As we head into Week 12 of Premier League play, the match of the week has to be Chelsea v Manchester United. The EPL’s top two teams will wage battle at Stamford Bridge, a place where the Blues have yet to be defeated. Here I take a look at this weeks match ups giving you insight on making your EPL soccer wager a winner.
#7 Aston Villa will host #15 the Bolton Wanderers on Saturday. Aston Villa has been strong at home and is coming off a 1-1 draw against Everton. The Wanderers are coming off back-to-back defeats against Chelsea, one in the English Cup and one in the League. It will be tough for the Wanderers to beat the Villans at Villa Park. Villa takes all three points.
The last place Portsmouth Blues will play at # 17 Blackburn Rovers this weekend. Portsmouth is coming off a big 4-0 win over Wigan and it seems that the team might be coming into form. The Rovers lost their last match against Man U, 2-nil and are winless in their last two. Portsmouth has the momentum coming into the match and that should be enough to notch the win.
#12 Manchester City moved into the top four after last week’s draw with #14 Birmingham. They will host Burnley on Saturday. With four draws in their last four I am not sure that home advantage will be enough to take the points. Burnley picked up a victory in their last game against the Hull City Tigers, 2-nil, and is 3-3 in their last six matches. Burnley gets the upset and the points at Manchester Stadium.
#5 Tottenham dropped out of the top four with a disappointing loss to Arsenal last weekend.
The Hotspur have now lost two consecutive matches and will be looking to get their season back on track with a game against #8 Sunderland. Sunderland tied a mediocre West Ham in the their last match but have been playing relatively well of late, with two wins and two draws in their last five. A victory at home could move them above Tottenham on the league table. Tottenham should be determined to get back on track with a win in this match.
#3 Arsenal will have a chance to close in on the top two teams with a win against the #16 Wolverhamtpn Wolves in Saturday. The Gunners are coming off a 3-nil victory over city rival Tottenham this past weekend, and have won five of their last six. Wolverhampton is winless in their last five. This is probably one of the larger miss-matches of the week. Arsenal should gain ground on the top seeds as they pick up all three points in this match.
#9 Hull City will play host to #18 Stoke City this weekend. Stoke will want to make up for their last game in which they lost a two goal lead against Wolverhampton to end with a 2-2 draw. Hull has one win in their last six, losing to Burnley 2-nil in their last match. Take Stoke to take 3 points in this sleeper match.
#19 West Ham United sits second to last at the bottom of the league table and will play at home this weekend against #13 Everton. West ham has posted draws in their last two games. Everton has been plagued with injuries of late and the inexperience has showed as they have struggled to pick up points, notching a 1-1 draw in their last match against Aston Villa. West Ham has the leagues fifth to scorer Carlton Cole. This one will end up in a 2-2 draw.
#13 Fulham will travel to #12 Wigan Athletic on Sunday in a match that pits two closely matched middle of the table teams. Fulham comes into this weekends match riding high on a 3-1 win over Liverpool in their last outing, while Wigan have home advantage. This will be a close one that ends in a 1-1 draw.
#6 Liverpool has dropped three of their last four, including a 3-1 defeat to Fulham last week. The Reds have been losing games in which they would normally be winning. The picked up two red cards in the match against Fulham, and the frustration is starting to show. The will host #14 Birmingham on Monday night. Birmingham has played well in their last two outings, but Liverpool will have home advantage. Look for the Reds to win this one at Anfield, picking up a much needed three points.
The two best teams in the league so far match up against each other this weekend when #2 Manchester United heads to Stamford Bridge to play #1 Chelsea. Both clubs are coming off wins in their last outings, as Chelsea remains unbeaten at home. Chelsea has scored 17 goals in four matches, while goalkeeper Petr Cech has posted clean sheets in each of those four matches. Man U has had several injuries to key defensive players and their form of late has not been as spectacular as Chelsea, but still have 12 points in their last six matches. This will be a superb match and another big victory for the Blues. Put your money on a Chelsea.
Matt Martz is a sports writer for the Bakersfield Californian located in Central California. Blessed is the gambler who expects nothing, for ye shall not be disappointed.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.