unpredictable this year & Liverpool have certainly played their part in that so this match against Bolton really does look a fascinating puzzle to try & solve.
Liverpool have had a nightmare season & the fact that 4th place in the league is the best they can hope tells you all you need to know on that front.

The simple truth is that Liverpool have not been consistently good enough to merit anything more that what they have done this season & their current position of 5th is as good as they deserve.

Inconsistency in team selection, performances & results have left Liverpool looking like a badly dis-jointed & unbalanced side & to be honest it is incredibly tough to predict what Liverpool are going to do next.

A flat, dull performance to draw 1-1 with Stoke when Liverpool where expected to win, then a good, solid & indeed unexpected win over Tottenham was followed by another flat, dull performance to draw 0-0 win Wolves.

That lack of consistency in performance & results has definitely had a major impact on the confidence & belief within the Liverpool squad which has to be a concern for this game & for the rest of the season.

This home match against Bolton is an absolutely vital match for Liverpool & they have to go for the win but you do have to question have the team got it within themselves to perform on the day.

Bolton need the 3 points as much as Liverpool if not more because they are involved in desperate fight against relegation.

Owen Coyle & the Bolton squad would have been greatly boosted by the 1-0 win over Burnley in midweek & that should give them the confidence to come into this match & believe they can get a positive result here.

Bolton showed by going to Arsenal & going 2-0 up in the match that they can compete & certainly they have the players who can cause Liverpool problems so we are expecting a positive performance from Bolton here.

The key for Bolton will be try & be better organised defensively and particularly in the early parts of the match as that will give them a base to work from.

The betting market for this match has Liverpool down as clear, odds-on favourites and while they should be favourites, the price is false judged on Liverpool’s form & Bolton’s poor away record makes it hard to go for them to win so on balance a scoring draw looks a value call here.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: DRAW

Correct Score Options: 1-1/2-2

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Klasnic/Davies/Gerrard

Scorecast options: Klasnic/Davies/Gerrard to score 1st & 1-1/2-2

Double Result: DRAW Half Time & Full Time

The phrase ‘relegation 6 pointer’ is the perfect way to describe this vital clash between relegation threatened Hull City & Wolves in what looks set to be an incredibly tense, pressurised match.

The league table does not lie as they say & in the case of both Hull City & Wolves it tells the whole truth & nothing but in terms of how badly both have struggled this season.

Hull City lie 19th in the table on 19 points with only wins & an average of less than 1 goal scored per game while Wolves lie 17th on 20 points with only 5 wins and an average of less than 1 goal scored per game.

Deciding how this game may develop is tough because both Hull City & Wolves have use similar tactics in games, have similar strengths & weaknesses & both have the same desire to win this match so any result is possible.

Hull City have been quite strong at home with only 3 defeats from 10 so that will give them confidence for this match & Wolves come here after a solid 0-0 against Liverpool so they too should come here with belief & confidence so it is going to be close again here.

A low scoring draws is a tempting option given how closely matched the sides, the important of this match & the pressures involved but on balance Hull City have home advantage & more goal threats in their side & that makes them a value call to earn 3 absolutely vital points.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Hull City to win

Correct Score options: Hull City to win 2-0/2-1

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Hunt/Geovanni/Heselink

Scorecast options: Hunt/Geovanni/Heselink score 1st & Hull City win 2-0/2-1

Double Result: Hull City Half Time & Full Time

Two teams clash here who have excelled over the last two season & both Fulham & Aston Villa have performed extremely well so far this season so this should be a very competitive match.
Roy Hodgson & Martin O’Neil are two managers who pride themselves on producing well organised, defensively solid, competitive teams who play passing football so this should be a decent game but equally one that is tough to call.

Fulham have been tremendously strong at home this season with 6 wins & 2 draws from their 10 previous home league matches & the fact they have only conceded 6 league goals at home is a remarkable indicator to how solid they are at home.

That excellent defensive record is the basis for Fulham’s success at home & we expect the same tactical approach here with defensive organisation likely to be the key against Aston Villa’s pace in attack.

Fulham’s solidity & organisation at home gives them an excellent opportunity to get a positive result in every match but the one doubt about them is their inability to score enough goals & that might well be a problem against Aston Villa solid defence.

Aston Villa come into this match with one clear target & that is to get back onto the winning trail in the Premier League.

Aston Villa have enjoyed great success in the cups & indeed have deservedly earned their place in the Carling Cup Final but 4th place in the Premier League is their big target & one that has become much tougher because of recent results.

Aston Villa have not won in the Premier League since the 19th of December with 2 draws & 2 defeats and incredibly they have not scored in any of those games and that is the biggest concern coming into this match.

Aston Villa have no concerns over their defence because they are very solid, very well organised & are incredibly tough to break down but scoring goals is a problem & they will find it very tough against a Fulham side who are incredibly strong at home.

This is a very important match to both Fulham & Aston Villa and we certainly expect it to be close & competitive with a narrow win for either side entirely possible but on balance a low scoring or even no scoring draw looks a value bet worth taking between two well matched sides.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: DRAW

Correct Score options: 0-0/1-1

First Goalscorer/Player to score anytime: Agbonlohar/Milner/Murphy

Double Result: DRAW Half Time & Full Time

8th place Birmingham City welcome 4th place Tottenham in what looks certain to be a close, competitive match.
Birmingham City have a fantastic home record so far with 5 wins & 4 draws from their 11 home matches & they have the best home defensive record in the Premier League with only 6 goals conceded in their previous 11 home league matches.

That defensive organisation, strength & solidity has been the key to the success of Alex McCleish’s side & indeed did enable them to go on an a fantastic 15 match unbeaten run but their 3-0 defeat at Chelsea has brough that run to an end.

The key to this match for Birmingham City will be how they respond to that & we expect Alex McCleish’s side to attempt to show their usual organisation, team commitment & determination but whether they have enough in attack to win the game has to be questioned.

Tottenham have one clear aim for the rest of the season & that is to achieve 4th place & Champions League football for next season & as things stand they are in prime position to do just that.

Tottenham currently sit 4th in the Premier League with a 3 point lead over 5th place Liverpool & this match is another opportunity to consolidate that position.

Harry Redknapp will know that Birmingham City will not be easy to break down at home but equally the combination of defensive strength & quality in attack gives Tottenham a great opportunity to be positive in this game & to go for the win.

This is going to be a very competitive contest & indeed it is a tough match to call but on balance Tottenham have more options & quality in attack & they do look a value bet to get an away win here.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Tottenham to win

Correct Score options: Tottenham to win 2-0/2-1

First Goalscorer Each way/Player to score anytime: Defoe/Crouch/Modric

Scorecast options: Defoe/Crouch/Modric score 1st & Tottenham win 2-0/2-1

Double Result: Tottenham Half Time & Full Time