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The conspiracy theories have been flying around ahead of this match with it being said that ex-Manchester United captain Steve Bruce will play a weakened Sunderland side against Manchester United & gift them the 3 points they need to keep their title hopes alive.
Firstly, those theories are a load of rubbish because no matter the strength of Steve Bruce’s connections to Manchester United, Steve Bruce is a winner & a manager who takes great pride in his own teams success and 3 points for Sunderland will be his only target from this match.

Secondly, those theories show a real lack of respect for Sunderland’s fantastic home record & also the fact Sunderland have already given Manchester United a really tough match this season & actually very nearly beat them so this will certainly not be an easy match for Manchester United.

Sunderland have been incredibly strong & tough to beat home with 9 wins, 7 draws & only 2 defeats at home all season & with this being the last home game of the season they will certainly want to finish on a real high for their fans & give them all something to look forward to next season.

Darren Bent has been a massive goal threat & physical presence for Sunderland all season and certainly gave the Manchester United defence a lot of problems at Old Trafford & will certainly want to repeat that has he pushes for that space in the England squad.

Alex Ferguson & Manchester United always look to win matches whatever the situation & whoever their opponents are and this game will be no different as the 3 points are needed to keep their title dreams alive.

United’s title challenge looked finished a few weeks ago but massive wins over Manchester City & Tottenham have put them firmly back in the mix & although they are dependent on winning their own matches & hoping Chelsea make a mistake, Manchester United will continue to push & we are expecting another strong performance here.

Alex Ferguson knows this will not be an easy match for Manchester United but equally he knows that Manchester United have a definite edge in terms of extra quality with the extra strength & balance in midfield likely to be a massive factor in this match.

Steve Bruce & his intense personal pride will ensure that Sunderland give Manchester United a proper test & given Sunderland’s strength at home it is very tempting to go for a scoring draw but Manchester United are proven in these circumstance & they look a good bet to have too much quality & experience on the day and get another massive win.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match result: Manchester United to win

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

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Berbatov/Valencia/Nani

Scorecast options: Berbatov/Valencia/Nani score 1st & Man United win 2-0/2-1

Double Result: Man United H/T & F/Tm

The match stats below are compiled with major football betting markets in mind. They are presented as facts without recommendation, allowing you to spot trends and decide whether they have relevance as betting opportunities. Click any ‘Bet Now’ button to see a bet slip from that bookmaker.

NARRATIVE:

United have won the last three games (9-2 aggregate score) and they have also scored in every game. Sunderland gained their only victory to date in the first Premiership meeting between the two clubs in March 1997 but the home side have scored just six subsequent goals in seven matches.
Doubles: Sunderland 0—-Manchester United 4

MARKET:

Sunderland: 1 win–Draws: 2–Manchester United: 5 wins (goal difference: 8/17)

MARKET: Correct Score

2 x 1-3

MARKET: First team to score

Sunderland: 2—-Manchester United: 6

MARKET: Even or odd total of goals:

Even: 5—-Odd: 3

Liverpool & their fans do not want Manchester United to win the Premier League to make it 19 League titles & overtake Liverpool on 18 & therefore Liverpool will play a weakened side & let Chelsea win this match.
Well that is what the conspiracy theorists are saying & part of it is true because Liverpool do not want to lose their record to Manchester United but to question Liverpool’s integrity in terms of this match is completely ridiculous & and an insult to the club & it’s fans.

Admittedly, a section of the Liverpool fans will say they don’t mind if Chelsea win the match & stop United winning the title but what they demand first & foremost is a committed, professional & hopefully winning performance from Liverpool in every game and if that means Chelsea & helping Man United then so be it must be the motto.

Having said that, have the Liverpool players got what it takes as individuals & as a team unit to play well against & Chelsea given everything that has gone at Liverpool this season & coming so soon after being knocked out of europe, ironically by an ex-Man United striker which would have added some salt to a very deep wound.

The answer has to be at this moment Liverpool don’t really have the players with the quality or the collective team spirit to cause a strong Chelsea side too many problems & the fact Chelsea are favourites to win at Anfield says it all.

The fact Liverpool are outsiders to win on their own ground is incredible but a true reflection of the difference in quality between a struggling Liverpool side with nothing to show for their season & a Chelsea side chasing the title & fresh from battering Stoke City 7-0.

Liverpool have struggled badly all season & come into this game only 3 days after being knocked out by Atletico Madrid and that is clearly going to have a big effect on the players confidence levels & the whole experience will be mentally & physically draining for the entire squad.

Liverpool will once again be without a trophy & their only slight hope that remains is achieving the 4th place finish that Rafa Benitez personally guaranteed & that is a guarantee that looks incredibly unlikely to be met unless they pull off a huge shock & beat Chelsea and then hope all the other results go their way as well.

Chelsea have a clear target of 2 wins against Liverpool & then Wigan at home and they will become Champions and clearly Chelsea are going to go all out to win this game on sunday & will see Liverpool as their for the taking.

Chelsea were stunning in thrashing Stoke City 7-0 last weekend & although Stoke City did not offer much resistance, Chelsea did everything perfectly & every part of the Chelsea team unit worked to full capacity and we do expect them to do the same again here.

Lampard, Drogba, Malouda, Anelka, Ballack, Joe Cole all combine to provide incredible strength & goal threats from midfield & up front and it really is tough to see how a struggling Liverpool side will be able to cope with that power over the 90 minutes.

Liverpool have to win to keep their slim hopes of 4th alive & they need to put on a performance for the Liverpool faithful but Chelsea arrive here so strong & confident that they just look impossible to oppose & a Chelsea win looks a solid bet well worth having as they move one step closer to the title.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match result: Chelsea to win

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

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

Scorecast options: Drogba/Lampard/Anelka score 1st & Chelsea win 2-0/2-1

Double Result: Chelsea H/T & F/T

The match stats below are compiled with major football betting markets in mind. They are presented as facts without recommendation, allowing you to spot trends and decide whether they have relevance as betting opportunities. Click any ‘Bet Now’ button to see a bet slip from that bookmaker.

NARRATIVE:

Try and erase all the cup ties between these two teams in recent years, whereby you will determine that both teams hold substantial advantages on their home patches, and as you can see, Chelsea have only led at the interval on three occasions. Liverpool have secured sixteen of the potential twenty one points on offer when going into the break on level terms. In contrast, Chelsea have snared just four points and this is the scenario Chelsea must improve upon if containing Liverpool for forty five minutes in this year

Fulham are Europa League Finalists – incredibly that is definitely a true statement & all the praise must go to everybody connected with Fulham Football Club & most notably Roy Hodgson, the master who has pulled all the strings so well.
Last season Roy Hodgson & his Fulham side had a wonderful season & finished 7th in the Premier League which was a remarkable achievement but one that many believed they would struggle to get even close to this season.

However, Roy Hodgson & the Fulham squad have used that achievement to push themselves even further this season & produce even great performances and all that has been rewarded with a well earned place in the Europa League Final.

Of course, the big question now is how will being in the Europa League final affect Fulham’s performances in their last 3 Premier League matches & clearly Roy Hodgson will now want to look after his key players to make sure they are ready for the biggest game in Fulham’s history.

The Europa League final is on the 12th of May & yet Fulham still have 3 Premier League fixtures to fulfil before that which surely means Roy Hodgson make massive changes to the starting & indeed the reserves.

There has to be a strong chance that Roy Hodgson will change the whole side & indeed the key players such as Schwarzer, Hangelaand, Murphy, Zamora, Konchesky, Gera, Davies & Duff will probably be rested for the rest of the league season now & that will definitely make Fulham weaker.

The other key factor is the focus of the Fulham players will be on the Europa League Final & although this match against West Ham United is a London derby, the Fulham players are unlikely to be totally pumped up for this & that could make them vulnerable in this game & in their remaining league fixtures.

West Ham United arrive in this London derby after a hard fought & well deserved home win against Wigan that secured their status in the Premier League & that really could give them a massive lift going into this game.

Local pride is all that is at stake for West Ham United & we are expecting them to look to finish the season on a high & the West Ham players will want to give Gianfranco Zola a good send off as his time at West Ham United certainly looks over now.

This should be a good, competitive London derby that can go either way but with Fulham’s focus understandably on the Europa League Final, West Ham United look worth a punt to edge this & give their long suffering fans a long awaited away win.

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: Cole/Parker/Noble

Scorecast options: Cole/Parker/Noble score 1st & West Ham win 2-02/2-1

Double Result: West Ham H/T & F/T

The match stats below are compiled with major football betting markets in mind. They are presented as facts without recommendation, allowing you to spot trends and decide whether they have relevance as betting opportunities. Click any ‘Bet Now’ button to see a bet slip from that bookmaker.

NARRATIVE:

Five of the six games have produced repetitive score-lines and even the lone 0-0 draw in December 2006 was backed up by the same score-line in an F.A. Cup encounter between the two teams at Craven Cottage during the Premiership years. Fulham have yet to lead at half time which has hardly helped their cause, though it

Yet another Premier League game with very little riding on it but Blackburn & Arsenal have a few run-ins in recent seasons & that should ensure both managers & players are up for this one.
Blackburn Rovers have been supremely strong at home with 33 points achieved at home & only 3 home league defeats all season & a home defensive record that compares favourably with all the top sides in the league.

Team organisation & solidity have always been the key strengths of every side managed by Sam Allardyce & in terms of Blackburn Rovers, it is very much a case of job well done as firstly survival & mid table security are the key targets for Blackburn in the Premier League.

Sam Allardyce really does thrive on challenging & taking on the big sides and revels in getting good results against them as proven by Blackburn’s draws against Chelsea & Manchester United in recent weeks and we are certainly expecting Sam Allardyce to have his players charged up to repeat the trick against Arsenal.

Blackburn Rovers are not blessed with top quality players but they are organised, work hard & will compete for absolutely everything against Arsenal and they will believe their home form is good enough to get another positive result here.

Arsenal’s season is over & there is nothing left to play for apart from pride & Arsene Wenger will demand a couple of good, winning performances to finish off the season.

Arsenal have looked like a tired, mentally drained side in recent weeks and have struggled through matches with 3 defeats & 0-0 draw in their last 4 games so team confidence is clearly low & how they respond here will decide the match.

With team confidence low & nothing actually riding on the result of this game for Arsenal, it is hard to envisage the Arsenal players being completely up for this game & the fact Blackburn are a well organised, physical side will hardly boost give them a boost.

Arsenal detest playing against sides who compete physically & who concentrate on being organised because it blunts their open, fluent style & how the Arsenal players cope with that will determine what result they achieve.

The even money quotes for Arsenal winning will tempt many punters but they are that price for a reason & we are going to take a chance that Blackburn Rovers can defend their proud home record & achieve another solid draw & send their fans away happy.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match result: DRAW

Correct Score options: 1-1

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Pedersen/Kalinic/Dunn

Scorecast options: Pedersen/Kalinic/Dunn score 1st & 1-1 Draw

Double Result: Blackburn H/T & DRAW F/T

The match stats below are compiled with major football betting markets in mind. They are presented as facts without recommendation, allowing you to spot trends and decide whether they have relevance as betting opportunities. Click any ‘Bet Now’ button to see a bet slip from that bookmaker.

NARRATIVE:

Arsenal are unbeaten in three games having secured seven of the nine points on offer, boasting a goal difference of 7-1 in the process. Robin Van Persie has scored three goals for the visitors in this fixture in recent times. Arsenal have scored in each of the last thirteen games at Blackburn, though by contrast Blackburn have scored just two goals during the last six encounters. Blackburn have failed to score five times in all, netting a maximum of one goal on twelve occasions. Doubles: Blackburn 2—-Arsenal 5

MARKET:

Blackburn: 4 wins–Draws: 3–Arsenal: 8 wins (goal difference: 14/24)

MARKET: Correct Score

3 x 1-1. 2 x 1-0, 2 x 0-2

MARKET: First team to score

Blackburn: 6—-Arsenal: 9

MARKET: Even or odd total of goals:

Even: 9—-Odd: 6

Let’s be honest, a few ago this fixture looked like being a relegation winner takes all type battle but Wigan are now safe & Hull City are down so this really is a meaningless, low profile game that even the hardcore fans from both sides will find hard to get motivated for.
That is not being unfair to either side but just completely honest, there is nothing at stake & the chances this match will just be a complete non-event.

Hopefully the players of both sides show pride & commitment to give their fans some kind of payback for what has been a terrible season for both sides but we are not holding our breath on that happening.

Wigan produced an incredible last 10 minutes in their last home game & at least showed a level of quality & fight at West Ham to give their fans something so they definitely have the edge coming into this match against a Hull City side who really don’t deserve anything other than relegation, however harsh that sounds it is true.

There is unlikely to be too much interest in this match & certainly we are not expecting a footballing classic but what we are expecting is Wigan to finish their season at home on a high & they look worth a punt to inflict yet another defeat on Hull City.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match result: Wigan to win

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

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Rodallega/Watson/N’Zogbia

Scorecast options: Rodallega/Watson/N’Zogbia score 1st & Wigan win 2-0/2-1

Double Result: Wigan H/T & F/T

The match stats below are compiled with major football betting markets in mind. They are presented as facts without recommendation, allowing you to spot trends and decide whether they have relevance as betting opportunities. Click any ‘Bet Now’ button to see a bet slip from that bookmaker.

NARRATIVE:

The only goal of the game in the 84th minute for Wigan won the inaugural Premier League game last season. Hull beat Wigan 2-1 in the reverse fixture earlier this season after a goalless half time situation. All time league record: Wigan 5–Draws: 6–Hull: 4

MARKET:

Wigan: 1 win–Draws: 0–Hull: No wins (goal difference: 1-0)

MARKET: Correct Score

1 x 1-0

MARKET: First team to score

Wigan: 1 —-Hull: 0

MARKET: Even or odd total of goals:

Even: 0—-Odd: 1