All articles by: Elliott Jackson

Leicester City vs Chelsea – Match Preview

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Leicester City vs Chelsea
Sunday 18th March 2018
FA Cup Quarter-Final, King Power Stadium

Live on BBC 1 – Kick-Off: 16:30

Leicester vs Chelsea: Chelsea travel to Leicester in the FA Cup looking to bounce back from their midweek defeat to Barcelona.

Chelsea’s defeat at the Nou Camp ended their hopes of a second ever Champions League title. The FA Cup is now their only hope for silverware. With the race for the top four hotting up, it’s crucial that they don’t slip up. They returned to winning ways in the league with a comfortable victory over Crystal Palace last weekend. Willian continued his fine form in front of goal by opening the scoring at Stamford Bridge. The Brazilian has scored five goals in his last five games. He has also opened the scoring in all five of those games, showing he is good value for first goalscorer.

Chelsea have lost their last four away games. If Antonio Conte’s men want to finish in the top four they need to address their poor form on the road. The Italian needs to make the Champions harder to beat; a task he excelled at last year on the way to the title. They are only four points adrift off fourth place and if they can rediscover some form I still fancy them to secure a Champions League spot come the end of the campaign.

After a poor run of results, Leicester returned to winning ways at the weekend in emphatic style. The Foxes secured a 4-1 at West Brom, which was in no part thanks to Jamie Vardy’s spectacular equaliser. From there on Claude Puel’s side dominated the game and took home all three points. With Vardy and Riyad Mahrez in the side, Leicester will always cause problems. The two linked up again superbly at the weekend, a theme that Leicester fans have come accustomed to seeing.

Craig Pawson is the referee for this game, fresh from officiating Manchester United vs Liverpool last week. The Englishman has the highest average booking points total in the league. He has issued 33 yellow cards and four reds, giving him a total of 41.1 per game. He has been allocated some of the biggest games this season, which proves he is one of the league’s best young officials.

This game is quite tough to call. Leicester have provided many upsets in recent years, not least winning the league itself. Therefore, I’m going to plump for a draw.

Leicester City vs Chelsea will be televised live in the UK on BBC One with kick-off at 16:30 GMT.

Prediction: Leicester 1-1 Chelsea

Suggested tips – Leicester City vs Chelsea – (BET365):

  • Correct score, draw 1-1- (link no longer available).
  • Willian to score first – (link no longer available).

Suggested tips – Leicester City vs Chelsea – (SKYBET):

  • Vardy and Hazard to both score – 6/1.
  • Chelsea to win by exactly one goal- 11/4.
  • RequestABet Specials up to 10/1 – BTTS, 1+ corners each team in each half and 10+ booking points each team – 2/1.
  • Popular Request A Bets – BTTS, 2+ corners each team in each half and 10+ booking points each team – 13/2.
  • BTTS, 8+ match corners and 40+ match booking ptsRequestABet Specials Up to 10/1 – Leicester v Chelsea – 5/2.
  • Match Stat Price Boost – Vardy and Willian – 2+ Shots on Target each – 14/1.
  • RequestABet Specials 80/1 and above – Leicester v Chelsea – Mahrez & Willian to score from outside the area – 150/1.
  • RequestABet Specials 80/1 and above – Leicester v Chelsea – Morata to score a header and Mahrez to score from outside the area – 125/1.
  • @FootyAccums RequestABet – Vardy to score, Chelsea to win and 4+ corners in each half – 11/1.
  • RequestABet Specials Up to 10/1 – Leicester vs Chelsea  – BTTS, 1+ corners each team in each half and 10+ booking points each team – 2/1.
  • RequestABet Specials Up to 10/1 – Leicester vs Chelsea – BTTS, 4+ corners each team and 10+ booking points each team – 11/4.

Odds and markets last updated on 18 March 2018 @09:45 GMT. Markets will be updated prior to kick off so keep checking back before 16:30 GMT for updates.

Keep visiting the tips and preview area for further updates and betting previews for more previews from this weekends FA Cup and SkyBet Championship action.

Manchester United vs Brighton – Match Preview

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Manchester United vs Brighton & Hove Albion
Saturday 17th March 2018
FA Cup Quarter-Final, Old Trafford

Live on BBC 1 – Kick-Off: 19:45

Manchester United vs Brighton: Manchester United will be looking to secure their place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup as they take on Brighton at Old Trafford.

United crashed out of the Champions League in midweek after losing 2-0 to Sevilla. The contrast between their performance against Liverpool compared to Sevilla was like day and night. The stark difference between these two displays will trouble Jose Mourinho, in addition to losing against inferior opposition. With just one piece of silverware on offer, Mourinho needs a trophy to save their season.

The FA Cup is something Manchester United have always performed well in this competition. They have won it 12 times, which is second to only Arsenal. Another win in this competitions would see the Red Devils equal that tally. Marcus Rashford returned with a bang with two goals in the North West derby. The Englishman has struggled for game time since the arrival of Alexis Sanchez but as a result of an injury to Anthony Martial has allowed the youngster to remind what he is capable of.

Following a good string of result, Brighton fell to a 2-0 defeat to Everton at the weekend. Chris Hughton’s side were not aided by Antony Knockaert’s red card for a terrible lunge on the returning Leighton Baines. Five wins in seven in all competitions has seen them rise to 11th place, seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Whilst the Seagull’s job is not done, they should be able to secure a second consecutive top-flight appearance with eight games left. This will be their toughest test so far in the competition. Having faced just one Premier League side on route to the last eight, a trip to Old Trafford will be the highlight of their cup run.

Manchester United have won four of the last five meetings between the two sides, including the league fixture back in November. Brighton have only ever beaten United one in their history, a win that came back in 1982. They have never won at Old Trafford.

Andre Marriner will officiate this FA Cup quarter-final tie. He has officiated the third most games this campaign, collecting an average booking points total of 28.1. Compared to other referees who have similar numbers of matches, this is the lowest by some way. Thus, booking points may not be something to bet on at the weekend.

I expect to see a reaction from United. Therefore, I’m backing them to win this tie. Mourinho won’t take anything for chance and understands the importance of this competition. Brighton could make it tough for them, as they did against Arsenal a few weeks ago but United should progress.

Manchester United vs Brighton will be televised live in the UK on BBC 1 with kick off at 19:45 GMT.

Prediction: Manchester United 2-0 Brighton

Suggested tips – Manchester United vs Brighton – (BET365):

  • Correct score, 2-0 Manchester United win – (link no longer available).
  • United to win to nil – (link no longer available).
  • United/United HT/FT betting – (link no longer available).
  • Lukaku to score first – (link no longer available).

Suggested tips – Manchester United vs Brighton – (SKYBET):

  • United to win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1- 11/8.

Odds and markets last updated on 17 March 2018 @14:45 GMT.

Keep visiting the tips and preview area for further updates and betting previews for more previews from this weekends FA Cup and SkyBet Championship action.

Bolton Wanderers vs Aston Villa – Match Preview

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Bolton Wanderers vs Aston Villa
Saturday 17th March 2018
SkyBet Championship, Macron Stadium

Live on Sky Sports Football – Kick-Off: 17:30

Bolton vs Aston Villa: Bolton host Aston Villa, looking for three points which could move them nine points clear of the relegation places.

Wanderers have lost just one of their last five games having secured a last-gasp draw at Sheffield Wednesday last time out. Aaron Wilbraham’s 93rd minute equaliser prevented another defeat on the road with Bolton having not won away this year. At home, it has been a different story. They have lost just two of their last 12 home games, picking up 26 points in that run. That form has dragged them out of the bottom three and up to 20th, six points clear of the drop zone.

With a six-point cushion, their future is in their own hands. They also have relegation rivals Birmingham, Barnsley and Burton still to play. Phil Parkinson has done a fantastic job at the Macron Stadium; first to get the club promoted but then to give them a fighting chance of survival. The club’s poor financial state has only made things tougher but they look on course for a second consecutive year in this division.

Aston Villa crashed to a disappointing 3-1 defeat to QPR in midweek. Rangers were only the second side to win at Villa Park this season. Steve Bruce’s side are seven points behind Cardiff in third place. With the two still to meet later in the campaign, Villa still have a chance of securing automatic promotion. Four straight wins and no defeats in five has really helped that push. Lewis Grabban’s recent form has been a major boost, with the Bournemouth loanee grabbing four goals in his last five games.

Aston Villa have won two of their last six games against Bolton. Their last win at the Macron came in 2011 when both teams were in the Premier League. Bolton’s have won three of the last six meetings, with one ending in a draw.

The referee for this game is Robert Jones. The Englishman has only officiated 11 Championships games this season but has an average booking points total of 44.1. He has shown four red cards in those 11 games, which is one of the highest ratios in the league.

Bolton are a good side. I was impressed with them when I saw them live last week. Sammy Ameobi is a big player for them and he will have to be at his best if they’re to get anything from this game. Aston Villa are in fantastic form and have experienced player who know how to earn promotion. Therefore, I am backing Aston Villa to nick this game. If it did end in a draw, however, I wouldn’t be surprised.

Bolton Wanderers vs Aston Villa will be televised live in the UK on Sky Sports Football with kick off at 17:30 GMT.

Prediction: Bolton 0-1 Aston Villa.

Suggested tips – Bolton Wanderers vs Aston Villa – (BET365):

  • Correct score, Villa to win 1-0- 5/1.
  • To score any time – Lewis Grabban – (link no longer available)
  • First Goalscorer – Albert Adomah – (link no longer available).

Suggested tips – Bolton Wanderers vs Aston Villa – (Skybet):

  • Grabban to score and win – 5/2.
  • Ameobi and Adomah to both score – 17/2.
  • Villa to win by exactly one goal – 5/2.
  • BTTS and FT draw – 7/2.

Odds and markets last updated on 17 March 2018 @01:05 GMT.

Keep visiting the tips and preview area for further updates and betting previews for more previews from this weekends FA Cup and SkyBet Championship action.