Archived Premiership Football Betting Tips (14th January 2006)

City have endured somewhat of a malaise over the festive period and were it not for a Fowler hat trick in the FA Cup things might be worse. They didn't seem to get out of bed for the game against Spurs; that is except for David Sommeil who is suspended for this game after a horror tackle on Lee Young Pwo. Ben Thatcher is also out. United may be visiting Eastlands on the back of 2 cup draws but they have a formidable away record in the Premiership having lost just the once in 11 fixtures. They have players coming back from injury and have 2 new defensive additions in Evra and Vidic so the outlook is promising; just the midfield needs bolstering now. These tense derby games don't always go the way they're expected to and there should be some bite with Barton and Smith mixing it up. On form United have to backed.

Arsenal have only dropped 5 points at home all season nd have had the luxury of giving players like Henry and Pires a rest in recent matches. Despite a mediocre start to the season by their standards, Arsenal are still in 5th place and more than capable of catching the the teams above them excepting Chelsea of course. Boro's fixture intensive season so far is already showing signs of biting them on the backside and they are slipping perilously close to the relegation places; they only managed a draw against Newcastle after being gifted 2 goals by the woeful Magpies' defence. McLaren has also had to recall Ehiogu from a possible move to West Brom after injury to Southgate whilst Schwarzer and Hasselbaink are rumoured to be on their way out of the Riverside. Arsenal should roll out comfortable winners.

Fulham were one of only 2 Premiership sides to exit the FA Cup in the 3rd round after failing to avoid defeat at home to Leyton Orient. Newcastle managed marginally better at home to Mansfield but only thanks to an Alan Shearer goal that equalled Jackie Milburn's scoring record of 200 goals. Fulham have 6 wins from 10 games at home and have only dropped 2 points in their last 6; the signing of Niemi can only be beneficial and has shown a Coleman's shrewdness in the transfer market. Newcastle's record on the road has been invariably poor with only 7 defeats from 11 games and with the injury crisis that has rocked St James Park, it's difficult to see Souness's side getting anything away from this game, especially given how charitable they tend to be at the back.

Liverpool were in the draw for the next round of the FA Cup after playing in the game of the third round at Luton; although they conceded 3 goals which is unusual for the Reds the performance showed their resilience and they can't be underestimated. They have won all of their last 6 home games and Spurs have a big task to get anything from the game, especially considering the way they threw the game away at Leicester and that King, Davids and Mido are all unavailable. Without these 3 players down Spurs' spine, opponents will probably find them easier to break down but their biggest ask will be to score as Liverpool have only conceded 4 at home all season. Difficult to see anything but a Liverpool win.

Portsmouth may now be without the services of Laurent Robert (no loss there) but Harry has signed Polish striker, Olisadebe, and is rumoured to be in the market for several Spurs players on the fringe of the first 11. Portsmouth have taken 7 points from their last 3 home games and a turnaround in fortunes at Fratton Park is what Harry has set his first sights on. Obviously he wants to clear out some of the dead wood and bring in some players of his own but if he can make their home ground a fortress once again they should stay up. Everton are only 3 places above Portsmouth and have lost 6 of their 11 away games; they either lose heavily or scrape single goal victories against the run of play. Things can come good for Pompey and they should edge out the visitors.

Only 1 place and 2 points separate these two sides although Bolton have a game in hand but currently they seem to be heading in opposite directions. Blackburn have worked hard in climbing the league little by little whilst Bolton seem to be fading a touch after a good start; probably affected by the fixture congestion made worse by their participation in the UEFA Cup. Blackburn have only lost once at home in their last 6 where as Bolton have been a mixed bag away from home with only 4 wins from 10 games. Blackburn will have some added confidence after recent results and have the players available to make their hard-working system pay dividends against a Bolton side that will have key players away at the African Cup of Nations.

Wigan may be decimated by injuries but they showed against Arsenal in the Carling Cup that they are still capable of putting in decent performances and it is their work ethic that is getting them results; it was a bonus that new signing Paul Scharner popped up with the winner. In a few previous games and in the first half against Arsenal, Wigan haven't been up to their usual standards but a blast from Paul Jewell at half-time sorted things out. Bearing in mind their injuries Dave Whelan may even decide to splash some cash on players as they are performing beyond expectations in 6th place. West Brom are still to win away from home and were hoping to complete the signing of Ehiogu until Southgate broke his ankle. To avoid becoming entangled in the relegation dogfight they need to start winning away but only 3 points and 3 goals from 10 games tells its own story. Wigan to beat the Baggies despite their injuries.