Archived Premier League Football Betting Tips

Last Saturday was not a good day for the Gunners; not only did Eduardo suffer an horrific injury but they dropped 2 points in the dying seconds. After giving away the penalty at St Andrews, any leadership qualities went walkabout and Gallas's continued sulk after the final whistle gives an indication as to the mood of the Arsenal dressing room. The Gunners have dropped just 4 points at the Emirates but Wenger has his work cut out uniting his players prior to the visit of a Villa side that stand a realistic chance of breaking into the top four. Villa have lost just 2 of 13 Premier league away fixtures and are capable of taking points off of Arsenal; it could be a good time to visit the Emirates and one wonders whether or not Arsenal have the bottle and the team ethic to carry themselves to the Premier league title.

Not only was Tottenham's Carling Cup victory fully deserved but it was a victory for every club outside the top four of the Premier league. Spurs were first class in taking the game to Chelsea and were resolute in defence when they needed to be but the same side is unlikely to be unleashed at St Andrews given the delicate state of Ledley King's knee and the continued partying of certain individuals. Spurs still have plenty to challenge for and Ramos was right to cancel any plans for a premature bus ride down the Seven Sisters Road. Their away record hasn't been great this season but they aim for a victory over a Birmingham side that rescued a point at home to Arsenal in the dying seconds. Taylor's tackle on Eduardo means he'll miss out whilst Kapo sustained a hamstring injury which will keep him out for a month. Birmingham are desperate for points to stave off the threat of relegation but Spurs will be out for revenge after the opposition sneaked all 3 points in the reverse fixture at the Lane.

After defeat in the Carling Cup final, it seems that the knives are out for Avram Grant. Chelsea were certainly below par last Sunday but the manager has to shoulder his share of the blame for initial team selection and questionable substitutions; why out-of-position Anelka over Joe Cole and why an unfit Lampard instead of Ballack to name but a few worrying decisions? I can't imagine for one minute that Grant will repeat the same mistakes at Upton Park as Chelsea can't afford to drop points if they're to capitalise on any mistakes by the two clubs above them. The Hammers were fortunate to sneak all 3 points last weekend at Craven Cottage and their mid-table position leaves them safe although they're probably too adrift for any hope of European football next season. They've not lost in their last 5 home Premier league fixtures but Chelsea have a point to prove and don't often lose two on the bounce.

City's great early season home form has taken a turn for the worse with only 3 points to show from their last 5 home fixtures and goes some way to explaining their slide down the table. Sven is without Richards who is recovering from surgery and Petrov will be unavailable after being dismissed for an innocuous flick at Leon Osman. City are still in the chase for a European place but they can't afford to drop off the pace with a number of clubs vying for the 2 or 3 UEFA Cup spots. Wigan travel to Eastlands on the back of a decent home victory over Derby and Bruce is certainly doing a creditable job in steering his charges away from the threat of relegation. The Latics are still some distance from safety but 5 points from their last 5 away matches lends some support to the theory that they might not emerge from the City of Manchester empty-handed.

Liverpool are trailing their Merseyside rivals by 3 points with the last Champions League spot being the sought after prize. The Reds cannot afford to take their eye off the ball with just 12 games left to play as further slip-ups could cost them a place in Europe altogether. It seems thay have no drive or end product without the services of Gerrard and Torres leaving Benitez with no option but to play them. Liverpool haven't won on the road in their last 4 attempts and even the recent victory at home to Boro was a close run thing. Recent results for Bolton have not been too flattering but progression through to the last 16 of the UEFA Cup at the expense of Atletico Madrid has been a remarkable achievement given their domestic league position. Relegation issues remain close at hand for Bolton and without Anelka's goals it's difficult to back them.

Portsmouth have had a knack of winning on the road with 8 victories from 14 games but Everton are proving that their current position of fourth is no fluke. Not only are they keeping Liverpool out of a Champions League spot but they won through to the last 16 of the UEFA Cup in some style with an emphatic 8-1 aggregate win over SK Brann. Given Everton's recent schedule, tiredness might have been a factor in their subsequent match at Eastlands but they returned with a comfortable 2 goal victory. As good as Portsmouth are away from home and even considering that new striker, Jermain Defoe, has scored 2 in 2 league games, Everton look very strong at the moment and should have too much for them.