EPL Dec 1 to Dec 3 Plays from North of the Border

[Toronto_Mike]

English Premier League:
Record: 68-59-14 +$1439.53
Totals 12-12-2
Big Plays: 6-4-1

This is going to be one of my favorite cards of the year. Will be playing a lot and putting a lot so its either a bummer or a success. So lets get things started.

Chelsea vs West Ham Kickoff 7:45am EST
Chelsea 1.28
Draw 5.25
West Ham 11.00

Well well well, look who's back in the title race. Chelsea have been on an absolute brilliant run. Chelsea have not lost a game since their Man Utd game in Sept 23, which was Avram Grant's first game in charge. Since then, Chelsea have played 13 games won 9 games drawn 4. They have slowly gone about their business and allowed Arsenal and Man Utd to do all the pushing and shoving. Chelsea are finally playing an attacking brand of football that owner Roman Abramovich had always wished for and so have the fans. Midweek saw Chelsea crush Rosenborg in Norway to avenge that humbling draw in the opening day of Champs League. Chelsea are also looking to extend their home unbeaten streak to 70 games today. West Ham have been wishy washy all season. The mid-table dwellers are doing pretty well for themselves considering the injuries that they have had to face. Don't be fooled by their road record. Yes they have managed 3 wins out of 6 however, those 3 wins came against Derby, Reading, and Birmingham, their 2 losses came from Aston Villa and Newcastle while they managed a 0-0 draw vs Portsmouth. West Ham win games they are expected to and lose games they are expected to. This is a London derby so there is pride at stake, however, there's probably more fun between the West Ham hooligans and the Chelsea headhunters at this game. Chelsea are hitting on ally cylinders. They will however, be without Michael Essien, Ricardo Carvalho. Doesn't matter. Frank Lampard is playing out of his mind, John Terry is trying to avenge England's Euro exit. West Ham are without Lee Bowyer and Craig Bellamy, 2 players who have been vital for the Hammers this season, and both add toughness. Without them, I have a hard time seeing the Hammers making a game of it. West Ham may have hammered Derby....but here comes a reality check. Chelsea should ease through on this day.
Bet: Chelsea -1.5 @ 2.025 $300 to win $307.50
Prediction: Chelsea 3-0 West Ham
Goal Scorers: Chelsea, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Salmon Kalou

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Blackburn vs Newcastle Kickoff 10:00am EST
Blackburn 1.90
Draw 3.40
Newcastle 4.20

Did Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce hear the boo boys vs Liverpool? Yes he did. After a humiliating 0-3 defeat to rivals Liverpool, Sam Allardyce is desperate to find answers. Newcastle have had high expectations this season, but injuries and poor road form has really effected their play. The inconsistency of Michael Owen's injury status, terrible defensive line and a mediocore midfield has seen Newcastle tread the midtable...somewhere the fans did not expect nor did the board. Blackburn on the other hand are suffering a mini slump. They have not won in 4 games and recently suffered a trashing at home to Aston Villa by the score line of 0-4. But I will give them credit, they did face Man Utd and Liverpool during that stretch, however, they have looked pretty poor. Only last month did we see a squad that looked right to challenge the big 4, but now they look right to barely challenge for a UEFA Cup spot. Newcastle will be without Michael Owen....whats new....and Damien Duff. Blackburn will miss their captain Ryan Nielsen after he was sent off during the Villa match. Both teams are desperate for points, tough to chose a side here, but this game falls under a system play and Newcastle is the system play. Thinking this game might be fairly open as well.
Bet: Newcastle +0.5 @ 2.00 $300 to win $300 (SYSTEM PLAY)
Over 2.25 @ 1.80 $300 to win $240
Prediction: Blackburn 1-2 Newcastle
Goal Scorers: Blackburn, Benny McCarthy Newcastle, Mark Viduka, Obafemi Martins

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Portsmouth vs Everton Kickoff 10:00am EST
Portsmouth 2.20
Draw 3.25
Everton 3.40

Portsmouth are enjoying a successful run in the Premiership. Having gone unbeaten in their last 8 matches. They are now sitting 7th. However, Everton are also on a traffic run, they are unbeaten in their last 7. Portsmouth Harry Redknapp was arrested this week part of a corruption scandal. He will attend the game but it will surely have some effect to his coaching. I'm curious to know what is on his mind right now, but the most positive thing to do is to focus on football and get the win today. This is honestly too tough of a match to predict. Both sides are on great form at the moment. Portsmouth still unbeaten at home with 2 wins and 4 draws. Everton aren't no slouches on the road either 3 wins out of 7 games. I sense a draw here will be good enough for both sides. No real injury issues for either squad.
Bet: Everton +0.25 @ 1.925 $300 to win $577.50
Prediction: Portsmouth 0-0 Everton

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Reading vs Middlesbrough Kickoff 10:00am EST
Reading 2.00
Draw 3.20
Middlesbrough 4.20

Not looking forward to this game. 2 teams struggling to find any sort of answers. Reading have lost 3 straight, their last match gave up the winner in the 90th minute. Lack of focus and discipline has been the problem for Steve Coppell's side. Those were their strong traits last season and it started well this season but now they have just been all over the place. Usually they are a much more solid defensive unit but they have given up 2 or more goals in 4 of their last 5 matches. Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate is under pressure to get results. He could be the next manager to get the axe if there are not any positive results soon enough. In fact this match could be a pivotal point for him. Boro need to beat a team like Reading who are fighting off relegation as well. However, Southgate will have a headache. He will be without first choice keeper Mark Schwarzer because he has a thumb injury and striker Mido is out as well. Middlesbrough are winless in their last 9 matches and will soon drop further into the relegation zone if they do not get a result here. Both squads have poor defenses. This could be a very open game and I can really see over type match. Middlesbrough will be a system play. Yes quite crazy, even i'm scratching my head on this one but I can't go against the numbers.
Bet: Middlesbrough +0.5 @ 1.925 $300 to win $277.50
Over 2.25 @ 1.725 $500 to win $362.50
Prediction: Reading 2-2 Middlesbrough
Goal Scorers: Reading, Dave Kitson, Kevin Doyle Middlesbrough, Lee Cattermole, Julio Arca

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Sunderland vs Derby Kickoff 10:00am EST
Sunderland 1.66
Draw 3.60
Derby 5.50

When I first saw this line, I was thinking....what the hell is going on. Since when did Sunderland deserve this kind of respect? They just got thrashed last week 1-7 by Everton are they expected to rebound in hopes that it cannot get any worse? Perhaps but Sunderland should not be favorites for any game period even if its against Derby. Derby recently fired Billy Davies and finally hired a real manager in Paul Jewell. Jewell helped Wigan launch a successful first season in the EPL and has faced adversity before. This could be the biggest match of the season for either squad. Both are struggling and both need points bad. Derby are pretty much done for the season however, that could spell problems for teams who are desperate. Sunderland are a desperate team and they could lead on to mistakes. Both squads came up from promotion so their recent h2h's can be quite significant. Sunderland have won the last 3 meetings. This could spell problems for Derby. However, Jewell might be able to give a positive boost. Definitely not a match I would like to pick a side for. Both teams know what is at stake so they could take a very cautious approach.
Bet: No Bet
Prediction: Sunderland 1-1 Derby
Goal Scorers: Sunderland Dwight Yorke Derby, Kenny Miller

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Wigan vs Man City Kickoff 10:00am EST
Wigan 3.00
Draw 3.25
Man City 2.40

Wigan are looking for a fresh start. Having successfully hired Steve Bruce as their manager, there seems to be a positive vibe now for the Latics. You might wonder why I'm saying positive considering Wigan are on an 8 game losing streak. Well in 6 of those 8 games, Wigan played Liverpool, Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Portsmouth. Of course you are most likely going to lose with the squad Wigan has. But, look who returns this weekend. Emile Heskey. He's been a vital player for this squad since the start of the season and the Latics really missed his scoring touch. Man City aren't the best of road teams out there. They sit 4th in the standings but their home record helps their cause. They have managed 1 win in 6 road outings, that is not good enough for a club that wants to compete against the top 4. Man City will be without Elano. That is a major kick because he's been running the show along with Martin Petrov. Man City's attack isn't one to brag about. Their forwards haven't been doing much of the scoring, instead its their midfield that have really had to push the pace. Without Elano's vision, I can really see Man City having a hard time getting something against Wigan here. Call me crazy but i think Wigan can win today.
Bet: Wigan +0.25 @ 1.80 $500 to win $400
Prediction: Wigan 1-0 Man City
Goal Scorer: Wigan, Antoine Sibierski

 

[Toronto_Mike]

will be back with my big play

 

[parisnovella]

Wigan vs Man City Kickoff 10:00am EST
Wigan 3.00
Draw 3.25
Man City 2.40

Wigan are looking for a fresh start. Having successfully hired Steve Bruce as their manager, there seems to be a positive vibe now for the Latics. You might wonder why I'm saying positive considering Wigan are on an 8 game losing streak. Well in 6 of those 8 games, Wigan played Liverpool, Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Portsmouth. Of course you are most likely going to lose with the squad Wigan has. But, look who returns this weekend. Emile Heskey. He's been a vital player for this squad since the start of the season and the Latics really missed his scoring touch. Man City aren't the best of road teams out there. They sit 4th in the standings but their home record helps their cause. They have managed 1 win in 6 road outings, that is not good enough for a club that wants to compete against the top 4. Man City will be without Elano. That is a major kick because he's been running the show along with Martin Petrov. Man City's attack isn't one to brag about. Their forwards haven't been doing much of the scoring, instead its their midfield that have really had to push the pace. Without Elano's vision, I can really see Man City having a hard time getting something against Wigan here. Call me crazy but i think Wigan can win today.
Bet: Wigan +0.25 @ 1.80 $500 to win $400
Prediction: Wigan 1-0 Man City
Goal Scorer: Wigan, Antoine Sibierski

I REALLY LOVE THIS ONE MIKE!! :cheers:
GOODLUCK BUDDY!

 

[JC81]

GL mike, iam not gonna play anything today other than some small parlays with teams like stuttgart chelsea and schalke, on my funaccount.
Well iam off to a baskatballgame in aarhus, go team fog næstved lol

 

[lungster]

with you on chelsea. GL

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Aston Villa vs Arsenal Kickoff 12:15pm EST
Aston Villa 4.00
Draw 3.30
Arsenal 2.00

Ah yes, my Villans are enjoying a string of 4 straight victories and are now sitting 6th. Sure they haven't really beaten anyone significant but they are playing a very solid all around game of football. Since goalkeeper Scott Carson made that blunder vs Croatia, he has provided 2 straight clean sheets. The Villa attack is clicking very well and the EPL are finally realizing the threat of Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor. It was nearly 12 months ago when people thought, Martin O'Neill must be crazy to be paying 9.6million for Ashley Young....well look what has the kid done now.
Arsenal suffered their first defeat in all competitions midweek. They played at Sevilla knowing they were through to the next round and rested some key players. Cesc Fabregas is playing out of this world. The young midfield general has sparked plenty of interest back home in Spain but has stated his desire to remain with Arsenal. He has been by far Arsenal's best player and his control in the midfield has set the standard for this team. Unfortunately, Fabregas sustained a slight hamstring injury and will be a game time decision. Alexander Hleb will be apart of this game but he is still not 100%. There will be a shuffle at the defensive line from the Sevilla game. Expect Wenger to go back to his strong line up of Gallas, Toure, Sagna and perhaps Gael Clichy. Arsenal are a difficult team to take the ball from, they have some of the best dribblers in the world in Hleb and Rosicky. The footballing iq is immense and it will be difficult to see Villa getting anything from them, considering the Villans have not beaten the Gunners in their last 17 tries.....well now is the time to change. If there is one team that can try and give the Gunners their first defeat it would be Villa. There are 2 ways to look at this situation. For the Gunners to be true title candidates, they either must go on a mini slump and learn that life is not all perfect atop the standings or they come into Villa Park and gain an important victory. When looking at Arsenal's schedule, they have honestly one of the easier ones in the league. Having only played Liverpool and Man Utd as the main threats, the Gunners could count themselves lucky getting a draw vs Man Utd and had to hit the panic button vs Liverpool to get a 1-1 draw. Its now starting to get really tough for the Gunners. Key here will be who can control the midfield. Both squads play very well on the wings but it should be a great match between Gareth Barry and Cesc Fabregas (if he plays) to see the team that can dictate the tempo. I suspect a very tight encounter but I feel Villa can at least come out with a draw. Having won 5 and losing 2 times at Villa park, once to Liverpool and Man Utd, Villa will try and not conceed vs another top class club.
Bet: Aston Villa +0.5 @ 1.80 $1000 to win $800 (SYSTEM PLAY)
Prediction: Aston Villa 1-1 Arsenal
Goal Scorers: Aston Villa, Ashley Young Arsenal, Eduardo

 

[parisnovella]

Aston Villa vs Arsenal Kickoff 12:15pm EST
Aston Villa 4.00
Draw 3.30
Arsenal 2.00

Ah yes, my Villans are enjoying a string of 4 straight victories and are now sitting 6th. Sure they haven't really beaten anyone significant but they are playing a very solid all around game of football. Since goalkeeper Scott Carson made that blunder vs Croatia, he has provided 2 straight clean sheets. The Villa attack is clicking very well and the EPL are finally realizing the threat of Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor. It was nearly 12 months ago when people thought, Martin O'Neill must be crazy to be paying 9.6million for Ashley Young....well look what has the kid done now.
Arsenal suffered their first defeat in all competitions midweek. They played at Sevilla knowing they were through to the next round and rested some key players. Cesc Fabregas is playing out of this world. The young midfield general has sparked plenty of interest back home in Spain but has stated his desire to remain with Arsenal. He has been by far Arsenal's best player and his control in the midfield has set the standard for this team. Unfortunately, Fabregas sustained a slight hamstring injury and will be a game time decision. Alexander Hleb will be apart of this game but he is still not 100%. There will be a shuffle at the defensive line from the Sevilla game. Expect Wenger to go back to his strong line up of Gallas, Toure, Sagna and perhaps Gael Clichy. Arsenal are a difficult team to take the ball from, they have some of the best dribblers in the world in Hleb and Rosicky. The footballing iq is immense and it will be difficult to see Villa getting anything from them, considering the Villans have not beaten the Gunners in their last 17 tries.....well now is the time to change. If there is one team that can try and give the Gunners their first defeat it would be Villa. There are 2 ways to look at this situation. For the Gunners to be true title candidates, they either must go on a mini slump and learn that life is not all perfect atop the standings or they come into Villa Park and gain an important victory. When looking at Arsenal's schedule, they have honestly one of the easier ones in the league. Having only played Liverpool and Man Utd as the main threats, the Gunners could count themselves lucky getting a draw vs Man Utd and had to hit the panic button vs Liverpool to get a 1-1 draw. Its now starting to get really tough for the Gunners. Key here will be who can control the midfield. Both squads play very well on the wings but it should be a great match between Gareth Barry and Cesc Fabregas (if he plays) to see the team that can dictate the tempo. I suspect a very tight encounter but I feel Villa can at least come out with a draw. Having won 5 and losing 2 times at Villa park, once to Liverpool and Man Utd, Villa will try and not conceed vs another top class club.
Bet: Aston Villa +0.5 @ 1.80 $1000 to win $800 (SYSTEM PLAY)
Prediction: Aston Villa 1-1 Arsenal
Goal Scorers: Aston Villa, Ashley Young Arsenal, Eduardo

:cheers::cheers::cheers:

I LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH!! GOODLUCK MIKE

 

[Greencastle]

I hate seeing Arsenal playing without one Englishmen in their starting eleven every damn week.

 

[Satyr]

Sorry to hear about your boys losing, Mike, had I been home today I would have taken Aston Villa as well, and pounded the draw as well, but Wenger's boys had other plans...

Anyways, I'm pounding my lads tomorrow at -1.75. They are fired up trust me.

 

[evalagoal]

I hate seeing Arsenal playing without one Englishmen in their starting eleven every damn week.

BUT THEY PLAY SOOO DAMN WELL ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$)

 

[Toronto_Mike]

added

Tottenham -1.25 @ 1.90 $300 to win $270

 

[Greencastle]

Kaboul is a piece of shit.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

good luck to Ramos changing this defense. don't see how Ledley King can turn around a defense like thsi