Weekend Football Tips and Bets: December 21st-23rd

Oh my God! How bloody cold is it outside? It’s absolutely freezing. My hands are like two big blocks of ice at the moment. Also, is it me, or does everyone go a little bit more crazy at Christmas time with each passing year? Seriously, I was in town yesterday for a couple of hours, looking to buy some gifts for the other half, and people have turned into maniacs. There’s clothes and everything else scattered all over the floors of the shops, people are running around all over the place, people are getting barged and pushed left, right and center, the roads are practically gridlocked and it seems every man, woman and child is either coughing, sneezing, sniffing or a combination of all three. It’s madness! Still, let’s get down to business and bash the bookies with these winter warmers, shall we?!

As always, I’m kicking things off with the Premier League, and the so-called “Big Four” are all in for a tough weekend. To start proceedings, Arsenal host Spurs in the early kick-off on Saturday, and while Spurs have been in fine form recently, beating both Portsmouth and Manchester City on their own turf, I can’t see them picking anything up at the Emirates. I’ve talked about the loss of Fabregas, Hleb and Flamini numerous times on here recently, and how much of a big blow that was to Arsenal, whereas practically every other tipster was avoiding that loss and continuing to back Arsenal. Having those three back is absolutely massive for Wenger and his boys, which showed in their performance last weekend against Chelsea. History favours the Gunners too, as they did the double over their rivals last season and Spurs have only won once away to Arsenal since the Premier League was formed. Arsenal are a best priced 8/15 with BoyleSports and ToteSport. Get on.

Next up is Liverpool versus Portsmouth, which I can see being a really tight affair. Both teams traditionally don’t concede a lot of goals, and while Liverpool have a good home record, Portsmouth are on a roll away from home, winning their last five, so it should be a good battle. The two games between these two teams finished 0-0 last season. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if that was the scoreline again this time round. I’ll be avoiding this one, as it’s too close to call.

At midday on Sunday, it’s the game that Setanta Sports wanted to show at 8PM on Christmas Eve – Manchester United versus Everton. Apparently, the roast dinner that United players enjoyed on Monday evening at their Christmas party wasn’t the only roast they had that night, but despite all of the media attention surrounding the club at the moment, I can’t see it having an effect on their performance on the field. United won the reverse fixture narrowly last September, when Vidic popped up in the eighty-third minute to head home a corner, ensuring his team picked up three points. I can see it being a very close game once again, as Everton are an even better team now than they were when we played them in September. I still think United will a little too much for them, though, as United are excellent at home and they have a fantastic record against Everton over the years. The stumbling block is the price, as United are a best priced 2/5 with most firms. With the form Everton are in, that’s a little bit on the short side. Still, I think it’s most definitely worthy of a place in an accumulator.

Blackburn Rovers versus Chelsea is a really tricky tie to predict, as neither one of them are at their strongest at the moment. Chelsea, of course, are without the likes of Drogba, Terry, Carvalho and possibly even Shevchenko, whereas Blackburn’s back line worries have worsened with Christopher Samba out through suspension. I talked about Chelsea’s lack of attacking options last weekend, but will that even be a factor now that Blackburn have an extremely weakened defence? Or will the likes of the in-form Santa Cruz and McCarthy take advantage of the inexperienced partnership of Ben Haim and Alex, who have only played a full ninety minutes together once? I think it’ll be 1-1, but who knows… This is another one I’ll be avoiding.

There’s no other value in the Premier League this weekend, as far as I can see, so I’ll not be entertaining them. Also, once again, I don’t quite have the time this weekend to go into as much detail as I’d like to…

Elsewhere, I really fancy the following to do the business this weekend:

 

MK Dons (2/5 with most firms)

Wolverhampton (4/5 with Paddy Power)

Crewe (6/4 with BetDirect and Stan James)

Leeds (2/5 with most firms)

Nottingham Forest (4/9 with most firms)

Peterborough (4/6 with BoyleSport and SkyBet)

Alloa (8/15 with SkyBet)

East Fife (4/6 with SkyBet)

 

Ten teams this weekend, including Arsenal and Manchester United. If you fancy those ten in an accumulator, the best odds are with PartyBets, who offer over 106/1. The next best is SkyBet, who are offering a little over 97/1.

My Best Bet this weekend is MK Dons, Wolves, Leeds, Forest and Peterborough in a five-timer. Odds of 8/1 with VCBet for that one.

My Top Tip is Peterborough -1 at 7/4 with Bet365.

Finally, my Wacky Wager for this weekend is Wolves 1 Leicester 0, which is 6/1 with most firms.

I know I said at the start of the week that this would be a full, proper preview, but I think I’ve been a little too bold with my statement. It’s hectic at the moment and I haven’t got as much time as I usually do, so this is the very best that I can do. I think it might be roughly the same for the Boxing Day fixtures, but normality will resume after that, I promise. I’m not losing interesting in this place – far from it – it’s simply time constraints.

Good luck this weekend, do take care, have a very Merry Christmas and don’t eat too much pudding!

Yet another update on those lovely folk over at SportingOdds.com

If you take a look back through the archives, you’ll see the history between this website and myself. It’s not good, to say the least. Well, I finally have some good news. Since they wouldn’t let me have my money back, not until I used at least half of it to bet with, I had a bet with them last weekend – and won £65. The very next day, I asked for the money to be sent out via cheque (since they’re not still accepting withdrawals via MasterCard), and I’m pleased to announce that they’ve accepted my request! Hurrah!

See, if they weren’t such utter stupid, unprofessional bastards, they could’ve saved me a lot of time and aggravation and they could’ve saved themselves £65…

Oh well!

Thanks a lot, SportingOdds.com.

It was not so nice knowing you.

Andy Totham: Kiss of Death

On Monday morning, even though I don’t like betting on the Carling Cup, or the UEFA Cup, I tipped Manchester City to do the business tonight against Spurs, as I thought 11/8 was a really good price for them, given their strong home record. When I picked up the papers this morning and looked in The Sun, I noticed Andy Totham had Manchester City as his ‘Diamond Bet.’ I was, tongue in cheek, going to post here and tell you to be a little bit more wary of my tip now that Andy Totham had given it the kiss of death, as his diamonds tend to turn out to be rubbish. Looking back, I should have done.

I’ve still ended the night on a win though, as I put a couple of quid on Blackburn and Arsenal being a draw, which I said it would be.

You win some, you lose some!

UEFA Cup and Carling Cup Betting Tips: December 18th-20th

To be honest with you, I don’t like the initial group stages of the UEFA Cup – especially at this late stage – simply because it involves so many unknown teams. It’s a minefield. For the most part, you’re taking a wild stab in the dark, which is why I’m avoiding this competition for the time being. This will come as no surprise to those who have been reading my site for a while, because I’ve made it known my hatred for these early stages of the UEFA Cup. I did scan over the fixtures though, and I quite liked the look of Spartak Moscow, who are away to Toulouse, but I’m not that tempted at all. I’ll be keeping my money safely in my pocket this time around.

In the Carling Cup, there’s only Manchester City, with their fantastic home record, that I like the look of. Spurs have a massive game against Arsenal on Saturday, so will they have one eye on that? I think so. The Carling Cup also represents Sven’s best chance of silverware in his first season in charge, which is why I can see him going all out to win it. Get on them at 11/8 with Bet365.

Chelsea and Liverpool matches are always really tight affairs, although Chelsea have a fantastic record against them at Stamford Bridge. They both lost ground in the Premier League race with Arsenal and United at the weekend though, so will they be more inclined to rest their best players with their Premier League games at the weekend in mind? That’s got to be their priority. Chelsea’s more so than Liverpool’s. I just think this is pretty much the last thing these two teams want at the moment, so I’ll be avoiding this one. My advice, however, would be to take a look at the team news first.

Another one I’ll be avoiding is Blackburn versus Arsenal, which I feel could really go either way. Arsenal’s kids are very talented, there’s no doubting that, but Blackburn are a very strong side, especially at home. I think this one is going to be a draw, although I’d check the team news first before placing any money.

I don’t like the Carling Cup for having a bet either, but I do fancy Manchester City to do the business, especially at 11/8.

I’ll be back on Thursday night with a full, proper review of all the weekend action.

Until then – as always – take care and the very best of luck.

Grand Slam Double

Well, did you take my tip of Arsenal and Manchester United in a Grand Slam Double? I hope so. Although, I’m going to be honest with you – I went back on my word. I said I’d never put more than a £5 on this game. Well, I woke up yesterday morning feeling more confident about this double than I did last Friday when I told you all about it, so I stuck another £5 on!

After the United game though, it was pretty much a win-win situation for me. If Arsenal won, I won. If Arsenal drew or lost, I still won as it’d mean United would stay top of the league. I didn’t cheer Arsenal on though, for the record. I would never do that, no matter what. I just let whatever happened happen.

In other news, I think I might have discovered a team that the Bookmakers aren’t quite clued up on at the moment. I backed a French team by the name of Valenciennes at the weekend at odds of 1/1. I was in shock at that price. You will be too when you have a look at the table on BBC’s website. They were at home to Auxerre, who are absolutely shocking away from home. Before Saturday, they’d lost five of their eight away games, drawing two and winning one, scoring just three goals and conceding fourteen. Valenciennes, on the other hand, were undefeated at home, winning six and drawing two of their eight home games, scoring fifteen and conceding only three – yet the Bookmakers were offering evens for them! That’s madness.

The only reason I can think of, as to why they were such big odds, is because they have a dreadful away record, which is hindering their progress for definite. Auxerre are the exact opposite – they’re good at home but terrible away, so the two teams were relatively close in the league. And for the record, Valenciennes beat them 3-0, quite comfortably.

I’ve had a look at the fixtures coming up and Valenciennes are away next time out so I’d avoid that one. The game after that though, on January 12th, they’re at home to St Etienne, who are in a very similar position to Auxerre – in that they’re absolutely amazing at home, but just dreadful when playing away. Their away record at this time is won one, drew two and lost seven! Their home record, however, reads won six, drew two, lost none, scored twelve and conceded only one. Because of this, they’re very close in the league, which is good for us because that means bigger odds. The gap will be even closer by the time January 12th is here as well, I think. St Etienne are at home to the dreadful PSG next time out while Valenciennes are playing away from home. If those two games go according to plan, the gap between the two teams will be just one point, so I’m thinking Valenciennes will have odds even slightly better than the 1/1 given at the weekend. Like I said, go and see for yourself at BBC’s website via their Europe link on the side and you’ll see exactly what I mean. I’ll have an eye on their results next weekend and keep you updated.

Stick with IAFOG, here to put the Bookmakers money in your pockets.

Weekend Football Tips and Bets: December 15th-16th

Hello and welcome to another edition of ‘Weekend Football Tips and Bets: *insert date here*’ – I really need to come up with a better, catchier title, don’t I? It’s been quite hectic this week and I haven’t left myself much time at all to write this, so you have my apologies. I’m going to get straight down to business, though, giving my top tips and best bets as usual, but leaving out the big Premier League preview I usually do. Normality will resume next week. I don’t think you’ll be missing much anyway, as there’s not an awful lot I fancy this weekend.

That’s especially the case in the Premier League on Saturday, where any of the eight games could go either way. I kind of fancy Portsmouth to do the business at home to Spurs, but even then I’m nowhere near confident enough to place any money on them, as Spurs are an extremely funny, yo-yo team. You never know what you’re going to get with them. I fancy Villa a little too, but they were pretty poor in front of goal last time out and Sunderland aren’t too bad at home. You have to think that Roy Keane’s going to get a good result out of them sooner or later. You’d also think Man City, with their good home form, will brush aside Bolton – but they’ve been a different side under Gary Megson, their display at Anfield aside. They’re almost looking like the Bolton of old, so I wouldn’t be too confident of a home win.

Like I said, any of the games can either way – especially the likes of Derby/Boro, Fulham/Newcastle and West Ham/Everton – so it’s safe to say I’ll be avoiding the entire set of Saturday’s Premier League fixtures this weekend. It’s not worth it.

I know I said I’ll be keeping the Championship at arms length for the next couple of weeks, given the fact that it’s a bit of a minefield, but there are two teams that I actually fancy to do the business this weekend.

One of them is Ipswich, who have let me down once at home this season already (the only blip on their home record!), but I feel they’ll make amends here as they host Scunthorpe. I’ve talked about it here a few times in the past, but Ipswich really are phenomenal at home. They’re a totally different team at home, as they barely score away from home, nor do they win. Like I said, their only blip at home came a couple of weeks ago when they were held to a 0-0 draw with Barnsley. From my understanding of that game, it was a case of Ipswich hammering them with Barnsley parking the bus in front of goal, looking to break on the counter every now and then. I can’t see Scunthorpe doing that, as I’ve seen them a number of times this season and they’re quite an attacking team. I don’t think they’ll sit back and defend like Barnsley did, which will really suit Ipswich’s style of play. Get on them at a best priced 8/13 with BetDirect, Coral and Paddy Power.

The other team I fancy is Watford, who have been a little out of sorts over the past couple of weeks. They’ve bounced back a little recently, though, taking a point at Stoke and beating Colchester. I think they should have too much class for Plymouth, who themselves have gone a little wayward recently. Also, with Watford’s two biggest and nearest rivals, West Brom and Charlton, slugging it out between themselves this weekend, Watford will see this as the perfect opportunity to regain their considerable gap at the top of the league. They’re a best priced 8/11 with Bet365 and BlueSq.

I’m honestly, hand on heart, not saying this because I’m short of time, but there’s only Nottingham Forest who I fancy in League One this weekend. Take a look at the fixtures and the table and you’ll see why. It’s practically full of games between teams who are almost side by side in the league. It’s top versus top, middle versus middle, bottom versus bottom, etc. You get this every now and then and it’s annoying to us punters, as there’s too much risk involved. The only two games where it’s not like that are Forest versus Northampton and Port Vale versus Tranmere. I fancy Forest, but I’m not touching the latter game, because Tranmere have gone off the boil recently whereas Port Vale picked up an impressive victory last time out. Why do I fancy Forest? For a start, they have a really good home record. Their opponents, Northampton, are dreadful away from home. Over the past couple of seasons, their away form has been terrific. I know because I used to love the fact that the Bookmakers never picked up on that fact and over-priced them. It’s the opposite now, though, as they really struggle. They’re going to find it even harder without top scorer Andy Kirk, who sits this game out through injury. Get on Forest at 1/2 with most firms.

It’s the same case in League Two but even worse, as there’s not a single team I fancy. Not even one. Again, take a look at the fixtures and the table to see why. I’m laughing here, because I know it sounds like I’m in a real rush due to not having a lot of time this week, but that’s not the case at all. I could have all the time in the World and I’d still struggle to see any value in this league. Let me give you some examples of what I’m talking about. Peterborough versus MK Dons being the main one. Wrexham/Brentford, Macclesfield/Stockport, Grimsby/Mansfield, Darlington/Chester, etc. Rotherham had a bit of appeal, but Bradford aren’t too bad at home and Rotherham’s best form is at home, too.

Nothing interests me in the SPL either, so I’m moving on to the Scottish Leagues, Division One in particular, where I fancy Partick Thistle to do the business at home to Dunfermline. Partick have been in terrific form recently, near enough unstoppable, with Liam Buchanan scoring goals for fun. Dunfermline, on the other hand, haven’t been having such a great time – they’re managerless and they haven’t won in seven. I expect Partick to continue their fine form and pick up three points here. Back them at 1/1 with SkyBet. I’m really surprised at that price, in all honesty. That’s incredible value.

In Division Three, East Fife, who lead the way by an astonishing nine points, should most definitely see off Dumbarton at the weekend. East Fife have won all seven of their home games, scoring twenty six and conceding only two. Dumbarton, however, have lost five of their seven away games already. It’s going to take a lot – an awful lot – to get anything away to East Fife. I can’t see it happening here. Back East Fife at 1/3 with BetDirect and Ladbrokes.

Just scanned over all the football fixtures once again to see if I’ve missed anything, as I can’t remember the last time I fancied so little on a Saturday… I don’t think I’ve missed anything, though.

Recap:

 

Ipswich (8/13 with BetDirect, Coral and Paddy Power)

Watford ( 8/11 with Bet365 and BlueSq)

Nottingham Forest (1/2 with most firms)

Partick Thistle (1/1 with SkyBet)

East Fife (1/3 with BetDirect and Ladbrokes)

 

Five teams! On a Saturday! Seriously, though, it’s very dodgy this weekend, or at least I think it is. I really do fancy the five above, but I’ve really struggled to find any good value elsewhere.

To smack those five in an accumulator would fetch you odds of a little over 10/1 with BetDirect, which isn’t too bad at all.

My Top Tip this weekend is Partick Thistle, who are fantastic value at evens with SkyBet.

My Best Bet is the five teams above in an accumulator with BetDirect, giving you odds of 10.31/1.

My Wacky Wager (well, not that wacky, to be honest!) this weekend is chucking Arsenal and Manchester United into the five team accumulator above, making it a seven team accumulator, giving you odds of over 74/1 with BetDirect. I’ll be having a few quid on that.

Like I said earlier, apologies for a quicker, less detailed review this week. It’s been hectic. There wasn’t much to cover anyway, as you can see. Whatever and whoever you bet this weekend, I wish you the very best of luck. I’ll be back next week to give you a preview of all the UEFA Cup and Carling Cup action.

Until then, take care and don’t leave your Christmas shopping too late!

Grand Slam Sunday

Do I love Grand Slam Sunday or what? Sure, the games don’t always live up to their hype, but you’re still pretty much guaranteed a lot of excitement, a lot of tension and above all else, a lot of drama. Speaking as a fan of one of those four teams, of course…

From a betting standpoint, though, it’s usually not very good at all. ANYTHING can happen with these two games. If I had to pick two winners, however, I’d go with Arsenal and Manchester United. I’ll tell you why…

Arsenal should welcome back the likes of Fabregas, Flamini, Hleb and Van Persie, all of which are big and massively influential players. They’ve struggled the past couple of weeks against the likes of Newcastle and Middlesborough, because the heart of their midfield, their engine, which makes everything tick, was missing. Having those four back is just absolutely wonderful for Arsenal, whereas it’s very bad news for Chelsea and the other eighteen teams in the Premier League. Arsenal rested most of their first team players on Wednesday too, while Chelsea, quite bizarrely, fielded a very strong team. That’ll work in the Gunners favour. They also have a fantastic home record and will want to make up for results over the past couple of weeks, which is why I’m giving them the nod.

On top of all that, Chelsea, simply put, aren’t the same team without Didier Drogba. He is such a big player for them. He will be sorely missed on Sunday. Not by me, because I can’t stand him, but the players and the fans of Chelsea will miss him big time. They really need him at the moment, as I think Chelsea have been struggling a lot in recent weeks. I’ve watched them a few times recently, against West Ham, Sunderland and Valencia, and they look like a completely different team. They’re finding it really hard to break teams down at the moment, I think largely because they don’t have many attacking options. You look at the likes of United and you’ve got Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez, then you’ve got Saha, Scholes, Giggs, etc. who chip in with goals. You look at Liverpool and you’ve got Gerrard, Torres, Crouch, then you’ve got Kuyt, Babel, and Veronin, etc. You look at Arsenal and you’ve got Fabregas, Adebayor and Van Persie, then you’ve got Rosicky, Hleb, etc. Really, who have Chelsea got? They’ve only got Drogba and Lampard, to be honest, with the likes of Joe Cole and Wright-Phillips chipping the odd goal in once every blue moon. They’ve struggled in their past month or so against the likes of Derby, Sunderland, West Ham and Valencia. Yes, they won three of those games, drawing the other one, but the scoreline doesn’t tell the true story, I don’t think.

If you fancy Arsenal, the best price you can get for them at the moment is 6/4, which is with Bet365 and BetDirect.

Now that the trio of Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez have had one or two games to become reacquainted with one another, I think it’s only a matter of time until they fully click once again and show the mouth watering form they were showing before Rooney’s injury. There were signs of it against Derby last Saturday, but Rooney looked a little out of sorts. He’s always fired up for this one, though. Every United player is. Every Liverpool player is too, of course.

I’m honestly not being bias here, but I think the advantage lies with United. For a start, they’ve had a very, very good record over their rivals over the past couple of seasons. Both at home and away. Second of all, Rooney aside, the rest of the United starting eleven were relaxing in midweek, whereas Liverpool’s strongest side were in France, slugging their guts out to acquire a spot in the last sixteen of the Champions League. That’s going to be absolutely key, I think. The fact that United have had a little over a week to relax, take a breather and prepare, whereas Liverpool have had to work hard. I know they’re professional football players and all the rest of it, and that they should be able to easily handle two games in five days, but they are at a disadvantage, I think.

Also, I don’t know if non-United fans are aware of this, but traditionally, United’s form in December and January is excellent. While the Christmas period is seen as daunting and unpleasant to a number of teams, United seem to revel in it for some reason. It seems to suit them down to the ground, and I fully expect United to get their Christmas campaign off in style, continuing their good form recently.

United are a best priced 2/1 with SkyBet, if you think they’ll do the business.

Personally, I’m going to take BetFair’s 8/1 on a Arsenal/United double and stick a fiver on it or something.

I know I said earlier that these games are usually not all that great to bet on, but I have a good feeling, a much better feeling than normal, on these two, given the reasons stated above.

Plus, I think it’s ok so long as you’re only betting a couple of quid. No way would I bet anything more than a fiver. With a fiver, it’s enough to have even more of an interest than I already have, especially in the Arsenal/Chelsea game (although I wouldn’t complain if it was a draw!), it’s enough to potentially receive a rather healthy return, yet you’re not going to miss it too much from your wallet if it doesn’t come up.

The Championship is a minefield

A Championship team let me down once again last night, when red hot Burnley faltered at home, once again, to a battling QPR side. To be honest, it’s kind of my own fault, as I should have taken their poor home form into account more, but I still thought they’d have enough to put away QPR, who were bottom of the league at the time and hadn’t won in eight games.

I’ve never known a league to be so, so unpredictable and let me down so many times in one season. Seriously. West Brom have let me down three times, Watford have let me down three or four times, Stoke have let me down, Charlton have let me down twice, Ipswich have let me down and now Burnley have let me down. It’s a minefield, I’m telling you.

Take a look at the table and how it stands at the moment. It really is quite bizarre. The points tally practically goes up by one point for every position. Between the team in first, and the team lying bottom. the only numbers missing between the two respective points totals are nineteen, twenty nine, thirty six and thirty nine. Unbelievable.

I think I’m going to keep this league at arms lengths for the next couple of weeks and see how it goes…

Elsewhere, I got five of my six tips up, taking my strike rate to 72.28%, which I’m pretty pleased with.

I hope midweek has been successful for you, making the Bookmakers pay for your last minute Christmas presents. I’ll be back on Friday morning with a look at all of the weekend football action, including Grand Slam Sunday!

Midweek Football Tips and Bets: December 11th-12th

In the Champions League, caution is the word, because considering this is the final round of group matches, you might find teams who have already qualified fielding weakened teams. With that said, let’s take a look at the action, starting with Tuesday’s games…

Chelsea have a fantastic record at home, BUT they’ve already qualified for the next stage of the Champions League as group winners, so there’s nothing for them to fight for. Unlike their opponents Valencia, who still have a chance of qualifying for the UEFA Cup. Plus, Chelsea have a big game on Sunday against Arsenal, so you’d think Avram Grant will be wanting to save his best players for that game.

Marseille only need a point at home against Liverpool, provided that Porto don’t lose to Besiktas, which they really shouldn’t do. So with that being the case, I have to avoid Liverpool, as well. Yes, last Saturday aside, they have been playing some fantastic football recently – but like I said, Marseille are at home and all they need is a draw. The ball really is in their court with this one. I don’t know which way it’s going to go.

In the same group, Porto should see off Besiktas at home to ensure that they finish top of the group. In the Portuguese Liga, Porto have won five and drawn one of their six home games this season, scoring ten and conceding only one. Besiktas have lost both of their Champions League away fixtures this time round and I fully expect Porto to make it three. Get on them at 4/9 with most firms.

Real Madrid, who are a best priced 2/5 with Ladbrokes, SkyBet and Stan James, should see off Lazio to guarantee top spot. Madrid have won all seven of their home games in Primera Liga this season. They’ve also won both of home games in the Champions League in this current campaign. I can’t see Lazio making a dent on their outstanding home record.

Wednesday now, and Arsenal’s game is a tricky one to call. You’d think they’d want to go out and win their final game so that they have a chance of finishing top of the group. They’ll especially want to get back to winning ways after the weekend, plus they have a fantastic record at the Emirates. Will they have one eye on Sunday, though? I’d check the team news on this one first, but I think I’ll be avoiding this one.

The same goes for Manchester United, who have already qualified as group winners and take on Roma. Fergie’s plan was to beat Sporting Lisbon last time out so that he could rest some players before the big game against Liverpool on Sunday. That happened, of course, so I won’t be backing an under strength United.

Fenerbache should do the business at home to CSKA Moscow, who are bottom of the group with one point. Fenerbache, however, need to win to ensure that they join group winners Inter Milan in the next stage. I’d be massively shocked if they didn’t get the three points. They’re a best priced 1/3 with Stan James.

Rangers need a point at home to Lyon to join rivals Celtic in the next stages of the Champions League. Rangers, of course, won 3-0 when these two teams met in France a month or so ago. I think it’s safe to say it’ll be a lot closer than that this time round, as Lyon seem very pumped up and focused on the task at hand. I expect Rangers to qualify, but I don’t know whether they’ll do it by winning or holding Lyon to a draw, so I’m giving this one a miss.

That about covers it for the Champions League. The rest of the games are either far too close to call, involve teams who have already qualified or teams who have nothing to play for. Like I said, be very careful with your selections this week.

The only team who I fancy in the FA Cup is Southend, who host Oxford in a second round replay. Southend will be without the inspirational Leon Clarke due to terms surrounding his loan agreement, but I think they should still have too much for the Blue Square Premier outfit. Back them at a best priced 4/9 with BetDirect, BetFred and SkyBet.

In the Championship, Owen Coyle and his very much in form Burnley outfit should do the business against rock bottom QPR. Since taking over, Burnley have won three and drawn one. They’ve pulled off some very impressive victories, too. They’ve gone to both Watford and Wolves and taken three points, which is no small feat at all. Yes, their best form lies away from home, but they should prove to be too strong for QPR, who are dismal travelers. Get on them at 8/11 with BetDirect. Cracking value.

Celtic, who slipped up at the weekend, won’t want to drop anymore points as they host Falkirk in the SPL. I know I said it on Saturday, but I can’t see Celtic dropping points here – especially after Saturday. They’re 2/9 with Ladbrokes.

In the Carling Cup, West Ham take on Everton at Upton Park on Wednesday night. Assuming they both field strong teams, this should be quite a cracking contest and one I wouldn’t like to call.

It’s time for a recap:

 

Porto (4/9 with most firms)

Real Madrid (2/5 with Ladbrokes, SkyBet and Stan James)

Fenerbache (1/3 with Stan James)

Southend (4/9 with BetDirect, BetFred and SkyBet)

Burnley (8/11 with BetDirect)

Celtic (2/9 with Ladbrokes)

 

Just the six teams this time, then. You can get 7.36/1 for those six in an accumulator with BetDirect. Not cracking odds, I know, but there’s not an awful lot of value around this week. Apart from Burnley, that is. I think 8/11 for them represents terrific value. I thought Ipswich looked good value at 10/11 too, but I have a suspicion that’ll end up in a draw. Leicester have drawn six of their nine away games so far this season, conceding only seven. I think it’ll be a very, very close game.

Anyway, as always, I wish good luck to you and your selections.

I’ll be back on Thursday night, perhaps Friday afternoon, with a full preview of the weekend action.

Until then, take care.

Eat My Shorts!

Well, I tipped fourteen teams in all for the weekend. I did pretty well, for the most part, although a few let me down. Among those few with Liverpool and Celtic, both of which turned out to be total shockers.

Here’s the fourteen:

Chelsea – Won

Everton – Won

Manchester United – Won

Liverpool – Lost

Gillingham – Lost

Leeds – Won

Southend – Won

Hereford – Won

Aldershot – Won

Torquay – Void, as game was postponed

Celtic – Drew

Dundee – Won

Raith – Drew

East Fife – Won

9/13, which isn’t too bad at all. Like I said, especially when two of those that let me down were Liverpool and Celtic. I’m surprised with Raith too, although I did take a little bit of a risk in backing Gillingham, who were sixteenth at the time. I still thought they had more than enough to win, however.

I also had my Top Tip come up, when I backed Manchester United -2 at 1/1 with BetFred and Stan James, although they left it a little too late for my liking!

On top of all of that, I warned you about backing Arsenal and Hamilton, who both lost at the weekend. Quite a number of tipsters were backing those two teams. Not me, though!

Having said all that, I went and opened my big mouth and said that if Derby scored at Old Trafford, I would eat my shorts. Well, they actually went and scored, to my astonishment, so without further ado…

And no, that’s not actually me, before anyone asks!