English Premier League Round 25 (6/02 - 7/02)

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


Saturday, January 30

Liverpool v Everton

Verdict: In the 213th edition of the Merseyside derby, these two old foes will lock horns once again with 9pts seperating both clubs (Everton have a game in hand). Both clubs are currently in impressive domestic form, Liverpool undefeated in 6 and Everton undefeated in 9 games respectively.

Liverpool though are still devoid of three of their most attacking weapons - namely Torres, Benayoun, and Glen Johnson. Their current undefeated run has been built on grit and determination rather than the crisp and fluent passing game that has won Liverpool plaudits in the past. Players like Aquilani, Riera (following long term injury), and N'Gog seem to be still finding their feet while Gerrard is obviously playing through the pain barrier, a shadow of himself.

Everton's respective undefeated run has gone from strength to strength, performance wise. Since The Blues spirited and perhaps fortunate draws against Tottenham (2-2) and Chelsea (3-3), they have gone on to play some fantastic free flowing football, notably in the 2-2 draw at Arsenal and the 2-0 defeat of Manchester City. In addition to good form, Everton are almost at full-strength for this encounter unlike their city rivals.

A derby is always tough to predict but I feel the visitors are playing well enough to at least get a draw from a Liverpool side that is having a season to forget.

Pick: Everton +0.75 AH @1.75 (sbobet, 10 units)
Liverpool 1 - 0 Everton

Bolton v Fulham

Verdict: Just 3 days on from their break through 1-0 win over Portsmouth, Fulham are set to face a physical battle at The Reebok Stadium. Bolton can thank their GD for their exclusion outside the bottom 3 but recent performances and games in hand, on most other clubs, gives Wanderers' supporters a reason to be optimistic.

Despite their depleted squad and a less than convincing performance, Fulham at least put an end to their 5 game losing streak against bottom club Portsmouth. The Cottagers can thank their home form for their current position of 10th as their record of 1-4-7 on their travels has been nothing short of dismal. As if their injury situation wasn't bad enough, Hungarian internation Zoltan Gera is doubtful with a knee injury while striker Andy Johnson is likely to miss the rest of the season.

Since the appointment of Owen Coyle, Bolton's performances have improved with a win against Burnley and solid showings against Arsenal and Liverpool. Owen Coyle also invested well in the January transfer window, signing youngsters Weiss (from Man City) and Wilshere (from Arsenal), both on loan. In addition to having an extra 4 days to prepare, The Wanderers are in solid home form with a single defeat (0-2 Arsenal) in their last five encounters at The Reebok. Taking all things into account, not to mention the motivation to get themselves away from the dreaded drop zone, I expect the home side to come out on top.

Pick: Bolton -0.25AH @2.0 (pinnacle, 10 units)
Bolton 0 - 0 Fulham

Manchester United v Portsmouth

Verdict: The reigning champions seem to be hitting some form at the right time, with consecutive victories over local rivals Manchester City (3-1 in League Cup) and title challengers, Arsenal (1-3). Chelsea could only manage a draw at Hull City midweek so a win here will return the Red Devils to the top of the table for at least 24hrs, as Chelsea have a date with Arsenal on Sunday. On Wednesday, Portsmouth's woes continued, this time at the hands of Fulham in a 1-0 away defeat. The Pompey lie at the foot of the table, 5pts below their nearest rivals in Burnley.

Manchester United have been ruthless at Old Trafford in recent times. Struggling teams in Wolverhampton, Wigan Athetic, Burnley and Hull City (not too dissimilar to Portsmouth), have suffered considerably at Old Trafford in recent visits and I can't imagine Portsmouth upsetting the trend. Manchester United have managed a +15 GD against the above-mentioned sides. Visiting manager, Avraam Grant, may let this game slide some what as his team face a winnable game just three days after this encounter, a date with struggling Sunderland at Fratton Park.

Pick: Manchester United -2AH @1.76 (10BET, 10 units)
Manchester United 5 - 0 Portsmouth

Tottenham v Aston Villa

Verdict: With only 2pts seperating these sides, Tottenham lying in 4th and Aston Villa in 7th, this is a huge game for both clubs in respect to qualifying for next season's Champions League. In midweek, Defoe was Tottenham's hat-trick hero in their 3-1 FA Cup win at Leeds United. Aston Villa were 2-0 victors at Fulham in their last competitive fixture, with Gaby Agbonlahor scoring a brace for the Villains.

Despite impressive cup runs, recent league form has deserted both clubs somewhat. Tottenham have been held scoreless 3 times and Aston Villa 4 times in each of their six most recent fixtures, respectively. Regardless of this statistic, both sides remain hard to beat with Tottenham only conceding 8 goals at White Hart Lane (equal best defensive home record) and Aston Villa letting in 11 on their travels (best defensive away record).

With Harry Redknapp playing virtually a full-strength team at Leeds 3 days ago (apart from Huddlestone and Modric) and Spurs still missing their most influential midfielder in Lennon, it's going to take something really special to breach the Villa defence. In addition, Aston Villa have a game in hand on the London club so I believe a draw for Martin O'Neill's men will be more than welcome.

Pick: Under 2.5 goals @1.90 (sbobet, 10 units)
Tottenham 0 - 0 Aston Villa