Archived Premiership Football Betting Tips (13th January 2007)

Watford may be bottom of the pile and virtually guaranteed to drop down to the Championship, but at Vicarage Road they have proved a tough act to beat and only lost 3 times; by the same token they have only secured 1 victory but the Hornets aren't the walkover some opponents have expected. Much speculation has surrounded the possible departure of Ashley Young but Boothroyd will be desperate to hang on to one of the few players that has shown Premiership quality. Prior to the recent week of Cup action Liverpool had complemented their virtually unblemished home record with 3 wins from 4 on the road. However, the Gunners then paid 2 visits to Anfield and knocked the Reds out of both cups, the second being their heaviest defeat at home since 1930, and against Arsenal's reserves. To be fair, Benitez didn't play his best side but they were so poor the problems could have further repercussions; Benitez's team selection was awful and to say they were defensively naive and uncommitted is an understatement. Given the mess they are in and a pretty poor away record this season, Watford stand a chance of getting something.

Bolton may have slipped to 5th after the defeat at Anfield but their recent Premiership form at the Reebok is good with 4 wins from their last 5. They are definitely in the mix for a Champions League place and their lofty position after the season halfway point has come as a bit of a surprise. Their squad is not a particularly large one and rumours are already abound that it will be strengthened this month; whatever the conjecture, I'm sure Sam will bring in a couple of faces as cover and to keep things fresh. Their opponents, City, may have snatched vital victories in their last 2 games but Bolton are a slightly more daunting prospect than West Ham and Sheffield United. City have won 3 of their last 4 on the road but it remains to be seen whether they can compete to the same level as the Trotters. A home win looks favourable.

Chelsea are once again dominating the back pages with the media making the most of the 6 point gap and Mourinho's rumoured exit in the summer. Three factors can be blamed for Chelsea's dip in recent weeks; John Terry's injury, Shevchenko's slow start to life in the Premiership and Mourinho's solution to getting the most out of the enviable midfield at Stamford Bridge. The importance of Terry's return cannot be understated and he is key to a successful season; in his absence draws at home to Reading and Fulham and away at Villa were major disappointments, with 8 goals conceded in their last 5 Premiership games. Wigan should present the Champions with easier prey; they have problems of their own with only 6 victories all season and are teetering just above the relegation places. The gap may be 4 points but there's still a long way to go and with Charlton and the Hammers attempting to inject renewed energy with new managers, it begs one to answer if Whelan's offer to Jewell of a job for life still stands. Wigan will give it a go but they should be well beaten.

Fergie appears to have pulled off one of the best loan signings of the season with Larsson joining United for 3 months with a possible extension until the summer; the Swede is a proven goalscorer and brings a wealth of experience that could prove invaluable as the season reaches its climax. United are 6 points clear of Chelsea and will not want to slip up after gaining such an advantage. Larsson could possibly play for the second time against his old manager after helping to dump Villa out of the Cup last weekend. United have dropped just 5 points at Old Trafford and it's a big ask for O'Neill's side who have not won in 10 Premiership fixtures; it's plain as day that O'Neill needs to bolster his squad but any signings prior to Saturday are unlikely to change the outcome of this one. United to extend Villa's barren run.

Curbishley may not have realised the enormity of the task in keeping West Ham up but if anything could have focused his efforts, it was the 6 goal mauling at the Madjeski where their performance was worse than that of a pub team. Curbs has already instigated change by signing the Fulham captain, Boa Morte, and Nigel Quashie from West Brom but losing Bowyer to a shoulder injury will not have helped. The Hammers have lost their last 2 at home but subsequently managed a 3-0 win over Brighton in the FA Cup despite being no better than them in the first half. Their opponents, Fulham, are a more robust side on the road this season and although they have just a single victory, they have only been beaten 4 times. They tend to be underestimated by the majority of their counterparts, their point at Chelsea being a fine example and given West Ham's disarray, they could well come away from Upton Park with their second away win of the season.

Rovers will want to avenge their 6-2 defeat at the Emirates but after Arsenal's performances at Anfield in the cup competitions, it looks like they are in for a tough evening. Firstly, the Gunners welcomed back Henry and he grabbed a goal in their 3-1 FA Cup victory, and then Arsenal juniors went out and battered the Reds 6-2 in the Carling Cup. Wenger has confidence in his players whatever side he puts out and now he has a striker problem with Henry, van Persie, Baptista and Aliadiere all fit and deserving of a starting place. Since the defeat by Arsenal, Blackburn have won 4 on the bounce, including the FA Cup thrashing at Goodison, and look to have put some of their problems behind them. Transfer speculation surrounds McCarthy and Hughes will need to keep him as Blackburn's goal threat will be severely diminished if he is allowed to leave. Including the cup games, Arsenal have won 4 of their last 5 on the road; the defeat at Bramall Lane shocked everyone and now they need to make amends in the Premiership. Blackburn will provide stiff competition but Arsenal should just nick the win.

Everton have enjoyed a reasonably good run at home lately; that was until Blackburn came and exposed Tim Howard with the new lightweight FA Cup football. Things must be bad if Phillip Neville is your best player! Everton beat Reading at the Madjeski just before Christmas but the Royals have played well since then; a draw at Chelsea, scored twice but lost at Old Trafford and gave West Ham a hammering to the tune of 6 goals. Coppell's second string also overcame Burnley in the FA Cup replay midweek so some of their key players have been rested. Only 1 place and 1 point separate these 2 sides in the top half of the table and this is a difficult one to call, but the romance of Reading could carry the day.

After an inauspicious start to the season Spurs have managed to climb up to 7th place and the foundation for that has been their fantastic home form. Liverpool put an end to their run of 12 successive home victories in all competitions but Spurs followed this defeat with a good point at Portsmouth. Spurs have both Lennon and Keane fit again and both will be key in the latter half of the season. If Newcastle can come away with anything at the Lane they will be only the 4th team to do so this season; they have not won since beating Spurs 3-1 at St James Park just before Christmas. Newcastle's injuries have been well publicised and they don't seem to be abating but Roeder has done pretty well considering the circumstances. On the road the Magpies have lost 7 of their 11 Premiership games, the last 3 all being defeats, which sort of hands the advantage to the home side.