Premiership Betting preview Saturday 26th April

April 25, 2008

Birmingham v Liverpool

Birmingham will be looking to put their thrashing at the hands of local rivals Aston Villa behind them as they look to claw their way out of the relegation zone. They couldn’t have asked for a tougher game at a time when they desperately need to pick up maximums to avoid being cut adrift at the wrong side of the relegation cut-off point. They currently lie one point and one place from safety with three to play, having won just one match in the last seven.

Liverpool may help slightly by fielding a weakened team as they look towards Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Fulham were unable to take advantage last week, and another win for Rafa Benitez’ men will guarantee them fourth place and Champions League qualification for next season.

Match Odds:

Birmingham - 19/10 (totesport)

Draw - 9/4 (Blue Square)

Liverpool - 17/10 (VC Bet)

Chelsea v Man United

It’s a must-win game for Chelsea in the Saturday lunchtime kickoff, live on Sky Sports 1. Put simply, victory for Avram Grant’s men will put them level on points with Manchester United with two games to play, and they would still be reliant on United dropping points (Due to Chelsea’s inferior goal difference) in their remaining two games to pinch the Premiership title from United’s grasp.

Should United win or even draw, then the Premiership title will surely be on its way to Old Trafford once again. Chelsea are defending a fantastic 80-match unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge, which dates back more than four years. How Man United fans would love to take that record and effectively win the title in the rival’s backyard.

Chelsea will be without Frank Lampard, who is grieving the death of his mother to pnemonia, as Chelsea look to wrestle the title from Sir Alex Ferguson’s grasp.

Match Odds:

Chelsea - 6/4 (Bet 365)

Draw - 21/10 (William Hill)

Manchester United - 2/1 (Ladbrokes)

Man City v Fulham

Premier League survival is the name of the game for Fulham, although time is running out, and if they fail to win at Manchester City and Bolton and Reading both win, it could be game over as Fulham become the first team to join Derby County in relegation to the Championship.

Manchester City meanwhile remain on course for their highest-ever Premier League finish, and will be looking to end the season in style in their last home game, finishing with two games away from Eastlands. The Citizens have won their last two matches, whilst The Cottagers won their last away game (against Reading) and are chasing two away wins in a row for the first time in more than four years.

Match Odds:

Manchester City - 5/6 (VC Bet)

Draw - 5/2 (Bet 365)

Fulham - 7/2 (Boylesports)

Sunderland v Middlesbrough

It’s another North-East derby for Sunderland who lost at Newcastle last weekend. A draw in this match should be enough to ensure Premiership survival for both teams, so don’t expect the football to be too adventurous in the Wear-Tees derby, although a in for either side would guarantee their survival.

Sunderland have not won a North-East derby in their last six attempts, and Middlesbrough have won this tie on the last four occasions. In the reverse fixture at the Riverside, the match ended in a 2-2 draw thanks to a late Sunderland equaliser. The referee for this match will be Steve Bennett.

Match Odds:

Sunderland - 6/5 (Blue Square)

Draw - 9/4 (Blue Square)

Middlesbrough - 12/5 (Bet 365)

Tottenham v Bolton

Thanks to a late revival that sees Bolton chasing a third consecutive win in a row, Premiership safety is in their own hands, for the time being at least, although defeat at White Hart Lane could see them back in the bottom three if other results go against them.

Spurs for their part have wobbled a little of recent, with one solitary win in their last seven games. They have scored in every home game so far this season, but have a history of squandering leads, whilst Bolton have found scoring away from home troublesome - Gavin McCann’s goal against Middlesbrough at the Riverside last weekend was their first away from the Reebok since February.

Match Odds:

Tottenham - 10/11 (skybet)

Draw - 9/4 (Stan James)

Bolton - 13/5 (Ladbrokes)

West Ham v Newcastle

West Ham host Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle in the only premiership game that will not impact on either Championship, European or Relegation issues. Since a terrible run of form immediately following Keegan’s second coming as Newcastle manager, the Toon Army have enjoyed taking 14 points out of a possible 18 in the last six games which has propelled them up to second in the form table.

Newcastle won this fixture 2-0 last year thanks to goals from Damien Duff and Obafemi Martins. The reverse fixture at St James Park this season finished with a 3-1 win for Newcastle. The referee for this game will be Uriah Rennie.

Match Odds:

West Ham - 7/5 (Boylesports)

Draw - 23/10 (totesport)

Newcastle - 15/8 (Bet 365)

Wigan v Reading

Premiership survival is the prize in this match, at least for Wigan, as three points would guarantee their survivial in this league for another year, whilst failure to win for Reading could leave them in the drop zone. Reading currently lie one point and one place above the drop zone, and failure to win a the JJB could leave them running out of games to pick up enough points to survive.

Reading have lost their last three matches in a row, and have failed to score in more than six hours of football, a fact that has led them to recall striker Leroy Lita from a loan spell at Charlton. Wigan have kept five clean sheets in their last nine games.