Andy's Sunday tips - Chelsea will be held
A big north-west derby kicks off proceedings for us with the much-awaited Tottenham v Chelsea rounding off the action...
Bolton v Blackburn
People who don't live in the north-west may sometimes forget or simply not realise how big a match this is to the folk up there. Even in these days of teams being filled with foreign players, the guys who are on those team sheets know the importance of a match like this.
Sam Allardyce will of course be desperate to get one over his old club but as I say almost every week, Blackburn are a vastly different side away from home to that which can hold their own against anyone at Ewood Park. Maybe they're less aggressive, maybe they're less confident, who knows?
Bolton on the other hand have been one of the most pleasant surprises of this year's Premier League. Not just because of the results they've had but also because of the quality of the football they've played at times. On occasion they've passed the ball around really well and played some neat stuff.
The strike partnership of Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander has been at the centre of all they've done that's been good and I'm tipping the Swede to add to his tally of goals for the season in another Bolton win.
Recommended Bets:
Back Bolton to win at [2.12]
Back Bolton to win 2-0 at
Back Johan Elmander to score at [13.0]https://sports.betfair.com/Index.do?mi=102018176&rfr=7227">[2.5]
Tottenham v Chelsea
Tottenham will have had an extra day's rest after their European exploits and at a busy time of year that could make a big difference. Not to mention the fact that playing Chelsea these days just doesn't have the same fear factor associated with it as it has in the past, given their injuries and recent run of results.
Tottenham will be massively confident of winning this match at home given the way they've played in recent weeks and the way they've managed to win matches from losing positions, which is always the sign of a strong team. The loss to injury of Rafael van der Vaart was a big blow to Harry Redknapp but luckily it coincided with the return of Jermain Defoe, who is already back in the goals after returning to the starting line-up.
As for Chelsea, well there's a danger that certain players have been at that club a little too long and have found themselves in something of a comfort zone. It's telling when someone like Petr Cech says that at times this season some of the players have lacked the hunger to go out and fight and turn things round when matches aren't going their way.
That said, you have to respect any side that has natural winners such as John Terry, Didier Drogba and Michael Essien in their ranks and I expect these two to share the spoils in a very entertaining match.
Recommended Bets:
Back the draw at [3.5]
Back both teams to score at [1.76]
Back the 2-2 draw at [16.0]
Wolves v Birmingham
There will be plenty of passion and commitment here but I can see these two cancelling each other out.
Recommended Bets: Back the draw at [3.3]; 1-1 at [7.4]
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: 11 Dec 2010
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