Archived Premier League Football Betting Tips

City's previous Premier league game at Craven Cottage was nothing short of a thriller and at complete odds to all previous games. They conceded 3, scored 3 and in the end had to settle for just a point. Things got back to normal at Eastlands in midweek when Samaras popped up for the winner in the last minute after wasting numerous chances against Norwich. Sven's men have yet to concede at home and host a Newcastle side that were at full strength against a young Arsenal side in the midweek Carling Cup fixture, but failed to find the back of the net and went down by a 2 goal deficit. The Magpies have never been renowned travellers and their previous Premier league away game ended in a 1 goal defeat at Derby. Owen will be out for a while and though Viduka looked a handful at home to West Ham and they ran out eventual winners, can they carry that form on the road? I suspect City will keep them out and revert to type by nicking the winner late on.

On the face of it, this looks like another mismatched West London derby; Chelsea may still be above Fulham but so many other factors have changed since last season. Chelsea have rid themselves of Mourinho, have an Israeli at the helm (for how long) and no win in 4 games with 2 successive Premier league away defeats. Fulham still find themselves hovering just above the relegation zone but are the second Premier league highest scorers behind Arsenal; if it hadn't been for their leaky defence they'd find themselves in a much healthier position. Much has been made of the possible exodus from Stamford Bridge but the bottom line is that they miss Lampard and Drogba, and there aren't enough Terrys to go round (and even he's looked below par). The Blues have had a tough time in recent weeks (of their own making) but they'll expect things to take a turn for the better against their local rivals. Sanchez has certainly made Fulham more entertaining but they have just a single point on the road and his toughest challenge comes on Saturday; Chelsea may be in the doldrums but expect them to do Fulham no favours.

Pompey's result at Ewood Park came as something of a surprise and goes some way to supporting their credentials as a side that can match the expectations set last season. They remain unbeaten at Fratton Park and will hope the home fans can provide the twelfth man and carry them to another good result against Reading. The Royals managed to put a stop to their bad run with a vital home win over Wigan but will need to put a bit of a run together if they are to put the second season syndrome behind them. They're now out of the drop zone but just 1 point on the road from 3 games means confidence is short and they'll need to dig in at fortress Fratton if they are to take anything back to the Madjeski. It's an unlikely scenario and my money would be on the home side.

Sunderland are proving that they are no mugs and under Roy Keane make up what they lack in quality with extra competitive edge. At the Stadium of Light they've taken 6 points from 3 games and they've shown themselves capabe of snatching points with late goals. Any team that settles against them could well get a rude awakening but Blackburn themselves have a competitive edge as well as substantial creative quality. Rovers have not matched expectations so far this season and not disrespecting Sunderland, but if Mark Hughes has his eye on a top six finish then maximum points are a must from this game. They were disappointing at home to Portsmouth and whilst they looked tight at the back, they surprisingly lacked the guile to break down a Pompey side that aren't the best travellers. That result could possibly be blamed on tiredness after the midweek European defeat; maybe their Carling Cup win over Birmingham will have the opposite effect. A result that will go with whoever is best on the day but Blackburn will hit some good form sooner rather than later.

As much as it pains me, Arsenal are top of the Premier league with a game in hand and 2 points over nearest rivals United but the fixture list has been in their favour and they've drawn confidence from successive home victories. Wenger played his reserves in the midweek Carling Cup game at home to a full strength Newcastle and they still emerged winners to the tune of 2 goals and a clean sheet into the bargain. Contrary to pre-season pessimism the Gunners are sparkling (only they and Liverpool remain undefeated) and West Ham have much to fear. The Hammers have had a mixed bag of results so far and their home form hasn't been the most convincing with 4 points from 3 games. West Ham did the double over Arsenal last season when the odds were stacked against them, but Wenger's key players will have fresh legs and are in such scintillating form at the moment that it seems foolhardy to bet against them. Gunners to gain revenge for last season's disappointment.

After being favoured pre-season for the drop, Wigan have proved themselves tougher than the average pundit and maintained an unbeaten record at home. Heskey has been a big loss to them but there was some consolation when Marcus Bent popped up with a goal in the defeat at Reading. Hutchings needs reliable home form to ensure that his side remain in the Premier league this season but they'll need to play well if they are to emerge with anything against Liverpool at the JJB. The frustrating thing for the Wigan manager is that he won't have much of a clue as to the Liverpool lineup, considering Benitez probably has very little idea what it will be. The Spaniard's rotation policy has far from worked and the surprise is that he's employed it so early in the season; good players want to play week in week out and that's what the fans want to see, not goalless draws at Fratton Park and at home to Birmingham. If Liverpool's priority is the Premier league then we should see Benitez fielding a decent side on Saturday and they should win; they can't afford to keep dropping points against meagre opposition if the title is to be theirs.

Fergie gave the kids a chance at home to Coventry and their inability to grasp the opportunity with both feet means the United manager will undoubtedly revert to his full strength side for the trip to St Andrews.; they won't be resting players a la Benitez. United's early season games didn't go to plan but excluding the Carling Cup defeat, they've won their last 4 games by a single goal. They're now second behind Arsenal having played an extra game but can't rest on their laurels against Birmingham if they are to keep up the pressure on those around them. Rooney and Ronaldo back in the squad is a big bonus but they haven't really fired as yet and Bruce's men will be looking to keep it that way. Their draw against an out-of-sorts Liverpool was well earned but the trouble is he must look at United's potential and inevitably be worried; maybe he'll concentrate on what his own side do well but despite their competitiveness they've only managed 2 victories from 7 fixtures. Expect Birmingham to let the United players know that they've been in a game but the result is unlikely to go in their favour.

It's 2 defeats on the bounce for Everton; nil points at home to United and then again away at Villa Park. Amongst all this came their shocker at home in the UEFA Cup but the Carling Cup in midweek allowed them to pick up at Sheffield Wednesday. Andy Johnson has been playing well but finding the back of the net has been a problem and as a consequence Everton have struggled for goals. The big positive for David Moyes is that they'll face an under strength Boro side, with possibly Mido, Tuncay and Aliadiere all unavailable. During midweek they survived at White Hart Lane until the latter stages but eventually they cracked and not surprisingly, they looked very unlikely to score. Boro have just 2 wins from their Premier league campaign so far and it looks like they'll eventually succumb to the inevitable onslaught at Goodison.

Whilst Spurs have to admit that they haven't had the best of starts and are in the bottom three, it's a tad unacceptable to lay the blame solely at the feet of Martin Jol. Sacking the manager could set them back several years as a new face would want to bring different players in and possibly play a different way. The lilywhites have played both United and Arsenal this season (both to no avail) but have snatched 2 vital points from their last 2 away games against Fulham and Bolton; truth be told, they should have won both of these but a point shouldn't be sniggered at on the road. Villa is a big test for them on Monday night but they have home advantage and the Villa are yet to win away from home. Martin O'Neill has a youthful squad with much potential but Curtis Davies's debut in the Carling Cup against Leicester could have gone better. Villa were unlucky when they lost by a single goal at Man City but I suspect Spurs will test the Villa defence a little more (though the Spurs strikers have all been guilty of missing glaring chances). Jol will be desperate for 3 points at home and a clean sheet against Boro midweek could instill some confidence to return a maximum at the Lane.