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Birmingham v Arsenal, 5.30pm
Arsenal produced arguably their finest performance of the season to beat Chelsea on Monday and they will go into the encounter at St Andrews with plenty of confidence. Manchester United’s failure to beat Birmingham means that the Gunners are well and truly back in the Premier League title race and they are strong favourites at 4/6 (Paddy Power) to oblige with the three points as they did against City at the Emirates earlier in the campaign.
However, Birmingham are once again proving hard to beat in front of their own supporters and their draw with the Red Devils means that only Everton have recorded three points at St Andrews this season. The Blues have beaten Chelsea on home soil this term and can be backed at 9/2 (bet365) to claim another London scalp and elevate themselves to the middle of the Premier League table.
Nikola Zigic was instrumental in Birmingham’s late equaliser on Tuesday night and the Serbian might have done enough to earn a recall, especially as he scored against Arsenal a couple of months ago. Skybet make him a 10/1 to open the scoring, while Lee Bowyer seems to have a knack of scoring in the big matches and he’s an 18/1 chance with Paddy Power.
Arsenal may stick with Robin van Persie in attack for this match and he’s a 5/1 chance with Stan James to break the deadlock, while team-mate Marouane Chamakh is the same price with the same firm. It was Alex Song who was the first name on the scoresheet against Chelsea and the bookies might be taking a chance with their quote of 20/1 (Ladbrokes) about the midfielder.
Ultimately, most games at St Andrews are low-scoring encounters and Under 2.5 Goals is likely to prove a profitable bet at 17/20 (bet365), with a 1-0 Arsenal victory available at odds of 6/1 (Betfred).
Liverpool v Bolton, 3pm
Bolton might be riding high near the top of the Premier League this season and Liverpool might be treading water in mid-table. However, the simple fact is that the Reds have won the last eight encounters between the two teams and the latest of these was a 1-0 win at the Reebok in November. Wanderers could feasibly be the only team that Liverpool manage the double against this season and they can be backed at 8/13 (Paddy Power) to continue their hoodoo over Owen Coyle’s team.
Roy Hodgson’s team have only lost one match at Anfield this season and can be backed at 6/4 with Blue Square to lead at half-time and full-time in this game, although Bolton are noticeably more defensive on the road and perhaps the more attractive wager is the 7/2 with Ladbrokes that the game is level before the home side kick on for victory. That was what happened at the Reebok and another 1-0 win can be backed at 13/2 (Coral).
Nevertheless, Bolton gave a good account of themselves at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night and you can get rather large odds of 5/1 (Paddy Power) that they follow in the footsteps of Blackpool by winning at Anfield. Chung-Yong Lee could cause several problems for Paul Konchesky on the right flank and the south Korean catches the eye at 20/1 on William Hill’s First Goalscorer market.
It’s a game which could be equally as cagey as the reverse fixture that was played two months ago. Under 2.5 Goals can be backed at 21/20 (Coral) and anyone watching Liverpool’s match against Wolves on Wednesday will realise that there’s a lack of creativity on the part of the Merseyside outfit, especially with Steven Gerrard (6/1 Paddy Power) short of match fitness.
Manchester City v Blackpool, 3pm
If Blackpool win this match and their three games in hand, they would be just one point behind Manchester City. While this scenario is unlikely, you simply can’t write off the Tangerines in any match as they proved when producing a smash and grab raid to win 2-0 at Sunderland on Tuesday. Ian Holloway’s team are hard to defend against thanks to the manager’s insistence on playing attacking football and an away win should surely not be on offer at 12/1 (Skybet).
After all, only City themselves have won more away matches this season and Blackpool’s win at the Stadium of Light followed victories at Stoke, Liverpool, Wigan and Newcastle. They should also have landed a maximum haul at Bolton although their 25 points on the board means they are looking increasingly likely to stay in the Premier League. However, Roberto Mancini’s team put Aston Villa to the sword without Carlos Tevez on Tuesday and are bound to be a popular bet at 3/10 (Paddy Power).
Despite winning just half of their ten matches at Eastlands this term, Manchester City now have to be considered as title contenders, especially if Mario Balotelli can continue the excellent form he demonstrated against the Villans. The Italian plundered a hat-trick and can be backed at 4/1 (Coral) to score first in this match and a tasty 25/1 (Skybet) to manage another three-timer.
We should expect Carlos Tevez to be among the players starting the game and he’s a 16/1 chance (Ladbrokes) to score a hat-trick, with Blackpool not renowned for keeping clean sheets. The reverse fixture featured five goals and Over 2.5 Goals is unsurprisingly short at odds of 3/5 (bet365). It might be worth considering the 6/4 (Victor Chandler) that there are four or more goals again.
It shouldn’t be forgotten that Blackpool are unbeaten in five matches, even if several of these were actually played in November. You can back the visitors at 10/1 (Coral) on the Draw no Bet market.
Stoke City v Everton, 3pm
These teams occupy the middle rungs of the Premier League right now and the chances are that they will stay at around 10th and 11th come the end of the season. Both sides have demonstrated that they have the ability to beat any opponent on their day although their form has been blighted by inconsistency.
The Britannia Stadium can hardly be described as a fortress this season, with Stoke having lost four games in front of their own supporters, the latest of these against Fulham on Tuesday. Tony Pulis has now seen the Potters lose back-to-back games at home and City are 13/8 (Skybet) to land a much-needed victory at the Brit against a team who are pretty unpredictable at the moment.
David Moyes must surely be in the market for a striker during the January transfer window, especially when you consider that Tim Cahill was partnered by Marouane Fellaini at Upton Park on Tuesday night. However, the Toffees did recently win at Manchester City thanks to an excellent centre forward performance from their Australian and the Merseyside outfit are 19/10 (William Hill) to collect a maximum haul which will propel them into the top half of the table.
Cahill (6/1 Stan James) is the only player that can be relied upon to find the net for Everton, although Mikel Arteta is back from injury and Skybet offer 10/1 that the Spaniard breaks the deadlock. Kenwyne Jones is enduring something of a goal drought for the home team, although Ladbrokes go 6/1 that he opens the scoring.
Sunderland v Blackburn, 3pm
Very few predicted a Sunderland home defeat or a Blackburn away victory on Tuesday, although that’s exactly what happened. Steve Bruce’s team slipped up for the first time at home to Blackpool by losing 2-0 while Steve Kean enjoyed his first win as Rovers caretaker manager after the visitors ran out 3-1 victors at The Hawthorns.
Perhaps it’s the start of the good times at Ewood Park and they can be backed at 10/3 (Paddy Power) to continue that winning feeling at the Stadium of Light, although the supporters are still seething at the sacking of Sam Allardyce and it will be interesting to see whether certain members of the squad want to leave during the January transfer window. Rovers will also be without the suspended Nikola Kalinic and it means that Mame Biram Diouf (8/1 Ladbrokes) is likely to play as the lone forward.
Sunderland actually played quite well against the Tangerines and had over 20 shots registered despite not finding the net. The Black Cats are even money (Betfred) to bounce back by landing their sixth home win of the season as they look to stay in the hunt for a Europa League place next term. It’s been five matches since Darren Bent found the net for his team, although the England striker is 4/1 (Paddy Power) to open the scoring in this match.
Tottenham v Fulham, 3pm
Spurs supporters must still be pinching themselves that the team has been transformed from relegation contenders to Premier League title challengers in the space of two seasons. When Harry Redknapp took charge, Tottenham were bottom of the league, although the club are now involved in the Champions League and firmly in the hunt to repeat their top four success.
Christmas wins over Aston Villa and Newcastle mean that the north London outfit sit in fourth place and they are a best price 4/9 (Paddy Power) to win this London derby and complete a double over the Cottagers. Spurs are arguably the most entertaining team in the Premier League right now and that’s partly down to the talented Rafael van der Vaart who will be a popular bet with Coral at 4/1.
The Dutchman and Gareth Bale are the two main reasons why Tottenham retain an outside hope of winning the Premier League this season and the latter is 8/1 (Skybet) to score first. However, this is a Fulham team with fire in their bellies and the recent 2-0 win at Stoke was pretty impressive considering how limp their performance had been at home to West Ham.
The visitors are 8/1 (Coral) to win at White Hart Lane and it’s worth keeping an eye out for a certain defender on the First Goalscorer market. Chris Baird had failed to score in his first 56 games for Fulham, although the northern Irishman bagged a brace against Stoke and can be backed at 50/1 with Paddy Power to break the deadlock in this match.
Perhaps Spurs will simply prove too classy and they certainly have plenty of momentum going into this match, even if Jermain Defoe and Younes Kaboul are both suspended. Paddy Power go 11/10 that Redknapp’s side lead at half-time and full-time and we should remember that Fulham’s away form was pretty woeful until that win at Stoke.
West Brom v Manchester United, 12.45pm
Manchester United’s failure to win away matches continues, although you won’t find a bookie offering anything like even money about the Red Devils winning at The Hawthorns. Once again, Sir Alex Ferguson’s team conceded a late goal on the road at St Andrews on Tuesday which means that the Premier League leaders have just one win from eight games away from Old Trafford.
Perhaps they will take advantage of an Albion side who are slowly slipping down the table and are now just three points above the relegation zone. United are 4/7 with Stan James to collect a maximum haul, although we should remember that Roberto Di Matteo’s side managed to draw at Old Trafford two months ago and the Midlands side would be delighted to land another point which is on offer at 3/1 (Victor Chandler).
Some will consider that the Baggies are way too big at 6/1 (Coral), especially as they have won four home matches this season and are likely to be cheered on by a passionate home crowd. They will have to improve defensively after that 3-1 home reverse to Blackburn on Tuesday, especially with Dimitar Berbatov in such excellent form. The Bulgarian is 9/2 with Paddy Power to break the deadlock for the third Manchester United game running.
Wayne Rooney’s performance against Birmingham was pretty ordinary and the scouser must be wondering if he’s ever going to score from open play again. Skybet offer 4/1 that he breaks the deadlock, although the manager will hoping that Nani (7/1 Paddy Power) is fit to play and the Portuguese winger adds plenty of creative flair.
West Ham v Wolves, 3pm
There are relegation six-pointers and then there is the game at Upton Park on Saturday. This match is crucially important to both teams, especially as both have been occupying a place in the bottom three of the Premier League table for most of the season, although there are green shoots of recovery for each side at the moment.
Wolves produced a fine performance at Anfield on Wednesday night to beat Liverpool and leapfrog the Hammers, with another victory likely to whisk them out of the relegation zone at long last. Mick McCarthy’s team are 3/1 (Victor Chandler) to claim a maximum haul and confidence will be at an all-time high going into this game, especially as Wanderers seemed down and out following that home defeat to Wigan.
Similarly, West Ham have got themselves back into contention thanks to draws against Blackburn and Everton sandwiching a 3-1 win at Fulham and Avram Grant can also see light at the end of the tunnel for his team. The home side are strong favourites at even money with Paddy Power to get themselves back off the foot of the Premier League.
With both teams desperate for a maximum haul, it’s possible that they will cancel each other out and bet365 offer 12/5 that this match ends all square. The 1-1 scoreline can be backed at 6/1 with Blue Square, although Carlton Cole could be a good First Goalscorer bet at 11/2 (William Hill), with the striker almost certain to be recalled to the starting line-up.