English Premier League Round 23 (26/01 - 27/01)

Tottenham v Fulham
Wolverhampton v Liverpool
Bolton v Burnley
Portsmouth v West Ham United
Aston Villa v Arsenal
Chelsea v Birmingham City
Blackburn v Wigan Athletic
Everton v Arsenal


Tuesday, January 26

Wolverhampton v Liverpool

Verdict: With Tottenham playing in a London derby against Fulham and Manchester City not playing until Saturday, Liverpool must see this as the perfect opportunity to break into the Top 4. A fighting performance at Stoke City (1-1) and an equally passionate performance in the 2-0 win over Spurs will give the Liverpool team belief that they can resurrect their season. In further good news for the visitors, captain Steven Gerrard returns from injury.

Wolverhampton manager, Mick McCarthy, made 7 changes for his team's 2-2 draw against Championship side Crystal Palace. The Wolves lie perilously close to the relegation zone, equal on points with fellow strugglers Hull City. Coincidentally, both newly-promoted sides meet on the weekend at The KC Stadium so Mick McCarthy may choose a slightly depleted squad against Liverpool, knowing that his team face a 6-pointer against a rested Hull City side just days later.

Wolves have been dissapointing in the last month, having played 5 games (in this period) with their only win coming in the FA Cup 3rd round against struggling League One side, Tranmere Rovers. Consecutive home defeats against Manchester City (0-3) and Wigan Athletic (0-2), preceded by a 2-0 loss at Anfield means that Wolves step into this game low in form against a rejuvinated Liverpool outfit.

Pick: Liverpool -0.5AH @1.71 (sbobet, 10 units)
Wolverhampton 0 - 0 Liverpool

Tottenham v Fulham

Verdict: Both teams were in FA Cup action on the weekend with Spurs drawing 2-2 with Leeds United whereas Fulham were 3-1 victors at League Two side, Accrington Stanley. Tottenham are now on a run of 3 games (in all competitions) without a win, following a scoreless draw against Hull City and a 2-0 defeat at Liverpool. Fulham broke their 4-game winless streak, all be it against poor opposition, following consecutive defeats at Chelsea, Stoke City and Blackburn.

Fulham remain one of the worst away sides in the league (1-4-6), having only kept one clean sheet on their travels to date. Injuries to some key players in the last month has not helped their situation. Regular full-backs Paintsil and Konchesky have succumbed to injury while top goalscorers Dempsey and Zamora have followed the same fate. Zamora is said to be in line to make the squad after been out of the fold with a broken collarbone for the last 3 weeks. His involvement will be questionable.

Tottenham expect to have Huddlestone back in the side to add some steel to the Spurs midfield. Wing-backs, Bale and Hutton, were impressive against Leeds United and should be in line for a start to test a reshuffled Fulham back line featuring Kelly and Kallio. In closing, I don't believe Fulham have the depth to replace their injured stars while Tottenham will be highly motivated to stay ahead of the chasing pack for 4th position.

Pick: Tottenham -0.75AH @1.88 (ibcbet, 10 units)
Tottenham 2 - 0 Fulham

Wednesday, January 27

Aston Villa v Arsenal

Verdict: Just like last season, Aston Villa seem to be falling off the pace after a bright first half to their campaign. Winless in their last 3 EPL games and only 4 goals scored in their last 6, Martin O'Neill's liking for not tinkering with his first 11 seems to be now having an adverse affect. Villa are however still alive in all domestic competitions, seen off Blackburn a week ago (6-4, 7-4 on agg) to move through to the League Cup final, and Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 to progress to the 5th round of the FA Cup.

Arsenal will look to regain top spot after Manchester United defeated Hull City 4-0. They can now concentrate on the EPL and Champions League after they were knocked out of the FA Cup with a 3-1 loss at Stoke City, all be it with a second string team. Arsenal's domestic form has been brilliant, undefeated in 9 (7-2-0), and boosting their goal difference by +16 in the process.

Aston Villa, scoreless in their last 3 games, do have strikers that are out of form. Agbonlahor has not scored since the 12th of December, Heskey not since the 15th of December, and winger Young not since the 7th of November. To make matters worse for the home side, striker John Carew is injured for this encounter, as is in-form defender Stephen Warnock, while creative midfielder Stiliyan Petrov is doubtful. Despite Aston Villa holding the equal best defensive record in the league, I can't see them holding back an Arsenal team playing with full of energy and confidence.

Pick: Arsenal -0.25AH @1.95 (stanjames, 10 units)
Aston Villa 0 - 0 Arsenal

Chelsea v Birmingham City

Verdict: Chelsea will aim to recapture top spot from Manchester United as the current league leaders fight it out against Manchester City for a place in the League Cup Final. The Londoners have been scoring goals for fun since the absence of their African contingent, 14 in fact (in all competitions) in their last 3 games. It must be said though that two of those games were against Championship opposition while the 7-2 win was against an out of form Sunderland.

Birmingham City continue to surprise the football public with their 15 game unbeaten run. Their latest scalp was Everton in the FA Cup, with Birmingham City progressing to the 5th round with an impressive outing at Goodison Park. City manager, Alex McLeish, looks set to name an unchanged line-up for the 10th game in a row as they travel south to face the title-chasing Londoners.

Chelsea's recent glut of goals is some what over-rated perhaps as they have faced weakened opposition. On the whole, Chelsea have been less than convincing (in the Premier League) over the last month with narrow wins over Portsmouth (2-1), Fulham (2-1), and draws at West Ham United (0-0) and today's opponents, Birmingham City (0-0). Drogba, Kalou, Mikel, and Essien are still unavailable for the Londoners while Lampard is a slight doubt with a calf strain.
Form and history suggests this game will be a tight one so we'll take the generous handicap on the visitors.

Pick: Birmingham City +1.75AH @1.89 (stanjames, 10 units)
Chelsea 3 - 0 Birmingham City

Blackburn v Wigan Athletic

Verdict: With both sides still perilously close to the relegation zone, 3pts will be a massive boost for either side. Blackburn's brave performance at Villa Park, a week ago, was not enough as Aston Villa won the League Cup semi-final 7-4 on aggregate. Blackburn though will be encouraged with the form of striker Nikola Kalinic who found the next twice in that game. Kaliniic should make his second consecutive league start following from the 2-0 home win against Fulham. Blackburn will be further boosted by the return of top goalscorer Jason Roberts from injury but must do without the powerful presence of Samba due to suspension.

Wigan Athletic were last in action just 4 days ago, in the FA Cup against Divison Two side Notts County. Wigan Athletic came back from a 2-0 deficit to save their blushes and come away with a 2-2 result. Wigan Athletic's form has improved slightly with only one defeat in their last 5 (in all competitions) but they are still a very inconsistent side. Wigan manager, Martinez, has a few selection dilemmas in defence as first choice keeper, Chris Kirkland, is out injured while Maynor Figuero is on strike due to contractual disagreements.

Despite Blackburn's difficulties in front of goal this season, they have managed to score 6 goals in their last two matches against two very well organised outfits (Fulham, Aston Villa). With 13 goals scored and 31 conceded on their travels, Wigan Athletic is a side that has the words 'goals' and 'unpredictibility' written beside it. In addition to the defensive absentees on both sides, I expect goals here.

Pick: Over 2.25 goals @1.88 (10bet, 10 units)
Blackburn 2 - 1 Wigan Athletic

Everton v Sunderland

Verdict: Everton will look to stay in touch with the top half of the Premier League as they face a struggling Sunderland side. Despite losing out 1-2 to Birmingham City in the FA Cup, Everton are undefeated in 7 games on the domestic front. The Toffees can leap frog Fulham into 9th position with 3pts here after The Cottagers lost 2-0 to Tottenham last night.
An injury-ravaged Sunderland side are currently on an 8 game winless streak and are probably still licking their wounds following the 7-2 mauling at Chelsea 11 days ago. The Black Cats were in action 4 days ago when they bowed out of the FA Cup, 2-1 to Portsmouth.

Everton will be keen to atone for the home loss against Birmingham City. Everton seemed complacent in a first half where they conceded 2 goals, following their almost perfect performance against Manchester City a week earlier. They were a different team though after the break and were perhaps unfortunate not to take the tie into a replay. With the return to action of Arteta, Osman, and Neville in recent weeks, Everton's injury crisis is beginning to clear.

Sunderland take their dismal away record (1-2-8) to a ground that has not been kind to them in the past. Injuries have not helped with defenders Turner and Bardsley ruled out for up to 3 weeks. With fellow defenders in Ferdinand, Mensah, and Nosworthy spending large chunks of the season on the treatment table, it is evident where Steve Bruce's problems lie. New signing, Kilgallon (from Sheffield United), may make his Premier League debut just days after signing for the club, such is the desperate situation for the Wearsiders. In better news, battling midfielder Lee Cattermole returns to the squad but his effectiveness will be questionable after playing 180 minutes of football since October.

If we can disregard Everton's lazy first half performance against Birmingham City as a blip, then the Toffeemen are really playing some of the best football in the league right now. In complete contrast, Sunderland are looking above their shoulders.

Pick: Everton -0.75AH @1.81 (188bet, 10 units)
Everton 2 - 0 Sunderland