England: Premier Aug 30-31

[aliando]

Saturday 30 August 2008	Home	Draw	Away	BPP
Bolton Wanderers v West Bromwich Albion (15:00BST)	1.92	3.55	4.80	101.09 %	Details »
Hide « Bolton Wanderers v West Bromwich Albion
Everton v Portsmouth (15:00BST)	2.18	3.40	4.00	100.28 %	Details »
Hide « Everton v Portsmouth
Hull City v Wigan Athletic (15:00BST)	2.60	3.35	3.10	100.57 %	Details »
Hide « Hull City v Wigan Athletic
Middlesbrough v Stoke City (15:00BST)	1.63	3.90	7.20	100.88 %	Details »
Hide « Middlesbrough v Stoke City
West Ham v Blackburn Rovers (15:00BST)	2.52	3.45	3.10	100.93 %	Details »
Hide « West Ham v Blackburn Rovers
Arsenal v Newcastle United (17:30BST)	1.52	4.20	9.40	100.24 %	Details »
Hide « Arsenal v Newcastle United
Sunday 31 August 2008	Home	Draw	Away	BPP
Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur (13:30BST)	1.43	4.90	10.00	100.34 %	Details »
Hide « Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur
Sunderland v Manchester City (15:00BST)	2.30	3.40	3.55	101.06 %	Details »
Hide « Sunderland v Manchester City
Aston Villa v Liverpool (16:00BST)	3.55	3.45	2.31	100.44 %	Details »

[WHUPUNTER]

Middlesbrough to beat Stoke 1.63

Boro have started the season strongly, beating fancied Spurs 2-1 at home on the opening day before being narrowly beaten at Liverpool with two goals in the final 5 minutes. They have held on to their top players over the summer in Downling, Alves and Mido and have made some shrewd signings, particularly Hoyte from Arsenal. Stoke got easily beaten at Bolton in their first game since promotion last season before beating a well below-par Aston Villa at home last week. Boro have made the Riverside somewhat of a fortress recently and they have the ability to turn Stoke over here. 1.63 is a fair price and this is my banker of the weekend.

[WHUPUNTER]

Blackburn to beat West Ham 3.10

Ive highlighted on these pages recently the shocking performances of West Ham in the first couple of games of the season and I can see Blackburn taking all 3 points at Upton Park on Saturday. Paul Ince was somewhat of a shock management choice for the Ewood Park club but theyve started strongly, winning 2-3 at Everton before drawing against new boys Hull. Santa Cruz has snubbed interest from the big boys to stay, which is a huge positive and they look like theyll be making a strong effort to be in top 8 this season. West Ham fell apart after going 2 up against Wigan on the opening day, somehow holding on after condeding early on in the second half. If the crowd get on the Hammers back, which is likely, Blackburn will take full advantage and have the class to put away their chances which they are guaranteed to create against a generous defence.

[j.will]

After I have seen these couples I think that it's not simple to predict any winner teams in these games....I have to think trough this...

I think that they show similar level. For example Arsenal - Newcastle every one result is possible

[Complyordie]

not an easy weekend for punters - but then last week appeared straightforward yet many of us struggled premiership wise.

Obvious suggestion - l'pool/chelsea double - do well in these fixtures often and both got max points at the mo. Little wary of l'pool after liege tonight though.

[nicko]

Hull look lke the best option for an Over in this round, I expect every game at KC in the early stages to be an exciting affair. 2 decent results by hosts so far, saw the game vs Fulham, pretty open affair, with Hull looking shaky in the first 25 mins, could have been more goals in their net had Fulham been more focused. Don't expect Hull to play tight games vs opposition like Wigan. By no means am I underestimating Wigan, and because I expect them to score as well, Over will be my choice.

[MartyMcG_1967]

Couple of homes that look solid in this division:

Boro to beat Stoke @ 1.57. Southgate's men have started the season well beating Spurs at home before an impressive performance at Anfield in which they were unlucky to go down 2-1 late on. Mido has scored in both games and followed that up by scoring against Yeovil in the cup last night and he and Alves should be able to bag goals against a Stoke defence which leaked 3 goals at Bolton on day one. I rate Boro higher than Bolton and while stoke were impressive last week, away from home should struggle this season.

Chelsea @ 1.40 should be a home banker. They were irresistible at home a fortnight ago destroying a good Pompey side 4-0. Deco has fitted in well, the little playermaker scoring in both his premier league starts. They have so much firepower in midfield with Lampard, Ballack and Cole all likely scorers. They look the team to beat currently and players will want to impress with talk of new signing Robinho on his way.
Spurs have had a disastrous start after all the hype and the Berbatov saga hasn't helped. 2 losses and poor performances, it should be a 3rd loss here.

Others that could be worth a shout at better odds...

At 3.20 Villa could be worth a bet to beat Liverpool at Villa Park. O'Neills side will be reeling from their defeat to Stoke last week but should be strong at home again this season and with 6 goals in 2 league games they will be a threat to Liverpool who have not been convincing this season at all, relying on late goals against Sunderland and Boro, before being taken to extra time against Standard Liege. The Torres/ Keane partnership has not gelled yet and the effects of the extra time could take its toll here with news that Gerrard will be out for a few weeks after playing through the pain barrier. I expect Villa to be up challenging for Europe again this season, while traditionally Liverpool scupper their title hopes with poor away form. This is a difficult place to visit, they can't keep winning while under performing and could well struggle here without their talisman.

Blackburn at 2/1 could be another to add in a double from three of decent value teams. West Ham have a length injury list as usual and were poor in beating Wigan on day one and got hammered by an injury hit Man City last week. Rovers look solid and were impressive in winning at Everton a fortnight ago. Santa Cruz looks like he's staying at Ewood Park which will be a massive boost for Ince's men. The Hammers look vulnerable on this form and were taken to et by Macclesfield this evening and at 2/1 could be worth an interest.

[Spooner]

Sport	Football (Eng - Prem)
Event	Everton v Portsmouth
Selection	Portsmouth (Lay)
Strength	10/10
Date	30/08/2008
Bookmaker/Price	Betfair @ 3.90 (Lay)
Reasoning	Im going to lay Pompey here. They have started with two difficult games this season. Away to Chelsea they lost 4-0 and home to United they lost 1-0. It was expected but things don't get any easier here, Everton are a good side and although turned over by Blackburn first game of the season they bounced back with a win at West Brom last weekend. They will be looking for there first home victory of the season.

[Spooner]

Sport	Football (Eng - Prem)
Event	Arsenal v Newcastle
Selection	Arsenal -1 (Handicap)
Strength	10/10
Date	30/08/2008
Bookmaker/Price	Bet365 @ 2.50 (Back)
Reasoning	Arsenal haven't started there premiership campaign as they would have liked, One victory at home to West Brom but a defeat away to Fulham last week was a bit of a shock. They won 4-0 against FC Twente in the champions league and that will be a huge confidence booster to them. Newcastle have began very well, A draw at Old Trafford and victory at home to Bolton last weekend, A solid start from them as they look to make improvments this year. However, I think with that win during the week for Arsenal they will come into this game with more confidence and will be looking to get a few more goals under there belt in the Premiership and most improtantly a win. A home win here for Arsenal, I predict 2 or 3-0.

[Spooner]

Sport	Football (Eng - Prem)
Event	West Ham v Blackburn
Selection	West Ham (Lay)
Strength	10/10
Date	30/08/2008
Bookmaker/Price	Betfair @ 2.60 (Lay)
Reasoning	West Ham began the season with a home win over Wigan, I think I mentioned last week that they didn't look convincing and Wigan could of got a point easily when I see the highlights. They were poor away to City last weekend losing 3-0, They went down to 10 men and looked as if they gave up, No fight in them. Needed extra time to defeat League Two side Macclesfield. Blackburn had a great victory at Everton first game of the season followed up by a draw at home to Hull which was a bit unexpected. Still an unbeaten start for new manager Ince. I think the most likely result here is a draw or possibly Blackburn could nick it by the 1 goal.

[wayne137]

Helooooooooo
This week is extremely tight on the eye.
Yet I agree with WHUPUNTER and believe Middlesbrough have started their season off with some style, after a fantastic pre season. Gareth Southgate deserves a pat on the back after the criticism he has recieved. People are saying Tottenham will emerge as the darkhorses this season, But my money is on Middlesbrough claiming their first league related European qualification.
BACK MIDDLESBROUGH @ 1.63

I cant see past Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on the Sunday, the last derby was quite a spectacle. But with Scolari's new style of play at the bridge, I just cant see Tottenham doing anything to prevent this.
BACK CHELSEA @ 1.43

My pick for the week though is, Sunderland to beat Manchester City. With odds of 2.30, its irresistable. The controversy around Manchester City at the moment has affected their performance, despite beating a below par West Ham last week. Sunderland totally defied the odds of 6/1 against Tottenham and feel Cisse will make an even bigger impact on their push for success.
Back Sunderland @ 2.30

Good luck to everyone of you

[steve1966]

Boro for me too. Good win at home to Spurs and they were a bit unlucky not to get owt at Anfield. I agree I think they could be a force this season. Stoke had a good win against Villa but I think the Brittania stadium is were they get most of their points. Can't see them doing anything really on their travels

Goodluck everyone

[HammerX]

I think the bet of this weekend like others agree is Middlesborough. They have been playing well, and were unlucky against those jammy scousers in the last minute as is per usual for Liverpool. I fancy Boro in a double with a draw predicted in the Bolton West Brom game. Bolton are without Elmander their big money striker who is injured, so lack firepower, whilst although West Brom haven't gained any points yet, they played well at Arsenal, and can see them gaining a point here. I'll say 1-1.

Bolton-West Brom- Draw & Boro win double @ 5.50 at Coral

[Wayer]

Only teams Im backing this week are Boro and Chelsea. All the rest just seem too risky, where anything can happen. Chelsea are just in excellent form and will comfortably beat Tottenham. Boro have started the season very strongly and deserved atleast a point at Anfield. Stoke will struggle away to most premier teams as proven against Bolton.

Boro, Chelsea & Swansea - £20 Trixie.

Chelsea v Tottenham - Over 2.5 Goals

[aliando]

Sport	Football (Eng - Prem)
Event	Hull-Wigan
Selection	Hull, +0 AH
Strength	5/10
Date	30/08/2008
Bookmaker/Price	Bet1128 @ 1.83 (Back)
Reasoning	Hull's promotion side was built upon a strong home record which saw just 3 defeats and only 19 goals conceded. They have brought in some good experience over the summer in an attempt to stay up and showed their priorities in midweek. The team that faced Blackburn: Hull: Myhill, Ricketts, Turner, Anthony Gardner, Dawson (Mendy 58), Garcia (Barmby 78), Ashbee, Marney, Fagan, Geovanni (Folan 65), King. Subs Not Used: Brown, Windass, Duke, Halmosi. The team that faced Swansea: Hull: Duke, Brown, Mendy, Doyle, Cooper (Turner 91), Barmby (Featherstone 72), Hughes, France, Halmosi, Folan, Windass (King 62). Subs Not Used: Atkinson, Garcia, Welsh, Warner. Hull beat Fulham in their opening game, a team that I stated pre-season that would be much more effective than last term and followed it up with an impressive point at Blackburn last satday. Having been compared with Derby from the off and written off by many pre-season, Brown has got them fired up and they've started very well. Brown will be fully aware that there will be no opportunity to not pick up points until (if) hull are assured of safety come the business end of the season. In comparison, Wigan are now under Steve Bruce and havent started too well with a loss at troubled West Ham followed by a home defeat by Chelsea. Similarly, Wigan played several different men against Notts County than featured at the weekend, but will obviously find this a much more testing place to play. Last season, Bruce managed 2 away wins with Wigan - Derby and Aston Villa. Wigan consistently failed to get results against the teams they were fighting with for survival when away from home. Difficult to accurately predict the 1x2 markets on these 6-pointer games, but theres enough evidence for me to show some value on the asian handicap here, with money back on the draw.

[ainsworth_21]

i'm very tempted to have a middlesborough win down as a certain bet this weekend, but after a little thought it has left me slightly worried, if only for the fact that the majority of people seem to be on this!

i think a lot of people have already got stoke down as relegation certs, and whilst i think they probably will go down, maybe there's an element of thinking of them as another derby. I for one don't think many teams can be as bad as derby were last season, and it could be a downfall to think of them in this manner.

It might be a mistake, but i actually think i might avoid this one. We haven't seen enough games this season just yet to determine how well the new boys will cope in the prem. I do actually like boro this season, i think they will probably be top half and swap places with the likes of west ham. But as favourites i feel that they may just get a shock if stoke start well and don't conceed a silly goal. Boro tend to do well as underdogs, but i have a 'feeling' they might get caught out in this match- at least, i think there is a better chance of this happening than maybe i first thought. Therefore it's a no bet i reckon, but i might well regret it!

[Youssef]

Originally Posted by Complyordie

Little wary of l'pool after liege tonight though.

I second that phrase, and strongly so.

I watched the Reds vs Sunderland, and they were lucky to win the game. I saw them vs Boro, and I think Boro should have won, but -again- Benitez was darn so lucky.

I watched the 2nd half vs St Liege in Belgium, and the Belgians could have easily won had they been more focussed on target. They even misse a penalty in that game.

And finally, I have NOT watched the return leg at Anfield, but it went predictable.. 0-0 in 90 minutes, which highlights the Reds inability to score goals.

Now the Villans back line is by no means a solid one. They do concede regularly, but on the other side they have quite a strong attack that will certainly visit Reina's net more than once.

Overs is almost a banker here, and I'm predicting a high scoring draw (2-2 or 3-3), but I'm not quite sure I want to put money on it.

[ainsworth_21]

However, i very much like the 8/15 at stanjames for double chance blackburn win/draw. I think these are troubled times at west ham, and absurdly it's a sort of self-fufilling prophecy in terms of the media putting pressure on curbishley. He looks quite beleaguered in interviews i've seen recently. If the stories are true that players are being sold against his will, then this is likely to affect his confidence and generally darken the atmosphere around a club. I think blackburn are technically good enough to overcome the hammers or at least compete, hense including the draw. Having the draw on side makes it quite a sure bet in my opinion.

[leespam]

Have backed Wigan this week. I reckon they should finish a bit higher in the league this year and I thought they were a bit unlucky in their only away game this campaign at West Ham. They dominated the 2nd half but could not find the equaliser and ended up on the end of a 2-1 defeat. Hull on the other hand proved the doubters (including myself) wrong by turning over Fulham at the KC in their opening game but some would say Fulham had the better of the first half and another goal before half time could have meant a different story.

Hull then earned a more than credible point away to Blackburn last week while Wigan were deemed unlucky in some quarters not to claim a point against title contenders Chelsea. All in all, although Hull have the better form result-wise, with the promoted side's historical records as they are (high % suffer relegation the following season) and Wigan's decent performance in their last away game, I'm gonna take a chance on them on the DNB. Small stakes as always this early in the season.

1pt Wigan (0AH) to beat Hull @ 2.08 (bet365 - 2.1 DNB available at boylesports)

Also agree with wayne137 to a degree and thought Sunderland looked a touch of value at home to Man City. City were extremely fortunate in their UEFA Cup game on Thursday and the 120 minutes have unlikely to have helped. Sunderland have bought well (especially Djibril Cisse) but with Shaun Wright-Phillips returning and a question of Keane's signings taking time to 'gel' I'll leave alone this week.

GL all...

[Theliverpoolway]

Originally Posted by Youssef

I second that phrase, and strongly so.

I watched the Reds vs Sunderland, and they were lucky to win the game. I saw them vs Boro, and I think Boro should have won, but -again- Benitez was darn so lucky.

I watched the 2nd half vs St Liege in Belgium, and the Belgians could have easily won had they been more focussed on target. They even misse a penalty in that game.

And finally, I have NOT watched the return leg at Anfield, but it went predictable.. 0-0 in 90 minutes, which highlights the Reds inability to score goals.

Now the Villans back line is by no means a solid one. They do concede regularly, but on the other side they have quite a strong attack that will certainly visit Reina's net more than once.

Overs is almost a banker here, and I'm predicting a high scoring draw (2-2 or 3-3), but I'm not quite sure I want to put money on it.

Javier Mascherano is back from the olympics and will most likely start this match, which I think will improve Liverpool. Not only is he a world class holding midfielder, but with him back in the team they can again play the 4-2-3-1 formation that went very well last season. A minus is that Liverpool skipper S.Gerrard is out injured and will not play, but I think they will play better than in the opening matches and win this match.

Latest news also says that Benitez want to finish the signing of Riera from Espanyol as fast as possible to register him for play in the match on Sunday. Although he will be a new signing I think he can be a joker and a strenghtening in the offensive play if he is signed and registered in time of the match