Andy's Saturday tips - Big win for Man City

The title race is back on after Wednesday night's result and that's good news for the neutral, although Manchester United fans will be ruing another Stamford Bridge defeat! At the other end of the table, things are as tight as ever and I have a feeling that the opening match of the weekend will have a huge bearing on who ends up swimming or sinking...

Birmingham v West Brom

It's never easy to know how teams will react to a wonderful result such as Birmingham's win over Arsenal in the final of the Carling Cup. Will confidence be sky high to the extent that they fancy themselves to beat anyone at the moment or will that confidence work against them and allow complacency to settle in?

That cup win was a fantastic result but it will inevitably have brought its own disruptions. Training may not have had quite the same intensity, while media commitments for players and management could have seen certain players losing focus somewhat

We'll have to wait and see what frame of mind the hosts are in and I suspect the first half hour of the match will give us a pretty good indication of which Birmingham has shown up. If the Blues are still in semi-party mode, West Brom can take advantage and get what would be an absolutely priceless win that could go a long way to helping them avoid the drop.

This Baggies side look far better under Roy Hodgson already and that spirited draw at Stoke was a good indication of how far they've come in recent weeks.

My gut feeling is that this will be an intense and nervy match rather than a classic, and that both teams will share the points come the final whistle.

Recommended Bets:
Back the draw at [3.35]
Back the 1-1 draw at [7.0]
Back under 2.5 goals at [1.73]

Manchester City v Wigan

At the end of the campaign, Roberto Mancini will surely be left wondering what might have been. After pursuing city rivals Manchester United at the top of the table, Mancini saw his side carelessly drop points against the likes of Fulham, only for the Reds to lose two matches in the space of the month.

The title race is over for them this season and, if they're to really go close next year, they must learn to be more ruthless and close out matches once they're ahead.

Edin Dzeko is a great front man with super aerial ability, strength and goals but the truth is that his partnership with Carlos Tevez just hasn't worked so far. While Dzeko has struggled to score, his lack of goals appears to have infected his Argentinean strike partner and that will be of even greater concern for the manager.

It's possible of course that Mancini went out and bought Dzeko because he knew Tevez was leaving at the end of the season but that, of course, is a discussion for another day. This, however, could be the Bosnian's day - he's got too much class to struggle and I think he can register against the Latics.

Chelsea are on the up and Spurs have consistently ground out results in the league in spite of their European adventures so any more lapses of concentration could cost Manchester City a top-four place which looked absolutely nailed on earlier in the season.

If this match had been at the DW Stadium, I would have fancied Wigan to get something from it but I just can't see City slipping up again at home and I think this time round it will be relatively comfortable.

Recommended Bets:
Back Manchester City to win at [1.43]
Back Manchester City to score three goals or more at [3.0]
Back Edin Dzeko to score anytime at [2.2]

Andy's predictions for Saturday's 3pm kick-offs...

Arsenal v Sunderland
The Gunners will get back on track by beating Sunderland and going some way to appeasing their fans.
Recommended Bets: Back Arsenal to win at [1.51]; 2-0 at [8.2]

Bolton v Aston Villa
This is likely to end with a point each for two closely matched teams.
Recommended Bets: Back the draw at [3.5]; 1-1 at [7.6]

Fulham v Blackburn
Mark Hughes will get the better of his old team as Fulham continue to show good home form.
Recommended Bets: Back Fulham to win at [1.78]; 2-0 at [9.4]

Newcastle v Everton
After midweek FA Cup misery, I fear the worst again for my old team.
Recommended Bets: Back Newcastle to win at [2.68]; 2-1 at [12.5]

West Ham v Stoke
Expect a stalemate which neither manager will mind too much.
Recommended Bets: Back the draw at [2.3]; 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: 4 Mar 2011

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