Challengers Must Apply Pressure
- By Jaymes Monte on February 4, 2011 16:47 GMT
Arsenal and Manchester City can put some pressure on the league leaders this Saturday afternoon by winning games against Newcastle and West Brom respectively.
With Manchester United not playing until later in the day the Premier League’s second and third placed teams know that they must win in order to put some pressure on Sir Alex Ferguson’s undefeated side.
Arsenal face a tricky trip to St James’ Park to face a Newcastle side that they have only beaten once in their last four Premier League visits to Tyneside. But The Gunners come in to this one on the back of six consecutive wins and high in confidence.
The bookmakers are quoting odds of 4/6 on Arsene Wenger’s side closing the gap at the top of the table to two points by getting a maximum return from this one while it is 9/2 that the Geordies derail Arsenal’s title challenge.
Defensive frailties have cost Manchester City dearly in recent weeks and another two dropped points against Birmingham on Wednesday left The Citizens six points behind their city rivals having also played a game more.
Their opponents this weekend have much greater defensive concerns but for a hugely differing Premier League campaign. West Brom have now failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 22 league matches, a run that has coincided with a dramatic slide down the table.
The home side are available to back at odds of just 4/9 with West Brom a 7/1 chance to get the win that would surely end City’s faint hopes of winning the title.
Tottenham are another side with faint title aspirations, albeit ambitions that are probably misplaced, and are priced at 4/7 to beat an out-of-form Bolton side this Saturday.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa are 10/11 to return to winning ways when they play Fulham at Villa Park, Wigan are 13/8 to get a much needed win over Blackburn Rovers and Everton are a short 1/2 to beat a Blackpool side whose season is waning dramatically.
This weekend signals two-thirds of the season past for most teams and at this stage every point won, and dropped, can have huge consequences.
