Andy's Saturday tips - Arsenal will go level
Chelsea's shock home defeat to Sunderland last Sunday has thrown this league wide open once again. Title hopefuls Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City will feel they all have very winnable matches this weekend which could allow them to put Chelsea under serious pressure. With the reigning champions away at Birmingham, the table may look quite different again on Sunday night...
Arsenal v Tottenham
What a way to start the weekend if you're a football fan. This is one of the fiercest rivalries in English football and the one match that supporters on both sides are always desperate to win.
Arsenal are in a good place right now. Their midfield looks extremely settled and whereas the contributions of Cesc Fabregas tend to get most of the attention, we shouldn't underestimate the role Samir Nasri has played. Injury-free and much improved in terms of his finishing, the Frenchman is in excellent form and had a cracking game against England on Wednesday night.
The Gunners' victory at Everton proved they can win tough matches away from home against organised sides and Chelsea's defeat a couple of hours later was the icing on the cake in what was already a good weekend for them. There's no reason why they can't kick on from here.
Spurs have been very impressive in Europe in their debut Champions League season but their league form has suffered as a result and they've put in as many poor performances as they have good ones. Roman Pavlyuchenko scored last weekend, as did Peter Crouch (who also scored in midweek) but I sense this team still misses Jermain Defoe, particularly in the Premier League. For all the physical attributes of those two, they're not the finishers the former West Ham man is.
Above all, this should be a very entertaining game for the neutrals. For Spurs fans though, it may be a case of looking forward to the return leg because I don't think they'll get much joy out of this match.
Recommended Bets:
Back Arsenal to win at [1.67]
Back both teams to score at [1.74]
Back Arsenal to win 2-1 at [9.0]
Liverpool v West Ham
Having shown signs of emerging from a poor start, Liverpool then went and put in one of the worst displays of the season in their defeat at Stoke. There was no desire, commitment, willingness or belief and that's just unacceptable when you're Liverpool FC. Worse still, they have to play this match without their captain after Steven Gerrard limped off against France on Wednesday night.
It's a good thing they're home to West Ham then. It's been a disastrous campaign so far for the Hammers. They've lost every match in which they've played poorly and have failed to close out the matches when they've played well. This squad isn't a particularly bad one and they've got a very experienced head in charge but things are simply not happening for them right now.
Against slightly tougher opposition I wouldn't want to be siding with Liverpool at a relatively short price but they should have enough class to come out on top in this one.
Recommended Bets:
Back Liverpool to win at [1.63]
Back Liverpool to score in both halves at [2.42]
Back Liverpool to win 2-0 at [8.0]
Andy's predictions for Saturday's 3pm kick-offs...
Birmingham v Chelsea
As the injuries pile up, Chelsea are beginning to look a little vulnerable and I'd be surprised if they take all three points here.
Recommended Bets: Back the draw at [3.75]; 1-1 at [8.0]
Blackpool v Wolves
The Tangerines will need to win a few of these matches if they're to stay in this division and I have a feeling they'll pick up three points here.
Recommended Bets: Back Blackpool at [2.6]; 2-1 at [10.5]
Bolton v Newcastle
Bolton have been really good this season and I can see them outmuscling and outplaying this unpredictable Newcastle team.
Recommended Bets: Back Bolton to win at [2.18]; 2-1 at [10.0]
Manchester United v Wigan
We may or may not see Wayne Rooney back in action but we should see a comfortable home win.
Recommended Bets: Back Manchester United at [1.25]; 3-0 at [9.0]
West Brom v Stoke
An interesting contrast of footballing styles will be on shown here and home advantage should make all the difference.
Recommended Bets: Back West Brom to win at [2.3]; 1-0 at [8.6]
Andy Gray is now on Twitter so follow him for his exclusive tips and his take on the biggest stories in football each week.
Published: 19 Nov 2010
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