ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE SATURDAY BETTING PREVIEW FOR AUGUST 21
We've got some solid-looking fixtures ahead of us this weekend and, just from taking a quick glance at the feature matches from Saturday, you get the feeling that we will be seeing a fair amount of draws.
Six matches all kick off at 15:00 on Saturday afternoon with Arsenal vs Blackpool being a particularly interesting affair. The Gunners are short-priced as the biggest favourite of the weekend with a slim 1.16 price tag at Ladbrokes. Blackpool are listed at a lengthy 15.0 while the draw trades at 7.0.
Let me tell you this- if Arsenal don't take all three points then we'll start to hear the shouts that Blackpool could very well "Do an Ipswich". I think Blackpool will fancy this one and attempt to kick Arsenal off the pitch with a gritty type of match that tends to win Championship fixtures.
Birmingham vs Blackburn is a bit more of a toss-up than it looks. Blackburn looked solid on the opening day and their 3.3 price here looks a juicy one. Alex Mcleish's side are the 2.2 favourites, but I reckon they have to score first to take this one. I think it could go either way and both sides would be happy with a draw- you can back that at 3.3.
Everton are big favourites to topple Mick McCarthy's Wolves side, with the Merseysiders priced at 1.53. You can lock in a 7.0 price tag on Wolves with a draw at 3.75. Everton were shaky in their last fixture and will simply try to outclass Wolves on the day. I think this one could be decided by a spot kick or a red card in lieu of a dominant performance.
Spurs travel to Stoke City after their mid-week hiding by Young Boys. Tottenham do go in as the 2.25 favourites but the Britannia Stadium can be a tricky place to go expecting an easy result. Spurs need to find their goalscoring form and Jermain Defoe is going to be a big factor. If Pavluychenko plays then he seriously needs to take his chances better, as he's been the epitome of wasteful in my books. Stoke are 3.2 and the draw is just behind at 3.25.
West Brom vs Sunderland is one that the Black Cats will certainly fancy and if Darren Bent can get in behind the Baggies defence a few times then this one is game-over. Sunderland at 2.87 is a nice selection for your accumulators, but the draw at 3.2 looks fairly tempting as well. West Brom get the edge as favourites, albeit a slim one, with a 2.5 listing. 0-0?
West Ham vs Bolton is a match that both sides will feel they can win and it looks like the Hammers are favoured to get their act together here with a 2.2 price making them firm favourites. The draw trades at 3.25 while Bolton are available at an identical price. This one comes down to who scores the second goal- it has 1-1 written all over it if Bolton score first. This one will likely be about winning the key moments and I fancy a goal or two from set-pieces.
Wigan vs Chelsea is an interesting one as Wigan have traditionally given Chelsea a bit of a game on their visits to the DW. They are 12.0 longshots here to dispose of 1.25 Chelsea. The draw can be backed at 5.5 and that's probably where Wigan fans should put their money. If Chelsea can score two inside 25 minutes it could be a very long afternoon for Latics fans.