Archived Premier League Football Betting Tips

Everton have started just the way Moyes would have wanted them to but Wigan were probably expecting to get beat regardless. Arteta certainly ran the game but does the Everton manager have anyone as backup should the Toffees starlet get injured or suspended. A truer test will be away from home when they visit White Hart Lane; Spurs got off to a worst possible start at the Stadium of Light conceding defeat with the last kick of the game and now Martin Jol must pick them up and echo the sentiment that they need to restart their season this Tuesday night. The words 'Spurs' and 'choke' tend to be synonomous with each other and the sooner they learn to be more positive, the sooner some silverware may return to the Lane. Jol could swap about the front pairing after Berbatov and Keane failed to fire but in general the whole front six need to raise the pace of the game; Dawson's injury was another nail in the coffin defensively but at least Kaboul looks fairly competent. The pressure's already on the young Spurs team and their manager, but failure in their first home game will only make them more nervous. An edgy one but Spurs have to win.

Last time these two clubs met was last season in the Championship at St Andrews and a last minute equaliser from DJ Campbell meant there was nothing to separate them. Two ex-United teammates (Bruce and Keane) won everything together as players, won promotion together from the Championship and now must fight it out again in the latest Premier league campaign. Both have strengthened their sides since promotion although Keane currently has the upper hand after Sunderland's last gasp winner at home to Spurs. That's not to say that Birmingham didn't acquit themselves well at Stamford Bridge where they actually led for a short time before succumbing to Chelsea's strength in depth. There's little to choose between these two and regardless of the result, I suspect both will maintain their Premier league status come the end of the season; for now, a share of the spoils will probably have to do.

Fulham gave the Gunners a bit of a scare at the weekend and though they eventually lost at the bitter end, Sanchez has built himself a team in his own image. Healy will have been grateful for Lehmann's mistake and it might just be the start of a prolific initial spell for the young Northern Irish striker. Sanchez's plucky and surprisingly skilful team take on a Bolton side fresh from a home defeat against their old manager. Some have tipped Bolton to be relegated this season and although that might seem a bit harsh, Sammy Lee could prove to be well out of his depth; coaching is one thing but management is a completely different beast. Though the nucleus of Bolton's side hasn't changed, they've lost some key players and don't have big Sam constantly driving them to perform to their utmost. I suspect this contest will be fairly even but these are the battles that Sanchez thrives on and a narrow home victory looks on the cards.

Given the transfer merry-go-round at Eastlands, it's nothing short of a miracle that City ran away with such an accomplished victory at Upton Park last weekend. The backtracking has started already and Sven appears to have signed players that will perform from the word 'go'. Whether this had more to do with the way City played or the fact that West Ham didn't even bother getting changed remains questionable. They outplayed the Hammers for much of the game but were at their most incisive on the counter and it will be interesting to see if they play the same way at home. Fortunately they play one of the weaker Premier league sides but no doubt Billy Davies will have prepared his charges more soundly than Alan Curbishley did. Derby players want to prove everyone wrong and that they are worthy of competing in the Premier league, but while this may see them well in the short term, sooner or later the energy and determination runs out when the results go by the wayside. City leaked very few at home last season and now maybe they have the answer to netting them at the other end.

Rumour has it that Harry's on the prowl for another striker (Kanoute or Anelka) as if four isn't enough, or did Harry make the right purchases in the first place? With LuaLua already gone, time could be up for Kanu if Harry does succeed, but it won't fill the likes of Utaka and Nugent with confidence to see another competitive face coming in. Pompey's away form has always been erratic and though Sol Campbell admitted that the Derby defeat was something of a wakeup call, it remains to be seen whether they will be sufficiently woken from their slumber when a bitter United come to call. United will be anxious for their first win after Reading managed to hold them at Old Trafford; not the way Fergie would have wished to start his defence of the Premier league crown. Not only did United struggle to break the Reading back line but Rooney suffered another fracture of the foot and could be out for a couple of months. There aren't going to be many occasions where United fail to score this season and the thought of them not scoring in 2 consecutive games seems unthinkable, so it looks like disapointment for Harry and bliss for Fergie.

Reading defended doggedly at Old Trafford to earn themselves a valuable point, and those associating the Royals with second season syndrome should maybe rethink. They may have played just the one game but Coppell is a canny individual and the majority of his squad have been playing together for the last 3 or 4 seasons. The one player that did defect was Sidwell, to today's opposition, but Reading have managed so far without him. Interestingly, he could face his old team mates given the extent of Chelsea's injury list but on any normal given match day, I'm sure he'll struggle to make a starting place his own considering he's now part of a team costing millions. Birmingham took Chelsea to the wire at Stamford Bridge and their first away game may not be as straightforward as everyone thinks. Reading have shown they now have the tenacity to take on the big teams and they're capable of another point against opposition missing most of their stars.

Both of these clubs looked like prime candidates for the drop before the season started and their first respective games did little to convince otherwise. Hutchings was sacked from his last job after 12 top-flight games in charge of Bradford and bookies have made him favourite for the sack race this time around. The manager was quoted as saying that he was happy with the players he had, but his attention needs to be drawn to the poor defending and bad positioning if his side are to give themselves a chance of surviving. Life won't be easy without Paul Jewell and neither will it be for Gareth Southgate, a young manager still learning his trade at the highest level. Southgate couldn't hold on to Viduka and must not make the same mistake with Yakubu if Boro are to gain some ground (or at least remain) in the Premier league. Both of these sides are expected to struggle and there probably isn't too much to choose between them.