Premier League Betting: Saturday 3pm Kick-offs

Premier League / Mike Norman / 27 November 2009 / Leave a Comment

Sunderland's Darren Bent has been in magnificent form this season and will be hoping to keep that going against Wigan on Sautrday

Best Bet: Back Sunderland @ [3.1] to beat Wigan

Also: Back Over 2.5 Goals @ [2.16] in Blackburn v Stoke; Back Over 2.5 Goals @ [2.2] in Fulham v Bolton; Lay Man City @ [1.3] in Man City v Hull; Lay Man Utd @ [1.39] in Portsmouth v Man Utd; Back The Draw @ [3.8] in West Ham v Burnley;

After recommending [18.0] and [7.0] winners last Saturday, "Mystical" Mike Norman is back on the trail of securing the Christmas money by opposing some big guns this week. Best Bet: Back Sunderland @ [3.1] to beat Wigan.

Blackburn [1.96] v Stoke [4.7]; The Draw [3.5]

My best wishes go out to Sam Allardyce who is undergoing heart surgery this week; and I'm sure three points for Rovers against Stoke on Saturday will be the perfect pick-me-up for the talented manager. Blackburn's only defeat at Ewood Park this season came on the opening day when losing to Man City, and I fancy the home side to win again today.

Interestingly, Blackburn's four wins at home have resulted from scoring at least twice as well as always conceding at least one. Over 2.5 Goals has to be the call then at [2.16] along with a few small wagers on 2-1 (available to back at [9.6]) and 3-1 ([19.0]) in the Correct Score market.

Fulham [1.92] v Bolton [4.6]; The Draw [3.65]

Fulham's win/draw/loss record is exactly the same at this stage of the season as it was last, confirming my belief that they're a consistent side that usually perform to the same level each week. That level should be good enough to see off a Bolton side that lost 5-1 the last time they were on the road.

The Cottagers' six home games this season, combined with Bolton's five away games, have seen an average of exactly three goals scored per game (33 goals in 11 games) which suggests the [2.2] about Over 2.5 Goals is extremely generous. If you're looking for a goalscorer then try Zoltan Gera. He has scored three times against Bolton in his last four games and should be able to back at around [7.0] once the To Score market materialises.

Man City [1.29] v Hull [13.0]; The Draw [6.4]

I simply have to lay Man City here. True, they should, and probably will win easily but having drawn six Premier League games in a row against the likes of Burnley, Wigan, Fulham and Birmingham then I can't have them at [1.29] to win on Saturday. Besides, Hull are on a good little run at the moment having taken seven points from a possible nine and scoring eight goals in the process.

Let's take a chance on Over 3.5 Goals at [2.4] just in case City do find their form, or indeed the game ends in a high-scoring draw. Having a wager on Correct Scores of 2-2 ([30.0]) and 3-3 ([100.00]) might appear incredibly speculative, but they have been the outcome in three of City's last four games.

Portsmouth [11.0] v Man Utd [1.38]; The Draw [5.2]

I can't seem to get Man Utd right at the moment; I predicted they'd struggle to a win against Everton - they were very impressive, and I said they would easily beat Besiktas in midweek - they got beat! But just like with the Man City game, I have to lay United given their current form.

I'm of the opinion that Pompey's results have been quite deceiving in recent weeks. They played very well against Everton and Spurs but ended up losing, and they didn't perform at all badly in defeats on the road to Blackburn and Stoke. Their 4-0 victory over Wigan suggested they were getting their act together, and with a new man at the helm today (Avram Grant) I'm having a punt on Portsmouth/Portsmouth and Draw/Portsmouth (both [22.0]) in the Half Time/Full Time market.

West Ham [1.85] v Burnley [5.0]; The Draw [3.8]

Depending on whether your glass is half full or half empty will determine what form you think West Ham are in at the moment. They've won just once - and lost just once - in their previous five games, but as I pointed out last week, they always seem to score (they've now scored in nine consecutive league games netting 16 goals in the process). My hunch is that the Hammers will score again, but will have to settle for a draw against gritty Burnley.

Burnley have secured 17 points already this season, and that's 17 points more than I thought they'd get. Give credit where credit is due though, so I'm hoping their 3-3 draw at Man City recently signals the start of a decent run away from home. Back 1-1 ([8.4]) and 2-2 ([18.0]) in the Correct Score market, as well as West Ham/Draw ([18.0]) and Burnley/Draw ([20.0]) in the Half Time/Full Time market.

Wigan [2.54] v Sunderland [3.1]; The Draw [3.4]

How do you bounce back from conceding nine in a single game? That's the question that needs to be asked prior to this game and I'm hoping that the answer is you don't bounce back... or at least not immediately anyway. For this reason, I think Steve Bruce will return to Wigan and secure three points for his Sunderland side, so at [3.1] to back, this is my best bet of the week.

True, it's slightly worrying that the Black Cats have only won once on the road this season, but the fact that they have beaten the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool bodes well, especially against a Wigan side that can't keep a clean sheet. Sunderland to win 1-0 ([10.5]) and 2-0 ([18.0]) are my recommendations, as well as backing Darren Bent in the First Goalscorer (at around [7.0]) market if he starts.