The London Blues are winless in the last 5 matches, recording their last triumph in Champions League against horrible Zilina at home by narrow 2:1. They’ve had a few injury issues, primarily they were without their playmaker Lampard, who returned against Arsenal in an unsuccessful manner playing rather poor, while their injury list still consists of Alex, Benayoun and Zhirkov, while it is expected their striker Anelka will be back to the team after missing the Arsenal derby. Coach Ancelotti’s job is in question and after his team’s bad display from 3 days ago, a negative result here could mean the end of his Chelsea career.
A lot beyond the expectations
Bolton is playing a dream season and are currently 6th in the tables with only 2 points less than their today’s rivals Chelsea and it’s certain they’re coming to London full of confidence. Manager Coyle is leading the squad in an outstanding way and they’re playing extremely offensive and beautiful to watch. They’re a lot better at home than on the road but I think they’re more than capable of putting in a good display outside their Reebok stadium, which they’ve shown more than once so far. For this match, they’ll be without South-Korean Chung-Yong Lee, who is away at the Asian Cup with his national team. The injury list still consists of Samuel, Gardner, Davis and O’Brien.
Chelsea continues to struggle
I expect yet another tough match for Chelsea, which will most probably end in Chelsea losing a few more points as the Blues aren’t playing impressive at all for a long time now and are totally out of form, while Bolton is playing incredibly good this season and is arriving to London with lots of optimism. I’m gonna suggest you a bet on the visitors not to lose by more than 1 goal as the odds are really beautiful. This will most likely be my last bet in 2010.and I hope you’ll find it useful. Have a great New Years!
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Prediction:
Tip: 2 AH (+1.5)
Odd: 1.93
Bookie: Pinnacle
Bolton continue to show a new lease of life under Owen Coyle
and it makes sense to keep with them while they are in this type of goalscoring form.
5th in the league, and coming off an impressive 5-1 defeat of Newcastle, they should be already banking that 3pts as they host Blackpool…a side that has stuck to its principles of attacking football, at the expense of losing points.
Hosts look nailed on to score.
Much like Bolton, this side has been revitalised by their manager. It`s great to see a side as unfancied as Blackpool in the EPL and mixing it up with them all.
Occupying 12th spot, 4pts clear of relegation, has to be a decent return on investments, considering little has been invested!
Harewood is out for a few weeks and he will be s big loss for this one as his style and experience would have been vital.
But Charlie Adam and Luke Varney can still make a play for goal, and one thing Bolton have been guilty of is giving them away cheaply.
Nets Burst
Bolton have managed only one clean sheet all season, while Blackpool are just a little bit better with three.
The main stat though is Bolton`s, as I don`t doubt they will bang in a couple against a leaky Tangerines defence.
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Prediction:
Tip: Both to score
Odd: 1.75
Bookie: 888Sport
Everton are playing good, and are undefeated in 6 matches. They have the quality to win this match, since Bolton`s form is dipping. However, it will be hard to break down Bolton when they set out to defend. Everton will miss Fellaini and Leon Osman for this tie.
Bolton hard team
Bolton are known for their hard style of play. When they defend they are ruthless and will try hard not to concede. Kevin Davies is the player with most fouls in the EPL in history. He`s a striker, mind you. They miss Sean Davis for this match. They showed good play against Tottenham in their last match.
Hard to score
Bolton havent scored in their last 4 matches at Goodison Park. Everton played their last 3 home matches under. I guess that this match will also be an under. The odds on Everton win are not value, so this bet is a better choice.
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Prediction:
Tip: Under 2.50
Odd: 1.97
Bookie: Pinnacle
Bolton is coming after a somehow unlucky defeat to Liverpool last round when the draw could have been the fair outcome. But this was only their second defeat this season, the previous one coming at Emirates, against Arsenal. Otherwise, many draws and two wins showing they are a very tough nut to crack. Coach Owen Coyle has reasons to smile since Bulgarian winger Petrov recovered after an injury and could play tomorrow, leaving in infirmary only the long term injured Samuel, Davis, O’Brien and Gardner.
High flying
Tottenham is high flying after the resounding win over Inter in Champions League. We have witnessed another stellar performance from Gareth Bale who is looking better and better which every game he plays. They have lost at Old Trafford last round and they are in danger of losing the contact with the first four teams in case of another defeat. For tomorrow’s game, Van der Vaart suffer from a hamstring injury and, along with Defoe they could miss it, while Lennon is doubtful. They are added to the longer injury list of Corluka, Dawson, King and Woodgate, all defenders so it means Gallas and Kabould will pair again in the center of the defense.
Both to score
Both teams are looking to bounce back after their recent slumps so I expect a really entertaining game tomorrow on Reebook Stadium. Spurs suffers in the defense and I expect Bolton to score. On the other hand, Bolton is quite solid but Spurs has a lot of firepower up front so them scoring is also very expected. The AH line is set at 0 and this is fair imo, considering their domestic performances and the fact Spurs might be tired after the midweek game against Inter. The odds for over 2,5 goals are also tasty but again, it might be a long shot. But, since I expect both of them to score at least once, I will go for the safer option.
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Prediction:
Tip: Both to score
Odd: 1.73
Bookie: Gamebookers
After 7 rounds, Bolton is sitting on a mid table position and they proved to be a tough nut to crack so far. Five of seven games ended as draws, their only loss coming away at Arsenal. Coach Coyle changed the team’s style of play since he arrived last season and they are more focused on the attack than they were before. They are also a physical side and this allows them to put pressure on their opponents. Petrov is a spark on the left, while Davies, Elmander or Klasnic could trouble any defense in the league on a good day. Bolton doesn’t have any important injury concern
Dangerous at set pieces
Stoke is another mid table team so far and they are also a physical side, maybe even more than Bolton. Except Etherington and Pennant their team consists of a bunch of big guys, who are creating havoc after every dead ball situation. Also, keep in mind Delap’s ability to take throw ins and you could make a figure that every dead ball at around 35 meters of the oppositions’ goal is a potential threat. They are on a two games winning streak, disposing of Blackburn and Newcastle and they are looking for another good performance on Saturday. Coach Pulis doesn’t have any important injury concern.
Entertaining game
I see this game as a very balanced one, played between two very similar teams. Both play a direct football and the transition between defense and attack is made very fast, especially after long balls. This guarantees a fast play even if the game is rather chaotic at times. But this is a Premier League landmark and this kind of fighting is giving its savor. Since the winner is very hard to be determined, I will take a bet on both teams to score. Both will go for a win and, with that kind of play, both should score, leaving the winner to be decided by a coin toss.
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Prediction:
Tip: Both to score
Odd: 1.80
Bookie: Bet365
Even before they relegated to Championship, WBA always played good home but was just desperate away. This year it looks like it will be the same, as they are yet to be defeated in front of their fans, playing some terrific footie. Open-minded and fast-flowing, surely attractive for every football fan, and I tend to believe they will not fight for relegation this year, especially after seeing them crushing mighty Arsenal at the Emirates last weekend by 2:3, even leading by 0:3 and missing a penalty. Odemwingie is in terrific shape, while the rest of the squad is just really solid, however, as every mediocre team, they`re quite poor in defense. It`s also worth mentioning they knocked expensive Manchester City out by 2:1 from the league cup.
Draw specialists
Bolton Wanderers is a team specializing in draws this season as they have drawn 4 times in their 6 matches this season, currently being 12th in the standings in EPL, which is a position they would surely be happy to keep till the end of the season. Bolton is also a side that can play great in the offense, and despite the fact they are winless in their last 4 matches, even getting eliminated by Burnley in the league cup, they showed they can play good football in the last EPL round against favored Manchester United, drawing 2:2 against them at their Reebok stadium last week, with great performances by Knight, Lee, Petrov, and their goalie Jääskeläinen. I also remember how they confronted Arsenal at the Emirates. They did lose by 4:1 but they played open football and showed they are very dangerous in the attacks and the opponent`s penalty box.
Goals
Why the over you might ask? Well, even though many would maybe expect a home win, I won`t be betting on it as I`ve already been burnt by betting on supposedly a good home team, which is mediocre and was set as a nice fav in one match that they should`ve won according to all. It was Stoke-West Ham you might have guessed. Now, we have a similar situation, and same price, I believe the hosts are underpriced and this match might prove to be a very tight affair as both teams have about the same quality. I will choose goals despite the fact their previous 5 clashes ended as unders. There is always time for the tradition to change, and now that both sides are in form on the attacking end and a bit shaky in defense, I think it`s a perfect chance to take an advantage of a bit juicier odds on the goals so I`m taking it with mid-high stakes.
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Prediction:
Tip: Over 3
Odd: 2.51
Bookie: 10bet
Owen Coyle rested some players in the Carling Cup so they`d be ready for this match, the visit of Manchester United, a fixture to highlight in any clubs calendar. Well, his team got knocked out of the cup by his old side, Burnley, and I am of the opinion his current side isn`t going to climb up any further from 12th when the clock hits 2pm. That will have to wait for another day. They`re going to have their hands full here with Man U, who are not just out for the 3 points, but a large goal difference too, seeing as Chelsea seems to want to get the bookmakers to pay out before Christmas. With terrible draws at Fulham and Everton, they will come at Bolton hard from the get go. Its a good thing Bolton will have their keeper, Jussi Jaaskelainen, back to help, although I`m afraid it won`t be enough. They`re going to surrender goals here.
Keep walking
United have alternated wins with disappointing draws all season so far and they now lie 3rd, behind Arsenal and runaway leaders Chelsea. It`s their inability to shut teams down that has cost them, with the team letting Everton and Fulham back into games that should have been buried long before. As mentioned, they let Scunthorpe score twice against them, and I would be more concerned about that, than the fact they put 5 past them. Berbatov seems to have located his scoring boots, finally, and singlehandedly dragged United across the finishing line, netting a hattrick in a 3-2 win over Liverpool. Michael Owen also got in on the action in midweek against Scunthorpe. With the defence having that question mark over them, they will need to just keep scoring till the final whistle blows, and that is what I think they will do. They`ll also want this truly dead and buried early, so I are expecting Alex Ferguson to pick his strongest possible team for this one because United cannot afford to drop anymore points so early in the season.
A big difference
Bolton and Manchester United have played each other 22 times in the Premier League and United have 15 wins compared to Bolton’s 3 and of the last 10 clashes, Manchester United have won 9 of them. I considered both teams to score, but I think with a United win priced quite nicely at 1.55 there is no reason to mess about here. Take Manchester United to win more than 1 goals.
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Prediction:
Tip: 2 AH (-1.5)
Odd: 2.51
Bookie: 10bet
Stewart Downing put Villa ahead on Monday, but some lax defending led to the equaliser by Kenwyn Jones, before Huth sealed the win for Stoke. Villa have followed each of their wins with a loss, so perhaps they will win here at home following the loss, seeing as they are home, and that their opponents come in here direct from the 1-4 spanking they received at Arsenal. There are no injuries to worry about, and the team will have the likes of Young and Agbonlahor ready to play the game. With Villa, at the moment, there is always a likelyhood of aiming the gun down at their foot, but I do know they`re more than good for a goal or two, certainly against Bolton.
Bolton has bad away form
Bolton have actually been much improved this season with a more open style of play but their old problems of defensively fragility remain and the fact they have not kept a clean sheet since august is a concern and makes them vulnerable in this match.
Gary Cahill is of course out due to suspension following his red card at Arsenal and the midfield will be weaker without him. Elmander and Davies will be in the team and on their visit to West Ham earlier, they helped the side to a 3-1 win. Bolton play a tough, aggressive style of football, and get stuck in quite a lot. They have an outside chance at a draw here, but I just feel depending on them to net at least once is a bit more secure.
Better team will win
This should be a decent game with the expected determination of both sides to be positive and that should mean that play is quite open which I feel will greatly benefit Aston Villa and they look a solid bet to make their extra attacking quality pay here and take the points.
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Prediction:
Tip: 1
Odd: 1.83
Bookie: Betfred
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