http://www.freebetting.netFreeBetting.net is online sports betting guide offering free betting tips and previews, H2H stats, bookie reviews and much morehttp://www.freebetting.net/images/logo.gifhttp://www.freebetting.netCopyright 2008 FreeBetting.net
United hammered at Goodison

The 3:1 defeat at Goodison Park was very hard to swallow for Sir Alex Ferguson as his side were supposed to put extra pressure on Chelsea with another convincing win but they utterly failed and are now no less than four points adrift of the Blues. Maybe the players became too complacent after the impressive victory at San Siro or maybe they were just too tired, but they still failed to show a mental strength needed to win such an important game. The players will have problems recovering for what was a big blow to their title ambitions and they face a tough task against revived West Ham, which why you shouldn’t even consider odds of 1.22 offered by Pinnacle on home win as there is absolutely no value in them.

After yet another poor performance of his centre-back pairing, Sir Alex Ferguson should finally turn to Nemanja Vidic, who’s been training for almost three weeks now but is yet to feature in 2010. Rio Ferdinand is finally back after the suspension and we should see United's best centre-back partnership after quite a while. Underperforming Berbatov will probably make way for Paul Scholes, with Rooney set to be deployed as a lone striker, while Giggs, Hargreaves and O’Shea remain sidelined. The hosts are bound to go all guns blazing at the Hammers as they desperately need a win and should score at least one goal but seeing they also conceded in every one of their last three games, backing both teams to score at 2.25 offered by William Hill looks like the right thing to do.

Back in business

Everybody knew West Ham had more than enough quality to escape the drop but even their own fans started fearing for survival after Gianfranco Zola’s side missed a couple of great chances to steer clear of the bottom three. Nevertheless, the Hammers finally came good, mostly thanks to their impressive home run that saw them take 10 points from 4 games at Upton Park, without conceding a single goal in the process. Going into the United game high on confidence, the Hammers stand a decent chance of creating a surprise since they are no longer under pressure and that should result in a good performance. With Zola’s side rediscovering their scoring form, backing West Ham to score at 2.10 offered by Boylesports looks like a real banker.

We don’t expect to see any changes to the starting line-up, not after such a good performance against Hull, which means Carlton Cole and Guille Franco will continue in attack, while Mido, Noble and Collison face a real battle to return to the side. Herita Ilunga, Kieron Dyer, Danny Gabbidon, Benny McCarthy, Zavon Hines, Calum Davenport and Louis Boa Morte remain sidelined but as the team have already shown, their absence should not be a problem.

Betting verdict

The hosts are in poor spirits after the Everton defeat and they seem too dependent on Waynee Rooney, who will be given a special attention by West Ham defenders. The Hammers, on the other hand, are playing with a lot of confidence at the moment and they will be a tough nut to crack at Old Trafford. The best United can do here is record a narrow win.

...Read more]]>http://www.freebetting.net/online_betting/223982/England_-_Premier_League/Man_Utd_vs_West_Ham
A stalemate against Bolton

Wigan’s problems in the scoring department were again on display as they hosted Bolton since the Latics again created enough chances but were lacking that cutting edge in the final third. Roberto Martinez’s side now sit two points clear of the relegation zone and they will be looking to get at least one point from this match but the hosts are unlikely to rush into anything as Tottenham will have no problems scoring if they are afforded the space. We expect to see a very tight game, especially in the first half since both sides are low on confidence and odds of 2.60 offered by Stan James on no goals in the first half look too good to pass.

Titus Bramble is doubt after picking up an injury against Bolton, while fellow defender Stephen Gohouri is the only player on the injury list at the moment. Marcelo Moreno should keep his place in the side after the good performance in the last match, which means Victor Moses will again have to settle for a place on the bench.

Another defeat to Wolves

If anyone ever thought Tottenham were genuine top 4 contenders, they have probably changed their minds after seeing Spurs lose to struggling Wolves for the second time this season. Harry Redknapp’s side are still in the mix but having dropped so many points against relegation strugglers, they only way how they can still finish fourth is by beating the likes of United, Chelsea and Arsenal, which we all know is not possible. The players will surely be low on confidence after failing to score a single goal against Wolves and Spurs are now in for a difficult task at JJB. All things considered, backing Tottenham to score under 1.5 goals at 1.65 offered by Sportingbet looks like the right thing to do.

While Jonathan Woodgate, Roman Pavlychenko and Benoit Assou-Ekotto remain sidelined, there is an outside chance we could see Aaron Lennon make a return to the side after recovering from a groin strain. After losing to Wolves, Spurs have shown some improvement in the FA Cup tie against Bolton and we expect to see an unchanged side from that which started the game at Reebok.

Betting verdict

Wigan will try to keep things tight and if possible pick up another point, while Tottenham should have the upper hand but the lack of confidence will prevent them from showing all they’ve got. We, therefore, expect a very tight game with under 2.5 goals the best option here.
...Read more]]>http://www.freebetting.net/online_betting/223516/England_-_Premier_League/Wigan_vs_Tottenham
Bellamy and Mancini clash

Manchester City have suffered a big dip in form over the last few weeks and they simply have to arrest the dismal run in order to remain in contention for the top 4 place. Nevertheless, the recent bust-up between Craig Bellamy and Roberto Mancini is likely to create even more tension, thus the Citizens will have problems concentrating on this game. With Bellamy probably out of contention and Tevez still in Argentina for personal reasons, the hosts will struggle to break Liverpool defence which conceded just one goal in last five games and odds of 3.60 offered by Paddy Power on City not to score are definitely worth a shot.

Craig Bellamy has reportedly been banned from the training ground and he will probably miss this match, just like Carlos Tevez, who has yet to return from Argentina. Patrick Vieira is set to be handed a three-match ban that will force him to miss this clash, while Vincent Kompany remains a doubt with a groin strain. With the dressing room atmosphere at an all time low, City face a really tough task in this match, even though Liverpool are by no means unbeatable.

Narrow win over Unirea

Liverpool fans flocked to Anfield to see their team play Unirea but we could all see they were far from happy for having to watch the Reds play in second rate European competition. Liverpool’s performance in that match, just like in so many games this term was also second rate but with the help of subs Babel and Pacheco, they managed to win the game by the narrowest of margins. Rafa Benitez was certainly happy to see his side keep another clean sheet but without Torres in the side, the scoring problems continue and we, therefore, see a good value in betting on no goals in the first half at 2.60 offered by Stan James.

Fernando Torres continue to miss out with a knee problem, while Yossi Benayoun and Glen Johnson remain long-term casualties. Maxi Rodriguez and Lucas should return to the side with Riera and Aquilani dropping to the bench, whereas Emmanuel Insua should take his place on the left hand side after being rested against Unirea. Despite the good performance in his last match, Ryan Babel is set for another substitute appearance.

Betting verdict

City are in big problems at the moment and they are missing much needed fire power up front, which will make their life even more difficult against rock-solid Liverpool defence. The Reds will first make sure not to concede before starting to think about Given’s goal and low-scoring game looks on the cards.    
...Read more]]>http://www.freebetting.net/online_betting/223515/England_-_Premier_League/Man._City_vs_Liverpool
Impressive win over Shakhtar

Fulham have gone a long way during the last few years and they have mostly Roy Hodgson to thank to. The manager transformed the Cottagers from the relegation strugglers to a top table team and the win over last year’s UEFA Cup winners is the perfect proof of this side’s progress. The gaffer opted to field a very strong side against the Ukrainians even though that could have a negative effect on this game but the Cottagers are bound to finish in mid table and the result of this tie won’t change anything. Both Fulham and Birmingham base their game on rock-solid defence and we, therefore, see a great value in betting on no goals in the first half at 2.50 offered by Sportingbet.

Zoltan Gera has returned into action against Shakhtar but he probably won’t be risked in this match, just like Paul Konchesky, who’s resumed light training following the lengthy spell on the sidelines. Kagisho Dikgacoi, Andy Johnson, Clint Dempsey and John Paintsil remain sidelined, while we do expect to see a couple of changes to the side that started the Shakhtar game.

Are Birmingham tired?

Alex McLeish’s tactics of constantly fielding the same starting line-up produced great results during the first part of the season but it has started to have a negative effect on the team. The players are clearly tired and that could be one of the reasons for the recent slump in form the boss tried to arrest by finally introducing a couple of new players to the side. The Blues were starring defeat in the eyes in their last four league games but the FA Cup victory over Derby could be just the boost they needed to arrest their poor run of form and with Fulham players tired from the midweek game, we see a good value in backing Birmingham not to lose at 1.73 offered by Stan James.

Chucho Benitez returned into action in the Derby game and he is set for another start, while Craig Gardner, Michel and Keith Fahey finally got some playing time in recent weeks and they are again pushing for the starting places. Apart from long-term casualties Teemu Tainio, Lee Carsley and Gary O’Connor, Alex McLeish has no other selection problems.

Betting verdict

Both teams look tired at the moment, Fulham from the Shakhtar game and Birmingham from playing a lot of games with the same line-up, and we should, therefore, see a low-tempo match. Neither team will be pushing forward too hard with chances few and far between.

...Read more]]>http://www.freebetting.net/online_betting/223478/England_-_Premier_League/Fulham_vs_Birmingham
An easy job for Villa

This is turning out to be a very successful season for Villa as the team have already made it to the Carling Cup final and are close to qualifying for the FA Cup quarter-finals, while they occupy a good league position as well. The top 4 finish is still within reach and this is why Martin O’Neill’s side cannot afford to slip up against Burnley. Villa failed to profit from their numerical advantage against United as they could only pick up one point but will now have much easier task and since the boss will have almost full squad to choose from, backing Villa to score in both halves at 2.25 offered by William Hill looks like the right thing to do.

Stephen Warnock came through the Crystal Palace game unscathed after returning from the three-week spell on the sidelines and he will keep his place in the side, while Gabriel Agbonlahor and Emile Heskey are set to return after recovering from their respective injuries. Carlos Cuellar was rested against Palace, while Stiliyan Petrov remains doubtful with an ankle problem.  

Still no improvement on the travels

Burnley are threatening to enter the Premiership history as the worst team on the travels ever, having picked up just one point from 13 away games this season. What is even more disappointing is that Clarets were never even close to avoiding defeat in those games, as witnessed by the 8:38 goals difference on the travels. This is why they don’t really have much to hope for from the trip to Villa Park and the visitors should be happy with every result apart from the heavy defeat. All things considered, our advice is to back Burnley not to score at 1.83 offered by Blue Square.

Leon Cort, Stephen Jordan, Graham Alexander, Christian Kalvenes and Stephen Caldwell are all doubtful with injuries and Brian Laws will have to wait until the match day to find out who he can count on. We, nonetheless, don’t expect too many changes to the side that started the Fulham game, although Chris Eagles is pushing for the starting place.

Betting verdict

Aston Villa are playing really well at the moment and Martin O’Neill will have almost full squad to choose from, while Burnley would be better off staying at home instead wasting the money and energy on the trip to Villa Park which is likely to result in yet another away defeat. The visitors are also missing a couple of first team regulars and Villa are expected to win this game with relative ease.
...Read more]]>http://www.freebetting.net/online_betting/223477/England_-_Premier_League/Aston_Villa_vs_Burnley
Blackburn closing in on survival

Blackburn are a living example of how a team need to play if they want to ensure survival. Rovers have won almost every single home game against direct relegation rivals and that alone should see them easily avoid the drop. They are not picking up a lot of points from the travels but who needs that with such a good home form. Since Sam Allardyce’s side are already eight points clear of the bottom three, the most important thing is not to lose to Bolton and that is why the hosts are bound to adopt a cautious approach. With the Trotters set to do the same, we see a great value in betting on no goals in the first half at 2.75 offered by Paddy Power.

Big Sam is still without key midfielder and top scorer David Dunn but Vince Grella is slowly building match fitness having played for the reserves in midweek and he should be on the bench against Bolton. New signings Andre Liganzi and Yildiray Basturk could also be named among the substitutes as they are closing in on match fitness. Other than that, Allardyce has no injury worries and he will have almost fully fit squad to choose from.

A good point at JJB

Bolton continued the good string of performances as they held Wigan to a goalless draw and Owen Coyle was pleased that his side were slowly gaining momentum before the decisive survival battles. The Trotters have upped their game a great deal under Owen Coyle and even though the results could have been better, the most important thing is they created a good base for the season finish. The visitors will not be pushing too hard in this match as they would probably be delighted with one point, while seeing they scored just one goal in last five games, our advice is to back Bolton not to score at 2.40 offered by Paddy Power.

Owen Coyle could make a couple of changes to the team that started the Wigan game with Jack Wilshire, Vladimir Weiss and Tamir Cohen pushing for the starting places, while Ivan Klasnic could make the bench after making a surprise recovery from a calf strain. Zat Knight came through the Wigan game unscathed and he will keep his place in the side, but Gary Cahill, Chris Basham, Sean Davis, Joey O’Brien and Gavin McCann remain sidelined.

Betting verdict

Going into this match eight points clear of the bottom three, Blackburn will not have to rush into anything, while Bolton tend to adopt defensive style on the travels. Since both sides struggle in the attacking department and would probably be happy even with one point from this match, under 2.5 goals looks like a banker.
...Read more]]>http://www.freebetting.net/online_betting/223775/England_-_Premier_League/Blackburn_vs_Bolton
Portsmouth face administration

We have already written about the poor financial situation in the club but Pompey have now reached a new low as they face administration unless they can prove they are operating as a solvent business, which practically means Avram Grant’s team need to win their next two games or face administration and nine-point deduction that would surely end their survival hopes. Everybody at the club is under pressure at the moment but the players have got to try and win this game, while they can take some heart from the good performances against Sunderland and Southampton. Seeing that Pompey scored and conceded at least one goal in every one of their last five home games, we see a good value in backing both teams to score at 2.00 offered by Blue Square.

Hermann Hreidarsson returned into action after the lengthy spell on the sidelines and he will keep his place in the side, but Kevin-Prince Boateng, Michael Brown, Aaron Mokoena and Tommy Smith remain sidelined. Steve Finnan remains a doubt, but Ricardo Rocha is back after serving his suspension. We are likely to see a couple of changes to the side that beat Southampton in the FA Cup, with Quincy Owusu-Abeyie pushing for the starting place after impressive cameo role against Southampton.

The third successive 1:1 draw
 
The Potters continued with impressive performances at their Britannia as they completely outplayed Manchester City, having taken the lead even with ten men on the pitch and even had a goal wrongfully disallowed in the dying moments of the match. Tony Pulis’s side thus responded to the three-match losing run at the end of December with a nine-match unbeaten run in the New Year and they will need just few more points from remaining 13 games to ensure survival. The Potters now have a good chance to get something from this match as they can play a waiting game and take advantage of the opponent’s mistakes, thus our advice is to back Stoke not to lose at 1.60 offered by Expekt.

Captain Abdoulaye Faye is suspended following the red card he received against City, while Matthew Etherington and Andy Wilkinson continue to miss out through injury. Tony Pulis will probably continue to rotate his squad, with Danny Colins, Salif Diao and Tuncay Sanli pushing for the starting places.

Betting verdict

This is the last chance for Portsmouth to boost their survival hopes and they simply have got to go all guns blazing at Stoke, who have already shown they can exhibit all opponents’ weaknesses and we should see a very open game. Hence, over 2.5 goals looks like the best choice here.
...Read more]]>http://www.freebetting.net/online_betting/223514/England_-_Premier_League/Portsmouth_vs_Stoke
Costly errors

After returning to the Premiership title race with the win over Liverpool, Arsenal were expected to build on that result and at least avoid defeat in their Champions League tie against Porto but shocking mistakes from back-up keeper Lukasz Fabianski prevented the Gunners from getting anything from that game. Arsene Wenger will now be looking for a response from his players as they cannot afford any more slip-ups if they are to remain in the title race and the Gunners will attack their opponents from the very start. Sunderland are pretty shaky on the travels but they have a lot of attacking potential and we should see a very open game even in the first period, which is why you should know William Hill pays 2.38 on over 1.5 goals in the first half.

Manuel Almunia will return to the side even though he will have to play through the pain as even the crocked Almunia is better than fully fit Fabianski. Eduardo, William Gallas, Alex Song and Andrei Arshavin all missed the Porto game through injuries but some of them should be available for this match. Arsene Wenger is unlikely to make too many changes to the starting line-up as he doesn’t have a lot of options and we will see a very similar side to that which started the Porto game.

Danger zone

Sunderland enter this match on the back of the 12-match winless run in the Premiership that saw them slip into the danger zone despite some very good performances in the first half of the season. The Black Cats couldn’t hold on to the lead against rock bottom Portsmouth despite having an extra man on the pitch and now sit just three points above the bottom three. The Emirates is definitely not the place where Steve Bruce’s side should be searching for survival points but they simply have to try and get something from this match. This team have a lot of attacking potential and they will have plenty of space at the Emirates, thus backing Sunderland to score at 1.91 offered by Boylesports looks like the right thing to do.

The situation in injury front seems to be improving as attackers Frazier Campbell and Kieran Richardson are back in contention and they could even start the match. Anton Ferdinand and John Mensah are also closing in on their return and at least one of them is likely to play some part in this game, but Andy Reid and Jordan Henderson remain sidelined. Holding midfielder Lee Cattermole is suspended for this clash and his presence in midfield will be sorely missed.

Betting verdict

Arsenal are looking to bounce back from the disappointing defeat to Porto and the Gunners will go all guns blazing at Sunderland, no doubt about it. However, the Black Cats also have a lot of attacking potential and they will try to take advantage of Arsenal’s defensive problems, thus we can definitely see them scoring at the Emirates. Hence, backing both teams to score is the best option here.
...Read more]]>http://www.freebetting.net/online_betting/223443/England_-_Premier_League/Arsenal_vs_Sunderland
Finally a win

Despite the poor start of the season, we expected West Ham to quickly turn the season around but that simply did not happen. It seems the numerous injuries to the playing squad have destabilized the team and the Hammers simply couldn’t play few good games in a row. The win over Birmingham was long overdue but we are sure the Hammers will just be pleased to have finally won and things should be much easier from now on. The game against Hull is the perfect opportunity for the hosts to create an advantage over their relegation rivals and since the Tigers boast the worst defensive record in the Premiership, we see a good value in backing West Ham to score over 1.5 goals at 2.00 offered by Sportingbet.

Guille Franco has recovered from a hamstring injury and he is pushing for the starting place in attack together with new signing Ilan, while Benny McCarthy is likely to miss out with a knee injury.  Danny Gabbidon, Calum Davenport, Kieron Dyer, Louis Boa Morte and Zavon Hines remain sidelined but that shouldn’t be a problem as they’ve been out for quite a while. Team’s top scorer Carlton Cole has started scoring immediately upon his return from the sidelines and he will pose a big threat for the weakest defence in the league, which is why you should back Cole to score at 2.25 offered by Bet365.

Massive game for Hull

Hull were unable to build on the three good performance at their KC Stadium as they lost the away game to Blackburn and that match proved the Tigers don’t stand too big a chance when they leave their stadium. Having picked up just 4 points from 13 away games in the Premiership, Phil Brown’s side don’t have much to hope for before the trip to Upton Park, while their goal difference on the travels 7:31 speaks for itself. Considering that Hull failed to score in their last three away games and that West Ham kept three successive clean sheets at home, odds of 2.30 offered by Paddy Power on Hull not to score look too good to pass.

Phil Brown is pondering whether to include influential midfielder Jimmy Bullard into the squad for this game, but that would probably be a very poor decision since the player has yet to resume full training following his return from injury. Kamel Ghilas and Dean Marney are slowly building match fitness after their spell on the sidelines but they are unlikely to feature in this match, just like Brazilian midfielder Geovanni, who is still struggling with a knee problem.

Betting verdict

The win over Birmingham was just the boost the Hammers needed to turn this season around and we expect them to continue their good home form. Hull are simply awful away from home and they are still missing several very important players, thus home win looks like banker here.
...Read more]]>http://www.freebetting.net/online_betting/223442/England_-_Premier_League/West_Ham_vs_Hull
Impressive win over Tottenham

Wolverhampton produced quite a coup by taking all six points off Tottenham this season after beating them 1:0 at Molineux and the win could be just the boost they needed to turn the season around. Wolves are still just one point clear of the bottom three and they have to continue picking up points but the players are now much more confident before the future challenges. We expect the hosts to adopt a positive approach, just like they always do at their Molineux and since Chelsea conceded in every one of their last three away games, odds of 2.15 offered by William Hill on both teams to score look too good to pass.

Mick McCarthy has already announced he would field the same squad that started the Tottenham game, which is not a surprise considering how well his team played in that match and he is certainly hoping for another good result. Stephen Ward has shaken off a minor knee injury and he will keep his place in the side, but Andy Keogh, Michael Kightly and David Edwards are still few weeks away from making their return.

No more slip-ups allowed

This will be very important match for the Blues as they need to quickly return to winning ways after dropping five points in last two away games. Their first place is in serious jeopardy at the moment and it is a good thing that Chelsea will not play in the Champions League until next week and will have had enough time to prepare for this clash. Carlo Ancelotti’s side managed to qualify for the FA Cup quarter-finals after the 4:1 win over Cardiff and they thus continued the good scoring run. The Blues are obviously hot favourites in this game and will be looking to finish the job early on and keep the energy levels high before the Inter match, thus you should seriously consider backing Chelsea to lead at half-time, at odds of 1.73 offered by Paddy Power.

John Terry will return to the side after being granted a leave of absence during the past few days, while Yuri Zhirkov will continue at left-back in the absence of Ashley Cole. Nicolas Anelka, Branislav Ivanovic and Florent Malouda are back after being rested against Cardiff, but Michael Essien, Jose Bosingwa and Juliano Belletti remain sidelined.

Betting verdict

Chelsea are the hot favourites here and we are pretty sure they will not allow any more slip-ups, but Wolves have shown some potential at their Molineux and they are likely to score on the break, but that will probably not be enough to avoid defeat. Therefore, our advice is to back Chelsea to win with over 2.5 combined goals scored in the game.
...Read more]]>http://www.freebetting.net/online_betting/223452/England_-_Premier_League/Wolves_vs_Chelsea