Archived Premier League Football Betting Tips

Just 1 goal separates these two in the wrong half of the table; Wigan's early form was great but since then they've been on a slide and though Birmingham's results haven't been so good, their recent performances have sometimes deserved more. Bruce is still in charge at St Andrews but he believes that that may be short-lived once prospective owner, Carson Yeung, takes charge. Just 4 points from 4 home games leaves plenty of room for improvement against a Wigan side that have been struggling with injuries to key players. Hutchings has already made these excuses but some of these players are now returning; however, even with them, the Latics are a weaker side than last season and Birmingham know they have to win these home games if they are to survive beyond the end of the season in the Premier league.

Four points and four places separate these 2 sides and surprisingly it is Chelsea that trail the opposition. Much of the furore that surrounded the club subsequent to Mourinho's departure has now abated, and it now looks like Avram Grant is there for at least the short term. The bonus for Chelsea is the return of goal threats Drogba and Lampard; they should provide a test for the well drilled City defence. Chelsea's performances haven't been great this season but they still remain undefeated at home and take on a City side with just 1 victory on the road. City's tight defence has been well documented but it is their rejuvenated creativity in midfield, inspired by Elano, that has surprised many. Chelsea will need to watch Elano and avoid giving away dangerous free kicks if they are to net the 3 points and challenge for the title, but home advantage should give them the platform to take this game by the scruff of the neck and grab a vital victory.

Reading's problem is that they did so well last season and the expectations set will always be hard to match second time around. Three home wins have been responsible for the bulk of their points tally but these victories came against Derby, Wigan and Everton; the Toffees result came as a surprise but against better teams they've struggled. Away from home, they've had no problem scoring goals with 4 at Fratton Park and then 2 at Ewood, but both times they've finished on the losing side. Their opponents, Newcastle, are a team still finding their feet under Sam Allardyce but 4 successive home wins will have instilled some confidence, and though their away form has not been great, they have Michael Owen and Joey Barton back in the side. The bottom line is that Reading are giving teams opportunities and with the likes of Owen and Martins about, the Royals will ultimately pay the price. The Magpies aren't a great away side but they should snatch victory at the Madjeski.

Though Sunderland are hovering just above the relegation places, they have given a relatively good account of themselves and not succumbed to heavy defeats. They are still missing key players and the sooner they get them back, the more likely they'll get some more points on the board. They've won 2 of their 4 home games and must see this game at home to Fulham as a mandatory 3 points. Fulham seem to have been going downhill and had it not been for a fine display from Niemi, they would have lost heavily at home to bottom-placed Derby; Sanchez can't keep blaming bad luck, especially after that inept performance. That 1 point gained did however see them move up the table several places but the bottom half is very tight with 4 points separating the bottom 8 sides. Surprisingly, Fulham have snatched 2 points from their 4 away games but confidence must be low and the Mackems will be out to take full advantage.

Portsmouth are well worthy of their fifth place; in previous seasons, it has been their form at Fratton Park that has carried them to a good finish, but their recent victory at the JJB means it's 3 successive away wins. Additionally, they remain undefeated at home and must take a lot of confidence into this game. West Ham were flattered by the 3-1 scoreline at home to Sunderland and their performances have been mixed this season but the Sunderland win put an end to a 3 match losing streak; they're missing key players through injury but it's been 2 successive defeats on the road and some of the fans are already unhappy with Curbs. Pompey showed against Reading that they have an appetite for goals and they're averaging nearly 3 a game at Fratton Park; a few more should condemn the Hammers to another defeat.

Bolton are no longer managerless but they're still bottom and though they attempted some of the old resolve at the Emirates they still finished on the losing side. Since Sammy Lee's departure there's no doubt they'll go for the tried and tested approach that worked so well under Sam Allardyce but it's no easy task putting things back the way they were after spending 2 months changing them. The Trotters have won just once at home this season and face a Villa side looking to regain some momentum after a hammering at Villa Park by an in-form United side. Villa are yet to win on the road (remember that game at White Hart Lane when they were 4-1 up but only came away with a point) and if Bolton do make life difficult it's hard to see Villa getting a grip on the game. O'Neill remains the man to eventually put Villa on the path to success but they'll have to settle for a point at the Reebok.

This is a tricky one to predict. Derby looked in great form at Craven Cottage last weekend but it was against a dire Fulham side that were reduced to 10 men just before the break; the end result was that Derby's finishing was not up to scratch although Niemi's inspired goalkeeping played an important part. The Rams have lost just the once at Pride Park this season but Everton will provide a big test in a game where there'll be very little space. Results haven't gone the Toffees' way of late and the daylight robbery by local rivals, Liverpool, last weekend will have urged them to get back on track against Derby. Everton have won just 2 from 5 on the road but this will be a vital win if they are to challenge for Europe this season.

Ironically, victory or defeat for Blackburn at White Hart Lane could land Mark Hughes the Tottenham job given that Martin Jol finally tendered his resignation before the Getafe defeat. Rovers look well worthy of their 6th position and remain undefeated on the road. The striking partnership of McCarthy and Santa Cruz with Dunn, Bentley and Tugay probing from behind could cause Spurs all sorts of problems in areas where they are really lacking at the moment. The Spurs defence don't exude any confidence and are making basic errors, and the passing this season has not had the same accuracy and crispness of the last campaign. Tottenham may be playing at home and are absolutely desperate for a result but Blackburn seem stronger in many areas of the pitch and will look to heap more woe on a side struggling third from bottom.

Turnover! Turnover! Ok, it's not rugby but given Arsenal's sensational form there'll be many punters backing the Gunners at Anfield. This is undoubtedly the game of the weekend and Arsenal have to start as favourites given their scintillating form in both the Premier league and the Champions League. Liverpool were extremely fortunate to get a result at Goodison (Clattenberg won't be refereeing this week, he's allegedly unavailable); Gerrard was understandably an unhappy substitute after putting in one of the better Liverpool performances but Benitez knows best and will continue to rotate and substitute randomly; he must have been reading Dice Man recently! The stats don't lie and both Liverpool and Arsenal remain undefeated but it's 3 draws from 4 at home for the Reds and 2 wins from 3 away games for Arsenal. The Gunners have been fortunate with the fixture list this season and this is only their 4th away game but confidence must be sky high and the number of chances they create is likely to give them the edge. Wenger's men are top and the neutral would probably like to see them reined in a little but they look like sure-fire winners to me!