Upcoming Premier League Fixture List and Odds

Kick-off	Fixture	Home	Draw	Away
15:00	Aston Villa v Southampton	2/1	12/5	15/8
15:00	Everton v Swansea	4/6	3/1	55/10
15:00	Fulham v Wigan	9/10	13/5	4/1
15:00	Norwich v Newcastle	11/10	3/1	11/4
15:00	Reading v West Brom	9/4	5/2	6/4
15:00	Stoke v Chelsea	17/5	11/4	Evens
15:00	Sunderland v West Ham	9/7	5/2	3/1
13:30	Manchester United v Liverpool	4/5	28/10	3/1
16:00	Arsenal v Manchester City	19/11	29/10	7/4
20:00	QPR v Tottenham	3/1	14/5	5/6

Premier League Low Risk Accumulator 22nd December

Impressively, QPR, in spite of making one of the poorest starts to a top-flight season, have scored in the majority of their games.  Similarly Newcastle have only failed to score on six occasions out of their twenty-seven games in all competitions, which is nearly 80% of their fixtures.  It would be sensible to expect both teams to score on Saturday and that bet features as a part of our low-risk line-up this weekend.

          We’re placing our faith in a Manchester United away win in their trip to Swansea, but you can find an identical price in the Arsenal trip to Wigan if you think they’ve turned a corner after dumping the forehead and bagging five against Reading.

          The safest backing of the weekend, Manchester City who face recently walloped Reading, completes our line-up for the weekend at 21/10.

          If you’re taking our tips we recommend sticking with our two weekly coupon picks and backing equal stakes, and no more than you can afford to lose, on each.  If you spread the higher-risk backing over a patent bet (three singles, three doubles and a treble) you’ll be in profit if any two land.

Last week’s 12/1 high-risk treble landing was a big bonus leading up to Christmas and means, what with a 10/1 backing landing recently, we’re more than likely to be in profit over the course of the current season. 

Newcastle v QPR: Verdict - Both Teams To Score

Swansea v Manchester United: Verdict – Manchester United

Manchester City v Reading: Verdict – Manchester City

21/10

Chelsea v Aston Villa: Preview and Predictions

Aston Villa’s visit to Chelsea will be a big occasion for the midlands side.  A good performance against the European Champions is exactly the sort of thing a team that’s struggled this season needs heading into the Christmas fixture list.

          Aston Villa have often been able to match Chelsea’s performances in the Premier League and fixtures between the two teams have often been high scoring affairs: 3-3, 7-1 and 4-4 scorelines have been recent results betweent he two teams.

         Chelsea have played more fixtures than any other Premier League team in the last few weeks, so Villa could find some weaknesses to expose if Chelsea don’t make a quick start to the game.

          We expect a Chelsea win, but this could easily be the upset of the weekend – especially when you consider Aston Villa’s last result at Anfield.

Chelsea v Aston Villa: Verdict – Chelsea 1/3

Premier League Low Risk Accumulator 15/12/12

Premier League Low Risk Treble 3/2

Manchester United v Sunderland: Verdict - Manchester United
Liverpool v Aston Villa: Verdict - Liverpool
Newcastle v Manchester City: Verdict - Manchester City

This weekend almost seems too good to be true as far as low-risk backings are concerned - so our treble for this weekend will hopefully provide a return if the likely outcomes are the case this in the Premier League.
          Manchester United's hosting of Sunderland should provide a home win for the league leaders, anything otherwise will be the upset of the weekend - regardless of the score in the Reading clash with Arsenal.  Wayne Rooney has begun to find the net at a vital point in the season and this is the sort of fixture he's capable of shining in.  Expect either Rooney or Van Persie to be on the score sheet and if you're solely interested in this fixture you're better off taking an anytime goal from either than the wide starting price at 2/9.  Manchester United are the safest backing of the weekend by a wide margin.
          Manchester CIty have had a fairly torrid few weeks and one can be forgiven for remembering that they're the Premier League champions this season.  We expect a return to form for them this weekend and Newcastle's win record this season is far from what it was in their last campaign - so we're picking Manchester City to be one of our winners.  Mancini is on for a rough time with the papers heading into the the Christmas fixture list if this fixture is anything other than an away win.
          We expected Liverpool to struggle in their visit to Upton Park last weekend and their comeback against a strong West Ham outfit has led us to favour them over Aston Villa int he fixture at Anfield this weekend.  If Liverpool are going to be frogleaping teams like Everton this season then they need to start claiming more wins than they have been doing and this makes their hosting of Villa heading into Christmas one of their most important home games of the campaign.
          The Arsenal fans amongst you may want to make a substitution and include their away visit to Reading instead of the Liverpool or Manchester City selections.  We recommend you have a look into our higher risk backing if you're expecting Arsene Wenger to silence critics this weekend.
          Enjoy the football on offer this weekend, whoever you choose to back and follow on twitter @tfpredictions

Stoke v Everton: Preview and Predictions

The sensible money probably stays in one’s pocket as far as this fixture is concerned, but we’re still tempted by the draw at 7/3.

          Everton’s bettering of Tottenham this weekend was largely overlooked in light of Manchester United’s victory of the weekend, but in the grand scheme of things it’s likely to be looked back on as one of the biggest victories of the season – especially if it means Everton are able to finish in the top four, their current ambition.  With this huge victory for Everton in mind, you can be forgiven for favouring them over Stoke this weekend.

          We’re tipping a draw at 7/3 this weekend, which seems like an obvious result at first glance, in spite of Everton’s current league position.  Everton have had some poor results away from home, notably in their recent loss to Reading, and Stoke is a notoriously tricky place to visit for Premier League teams.  The Potters have yet to have lost a league game at home this season – the last time they did lose a home fixture was in February.

          Expect a close game decided by a slender margin, if at all.          

        

Stoke v Everton: Verdict – Draw 7/3

Reading v Arsenal: Preview and Predictions

Arsenal have had one of the most inconsistent starts to a Premier League season under Arsene Wenger – one that’s been responsible for creating a feeling of malaise that’s become far too familiar for some fans.  The pressure’s been mounting on Wenger to step aside at the end of the season and he’s now hinted that he may do.  It’d certainly be a shame for that to be the case at the end of a season if Arsenal fail to qualify for the Champions League – which could be the case if they don’t start winning more games back to back.

           Reading’s losses to Southampton and Sunderland will have dented their confidence – but they’ll see Arsenal’s visit as a fantastic opportunity, given the previous result when the last two teams met.  They’re in contention to be relegated again and fans have good cause to be concerned.

          We expect Arsenal to win – which they have to if they’re to keep their supporters content after crashing out of the Capital One Cup to Bradford, 64 league positions below them and with a squad that cost less than a £1m. 

          Wenger’s still popular with the board at Arsenal because the club, with the highest priced season tickets in the Premier League, have been making consistent profits.  However, its results and silverware that matter to the fans – and they may eventually have the final say if results don’t start to go Wenger’s way more often.

          Arsenal’s season looks likely at this stage to be determined by movement in the transfer window.  They may have trouble signing established players with the Premier League out of their reach and if they look unlikely to qualify for the Champions League, players may think twice about a move to the Emirates.  Walcott is being linked with a move to Manchester United or Liverpool and this game, at this stage in the season, is one that Wenger can’t afford to lose – the future of the club is resting on the December performances of the team.  The last things fans want is to have to increasingly rely on players like Gervinho, last seen running around like a seven year girl that needs the toilet, for the rest of the campaign.

          Reading have had near misses against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United this season and have beaten Everton at home.  Home is where they’ve unsurprisingly performed their best – and they haven’t had the fortune of playing there very often lately, most of their recent fixtures have been away.  It should be close, but Arsenal are expected to cross the finish line as victors.

         

Reading v Arsenal: Verdict – Arsenal 4/6

Norwich v Wigan: Preview and Predictions

Norwich fixtures have been the hardest to call this season, with upsets against some of the biggest teams and pedestrian performances against some of their equals. 

     At the start of the season Wigan and Norwich were widely expected to be battling each other towards the bottom half of the table and were considered by some to be candidates for relegation, but the resolve shown in recent outings by the two suggests they should be more than safe.  Both sides have shown elements of quality against tough opposition this season, which is why this fixture could be a cracker - or lacklustre.  The two could cancel one another out and this could well be a stinker.

          To our detriment we expected a Swansea win over the Canaries last weekend.  Norwich are a team we’ve underestimated far too often now, so we’re tipping them to win at home, where they’ve been the strongest this season.

         

Norwich v Wigan: Verdict – Norwich 11/10

Tottenham v Swansea: Preview and Predictions

Tottenham have been bettered by unexpected opposition at White Hart Lane this season, and Wigan’s success there earlier in the year will spur Swansea on this weekend. 

          Swansea are a side capable of surprises both at home and away and have proven their intent to stay in the Premier League coming up to the halfway stage of the season. 

          Tottenham are favoured but an upset is possible.  13/20 isn’t a particularly generous price for Spurs considering that they were noticeably pedestrian against Panathinaikos last week (they should have put the game well beyond doubt in the first half) and went on to lose to Everton away from home on Sunday.

          This could be a fantastic game of football, given the similar styles of play.

Tottenham v Swansea: Verdict – Tottenham 13/20

Manchester United v Sunderland: Preview and Predictions

Fans of Chelsea and Manchester City wishing United will be dropping points soon will have tasted a rusty mouthful of their own sick when they saw who'll be visiting Old Trafford this weekend – Sunderland.

          Historically Sunderland have found this fixture to be a pointless affair – and they’re in a much more sorry state that they have been on previous visits in their recent past. 

          Wayne Rooney hasn’t had the best season by his standards, in spite of becoming the youngest player to have scored 150 Premier League goals – but his efforts last weekend in the Manchester Derby may have invigorated his campaign.  Sir Alex Ferguson will want his more experienced players to conclude this match in the first half in order to be able to use the game as an opportunity to field some of the less used players this season. 

          Manchester United’s defence has not lived up to the expected standards this season – so this game should be used as a defensive exercise. The real upset will be a Sunderland goal if there is one.

          This could be a high-scoring affair – so if you fancy wider odds that the outright result offers you, you may want to look towards goal markets, with over 3.5 in the match being one to keep you interested throughout the ninety minutes at 6/5.  It could be a day of embarrassment for Sunderland, although most of their fixtures have been low-scoring affairs.

 Manchester United v Sunderland: Verdict – Manchester United 2/9

Premiership High Risk Accumulator 8/12/12

 Swansea v Norwich: Verdict – Swansea

Aston Villa v Stoke: Verdict – Both Teams to Score

Manchester City v Manchester United: Verdict – Draw

Everton v Tottenham: Verdict – Tottenham

42/1

A long-shot fourfold for you to mull over. 

          It’s expected to be a low scoring affair in the match between Aston Villa and Stoke and it really is fifty-fifty as to whether or not both teams do score in this game.  We’re edging towards a score-draw in this one so we’ve gone with both teams to score – but it is a risky backing.

          Norwich have been impressive lately and have some very good results to boast about – the same being the case for Swansea.  These two can be likened to each other in many ways and there’s a lot of praise to be put upon the both of them – but we’re edging towards Swansea simply because of the home advantage.  Norwich have upset us with their results against both Arsenal and United, so the combinations of trebles may tempt us this week.

          Manchester United have been the better of the two sides recently and we favour them over City – but Mancini’s side have not lost at home for nearly years in the Premier League, so we’re going with a draw.

          Fluctuating between 3/1 and 5/2 as a starting price, Tottenham represent the best value of the weekend.  This is a fight for fourth being waged early on and we expect it to be a close on to call.  Spurs could get the result they initially looked to be heading towards at the Emirates.

Swansea v Norwich: Preview and Predictions

Swansea were expected to struggle when Brendan Rodgers left for Liverpool – but to their credit they’ve continued to surprise in what was expected by some to be a torrid second season.  A convincing win against Arsenal away from home means we’re favouring them in this homecoming fixture.

          Norwich were our single-market price of the weekend last week and their convincing first half-performance was enough to halt Sunderland – but there were signs of weakness in the second.

          We’ve placed Swansea in our high-risk accumulator this weekend, but we’ve done so reluctantly.  Norwich’s results against Arsenal and Manchester United have been costly to us this season.

Swansea v Norwich – Verdict: Swansea 4/5

Southampton v Reading: Preview and Predictions

Southampton have shown promise and have given cause to suggest they may have the tenacity to claim a second consecutive season in the Premier League based on recent performances – although the same can be said for Reading, who’ve been involved in some high scoring fixtures with top opposition.

          This relegation scrap has the potential to be the most talked about match of the weekend – but we think it may prove to be the opposite.  Either way – it’s not one to be going in big on. 

          We expect both teams to score – but we expect it could be a stinker. 

Southampton v Reading – Verdict: Draw 14/5

Aston Villa v Stoke: Preview and Predictions

Stoke are one of the strongest home sides in the Premier League and have a better record than many of the teams above them in the Premier League.  Their away form, however, is not as strong and we foresee a tense close fought battle this weekend between them and Aston Villa.

          Tony Pulis has been celebrated as one of the strongest Premier League managers frequently this season and his players seem dedicated to not just the club – but to his vision and values as a manager.  In spite of their strength and togetherness we expect Aston Villa to be able to man the barricades and claim a point at the least.

         

Aston Villa v Stoke – Verdict: Draw 23/10

Premier League High-Risk Accumulator for 17th Nov

Premier League High-Risk Accumulator for 17th Nov 78/10

Liverpool v Wigan: Verdict - Liverpool 4/9
Manchester City v Aston Villa: Verdict - Aston Villa 2/9
Norwich v Manchester United: Verdict - Manchester United 2/5
Reading v Everton: Verdict - Everton 5/6
Fulham v Sunderland: Verdict - Fulham 8/11

You may well want to exploit the double chance markets for some of these games this if you want to side with caution - but we think this is a fair price at 78/10 for a bit of a long-shot and a talking point.
          Wigan are a team that are capable of a repeat performance of the Stoke outing last month and could give Liverpool an argument at Anfield - but after Liverpool's fine display against a slick and tidy Chelsea outfit last weekend, we're expecting them not to.
          Manchester City and Manchester United should be spurring each other on to success this saturday and we feel their fixtures represent the most likely outcomes for favourites in the Premier League this weekend.
          Reading have yet to win a fixture and we're expecting Everton to be the victors in their meeting - but we should remember that Everton went behind to Sunderland last weekend.  Reading won't approach this game beaten.
          Fulham's 24 goals this season represents a haul mightier than every other Premier League side with the exception of Manchester United.  Sunderland's basket of seven represents the least goals scored by a Premier League side.  After a fine display against Arsenal we're expecting Fulham to continue in the form their fans have become accustomed to.
           Good luck this weekend whoever you support and whoever you back and follow us on twitter @tfpredictions

Premier League Low Risk Treble for 17th Nov

Premier League Low Risk Treble for 17th Nov 25/10

Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur: Verdict - Both Teams to Score 1/2
Manchester City v Aston Villa: Verdict - Manchester City 2/9
Norwich v Manchester United: Verdict - Manchester United 2/5

Arsenal have been scoring an average of more than five goals a match lately and for that reason we expect them to at least be on the scoresheet against Spurs.  The Gunners' defence leaves a lot to be desired of late and for that reason we don't expect them to keep a clean sheet - they'll turn a corner and change their form dramatically if this is the case.
          Manchester City have a similar scoring ration to Aston Villa, believe it or not, but they've scored goals that have won them points rather than consolation - we expect them to breeze past Aston Villa - although they can't be completely counted out: Villa won 4-2 in their last visit to the Etihad.
          Norwich have their long-awaited victory over Arsenal to celebrate this season, but one should remember they conceded nine to Liverpool and Chelsea beforehand.  We expect the scoreline to reflect the latter - Manchester United are the only Premier League yet to draw this season.
          Good luck with whoever you support or choose to back this weekend - and follow on twitter @tfpredictions.

West Ham v Stoke: Preview and Prediction

Monday 19^th November 20:00: West Ham V Stoke – Verdict: West Ham 10/11

West Ham were surprising victors at St James Park last weekend – especially when you consider they’re a team that performs far better at home.  

          The same can be said of Stoke – who were able to edge past QPR last weekend.  At home they’re are far better than they are on their travels, in spite of having drawn to Liverpool last month.

          West Ham head into this fixture as favourites and many could argue that the teams are relatively equally matched – we’re siding with West Ham simply based on home advantage and this could be a close fought battle.

Fulham v Sunderland: Preview and Prediction

Sunday 18^th November 16:00: Fulham V Sunderland – Verdict: Fulham 3/4

When Mark Hughes left Fulham for ‘a club with more ambition’ few would have been able to predict that his ambitions would soon be to climb out of the relegation zone to keep his job at a time when Fulham would be in the top four – but that’s the case at the moment.

          In Berbatov Fulham have a striker who looks to be regaining world class form and he could easily be the signing of the season.  Martin Jol, who is more than familiar with Dimitar Berbatov, has prepared the soil well for his planting in the team and the points Fulham have earned are not surprising considering the style of play and self-belief Jol can be accounted for.

          Fulham are the sensible backing in this fixture and are expected to take three points – although Sunderland were able to give Everton cause for concern last weekend when they took the lead.  If they can make a promising start to the fixture, Fulham should be comfortable.

Norwich v Manchester United: Preview and Prediction

Saturday 17^th November 15:00: Norwich  V Manchester United– Verdict: Manchester United 2/5

Arsenal and Tottenham both went to Carrow Road in the first part of last month to come home empty handed and since then Norwich haven’t lost a match. A team previously expected to battle relegation, Norwich have made a strong case for their remaining in the Premiership long-term and are becoming a side, simlarly to West Brom, who are fast gaining an impressive reputation amongst their peers.

          Although an upset isn’t impossible –  remember Norwich hadn’t beaten Arsenal in over ten years when they beat them in October – it seems unlikely and you can expect an away win.  Norwich won't not be judged on this performance, providing the final score isn't cricket like; the outcome of only a few teams' seasons relies on performances against Sir Alex Ferguson.

West Brom v Chelsea: Preview and Prediction

Saturday 17^th November 15:00: West Brom V Chelsea – Verdict: Chelsea 4/5

With John Terry having been in the news for something other than sex and prejudice, and out of the team for reasons other than suspension, Chelsea may feel a weight off their shoulders.  That said, the Mark Clattenberg affair has been giving opponents of the club a fair bit of ammunition.

          It will be an emotive visit for Steve Clarke, who played a huge part in the recent Premier League championship seasons for Chelsea, and he’s made a huge impact at West Brom – a side that showed what they are capable of against Champions League opposition by coming close to beating Manchester City last month.

          In spite of the occasion and West Brom’s recent form we still think that Chelsea will edge it, but it’s likely to be a close match and Chelsea could struggle if they fail to take charge in the first half, understandably the double-chance market should be a lot more temputous that the outright result.

Reading v Everton: Preview and Prediction

Saturday 17^th November 15:00: Reading V Everton – Verdict: Everton 8/11

Everton were heavily tipped to beat Wigan by most at a time when they seemed on the ascendancy.  Instead of continuing in their winning ways they were pedestrian - and the same could be the case against Reading.  Everton have the ability to disappoint on occasion.

          Reading drew with a strong Norwich side last weekend and have it in them to force a draw – but we still fancy Everton to gain three points here.