Andy's Sunday tips - Chelsea to win derby
Chelsea came up short in their first real league test of the season when they came back from Eastlands last week without anything to show for their efforts. Chelsea have a good record against Arsenal in recent years but despite losing themselves at the weekend, the Gunners will feel that defeat in Manchester plus the absence of Frank Lampard will mean that Carlo Ancelotti's side are there for the taking. Elsewhere, Manchester City look to make it three league wins on the spin when they host a Newcastle side looking to recover from that bitterly disappointing loss to Stoke....
Manchester City v Newcastle
I watched Newcastle at home to Stoke last week and there were worrying signs. They got the rub of the green when it came to penalty decisions but, having gone a goal up, they were edgy, nervy and quite frankly, careless.
Newcastle have sprung a couple of upsets such as their win at Everton but with the exception of Hatem Ben Arfa, Wayne Routledge and James Perch, this is essentially the same squad that was relegated a couple of seasons ago and at times the players' body language seems to suggest they themselves are expecting more of the same.
They have their work cut out to stay in this division and if they do they will be relying heavily on the goals of Andy Carroll. I like the burly striker; he's a big lad with great aerial ability and a fine work-rate but the truth is he's unproven at this level and he may end up being class or he may end up being just another decent target man.
Manchester City are starting to find some form as they get used to Roberto Mancini's preferred 4-5-1 system (or 4-3-2-1 if you like) with just Carlos Tevez upfront and the two wingers offering plenty of support. They're defending well and if the little Argentinean has another good game, this should be a pretty comfortable afternoon for City's players, who will want to sit down to watch Chelsea v Arsenal knowing they have three more points on the board.
Recommended Bets:
Back Manchester City to win at [1.47]
Back a Manchester City clean sheet at [2.2]
Back Carlos Tevez to score at [1.91]
Chelsea v Arsenal
After both sides experienced defeat last week, this has all of a sudden become a massive game. Arsenal were left shell-shocked by that West Brom performance but they did recover to win in Belgrade in midweek, meaning they are likely to put that Saturday defeat down to just a freak result rather than any sort of long-term troubles within the side. That said, they've dropped plenty of points already this season and can't afford to drop too many more, even this early on.
Luckily for Chelsea, they started the season so well that despite that defeat to Carlos Tevez's solitary goal, they're still three points clear of the field. The one ongoing problem for them though is the continued absence of Frank Lampard. For all the industry, heart, resilience and commitment that the likes of Ramires, Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel provide, they can't replace a player like Frank whose goals, delivery from set-pieces and range of passing has been sorely missed.
The stats don't lie when it comes to this fixture. Over the last few years Chelsea have had Arsenal's number and they've got the better of them by being more physical, more determined and more powerful. Then there's Didier Drogba. Centre backs at Arsenal have come and gone over the years but none of them have managed to keep the big Ivorian under control. Having missed the midweek match against his old club Marseille due to suspension, I'm expecting a big performance from Drogba and consequently, another Chelsea win.
Recommended Bets:
Back Chelsea to win at [1.8]
Back Chelsea to win 2-1 at [9.0]
Back Didier Drogba to score at [2.04]
Liverpool v Blackpool
Liverpool's troubles continue on and off the field but this should be a good chance to get points on the board and for the front men to get some goals under their belts.
Recommended Bets: Back Liverpool to win at [1.35]; 3-1 at [14.0]
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: 2 Oct 2010
Leave a comment