Premier League Match Previews & Recommendations for 21st & 22nd January
Hopefully this weekend will be even more exciting & entertaining in the Premier League & looking at the fixture list that should happen as there are some brilliant games to get stuck into.
I’ve had a good look at this weekend’s fixtures & here are my own views with the betting recommendations covering the major football markets for your consideration & to help you make your own decision
Norwich City vs Chelsea – (Saturday 12.45pm)
Norwich & Chelsea produced a fantastic, entertaining game when they met earlier in this season & there is every to expect a similar quality game this time around as well.
Chelsea won 3-1 when Norwich City went to Stamford Bridge earlier in the season but the match was far more competitive & indeed a lot closer than that scoreline suggests with Norwich City playing very well & indeed their positive approach to every game means Chelsea will face a real test here.
Paul Lambert has done a sensational job with the Norwich City players this year & their permanently positive, attacking approach in every game has certainly paid off as proven by them getting another excellent win at West Brom last weekend.
That win over West Brom was a huge result for Norwich City & I’m certainly expecting all their players to get a huge boost from that & come into this game believing they can take Chelsea on & get something from the match & they’ll believe they can win it.
Of course Chelsea will feel the same & now they’ve put a a 4 point gap between themselves & 5th placed Arsenal Andre Villas-Boas’s men now have the extra motivation to kick on again & make sure they secure that top 4 finish come the end of the season, the title is out of their reach but the Champions League is still a huge prize to aim for.
In terms of how I expect this match to go then there is no doubt Norwich City will be positive, they’ll look to attack when they can & they’ll feel Chelsea can be attacked so that should open up the game & in turn Chelsea should get plenty of chances to show off their extra individual quality making this a game that looks harder to call than the odds suggest.
Chelsea are short priced favourites to take this & admittedly that’s a bit of a concern given their tendency to concede silly goals & I wouldn’t rule Norwich City out of scoring here but at the same time Norwich City give every team chances to score & I’m taking Chelsea to show their quality & get the goals that will earn them a massive win & 3 more vital points.
Betting Recommendations:
Outright Match Result: CHELSEA to win
Correct Score options: CHELSEA to win 2-1/3-1
First Goalscorer each way/Players to score anytime: Torres/Mata/Lampard
Scorecast options: Torres/Mata/Lampard score 1st & Chelsea win 2-1/3-1
Double Result: CHELSEA H/T & F/T
Everton vs Blackburn Rovers – (Saturday 3.00pm)
No messing about here with statistics & how the teams are likely to set up, for me the odds on this Everton vs Blackburn Rovers clash have made my mind up for me & I just can’t recommend Everton winning this crucial match.
Everton have so far failed to win 7 of their 10 home Premier League matches so I simply cannot have them at 8/15 to beat a Blackburn Rovers side that have shown real guts, determination & a fair degree of quality recently to draw with Liverpool away, deservedly beat Manchester United away & amazingly beat Fulham 3-1 at home whilst only having 10 men for most of the match.
I cannot recommend backing an Everton side who simply don’t look likely to score too many goals during any game no matter who they are playing & considering that Blackburn do carry a goal threat & do play positive football, I can see Blackburn scoring here & that means Everton will have to score at least 2 goals to win it & that seems unlikely to me.
Everton are physically strong, they are hard extremely determined & hard to beat but they’ve failed too many times at home in the last year when they’ve been expected to win & for me I’m going to take a value punt on Blackburn pulling off another huge win & the odds certainly make it a risk worth taking.
Betting Recommendations:
Outright Match Result: BLACKBURN to win
Correct Score options: Blackburn to win 2-1/3-1
First Goalscorer each way/Players to score anytime: Pedersen/Dunn/Formica
Scorecast options: Pedersen/Dunn/Formica score 1st & Blackburn Rovers win 2-1/3-1
Double Result: BLACKBURN H/T & F/T
Fulham vs Newcastle United – (Saturday 3.00pm)
The good news for Martin Jol, the Fulham players & the Fulham fans is that this is a home game & they can forget all about their pathetic away form for another week because after their defeat at Blackburn that’s exactly what they need to do.
The bad news for Fulham is that Alan Pardew’s tremendously well organised, confident & in form Newcastle United team come to town along with their fantastic away support and I certainly expect that combination to prove to be an extremely hard test for Fulham to pass even though they are on favoured home territory.
Fulham at home are a confident team who play together & show plenty of guts, determination & plenty of quality to go with it with the likes of Dempsey, Dembele, Ruiz, Zamora & Duff all possessing the ability to hurt teams with their quality but they’ll know they will find it tough against this Newcastle United side & it should make for a fantastic, competitive contest.
Had Demba Ba still been around in the Newcastle United team then I would have taken a risk on Newcastle United coming down to Fulham & taking the points but without Demba Ba they lack a real cutting edge up front but I still think they can get a positive result from this fixture while Fulham are always hard to beat at home & so I think a solid, competitive scoring draw looks the value call in this one.
Betting Recommendations:
Outright Match Result: DRAW
Correct Score options: 1-1/2-2
First Goalscorer each way/Players to score anytime: Dempsey/Zamora/Best
Scorecast options: Dempsey/Zamora/Best score 1st & 1-1/2-2
Double Result: DRAW H/T & F/T
Queens Park Rangers vs Wigan – (Saturday 3.00pm)
Mark Hughes has been appointed as the man to take QPR forward & indeed they’ve got huge plans for the future but all that matters right now is securing survival by getting points on the board & I think they will do that here by beating Wigan.
That might well sound to easily dismissive of Wigan considering how poor QPR have been at home & in general but in the Premier League I really don’t think there are any easier opportunities to get 3 points at home than when Wigan come to town & quite simply QPR have to win this match, if they don’t then I don’t know when they will & it will be a huge blow to everybody at the club.
Of course Wigan need the 3 points just as badly as QPR & Wigan manager Roberto Martinez will tell his players they can stick to their beliefs of positive football here & that QPR are there to be beaten but they will have to be at their best to pull it off.
Mark Hughes has to make sure QPR are first hard to beat & secondly that they starting winning games with home wins a vital factor & I think that QPR are well worth a punt to give Mark Hughes is first win & get 3 huge points on the board that they will hope will push them onwards & upwards.
Betting Recommendations:
Outright Match Result: QPR to win
Correct Score options: QPR to win 2-0/2-1
First Goalscorer each way/Players to score anytime: Helgusson/Bothroyd/Mackie
Scorecast options: Helgusson/Bothroyd/Mackie score 1st & QPR win 2-0/2-1
Double Result: QPR H/T & F/T
Stoke City vs West Brom – (Saturday 3.00pm)
At this stage of every season it’s always said that there will be one team that starts slipping badly down the table & ultimately ends up in the relegation zone come the end of the season & based on what I’ve seen in recent weeks I’d say that West Brom look as likely to be that team.
Now that seems strange to say about a team that held Man City to a hard fought 0-0 draw only a few weeks ago but it all just seems to be going wrong for West Brom know with poor performances, poor results & generally a squad that looks short of quality & confidence.
So with all that in mind the very last thing Roy Hodgson would want is to have to go to a place like Stoke City & get the points they need but that’s the reality for them & it must be a scary reality at that.
Stoke City are not everybody’s favourite team given their largely direct style that’s based on physical power, strength & organisation but what cannot be denied is that Tony Pulis’s side are tremendously effective at doing what they do & they are incredibly tough to beat so West Brom are in for a really tough test here.
Stoke City have 4 wins & 4 draws from their first 10 home Premier League matches of the season including victories of Liverpool & Tottenham as well as draws against Manchester United & Chelsea and quite simply they do not fear anybody at home & believe they can take on anybody at home & they will relish facing West Brom here.
Tony Pulis’s side have already beaten West Brom this season & I think they are well worth backing to land the double here with Crouch, Walters & Etherington likely to lead the way.
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: Crouch/Walters/Etherington
Scorecast options: Crouch/Walters/Etherington score 1st & Stoke City 2-0/2-1
Double Result: STOKE CITY H/T & F/T
Sundeland vs Swansea City – (Saturday 3.00pm)
Swansea City have just recorded two excellent back-to-back wins against Aston Villa & a stunning win over Arsenal yet they can be backed at 4/1 to win this, I can’t believe those odds & I simply can’t refuse them.
Admittedly Sunderland have been massively impressive since the arrival of Martin O’Neill & he’s definitely got the Sunderland fans behind the team again with the Stadium of Light now rocking whenever they play but still 8/11 for a Sunderland win & 4/1 for a Swansea win just doesn’t add up in my mind & I don’t see why there should be such a difference in prices.
No matter what Sunderland have done in recent weeks I could not have them at odds on to win this & especially how impressive Swansea have been this year with their tremendous possession football when they’ve basically out played every team they’ve come against & coming off the back of those excellent wins against Villa & Arsenal.
Yes Swansea were helped by some pathetic Arsenal & Aston Villa defending but there is no escaping from how impressive Swansea have been in those games & I just they are an excellent value price to win this & it’s a value bet well worth risking at the odds.
Betting Recommendations:
Outright Match Result: SWANSEA to win
Correct Score options: SWANSEA to win 2-1/3-1
First Goalscorer each way/Players to score anytime: Graham/Sinclair/Dyer
Scorecast options: Graham/Sinclair/Dyer score 1st & Swansea 2-1/3-1
Double Result: SWANSEA H/T & F/T
Wolves vs Aston Villa – (Saturday 3.00pm)
These local derby clashes between Wolves & Aston Villa always automatically bring with them high pressure & intensity and there’s no doubt that this particular clash brings with more pressure than any of their previous clashes to date.
Quite simply this is a match that both Wolves & Aston Villa will be desperate to win but also desperately fear losing so it’s naturally going to be tremendously competitive, physical & it’s all going to be about which side handles the pressure & that fear of losing the best on the day.
I honestly think that this match is very much a flip of the coin type scenario, that may sound too simplistic but it’s true as I can envisage any of three possible results here but I think the most crucial factor is that I cannot recommend placing enough faith in either to side win this & given how competitive it’s going to be a tight, scoring draw looks the best value bet here.
Betting Recommendations:
Outright Match Result: DRAW
Correct Score options: 1-1/2-2
First Goalscorer each way/Players to score anytime: Bent/Fletcher/Agbonlohar
Scorecast options: Bent/Fletcher/Agbonlohar score 1st & 1-1/2-2
Double Result: DRAW H/T & F/T
Bolton vs Liverpool – (Saturday 5.30pm)
I’ll keep this as short as I think it needs to be & I simply think Liverpool will find a way to win this & probably won’t come across too much resistance from Bolton.
I know that’s immediately dismissive of Bolton’s chances in a game that matters hugely to them but I don’t see how anybody can spend too long thinking about recommending Bolton to get something from this match given how pathetic they’ve been & given the fact they’ve lost 8 of their 10 home league matches conceding 24 goals in the process.
Admittedly Liverpool are not the most fluent of sides & indeed they have had goalscoring problems but Liverpool do have quality players that should create enough opportunities against Bolton here to get the goals they need & a Liverpool win has to be the call here despite the tight odds.
Betting Recommendations:
Outright Match Result: LIVERPOOL to win 2-0/2-1
Correct Score options: LIVERPOOL to win 2-0/2-1
First Goalscorer each way/Players to score anytime: Gerrard/Kuyt/Carroll
Scorecast options: Gerrard/Kuyt/Carroll score 1st & Liverpool win 2-0/2-1
Double Result: LIVERPOOL H/T & F/T
Manchester City vs Tottenham – (Sunday 1.30pm)
The promotions people at Sky Sports really do love to big up all their games that they show on Sunday & often use the Sunday Super tag for what are sometimes quite ordinary games but there’s no doubting that this Sunday is a Super Sunday & this fascinating clash of title rivals Man City & Tottenham should get it all off to a flyer.
League leaders Manchester City put their 100% home league record on the line here against 3rd place Tottenham in a match that looks set to be a high octane, high quality battle that should provide 90 minutes of highly competitive, highly entertaining football for us all to enjoy.
Dzeko, Silva, Nasri, Aguero, Barry & Milner against Parker, Modric, Van Der Vaart, Defoe, Bale & Lennon just shows the depth of attacking quality on show in this game & then there is also two top class defences to throw into the mix as well so it really should be a really good battle this one.
This is a huge game & indeed a massive 3 points on offer here because I honestly believe if Manchester City win it is another massive step towards the title for them & also most probably a result that would put Tottenham out of the title race as they would be 8 points behind Man City & I just don’t see how they would close that gap back up after that.
So the pressure is on both Man City & Tottenham, both sides are packed with quality & both are definitely capable of winning this match so it’s guaranteed to be competitive & entertaining making a scoring draw a possibility but Manchester City are so strong at home in the league & I just see that home advantage being the decisive factor here & I’m taking Manchester City to get 3 truly massive points here.
Betting Recommendations:
Outright Match Result: MAN CITY to win
Correct Score options: Man City to win 2-0/2-1
First Goalscorer each way/Players to score anytime: Aguero/Dzeko/Silva
Scorecast options: Aguero/Dzeko/Silva score 1st & Man City win 2-0/2-1
Double Result: MAN CITY H/T & F/T
Arsenal vs Manchester United – (Sunday 4.00pm)
Round 2 of Super Sunday sees old rivals Arsenal & Manchester United take on each other in match that should provide great entertainment & should provide goals given the attacking quality on show & I’m certainly greatly looking forward to this one.
Admittedly Arsenal fans might not be looking forward to this match too much after the way they were completely outplayed & beaten by Swansea last weekend with serious & stupid defensive mistakes once again the major weakness in the Arsenal side & that has to be a huge concern for everybody connected to Arsenal.
The scary thing for Arsenal is if Swansea’s Dyer, Graham & Sinclair can do what they did to the Arsenal defence then what will the likes of Rooney, Valencia, Nani, Hernandez & Welbeck do with their lightning pace & technique in attack and if they turn up in top form it’s going to be a seriously tough & potentially painful afternoon for Arsenal.
The other scary factor for Arsenal is that Manchester United bring the very best Premier League away record into this game with 7 wins & 2 draws from their previous 10 away league matches with 19 goals scored & only 6 conceded so quite clearly based on those figures Arsenal are going to find it tough to stop United scoring & indeed find it hard to score against United.
So for me a key factor to this match will be how Sir Alex Ferguson approaches, if he selects the likes of Rooney, Hernandez, Nani, Valencia & Welbeck and sends United to go for it right from the kick off then I don’t see how Arsenal will stop United here but if he doesn’t do that & goes for a more containing, possession based performance then that will definitely keep Arsenal in the match.
The other vital key to this match will be who scores the first goal because if Manchester United score first & particularly if they score early I can envisage United just totally dominating this match but an opening goal for Arsenal will totally open the game up & set it up make any result possible.
The presence of Robin Van Persie does mean Arsenal definitely have somebody who can convert chances that come their way so Manchester United have to be careful & keep an eye on Van Persie but assuming they do that & indeed can force their own quality & pace onto the game then they’ve got an excellent chance to win the points here & in my opinion Manchester United look a big value bet get a massive win.
Betting Recommendations:
Outright Match Result: MANCHESTER UNITED to win
Correct Score options: Manchester United to win 2-1/3-1
First Goalscorer each way/Players to score anytime: Rooney/Nani/Hernandez
Scorecast options: Rooney/Nani/Hernandez score 1st & Manchester United win 2-1/3-1
Double Result: MANCHESTER UNITED H/T & F/T
Well those are my own independent views for this weekend & hopefully you find them interesting & informative in some way.
The idea behind the betting recommendations is to cover the main football betting markets hopefully they help guide you towards successful punts on what should prove to be another truly fascinating & dramatic set of Premier League matches.
Remember to check the latest team news before you bet & also to shop around for the best odds & best terms available and good luck with whatever bets you have.
Free £10 Bet
Free £20 Bet
Free £100 Bet
£50 Free Bet
Free £25 Bet
Free £25 Bet
Free £50 Bet
Free £10 Bet