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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:

Portsmouth have scored two goals in two of the last three matches. Blackburn have only failed to score on one occasion. Doubles: Portsmouth 0—-Blackburn 1

MARKET:

Portsmouth: 2 wins–Draws: 1–Blackburn: 3 wins (goal difference: 9/8)

MARKET: Correct Score

2 x 0-1

MARKET: First team to score

Portsmouth: 2—-Blackburn: 4

MARKET: Even or odd total of goals:

Even: 1—-Odd: 5

This match between Portsmouth & Blackburn looks like a typical end of season encounter with both sides having very little to play for & that definitely makes it tough to call.
Portsmouth have just about had the worst season imaginable with the F.A. Cup their only positive distraction & with an F.A. Cup Semi Final coming up next week against Tottenham, another Premier League match means nothing to them.

With relegation looking a certainty for Portsmouth all season & confirmed in recent weeks, Premier League matches have become nothing more than a meaningless event for Portsmouth & while the players have continued to show pride, performances in the league have been lifeless.

Admittedly Portsmouth did produce an amazing fight back to beat Hull City 3-2 here but that is the only game in the last 6 where Portsmouth have done anything & the players are unlikely to push to hard in this match with Wembley only a week away.

Blackburn Rovers come here with Premier League safety secured for another season & just looking to finish as strong as possible their pride will ensure they compete & do the best they can.

Blackburn Rovers may have nothing more than pride to play for but Sam Allardyce’s team are in form with 2 wins & a draw in their last 3 games so team confidence is high.

Away form has been a saw point for Blackburn all season but they got a huge win away win against Burnley last weekend & they will feel they can certainly come here & have a real go at getting another away win here.

This game is highly unlikely to be a footballing classic & it won’t really matter to anybody outside of Portsmouth or Blackburn but it should be competitive & potentially quite physical with Blackburn Rovers looking a value bet to edge this & take another 3 points on their travels.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Blackburn Rovers to win

Correct Score predictions: Blackburn Rovers to win 2-0/2-1

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

Scorecast options: Dunn/Kalinic/Pedersen score 1st & Blackburn win 2-0/2-1

Double Result: Blackburn 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:

This is a new Premier League fixture. Blackburn won the reverse fixture via a 3-2 score-line earlier this season, All time league record: Burnley: 33–Draws: 13–Blackburn: 37

MARKET:

N/A

MARKET: Correct Score

N/A

MARKET: First team to score

N/A

MARKET: Even or odd total of goals:

N/A

A good healthy portion of very hot n’spicy Lancashire Hot Pot looks set to be on the menu here as bitter local rivals Burnley & Blackburn Rovers clash in what is a truly massive game.
Whenever these two bitter rivals clash, it does not matter what is at stake in terms of whether it be a league match or a cup tie, the hatred & animosity both sides feel for each other is incredibly fierce & will never fade so we are expecting this to be a real tough, physical clash.

In terms of who has the greater need to win this match then Burnley most definitely do because they are in a truly desperate situation & the true facts are that failure to win this will deliver another potentially fatal blow to their Premier League survival hopes.

Burnley simply have to win this match & as many of their remaining games as possible to have any chance of surviving so the pressure is definitely on but at least it means they know they have to go all out for the win & to their credit that is what Burnley always try to do.

Home form has been Burnley’s only saviour this season & that combined with the local derby factor will certainly have the Burnley players confident & determined but whether they have enough left to win this has to be doubtful given how their recent results have gone.

Sam Allardyce has once again done a great job in keeping Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League & now that safety is secure, he will really want to add an away victory against Burnley to really give the Blackburn fans something to celebrate.

Blackburn’s away form has been shockingly poor with only 6 points gained from a possible 45 & they have conceded 36 goals but now they are safe that does not really matter & the Blackburn players can certainly go into this game positive & relaxed with the pressure taken off.

Confidence levels within the Blackburn Rovers side should be very high after an excellent draw against Chelsea & a big win against Birmingham City so we do expect Blackburn to be really positive in this match & it should make for a good game.

This match should be an absolute cracker because the fans will make the sure the atmosphere is red hot & there is every chance the Burnley & Blackburn players will do so on the pitch so any result is possible but a really competitive, scoring draw looks a value bet worth taking here.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: DRAW

Correct Score Options: 1-1/2-2

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Fletcher/Nugent/Pedersen

Scorecast options: Fletcher/Nugent/Pedersen score 1st & 1-1/2-2

Double Result: DRAW H/T & F/T

The pressure is really on now throughout the entire Premier League as teams chase the title, Champions League places, european places & even fighting to avoid relegation so there is everything to play with these midweek games of massive importance to everybody concerned.
There are 5 massively important Premier League games taking places over tuesday & wednesday night and here are our thoughts on those matches & the value bets we think are worth consideration:

West Ham United vs Wolves – (Tuesday 8.00pm)

Intense relegation battle, high pressure 6 pointer, whichever way we look at this game between West Ham & Wolves there can be escaping how vital it is to everybody involved.

18th place West Ham & 17th place Wolves clash here in a game where the rewards for winning are massive step closer to Premier League safety & cost of failure is anoter step closer to relegation.

It is one of those classic must win but can’t lose matches that become a regular occurrance at this high pressure stage of the season as teams fight for their future with everything at stake.

West Ham United & Wolves are down near the bottom of the league & in danger of relegation because they have not been good enough throughout the season & have lacked quality in all areas but all that can be forgotten & the only thing that matters here is what happens on the night.

Tactically both teams are set up to be positive, attacking sides & both West Ham United & Wolves have to view this as a massive chance to gain 3 vital points so we really do expect both sides to have a real go here.

Gianfranco Zola showed the importance of this match by resting several key players against Arsenal & we fully expect the likes of Mark Noble, Scott Parker, Carlton Cole & Benni McCarthy to return to the West Ham United starting line-up & that will certainly boost their chances.

West Ham United have to win games & achieve points in their home match so we expect West Ham to really go for this with a high tempo start, look for the early goal & then use that advantage to force Wolves out.

Mick McCarthy has a very simple approach with his Wolves side with a commitment of maximum effort & endeavour in every game and see where it gets them at the end of the match.

Now that might sound to simplistic assessment of Wolves but it is accurate as they are a side with no real obvious quality but an abundance of players who have the drive & determination to give their best every game & at this stage of the season that is a massive plus as they showed by getting an excellent draw at Aston Villa.

Wolves are not the type of side to try & defend by keeping it tight so we also expect them to have a got here which should really open this game up & particularly later on in the match.

Both West Ham & Wolves have to look to get a win or at least something positive from this match so it looks certain to be an open game with anything possible but home advantage could well be massive here & we are taking West Ham United to be lifted by their crowd & take 3 absolutely massive points here.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: West Ham United to win

Correct Score options: West Ham United to win 2-1/3-1

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Cole/Noble/McCarthy

Scorecast options: Cole/Noble/McCarthy score 1st & West Ham United 2-1/2-1

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

Aston Villa vs Sunderland – (Wednesday 7.45pm)

Sometimes it pays in football betting to ignore the obvious statistics, discard the form & just follow your gut instinct and for us this is one of those matches.

Aston Villa with only 2 home league defeats all season & unbeaten at home since late december are rated 1/2 shots to win this & take on a Sunderland side rated at 11/2 chances with only 1 away win all season & an average of 2 goals conceded in every away game.

Aston Villa are still in the mix for finishing 4th & taking the Champions League place while Sunderland continue to secure their Premier League status so clearl the 3 points matter the same to both sides.

Those statistics deserve respect & certainly make the odds look acceptable so why is is then do we have a feeling Sunderland can actually win this match & are a worth a bet to do so.

Well the first thing is that Aston Villa were rated 4/9 shots to beat lowly Wolves at home on saturday & could only struggle to a 2-2 draw thanks to a late equaliser and they have failed on a number of occasions at home to deliver when odds on to do so.

The signs were not good for Aston Villa during that game as they struggled badly against a limited Wolves side & overall Aston Villa just looked like a very tired side struggling to handle the pressure of the situation & the number of games they have played recently.

Obviously to win this match Sunderland have to go to Aston Villa & have the quality to score goals, get a lead & hold on to that lead which has obviously been a huge struggle for them but perhaps this could just be the right time to play Aston Villa.

Sunderland come into this match with a very good current form record with only 1 defeat in their last 8 premier league matches & with Darren Bent firing in the goals again, Sunderland have the look of a decent side again & ready to improve their poor away form.

Obviously Aston Villa will look to bounce back here & it will not be easy for Sunderland in this match but in our view Aston Villa look vulnerable & that makes an in form Sunderland side with a potent Darren Bent look a value bet to cause a shock & get the away win

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Sunderland to win

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

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Bent/Jones/Malbranque

Scorecast options: Bent/Jones/Malbranque score 1st & Sunderland win 2-1/3-1

Double Result: Sunderland H/T & F/T

Manchester City vs Everton – (Wednesday 7.45pm)

This looks a truly fascinating contest with Champions League chasing Manchester City welcoming a bang in form Everton side & it really should be a competitive, physically intense match.

The betting market for this match has Manchester City as slightly odds-on favourites to win & given they so far have an unbeaten home league record of 9 wins & 4 draws with an average of over 2.5 goals scored per home match those odds do look fair.

On the other hand, Everton’s odds of 10/3 to win might look a little short judged on their poor overall away form but judged on their excellent recent form those odds might look very generous to others.

Of course there is also the draw priced up at 9/4 & that might be a tempting option given how competitive this match is going to be & how talented both squads are.

Both Manchester City & Everton are sides packed full with top class talent as Manchester City can boast Tevez, Wright-Phillips, Bellamy, Barry, Santa Cruz & Everton bring the likes of Arteta, Cahill, Saha, Yakubu & Piennaar so there is nothing to choose between them in terms of talent.

Manchester City & Everton both also come into this match in excellent form with Manchester City have had that stunning 4-2 win at Chelsea & an excellent win away at Fulham while Everton really are hitting their best form & come here totally confident as well so this looks a real coin flip in our minds.

Manchester City deserve to be favourites given the strength of their home form & Everton have to respected given their excellent recent form so that does make a scoring draw very tempting option but we are going to take a chance on Everton edging this & their odds make them a worthy value bet to take the points.

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: Cahill/Arteta/Saha

Scorecast options: Cahill/Arteta/Saha score 1st & Everton win 2-0/2-1

Double Result: Everton H/T & F/T

Portsmouth vs Chelsea – (Wednesday 7.45pm)

Without being disrespectful to a Portsmouth side who have shown tremendous heart & spirit in recent weeks, this game only really evolves around Chelsea & their need to bounce straight back to winning form.

The blow of losing to Inter Milan & going out of the Champions League was a tremendously powerful one for the Chelsea squad & management & that was multiplied further by the major disappointment of only drawing against Blackburn on sunday.

Quite simply Chelsea have to win this to stay in the Premier League title race & that should be the most important factor which should ultimately determine the final result in Chelsea’s favour.

Portsmouth are not completely & totally dismissed because they are showing unbelievable spirit & fight at present in all of their games but they are bottom because they deserve to be & because they lack the quality.

Chelsea’s undoubted quality has not been seen in the last couple of performances & while the pressure is intensifying on them to win matches, Chelsea have enough quality & experience within their side to travel to this game, put on a performance and win the game.

The Portsmouth fans & players will be up for this one but so will the Chelsea players because failure to win this will be an almost fatal blow to their title hopes so we expect Chelsea to make their extra quality pay & take the points.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Chelsea to win

Correct Score options: Chelsea to win 2-0/3-0

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

Scorecast options: Drogba/Lampard/Anelka score 1st & Chelsea win 2-0/3-0

Double Result: Chelsea H/T & F/T

Blackburn Rovers vs Birmingham City – (Wednesday 8.00pm)

In terms of trophies, european places or relegation fights then neither Blackburn Rovers or Birmingham City have nothing to play for as both are safe & will most probably finish were they are now but that won’t stop this being a full blooded, competitive battle on the night.

Sam Allardyce & Alex McCleish are two intensely proud men who take immense pride in making their sides intensely competitive, determined & a will to give everything in every match no matter what is at stake so we expect much the same here.

Blackburn Rovers come into this match with the terrific boost of gaining a hard earned but deserved point against Chelsea & their excellent home form gives them every reason to be confident.

Blackburn Rovers have an excellent home record this season with only 2 defeats from 15 home league matches with an average of less than 1 goal conceded per match.

Sam Allardyce is committed to finishing the season strong & certainly wants to maintain their excellent home form so we are expecting another strong, determined performance from Blackburn in this match & they should prove to be extremely hard to beat.

Alex McCleish & his Birmingham City players have already achieved their seasons target with Premier League status secured a long time ago but McCleish is not the type of man to rest on that & he will want to push Birmingham City on right to the end of the season.

Birmingham City are 9th in the table now & will almost certainly finish their but the remaining games are still important to Birmingham City because they are a club who pride themselves on giving 100% in every single match & that is what we expect them to do here in this one.

Birmingham City have built their season on being well organised, committed & an incredible team spirit which has made them incredibly competitive in almost all of their matches & hard to beat so they will certainly give Blackburn a test although their recent away form is a concern.

Portsmouth did win away at Portsmouth recently but they have lost their other 4 away matches in recent times & that has to be a concern going up against a Blackburn Rovers side with such a strong home record & a draw looks likely to be the best Birmingham City can achieve here.

Now this game is unlikely to be about world class, flowing football & much more likely to be about physical commitment, solid team play & effort so a draw is a tempting option but Blackburn Rovers home record is impressive & so at a shade of odds against Blackburn Rovers do look a great bet to get another home win.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Blackburn Rovers win

Correct Score options: Blackburn Rovers win 2-0/2-1

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

Scorecast options: Pedersen/Kalinic/Diouf score 1st & Blackburn Rovers win 2-0/2-1

Double Result: Blackburn Rovers 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:

Blackburn comes to the gig on a hat trick whilst the home side have scored in all five games to date. Birmingham have scored in four of the five matches but have only claimed three of the fifteen points on offer. The visitors have yet to open the scoring. Doubles: Neither team has beaten their opponents both home and away in a single season to date.

MARKET:

Blackburn: 2 wins–Draws: 3–Birmingham: No wins (goal difference: 9-6)

MARKET: Correct Score

2 x 1-1

MARKET: First team to score

Blackburn: 5—-Birmingham: 0

MARKET: Even or odd total of goals:

Even: 4—-Odd: 1

These are the type of games that can define title run-ins & Chelsea know they travel to Blackburn Rovers facing a very tough match that will be a fascinating test of both physical & mental strength.
In fact Blackburn Rovers could have an absolutely massive say in the title race because they still have to play Chelsea, Man United & Arsenal at home and how those results go could determine who win the league.

Blackburn Rovers are 10 points clear of the relegation zone so they are basically safe already but that won’t affect Sam Allardyce as he will be determined that Blackburn go for it against Chelsea & look to extend their excellent home record.

Blackburn have only lost 2 home league matches this season with a fantastic return of 8 wins & 4 draws & they are certainly a complete different side at home to what they are away.

A big part in Blackburn’s excellent home form has been their organisation & strength in defence with only 12 goals conceded so far in 14 home matches & they have kept 6 cleans sheets so they will be confident they can test Chelsea here.

This is an absolutely huge game for Chelsea & a massive test of character coming directly after the major disappointment of being knocked out of the Champions League by Inter Milan.

That defeat was obviously a big blow to Chelsea but they cannot afford to dwell on that & they must now concentrate on the Premier League & the best way to do that is to go for the win in this one.

Chelsea have not been at their best away from home this season with a few surprise defeats & draws along the way so that is a concern but the importance of the 3 points should really focus the Chelsea players & we expect them to be very positive here.

The other big test for Chelsea is the fact that Arsenal & Manchester United could well have both won by the time this game kicks off & that will add more extra pressure so Chelsea’s mental strength will be the key to this match.

This is a fascinating match to call because Chelsea are definitely vulnerable with all the pressure they are under & especially given Blackburn’s strength at home so it is a tight call.

It is incredibly tempting to go for a draw given everything involved & at the prices some will be tempted to back Blackburn to win but Chelsea have to respond here & we are taking their extra quality in the key areas to give them a narrow & vital win.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Chelsea to win

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

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

Scorecast options: Lampard/Drogba/Anelka score 1st & Chelsea 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:

Frank Lampard has scored three goals in this fixture of late whilst Anelka has chipped in with another two for the visitors. Blackburn have scored just one goal in the last five games whilst Chelsea have won the last three. The last draw played out was a 0-0 affair back April 2002. Blackburn have scored two or more goals seven times whilst Chelsea have scored a maximum of one goal on ten occasions. Blackburn secured just two of the twelve points which were available via four half time drawing scenarios compared to Chelsea

The Sky TV cameras will be at White Hart Lane to cover this fascinating clash of Tottenham & Blackburn Rovers in what looks set to based upon a clash of opposing home & away records.

Tottenham are as short as 2/5 to win this match & Blackburn as big as 7/1 so there is no escaping who the bookies believe will win & quick look at the league table tells us why.

Tottenham are 4th in the Premier League with a home record of only 9 wins & 2 draws from 14 matches with 30 goals scored which is average of more than 2 per game & only 9 conceded.

Blackburn come into this match with a directly opposite record with only 1 win & 3 draws from their 14 away matches with only 9 goals scored & 33 conceded.

Now football is never as simple as that & particularly at this stage of the season but Tottenham’s impressive home record against Blackburn’s terrible away record look the key factor to this match.

Tottenham currently hold 4th place & they will certainly want to give everything in this match to get the win & keep themselves in that position so we are expecting a really positive performance from Tottenham here.

Tottenham have an excellent balance of quality throughout the team & have been playing with confidence of late & we are expecting a fluent, attacking display from Tottenham in this one.

The one concern about backing Tottenham at odds on is their previous failures to beat the likes of Wolves, Hull City & Stoke City when rated at similar odds & in fact all three of those sides stopped Tottenham scoring & 2 of them actually won.

Sam Allardyce has openly admitted that Blackburn Rovers will struggle to pick up points away from home & although he is committed to trying to improve that, facts are facts & the truth is Blackburn Rovers have just not been anywhere good enough away from home.

We are expecting Sam Allardyce to set Blackburn up to try & frustrate Tottenham when they are in possession & try to control them to deny them the space to attack but whether they can actually pull that off is an entirely different matter.

Blackburn struggle to keep clean sheets & to score goals away from home so it is very tough to imagine how Blackburn can do enough to win this match & even a draw looks a very tough challenge here.

The to this match will be how Blackburn cope defensively against the quality from Tottenham with Defoe, Crouch, Krancjar, Modric & the re-juvenated Pavlychenko all more than capable of causing Blackburn major problems & scoring goals.

We are expecting this to be physically competitive & Blackburn Rovers will look to control Tottenham but Tottenham’s desire & need for the 3 points is stronger, their home record is very impressive & overall they have much more quality which all combines to make Tottenham look a very solid bet to win this.

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/Krancjar

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

Double Result: Tottenham 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:

Blackburn have scored five goals in the last four games but the effort has barely been worthwhile as the visitors secured just four of the twelve available points. Tottenham have failed to score more than one goal in seven of the last eight matches, although they did secure four victories and two draws during the period. Punters wanting to avail themselves of the draw should consider that odds of less than 4/1 are not appropriate as just twenty per cent of the ninety league matches between the two sides have finished all square (Tottenham lead 40-32). Doubles: Tottenham 1—-Blackburn 2

MARKET:

Tottenham: 7 wins–Draws: 3–Blackburn: 5 wins (goal difference: 18-19)

MARKET: Correct Score

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

MARKET: First team to score

Tottenham: 7—-Blackburn: 6 (2 x 0-0 draws)

MARKET: Even or odd total of goals:

Even: 6—-Odd: 9