English Premier League Round 33 (10/04 - 14/04)

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


Saturday, April 10

West Ham United v Sunderland

Verdict: Relegation threatened West Ham United will aim for their first win in 8 games, following their brave performance at Everton last weekend. West Ham fought back twice to claim a deserving 2-2 draw against one of the form sides of the competition. Sitting 10pts above West Ham in 13th place, Sunderland have all but secured their Premier League status for next season. Their 3-1 win over Champions League chasing Tottenham, last weekend, showed that the Black Cats are in fine fettle and in no mood to gift 3pts to teams that presumably need wins more than they do.

There's no doubting which team desperately needs the points here but it's not a given that they will get them. The big news is that West Ham United will miss their influential captain, Scott Parker, through suspension so it will not be easy against a Sunderland side that has only lost twice in their last 11 league appearances. Admittedly, Sunderland have won only once on their travels this season but their encouraging run of form has produced draws at Portsmouth and Aston Villa. West Ham United have had 3 consecutive home losses to teams no better than Sunderland - namely Bolton, Wolverhampton, and Stoke City so the value is on the visitors here to get at least a draw.

Pick: Sunderland +0.25AH @2.21 (sbobet, 10 units)
West Ham United 1 - 0 Sunderland

Wednesday, April 14

Aston Villa v Everton

Verdict: With Portsmouth unlikely to be playing in Europe next season despite reaching the FA Cup final, a Europa Cup place will be awarded to the 7th placed team. Aston Villa sit in 7th position, 4pts (and a game in hand) above Everton who sit in 8th place.

Just 4 days ago, Aston Villa were beaten 3-0 at the hands of Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final. All 3 goals came in the final quarter of the game which probably gives credence to the fact that Villa tend to struggle late in games. While Villa were battling it out on the energy sapping Wembley turf, Everton were resting up after their 2-2 draw against West Ham United 10 days ago.
Aston Villa have been dissapointing since the turn of the year. From a team that was in the race for a Champions League birth in December, their form has slipped dramatically, recording only 4 league wins since January. Despite still holding a solid record of 7-7-2 at Villa Park, they have only won 1 of their last 7 at home. Everton's season form has been in total contrast. From struggling in the bottom half of the table for most of the season, Everton are now one of the form teams in the league. This can be attributed to the return of some key players from injury. Unfortunately for the visitors, key midfielder Mikel Arteta is likely to miss out on this crucial game along with forward Victor Anichebe.

Everton have the momentum and the fresh legs going into this game in contrast to an Aston Villa side whose season is petering out to another dissapointing end. Everton desperately need the 3pts to have any hope of clinching that final Europa Cup place and if form is anything to go by, they have a good chance of achieving just that with a win at Villa Park.

Picks:
Everton +0.25AH @1.90 (188bet, 10 units)
Aston Villa 2 - 2 Everton
Everton 1x2 @3.30 (stanjames, 5 units)
Aston Villa 2 - 2 Everton

Wigan Athletic v Portsmouth

Verdict: Following wins for both West Ham United and Burnley on the weekend, the pressure has intensified on Wigan Athletic. The Latics lie just 4pts above the relegation zone. With tough fixtures ahead against relegation-threatened West Ham United and Hull City, in addition to dates against championship chasing Arsenal and Chelsea, Wigan Athletic will not get an easier fixture this season. Three days after their amazing FA Cup semi-final triumph over Tottenham, Portsmouth have only one thing on their minds and that's the cup final against Chelsea in a month's time.

Only 8 first team members took part in Portsmouth's last training session with the team nursing several injuries. The squad is so depleted that five youth players have been included in the squad that will travel to the DW stadium. Wigan Athletic have better news on the injury front with Boyce likely to return and Thomas a game time decision. Wigan's recent performances have been better than what their results would suggest and I fully expect them to take care of a injury hit Pompey side still on cloud nine.

Pick: Wigan Athletic -0.75AH @1.75 (expekt, 10 units)
Wigan Athletic 0 - 0 Portsmouth