Fotboll / Andy Gray / 22 januari 2010 / 1

I Sverige har vi vår egen Jonas Dahlquist. Nu har även Betfair England fått sin egen expert. Det är ingen mindre än självaste Andy Gray. Andy är Mr Football i England. Älskad både som kommentator och spelare. Vi kommer att publicera Andy's blogg här. Den kommer tills vidare vara på engelska. Trevlig läsning!

I was a bit nervous about making my debut for Betfair last week - just as I was in my days as a player - but having done the maths on my selections, I needn't have worried!

If you'd placed £10 on each of my Premier League correct score predictions you would have made a profit of £62 for the week, courtesy of winning bets of 1-1 in the Stoke v Liverpool match (odds of 7.4) and Man Utd's 3-0 win over Burnley (7.8). Birmingham's trip to Portsmouth was postponed so we get our money back on that one.

There's no room for complacency in this business though so I've been busy doing my research ahead of a completely different sort of competition this upcoming weekend, the FA Cup. There's also the small matter of the Milan Derby over in Serie A, a match that could have a huge impact on the title race this season.

Saturday's matches

Preston v Chelsea

Plenty of good Premier League sides have been given a tough game when drawn away to Preston in the FA Cup over the last few years. But Darren Ferguson has only just arrived at the club after Alan Irvine was relieved of his duties and it may be too soon for him to cause an upset against the title favourites in the Premier League. For that to happen Preston would have to perform well beyond their normal level, Chelsea would have to have an off day and the home side need would need to have the rub of the green on top of that. That's too many ifs in my book and I can see this match going to form.

Recommended bet: Back Chelsea to score in both halves at 1.8.

Spurs v Leeds

Harry will be disappointed at a return of one point from his last two league matches. Whereas they did everything but score against Hull, they were really poor at Anfield on Wednesday night and in truth deserved nothing from the match. But they're a different animal at White Hart Lane and let's not forget that Leeds are not one division below them, but two. Yes, Simon Grayson's outfit were superb at Old Trafford in the previous round but it's asking a lot for lightning to strike twice. That said, the Spurs back four will need to keep Jermaine Beckford quiet if they're to progress to the next round at the first time of asking. It looks like he'll be leaving at the end of the season whether Leeds go up or not and his pace and finishing are good enough for him to make a name for himself in the Championship. As for the Premier League, we won't know if he can hack it at that level until he actually plays there. He'll obviously be Leeds' main threat on Saturday afternoon but I fancy an organised Spurs defence to get the better of him on the day.

Recommended Bet: Back Spurs on the -1.5 Asian Handicap (Spurs to win by two goals) at 1.97

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Scunthorpe v Man City

There's a risk that Man City will still be on a high from Tuesday night's win over Manchester United and become complacent against a side like Scunthorpe. But Roberto Mancini strikes me as a man who won't allow that to happen and being the meticulous planner that he is, will have done as much homework on Scunthorpe ahead of the match as he would for any other team. He may, however, choose to rest a few players like Carlos Tevez, Nigel De Jong or Craig Bellamy for this one after that trio ran themselves into the ground in that famous Carling Cup win. I have a feeling that if changes are made City will feel them more at the back than they will going forward, so I fancy the home side to nick one in front of their fans, albeit in a losing cause.

Recommend Bet: Back "No Man City clean sheet" at 1.83.

Stoke v Arsenal

You can brand this match as "beauty and the beast", so different is the approach these two sides take to playing football. Whilst Arsenal play an attractive passing game, Stoke are all blood and thunder, crunching tackles and direct football. But Tony Pulis, who I know very well and have a lot of time for, won't mind me saying that. He knows he doesn't have the players to play flashy stuff but he certainly has the players to make life very difficult for a side like Arsenal. Mind you, this is a more mature Arsenal team than in previous years and one better equipped to deal with opponents who adopt a very physical approach. The outcome of the match may depend on who Arsene Wenger picks in his starting 11 - he wouldn't want to lose the likes of Cesc Fabregas or Andrey Arshavin to injury in a match like this as they are, after all, top of the league now. I wouldn't want to call the winner in this one but I fancy it will be a low-scoring affair.

Recommended Bet: Back under 2.5 goals at 1.9

Inter Milan v AC Milan

Another real contrast in styles on show here. A Jose Mourinho-managed team is always super pragmatic and highly effective and this Inter Milan side is no exception. But at the moment they're just about scraping results rather than dominating matches. Leonardo's AC Milan are the polar opposite - it's a system set up to attack and score goals and the players he picks are a reflection of that. More importantly they're getting the results. As so often happens with a new manager, it takes the team time to settle and execute the gaffer's footballing philosophy. Luckily for Milan, they gave the Brazilian time rather than the sack when things weren't going his way early on. I'd go as far as saying they're the best side in Europe on current form and that Ronaldinho is right up there with the very best players on the planet at the moment. Add that priceless commodity that is momentum to the equation and I fancy Milan to take all three points in this game and further close the gap on "The Special One".

Recommended bet: Back Ac Milan to win at 3.0

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No Gray Areas

It's been a super week for West Ham with David Gold and David Sullivan's takeover. In addition to bringing financial stability to the club, they're West Ham through and through and I have a feeling that the fans will warm to them. It will have been a huge relief for backroom staff, players and especially Gianfranco Zola when they confirmed straightaway that any changes would be minimal.

This transfer window was never about who West Ham would bring in but rather who they could afford to keep. What with Dean Ashton having to retire and Carlton Cole out injured for a few months, the squad was decimated as and if a couple more left because of financial difficulties that could have meant the drop for them. But it looks like they'll be keeping the spine of the team in the shape of Robert Green, Mathew Upson, Scott Parker and Carlton Cole and for me that will be good enough for them to survive and I won't be having any of the 6.8 on them being relegated.

The way I see it Portsmouth are doomed given their current position and the fact their best players will be sold in January. Burnley got some good wins early on but these have dried up all of a sudden and they're getting nothing on the road. One of my former clubs, Wolves, are my third selection for the drop as they're simply not scoring enough and are unlikely to be able to bring anyone in during the transfer window to solve that problem. You can back this trio to go down at 6.4 on Betfair's Relegation Tricast market and that looks a good little bet to me.

Correct Scores

Preston v Chelsea - Premier League favs far too strong for a Championship side in transition. 0-3
Spurs v Leeds - Too much of a gulf in quality between these two with Spurs winning pretty comfortably. 2-0
Scunthorpe v Man City - No complacency when Mancini is in charge but it won't be easy. 1-2
Stoke v Arsenal - Replay on the cards in battle of contrasting styles. 1-1
Inter Milan v AC Milan - Milan's attacking style to win the day and throw Serie A wide open. 0-1

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1. Robin Hall | 22 januari 2010

   Since I am an Everton fan it's marvelous to see a great legend making his debut on the Swedish betfair site. You almost got it right with your 2-1 backing of Everton against Man City. A winner is a winner and I know that you will have som great ideas, Good Luck!

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