I agree with the treble as well. Looks a storming bet. Possible big surprise?.....Fulham..if they score first, while Wigan have a superb chance vs Boro.
Arsenal v Newcastle
The 4th round FA Cup between these two was in no way a great spectacle of football, but it did shine some light on their respective tasks: Arsenal winning the League, and Newcastle just to start winning!.
Kevin Keegan must have seen some positives in the game, as they did hold out for nearly the hour, but ultimately it's the poor finishing and lack of creativity within his ranks that will have him reaching for the painkillers for a while yet. A fighting spirit, a new found desire...those were evident, just without an end product.
Wenger's still on track with his plans , but with Chelsea and Man Utd showing no signs of stopping in theirs, he'll be feeling the pressure to keep his squad as fluid as they have been. The Magpies gave them a lot to deal with in the opening 45mins at the weekend , and with a bit of luck that scoreline would have been different. I've seen fatigue creeping in with some Arsenal players, so any breakdowns in their passing game will leave them open to the more flowing footballing sides, but luckily Newcastle are not there yet...but getting closer with each game.
Arsenal have beaten them in both the FA and the League Cups this season, but only drew 1-1 in the Premiership, so they hold all the cards here at The Emirates.
Newcastle to score @ 1.80 bluesq.
Bolton v Fulham
Bolton p.a, post anelka, look just as they were p.m. , pre megson. The lack of a sure fire striker up front is so evident in their resorting to the now classic Bolton long ball game. Throw-ins, set pieces , over the top...etc...it never changes. With the cash injection from Anelka's sale you'd think a decent target man with some quality experience would be on the wish list.
Davies has his admirers, me included, but he won't win you games through his scoring.
Fulham desperately need a result especially after exiting the FA Cup on penalties to Bristol Rovers.
Seems such a long time now since the opening day 'nearly upset' vs Arsenal when they led 1-0 with only 5 mins to go. Only 2 wins all season, the last on Nov 3rd '07, they're now stuck firmly in the relegation zone on 15ts and no real solution in sight. Roy Hodgson has a wealth of experience at top levels, but is he the man for the battle that lies ahead? Like Sanchez he's favours the shirt and tie look, but that may be what he ends up hanging by if the rest of the season doesn't get any better!
Bolton certainly know how to stop a team such as Fulham playing, so expect a war of attrition in the fight for precious points. Fulham need some self belief in tablet form, I think, as their performances do nothing for them. With the Trotters short on goal scorers just now there is no better time for the Cottagers to knock in a fast start and take the game to them.
Fulham +0.75 @ 1.71 betchronicle
Middlesbrough v Wigan
Be still my beating heart!...Boro vs Wigan...what a joy. Maybe a bit unfair actually, as Wigan have shown improved form under Bruce The Destroyer , while Boro have clawed their way into the 5th round draw of the Cup.
The fact that Boro are ranked 19th for their Home record this season with only 2 victories at The Riverside , but one of those 2 coming against Arsenal, gives you a clear indication of the unresolved issues that Southgate is struggling with. Mido has been injured forever it seems, while one bright light , Woodgate, looks to be off. With a GFA 0.86 they should be getting relegated , but will no doubt find a way out.
Wigan won the reverse fixture 1-0, and have another great chance to do so again, bow that a couple of recent signings have added some polish to the grit. Much like Bolton/Fulham , this is a match that sees one side that cannot score vs another that scores but just not enough! The Latics are on a run of 9 straight with goals , so no reason why it will stop here. A good account of themselves vs Chelsea in the FA Cup will surely have set them up nicely for a trip to sunny Boro.
Wigan +0.25 @ 2.30 betchronicle / Wigan score first @ 2.62 bluesq
Sunderland v Birmingham
With only 3 defeats at Home, from Man Utd, Liverpool and Blackburn , Sunderland have shown how tough they are on their own patch. At the start of the season it took a last minute strike to secure a point against Birmingham, but things have changed since then. The reality of Premierhsip life has sunk in, and 18th spot in the relegation zone is all Roy Keane is concerned about these days....the Home record is just not important. New signings, a Swedish striker, and ex-Man Utd defender, Bardsley, should see some action in the hope that a new '15 game era' can be started and survival attained.
Birmingham gave Arsenal, Chelsea, and Man Utd all tough games, in what was quite easily the hardest 3 game stretch of any club in the league. Single goal defeats to Man Utd and Chelsea bookened a spirited 1-1 draw with the Gunners. There should be a massive injection of confidence from those games and with a trip to Sunderland maybe no the easiest on paper, it is way way below what they have been facing. Can they raise their game for the bottom clubs as they did for the top?
McLeish still has a long way to go to have the team in the shape he wants it, but the omens are good. New striker, Argentinian Mauro Zarate will have his chance to make an immediate impact.
Birmingham DNB @ 2.35 betchronicle
Chelsea v Reading
Chelsea just keep on truckin! Relentless? Lucky? Determined? ....whatever it is they have done the basics: won. Unbeaten in 2008, all comps....that's great stuff when you consider the absentees they've had to contend with. When they last faced Reading they were 1-0 down at half time, but fought back to win 2-1. Another win is on the cards here.
With 9 of their 15 wins this season all by a single goal margin, it's fair to say that Chelsea have been running it close , and as mentioned previously in these columns, backing against them on the Asian handicap has been most profitable...so will it be again?.
Reading have not shown much fight on their travels, an issue highlighted by them still awaiting 3 pts for an away win: 0-3-8. Currently on a losing streak of 4 in a row, Steve Coppell can't be having high hopes of this tie being the 'change' he's been looking for.
A run of scoring in 15 straight came to a halt on New Years Day vs Portsmouth. Two more have followed suit. It's a worry, and with no major signings to speak of, it's likely to get worse before getting better.
Reading +1.75 @ 1.98 188Bet
Derby v Man. City
How low can Derby go? The FA Cup debacle with all of their new signings on show was a real disaster. Even the most die-hard fan must be giving up on them. The frustrating thing is that the talent is there. It is. I don't see ability as being the question. It's all about the players getting it together under massive pressure. Either they will or they won't. And at the moment it's a clear case of 'they won't'.
Man City were dumped put of the Cup as well. This time it was Sven's turn to suck it see as Bryan Robson's Blades cut up City from the off. The balloon assisted goal was a farce, but it's turning points like that can shape a season. Robson may save his job because of it, while Sven's campaign might just have been burst. You never know. Certainly this match will be a must win for City, as playing the worst club in the league and not taking all the points will be a nightmare for them. Knocked out 2 Cups in succession, and then Derby?....that's too much!
Man City @ 1.72 boylesport
Everton v Tottenham
This should be a great match to watch with both sides having been in top attacking form of late. Everton have won their last 3 in the league and put in a good effort against Chelsea in the Cup. If you take out their losses to Man Utd and Arsenal, then they are undefeated in the last 11 games. That's a solid effort by any standard, and with 7 clean sheets in there as well, it all adds up to this season being a real chance of getting that 4th place.
Spurs lost 3-1 to Man Utd in the FA Cup , and that took the shine of their 5-1 mauling of Arsenal 4 days previously in the Carling Cup semi-final. As with a lot of their games away from White Hart Lane, Spurs just can't find their feet the way they do at home. They've lost the last 3 'away' and struggle to score in general, with a GFA of 1.00 compared to their Home GFA 2.90. It's a big problem and Ramos needs to get it sorted pronto.
Spurs have only scored in the opening 30 mins of an away match twice...and they were in the same match: Fulham 3-3. Everton were 3-1 up at HT the last time they met, and another quick start will end this game as well.
1st G/s (e/way, 1,2,3 1/4 odds): Lescott @ 26.00 paddypower / A goal to be scored in the 1st half @ 1.64 betchronicle (great bet!)
West Ham v Liverpool
Liverpool managed to drop their 4th successive '2pts' against Villa last week with a 2-2 draw , but in reality they actually 'saved' a point in that match thanks to a Crouch equaliser in the 88th minute. Man City/Wigan/Middlesbrough/Villa.....not exactly a Hall of Fame list , but Liverpool found them all too good. The FA Cup gave them a little care as well, with minnows Havant & Waterlooville taking the lead twice before the mighty Reds asserted and won 5-2.
Still, conceding 2 goals in the manner they did is a big concern. The Press and public may have loved it, but you can be sure Rafa and the board did not. A very solid and professional display is required against West Ham, but the dip in 'dominating' play is a worry and one to be exploited.
West Ham meet Liverpool for the first time this season much later than normal. Last season saw Liverpool do the double 2-1 , extending their unbeaten run against them to 10. The last Hammers win was back in Nov '99, so not a lot going for them on the statistics side of things. I think 'erratic' would best sum up their season, with some wonderful highlights , Man Utd 2-1 and Derby 5-0 , but not enough overall.
They've scored first 11 times but only won three of those, with 7 ending in defeat, and it's that lack of closing out matches that has hampered their campaign. Only 3 defeats in the last 14 league games is something to build on, something to be proud of, so a good result here may well be the springboard that Curbishley has been hoping for.
Over 2.5 @ 2.29 betchronicle
Man. United v Portsmouth
Man Utd must be loving life at the moment with top spot in the EPL, Champions League football secured and a nice FA Cup run on the go. Not bad at all. Fergie, unlike Wenger, doesn't believe in the '2 teams' for the FA Cup , so their meeting in the 5th round will be interesting , although that all depends on what's in his diary that week. Prioritising has never been an issue for him.
The last 3 league games have returned 9 goals and clean sheets in all of them. Even when they went down against Spurs in the Cup, they fought back to win 3-1....all is good on the land of the Devils.
Pompey will be hoping for a repeat of their early season 1-1 draw, as that would be great point to take away from this trip to OT. Considering that they're only scoring in 50% of their games recently, you have to wonder how safe their top 10 place is. the 3-1 win over Derby last time was a big relief not just for the league table, but also for Portsmouth's Benjani, as he'd gone 10 games with only scoring once.
With his key players on ACN duty I think Harry could be in a for a right kicking here, so a 4-5-1 it will be and pray for a stroke of luck.
Rooney to score @ 2.50 bet365 / Man Utd to win to nil @ 1.83 paddypower / Ronaldo to score with a header @ 12.00 ladbrokes