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Champions League Predictions: Tuesday/Wednesday December 7th/8th 2010:

Best Champions League Prediction(s) of previous Matches: “Manchester United winning at Glasgow Rangers & both Chelsea & Spurs winning”

Hello everyone & welcome to the last Champions League Article for the group stages. I managed 3 out of 4 correct results last time out which now means that I have now predicted 16 out of 23 games correctly in terms of the result. This would mean that the Champions League is easier to predict than the Premiership especially in the group stages.

Just a quick note regarding England’s failed World cup bid. FIFA are more corrupt than even I thought. It is a disgrace that we have only had the world cup once (1966) & we almost certainly won’t have it again until I am a very old man…FIFA obviously don’t like England. I wonder if there is a case for racism here….?

Good luck & see you all at the weekend for round 17 of the Premiership.

Doug

Match 1: Bursaspor – Glasgow Rangers: (Group C: Tuesday 7th December: 7.45pm):

Rangers didn’t play at the weekend due to the adverse weather conditions. Their last game was in fact against Manchester United in the Champions League when they lost 1-0 to go out of the Champions League. Rangers will now play in the UEFA cup as a reward for their failure. Hmm, some reward.

Rangers now play their final game in the Champions league which is a dead game as Bursaspor are bottom of the group with no points. In fact their 1-0 defeat to Rangers earlier in the group has been Rangers only win so far in the group. Can Rangers claim another three points? I suppose it depends on the team that Walter Smith puts out as he can’t be too happy at having to travel out to Turkey & play this game.

Bursaspor lost 1-0 at the weekend away to Besiktas. This result leaves them 2nd in the table five points behind leaders Trabzonspor. As it only half way through the season they are in with a shout of the title. We will see.

Anyway, I think that they will learn from their first season in the Champions League & come back next season stronger. I also think that as the pressure is off & that Rangers will be finding it hard to motivate themselves for this game then Bursaspor will gain their first points & win in the Champions League.

Result Prediction: Rangers to lose
Score Prediction: Bursaspor 2 Rangers 0

Match 2: FC Twente – Spurs: (Group A: Tuesday 7th December: 7.45pm):

Spurs have done really well to qualify for the knock out stages of the Champions League. They beat Werder Bremen 3-0 in their last game to qualify. Well done lads as it gives me a lot more pleasure seeing Tottenham doing well in Europe than Manchester United or Chelsea. I won’t mention Liverpool as I can’t see them being in the Champions league for a few seasons at best.

Spurs got a late goal to draw 1-1 at Birmingham on Saturday which was a good away point for them in their quest to re qualify for the Champions League again. Spurs now find themselves 5th three points behind their rivals of last season for 4th place Manchester City. Personally I think that City will beat them this time for 4th place but that is not because I want them to fail.

Spurs are now unbeaten in 6 games in both League & Europe. A nice little run that might come to an end because of them having relaxed because of qualifying. FC Twente have failed to qualify & will be looking for revenge after losing 4-2 to Spurs earlier in the group.

Twente won 2-0 at the weekend at home to leave them 2nd in the table only behind PSV Eindhoven on goal difference. They are therefore well placed to win the title going in to the second half of the season.

Twente lost 1-0 to Inter away in their last game to fall back into the UEFA Cup. They will be hard to beat in this game & that is why I have gone for a draw as Spurs will be looking for a win to come top of the group.

Result Prediction: A score draw
Score Prediction: FC Twente 2 Spurs 2

Match 3: Manchester United – Valencia : (Group C: Tuesday 7th December: 7.45pm):

Manchester United qualified again for the knockout stages of the Champions league with a deserved 1-0 win at Rangers last time out. They now face second placed Valencia who have also qualified for the knockout stages. There is three points gap between the sides & United will be going out to avoid defeat because if they lose Valencia will go top & put United in the harder side of the draw for the knockout stages.

Valencia lost 1-0 to united in the return fixture & that defeat is their only one so far in Europe this season. Could be two. Valencia lost 2-0 at Real Madrid on Saturday to leave them 5th in the table 13 points off Barcelona who are top.

United’s game at Blackpool on Saturday was called off due to the weather. United have now dropped to second behind Arsenal by just the one point due to their game being called off. United are unbeaten at home so far this season in all competitions & have in fact only drawn two games, against West Brom 2-2 in the League & Glasgow Rangers 0-0 in their opening Champions League game.

I think that United will win this game as their manager will never allow his players to relax even if they have qualified. Could be a close game though.

Result Prediction: Manchester United to win
Score Prediction: Manchester United 2 Valencia 1

Match 4: Arsenal – Partizan Belgrade: (Group H: Wednesday 8th December: 7.45pm):

Because Arsenal have lost their last two games away in the Champions League they are now in the position where they have to win to qualify & all this after they won their first three games easily. Their final game is against Partizan who they lost 2-1 to a month ago despite taking an early lead through Theo Walcott.

The good news for Gunners fans is that their home form in Europe is bloody great compared to their Premiership home form. There is also the added bonus that they won at home 2-1 against Fulham on Saturday to go top of the Premiership on Saturday. This win against Fulham ended two successive home defeats against Newcastle & Spurs. They are top mainly due to their shit hot away form where they have only lost just once & won their last 3 on the bounce & 5 overall.

Arsenal are also in the League cup semi finals & with the holders Manchester United going out to west Ham they must fancy their chances.

Partizan are top of the table in their domestic league at the mid season break. They won their last League game 5-2 at home but it has to be said that their domestic league is very weak which was represented by only 4,500 in attend Nance for this game.

A home win for Arsenal but they will probably concede a goal as their defence is so crap.

Result Prediction: Arsenal to win
Score Prediction: Arsenal 3 Partizan Belgrade 1

Match 5: Marseille – Chelsea: (Group F: Wednesday 8th December: 7.45pm):

Chelsea may have qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League by winning all their group games so far but they are in a really bad run with failure to win again at the weekend against Everton dropping them to 3rd in the table. They have now failed to win in their last 4 league games & have lost three out of their last six. They struggled to win their last Champions League game 2-1 against the whipping boys of the group MSK Zilina.

They beat Marseille at home earlier in the group but they have fallen badly out of form since then while Marseille lost 1-0 at Nice on Sunday to leave them 4th in the table but only two points behind top placed Lille, so tight is the French title race this season. They were top prior to the weekends games.

I think that Marseille will win this game as despite losing at the weekend they are in better form than Chelsea which also includes Europe where they have won their last two games including last time out a 3-0 win in Moscow against Spartak. That win has insured they will qualify along with Chelsea from the group so like other games this is a game with nothing riding on it other than pride. At present Marseille seem to have more pride which is not good for Chelsea.

Result Prediction: Marseille to win
Score Prediction: Marseille 2 Chelsea 0

That’s all from the champions league until the new year when we reach the knockout stages . See you all for the Premiership On Thursday.

Cheers

Douglas Martin

6th December 2010

Best Correct Prediction(s) of the week:

“Fulham beating Wigan by the correct score of 2-0 for only their second win of the season & Everton carrying on their unbeaten run by beating Stoke”

Hello everyone. Last weekend I managed another correct scoreline out of the 5 correct results I managed. The correct scoreline was as above, i.e., Fulham beating Wigan 2-0. The other correct results were Arsenal beating West Ham, Manchester United beating Spurs, Chelsea beating Blackburn & Everton beating Stoke.

For the last 4 weeks I have managed 5 out of 10 for correct results which is of course an average of 50%. I am not happy with this as it is below my average of last seasons 57%. Let’s hope the average improves.

On the other side of the coin my correct scoreline for the Fulham Wigan game was my 10th of the season which means I am averaging one correct scoreline per week which is better than last season.

I will see you all next Monday as there is a full programme of Premiership fixtures on Tuesday & Wednesday.

Good luck for this weekends fixtures.

Match 1: Bolton – Spurs: (Saturday November 6th: 12.45pm):

Spurs had a great 3-1 win against Inter Milan on Tuesday night. This was a result that I thought was beyond them but happily they proved me wrong. This result means that Spurs look like qualifying from their Champions League group.

Spurs now face Bolton away after losing at Manchester United last weekend 2-0. Enough has been said about United’s second goal so all I will say is that I am not surprised regarding the venue for the ridiculous decision of United’s goal but I don’t think it made any difference to the result as I don’t believe that Spurs were going to score to draw or win the game.

Spurs need to win this game to get back into contention for 4th place again as they have only gained 1 point in their last two games. Bolton lost to a late Liverpool goal last Sunday to lose their unbeaten home record, rather unluckily by some accounts. Both sides will therefore be hoping to bounce back after last weekends league defeats but as Spurs have the added bonus of confidence from their great win in midweek I think they will edge this game.

Match prediction: Spurs to win
Score prediction: Bolton 1 Spurs 2
Attendance prediction: 25,000

Match 2: Birmingham – West Ham: (Saturday November 6th: 3pm):

Birmingham have recovered after a mini bad period. They followed up their win against Blackpool by drawing 0-0 at Aston Villa in the Birmingham derby game. The game was reported as being very boring but I wouldn’t know because I feel a sleep watching it on TV…

Blues are also through to the League Cup quarter finals after beating Brentford on penalties where they play Aston Villa. Should be a fun game. Onto the League & I think that as Birmingham have go back to winning ways & they are playing bottom side West Ham they will win. Not really rocket science methinks.

West Ham lost again last Saturday but to a very late Arsenal goal. The defeat sees them adrift at the bottom by 3 points & to be honest I don’t think they are going to stay up unless they change their manager or sign some new players in the January transfer window ho are able to make a substantial difference. A shame as West Ham are a proper club with a good fan base.

West Ham are however in the League cup quarter finals after beating Stoke after Extra time last week so there is some slight joy in that for them. Don’t expect that to last long though.

Match prediction: Birmingham to win
Score prediction: Birmingham 2 West Ham 1
Attendance prediction: 25,000

Match 3: Blackburn – Wigan: (Saturday November 6th: 3pm):

Blackburn have slipped into the relegation zone after losing at home to Chelsea last Saturday. They did however play well & their first half performance would suggest that they won’t be in the relegation places for long. I agree & I think that they will bounce back with a win in this game to end their four game winless run. Their last win was a 2-1 victory at Blackpool in September so they need a win in this game against a Wigan side who lost last Saturday as well, 2-0 at Fulham.

Wigan are in fact only 1 point & 1 place ahead of Blackburn so you don’t have to be a genius to see that this is a big game at the bottom of the table.

Wigan have won one away game so far but that was a amazing 1-0 victory at Spurs. They have also drawn at Newcastle (2-2) & Birmingham (0-0). In fact the Fulham defeat last Saturday was their first away defeat of the season. I think they are going to make it two away defeats on the trot in this game.

Wigan like West Ham are also in the League cup quarter finals after beating Swansea 2-0 but I suspect that they will take staying up this season in the Premiership ahead of League cup glory. I have a feeling that they might just fail in their bid to stay up.

Match prediction: Blackburn to win
Score prediction: Blackburn 2 Wigan 1
Attendance prediction: 25,000

Match 4: Blackpool – Everton: (Saturday November 6th: 3pm):

Blackpool beat WBA 2-1 on Monday night which without being unfair to Blackpool would not have happened (I think) without the two sending offs of WBA players. I won’t bother arguing about the decisions but to my mind there was no way West Brom were going to win with nine men on the field. Sour grapes because I predicted West Brom to win? Never.

Good luck to Blackpool though as they are proving me & others wrong with their results. I do however, think that they will go down despite a good start so far. That would be a shame for them.

Onto their next game & they play an Everton side who are unbeaten in their last 5 games, two draws & three wins. Their latest win was against Stoke at home last Saturday. Everton after a bad start have moved up the table to 8th place above Blackpool in 9th place on goal difference.

This should be a good game but I think that Everton’s good run will continue with a close victory.

Match prediction: Everton to win
Score prediction: Blackpool 1 Everton 2
Attendance prediction: 15,000

Match 5: Fulham – Aston Villa: (Saturday November 6th: 3pm):

Fulham won only their second game of the season last Saturday when they beat Wigan 2-0. Because of the amount of drawn games that Fulham have recorded this season it means that their league position is healthy. It was also the second week on the trot that I had correctly predicted Fulham’s scoreline.

Fulham now face a Villa side that have slipped to 14th in the table after drawing with Birmingham last Sunday & losing to Sunderland the week before. Because the table is so tight Fulham are above Villa on goal difference but in 10th place!

Villa won this fixture last season but I can’t see them repeating that result on this visit to London. Villa have only won 1 away game this season which was a 2-1 victory at Wolves. They have lost all their other away games. Not good. Fulham’s home record is good in that they have beaten Wolves & Wigan & drawn with Manchester United & Everton. Their only defeat was a controversial defeat to Spurs.

Villa will have to improve their away record if they want to climb the table but then again if they hadn’t have forced Martin O’Neil to leave then they wouldn’t be midtable.

Match prediction: Fulham to win
Score prediction: Fulham 2 Aston Villa 1
Attendance prediction: 26,000

Match 6: Manchester United – Wolves: (Saturday November 6th: 3pm):

Manchester united won last weekend against Spurs to keep up their title challenge. They are still third however, five points behind leaders Chelsea who also won again.

United followed up the Spurs victory with a great 3-0 away win in the Champions League against Bursaspor of Turkey. This was a better result than most people gave United credit for as they had struggled to beat the same Turkish side 1-0 at Old Trafford two weeks before hand. The result also proves to me that United are back on form as they were not playing a 100% a few weeks ago. The resolution of the Wayne Rooney transfer saga seems to have re focused United.

Wolves played really well to beat Manchester City last Saturday 2-1. The victory wasn’t enough to take them out of the relegation places but it gave them some bloody hope that they will climb to safety. They might have trouble in this game though.

Wolves lost 3-2 in the League cup at Old Trafford only last week but played well. I think they will play well again in this game & give a good account of themselves but that they will still lose as I think United will have that bit extra to beat them.

Match prediction: Manchester United to win
Score prediction: Manchester United 2 Wolves 0
Attendance prediction: 72,000

Match 7: Sunderland – Stoke: (Saturday November 6th: 3pm):

Sunderland let their fans down very badly last Sunday when they managed to get beat at fierce rivals Newcastle 5 bloody 1. They should refund their fans who paid good money to attend that shambles.

That defeat I fear will leave a hangover at the club & that is why I think they will lose to Stoke in this game despite the fact that Sunderland have a good home record this season in that they are unbeaten. They have beaten Manchester City & Aston Villa as well as drawing with Manchester United, Arsenal & Birmingham. Stoke lost again last weekend at Everton & need a win as they have slipped back down the table & now lie just above the relegation places in 16th place. Stoke’s only away win this season was at Newcastle which bodes well as well.

Stoke to win then but I think that both sides will stay up this season & more or less finish in mid table come the end of the season.

Match prediction: Stoke to win
Score prediction: Sunderland 1 Stoke 2
Attendance prediction: 35,000

Match 8: Arsenal – Newcastle: (Sunday November 7th: 1.30pm):

Arsenal got a very late goal to beat West Ham at home last Saturday & remain second as a consequence. That late goal could prove to be vital come the end of the season. In midweek however, they lost away in the Champions league despite taking an early lead. They now face Newcastle who had a great 5-1 over Sunderland last Sunday in the big north east derby game.

Newcastle have picked up in recent weeks & now lie in 7th place. They won their last away game 2-1 at West Ham & so will be hoping to improve on their away record which has included wins at Everton in the League & Chelsea in the League cup. The league cup win proved to be pointless as they fielded a reserve side against Arsenal & consequently lost 4-0.

I think that Arsenal might have a fight on their hands in this game but will eventually come through. Still think that Arsenal won’t win the League though.

Match prediction: Arsenal to win
Score Prediction: Arsenal 3 Newcastle 1
Attendance Prediction: 60,000

Match 9: WBA – Manchester City: (Sunday November 7th: 3pm):

West Brom rather surprisingly lost at Blackpool on Monday night but the two sending off’s were pivotal in their defeat. Despite this defeat West Brom are having a great season & are 6th in the table. They are unbeaten at home with wins against Sunderland, Birmingham & Fulham as well as draws against Bolton & Spurs. They also beat Manchester City at home in the league cup & after beating Leicester away last week are now through to the quarter finals.

Manchester City have lost three games on the bounce after losing away in the UEFA cup on Thursday night. This defeat followed premiership defeats to Arsenal & last Saturday to Wolves.

I really can’t see City losing for a 4th time on the trot so I am going to go for City to break Albions’ home record. City have a reasonable away record so far this season with wins at Blackpool & Wigan & a draw at Spurs. On the negative side they have lost at Sunderland & last Saturday of course at Wolves which was a bad defeat for them especially as they took the lead & Wolves were in the bottom three (they still are) before kick off.

A city win then.

Match Prediction: City to win
Score Prediction: WBA 1 Manchester City 2
Attendance prediction: 25,000

Match 10: Liverpool – Chelsea: (Sunday November 7th: 4pm):

Liverpool won last Sunday with a late goal to secure three points at Bolton. After their win against Blackburn the week before they have now moved out of the relegation zone to the dizzy heights of 13th. They made it three wins on the trot in all competitions when they beat Italian side Napoli 3-1.

Chelsea have only lost one game this season & won again last Saturday when they came from behind to beat Blackburn 2-1. So far this season they have won away at Wigan, West Ham & of course Blackburn last Saturday. They also drew 0-0 at Aston Villa. On Wednesday in the Champions league they made it 4 wins out of 4 when they 4-1 at home against Spartak Moscow to qualify for the knockout stage.

Last season Chelsea won this fixture 2-0 which was the result that confirmed them as Champions. I think that Liverpool were better last season than this so therefore I really don’t give Liverpool much hope in this game unless they catch Chelsea on a massive off day, which I don’t think they will.

Match Prediction: Chelsea to win
Score Prediction: Liverpool 0 Chelsea 2
Attendance Prediction: 44,000

That’s all for this week everybody.

See you all on Monday for more Premiership action…

Douglas Martin

November 5th 2010

Champions League Predictions: Tuesday/Wednesday March 15th/16th 2011

Match 1: Manchester United – Marseille: (agg: 0-0): (Last 16 Second Leg: Tuesday 15th March: 7.45pm):

United are still fighting on all fronts for the treble after beating Arsenal 2-0 on Saturday in the FA Cup quarter finals at Old Trafford. Can they do the treble like they did in 1999? I think they will do the double but fall in the Champions League. However, they should beat Marseille in this game to progress to the Quarter finals of the Champions League. Unless someone cane knock out Barcelona I can’t see them winning this competition.

The first leg was a boring 0-0 draw but a useful result for United. Marseille won 2-0 at Rennes on Friday night which leaves them after the weekend results 4th in the table, four points behind Lillie in top place. The win at Rennes was a great result as they are second in the table. It will be interesting to see if Marseille retain their title in what is a very close title race in France.

United have lost their last two league games away at Chelsea & Liverpool. The latest defeat was at Liverpool last Sunday when they went down 3-1. This now means that Arsenal are three points behind them but with a game in hand.

Personally I think United will win the Premiership title as Arsenal seem to have shot their bolt so to speak with defeats to Barcelona, Birmingham & United in the last two weeks which seems to have completely deflated them. We will see.

So, United to win this game reasonably easily & let’s hope for their sake they avoid Barcelona in the quarter finals.

Result Prediction: Manchester United to win
Score Prediction: Manchester United 2 Marseille 0

Match 2: Chelsea – FC Copenhagen (agg 2-0): (Last 16 Second leg: Wednesday 16th March: 7.45pm):

Chelsea won the first leg of this tie 2-0 & so should start favourites of course. Chelsea won their last league game when they beat Manchester United 2-1 at home with a very suspect second half penalty. However, it has opened up the title race but I fear that Arsenal will be unable to take advantage.

Chelsea are out of all competitions bar the Champions League & so they will obviously be putting all their resources into winning this years title of champions of Europe. Alas, I feel they are simply not good enough & will fail. They should still manage to beat Danish side FC Copenhagen however and reach the quarter finals at least.

Copenhagen won 1-0 away at the weekend which leaves them a massive 19 points clear at the top of the table. In fact they have only lost one game all season & have a massive goal difference of plus 34 & this after only 21 games played due to the winter break. Hmm, a very close Danish league then..

Apart from the Champions League Chelsea have a battle to finish 4th in the final Table to enable them to play Champions League football again next season. At present they are 4th, three points above Spurs who are 5th. The game between the two sides at Stamford Bridge could prove vital in deciding who finishes 4th.

A Chelsea win then & the only question is by how many goals Chelsea will win the game by?

Result Prediction: Chelsea to win
Score Prediction: Chelsea 3 FC Copenhagen 0

Match 1: Sunderland – Bolton: (Saturday December 18th: 12.45pm):

Sunderland gained a precious away point in their 0-0 draw at Fulham. This was their 4th draw away this season. It is at home that Sunderland are playing really well as they are unbeaten. They beat West Ham 1-0 in their last home game which followed wins against Manchester City, Aston Villa & Stoke. They other home games have all ended in draws against Manchester United, Arsenal , Everton & Birmingham.

So this game should end in a draw or a home win. Bolton recovered from their away defeat at Manchester City to beat Blackburn 2-1 at home last Sunday to keep them above Sunderland by two points in 6th place.

Bolton have won away this season at West Ham, Wolves & drawn at Wigan, Aston Villa, West Brom & Everton. Their only two away defeats have been at Arsenal & Manchester City. In fact they have only lost three games all season in the League. A great effort by Bolton so far.

I think this game will end in a draw as Bolton are proving so hard to beat & Sunderland are unbeaten at home.

Match prediction: A score draw
Score Prediction: Sunderland 1 Bolton 1
Attendance Prediction: 39,000

Match 2: Arsenal – Stoke City: (Saturday December 18th: 3pm):

Arsenal lost at Manchester United 1-0 on Monday to lose top place. They are now second. I can’t be bothered to say much about the penalty award against Arsenal other than the decision would probably not have been given at the other end of the pitch. At least justice was done with Rooney missing the Penalty.

Arsenal need to get back to winning ways after defeat, something that they don’t do that often after a defeat. This time though I think they will. Arsenal as you will all know have been having bad results at home this season with three defeats already to Spurs, Newcastle & West Brom. They did however beat Fulham in their last home game but they did struggle in the 2-1 win. They will probably struggle for periods in this game against Stoke.

Arsenal’s other home wins apart from Fulham have been against Blackpool, West Ham, Birmingham & Bolton. Stoke meanwhile lost for the first time in 6 games when they lost at home to Blackpool 1-0 last Saturday. They have won away so far this season at Newcastle & West Brom & a draw at Wigan (last away game). They have lost at Everton, Wolves, Chelsea, Sunderland & Bolton.

Another away defeat for Stoke then but they will easily stay up & come midtable but as for Arsenal I can’t see them winning anything other than the League cup which is better than nothing.

Match prediction: Arsenal to win
Score Prediction: Arsenal 2 Stoke City 0
Attendance Prediction: 60,000

Match 3: Birmingham – Newcastle: (Saturday December 18th: 3pm):

Newcastle had a great 3-1 win against a Liverpool side who are playing dreadful away from home this season. The Newcastle defeat was their 6th away defeat this season. Ha. Newcastle now face a difficult away game at Birmingham who even though they are low in the table in 16th place but are showing good form at home again.

Birmingham have only lost once at home this season (Everton) & have beaten Chelsea, Blackburn & Blackpool at Home. Their draws have been against Liverpool, Wigan, Spurs & West Ham. Spurs was their last home game & they scored late to deny Spurs the three points.

Newcastle’s away form is ok with wins at Everton & Arsenal and a draw at Wolves. They have suffered defeats at Bolton, West Brom, Manchester United & Manchester City.

I think that Birmingham will be keen to bounce back from their defeat at Wolves last Sunday & get three points at home which they need as they have been drawing too many games this season, hence their low placing in the table.

Match prediction: A Birmingham win
Score Prediction: Birmingham 2 Newcastle 1
Attendance Prediction: 25,000

Match 4: Blackburn – West Ham: (Saturday December 18th: 3pm):

Blackburn’s new owners sacked Manager Sam Allardyce earlier in the week which seemed very harsh as he had done a good job at Blackburn in keeping them up in the Premiership in midtable for two seasons. Personally I was not too bothered for Allardyce as I don’t like him as I believe him to be corrupt & also the type of football he plays is crap.

So, how will Blackburn react. They are placed in 13th place & under Allardyce I would have said that they would have easily have stayed up but now it depends on the new manager that will be appointed but with not too much money to spend I am fearing for them. Blackburn have a good home record with wins against Wolves, Everton, Aston Villa & Wigan. The draws have been against Fulham & Sunderland. The two home defeats were against Arsenal & Chelsea.

As West Ham have failed to win away & have only drawn away at Stoke, Birmingham & Wolves. The list of defeats is as follows: Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal & Aston Villa. Relegation form as I have said before.

A home win then & I suspect that the new owners at Blackburn should become very unpopular by February as I like most Blackburn supporters have my questions as to why they have got involved. Why do the premiership keep on allowing our clubs to be acquired by suspect foreign buyers? Simple, Money.

Match prediction: Blackburn to win
Score Prediction: Blackburn 2 West Ham 0
Attendance Prediction: 25,000

Match 5: Wigan – Aston Villa: (Saturday December 18th: 3pm):

Wigan got another useful point away last Saturday at Everton in a 0-0 draw but the result still leaves them in the bottom three. I still think that Wigan will go down this season but not obviously without a fight. Wigan now face an Aston Villa side who won last Saturday against West Brom to put a bit of daylight between themselves & the bottom three.

The problem for Aston Villa is their away record which is very bad with only one victory at Wolves to their name (Wolves) & a Fulham. They have therefore lost at Liverpool, Stoke, Blackburn, Newcastle & Sunderland. Not good & I can see it being defeat number 6 as Wigan despite their lowly placing in the table are doing ok at home.

Wigan have beaten West Brom & Wolves & drawn with Liverpool, Stoke & Bolton. The defeats to Chelsea & Wigan even though they were heavy were in the first month of the season which proves that they have improved at home since then.

A home win then & Wigan could be out of the bottom three by 5pm on Saturday but it must raise questions over Villa’s appointment of manager.

Match prediction: Wigan to win
Score Prediction: Wigan 2 Aston Villa 1
Attendance Prediction: 16,000

Match 6: Liverpool – Fulham: (Saturday December 18th: 5.30pm):

Liverpool’s dreadful away form continued with another defeat (as I predicted), this time at Newcastle when they went down 3-1. Thankfully for Liverpool their home form has been good this season otherwise they would be fighting a relegation battle.

Liverpool have only lost once this at home to Blackpool & just the two draws against Sunderland & Arsenal. Their wins have been against Chelsea (which was a good result at the time), West Ham, Aston Villa, Blackburn & West Brom.

With Fulham yet to win away yet this season I really can’t see anything other than a home victory. Fulham have managed draws at Newcastle, Blackburn, Blackpool, West Ham & Bolton but have lost at West Brom Arsenal & Chelsea. It must also be added that Fulham’s defeats away have all been recently so they are losing form away from home after a good start with the above draws.

Match prediction: a Liverpool win
Score Prediction: Liverpool 3 Fulham 0
Attendance Prediction: 44,000

Match 7: West Brom – Wolves: (Sunday December 19th: 12.00pm):

This is the first time that these great rivals have played each other in the Premiership. They have of course played in the old first Division in the 1980’s, you know life before the Premiership did exist.

This should be a close game as you would expect from a derby game. Albion lost rather surprisingly at Aston Villa last Saturday which ended their mini winning run. Albion are 12th in the table & to be honest I think they will stay up this season which of course is what they hoped to do at the start of the season. Albion have only lost twice at home this season to Manchester City & Stoke. Their wins have been against Birmingham, Fulham, Sunderland & last time out against Newcastle. Their home draws for the record have been against Bolton & Spurs. Wolves have a crap away record & have only gained one point on their travels, a 1-1 draw at Everton. They did however win for the 4th time at home this season against Birmingham last Sunday in a 1-0 win.

I think that Albion will win this game to put another small nail in Wolves hopes of staying up for the second consecutive season. They are of course 2nd from bottom of the table & that is where I suspect they will finish this season.

The big question is if they will dare play “Liquidator” over the tannoy system which unless you are an Albion or a Wolves fan you won’t know what I mean.

Match prediction: A West Brom win
Score Prediction: West Brom 2 Wolves 1
Attendance Prediction: 27,000

Match 8: Blackpool – Tottenham: (Sunday December 19th: 1.30pm):

Blackpool won their 4th away game of the season last Saturday when they won 1-0 at Stoke. I am now seriously going to have to think about my prediction of Blackpool going down come the end of the season. They now face a Spurs side who carried on their good run with a 1-1 draw at home with Chelsea last Sunday when they could have so easily lost as Chelsea missed a late penalty.

Spurs are 5th, four points behind Chelsea who are dropping like a stone. Spurs have a good away record with wins at Stoke, Arsenal & Wolves. Their draws have been against West Brom, Aston Villa & Birmingham which was their last away game. The defeats have been at Manchester United & Bolton. They should have enough to beat Blackpool but Blackpool are a very difficult side to predict this season.

Blackpool’s home form has improved since the early weeks of the season. They lost to Blackburn & Manchester City early on but since then they have beaten Wolves & West Brom as well as a draw with Everton.

I think that Spurs will just sneak this game as the distraction of the Champions League has been moved to the knock out stages in the new year but it should be a good game with Blackpool running Spurs close.

Match prediction: A Spurs win
Score Prediction: Blackpool 1 Spurs 2
Attendance Prediction: 16,000

Match 9: Chelsea – Manchester United: (Sunday December 19th: 4pm):

This is a very interesting game which has a lot riding on it. Chelsea need a win, any win in the League & Manchester United need the win to open up the gap between themselves & Arsenal after they had beaten them 1-0 on Monday night to overtake them at the top of the table.

Chelsea failed to win again, this time away at Spurs. They drew 1-1 but missed a late penalty which means that they have now dropped to 4th in the table. They drew their last home game with Everton 1-1 & will really be hoping that the return of Frank Lampard will help them turn the corner.

The facts are that Manchester United have not lost in the League this season even though they have only won once away at Stoke. All their other away games have resulted in draws. United have to lose sooner or later & Chelsea can’t keep on failing to win & so that is why I am going to go for a shock Chelsea win.

Match Prediction: Chelsea to win
Score Prediction: Chelsea 2 Manchester United 1
Attendance prediction: 42,000

Match 10: Manchester City – Everton: (Monday December 20h: 8pm):

City will be very disappointed that their star player from Argentina wants to leave as without him they would be in midtable, such is his influence. Despite all that City carried on their winning run with a great 3-1 win at West Ham (as I predicted) to remain third in the table but only two points behind their nearest & not so dearest neighbours Manchester United.

City won their last home game 1-0 against a good Bolton side & I don’t need to tell you whom scored the only goal of the game. Last season Everton won this game but despite Everton’s good away form this season I can’t see a repeat.

Everton have won at Birmingham (the only side to do so) & drawn at Spurs, Blackpool, Sunderland & Fulham. These were good away draws for Everton at difficult places so they might surprise City in this game & I think they might manage a draw especially as City have a mixed home record this season with defeat to Arsenal & draws against Manchester United, Birmingham & Blackburn.

I am going to go for a home win but it will be close.

Match Prediction: Manchester City to win
Score Prediction: Manchester City 2 Everton 1
Attendance Prediction: 46,000

Douglas Martin

Best Correct Premiership Predictions for the last Round of Fixtures:

“Stoke beating Sunderland at home & Everton beating Blackpool for only their 4th home win of the season”

Hello everyone & welcome to week 28. Last weekend I managed no correct scorelines & 4 correct betting results. The correct Premiership results were Stoke beating Sunderland, Everton beating Blackpool, Manchester City beating West Brom & Spurs beating Bolton.

Not good but not terrible is how I would read last weekends Premiership betting predictions. It should have read 5 correct results if it wasn’t for the best efforts of the referee to give Newcastle a point in the second half of their game against Arsenal. One dubious sending off & two incorrect penalties will help any side & there was only one winner & that was Manchester United who saw their lead at the top reduced to four points instead of the two it should have been. No wonder the ref didn’t want to speak to anyone after the game. Corruption? Of course not, it only happens in Europe & not here.

See you all again on Monday for the next round of the Champions League.

Match 1: Manchester United – Manchester City: (Saturday February 12th: 12.45pm):

Manchester United as everyone knows lost for the first time in the League this season when they went down 2-1 at bottom club Wolves. This was obviously a surprise to me & many others. United may be unbeatable at home but away their league form has been average. However, United are still top by 4 points because Arsenal could only draw at Newcastle 4-4 after being 4-0 up at Half time. United now face their local rivals City who won 3-0 against West Brom last Saturday which spelt the end for West Brom’s manager who was sacked a few days afterwards.

City have the second best away record in the Premiership behind Arsenal. They have won at West Ham, Blackpool, West Brom, Newcastle, Wigan & Fulham. The draws away have come at Stoke, Spurs, Arsenal & last time out at Birmingham when they drew 2-2. City have only lost three times away & those defeats came at Aston Villa, Wolves & Sunderland.

United’s home record is impressive with only two points dropped at home & that was in the 2-2 draw with West Brom earlier in the season. I believe that City are one of the few sides that are capable of taking points of Manchester United at home. If they do manage to get a result in this game then it could blow open the title race. Let’s hope there is no repeat of this fixture last season when the ref played on until United scored the winner.

Match prediction: A draw
Score Prediction: Manchester United 2 Manchester City 2
Attendance Prediction: 75,000

Match 2: Arsenal – Wolves: (Saturday February 12th: 3pm):

Arsenal dropped two points last Saturday when they threw away a 4-0 half time lead to draw at Newcastle with massive help from the ref. I will however say that Arsenal’s defence is not their strongest point but I can’t believe that Chelsea or Manchester United will have had a referee making decisions against them like Arsenal had in that second half last Saturday.

Arsenal did however reduce Manchester United’s lead at the top to four points as United lost 2-1 at Wolves. Arsenal now play United’s victors in a game they need to win to get the Newcastle game out of their system. Arsenal have a good recent home record after they had lost three times at home in the opening third of the season to West Brom, Newcastle & Spurs. Since that Spurs defeat in mid November Arsenal have beaten Fulham, Chelsea, Wigan, Everton & drawn with Manchester City. In fact Arsenal have only lost once since that home defeat to Spurs in the league & that was away at Old Trafford against Manchester United when they lost 1-0. Arsenal have lost only 5 games in the league this season which is only bettered by Manchester United’s one defeat. For the record Chelsea have lost 7 times & Manchester City have lost 5 (City have drawn more than Arsenal, ie, Arsenal 5 draws against City’s 6).

I think that as Wolves have the worst away record in the League with just one win at Liverpool & a draw at Everton then they will lose but they will probably make Arsenal sweat a bit for the three points.

Match prediction: An Arsenal win
Score Prediction: Arsenal 2 Wolves 0
Attendance Prediction: 60,000

Match 3: Birmingham – Stoke: (Saturday February 12th: 3pm):

Birmingham got a valuable win at fellow strugglers West ham last Sunday when they won 1-0. This result lifted them to 16th in the table but still only point above the drop zone. Blues now face a Stoke side who won 3-2 against Sunderland last Saturday to further cement their good home record but it is away that Stoke need to improve.

Stoke’s away record is below average with just the three away wins at Blackburn, Newcastle & West Brom & draw at Wigan. The rest they have lost which have been at Chelsea, Manchester United, Wolves, Bolton, Everton, Sunderland, Liverpool & Fulham. They now face a Birmingham side who may have drawn a lot of games at home but are still proving difficult to beat at home which has been proved by draws with both Manchester Clubs & Spurs plus a win against Chelsea.

The wins at home for Birmingham have come against Chelsea, Blackburn &Blackpool. The draws list then is Wigan, West Ham, Aston Villa, Manchester United, Manchester City, Spurs & Liverpool. The two defeats have come against Everton & Arsenal which were both predicted by yours truly.

Birmingham have only won 5 games all season & they need to get some more under their belt to pull away from the drop zone. I think they will starting with a win in this game against Stoke.

Match prediction: A home win
Score Prediction: Birmingham 2 Stoke 0
Attendance Prediction: 26,000

Match 4: Blackburn – Newcastle: (Saturday February 12th: 3pm):

Blackburn lost their last home game 1-0 at home to Spurs so I don’t expect them to lose two home games on the bounce. They have a good home record as they have had in previous seasons which is more or less the reason for their continued survival in the Premiership. So far Blackburn have beaten Wolves, West Brom, Everton, Aston Villa, Wigan & Liverpool at home while drawing with Sunderland, West Ham & Fulham. The four defeats have come against Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea & Stoke. Blackburn find themselves in midtable in 11th place while Newcastle one place above them in 10th on goal difference.

Newcastle obviously had a great result last Saturday when they drew 4-4 with Arsenal. Newcastle’s away record is average with wins at Everton, Wigan, West Ham & Arsenal. The draws have been at Sunderland & Wolves but they have gone down at West Brom, Manchester United, Manchester City, Spurs, Bolton & last time out away 1-0 at Fulham to a late goal.

I think that both sides will more or less end up in midtable come the end of the season but Blackburn’s good home form will see them home in this game.

Match prediction: Blackburn to win
Score Prediction: Blackburn 2 Newcastle 1
Attendance Prediction: 26,000

Match 5: Blackpool – Aston Villa: (Saturday February 12th: 3pm):

Villa drew at home with draw specialists Fulham last Saturday 2-2. That means that Villa have only lost once in their last 7 games. Villa’s only defeat in their last seven games was a 3-1 loss at leaders Manchester United. The signing of Darren Bent seems to have given Villa a lift & as a consequence I expect them to climb the table to midtable safety. They are at present 14th in the table one place above Blackpool by just the one point.

Blackpool have lost their last 5 league games which is why they have dropped down the table from midtable to 15th. Blackpool are now only two points above the drop zone so to say they need a win is a massive understatement. Villa have a poor away record but Blackpool have a poor home record so something has to give. Blackpool have only won three games at home against Liverpool (Their last win in the League), West Brom & Wolves. They did manage to draw with Everton & Fulham but the defeats have come against West Ham (Last home game), Blackburn, Manchester City, Manchester United & Birmingham. Not good. Last time out of course Blackpool lost 5-3 at Everton which proves the point that Blackpool aren’t going to go down without entertaining everybody if they do.

Villa’s poor away form this season has seen them win just two games at Wolves & Wigan and draws at Fulham, Chelsea & Birmingham. The long list of defeats in all it’s glory is Liverpool, Newcastle, Sunderland, Blackburn, Spurs, Stoke, Manchester City & Manchester United. Again not good.

I think that as Blackpool seem to be in such freefall & Villa have improved since the signing of Darren Bent then they will win & I think I might have to go back to my pre & early season preview of Blackpool going down.

Match prediction: Aston Villa to win
Score Prediction: Blackpool 1 Aston Villa 2
Attendance Prediction: 16,000

Match 6: Liverpool – Wigan: (Saturday February 12th: 3pm):

Liverpool recorded their third away win of the season when they had a great result winning one nil at Chelsea last Sunday. By all accounts it was a poor game but I suspect that Liverpool won’t care. That result more or less finishes Chelsea’s title challenge as it leaves them 10 points adrift of Manchester United & six behind second placed Arsenal. Liverpool have now moved up to 6th, 6 points behind Spurs. Liverpool have turned the corner since Dalglish’s appointment & are now unbeaten in 5 games which has included them winning their last four. Liverpool have lost 10 league games this season yet they find themselves 6th in the table. This says a lot for the closeness of the league this season.

Liverpool have lost twice at home this season to Blackpool & Wolves. They have drawn with Arsenal, Sunderland & Everton but have beaten Blackburn, Bolton, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Stoke, West Ham & West Brom. A good home record then & you have to wonder where Liverpool would be if they had a half decent away record.

Wigan managed a very good win over Blackburn last Saturday which still leaves them in the bottom three but only behind West Brom on goal difference. Wigan’s away form is ok considering they are a bottom three side. They have only managed two wins at Wolves & Spurs but have lost at Manchester United, Blackburn, Arsenal, West Ham & Fulham. However, they have managed draws at Birmingham, Everton, Bolton, West Brom & Newcastle. It is Wigan’s home form that seems to be dragging them down the table.

A home win then & how many will Liverpool will win by?

Match prediction: Liverpool to win
Score Prediction: Liverpool 3 Wigan 0
Attendance Prediction: 42,000

Match 7: West Brom – West Ham: (Saturday February 12th: 3pm):

West Brom sacked their manager Roberto Di Matteo on Monday after they had lost three nil at Manchester City & slipped to 17th in the table just goal difference separating them & a place in the bottom three. West Brom look like appointing Chris Hughton the former Newcastle Manager & I suspect he will be in charge for this crunch relegation game against West Ham.

The Hammers are bottom of the table but only behind Albion by two points such is the closeness of the table this season. The hammers lost 1-0 at home to fellow strugglers Birmingham last Sunday which is a result they would have been disappointed with after they had won 3-1 at Blackpool in their previous game.

West Ham are fighting to stay up & they could still do it despite being bottom of the table. They have won twice away this season at Fulham & Blackpool while they have drawn at Blackburn, Birmingham, Everton & stoke. The list of defeats is Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Newcastle, Sunderland & Aston Villa.

West Brom have managed most of their wins at home this season. They have won 5 of their 7 victories at home. The wins at home have come against Newcastle, Sunderland, Fulham, Birmingham & Blackpool. They have also drawn with Spurs, Wigan & Bolton. The 4 home defeats have come against Manchester United, Manchester City, Stoke & Blackburn.

I think that the appointment of Chris Hughton will make enough difference for West Brom to win this game but it will be a close game & yes West Brom won’t keep a clean sheet.

Match prediction: A West Brom win
Score Prediction: West Brom 2 West Ham 1
Attendance Prediction: 26,000

Match 8: Sunderland – Tottenham: (Saturday February 12th: 5.30pm):

Sunderland lost at Stoke last Saturday 3-2 which will have disappointed them as they were leading 2-1 early in the second half. Sunderland have now dropped to seventh in the table & need to get back to winning ways to try & keep up the pressure on an European place.

Sunderland have a good home record with only two defeats to Blackpool & last time out when they lost 4-2 to Chelsea. The wins at home have come against Blackburn, Manchester City, Stoke, Aston Villa, Bolton & West Ham. They also had good draws against Arsenal & Manchester United as well as other draws against Birmingham, Everton & Newcastle. So a good home record against a good away record which is Spurs boast.

Spurs are 5th behind Chelsea on goal difference. It must be pointed out that the goal difference is in very much in Chelsea’s favour as it stands at 24 against 8 against Spurs. Spurs away record this season was improved by a 1-0 win at Blackburn last time out. Their other away wins this season have been at Arsenal (Their best), Aston Villa, Stoke & Fulham. They have also managed draws at West Brom, Birmingham & Newcastle. The defeats have come at Manchester United, West Ham, Bolton & Everton.

I think this game will end in a draw because both sides will cancel each other out as they did when they met at White Hart Lane earlier in the season in a 1-1 draw.

Match prediction: A Draw
Score Prediction: Sunderland 1 Spurs 1
Attendance Prediction: 38,000

Match 9: Bolton – Everton: (Sunday February 13th: 4pm):

Bolton lost away again last Saturday when they went down 2-1 to a late goal at Spurs. It was their 6th away defeat on the bounce. Thankfully Bolton’s home form has held up during this bad away run otherwise they would be even lower in the table than the current 8th place they occupy.

Last time out at home Bolton beat Wolves 1-0 at home with a late second half goal. This was a result they needed at home after they had lost 4-0 at home to Chelsea in their previous home game. The Chelsea defeat was only their second home defeat of the season after they had lost 1-0 to Liverpool earlier in the season. Bolton’s home form is good then with wins against Blackburn, Newcastle, Stoke, Spurs, Wolves & West Brom & draws against Manchester United, Fulham, Wigan & Birmingham.

Everton may have only won away at Manchester City & Birmingham but they have drawn a lot of games & only Arsenal, Blackburn, Aston Villa & Stoke. The plus side has of course been the draws at West Ham, Spurs, Sunderland, Liverpool, Blackpool, Fulham & Chelsea.

I feel that Everton are beginning to turn the corner especially as they came from behind to beat Blackpool at home last Saturday 5-3 when they were 3-2 down in the second half.

Match Prediction: Everton to win
Score Prediction: Bolton 0 Everton 2
Attendance prediction: 25,000

Match 10: Fulham – Chelsea: (Monday February 14th: 8pm):

Fulham gained a useful point on Saturday when they came from behind to draw 2-2 at Aston Villa. They are 12th in the table & seemingly safe from relegation. They now face a Chelsea side who lost 1-0 at home to Liverpool on Sunday to more or less end their title chances as they are now 10 points behind Manchester United. Chelsea should still qualify for the Champions League however, shouldn’t they?

Fulham have picked up since the turn of the year with two wins against Stoke plus wins against Newcastle & West Brom not to mention a thumping 4-0 win against Spurs in the FA Cup the other week. Couple that with useful draws at Wigan & Aston Villa & you can see why Mark Hughes has pulled his Fulham side up the table. Their only defeat in this run was a narrow 1-0 defeat at improved Liverpool.

Chelsea’s defeat to Liverpool on Sunday was their second at home this season & 7th overall this season in the league. The five away defeats they have suffered this season have come at Wolves, Manchester City, Birmingham, Liverpool & Arsenal while they have drawn at Spurs, Newcastle & Aston Villa. The wins have come at Bolton, Sunderland, Wigan, Blackburn & West Ham. It is Chelsea’s away form that sees them 10 points adrift.

I think that Fulham’s run has to end & it will against Chelsea who have made several signings. Fulham will still stay up I feel despite defeat in this game which I suspect will be a close game just as the previous game this season between the two sides was when Chelsea won 1-0.

Match Prediction: A Chelsea win
Score Prediction: Fulham 1 Chelsea 2
Attendance Prediction: 27,000