English Premier League Round 24 (30/01 - 02/02)

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


Saturday, January 30

Fulham v Aston Villa

Verdict: Since their brave performance at Stamford Bridge (2-1 loss), Fulham's performances have taken a turn for the worse. The Londoners have now lost their last 4 league fixtures, admittedly all on their travels, and some key men along the way. Regular wing-backs, John Pantsil and Paul Konchesky are unavailable indefinitely while scoring midfielder, Clint Demspsey, is a long term absentee. These players were sorely missed in a toothless performance at Tottenham midweek. Tottenham cruised to a 2-0 victory without seemingly getting out of second gear.

Aston Villa are in a poor run themselves as they remain winless in their last 4 fixtures. Goals have been hard to come by for the Villains, scoring only 3 in their last 6 but admittedly against some stern opposition. Fixtures against Arsenal (twice) and Liverpool are never easy so this statistic is a little deceiving. A scoreless draw against in-fom Arsenal, on Wednesday evening, will at least give the visitors some hope against a fading Fulham side.

Aston Villa will look to probe at the weakness of the hosts which is on the flanks. Aston Villa have the players to take full advantage of a re-shuffled Fulham back line with Downing, Young and Agbonlahor all adept at running the sidelines. Villa have conceded only 4 in their last 8 league encounters so in addition to having the right tools to unlock the Fulham defence, they have a full-strength back line in good form.

Pick: Aston Villa DNB @2.0 (sbobet, 10 units)
Fulham 0 - 2 Aston Villa

Hull City v Wolverhampton

Verdict: A true 'six-pointer' will take place at the KC Stadium as two struggling sides fight for three points. Hull City have been solid at home for almost 4 months now. A home record of 3-3-1 during this period with the only loss coming against Manchester United (1-3) is solid form for a team one spot off the bottom. Incidentally, their last competitive fixture was a 4-0 loss at Old Trafford where The Tigers conceded 3 Rooney goals in the final 10 minutes of the match.

Wolverhampton secured a valuable point in their scoreless draw against Liverpool midweek. The worrying sign for The Wolves is their inability to find the back of the net, scoring only 2 goals in their last 6 league fixtures. This included a blank against Wigan Athletic (0-2), the league's most porous back line.

Hull City will have had an extra 3 days rest for this fixture. This is really a must win situation for the home team as they will not get a more winnable fixture than this for the remainder of the season. To help their cause former Wigan Athletic striker, Amr Zaki, has signed on loan from Egyptian side Zamalek and could prove to be a game breaker off the bench.

Pick: Hull City DNB @1.72 (unibet, 10 units)
Hull City 2 - 2 Wolverhampton

West Ham United v Blackburn

Verdict: Playing their 7th fixture in 28 days, Blackburn Rovers travel to the capital to face a desperate West Ham United side. West Ham United lie equal on points with 18th placed Burnley, only goal difference keeping them out of the relegation zone. The home side will be ruing a missed opportunity at Portsmouth midweek as they couldn't hold onto their 1-0 lead, eventually drawing 1-1. Earning a scoreless draw at Aston Villa a week earlier, it's more a case of points earned than points dropped for The Hammers, who have been dismal on their travels so far this season.

Consecutive home wins against Fulham and Wigan Athletic have pushed the Lancashire club up towards mid-table, 7pts above the drop zone. Their away form though does leave a lot to be desired with a record of 1-2-8 and a GD of -20.

West Ham United are likely to regain the services of Parker and Ilunga, while top goalscorer Carlton Cole is almost certain to start after his cameo appearance at Portsmouth. Blackburn retain the services of Chris Samba but look way short of numbers in midfield with Grella and Dunn not travelling with the squad. Blackburn have played a lot of football this month, including two tough League Cup semi-final legs against Aston Villa which didn't prove fruitful. This fact coupled with their away form and absence of some key men leads me to support the desperate hosts here.

Pick: West Ham United -0.25 @1.79 (sbobet, 10 units)
West Ham United 0 - 0 Blackburn

Wigan Athletic v Everton

Verdict: Wigan Athletic return to home comforts after their 2-1 defeat at Blackburn midweek, facing an Everton side undefeated in their last 8 league fixtures. After suffering a dismal first half to their season with injuries and form, Everton have now gathered some momentum. Despite the 1-2 home loss to Birmingham City in the FA Cup last weekend, Everton strolled passed Sunderland in a midweek 2-0 win without playing their best football.

Wigan Athletic are in 14th place but still lie only 2pts above the dreaded relegation zone. The Latics have failed to impress this season with only fleeting moments of brilliance, the 3-1 demolition of Chelsea springing to mind. Standing in for the injured Chris Kirkland,Serbian keeper Vladimir Stojkovic, did not look very impressive against Blackburn and it is expected that he will come under further scrutiny against the Merseysiders.

Everton are undefeated in their last 3 fixtures on their travels with notable draws at Chelsea (3-3) and Arsenal (2-2). Wigan's home record of 3-3-3 is average at best with a GD of -3. Captain, Mario Melchiot, is doubtful with a neck problem so the home side's already vulnerable defence may become even more so. Everton have a tough month of fixtures ahead so there will be some extra motivation to pick up 3pts here. I think it is a distinct possibility for the visitors, considering that they have the better form and stronger squad, man for man.

Pick: Everton -0.25AH @1.95 (sbobet, 10 units)
Wigan Athletic 0 - 1 Everton

Sunday, January 31

Arsenal v Manchester United

Verdict: Following Chelsea's defeat of Burnley yesterday, these two rivals have it all to do to hang onto the coat tails of The Pensioners. Arsenal trail the leaders by 5pts whereas Manchester United trail by 4pts respectively. In midweek action, Arsenal failed to capitalise on their game in hand, at Villa Park, after been held to a scoreless draw. Manchester United were involved in League Cup action and were triumphant by a 3-1 scoreline over city rivals, Manchester City.

Arsenal's key central defender, Thomas Vermaelen, is doubtful following a heavy blow to the leg at Aston Villa. This may mean that 35 yr old, Sol Campbell, may make his first Premier League appearance for The Gunners since the 05/06 season. In other team news, the injured Eduardo is likely to be replaced by the returning Bendtner while African contingent, Song and Eboue, return from the Cup of Nations. Manchester United have captain Rio Ferdinand suspended but Vidic is expected to be passed fit.

I expect goals here as both sides chase the victory. A draw here will only favour Chelsea so we should see a high tempo from both sides. In addition, the reshuffling to both back lines will only help our cause here.

Pick: Over 2.25 goals @1.74 (10bet, 10 units)
Arsenal 1 - 3 Manchester United

Tuesday, February 2nd

Hull City v Chelsea

Verdict: Chelsea will look to gain a 4 point buffer over Manchester United after the Red Devils defeated Arsenal on the weekend. Hull City were perhaps a little unfortunate not to gather all 3 points against fellow relegation strugglers Wolverhampton. Defensive errors from Anthony Gardner costed them dearly and despite leading the game twice, The Tigers had to settle for a 2-2 draw.

Hull City are in a wretched run of form of 9 games without a win and a defensive record of 48 goals conceded - the most in the Premier League. In team news, loan signing, Amr Zaki, is expected to start after his impressive showing against The Wolves. Brazilian midfielder, Giovanni, is also expected to play a part after been rested on the weekend, and Zayatte is expected to return from his calf injury.

Chelsea just did enough against a Burnley side (1-2 win) to break a sequence of 3 away games without a win. In good news for Chelsea, Drogba and Kalou are expected to feature for the first time since their return from the AfCON. Ashley Cole is a doubt whereas Carvalho is likely to return.

Chelsea have been scoring for fun in the last month and with only a +2 GD on Manchester United, they may look to really punish a side if the chance presents itself. Hull City are in disarray in defence, but I still think they can pose a threat up front with the height and power of Zaki, Altidore and VoH. Hull City have only been kept scoreless 3 times at the KC Stadium whereas Chelsea have shown under Ancelotti that they can score alot of goals.

Pick: Over 2.5 goals @ 1.72 (sbobet, 10 units)
Hull City 1 - 1 Chelsea