EPL Oct 27 to 28 Plays from North of the Border

[Toronto_Mike]

English Premier League:
Record: 56-48-9 +$658.75
Totals 12-11-2
Big Plays: 4-3

Took a bump last week but still up, lets get back to winning ways this weekend.

Chelsea vs Manchester City Kickoff 10:00am EST
Chelsea 1.50
Draw 4.00
Manchester City 7.00

Chelsea are finally back to winning ways. Winners of their last 4 games, the players have now settled in without Mourinho. Manchester City are also winners of their last 4 games. Both squads have suffered only 2 defeats but the defeats for Chelsea came harder because being a prestigious and high profile club, whenever you lose, there is always someone to blame. Man City are playing carefree, however they must becareful. City have had a fairly week schedule. Yes they have played Man Utd and beat them however, Utd dominated that match and City had one good shot on target and scored. Against Arsenal, they depended a lot of Kasper Schmeichel to keep them in the game or else they could of easily lost by 2 or more goals. Also, their last 4 games have been at home. Now they travel to one of the best if not, the best home team in Europe. Chelsea have not lost an EPL home game since the 2003/2004 season. City still are very iffy on the road and it showed when they lost to Blackburn and blew a lead going into the final 5 minutes of play vs Fulham. Chelsea forward Didier Drogba spoke of his intentions of leaving the club by the end of the season however, he has been absolutely buckwild in the last few games playing an important role in the attack. In my opinion, he is playing for a nice big contract from a big club next season and rightfully so. This is the Didier Drogba we all know, his speed and power fits well into any sort of system. Yes, Chelsea are missing John Terry and Ashley Cole but they still are getting results. Having JT will only mean Chelsea will be a brick wall. I prefer Wayne Bridge at the left over Cole and i think with Carvalho still in defense, this is still quite a formidable line to pass. Lampard, overrated player but is extremely crucial for the Chelsea attack. Florent Malouda and Shaun Wright Phillips will provide that speed needed to assist Drogba upfront but the key player for this match will be Michael Essien. He needs to be able to contain Elano and Michael Johnson as best as he can. Man City quite honestly has no real striker threat. Emile Mpenza was not Sven Goran Eriksson's top forward but when you lose Valeri Bojinov and have Bianchi playing like crap, you have no option. City have relied heavily on the creativity of both Elano and Petrov to provide a threat upfront, other than that, there is no one. I think City will be put back to earth in this game. A Chelsea victory will provide manager Avram Grant with more stability and support from the fans. I'm going to make this a big play.
Bet: Chelsea -1 @ 1.925 $500 to win $462.50
Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Manchester City
Goal Scorers: Chelsea, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Manchester Utd vs Middlesbrough Kickoff 10:00am EST
Manchester Utd 1.18
Draw 6.50
Middlesbrough 19.00

Manchester Utd's attack has finally woken up. After starting the season managing only 1 goal per game, Utd have scored 4 goals in each of their last 3 games. Middlesbrough on the other hand have lost 4 straight games and are starting to get extremely desperate. They have had a hard time scoring of late having scored only 1 goal during the 4 game losing streak. It was evident this team would have a hard time scoring since the departure of Yakubu and Viduka, but it was thought Mido would fit in nicely. However, the results have not favored them and they now lie in the 17th spot. If there is one team Man Utd hates playing its Middlesbrough. For some certain reason, Utd have had a hard time getting positive result against Boro. In the last 10 meetings, Boro have managed 2 wins and 4 draws. Of course history might change but the style of plays might still be there. Utd will be without Paul Scholes and Patrice Evra, but it looks like Owen Hargreaves will play the middle. Middlesbrough still have a huge injury list and to make matters worse, their main goal scoring threat Mido might not be included due to injury. I can look back in tradition however, during the Middlesbrough success, it was Steve McClaren who was coaching and he was actually an assistant to Alex Ferguson. This Utd attack is just right now full throttle. Wayne Rooney is back on track after going on a slump and i think he's going to take advantage. I expect Middlesbrough to just play a counter attack and hope Utd get frustrated. I'm not touching this match. I think Utd wins pretty big but i don't want to risk it. I see them just winning comfortably and hope they don't get any more injury worries because next Saturday they travel to North London and face Arsenal.
Bet: No Bet
Prediction: Man Utd 4-0 Middlesbrough
Goal Scorers: Man Utd, Wayne Rooney 2, Carlos Tevez, Cristiano Ronaldo

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Sunderland vs Fulham Kickoff 10:00am EST
Sunderland 2.10
Draw 3.60
Fulham 3.30

All I can say is that i'm extremely disappointed with Fulham. I thought they would be a suprise package but the way they have been defensively has been horrendous. Had them as a big play vs Derby last weekend and quite honestly, Derby deserved to win that game if it wasn't for Niemi's heroics. I don't know what manager Lawrie Sanchez has been doing the past few games, infact i don't know what he has been doing the past 2 months! Fulham have not won a game since August 28th when they beat minnows Shrewsbury only 1-0! Sunderland have been quite unlucky on a few occasions. They have already played Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester Utd giving those teams a good run for their money. Manager Roy Keane has had injury problems the past month but those players are now starting to train again, Carlos Edwards and Andy Cole could feature as subs. Attacking wise, Sunderland still are suffering, trying to find some consistency. They were mentally broken vs West Ham. Now they play a fellow struggler. This is the sort of game that the home team must take advantage of and usually do. I think the price is fair for this situation.
Bet: Sunderland ML @ 2.10 $300 to win $330
Prediction: Sunderland 2-0 Fulham
Goal Scorers: Sunderland, Kenwayne Jones, Roy O'Donovan

 

[El Mago]

i like sunder land.. not sure bout chelasea.. but GL man

 

[Toronto_Mike]

i like sunder land.. not sure bout chelasea.. but GL man

thanks bud. I'm more confident on Chelsea making a statement. Still think Man city still has some more work to do before they can compete with the big boys.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Birmingham vs Wigan Kickoff 10:00am EST
Birmingham 2.10
Draw 3.30
Wigan 3.60

Another fixture between two struggling sides. I knew Wigan were a fraud, having started the season brightly, Wigan have not won a game since August the 18th, Birmingham are on a 4 game losing streak although they miraculously managed a 0-0 draw vs Liverpool. There is continued speculation that Steve Bruce is gone as manager. Owner Carson Yeung is not a fan of Steve Bruce. The pressure is on to get results and if Steve Bruce doesn't get it, he will be axed very shortly. Wigan on the other hand are suffering due to injuries to Sibierski and Heskey. Their attacking options are short handed and have only managed 1 goal in their last 4. To be honest, I really don't care about this match. I think Wigan could score something here. I hate Birmingham so I can't back them at this spot either. This could be another snoozefest, however, i've started to notice a lot of these games that seem to have limited attacking options end up being extremely open. So no need to touch this game for me.
Bet: NO BET
Prediction: Birmingham 2-2 Wigan
Goal Scorers: Birmingham, Cameron Jerome, Olivier Kapo Wigan, Julius Aghahowa, Jason Kumas

 

[E.T.G.]

gl on these plays TM

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Reading vs Newcastle Kickoff 10:00am EST
Reading 2.75
Draw 3.25
Newcastle 2.50

Interesting match up here. Newcastle get the points at home but on the road they are another squad. The Magpies have only scored 1 road victory and that was opening day at Bolton. Since then they have road defeats to Derby, Arsenal and Man City while drawing 2-2 vs Boro. Reading need to get results quickly before the start falling further into relegation. It amazes me how Reading have the worse defense in the league. Allowing 22 goals after starting the season brightly playing Man Utd and Chelsea tight. Reading are starting to come in full strength now and I have a feeling they can string in a few positive results especially at home. Newcastle will be without Mark Viduka due to a calf injury. Won't matter because Martins and Owen will continue upfront. Joey Barton will soon be in the Newcastle midfield. Its about time because a player of his calibre is needed to help keep the consistency in the Newcastle offense. The way i see this game. If Reading were to get a result here, its going to be via their defense and so the Under would be the play. I think a lot are expecting Newcastle to get a result here but their road play is still far from impressive with the talent they posses. So i'm going out on the limb and think Reading can make it 3 straight home victories.
Bet: Reading 0 @ 2.075 $300 to win $322.50
Prediction: Reading 1-0 Newcastle
Goal Scorer: Reading, Leroy Lita

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Portsmouth vs West Ham Kickoff 12:15pm EST
Portsmouth 1.72
Draw 3.60
West Ham 5.00

It wasn't too long ago that Portsmouth were struggling. Since their first road victory in over a year, Portsmouth have now managed back to back 2 road victories and are on a 5 game win streak. I knew this would happen. The talent that this club posses is immense. It only took a matter of time before the squad finally gelled and it is clearly showing signs of life the past month. Positive results back to back vs Wigan and Fulham have seen Pompey jump to 5th spot. West Ham finally got the result they wanted but needed a late show to secure a 3-1 win over Sunderland on Monday. They are unfortunately without Dean Ashton who had looked to regain fitness and played important role in the quick start to West Ham's season. However, West Ham are also facing injury reports from Craig Bellamy. He is scheduled to play tomorrow but has been plagued by a groin injury. Portsmouth are stacked with attacking options. Kanu, Utaka, Benjani and Nugent. But Kanu and Nugent don't look to be available for this match and it seems leading league goal scorer Benjani will partner with Utaka. So far the Nigerian has just been sensational for the South Coast club. Utaka has proven to be an energizer and that is exactly what this club is all about, energy. Every player on this squad is packed with pace and energy. The weak link for Portsmouth will be their defense. I had initially thought the combo of Campbell and Distin would be one of the best in the league, but so far that test has been a little shakey. Pompey have won 2 and drawn 2 games at home this season. Those 2 draws came from Man Utd and Liverpool. They should of beaten Liverpool but thus a draw was good enough. Portsmouth should take this one, but it won't be a cakewalk. Their last 2 away games were against lesser opposition so this game might be a little tougher than expected but i do feel they will get the win here.
Bet: Over 2.5 @ 2.025 $300 to win $307.50
Portsmouth ML @ 1.72 $300 to win $216
Prediction: Portsmouth 2-1 West Ham
Goal Scorers: Portsmouth, Utaka, Benjani West Ham, noberto Solano

 

[parisnovella]

goodluck Mike!

 

[lechu]

I like Birmingham to win today.

 

[dylanphan]

g'luck Mike (hope you're wrong on the chelsea game though )
Nice writeups, always appreciated.

 

[Satyr]

Chelsea trashed Man City 6-0 how about that for a statement. Good job Mikey. :shake:

Hope my boys can do the job tomorrow.

 

[Greencastle]

Nice call on Chelsea.

Sven was embarrassed as hell after the third goal, can't imagine what he felt like after the 4th, 5th and 6th.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Bolton vs Aston Villa Kickoff 9:30am EST
Bolton 2.70
Draw 3.30
Aston Villa 2.62

This will be Bolton's manager Gary Megson's first match at the helm. Axed manager Sammy Lee was given the boot last week after securing only 1 league win in over 13 matches. The pressure is on Megson now to deliever. A very controversial manager and probably not even a fan favorite, he was as Leicester City manager for only a few weeks but during that time he managed a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa in the Carling Cup. Aston Villa are coming off their worse loss of the season, a 4-1 thrashing from Man Utd at Villa Park. They come into this match without their first choice keeper Scott Carson and their midfield pittbull Nigel Reo Coker. Those are big losses as being a Villa fan, i think they have been absolutely top notch this season. Their replacement aren't ideal so it could get very open. Bolton are coming off a disappointing 1-1 draw with Braga during the UEFA Cup. The trend still continues for EPL teams in the UEFA Cup doing well but yet they are so bad during league play. Villa have to respond big after last week, their attack has a lot of pace and i think Gabriel Agbonlahor and Ashley Young can really cause the Bolton defense a few problems. However, Bolton will be looking to kick start the Megson era on a positive note with a win here and traditionally, this h2h match up has been extremely competitive. In the last 10 meetings, only 2 games failed to have both teams score. For some certain reason, there is an open feel to this match up, and now with Villa's attack better than before and Bolton's backline weakened. I think we can expect to see a few goals here. This will be another big play for me.
Bet: Over 2.25 @ 1.90 $500 to win $450
Both teams to score @ 1.83 $300 to win $249
Prediction: Bolton 2-3 Aston Villa
Goal Scorers: Bolton, Nicolas Anelka, Kevin Nolan Aston Villa, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Gareth Barry, Martin Laursen

 

[Toronto_Mike]

oh my god......its Daylight Savings Time change today, i forgot about that and i forgot about Serie A !!!!!

 

[Toronto_Mike]

ok i've lost my mind lol this time change only happened in Europe, crap!

 

[Toronto_Mike]

late for work again...nothing changes but

Liverpool vs Arsenal

I'm taking Liverpool ML @ 2.50 $300 to win $450

I have this gut feeling Pool can bounce back. Obviously Arsenal have the quality to compete and if not win but I want to say there is a reason why Pool is still favored and that is thanks to the Anfield Faithful.

 

[Greencastle]

Liverpool v Arsenal was one of the best games I've seen in a long time. Fabregas is a beast and Gallas is a dog at the back.

I feel for Jamie Carragher though, without Agger beside him he's been overworked having to make up for Hypias weakness's.

And I've said this many times before, but Rafa is a fool for not using Crouch more often this season. He was their best player in the second half.

 

[wuntun]

Liverpool v Arsenal was one of the best games I've seen in a long time. Fabregas is a beast and Gallas is a dog at the back.

I feel for Jamie Carragher though, without Agger beside him he's been overworked having to make up for Hypias weakness's.

And I've said this many times before, but Rafa is a fool for not using Crouch more often this season. He was their best player in the second half.

Tell you what, Rafa won't win the league and will get the boot end of season.
As i said in the summer, Arsenal are a force this season and not the £40m($80m) spending Liverpool...

unlucky this weekend Mike, i was on the Sunderland too, and they didnt show up til the 2nd half...a right pain in the arsehole.