Arsenal vs QPR betting

Arsenal: League Position: 5th, League Form: WWLWD

Arsenal can never be considered a banker of the weekend however well they are playing. Having stormed back into top four contention, they then struggled at home against Wolves on Tuesday, eventually ending in a 1-1 draw.

Another worrying poser for Arsenal backers is whether Arsene Wenger will look to rest top goal scorer Robin Van Persie here, what with having played Tuesday and another game coming midweek. The Dutchman has been key for them this year, and is two goals short of the Premier League record for goals in a calendar year. It would be harsh on him to deny the chance of that record, but the bigger picture could overrule that.

That Wolves draw was only the third game at home Arsenal have not taken maximum points from, losing to Liverpool earlier on in the season and a surprise draw last month against Fulham.

QPR: League Position: 16th, League Form: DLLLD

QPR have not won a game since the 19^th November, are bottom of the form table and are now only three points clear of the relegation places. A promising start is looking lost, and a trip to Arsenal is not exactly what they need.

Ten points from a possible 39 is the kind of form we are looking at for Neil Warnock’s QPR, and they have not been looking like scoring the goals to win many games. They have only scored 18 goals in the 18 Premier League games this season, while they have conceded 17 goals away from home, and were probably not expecting Heidar Helguson to have provided seven of those having brought in DJ Campbell and Jay Bothroyd over the summer.

They can take heart from their away performances at Swansea, but for a while in that game were all at sea against their fast, short passing game. If any team can do that better it’s their next opposition.

Match Prediction: Arsenal Win – 1.3 Victor Chandler

Even with Arsenal squandering the chance of victory against Wolves on Tuesday at The Emirates it is hard to see any other outcome than a home win. QPR are on a dreadful run of form, whereas Arsene Wenger’s men are pushing their way back into the top four positions. They were unlucky not to win, with Wolves ‘keeper Hennessey in fine form and chances wasted. With QPR struggling to score and Arsenal still creating chances, the lax defence the promoted Rangers will put up against their attacking might may offer even more opportunities for goals.

The only positives for QPR come in the shape of Heidar Helguson. Arsenal are famous for struggling with physical front men who dominate in the air. That has been Helguson all over this season, and how Arsenal deal with him will be very important. With Alex Song on form and Adel Taarabt not, the Moroccan will be denied space to invent. Shaun Wright-Phillips’ inconsistent delivery will need to be at its best, as will that of Joey Barton. If the former is on top of his game then Arsenal’s full back injuries could be a concern, but a team struggling to score and defend will be undone by Arsenal away.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Over 2.5 Goals – 1.62 BoyleSports

First Goalscorer: Gervinho – 6.5 Coral

Correct Score: 3-1 Arsenal – 11.00 Bet 365

*Click here for all the latest odds on upcoming football matches

Sunderland v Man City betting

Since Martin O’Neil has took over the managerial role at Sunderland they have done pretty well, they have looked extremely organised and motivated to give it a go whoever the opposition.  However, compared to last season, the club has a lot to do. Last season was a strong one for Sunderland, they had a great squad and didn’t have many weaknesses and they had a strong and respectable home record. This season their defence has been a major problem for them, they have continued to concede on a regular basis and it is usually more than just a single goal.

On the other hand, Sunderland have a few good attacking players, they are not short of talent in midfield as well, but yet they still find themselves 15^th in the Premiership and only 4 points clear from the regulation section of the league.

With Martin O’Neil Sunderland have a good chance of exceeding expectations and making the second half of the season a better one, their performance against Everton was a promising one, and they do have a lot to offer if they can find some form.

Man City:

Recent weeks have not be kind to Man City, they were flying in every competition but are now out the Champions League and there massive lead in the premiership has vanished, they find themselves equal on points with their rivals Manchester United and only 5 goals ahead on goal difference heading into the new year.

Man City’s last result against West Brom was surprisingly poor, reminded everyone of their season last year, can’t take nothing away from West Brom though they played fantastically, but on balance Man City didn’t show much weakness, they were strong in defence, kept possession in midfield, just their attacking force lacked a bit of creativity, although West Brom were playing all their players behind the ball, but with the squad that Man City possesses, you would expect them to knock of West Brom.

With Man City being level on points with United, pressure could be highly influential in all matches to come now, especially as United have looked flawless and continue to knock down the goal difference margin. Man City’s boss would want some good performances in the weeks to come, for his players to keep a coal head, and with the amount of talent in the squad, be sure that City will continue to find their domineering instinct.

Prediction – Sunderland 0 – 2 Man City (7/1 with Ladbrokes)

Betting Preview:

Sunderland have looked dodgy in defence, conceding 9 goals in their last 6 games whereas Man City’s attacking play has been sensational this season and in contrast they have scored 11 in their last 6 games. However due to the previous slide suffered by Man City, Sunderland do have a chance, especially on the break as West Brom recently showed. But it should also be noted that Sunderland are a complete different team as they were a few weeks ago, Martin O’Neil has made a massive impact, he is a clever manager with various tactics up his sleeve, so this match has the potential for a surprising result, but on paper Man City should win comfortably.

Odds:

First Goal Scorer:

• S. Aguero 4/1 with Skybet
• M. Balotelli 4/1 with William Hill
• D. Silva 6/1 with 118Bet
• S. Nasri 7/1 with Betfred
• J. Dong Wong 10/1 with Coral
• N. Bendtner 10/1 with Bluesquare
• R. Noble 14/1 with PaddyPower.

Correct Score:

• Sunderland 0 – 1 Man City (6/1 with Betfred and PaddyPower)
• Sunderland 0 – 3 Man City (11/1 with Bet365, 12/1 with Ladbrokes)
• Sunderland 0 – 5 Man City (50/1 with Skybet, 66/1 with Ladbrokes)
• Sunderland 1 – 1 Man City (7/1 with 888sport)
• Sunderland 1 – 0 Man City (18/1 with Ladbrokes and Coral)

*Click here for all the latest odds on upcoming football matches

Norwich v Tottenham betting

Norwich take on Tottenham on Tuesday evening and both teams will be looking to spread some festive cheer to their fans. This clash is between two clubs performing very well in the league, as Spurs sit in 3rd and Norwich in 9th, and this will be a tough away fixture for Harry Redknapp. Plenty of goals have been scored in matches involving these two teams this season, so can we expect more of the same here?

Norwich

Norwich have been performing very well in the Premier League this season, after gaining back to back promotions from League One. Many thought they would struggle, but Paul Lambert has brought in some hungry players from the lower leagues and he is getting the best out of them at the moment. Currently sitting in the top half of the table and with the 5th best home record in the division, they definitely have a chance of staying up. Despite their good season, the Canaries are clear underdogs against Spurs and priced as well as 5.0 from Betfred. This is perhaps as they have struggled against the better teams in the division, losing to Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal and Man United. However, they do have two strikers who know where the back of the net is in Grant Holt and Steve Morison, and they have 13 goals between them in the league so far. Holt in particular is a great bet to score at any time during the game with odds of 3.5 available from Skybet.

Tottenham

Tottenham are having a great season in the league so far, they currently sit 3rd with a game in hand that could take them within 6 points of the top. Last time out against Chelsea they played some good football in the first half but really seemed to struggle to get the ball in the second half when they lost Van Der Vaart to injury and went 4-4-2. However, Norwich do pay a 4-4-2 system, so Harry Redknapp may be inclined to go with the same system on Tuesday and should get more success from it. Like Norwich, Tottenham have been far from goal-shy this season, and Adebayor in particular has found the back of the net consistently. The former Arsenal player has bagged 9 in 14 games and is looking a great price at 5.5 with Bet365 to open the scoring. As mentioned earlier, Norwich have struggled against bigger teams so far, and it looks like another Tottenham win here, so betting on a correct score of 2-1 with 8.5 at William Hill, will definitely give a good return.

Highlighted Bets

Grant Holt anytime scorer – 3.5 Skybet
Emmanuel Adebayor first goal scorer – 5.5 Bet365
2-1 Tottenham WIN – 8.5 William Hill
Both teams to score 1st half – 4.0 Skybet

*Click here for all the latest odds on upcoming football matches

Spurs vs Chelsea betting

Tottenham Hotspur: League Position: 3rd, League Form: WWWLW

With Tottenham flying and in contention for the title at Christmas, this festive period will surely be Tottenham’s finest for years. After all, this is Tottenham’s second-best start to a season in their 129-year history, surpassed only by their double-winning team of 1960-61. A win here will confirm their status in the title picture, and quite possibly knocking another out of the picture. Victory sends them five points clear of Chelsea and a game in hand.

Spurs vs Chelsea odds

Sadly for Harry Redknapp’s side they will be without their most potent weapon, the pace of the wings. With Aaron Lennon missing out and Gareth Bale an extreme doubt, two men most Spurs fans and neutrals would love to see attacking the fragile Chelsea backline will have to watch. Tottenham reacted brilliantly to this problem against Sunderland, bringing defensive midfielder Sandro and striker Pavlyuchenko into the side, changing their shape a touch and anchoring their midfield in a more defensive shape.

Loan man Adebayor is their top scorer in the league with eight, and will likely have Pavlyuchenko up there with him. If he can continue to use his power and agility to stretch the Chelsea defence, Van Der Vaart and the Russian should find gaps.

Chelsea: League Position: 4th,League Form: LWWWD

When you beat Manchester City, the unbeaten table toppers, you would expect to take maximum points from struggling Wigan in the next game. Alas, it was not to be as they stuttered and wobbled towards the finish line, 1-0 up from a lovely goal from the in-form Daniel Sturridge, until a calamitous Cech handed, quite literally, Wigan midfielder Jordi Gomez a late equaliser.

As they have many times this season, it was in defence that they were a letdown. Wigan had many chances to get back into the game before then in a game Chelsea usually win. However, the big games have seen them take a different approach recently. Valencia found a deeper defensive line, and Manchester City found a hard working, more reproachful Chelsea team, and many of the cracks were paved over in a performance of old.

The selection question to be answered is that of Chelsea fan favourite Frank Lampard. The vice captain, England international and Chelsea ‘legend’ has been on and off the subs bench this year, yet is second in their goalscoring charts with eight goals.

Match Prediction: DRAW – 3.5 Ladbrokes

Going into this game with Lennon and Bale, Tottenham would have had more pace than any other team in the League, and with the way Chelsea have defended you would be fancying Spurs to have a go and score a few, taking the points with them as they did. But Harry’s wingless wonders will have to be just that to take the points. They will always be on the attack, but without that fear of the counter attack Chelsea will be more comfortable in possession in the opposition half, and this gives more chances for both teams to score.

Chelsea’s main threat comes now from young England striker Daniel Sturridge. With neither Drogba, Torres or the unwanted Anelka regular performers for Andre Villas-Boas’ side Sturridge is the only consistent goalscorer they have got. His pace and movement make chances for himself and others, as could be seen in Raul Meireles goal against Manchester City, made by the speed and cross the ex-City man.

Tottenham have the midfield to match Chelsea, possibly outplay them with the man the Blues spent all summer chasing, Luka Modric, pulling the strings in the middle of the park. A classic playmaker, Modric seems happy at Spurs again, especially in tandem with the irrepressible Scott Parker. Add Sandro in for more security and you can’t see Chelsea gaining a foothold there. Roman Pavlyuchenko, who has featured little this season, came into the team against Sunderland and scored the only goal of the game. His price, 9.5 with Stan James, could represent great value for a striker playing for the favourites.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Over 2.5 Goals – 1.8 Bet 365

First Goalscorer: Roman Pavlyuchenko – 9.5 Stan James

Correct Score: 2-2 Draw – 15.00 Ladbrokes

*Click here for all the latest odds on upcoming football matches

Aston Villa v Arsenal betting

Aston Villa (Last 5 matches – LWLDL):

Aston Villa are surprisingly 10^th in the Premier League, which is a bit of a surprise especially when considering how they have played this season. At the start of the season the club had a decent start, they looked strong and had plenty of young talent, then things started to slip, they secured a few lucky results but now luck is not on their side. Against Tottenham the other week was arguably one of the worst performances by a Premier League side this season, they couldn’t keep the ball, they couldn’t attack or defend, they were lucky not to get thrashed.

Against Liverpool over the week they started badly, 2 goals down very early on and it looked like it was going to be a disastrous match for the club, however things improved and they managed to keep hold of the ball, but really didn’t produce many chances, but did concede a lot of chances for Liverpool to pounce on, fortunately for Aston Villa, Liverpool were not on top form.

The manager finds himself under pressure, but it would appear that he doesn’t have the resources available as his squad included many aging players and many young inexperienced players. The fixture list is a tough one for the club over the Christmas period, but they need to rebuild and quick.

Arsenal (Last 5 matches – LWLWL):

In recent matches Arsenal has shown some form, they are still defiantly a contender for the title this season, especially if they secure a few transfers over the Christmas period. After all the struggled during the start of the seasons, the future is looking decent for the club, not many players are struggling with injuries and they have adapted their style of play, they are more willing to play in the air rather than their slick ground passing, they have a few strong players up front which enables them to play many styles of football.

Against Man City on the weekend they looked decent, better than what most people would of thought, not to forget Man City have arguably one of the most teams in the world, Arsenal did well to contain them throughout the game and still produce chance after chance up front. So the result against Man City wouldn’t discourage Arsenal, they played will full effort and on another day they could potentially have defeated Man City.

Although Arsenal have been showing some decent form over recent times, they still have a few things to work on, especially over this Christmas period with a heavy fixture list, they need to remained disciplined and perhaps protect Van Persie as he has had a heavy work load, there is a perception that he surely must get injured soon with the amount of football he has been playing. But the fixture list is rather kind to Arsenal for the next few weeks, so it should be a decent run for them.

Aston Villa v Arsenal

Last season: 27^th Nov Aston Villa 2 – 4 Arsenal, 15^th May Arsenal 1-2 Aston Villa

Prediction: Aston Villa 1 – 3 Arsenal (16/1 with Ladbrokes)

Preview:

These 2 clubs always produce a great match, and this match appears to have the build up of another cracker, both teams this season have been inconsistent and both teams are struggling to keep clean sheets, so surely with the attacking prowess of Arsenal they will be looking to secure a good victory in this match, but Aston Villa are capable of scoring goals, Heskey keeps the ball up well so it should be a decent match, a match with goals in for sure, but on paper it would appear Arsenal are naturally stronger then Aston Villa.

 Odds:

Correct Score:

• 1-1 (6/1 with Skybet)
• Arsenal 2-0 (8/1 with Williamhill)
• Aston Villa 2-1 (14/1 with BET365)
• Arsenal 4-2 (50/1 with Skybet)

First Goal Scorer:

• Van Persie 3/1 with Ladbrokes
• Darren Bent 6/1 with Coral
• Theo Walcott 9/1 with Totesport
• Heskey 11/1 with Paddypower.

*Click here for all the latest odds on upcoming football matches

Fulham vs Man Utd betting

Man United were briefly back on the top of the Premier League following their victory over QPR on Sunday. With City going back to first after winning their enthralling encounter against Arsenal, can United keep up their pressure, or will Fulham’s resilient home form put a dent into Sir Alex Ferguson’s title chances?

Fulham – PL Form: DDWLW

Saturday’s comfortable victory over Bolton saw Fulham continue their improving form after a torrid start to the season. Fulham’s home form has been inconsistent. Their fans have seen them comfortably beat QPR and Liverpool, draw against Man City but drop points to Everton, Tottenham and Blackburn. Fulham’s recent head-to-head record against United is very promising, having not lost to Ferguson’s side in their last 3 meetings at Craven Cottage (W2, D1).

Clint Dempsey has been in great form for Fulham this season, but has never scored against Man United. The best odds available for the American to break his duck and score in the game are 3/1 from bet365.

In Fulham’s fixtures there has been 14 goals scored in the first half and 22 in the second half. You can get odds of 6/5 from Coral for there to be more goals scored in the second half at Craven Cottage.

Man United – PL Form: WDWWW

Man Utd remain unbeaten away from home in the Premier League. In their 8 away matches, they have conceded just 3 goals, keeping 5 clean sheets. You can get odds of 5/4 from bet365 for an away clean sheet in this game.

Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney both have 5 goals away from home in the Premier League this season. For Rooney to score first you can get odds of 4/1 from both Totesport and Betfred. If you fancy Hernandez to score last, you can get odds of 4/1 from William Hill, Boylesports and SkyBet.

Match Prediction: 2-2 Draw – 16/1 Victor Chandler

Fulham are improving and have had some impressive results at home this season. They followed their impressive draw against Man City with a victory over Liverpool and have enjoyed excellent results in recent meetings between the two sides in action on Wednesday. You can get odds of 14/5 for a draw from Victor Chandler, but the previous meetings have seen many goals so a 2-2 draw could be on the cards for a second season running.

Article by Nick Whittaker

New customers to Sky Bet get a completely free £10 bet – no deposit required!

*Click here for all the latest odds on upcoming football matches

Manchester City v Arsenal

Manchester City: League Position: 1st, League Form: WWDWL

Roberto Mancini’s men finally came unstuck last week as a Monday night defeat to Chelsea saw them lose for the first time domestically this season. After controlling the game with ease for the majority of the first half at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s breakaway goal destroyed the momentum they had built, and it seemed to halt their flow for the rest of the game. From then on it was Chelsea’s to win.

Man City vs Arsenal odds

Having their unbeaten record taken from them one game and losing out on Champions League group qualification the week before, this has been a little uneasy period for The Citizens. And again Mario Balotelli has caused controversy, this time involved in a training ground scrap with Micah Richards. Can City come out of this hard run of fixtures and sticky patch with a win against Arsenal?

They are still top, although this may not be the case come four o’clock this Sunday afternoon with rivals United playing earlier in the day and only two points behind. However they have won all seven at home, scoring 24 and conceding four.

Arsenal: League Position: 5th, League Form: WWDWW

Arsenal are back. After their poor start to the season they have began to turn it round, climbing the table and going from European outsiders to right back in the Champions League qualification places, and also comfortably through to the last 16 of this year’s tournament.

Much of this is down to the flying Dutchman Robin Van Persie. 19 goals this season, 15 in the league which is four more than second placed Aguero, the man is almost unstoppable.

The problem looks to come on their away form, three wins, one draw, three defeats, yet they have won their past three away games in the league. In fact, they are unbeaten since October 2nd in the league, with domestic defeat to this weekend’s opponents in the Carling Cup their only blight on the copybook in this country.

Match Prediction: Manchester City Win – 1.73 William Hill

The form book says Arsenal, the striker in form is Arsenal’s Robin Van Persie, yet Manchester City will be expecting to win this.

The side’s rigid defensive style of last year could come into play against an Arsenal side that have not lost their inconsistent traits, as Fulham showed in their draw at The Emirates Stadium this season.

Whilst Arsenal’s midfield has been a platform to flourish in attack, they come up against a City midfield that are a different animal. The man the Arsenal fans cried out for their manager to buy for seasons before he was taken by City, Yaya Toure, will marshal a midfield of Barry and Milner that can not only harass and interrupt the flow of Arsenal’s passing game, but also feed the creative men ahead of them.

City have not kept a clean sheet in the league since October 1st, but their home record is impressive. Manchester City have taken 49 from a possible 51 points in their last 16 games at the Etihad Stadium and won the last 12 in a row.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Over 2.5 Goals – 1.73 Stan James
First Goalscorer: Sergio Aguero – 6.00 Sky Bet
Correct Score: 2-1 Manchester City – 8.5 188Bet

New customers to Sky Bet get a completely free £10 bet – no deposit required!

*Click here for all the latest odds on upcoming football matches

Aston Villa v Liverpool betting

The afternoon game on Sunday sees two sides going head to head that have struggled to find the back of the net this season. There are 3 league places and 7 points between the two clubs and they have both scored only 18 league goals in 15 games. Will it be another low scoring game then, or will they begin to find their goal scoring touch?

Aston Villa vs Liverpool odds

Aston Villa

Aston Villa are currently sitting in a respectable 8^th place in the league, but it seems many fans are still getting used to former Birmingham boss Alex McLeish. The main problem Villa have had this season is scoring goals, and McLeish has favoured a conservative approach when taking on the bigger sides in the league so far. Their home form has been rather indifferent as well, winning just 3 of their 7 games. This is why Aston Villa are outsiders going into the game, with odds of 4.2 available from Bet365 for a home win. With Gabriel Agbonlahor suspended the job of finding an elusive goal will fall at the feet of Darren Bent. Although he has struggled so far this season, the England striker has been prolific over the past few seasons and is always a good bet to open the scoring. Odds of   7.5 are available from Paddy Power for this and those will almost certainly shorten by kick off.

Liverpool

Liverpool are going into this game with Aston Villa looking for back to back wins in the league for the first time since the end of September and beginning of October. Much like Villa, Liverpool have really struggled to score goals so far this season. However, they haven’t had any trouble making chances, it’s putting them away that has been the problem. There is some good value in an away win after Liverpool have struggled a little on the road so far this season, so betting on a 1-0 away win with odds of 7.0 from Betfred, looks very good. Luis Suarez started the season well, but has struggled to find the net recently. Still, he looks like The Red’s most likely source of a goal, so betting on the Uruguayan striker to score at any time with odds of 2.4 from Paddy Power, could bring a decent return.

Highlighted Bets

Darren Bent 1^st goal scorer – 7.5 Paddy Power

1-0  away WIN – 7.0 Betfred

Luis Suarez anytime scorer – 2.4 Paddy Power

Under 1.5 goals – 3.4 Stan James

New customers to Sky Bet get a completely free £10 bet – no deposit required!

*Click here for all the latest odds on upcoming football matches

Ladbroke Hurdle Betting

Ladbrokes Ascot Hurdle (Listed) (Grade 1)

The focus may be on the much talked about Prospect Wells ahead of Saturday’s Ladbroke Hurdle but there are plenty of closely-matched handicappers bidding for a share of the £150,000 purse, writes Mikey Mumford. None more so than the in-form Nicky Henderson pair Gibb River and Rajdhani Express while Greatwood Hurdle conqueror Brampour will have to do it the hard way and defy top weight.

Brampour Followed up his win over course and distance with an impressive victory in the Greatwood two runs back under young Harry Derham. Fared very well in the International Hurdle last week when holding every chance at the last until he faded but another similar effort should see him in the thick of things again. However, wouldn’t be the greatest shock were he to find one or two better handicapped.

Sailors Warn Couple of valiant second placed efforts in his last two runs on varying ground after narrow Limerick win in October. Champion jockey AP McCoy gets the leg up on him for the first time but doesn’t get his head in front all too often and ground may be a concern.

Gibb River Held near finish in his reappearance run earlier this month but only beaten a neck and a head into third. Done all of his winning on good to soft ground and looks to hold a strong chance at the weights. Most definitely the stables first string with Barry Geraghty opting to ride him over Rajdhani Express; shortlisted.

Desert Cry Lightly raced 5yo who defied top weight when scoring at Haydock last month over 2m. Had been running consistently well last season too and was an impressive winner on heavy ground at Sedgefield in February. Takes another step up in class here but respected after his winning reappearance last time.

Prospect Wells Found a new lease of life since joining Paul Nicholls yard after winning a Grade 1 listed event on the flat when with Howard Johnson. Struggled to follow up that effort on the flat but won a novices hurdle at the first time of asking at Chepstow. He was unlucky not to win next time beaten a neck by the useful Steps to Freedom but made amends when justifying favouritism latest. Early market leader and further support should guide.

Abergavenny Useful on the flat for Mark Johnston and done okay since switching to hurdles although hasn’t beaten much in this three wins over the obstacles. However, put in a stellar effort in the Greatwood last time losing second near the finish and must be respected on that evidence.

Raya Star Won three of his ten starts over hurdles including easy win at Wetherby two runs back before a gritty effort when third at Newbury last month. He has won over this trip and looks well treated on the pick of his form for rider Wayne Hutchinson who takes over from the injured Robert Thornton.

There seems to be plenty of support for Prospect Wells who has made an excellent transition to jumps since joining Paul Nicholls yard. However, there could be better value elsewhere and GIBB RIVER can add to Nicky Henderson’s splendid form at the expense of Raya Star who should post another creditable effort. [Mikey Mumford]

For a full list of free bets for this race and all the other sporting action this weekend, visit our free bets section.

*Click here for all the latest odds on upcoming football matches

Chelsea v Manchester City betting

Chelsea: League Position: 5th, League Form: LWLWW

They up and down form of Chelsea has caused criticism from pundits this season, which in turn has found Manager Andre Villas-Boas in spiky form in his press conferences. And his team have responded as of late. Tuesday’s Champions League victory over saw Didier Drogba awaken from his recent slump to evoke memories of the Drogba that carried Chelsea’s attack to Premier League titles. Arguably the best striker of his kind, he bullied Valencia and scored twice.

Chelsea v Manchester City odds

With Drogba maybe on the way back to form, he could find himself with the best service of his time at Chelsea. Spaniard Juan Mata has assisted seven goals in his last nine Premiership appearances, only one man has made more, the other wily Spaniard who will appear this weekend, David Silva.

The problem is their defence. The quality opposition they have played have shown them up at the back. Manchester United scored three, Arsenal embarrassed them with five and Liverpool have scored two past them twice this year in league and cup. They have changed their shape and style enough that gaps that were never there have suddenly appeared. And good teams exploit them.

Manchester City: League Position: 1st, League Form: WWWDW

So, Manchester City could not force their way through their group of death in their first attempt at Champions League football. No time to mope, and they are faced with real opposition to get their teeth into Monday night. What better way to bounce back and prove themselves the force to be reckoned with this season than by beating a team who were considered title rivals in August.

The good news for Roberto Mancini’s men is that they won well midweek against a good, if not full strength Bayern Munich side, and have had five days to prepare for this game. They should be raring to go. Micah Richards is expected to miss the game, but Zabaleta is not a bad option to replace him.

Looking for a weakness in City’s performance this year is no easy task. The best you’ve got? Whereas they have won all their games at home, they’ve won five and drawn two on their travels. They’ve scored 24 at home and 24 away, but have conceded five more on their travels (nine) than they have at the Etihad Stadium (four). Not exactly negatives.

Match Prediction: Manchester City Win – 3.00 Victor Chandler, Bet 365

Rightly or wrongly, it could be a blessing in disguise that the inconsistent, young Brazilian centre back David Luiz is suspended from this game. With him and Terry at the back Chelsea have looked less secure than at any time since money and success came to their door. Whether his fellow Brazilian Alex gets the chance to replace him or Ivanovic moves central and Bosingwa returns at right back, it’s still clear that Chelsea are not the defensive force they once were. Who would you not want to play when your back line is underperforming? Top scorers and league leaders Manchester City.

With this in mind, Sergio Aguero, Manchester City’s top scorer with 11 league goals, is a great price at 8.00 to be first goalscorer. Chelsea certainly lack pace at the back, and Aguero has pace, guile and flair in abundance, let alone fantastic finishing. It’s also why City could find themselves in the goals at Stamford Bridge, in much the same way Arsenal did. Chelsea now like to play the ball out of defence, run a high line and be a more attacking side. This has been exposed by all of their rivals so far this year. Considering that City have only been behind in games this season for a combined total of 15 minutes, it’s reasonable to suggest they may take the lead here, forcing Chelsea to take more risks, leaving the home side open to City’s considerable attacking force on the break.

However, if Chelsea are to perform here then the man that carried them into the Champions League knockout stage midweek, Didier Drogba, will be the one to force them through victorious here. A fired up Drogba could be the biggest test of Manchester City’s defence of the domestic season.

Highlighted Bets:-

Over/Under: Over 2.5 Goals – 1.83 Coral

First Goalscorer: Sergio Aguero – 8.00 Stan James

Correct Score: 3-1 Man City Win – 26.00 Ladbrokes,

First to Score for their team: Didier Drogba – 5.00 Bet 365

*Click here for all the latest odds on upcoming football matches