English Premier League Round 14 (20-22/11)

Arsenal v Tottenham
Birmingham City v Chelsea
Blackpool v Wolverhampton
Bolton v Newcastle United
Manchester United v Wigan Athletic
WBA v Stoke City
Liverpool v West Ham United
Blackburn Rovers v Aston Villa
Fulham v Manchester City
Sunderland v Everton


Saturday, November 20

Arsenal v Tottenham

Verdict: Arsenal will look to climb to the summit of the Premier League table when they meet fellow North London rivals, Tottenham. The Gunners are currently in a rich vein of form, winning five of their last six domestic fixtures following last weekend's 1-2 win at Everton. Tottenham broke their four game winless streak with a comfortable 4-2 win over Blackburn. Spurs made easy work of their opponents and seemed to take their foot off the pedal after Gareth Bale put them 4-0 ahead.

Apart from their first two home fixtures against Blackpool and Bolton, Arsenal has struggled to kill off their opposition at The Emirates. In addition the Gunners have been far from invincible on their home turf, losing 2-3 to WBA in September and 0-1 to Newcastle two weeks ago. Tottenham has won twice on their travels at Stoke City and Fulham, both by the 1-2 scoreline. In more recent away fixtures, they were equal to Manchester United despite losing 2-0 (in controversial circumstances), and the 4-2 loss at Bolton can be attributed to a hangover following the midweek 3-1 win over Inter Milan. This has been a closely fought fixture over the years and I don't see why Arsenal deserve such a large handicap.

Pick: Tottenham +1ah @1.85 (ibcbet, 10 units)
Arsenal 2 - 3 Tottenham


Blackpool v Wolverhampton

Verdict: Newly promoted teams, Blackpool and Wolverhampton, will meet in the top flight for the first in almost 40 years. Blackpool are making a better fist of it so far, with 15pts from 13 games compared to Wolves' 9pts. Last time out, Blackpool hung on for an entertaining scoreless draw at troubled West Ham United, whereas Wolverhampton's brave fightback against Bolton came just short, losing 2-3.

At this stage of the season, it's been a tale of two stories for these clubs as perhaps Wolves has been a little unfortunate not be further up the table, whereas Blackpool has made most of whatever's come their away. Wolves remain winless on their travels so far this season but can take heart from away performances at Chelsea, and Manchester United in the last month. The 2-1 home win against 9-man WBA has been Blackpool's only home win so far this season so I give Wolverhampton a good chance to break their away hoodoo, and perhaps gain tangible reward for their good recent performances.

Pick: Wolverhampton dnb @2.09 (ibcbet, 10 units)
Blackpool 2 - 1 Wolverhampton


Liverpool v West Ham United

Verdict: Liverpool aim to stretch a 47-year undefeated record, at Anfield, against today visitors in bottom side West Ham United today. Following the fine 2-0 win over Chelsea a fortnight ago, Liverpool seem to have returned to their old, bad habits with poor recent performances at Wigan Athletic (1-1) and Stoke City (2-0). West Ham United has shown alot of heart in the last month, stringing together a set of three draws on the back of a brave 1-0 loss at Arsenal three weeks ago.

Apart from the Chelsea win, Liverpool has struggled to perform in front of their demanding supporters. The news that Steven Gerrard is out for up to 3 weeks is also a massive blow to the home side, who joins fellow midfielders Joe Cole and Lucas Leiva (suspended) on the sidelines. West Ham has also been dealt a bitter blow with the news that inspirational captain, Scott Parker, is out of this game due to a chest infection. In Parker's absence, I do still expect the visitors to show the fight they have shown in recent games. With Liverpool having only scored 9 goals in six games at Anfield, couple with the absence of Gerrard, I give West Ham a chance of getting something from this game.

Pick: West Ham United +1.25ah @2.03 (ibcbet, 10 units)
Liverpool 3 - 0 West Ham United

Sunday, November 21

Blackburn v Aston Villa

Verdict: Sam Allardyce has a full compliment of players to choose from as his Blackburn side tackle a rather youthful Aston Villa side. On the weekend, Blackburn were denied a third consecutive league win following a tired looking performance at Tottenham, resulting in a 4-2 defeat. Aston Villa were anything but tired against Manchester United in their respective fixture. The Villains took a deserved 2-0 lead with ten minutes to go, only to lose their nerve and consequently three points after conceding two late goals to draw 2-2.

Blackburn are in some pretty good form at the moment despite the defeat on the weekend. They could so easily have beaten Chelsea three weeks ago if it wasn't for some poor finishing in the final third (lost that game 1-2). Aston Villa go into this game on the back of a 4-game undefeated run without the majority of their first team lineup. Blackburn are one of the most physical teams in the Premier League which is very hard to deal with, especially for a young and relatively small Villa side. Young Clark will line up next to Dunne in the absence of Collins, while big players such as Heskey and Carew remain on the sidelines. I believe crossed balls and set-pieces will be an issue for the visitors, especially without the aforementioned players available.

Pick: Blackburn -0.25ah @1.89 (sbobet, 10 units)
Blackburn 2 - 0 Aston Villa


Monday, November 22

Sunderland v Everton

Verdict: Sunderland will be out to prove that their 0-3 away win at Chelsea, last weekend, was no fluke when they tackle Everton. The Black Cats have responded remarkably well following the 5-1 humiliation in the Wearside derby with the win over Chelsea preceded by a 1-1 draw at Spurs, and a 2-0 home win over Stoke City. The visitors had a 7-game unbeaten streak broken in their 1-2 home defeat to Arsenal.

Despite 4pts separating these sides, there is not much between them in terms of quality. The late news is that Sunderland will be without some key men for this encounter with Bramble and Gyan late withdrawals. The suspect Anton Ferdinand will slot in at centre-back while Bent returns after a three week layoff on the treatment table, so a bit of rustiness is expected. Everton's only notable absentee is Marouane Fellaini who serves the second of his three game suspension. I feel there is a sense of expectation on Sunderland to beat Everton and beat them easily, following the surprise result at Stamford Bridge. The pressure is on the home side while I feel Everton can express themselves more freely, and perhaps still all 3pts.

Pick: Everton dnb @1.92 (sbobet, 10 units)
Sunderland 2 - 2 Everton