Chirpy Canaries to hold the rampant Chelsea

25Dec 2012

Premier League

Not long after the presents have been opened and the turkey has been eaten, the Premier League has a full program of fixtures and our man, Paul Robinson, is here to guide you through his best fixed odds bets.

Norwich v Chelsea

Back the draw @ 3.8 (14/5)

Back a 1-1 correct score @ 7.5 (13/2)

Norwich's 10 match unbeaten run in the league came to an end last weekend as they fell to a 2-1 loss at the Hawthorns. They deserved to take something from that game though and I think they can hold Chelsea to a draw on Wednesday.

After a dismal start to the campaign, Chris Hughton, has turned things around in East Anglia. The Canaries are 10th in the table, thanks largely to that 10 match undefeated streak, which included victories over Arsenal and Manchester United.

A change in formation and personnel worked the oracle and they tightened up defensively since shipping four goals at Stamford Bridge against their Boxing Day opponents.

Chelsea demolished Aston Villa 8-0 on Sunday and that came on the back of a 5-1 thrashing off Leeds at Elland Road in the cup. Rafa Benitez is a man who likes to rotate though so we could possibly see Juan Mata or Eden Hazard drop to the bench, and they are their two most creative players. Benitez can also be quite cautious at times and his number one priority will be avoiding defeat for a tricky away trip during a busy Christmas period.

The draw looks like the best bet to me and if you want a correct score then 1-1 looks worth a punt at 7.5 (13/2) as you don't often get too many goals at Carrow Road.

Sunderland v Man City

Back the draw @ 3.75 (11/4)

Back a 1-1 correct score @ 7.0 (6/1)

Similarly to the match above, we have a side who are odds-on for a tough away fixture and I again fancy the hosts to take something from the game.

Sunderland have started to turn things around in recent weeks. A much needed 3-0 victory over Reading was followed up with a creditable performance at Old Trafford and an impressive win at St Mary's, which I happened to tip up last time.

Martin O'Neill has got his creative players back in some kind of form as Stephane Sessegnon in particular looks much more dangerous. The Black Cats will have fond memories of this fixture; A late, late, Dong-Won Ji goal gave them a 1-0 victory on New Year's Day last season and it took two goals in the last five minutes to deny them victory at the Etihad back in March.

Manchester City needed another last gasp goal against Reading on Saturday to ensure the three points and as United drew at Swansea, the gap at the top is back to four points.

Roberto Mancini's side are undefeated on the road so far this term; played eight, won four and drawn four. The Italian manager will likely rotate his starting XI again and it wouldn't surprise me if Eden Dzeko was given the nod up front alongside one of Aguero or Tevez.

I see this game following a similar formula to the Norwich and Chelsea one as I think the away team's main priority will be avoiding defeat. A 1-1 correct score is worth a nibble again, this time at 7.0 (6/1) as City usually keep it quite tight on their travels.

Stoke v Liverpool

Back Liverpool @ 2.25 (5/4)

Back Liverpool to win 1-0 @ 6.0 (5/1)

The televised game on Boxing Day is Stoke v Liverpool and I think a resurgent Liverpool side can take all three points at fortress Britannia.

Stoke are up in ninth place after proving hard to beat this year. The Potters have lost just three times in the league and have drawn on 10 occasions. A 0-0 at Spurs was their third draw in a row and the last time they tasted defeat was back at the start of November at Norwich.

Tony Pullis' men are unbeaten at the Britannia in 15 league matches, stretching back to last season. They may not score too many, but they keep it very tight at the back and they actually have the best defensive record in the division at the moment.

Liverpool are beginning to flex their muscles though and they demolished a poor Fulham side on Saturday to put the blip against Aston Villa behind them.

Brendan Rodgers' outfit are up to eighth after a slow start, just five points off fourth place. Steven Gerrard put in his best performance of the season last time and it could be argued that it was because he was back with his old partner, Lucas, with Joe Allen on the bench.

Away from Anfield, The Reds have lost just once since the opening day defeat at West Brom, and they did more than enough to deserve a point in that match at White Hart Lane. They have tightened up defensively - four clean sheets in seven - and Luis Suarez is back amongst the goals.

Liverpool look primed to end Stoke's home run on Wednesday night and I think a hard-fought 1-0 win is the most likely outcome, which can be backed at 6.0 (5/1).

Recommended Bets

Back a Norwich v Chelsea draw @ 3.8 (14/5)

Back a 1-1 correct score in Norwich v Chelsea @ 7.5 (13/2)

Back a Sunderland v Man City draw @ 3.75 (11/4)

Back a 1-1 correct score in Sunderland v Man City @ 7.0 (6/1)

Back Liverpool @ 2.25 (5/4)

Back Liverpool to win 1-0 @ 6.0 (5/1)