Broken hearts for United at the Lane
There are some intriguing fixtures in the Premier League this weekend and Paul Robinson is predicting plenty of goals in his Fixed Odds preview. Here are his selections:
Swansea v Stoke
Back Over 2.5 goals @ 2.1 (11/10)
Swansea entertain Stoke at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday and I think they'll get back to winning ways after three draws in a row in Wales.
Michael Laudrup has won over the critics who thought the Swans might struggle earlier in the campaign and they find themselves in ninth place in the league and one game away from the Capital One Cup final. While they haven't kept as many clean sheets as they did last year under Brendan Rodgers, they are a much more free scoring outfit.
Bargain buy, Michu, has led the way with 15 in all competitions, but Pablo Hernandez, Wayne Routledge and Nathan Dyer have all been dangerous as well. Last year's top scorer, Danny Graham, has struggled to nail down a spot in the first team this season, but he has netted in four of his last five appearances, which will please his Danish manager.
Stoke's decent start to the campaign has tailed off a touch in recent weeks as since the 3-1 Boxing Day win over Liverpool, they have picked up one point from a possible nine in the league and drawn with Championship side, Crystal Palace, in the FA Cup.
The Potters saw their undefeated home run come to an end in spectacular style at the weekend as they were thrashed 4-0 by Chelsea and in the league game before that they lost 3-0 at the Etihad. Stoke aren't the same side away from home, winning just twice in the whole of 2012 and they lost this fixture 2-0 last year.
Swansea are playing some decent stuff at the moment and they should have too much for a wavering Stoke side. I fancy a few goals in the match as well, given that the home side are much more open nowadays, so odds-against about over 2.5 goals should be snapped up.
Wigan v Sunderland
Back Over 2.5 goals @ 1.95 (19/20)
Wigan host Sunderland on Saturday afternoon and the price of The Black Cats at 3.4 (12/5) is just too big an opportunity to pass up.
The Latics are in 17th position after picking up 19 points from their opening 22 fixtures. They are only out of the relegation zone on goal difference and they've been unable to continue the fine form that they showed at the end of last season.
Roberto Martinez has seen his men fall to six defeats in their last nine league games, with just one win in there for comfort. That victory came away from home and it's now five without a win at the DW. Defeats to Man City, Arsenal and Man United may not be too bad, but they didn't even manage to score a single goal. They drew with bottom club, QPR, and failed to beat League One's, Bournemouth.
Sunderland have climbed to 14th thanks to three wins in their last five, including a 1-0 victory over the defending champions. They slaughtered West Ham 3-0 last weekend and, summer signing, Adam Johnson, is finally showing something like his best form.
Away from the Stadium of Light, Sunderland may only have won two of their last five, but they did face tricky trips to Manchester United, Liverpool and the in-form Norwich during that period. The win at Fulham may have been aided by a red card for the opposition, but the one at Southampton was an impressive performance against a side that has come on leaps and bounds recently.
Arouna Koné is at the African Cup Of Nations for Wigan and that could prove key here as while he isn't overly prolific, he creates plenty of chances. I still think we could be in for some goals though as eight of Wigan's last 10 Premier League home matches have gone over 2.5, as have five of Sunderland's last six away.
Tottenham v Man United
Back Over 3.5 goals @ 2.5 (6/4)
Manchester United travel to Spurs for the big game on Sunday, which can be seen live on Sky Sports One at 16:00.
Tottenham are on a roll under the much maligned, Andre Villas-Boas, and they're undefeated since the last gasp loss to Everton at the start of December. They've won nine of their last 12, including victories at Sunderland and Fulham, and home wins over Liverpool and Swansea.
Gareth Bale and Mousa Dembele are back to full fitness and they make a huge difference to the sides performances. Emmanuel Adebayor may well be missing due to the African Cup of Nations, but Clint Dempsey has started to show a bit more in recent weeks and he can step in to partner, Jermain Defoe.
Manchester United are seven points clear at the top and the title is definitely theirs to lose now. Since the shock 1-0 defeat at Carrow Road back in November, United have gone on to pick up 28 points from a possible 30 in the league. Robin Van Persie is on fire and Wayne Rooney could be back for this Sunday's match.
Sir Alex Ferguson will still have concerns over his defence though and they looked rocky again in the second half against Liverpool. Away from Old Trafford, they've kept just one clean sheet in their last seven, conceding more than once at Chelsea, Aston Villa, Reading and Manchester City.
Tottenham are 2.8 (9/5) to complete the double over United and I think that represents a touch of value as Spurs could easily rip their defence to pieces. Obviously the Red Devils could do the same to them, but the price of the North Londoners is just too tempting to leave alone.
I can't see how there won't be plenty of goals in this one either, but while over 2.5 is pretty short, over 3.5 at 2.5 (6/4) is worth an investment given the attacking talent on display.
Recommended Bets
Back Over 2.5 goals in Swansea v Stoke @ 2.1 (11/10)
Back Over 2.5 goals in Wigan v Sunderland @ 1.95 (19/20)
Back Over 3.5 goals in Tottenham v Man United @ 2.5 (6/4)
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Keywords: Swansea, Stoke, Wigan, Sunderland
Source: Betfair
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