Weekend Premiership preview
It's been a tough fortnight for Arsenal and Manchester United - is it about to get worse? There are some good games to punt on this weekend, including Aston Villa v Man Utd and Arsenal v Chelsea
Dave Harris
16-Dec-2005
It's been a tough fortnight for Arsenal and Manchester United - is it about to get worse? There are some good games to punt on this weekend, including Aston Villa v Man Utd and Arsenal v Chelsea. Here are our thoughts on this weekend's big games:
Villa v Manchester United
Despite their recent troubles, United go into this game as favourites. bethilo is predicting a 0.7 to 0.9 goal victory for the Red Devils, and it's difficult to see O'Leary's side getting any kind of result. United put in a good performance against Wigan, and even though they still look weak at the back, Villa struggle to score goals without Phillips (injured). The loss of Mellberg is also a massive blow for the home team, particularly with Rooney in fine form. A comfortable away win could be on the cards.
Despite their recent troubles, United go into this game as favourites. bethilo is predicting a 0.7 to 0.9 goal victory for the Red Devils, and it's difficult to see O'Leary's side getting any kind of result. United put in a good performance against Wigan, and even though they still look weak at the back, Villa struggle to score goals without Phillips (injured). The loss of Mellberg is also a massive blow for the home team, particularly with Rooney in fine form. A comfortable away win could be on the cards.
Middlesborough v Tottenham Hotspur
This is a big game for Boro. Confident of a UEFA Cup place at the beginning of the season, they currently lie 11 points behind visitors Spurs. The home side are woefully inconsistent and it's difficult to predict which Boro team will turn up (apologies for the cliché). The loss of in-form Riggott (suspended) is a blow, and after two defeats, Viduka and Yakubu need to re-discover their scoring form quickly.
This is a big game for Boro. Confident of a UEFA Cup place at the beginning of the season, they currently lie 11 points behind visitors Spurs. The home side are woefully inconsistent and it's difficult to predict which Boro team will turn up (apologies for the cliché). The loss of in-form Riggott (suspended) is a blow, and after two defeats, Viduka and Yakubu need to re-discover their scoring form quickly.
Spurs on the other hand are full of confidence at the moment, with both Keane and Defoe back amongst the goals. They go into this one as slight underdogs, with bethilo predicting that Boro will edge it by 0.0 to 0.2 goals. However, with Davids in form, Spurs could have enough quality to grab at least a point.
Arsenal v Chelsea
It's been a long time since an away team were priced up as favourites to win at Highbury. However, bethilo have bestowed that honour upon Chelsea, predicting a 0.1 to 0.3 victory for Mourinho's side. The gulf in class between these two sides can be illustrated by their opposing midfields; with Silva injured, the Gunners must hope that Fabregas and Flamini can contain Lampard and Essien. Save for the brilliance of Henry and Van Persie, this is an ordinary Arsenal team. Lauren was run ragged as a makeshift right-back at Newcastle last week and it's difficult to see him, or Cygan, fairing any better against Duff and co.
It's been a long time since an away team were priced up as favourites to win at Highbury. However, bethilo have bestowed that honour upon Chelsea, predicting a 0.1 to 0.3 victory for Mourinho's side. The gulf in class between these two sides can be illustrated by their opposing midfields; with Silva injured, the Gunners must hope that Fabregas and Flamini can contain Lampard and Essien. Save for the brilliance of Henry and Van Persie, this is an ordinary Arsenal team. Lauren was run ragged as a makeshift right-back at Newcastle last week and it's difficult to see him, or Cygan, fairing any better against Duff and co.
If you're thinking about having a punt on any of the action, check out the spread betting markets at bethilo. They're offering new clients £25 cash** and a refund on your first losing sports bet**.
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Fancy putting £25 in your pocket? Open a bethilo account* and place 3 sports bets (where each bet must be able to win or lose you £5) within a month of opening your account to qualify.**
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Place 5 sports bets between 5pm on 15th December and 4pm on 18th December, and if Chelsea beat Arsenal, bethilo will give you £10. You must risk £2 on each qualifying bet to qualify.**
Place 5 sports bets between 5pm on 15th December and 4pm on 18th December, and if Chelsea beat Arsenal, bethilo will give you £10. You must risk £2 on each qualifying bet to qualify.**
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Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.