Barclay’s Premier League 2008/2009 – Opening Day Fixtures

16/9

VERY CONFIDENT

• Arsenal vs West Brom – Arsenal Win, -1.5
• Hull vs Fulham – Fulham win, -1.5

CAN TRY

• Bolton vs Stoke – Bolton not to lose
• Everton vs Blackburn – Blackburn +1.5, Draw
• Boro vs Tottenham – Tottenham win, -1.5
• West Ham vs Wigan – Draw
• Sunderland vs Liverpool – Draw, Sunderland +1.5

17/9

VERY CONFIDENT

Man Utd vs Newcastle – Man Utd win, -1.5

CAN TRY

• Chelsea vs Portsmouth – Draw, Portsmouth +1.5
• Aston Villa vs Man City – Villa win, Man City +1.5

Barclay’s Premier League 2008/2009 – Welcome

Welcome everyone to another wonderful season of English Football  … !!

Manchester United will be trying to emulate the fantastic double achieved last season and would have been happy that the Ronaldo saga is over .. for the time being at least ! .. They are on the lookout to add another striker to the team and Berbatov seems to be the most likely target …

Main contender to the crown will be Chelsea and the Samba contingent .. Scolari may have won the World Cup but we have to wait and see if we can handle the pressure of weekly football games and the hunting pack of english paperazzi !! ..

Arsenal have a very good mix of young and older (less than 25 yr olds) players and are the team to watch .. they have been affected by the loss of the midfiled trio of Flamini, Hleb and Gilberto but there has been talk that Wenger could bring in Gareth Barry to Emirates, leaving Rafa Benitez fuming at his Amreican owners.

Apart from the top three, it is not possible to see anyone else winning the title … Liverpool will have achieved greatness if they finish in the top four .. Apart from Torres, Gerrard and Mascherano, the team lacks good players and will struggle this season. Torres had a great season last year but it will be difficult this season as defenders will know how to handle him better …

Other UEFA cup potentials to watch for are Aston Villa, Portsmouth and Man City. Martin O’Neill has bought wisely and will be given the Barry cash to buy more players. Losing Barry will be a great disadvantage to the club but they have a very good blend of young exciting players and old experienced players. Ashley Young will be the key player to watch !!

Relegation candidates have to Hull City, Stoke and West Brom … all three newcomers have not bought well and will struggle this season against the Big Boys of BPL !!

Lookout for my Opening Day predictions soon !!

Take care for now …

Relegation Battle Heats Up …. !!

Hello everyone … what a week !! .. With Chelsea and Man Utd deservingly clinching the their places in the Champions League Final, Rafa Benitez finally got what he deserved by unfairly criticising Drogba as a diver !! .. So another season without winning the title or trophies for Liverpool !!

Utd will have to defeat West Ham at all cost this weekend to keep the title from Chelsea, who have a tough date with Newcastle at St James Park.

Fulham’s surprise win at Man City has opened up the relegation battle with 6 teams still involved in the fight to remain in the Premier League.

• Fulham (30 points)  – Birmingham (H), Portsmouth (A)
• Birmingham (32 pts) – Fulham (A), Blackburn (H)
• Reading (33 pts) - Tottenham (H), Derby (A)
• Bolton (33 pts) – Sunderland (H), Chelsea (A)
• Middlesboro (36 pts) – Portsmouth (H), Man City (H)
• Wigan (37 pts) – Aston Villa (A), Man Utd (H) 

Wigan

Wigan’s last two games are difficult and they would be lucky to get any points out of these games. However, if Fulham beats/draws with Birmingham at The Cottage, Wigan will be safe !!

Middlesboro

Boro’s last 2 games are at home to FA-Cup concentrating Portsmouth and soon-to-be managerless Man City. They require just one win from their remaining games to ensure safety and they are capable of it !

Bolton

Bolton are in deep shit .. They have to meet in-form Sunderland and title-chasing Chelsea in their last two games. A win over Sunderland at home is a must and hope that Fulham beats Birmingham !!

Reading

Reading have a tough match against Tottenham this weekend which they should avoid defeat at all cost. Their final game is against relegated Derby in which they should collect the 3 points comfortably.

Birmingham

It does not look good for Birmingham. Dropping 2 points against a reserve Liverpool side have made matters worse and a win against Fulham is a MUST !! Anything less than 3 points against Fulham will confirm relegation as their last game is UEFA place chasing Blackburn !!

Fulham

Fulham have started their relegation fight a little too late .. Even if they win their last two games against Birmingham and Portsmouth, they have to win by big margins as they have a weaker goal difference than Bolton. It will be a pity if they are relegated by goal difference !!

My prediction for Relegation :

• Derby
• Birmingham
• Fulham (on goal difference !!)

 

Relegation battle on showcase …

Hello there everyone .. long time no see .. apologies for not updating the blog !!

Man Utd’s pursuit to retain the BPL title met with a slight hiccup at Teeside and with Chelsea grinding out yet another 1-0 win, the title could be decided when both the teams meet later this month.

This weekend sees relegation battles in the spotlight, with teams at the bottom of the table fighting out for lucrative points.

Sunderland vs Man City

This has to be the best bet of the day .. Sunderland are quite formidable at home and are currently on 3 consecutive wins .. Sunderland are still mathematically involved in the relegation battle and Roy Keane would be hoping the current winning streak continues …

Man City on the other hand on a free fall and have lost another defender, Nedum Onuoha, for the rest of the season. With Micah Richards already out for the season, Erikkson has a defensive crisis as who will partner “own-goal specialist”, Richard Dunne.

Their away record is pathetic compared to their home form and I do not see that improving tonight.

Prediction : Sunderland Win.

Reading vs Fulham

Fulham are going down … and are not going to come back for a while .. They were awful against Sunderland also in their last couple of matches .. Jimmy Bullard is the only saving grace in an otherwise awful team ..

Reading on the other hand are very good at The Madjeski Stadium. They are still close to the relegation places and Steve Coppell will expect three points from this game. With difficult away games to Arsenal and Wigan looming after this game, Reading needs this win very badly.

Prediction : Reading Win.

Other Games :

• Birmingham vs Evertop : Draw / +1.5
• Bolton vs West Ham : +1.5
• Derby vs Aston Villa : Villa Win
• Tottenham vs Middlesboro : Draw / +1.5
• Portsmouth vs Newcastle : Portsmouth Win

 

 

Merseyside Derby at Anfield ..

And the march goes on … !!

United’s sprint to the final seems to relentless and they showed their intents with a convincing 4-0 win over Aston Villa. Though Villa are not at their best, Ronaldo’s performance was excellent with a cheeky goal and three assists. There were some worries that Alex Ferguson might rest some of key players in anticipation of the Champions League quarterfinal with Roma in midweek but thankfully, only van der Sar was rested.

In the other matches, Bolton were very unlucky to lose to 10 men Arsenal, Sunderland were very lucky with an injury time goal which will move them closer to safety and finally, Derby were relegated to the Coca-Cola League Championship !!!

Liverpool vs Everton 

The biggest game today will be the Merseyside derby where Liverpool hosts their main rival and threat to their customary 4th place. Liverpool come into this game with high hopes and good form (sans the defeat at Old Trafford where they were simply outclassed by Man Utd). However, knowing Rafa Benitez and with his favourite tournament coming up in midweek, it has to be seen if he will rest some of his players tonight.

I hope he does not do any major changes to the side since this is an important game. Mascherano is definitely out but the rest of the team that played against Utd should start this game.

Everton have a mini injury crisis with Cahill out for the rest of the season. Andrew Johnson and Steven Pienaar face late fitness tests. Everton have not won at Anfield for a very long time and I do not see them doing it in this match.

Prediction : Liverpool to win .. 2-0, 3-0 !!

Tottenham vs Newcastle

Kevin Keegan finally got his first win since his retun to St James Park when Newcastle defeated Fulham 2-0 last weekend. However, Spurs are no Fulham and under Juande Ramos they are capable of producing good football. Last week match saw the return of Mark Viduka and Keegan was able to field his attacking trio of Viduka, Owen and Martins.

Spurs might rest Ledley King but Woodgate is expected to play against his former side. Spurs’ own attacking partnership of Keane and Berbatov are expected to create havoc against a weaker Newcastle defence which sees Cacapa missing with injury.

Prediction : Spurs win over sorry Magpies !!

Chelsea vs Middlesbrough 

Nothing much to say abt this game except the fact that Chelsea are unbeaten at home for almost four years and that record is not going to be blemished today !!

Prediction : Chelsea win .. 2-0 or 3-0 !!

Battle at both ends !!

Man Utd extended their lead at the top of the League after convincing win over Liverpool which ensured that they complete their customary double over Liverpool season after season !!! .. No thanks to Mascherano for getting a needless red card and an FA charge which might extend the current ban to 3 or 4 matches … Man Utd would have won against Liverpool with or without Mascherano.

Chelsea have now become the biggest threat to Utd’s title defence as they have a much easier run to the end of the season. The game against Man Utd in late April will be very important to both the teams ..

A couple tricky games this weekend  …

Man Utd vs Arsenal

An important game for Utd which they should win to extend their lead over Chelsea. However, after the international midweek games, some of the key players will tired and needs to be seen how their performances will be. Utd have depth in strength and should win this game. Villa have been performing badly in their last few games and have virtually dropped out of the race for the UEFA spot.

Prediction : A comfortable win for Man Utd.

Bolton vs Arsenal

Arsenal are falling behind in the title race in an alarming fashion as they have yet to register a win in 5 games. 4 points out of 15 allowed Chelsea to do catch-up and they will have a daunting task to recapture the 2nd spot from Chelsea. Adebayor has lost his “power” ever since he changed his hairstyle, Van Persie is still not at his best and their record at Reebok Stadium sucks badly !!

Bolton are fighting for their lives and have been losing narrowly in recent games. They will employ their usual rough tactics and long ball strategies to unsettle Arsenal and I have a feeling they will succed in denying Arsene Wenger’s team the win ..

Prediction : Bolton to surprise !! .. +1.5

Derby vs Fulham

If there is a game that you will expect Derby to win, this is the game !! .. Derby are still rooted to the bottom of the table and relegation looks more certain with 7 games to go. However, they have been playing very well lately and Paul Jewell has done very well in the market by bringing ex-Man Utd keeper Roy Carroll to Pride Park. He will be again on the spot in this match against a goal shy Fulham team.

Fulham have not won away this season and will be looking for a win against Derby to extend the relegation fight to the end of the season. They do not have enough firepower in front and a lot of dependance is on McBride.

Prediction : Derby to sneak their second win of the season .. +1.5 !!

Other Games :

Sunderland vs West Ham - Sunderland Narrow Win

Birmingham vs Man City – Draw

Portsmouth vs Wigan – Portsmouth Win

Reading vs Blackburn – Tough one to call but I am going with Reading home win !!

Grand Slam Sunday !!

With eight matches to go, there is no clear indication where the BPL title is heading to … though the destiny of the title seems to be in Man Utd’s hands … Chelsea’s resurgence was halted at White Hart Lane by some slack defending .. Arsenal’s title run has also been somewhat disrupted by Eduardo’s broken ankle and Adebayor’s loss of form  … Liverpool’s title run ?? …to be honest, they were never in it at all, right from the beginning !!!

Manchester Utd vs Liverpool

Man Utd were in good form recently until the FA Cup loss to Portsmouth at home. How they lost that game is still a mystery !! Goals have dried up a bit lately though they are creating a lot of chances in recent games.

Expect the attacking trio of Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez being unleashed against a Liverpool defence which will miss Daniel Agger. Carragher and Skertel (or Hyppia) will have a tough time against United’s dangerous trio.

United might have to do without Ferdinand as he has not recovered from his back injury. Wes Brown might partner Vidic at the center of defence with Evra and O’Shea slotting in the full-back roles. Anderson did a reasonable job in shutting out Gerrard in the last meeting at Anfield and he would be doing the same in this game.

Liverpool will depend heavily on Torres and Gerrard to score goals against a very mean Man Utd (only 5 goals let in at Old Trafford this season). Liverpool have also scored fewer goals away from home this season (only 17 goals), with Man City and West Ham scoring fewer goals than Liverpool in the top 10.

It’s gonna be tough game but with the high stakes, Man Utd will prevail. A draw is not good for Liverpool but you never know what Rafa Benitez is thinking.

Prediction : Man Utd to win it 2-1.

Chelsea vs Arsenal

Another London derby for Chelsea though this one is at home. Avram Grant against the Big Four is very poor and that is set to continue. Chelsea’s home record is unbelievable but that record was possible due Jose Mouriho !! .. All good things should come to an end and this game could see an end to that record.

However, Arsenal are not in great form either with four successive League draws .. though the win against AC Milan at San Siro is sandwiched between those four draws, the gunners are finding it hard to win. The loss of Eduardo has meant that Adebayor and Bendtner will spearhead the attack, with a lot of concerns arising from Emirates with the loss of form of Adebayor (the so called ‘Samson’ effect).

This game looks like a draw from the onset and only a moment of brilliance (or error) can change that !!

Prediction : Draw game !! 

Battle @ the Bottom !

With the Big Four playing each other on Sunday, Saturday will see a few relegation battles with a lot of surprises ….

Tottenham vs Portsmouth

Tottenham held Chelsea to a 4-4 draw in midweek and were lucky to have scored 4 goals. Cudicini and the Chelsea defence lost the plot in the last few minutes of the game and Chelsea fans would be hoping for the swift return of Petr Cech !!

Portsmouth are building well for their FA Cup semi-final and would be relishing this game at White Hart Lane as their away form this season is pretty good. Jermaine Defoe will miss this game against his former team due to FA regulations and it is a pity as he has been scoring in all the games he has played for Pompey ! 

Portsmouth are fresh after a week’s rest while Spurs had a tough game against Chelsea over the midweek. Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate played in the midweek game (and let in 4 goals !!) and it would be interesting to see if Juande Ramos will play them again in this match.

Prediction : Pompey to take advantage of Spurs tiredness and sneak a narrow win !!

Blackburn vs Wigan

Blackburn have dropped points in their last 2 games, losing to West Ham and drawing at home to Fulham. The loss of Ryan Nelson at the back has disrupted their rhythm and it will continue this weekend against the resurgent Wigan team.

Wigan performed admirably with 10 men for almost 85 mins of the game against Bolton at the JJB Stadium and full marks need to given to Steve Bruce for turning the tide at Wigan.

In a duel between two former Man Utd greats, Steve Bruce’s team are in better form and they will not lose this game.

Prediction : Wigan not to lose, +1.5 on Wigan

Reading vs Birmingham City

Steve Coppell has effectively stamped his authority on Reading which has seen some good performances lately, 2 wins and 1 narrow defeat against Liverpool. Reading are usually hard to beat at the Madjeski Stadium and are now performing better after recent slump.

Birmingham have performed below their best after losing Martin Taylor in the recent matches. They will find it difficult to break down a resolute Reading team away from home. They have an awful away record (2 w, 3 D, 10 L) and their last win was against Spurs some 3 months ago.

Prediction : A comfortable Reading Win (No surprises here !!)

Other Matches :

• Middlesbrough vs Derby – Draw
• Bolton vs Man City – Bolton Win
• Villa vs Sunderland – Draw
• Newcastle vs Fulham – Draw
• Everton vs West Ham – Everton Win 

BPL – Midweek Games – 19th Mar 08

what a week of surprises !! .. Utd were very lucky to have left Pride Park with all three points and you have to credit Derby for such an excellant performance. Utd are struggling to score and it was a surprise to see Tevez and Ferdinand not featuring during the entire game. A case of over-confidence ??

On the other hand, Arsenal seem to be more interested giving the title to Utd on a platter. Successive four drawn games in the league have seen their advantage at the top of the table eroded and they are in danger of losing the 2nd position to the ever improving Chelsea team. The coming weeks are going to be crucial to the top three teams and two of them are involved in the midweek games.

Man Utd vs Bolton

Bolton were pathetic as they were unable to take advantage of a 1o men Wigan team for almost 85 mins of the game. With Jussi Jaaskelinen out for the entire season (strong rumours of a move to Old Trafford to replace Van Der Sar next season), rookie keeper Al Habsi will take over the goalkeeping role for the remainder of the season. Though a good keeper, he needs to be an excellent when he is trying to stop the terrorising Utd front line tomorrow ..

Anticipating the arrival of the resurgent Liverpool team on Sunday, some of the key players might be rested tomorrow .. three points is the target tomorrow and Sir Alex will not be bothered if it is a 1-0 win again. However, considering the state of Bolton, I am sure they can beat them comfortably at home with the so-called ’second stringers’ !!

Tottenham vs Chelsea

Revenge of the Roman’s army ? Spurs were lucky to win the Carling Cup at the expense of Chelsea and another season without trophy will not make Roman Abromovich happy. A few things to consider before betting on this game …..

• This is a derby match
• Chelsea are playing at White Hart Lane.
• Spurs have lost the motivation to play anymore after winning the Carling Cup which has confirmed European participation next season.
• Chelsea are keen to take the automatic Champ League place by finishing as runner-up in the league.

$1.95 on Chelsea win is very tempting and you cannot rule out that possibility. Go for a 1-0 Chelsea win !!

BPL Barclays’ Premier League – 15th March 08

Just when you thought it is safe to bet on a strong Aston Villa team to beat Boro, in comes a Titus Bramble play-alike called Zat Knight to spoil my plans of making money. Curtis Davies’ injury has caused Martin O’Neill to make some changes to the backline but I was expecting Olof Mellberg to replace Davies and not Knight.

Anyway, it’s no good to dwell on the past and let’s look forward to another week of exciting English football ! ..

1. Derby vs Man Utd
   • Nothing much to say abt this game as Utd should win this game to put more pressure on Arsenal who will be playing later. With the incentive of going to the top of the table, I do not see Utd dropping any points or letting in any goals.
   • Man Utd to win 3-0/4-0 (clean sheet provided Van Der Sar is in goal) !!
2. Birmingham vs Newcastle
   • Birmingham under Alex McLeish have been playing well at home and this is a good opportunity for them to get the three points which will move them away from the releagation zone.
   • Newcastle under Kevin Keegan are hopeless and it was a hasty move by the Newcastle board !! .. It would be a great achievement if he keep them in the League !
   • Birmingham to win narrowly 1-0 or 2-1
3. Arsenal vs Middlesbrough
   • Arsenal will be playing catch up by the time this games starts. Boro were gifted a lucky point by Villa in midweek and I do not foresee Arsenal similarly being generous. The drop of two points against Wigan would have disappointed Arsene Wenger and that kind of mistake will not happen this weekend against the toothless Boro team.
   • Arsenal to win 2-0, 3-0
4. Portsmouth vs Aston Villa – Draw
5. Liverpool vs Reading – Narrow win for Liverpool, +1.5 Reading
6. Sunderland vs Chelsea - Chelsea win
7. West Ham vs Blackburn - Draw
8. Fulham vs Everton - Everton Away Win
9. Man City vs Tottenham - Spurs Away Win
10. Wigan vs Bolton - Wigan Home Win