Premiership Football Preview: Saturday 18th November

I went for several draws last week but two of those ended 1-0 with second half winners and I was too cute with another looking for HT/FT draws for better odds. The draw came in but only after a 0-1 half time score. The good news is that the final draw bet (Portsmouth v Fulham) came in giving me enough to cover the outlays on the others. Sadly, I over-estimated Manchester City's ability to score against the woeful Newcastle and suffered an overall 1.8 points deficit for our 12 point outlay. Never mind, let's move onto this week's fare:

Arsenal v Newcastle United, 3.00pm
Chelsea v West Ham United, 3.00pm
Everton v Bolton Wanderers, 3.00pm
Manchester City v Fulham, 12.45pm
Middlesbrough v Liverpool, 5.15pm
Portsmouth v Watford, 3.00pm
Reading v Charlton Athletic, 3.00pm
Sheffield United v Manchester United, 3.00pm

Arsenal v Newcastle United

Arsenal showed at home to Liverpool that they can demolish poor travellers. Newcastle fall squarely into that bracket and are not much use at home to boot! No wonder Arsenal are nearly 1/4 at most bookies to win. I cannot see another outcome and I don't want to get cute this week with HT/FT bets. No value so this is one to watch, not back.

Chelsea v West Ham United

This match is similar. Chelsea have enough to win comfortably and the 2/9 at VC Bet is one of the better prices! However, it is possible that the London derby antagonism may see the Hammers more in the faces of the Blues than Watford were last week. This is speculative but the draw is priced at 19/4 at Bet365 which seems backable for 1 point.

Everton v Bolton Wanderers

These are two teams who are starting to dribble into mid-table inconsistency and both need a win to arrest this. This suggests a draw yet I feel Everton have an advantage at home. The main drawback to this is the loss of Tim Cahill who has a habit of making things happen when the strikers are misfiring. Nonetheless, I like the 7/5 odds at Bet365 for the home team.

Manchester City v Fulham

Fulham are beginning to be hard to beat, without being spectacular themselves. An away trip to Manchester City might therefore be an opportunity to steal three points. City are flattering to deceive at home, playing decent football without an end product. Once more Bet365 offers a good price of 5/2 on Fulham to prevail.

Middlesbrough v Liverpool

If someone offered me a free ticket for this one, I would probably turn it down. Middlesbrough never seem to deliver exciting football while Liverpool away from home seem to have forgotten the art of attacking. It suggests a fairly staid match in store and if either team scores more than one goal, I will be surprised. The easy way out is back the draw at 9/4 with VC Bet.

Portsmouth v Watford

This will be a challenge for Watford who will surely miss the thrust of Marlon King in a game like this. However, Watford could ruffle the feathers of this Pompey side who are losing their early season edge. I like the 5/2 for the draw at Ladbrokes more than the odds-on for the home win.

Reading v Charlton Athletic

This bottom half of the table clash will attract far more attention than normal thanks to the extraordinary happenings on the management front at Charlton. Iain Dowie's abrupt sacking smacks of financial panic more than any other excuse and is an outright gamble by the board. How the Charlton players will react is uncertain. Meanwhile, Reading are fresh from a satisfying win at home to Tottenham Hotspur last week and are priced as clear favourites at 10/11 at Blue Square Betting and others. A home win would not be a surprise but the odds are not what I look for.

Sheffield United v Manchester United

All I can say here is that Manchester United must come unstuck one day soon. Could this be the place? Bramall Lane on a gale-ridden autumn day playing eleven "honest" professionals sounds fairly unappetizing fare for the likes of Christiano Ronaldo but the Red Devils also possess some Englishmen more than happy to rough it. Crucially, Wayne Rooney is amongst those hardy types. An away victory seems likely but with the odds at around 4/11 I am not interested. Mansion Sportsbook offers over 10/1 for Sheffield United should you be interested!

Betting Decision

1pt Draw – Chelsea v West Ham 19/4
3pts Home win – Everton 7/5
2pts Away win – Fulham 5/2
3pts Draw – Middlesbrough v Liverpool 9/4
3pts Draw – Portsmouth v Watford 5/2

Total Outlay 12 points

Ed note: Surprisingly attractive prices are on offer at Mansion Sportsbook including the best soccer, tennis and NFL markets

• 
• 
• Email to a friend
• Print