Plenty of Premier League teams will have had a little holiday while the FA Cup took priority last weekend.  There’s some intriguing contests over the next few days and plenty of football betting opportunities to get stuck into.

Possibly the tie of the weekend is up first at Villa Park on Saturday lunchtime with Chelsea the visitors.  Not only is this new Chelsea boss Guss Hiddink’s first game in charge in the league, but it’s also versus a Villa side who have currently ousted them from third place!  Aston Villa are second only behind Manchester United in the form books having taken sixteen points from their last possible eighteen.  However, a blip in the Cup last weekend which saw them lose convincingly to Everton at Goodison and only a hard fought home draw in the UEFA Cup midweek suggests they may have finally hit a rocky patch.  Regular readers will know I’ve been predicting the wheels to come off Villa’s season for a good few weeks now and they’ll definitely be feeling the pressure ahead of this match with Chelsea who have only lost twice away this season.  Add this to the ‘Guus’ factor and I can see another defeat on the cards for Martin O’Neill’s troops.  You can back Chelsea with totesport at 13/10, with the draw a 9/4 shot.  Villa backers can pile into the 17/10 available if they wish!

It’s another game at the Emirates on Saturday where the home team should win.  However they have drawn far too many games this season (8) and they host a Sunderland team on a run of three games without defeat.  In that same period Arsenal have churned out three draws, two of which were goalless and the other reliant on a 90th minute equaliser from Robin Van Persie.  Goals have been hard to come by for the Gunners but with Eduardo’s cameo on Monday night against Cardiff they should have enough fire power here.  The odds suggest this as well with Arsenal a home banker at 4/11 with totesport.  You can back Sunderland or the draw at 13/2 and 3/1 respectively.

West Ham look to get back on track after defeat at home to Manchester United last time somewhat spoiled their unbeaten run.  This run has seen them not lose on the road in their last six and won’t hold any fear travelling to the Reebok Stadium on Saturday.  Bolton on the other hand only have one win to their name in their last six outings, albeit their last game at home versus a Spurs team with a bad away record.  So all going well, West Ham could continue this run here and continue what has turned out to be an excellent season.  The Hammers are a rather generous 17/10 with totesport, with Bolton deemed favourites at 13/10 and the draw a 9/4 chance.

Middlesbrough are currently struggling in the Premier League and it’s no surprise to see why.  Win-less now in thirteen matches now you have to go all the way back to their last win away at Aston Villa of all places!  They only have three home wins all season, against Spurs, Stoke and Manchester City and there’s no coincidence that all three teamsn have a woeful record on the road.  They’ve gone four games without scoring in the league but if they do have one glimmer of hope it’s the fact that they could do the double over Saturday’s opponents Wigan.  Boro won the reverse fixture at the JJB after nicking it late on through Jerome Aliadiere and are a 7/5 shot here, opposed to the 8/5 you can get on the away side at totesport.  The draw is 11/5 and might just be the pick, after all Wigan have drawn their last three matches.

There will be six-pointers a plenty as we gain pace towards the end of the season, but the three points up for grabs for Stoke at home to Portsmouth should be the dangled carrot they need as a home win will see them go level on points with Saturday’s opponents.  Stoke owe their league position to their home form, with 21 of their 24 points all earned at the Britannia.  On the flip-side, Pompey have only two away wins to their name all season and you have to go all the way back to November for that against Sunderland.  Stoke are a 13/10 favourite with totesport for another home three points here, whereas Pompey are a 17/10 shot.  The draw is available at 9/4.

Saturday’s live evening kick-off sees Manchester United host Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford.  There’s not really much we can say about United, other than it looks as if they will be very difficult to be caught now they’ve gone five points clear at the top of the Premier League.  Sam Allardyce comes here after his first league defeat since arriving at Ewood and he actually has a couple of Premier league wins at Old Trafford from his days at Bolton.  It’s going to be a big ask though as the betting reflects, United at 2/9 shot and Blackburn as big as 9/1 with totesport.  The draw is 4/1.

There’s a live double header on the Sunday and first up it’s Fulham versus West Brom at Craven Cottage.  Fulham have slipped slightly after their great start to the season but could be excused with a recent run of tough fixtures.  As always Fulham are a tough proposition at Home, with fourteen points taken from a possible eighteen in their last six matches at the Cottage.  Compare that to West Brom’s away record which is hopeless at best you have yourself another home banker.  Fulham are a very generous 8/11 with totesport, with West Brom 10/3 and the draw 9/4.

Sandwiched in between the two live games sees Liverpool desperately try to hang onto the tailcoats of Manchester United as they host Man City at 3pm.  This should be another home win as City have one of the worst away records in the division, just won win way back in September versus Sunderland.  They do however have match winners in abundance and they could just rise to the occasion at Anfield, where Liverpool have been struggling to put teams away.  Just two wins at home in their last six suggests that there will be some tension in the air on Sunday and you can capitalise by backing the draw at 12/5 with totesport.  If you don’t want to sit on the fence, you can back Liverpool or Man City at 4/7 and 9/2 respectively.

The second live game on Sunday sees Newcastle host Everton at St James’s Park.  With Joe Kinnear in a hospital bed, it’s coaches Chris Hughton and Colin Calderwood’s job to get Newcastle out of the mire.  Newcastle currently sit thirteenth in the league but just three points from the relegation zone.  A win away at West Brom last time out gave them a much needed boost but it won’t be as easy this weekend versus Everton.   That saying you have to go all the way back to October 2000 for the last away win for Everton over the Geordies.  Everton are slight favourites with totesport at 7/5 whilst you can back Newcastle at 8/5 with totesport.  The draw is 11/5.

The Monday night game sees Spurs (13/10) travel to Hull (17/10).  Spurs rested their whole team thereabouts for the game in the Ukraine on Thursday night so shouldn’t really be using that as an excuse.  In theory Harry Redknapp’s team will be playing their hearts out for a place in next Sunday’s Carling Cup Final.  However, theory tells us that Spurs should be about ten places higher in the league and Hull have a team spirit that will make it difficult for these southern fancy dans.  Hull are struggling though in the league and at home, now winless in four.  Spurs have lost their last four games on the road so the draw looks the best bet, at 9/4 with totesport.

Totesport will be betting live in-running on all of the weekend’s live matches.

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