Archived Premiership Football Betting Tips (4th March 2006)

Villa's home form has been poor but not as poor as Portsmouth's away form; this one could go either way especially given Villa's defensive crisis. Villa have only taken 1 win from their last 6 home games and with goal shy strikers Angel and Baros off colour, one of them could make way for Luke Moore or Kevin Phillips. Portsmouth have only 2 away wins in the Premiership this season and are on a big losing run but they gave a fairly good account of themselves at Stamford Bridge despite the absence of Stefanovic and given Villa's current home form, Portsmouth could definitely scrap for a point. I doubt Villa can be pulled back into the relegation dogfight now; not to say that they will be taking it easy but Pompey may be more up for it and have probably pencilled this one is as potential point(s) to take back to Fratton Park. A draw looks likely.

There is always the threat that Arsenal are going to rediscover some form away from home but it remains to be seen whether Fulham will succumb; Blackburn succeeded in beating Arsenal last weekend through endeavour and hard work but are Fulham up to the task? Fulham have very good home form with 9 wins from 13 games but they will need to be very organised and will have to concentrate for 90 minutes if they are to thwart Arsenal. The Gunners still have the equivalent of a whole back four out and have lost 8 times on the road this season; they tend to overplay and don't always take chances when they first present themselves, the flip side being a serious winning margin if everything comes off. It's always dangerous to stick your neck out but Fulham's home form could carry the day.

It was only several weeks ago that Charlton beat Liverpool at the Valley but Liverpool have been on a good run of form since then with single goal victories over Wigan, Arsenal, United and City. Sissoko's well pubicised eye injury means he is out for the rest of the season but Hamann is more than an adequate replacement. There has also been much publicity over the number of the games Liverpool have played this season, given their Champions League qualification and the World Club Championships; sooner or later they are bound to feel the pace. Charlton's away form has dipped considerably since a purple patch at the start of the season and they have only taken 2 points from their last 6 away games; Darren Bent seems to be their only serious goal threat and with nothing to really play for this season the shock of a double over Liverpool remains unlikely. Liverpool to win by a single goal.

Due to Spurs' early exit from both cups they have only played 3 games in 4 weeks but they have only taken 5 points from a possible 9; despite the lack of wins they should be well rested and will be looking to consolidate the last Champions League spot in 4th place. Blackburn are right behind them and a 3 point gap means this game should be fiercely contested. Blackburn have more about them when it comes to scrapping for a result and have lost their last two away. Spurs however need to learn to kill off teams when they're ahead as they have dropped points too often towards the end of games. With only one loss at White Hart Lane, Spurs should start favourites but beware the last 10 minutes if they are not at least 2 goals ahead because this is where they have looked vulnerable this season. Spurs to edge what should be an exciting match.

A re-run of the Carling Cup final at the JJB is unlikely to produce a dissimilar result. Wigan have shown that they have not been out of their depth at the highest level but two 4-0 beatings by United already this season will have the Wigan faithful looking forward to this with some trepidation. The players will be hurting after the final loss and the suspicion is that Wigan will set out primarily to stop United playing but sometimes this can work to your detriment; players like Rooney can usually find space whatever the opposition. Saha faced the Latics at Cardiff but van Nistelrooy is likely to replace him for the Premiership rematch. Chelsea apart, United have the best away form in the Premiership with 8 wins from 14 games and are sure to start favourites.