Archived Premier League Football Betting Tips

Everyone thought that Allardyce's first task when moving to St James Park was to shore up their renowned schoolboy defence. Up until last weekend they hadn't been doing too badly but conceding 3 goals at home to Pompey in the opening 11 minutes left most of their supporters thinking that Allardyce's appointment has solved very few problems. Capaca, the main culprit, paid for his glaring mistakes by being substituted on 17 minutes. This fixture is the most closely contested in the north east and Newcastle go into it not only on the back of Saturday's inept performance but also with 3 successive away defeats behind them. I suspect Sunderland will be looking forward to this fixture a lot more than their local rivals. The Mackems have 7 points from their 5 home games and will be hoping that front man, Kenwynne Jones, can cause as many problems for the Newcastle defence as he has done against other sides this season. This may go against the grain but Sunderland are capable of springing a surprise depending on which Newcastle side turns up.

Derby may be bottom of the Premier league but 5 of their 6 points have come at Pride Park and they've shown in recent games that attention has been drawn to conceding fewer goals. At least they've shown a knack of scoring at home; on the road they're yet to hit the back of the net. The Rams are not giving up the fight and the positive for them is that there are 5 other teams above them within 3 points. The Hammers travel to Pride Park on the back of 1 point from their last 3 games and they threw away 2 points in injury time at home to Bolton last weekend. After that draw Curbs accused his side of being 'unprofessional' but in their defence they are missing plenty of players through injury. The jury is still out on the West Ham manager and 3 points against Derby will be expected but the home team will be very competitive and should be worthy of a point.

This fixture kicks off with 5 places and 7 points separating the 2 clubs; the home side are at the wrong end of the table with just 3 points between themselves and the drop zone so home games will play an important part if Steve Bruce's side are to survive. To date, their home form has been mixed with just 2 victories from 5 games; regardless, they are a battling side and 4 defeats in their last 5 matches doesn't really reflect their true potential. On the road, Villa are the draw specialists with 3 points from 4 games and victory has so far eluded them; they were so close after being 4-1 up at White Hart Lane but contrived to come away with just a point. These derby games are closely contested and there should be very little to choose between the 2 sides.

Chelsea have taken advantage of recent clashes between the top clubs to close the gap on Arsenal and United to just 3 points. Key for them has been the return of Lampard, more so than that of Drogba, as he's not only added more drive in midfield but been regularly getting amongst the goals. Chelsea remain undefeated at the Bridge and their 6-0 result at home to City should give them the confidence to really push on and compete for the title this season. Their opponents, Everton, have enjoyed mixed fortunes in recent weeks and left it late last weekend to claim all 3 points at home to Birmingham. The Toffees are not renowned for their goalscoring prowess but by the same token they don't concede many either. However, they're unlikely to hold out against a Chelsea side that know they can't afford many more slip ups.

Under Gary Megson, Bolton have reverted to what they're good at i.e. the long ball game. Nobody does it better and 2 points from the last 2 games have lifted them off the bottom of the table, although fortune smiled on them at Upton Park with Nolan (newly restored to the side) grabbing the equaliser in the dying seconds of injury time. They are missing Anelka's quality as he struggles with a hamstring injury and once again it has fallen to Kevin Davies to play the nuisance role up front. Bolton's 1 victory this season has come at the Reebok and they're more than likely to give yet another below par Boro side arun for their money. The Teesiders salvaged a point at home to Spurs thanks to Young's rocket but it's been 4 successive defeats on the road and though Gibson has been patient with Southgate, time is short in the Premier league and he needs to dig out some results. Bolton can only get better now that they've fallen back on what they do best and 3 points will be invaluable in their quest for survival.

United remain undefeated at home and 5 successive home victories coupled with 10 points from the last 12 on the road has put them right up with the Gunners, effectively making the title a 2 horse race for now. It's difficult to see either of the top two slipping up and letting the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool in but there's some way to go yet and no doubt, there will be some changes in fortune along the way. United showed at the Emirates that they fear no one this season and did themselves an injustice by not coming away with all 3 points. Mark Hughes will be looking forward to taking Rovers back to his old club and though their attacking style has been much applauded, it will be a holding player that could prove key for him at Old Trafford; unfortunately if Savage and Mokoena are still injured Blackburn's grip on the game could be severely diminished. Rovers are unbeaten on their travels but they are likely to find United too hot to handle; an end to end game with Fergie the happier manager.

The main positive for Spurs is that they still remain undefeated under Ramos, and though they couldn't manage 3 points at the Riverside a share of the spoils will at least provide some foundation for the new coach to build upon. While the talk goes on about Spurs strikers and their respective futures, the key task for Ramos will be to shore up their charitable defence; there were signs of improvement at Boro and it would have been harsh to blame anyone for Young's piledriver. Only 1 place separates Spurs and Wigan with the former just above the relegation places on goal difference. It's difficult to credit the fact that Wigan were at the top of the tree in August but their slide has been dramatic and their recent form has been the worst in the Premier league. To add to the disappointment at the JJB, Whelan decided to part ways with Chris Hutchings (no surprise there) and the vacant post appears to be coveted by a fairly long list of unemployed managers. The pressure is undoubtedly on Spurs to finally get another Premier league win under their belts and begin the healing process.

Pompey are taking a strong grip of the Premier league and showing everyone exactly what they're capable of. Goals have been flying in for the South Coast side, both at Fratton Park and on the road; Benjani currently leads the Premier league with 8 from Pompey's 12 games. They totally warrant their 5th place and are yet to lose at Fortress Fratton; their last home game against West Ham resulted in a draw which must have been a huge disappointment. City are 2 places and 3 points above Portsmouth but their 6-0 mauling at Chelsea showed how fragile teams with little experience of playing together can be. Their display at home to Sunderland was not that impressive until Elano changed his boots and then they had to be rescued by an Ireland wonder goal; maybe he'll wear his pants outside his shorts in future (FA permitting). City's defence is renowned for it's strength but Chelsea showed they can be ripped apart; given Pompey's scoring form and assuming they'll put someone on Elano, Harry's men can grab a vital victory to move above their opponents.

Despite much talk about a disappointing season already for Reading, they're a good 5 points off the relegation places and have won their last 3 home games. Admittedly, their away form has been poor with just 1 point from 6 games but they have shown that they're a match for most at the Madjeski; however, the visit of table-topping Arsenal will provide a tough test. The Gunners remain undefeated this season despite having played 2 of their most difficult opponents in their 2 most recent games (Liverpool away and United at the Emirates), from which 2 points will have been more than satisfactory. Arsenal lead the Premier league on goals scored and still have a game in hand over their closest rivals. Wenger's success with such a talented crop of youngsters remains unprecedented and Reading will need to be at their best if they are to take anything from the game; an unlikely scenario and Arsenal should win by a couple.