Andy's Saturday tips - Liverpool to be held
The midweek schedule saw Chelsea open up a four-point lead at the top following a draw in the Manchester derby, however Andy Gray expects Manchester United and Manchester City to close the gap again on Saturday...
Aston Villa v Manchester United
This game depends on a number of factors. First of all, Villa are struggling with injuries at present. They were fortunate to get a 3-2 win over a weakened Blackpool team in midweek and that was not the ideal preparation for this match.
Gerard Houllier hasn't had the smoothest of starts at Villa Park, with injuries to key players such as Gabriel Agbonlahor and a public disagreement with John Carew. Agbonlahor did come on as a sub in midweek though and Villa would certainly benefit from his pace if he's fit.
Manchester United dominated Manchester City on Wednesday night and were by far the better team. I expect Sir Alex Ferguson to be more ambitious with his line-up on Saturday; Paul Scholes is suspended of course and United could begin with Javier Hernandez partnering Dimitar Berbatov up front. That would leave Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick to take care of things in midfield and provide a platform for the wide men to support the front two.
Despite drawing this fixture and winning at Old Trafford last season, Villa have a poor record against Manchester United. It's going to be very tough for them to change that on Saturday lunchtime. I just think that the visitors will be going all out to secure a victory. They made ground on Chelsea last weekend but have slipped to four points behind again, so I expect Sir Alex Ferguson to be far more ambitious in his approach here.
They seem to have sorted out the defensive problems that dogged them earlier in the season and I thought Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic were excellent against City. They are finding their rhythm in midfield but need to be more clinical up front. I can definitely see them scoring a few on Saturday.
Recommended Bets:
Back Manchester United to win at [1.87]
Back Manchester United to win 3-1 at [19.0]
Back over 3.5 goals at [3.85]
Stoke v Liverpool
I have watched Stoke a couple of times in recent weeks and they really are a very straightforward team. There are no thrills, they press their opponents in midfield and pump high balls into the penalty box which opposing centre-halves have to deal with. Tony Pulis has also instilled a strong, competitive mentality in his players.
For all these reasons, I expect Liverpool to find it very tough going at the Britannia Stadium. The Reds have not been involved in many high-scoring games this season and despite Fernando Torres' return to form they are struggling up front. Roy Hodgson is trying to make them hard to beat; he wants them to be compact and difficult to break down, and that can leave them a little blunt in attack.
Torres could well get on the scoresheet against Stoke though. He was superb against Chelsea and scored a great goal at Wigan in midweek. It's been a difficult period for the Spaniard but he's on a roll now and I'm backing him to find the net on Saturday.
I said last week that the Chelsea match would tell us a lot about Liverpool. So it proved and I don't think their resurgence will be hampered by the draw against Wigan. It is very difficult to win four Premier League games in a row and to take ten points from a possible 12 is an excellent return - especially when one of those games is against the league leaders.
Liverpool do need to start winning regularly away from home but I'm not sure they have the confidence to sustain that yet. They are on the way back but not entirely the force they can be just yet. They are moving forward under Hodgson and a good performance at the Britannia will provide further evidence of that. I don't think they can win this one though and I predict a low-scoring draw.
Recommended Bets:
Back the draw at [3.5]
Back the 1-1 draw at [7.6]
Back Fernando Torres to score
Andy's predictions for Saturday's 3pm kick-offs...
Manchester City v Birmingham
Roberto Mancini's men will surely be more adventurous than they were in the derby and I see them winning here.
Recommended Bets: Back Manchester City at [1.45]; 2-1 at [9.4]
Newcastle v Fulham
Newcastle must improve their home form after losing in midweek again. Fulham are hard to beat but they rarely win away.
Recommended Bets: Back the draw at [3.45]; 1-1 at [7.4]
Tottenham v Blackburn
Rovers picked up a great three points in midweek while Spurs struggled at home to Sunderland. Harry's men can return to winning ways on Saturday though.
Recommended Bets: Back Tottenham at [1.61], 2-0 at [9.0]
West Ham v Blackpool
Ian Holloway rested players for this match but I'm not sure it will pay off.
Recommended Bets: Back West Ham at [1.93]; 3-1 at [15.5]
Wigan v West Brom
This might not look like the game of the weekend but the Baggies play some decent stuff and Wigan could have beaten Liverpool in midweek.
Recommended Bets: Back the draw at [3.4]; 2-2 at [16.5]
Wolves v Bolton
Bolton are playing well but I think Mick McCarthy's luck could change here.
Recommended Bets: Back Wolves at [2.44]; 2-1 at [10.5]
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: 12 Nov 2010
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