Archived Premiership Football Betting Tips (31st December 2005)

Villa may have battered Everton after getting the benefit of a dodgy handball no-decision and battled hard for a point at Craven Cottage but their defence looks fragile and their strikers don't look especially confident in front of goal. They have only 3 wins from 9 home games and are going to have to be on form if they are to get anything against an Arsenal side who seem to be starting a good run of form themselves. They managed only their 2nd away win of the season at Charlton and then hammered Portsmouth 4-0 midweek; their only worry is that Henry has not been 100% fit for some time because of an achilles injury but is playing on regardless. If Arsenal's confidence has picked up enough away from home they should take the Villa.

Charlton can't win for toffee at the moment and were spared another certain defeat after the game at Newcastle was postponed late on; the irony being they still had to travel the length of the country. They have 6 defeats at home from 9 games and will be without key midfield man Danny Murphy after his dismissal against Arsenal. West Ham will be up for this local derby especially after successive defeats at home to Newcastle and Wigan. The Hammers have only lost 3 away games and they have the personnel to take advantage of Charlton's current plight.

After 9 successive Premiership wins, Liverpool are really setting the pace behind Chelsea. Their tight defence has set the foundations for what is now an accomplished attack with Crouch linking well with Gerrard and whoever else may partner him in attack, be it Cisse or Morientes. West Brom are going from strength to strength at home but on the road they are yet to secure a victory. The Baggie of the moment is Kanu after a brace against Spurs but Robson is unlikely to guarantee him a starting place as he has plenty of strikers to choose from. Liverpool to make it a 10th successive win.

United stumbled at St. Andrews by dropping 2 points and Sir Alex won't be happy; he'll be putting the wind up his players before Bolton's visit on Saturday. United have only lost once at home this season but it will be the 3 draws that will concern the manager and if they are to stay in touch with leaders Chelsea and rivals Liverpool they will have to maximise points from every game. Bolton are a bit of a bogey side for United and have won 2 out of the last 4 visits to Old Trafford. Additionally they have had the week off after faulty undersoil heating meant they had to postpone their game with Boro; this may benefit them short term but the fixture congestion long term combined with the UEFA Cup and absent players due to the African Nations Cup could all work to Bolton's detriment. This one's a close call but the potency of Rooney and van Nistelrooy up front carry enough threat to make them likely winners.

Boro may have got a midweek break after their game at Bolton was called off but 2 defeats on the bounce at home to Blackburn won't have Steve McLaren's team full of confidence for the visit of Man City to the Riverside. Boro may still be in the UEFA Cup but some things come at a price and their league position reflects this with them only 3 place clear of the drop zone. City may have lost at Wigan and were narrowly edged out at home by Chelsea but they have shown in recent games that thay have a knack for taking advantage of poorer opposition in terms of putting goals past them; additionally only conceding the single goal to Chelsea indicates a tightening of their own defence. City to get a vital away win.

Portsmouth may have got a pasting at Highbury but Harry was definitely thinking more about Saturday's fixture; thinking that a defeat to Arsenal was most likely he rested key players and they should return for this vital game against Fulham. Harry admitted when he took over (again) at Portsmouth that a key to survival was making Fratton Park a fortress again. Fulham are only 4 places and 6 points above relegation placed Portsmouth and are 1 of only 2 teams in the Premiership yet to secure an away win; the other being West Brom. Too often they are ahead but concede too many in the latter stages of games; a little more experience is probably required in the heart of Fulham's defence. Pompey to get another vital home win.

Sunderland may be rock bottom with only 6 points, 7 points adrift of closest placed Birmingham and without a home win to date but they may just have a chance to change that against an Everton side that concede goals like water through a sieve. Sunderland managed to keep out Bolton for a point in what was an improved performance and will need to battle hard to do the same against Everton but the side from Goodison will be without Phil Neville and Mikel Arteta after being sent off in the Merseyside derby. Everton have conceded 13 goals in losing their last 4 matches and lost 6 of their 10 away games and are a side under pressure, more so than Sunderland after an exceptional season last year. Sunderland to improve their position a little whilst making Everton's a little less palatable.