Premier League Match Previews & Recommendations for the weekend 21st, 22nd & 23rd August
The first weekend of action in the Premier League provided some fantastic entertainment & some real shocks but thankfully we managed to to guide you towards some cracking punts with a 66/1 scorecast the highlight + a level stakes profit on outright match results.
The fixture list for this weekend looks really fascinating & we have had a good look at the betting markets & studied all the facts & figures to hopefully seek out some more great value bets.
Here are our own views on this weekends Premier League action including what we believe to be a range of great value bets but remember team news is always vital so please make sure you are totally happy with your bets before you place them:
Arsenal vs Blackpool – (Saturday 3.00pm)
So what we will get in this game? – Blackpool, newly promoted team with an extremely limited squad & finances, supposed whipping boys for the Premier League this season & certain to finish bottom, yet they dismissed all that in one hit with an incredible 4-0 win away at Wigan.
Obviously that 4-0 win does not mean Blackpool will stay up but what it has done is make the footballing world realise & more importantly the Blackpool players themselves that team commitment, togetherness & belief can get you good results & that Blackpool have do have a chance.
Of course, that 4-0 win is now confined to the history books & Blackpool now face their first real big taste of what Premier League football is all about with an away trip to play Arsenal at the Emirates.
The Blackpool players will go there with confidence & belief but they will not be human if they don’t also go there with an element of fear mixed in because playing Arsenal at the Emirates is a real test for the very best let alone Blackpool.
Blackpool will be as positive as they can because that is their style & Ian Holloway has committed Blackpool to ‘having a real go’ in all their games so it will be fascinating to watch but you have to fear that could be their downfall in this match.
Arsenal are formidable opponents when you let them play their open, fluent passing football & they play with so much confidence at home and if they get into an early rhythm they can tear almost any team apart & especially the lower ranked sides.
Arsene Wenger’s team come into this match after deservedly earning a 1-1 draw with a late goal against Liverpool & that combined with their solid performance should give them massive confidence coming into this match.
This should be a decent, open game of football as both Arsenal & Blackpool are committed to being positive so there should be a few goals but the big fear for Blackpool fans is the goals could all be one way towards their net.
Blackpool did win 4-0 last week & they thoroughly deserved it but that win came against a completely inept Wigan side but the task of playing Arsenal at the Emirates is an incredible step up in class & one that we cannot see them passing.
Blackpool will show their commitment & effort but their positivity will play completely into the hands of Arsenal & the likes of Fabregas, Walcott, Arshavin, Rosicky, Van Persie & Chamakh get into top gear early then Arsenal should be way too strong & a comfortable Arsenal win looks the only bet worth taking here.
Betting Recommendations:
Outright Match Result: Arsenal to win
Correct Score options: Arsenal to win 3-0/4-0
First Goalscorer each way/Players to score anytime: Van Persie/Arshavin/Fabregas
Scorecast options: Van Persie/Arshavin/Fabregas score 1st & Arsenal win 3-0/4-0
Double Result: Arsenal H/T & F/T
Birmingham City vs Blackburn Rovers – (Saturday 3.00pm)
Sometimes a fixtures just absolutely screams “DRAW” as soon you see it & we have to confess that was exactly what we felt when we saw this clash of Birmingham City & Blackburn Rovers listed.
Alex McCleish & Sam Allardyce are very similar types of people & managers who believe in the same principles & adopt similar tactics for their teams so we are expecting a really tight, physically competitive clash here.
Birmingham City & Blackburn Rovers finished 9th & 10th respectively last season, both finishing on 50 points & both having identical records of 13 wins, 11 draws & 14 defeats and also a similar goals scored record as well so there really should be nothing between these two sides again here.
Both Birmingham City & Blackburn Rovers play in a similar style, organised, hard to break down, physically committed & determined to fight for everything and both teams have the same weaknesses of lacking attacking creativity & goals.
So everything points to this being tight & if one team is to win then it will probably be 1-0 either way but we genuinely cannot split these sides here & a low scoring, maybe even no scoring draw looks the value call here.
Betting Recommendations:
Outright Match Result: DRAW
Correct Score options: 0-0/1-1
First Goalscorer/players to score anytime: Kalinic/Larsson/McFadden
Double Result: DRAW H/T & F/T
Everton vs Wolves – (Saturday 3.00pm)
Fascinating clash this one with David Moyes & Mick McCarthy two no nonsense managers who get as much as they can out of their players so this should be a high energy, competitive contest that could well be a lot closer than the odds suggest.
Everton are rated around 4/9 shots to win this & those odds are perfectly understandable given their incredible home record last season which included wins over Manchester United & Chelsea and the absolute key to this game will be how Everton approach it.
Now we do not want to sound dismissive of Wolves because they command respect after their opening day win against Stoke City but this game should be about Everton & if Everton start the game in the right frame of mind & play to their strengths then they should win this.
David Moyes will demand a response from his Everton side after an average performance in losing 1-0 at Blackburn Rovers and we fully expect the Everton players to be absolutely primed & raring to go in this one and if that is the case then Wolves will have to play very well to compete with them.
Wolves will compete & try to play their way and make this a tough test for Everton but David Moyes will demand a response & we expect the likes of Arteta, Cahill & Saha to give him that response which makes Everton the bet to win this one.
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: Arteta/Cahill/Saha
Scorecast options: Arteta/Cahill/Saha score 1st & Everton win 2-0/2-1
Double Result: Everton H/T & F/T
West Brom vs Sunderland – (Saturday 3.00pm)
Both West Brom & Sunderland come into this match with major disappointments to get over & plenty to prove so this really is a tough call to make.
West Brom have to find a way to bounce back from the 6-0 thrashing they received at Stamford Bridge last weekend when Chelsea simply ran riot and made the West Brom players look completely out of their depth.
West Brom’s manager Roberto Di Matteo is smart enough & honest enough to know that his team will get those kind of results against the very best sides because they simply cannot compete in terms of player quality and that is what comes through at the end.
Roberto Di Matteo also knows that home form will be the absolute key for West Brom’s survival bid this season and games against teams like Sunderland have to be viewed as winnable matches and that is what Roberto Di Matteo would have focused on this week.
We are expecting West Brom to come out fighting in this match & to be positive as they will know & believe that Sunderland are there for the taking as long as they all do their jobs properly.
Steve Bruce was obviously fuming & greatly annoyed last weekend after watching his Sunderland side throw away a 2-0 lead to only get a 2-2 draw at home & that would have been a big blow to everybody at Sunderland.
So the key for Sunderland in this match will be how they respond & they must respond by showing they can show fight & belief here to prove that they can improve on what was a terrible away record for them last season.
A major factor in this match is that both teams look defensively fragile & vulnerable so there could be a few goals and to be honest any result looks entirely possible here.
West Brom will go for the win because they have to respond & be positive and Sunderland have the motivation of putting right what went wrong on so many away trips last season so both teams will be competitive & could well cancel each other out so on balance the value appears to lie in backing a scoring draw for this one.
Betting Recommendations:
Outright Match result: DRAW
Correct Score options: 1-1/2-2
First Goalscorer each way/Player to score 1st: Bent/Brunt/Dorrans
Scorecast options: Bent/Brunt/Dorrans score 1st & 1-1/2-2
Double Result: DRAW H/T & F/T
West Ham United vs Bolton – (Saturday 3.00pm)
In our preview of the Premier League season, we had West Ham to finish 15th & Bolton to finish 14th and judged on what we saw from both sides last weekend that assessment looks likely to be pretty close to the mark.
West Ham United were absolutely terrible against Aston Villa, offering very little in terms of quality & clearly Avram Grant has got a massive task on his hands to turn West Ham around.
As with all managers at the lower end of the table, Avram Grant knows that home form will be the key to West Ham’s season & he will certainly look for a positive response from the West Ham players in this one but whether he gets one is a different matter all together.
West Ham do have quality with the likes of Mark Noble, Scott Parker, Carlton Cole but they generally they lack enough overall quality & have a rather fragile look to them so they will have to combat that to do well.
Owen Coyle said he was satisfied with an opening day draw against Fulham but in all honesty the 0-0 scoreline perfectly illustrated that both teams failed to produce any great quality or indeed creativity and Owen Coyle will look for a positive response from Bolton here.
Owen Coyle is a manager who commits his sides to playing positive, open football so we do expect them to go to West Ham positive & to have a go but whether they have enough to actually win the game will depend on them staying solid defensively & showing more attacking quality.
It’s a big match for West Ham & Bolton as both will want that all important first win under their belts but we can envisage a scenario where both teams do their best in a competitive match but ultimately cancel each other out and a scoring draw appeals as value bet worth taking.
Betting Recommendations:
Outright Match Result: DRAW
Correct score options: 1-1/2-2
First Goalscorer each way/Players to score anytime: Cole/Davies/Taylor
Scorecast options: Cole/Davies/Taylor score 1st & 1-1/2-2
Double Result: DRAW H/T & F/T
Stoke City vs Tottenham – (Saturday 3.00pm)
Really interesting match this given the clash of styles as Stoke City’s direct, physical approach clashes head on with Tottenham’s pace, fluency & positive attacking football but deciding which will come out on top is a tough call to make.
Since Stoke City have been Premier League, the games between these two sides have been really interesting games & the record so far is 2 wins as both have beaten each other home & away – the first year Tottenham won at home & Stoke City won at home, last year Stoke City won at Tottenham & Tottenham won at Stoke City.
Tony Pulis will demand a positive response from his Stoke City players here because like all Stoke City fans, he would have been greatly disappointed with their performance & 2-1 defeat away at Wolves last weekend.
The big positive for Stoke City is the confidence & belief they get from playing at home & all opposition teams know they will be in for a proper physical battle & really competitive test whenever they travel to the Britannia Stadium & Stoke City have to use that here.
The fitness of Kenwyn Jones will be key because his power & physical presence will be a massive threat to Tottenham & also Tony Pulis knows that Tottenham could be vulnerable metally & physically after their midweek away trip in europe.
We are expecting Stoke City to have a real go at Tottenham in this one & certainly if they can get the first goal they could well prove hard to peg back and deliver more misery for Tottenham but it will not be easy.
Harry Redknapp now knows what Champions League football & the demands involved are all about after Tottenham’s shock 3-2 midweek defeat against Young Boys and he & the Tottenham players will certainly not be looking forward to travelling to Stoke City who will be more than ready for them.
The big factor for Harry Redknapp is that next weeks 2nd leg in the Champions League qualifier means everything to Tottenham because of the finances involved & now Tottenham have to definitely win the game to go through, that will require his best side & will surely impact on team selection for this match.
The other big test for Tottenham is that they know that Stoke City will not let them settle into the game & let them play their style of football so they have to get control of the game & combat Stoke City’s main strengths early otherwise they really could be in for rough ride in this one.
Tottenham are an excellent side & we have tipped Tottenham to do very well again in the Premier League this season so we will be with them more often than not but on this occasion we believe Stoke City are well worth a value bet to make their strong, direct approach pay here & give the fantastic home fans more to cheer about.
Betting Recommendations:
Outright Match result: Stoke City to win
Correct Score options: Stoke City to win 2-0/2-1
First Goalscorer each way/Players to score anytime: Jones/Fuller/Sidibe
Scorecast options: Jones/Fuller/Sidibe score 1st & Stoke City win 2-0/2-1
Double Result: Stoke City H/T & F/T
Wigan vs Chelsea – (Saturday 5.15pm)
“I think our team should be re-named Wigan Pathetic not Athletic after that mess again Blackpool” – that was one quote that we heard from a rather disgruntled Wigan fan after their humiliating 4-0 home defeat against Blackpool & to be honest I would not think there would be anybody who would disagree with that idea.
Wigan were totally & utterly inept against Blackpool, massive failures in every department of the team & to be honest it is almost impossible to describe how bad they were.
Now the only thing we got right about Wigan last week was that they were consistently inconsistent so how can we possibly predict what is going to happen this week against Chelsea.
Incredibly, Wigan won this fixture 3-1 last season but I don’t see how it is possible for anybody to entertain thoughts of Wigan winning this match & when you take into account that Wigan have lost their last two premier league fixtures 8-0 & 4-0 then there can surely only be one outcome.
That 8-0 thrashing was inflicted by Chelsea & they come to Wigan on the back of a very impressive 6-0 destruction of West Brom last weekend so this really is a mis-match in every sense of the word.
Chelsea’s quality, power, organisation & supreme confidence going up against Wigan’s shambles of a team really does not seem a fair contest to be taking place & unless there is one of the biggest shocks of all time, & I mean all time, then Chelsea will win & win well.
The game is at Wigan & Roberto Martinez will demand a response from his players but it really is impossible to entertain any other thoughts about this match other than a routine win for Chelsea & if Chelsea play to their best, then Roberto Martinez could well be on his way out the door not long after final whistle has blown.
Drogba, Lampard, Malouda, Essien, Anelka take your pick for first goalscorer & indeed you might make money backing them all to score as Chelsea have scored 23 goals without reply in their last 4 Premier League matches so Wigan be afraid, be very afraid.
Betting Recommendations:
Outright Match Result: Chelsea to win
Correct Score options: Chelsea to win 3-0/4-0
First Goalscorer each way/Players to score anytime: Lampard/Drogba/Anelka
Scorecast options: Lampard/Drogba/Anelka score 1st & Chelsea win 3-0/4-0
Double Result: Chelsea win 3-0/4-0
Newcastle United vs Aston Villa – (Sunday 1.30pm)
Home is where the heart & most certainly where the points will come for Newcastle United so this home clash against Aston Villa is the first real test of Chris Hughton’s side.
Obviously playing Manchester United at Old Trafford in their 1st game was a big test but nobody, not even the most ardent of Newcastle United supporters would have expected anything from that game so really Newcastle United’s season starts here.
Of course, this is a massively important game for Aston Villa as well & if previous battles between these two sides are anything to go by then this could well be real cracker to entertain us all.
Newcastle United were totally outplayed by Manchester United but then again most teams in europe are so their 3-0 defeat was no real surprise or great loss and we expect Newcastle United to really come out fighting in this one.
The experience of players such as Joey Barton, Alan Smith & Kevin Nolan in the midfield area as well how well Newcastle United can organise themselves will be the key to this match because they have to find a way of containing the attacking threat & pace of Aston Villa.
Aston Villa are still without a permanent manager but stand-in manager Kevin Macdonald certainly put a strong case forward for him to be awarded the position by guiding Aston Villa to a good 3-0 home win against West Ham United & he will certainly want Aston Villa to back that up with another win here so we can see Aston Villa really going for this one.
Newcastle United & Aston Villa have produced some goal filled crackers in the past & we think this could be another high tempo, high energy contest that can go either way although we are going to go for Aston Villa to edge the goalscoring & take the points back to Villa Park.
Betting Recommendations:
Outright Match Result: Aston Villa to win
Correct Score Options: Aston Villa to win 2-1/3-1
First Goalscorer each way/Players to score anytime: Carew/Young/Agbonlohar
Scorecast options: Carew/Young/Abgonlohar score 1st & Aston Villa win 2-1/3-1
Double Result: Aston Villa H/T & F/T
Fulham vs Manchester United – (Sunday 4.00pm)
Mark Hughes is delighted to be back in work with Fulham & was delighted with Fulham started with a solid away draw but he surely can’t be too happy about having to play Manchester United in his first home game in charge but whatever does happen, this should be a fascinating game for us to watch.
Fulham have been a real handful in this fixture for Manchester United & never more so than last year when Fulham won 3-0, admittedly United were badly decimated by injuries to defenders but nevertheless, Fulham out-played & outfought Manchester United to deservedly win the game so that will certainly give the Fulham players confidence & should also get the Fulham crowd totally up for this one.
Mark Hughes will know what to expect from Manchester United & he will want to ensure that his Fulham players maintain their solid, consistent approach because that has to be the key approach in this one as any other approach will play into the strengths of Manchester United.
Fulham have the organisation, the team spirit & the ability to do well in possession but the key whether they can win this game or even get a positive result will be who will score the goals and goalscoring has been a weakness for Fulham for the last few seasons as illustrated by their 0-0 draw last weekend.
Manchester United come here with their confidence boosted after getting off to the perfect start with a convincing & comfortable 3-0 home win against Newcastle United & we expect a similarly confident performance from United in this one.
Alex Ferguson has stated the importance of early season momentum in this season’s title race & so we do expect Manchester United to come here to be incredibly organised & solid but equally positive in an attacking sense and United definitely have the edge over Fulham in that department.
Rooney, Berbatov, Hernandez, Nani, Giggs Valencia are fantastic, attack minded players with the individual quality & creativity to cause massive problems for the Fulham defence and they showed how confident they looked as an attacking force against Newcastle so this will be tough for Fulham.
The talent within that attacking unit cannot be questioned but the absolute key to the win over Newcastle United was the fantastic man of the match performance given by Paul Scholes who controlled the game from midfield & if he is allowed to do the same then Fulham will face an incredibly tough task.
This should be a good, competitive contest and Fulham will certainly set out to try & control Manchester United but on this occasion we have to go with Manchester United to make their extra quality show & perhaps Rooney can get his own season up & running score the goals to fire United to 3 valuable points.
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: Rooney/Berbatov/Valencia
Scorecast options: Rooney/Berbatov/Valencia score 1st & Manchester United win 2-0/2-1
Double Result: Manchester United H/T & F/T
Manchester City vs Liverpool – (Monday 8.00pm)
The last three Premier League fixtures between Manchester City & Liverpool have finished in a draw & in total 11 of the 26 Premier League games these two have played against each other have finished as draws so on that basis alone this looks certain to be a tight, close affair.
The pressure is firmly on everybody connected to Manchester City & Liverpool this season because they have to achieve & they have to start winning trophies again so the magnitude of this clash cannot be underestimated & the importance of not losing has to be considered as a major factor in this match.
Roberto Mancini is under incredible pressure from the hundreds of million spent by the Manchester City owners to buy the players they want & that investment has to be turned into Premier League success, not 4th, 3rd or 2nd, Manchester City have to win the league if they are to justify the huge investment.
The truth about Manchester City is that they have signed all of these players on massive money & yet cannot even fit those players into the squad & more importantly into a settled team unit on the pitch and that showed against Tottenham where they only avoided a defeat because of Joe Hart’s brilliance in goal.
In our view, the other major issue for Manchester City is that Roberto Mancini favours negative, defensive tactics and while that may make Manchester City harder to beat, they don’t appear to have an attacking fluency to their play & that is likely to lead to more draws & not the wins they need.
Manchester City’s home form was very strong last season & we expect the same again this season but their inability to win matches is their key weakness & we can see them struggling to win this game as well.
In many ways, Roy Hodgson has a similar tactical approach to that of Roberto Mancini with the emphasis on team solidity & making sure his teams don’t lose the game before they attempt to win & just like Manchester City this could well lead to more draws this season.
Roy Hodgson will feel annoyed at not starting off with a win against Arsenal but Liverpool were largely outplayed by Arsenal & on that basis a draw was good for them there & we see Roy Hodgson being more than happy with a draw from this fixture.
Roberto Mancini is a manager under constant, immense pressure to achieve & Roy Hodgson has the pressure of being in the biggest job of his career & having the responsibility of getting one of the biggest clubs in the world back on the path to success so in many ways it is understandable for these managers to adopt safety first tactics.
With this match coming after Manchester City were away to Tottenham & Liverpool at home to Arsenal, this is another massive must not lose game & that for us will be the deciding factor as we believe the draw looks the best value bet here to make it 12 draws from the 27 times Manchester City & Liverpool have met in the Premier League.
Betting Recommendations:
Outright Match result: DRAW
Correct Score options: 1-1/2-2
First Goalscorer each way/Players to score anytime: Tevez/Gerrard/Milner
Scorecast options: Tevez/Gerrard/Milner score 1st & 1-1/2-2
Double Result: DRAW H/T & F/T
We recommend that you check all the latest news regarding any relevant team news as late as possible before placing your bets because changes may affect the potential outcome of a match – for example a player you wanted to back as first goalscorer may be injured.
Those are are our own views on this weekends games in the Premier League, hopefully they will give you a few punting ideas & guide you towards punting success but whatever bets you have, we wish you all the best of luck.
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