All articles by: Elliott Jackson

Derby County vs Cardiff City – Match Preview

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Derby County vs Cardiff City
Friday 13th September 2019
Sky Bet Championship – Pride Park

Live on Sky Sports Football – 19:45 BST

Derby County will want to secure their first home win of the season and ease the pressure on Phillip Cocu when they host Cardiff City at Pride Park.

The Rams’ new Dutch coach hasn’t had the best start to life in the east Midlands after taking only six points from their first six Championship fixtures. They’ve only won once this season, which came on the opening day of the season against Huddersfield Town. Last season, Derby’s home form was the bedrock behind their sixth-place finish but they’re yet to win in front of their own fans this term. Draws against Swansea City and West Brom could easily have been wins but they have been on the receiving end of the fine margins that define Championship matches.

Derby are struggling at home due to a lack of natural width in the team. Martyn Waghorn, on the right, is a number nine, whilst Tom Lawrence is always at his best when he’s playing in the number ten areas. Without the injured Jayden Bogle, whose overlapping runs from right-back give them a threat in wide positions, they’ve been too easy to defend against. With an influx of new centre-backs brought in to the club, Cocu is also still trying to find his preferred defensive pairing.

Cardiff’s return to the Championship has been a little underwhelming, particularly on the road. At home, they’ve been impressive with seven points from a possible nine. Away, that tally drops to just one from nine, which is a major concern. The Bluebirds have looked bereft of creativity away from the Cardiff City Stadium, which is why they haven’t scored in their last two away games.

Goals have also been a major issue. Number nine Robert Glatzel is yet to get off the mark for the club and in a 4-3-3 system, he needs to be scoring goals. Of the 12 teams above Cardiff in the table, only Birmingham City and Millwall have scored less goal than their seven. The departure of Bobby Reid, on loan to Fulham, has played a huge role in both of their problems, as they miss his goals and creativity.

The referee for Friday night’s clash is Darren England. The Englishman has racked up an average booking points total of 16.7, across three Championship matches this season. With that in mind, I would recommend a maximum of 40+ booking points for this fixture.

Derby have been in lucky in a couple of their home games this season, whilst the same can’t be said for Cardiff on the road. Neither team have shown their best form yet this season but I’m fancying the Rams to nick a narrow home win.

Derby County vs Cardiff City will be televised live in the UK on Sky Sports Football with kick off at 19:45 BST.

Prediction: Derby County 2-1 Cardiff City.

Suggested Tips – Derby County vs Cardiff City – (BET365)

  • Correct score – Derby County to win 2-1 – (link no longer available).
  • First Goalscorer – Jack Marriott – (link no longer available).
  • Anytime Goalscorer  – Martyn Waghorn – (link no longer available).

Suggested Tips – Derby County vs Cardiff City – (SKYBET)

  • Popular RequestABets – Over 1.5 goals, 5+ Derby corners, 3+ Cardiff corners and 10+ booking points each team – 5/2.
  • Price Boost – Derby to win and BTTS – 9/2.

Markets Updated at 18:09 BST on Friday 13th September 2019.

Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur – Match Preview

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Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur
Sunday 1st September 2019
FA Premier League,  Emirates Stadium

Live on Sky Sports Premier League – Kick-Off: 14:00 BST

Arsenal and Tottenham go head to head in the first North London Derby of the season with both sides looking to bounce back from defeats last weekend.

The Gunners were comprehensively beaten by Liverpool at Anfield. David Luiz, in particular, had an afternoon to forget, conceding a penalty for a needless shirt pull on Mohamed Salah before getting skinned by the Egyptian for the Reds’ third. Whilst Arsenal have made improvements once again this season, it once again underlined the gulf in class between them and the top two. In midfield, they lacked bite, until Lucas Torreira came on and he also grabbed their late consolation goal.

Last season Torreira was a key figure following his move from Sampdoria. This season, he has struggled for game time so far, much to the bemusement of the Arsenal supporters. He was the match-winner in this fixture last season, an epic 4-2 game that the Gunners edged. After making his full debut against Liverpool, Nicolas Pepe will be hoping to be in from the start again. If Unai Emery recalls Alexandre Lacazette, we could see their potent-looking front three in action for the first time.

Tottenham were humbled at home to Newcastle United on Sunday, as they lost 1-0 to the Magpies. Christian Eriksen, whose future continues to dominate the back of the Sunday papers, was once again left out of the starting line-up, as was Jan Vertonghen. After one of their biggest spending summer’s in the club’s history, all does not seem right behind the scenes at Spurs. Eriksen clearly wants to leave and with a year left on his contract Spurs could lose him for nothing next season.

Mauricio Pochettino does not seem happy with the situation and If Daniel Levy isn’t happy, despite splashing some cash this summer, he could be left without his star creative player and his manager in one week’s time. If Tottenham want to bridge the gap between themselves and City/Liverpool they have to be holding on to their key players. That means offering bigger contracts, with bigger wages, to entice them to stay. Otherwise, they’ll be back at square one. Two steps forward, three steps back.

Martin Atkinson is the referee for this match. The Englishman racked up an average booking points total of 32.8, across 43 Premier League matches last season. With that in mind, I would recommend a maximum of 50+ booking points for this fixture.

A positive result for either side would really lift the spirit around their respective camps. For Tottenham, the Christian Eriksen saga has caused a massive issue for their start to the season. Without him, they lack serious creativity, even if Dele Alli is back fit. As a result, I’m going for a narrow Arsenal win.

Everton vs Wolves will be televised live in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League with kick-off at 16:30 BST.

Prediction: Arsenal 3-2 Tottenham

Suggested Tips – Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur – (BET365)

  • Correct Score – Arsenal to win 3-2 – (link no longer available).
  • First Goalscorer – Pierre Emerick Aubameyang – (link no longer available).

Suggested Tips – Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur – (SKYBET)

  • Both Players to Score – Alexandra Lacazette and Son – 8/1.
  • Full Time Result and Over 2.5 Goals – Arsenal and Yes – 2/1.
  • RequestABet Specials Up to 10/1 –  BTTS, 4+ corners each team and 20+ booking points each team – 7/2.
  • Popular Player Stats RequestABets – Xhaka to score from outside the area and Tottenham to score a penalty – 125/1.

  • Popular Player Stats RequestABets – Kane to score a header and Arsenal to score a penalty – 40/1.

Markets Updated at 08:45 BST on Sunday 1st September 2019.

 

Burnley vs Liverpool – Match Preview

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Burnley vs Liverpool
Saturday 31st August 2019
FA Premier League,  Turf Moor

Live on Sky Sports Premier League – Kick-Off: 17:30 BST

Liverpool will be hoping to maintain their 100% start to the Premier League season when they take on Burnley on Saturday night.

The Reds beat Arsenal last weekend 3-1, making a strong statement to the rest of the Premier League. Mohamed Salah was at his brilliant best, grabbing a brace including a fantastic solo effort. The Egyptian has made a fine start to the season, bagging three goals in as many Premier League fixtures. Roberto Firmino has also made a strong start to the season and produced a Man of the Match display against the Gunners, despite not getting on the score sheet.

Liverpool are yet to record a clean sheet after their opening three fixtures. Jurgen Klopp’s side have conceded one goal in each of their outings. Given they boasted the most clean sheets in the league last season, that’s a bit of a concern. Obviously, Alisson being absent is a huge miss but, bar Adrian’s mistake against Southampton, none of the goals have been his fault.

Burnley have made a strong start to the season with four points from their first three games. Last time out, they were denied all three points by a 96th-minute penalty from Raul Jimenez. Ashley Barnes bagged his fourth goal of the season prior to that. He’s been in terrific form for the Clarets, which has sparked talk of an England call-up. He wasn’t included in Gareth Southgate’s squad this time but if he continues his current form, he’ll be hard to leave out.

Burnley’s defensive pairing of Ben Mee and James Tarkowski continues to impress, with Nick Pope completing the English trio behind them. But for Jimenez’s last-minute penalty, they would have had two clean sheets from their first three games. At Turf Moor, they are yet to concede and an early goal will be vital to Liverpool’s hopes of securing three points.

Chris Kavanagh is the referee for this match. The Englishman racked up an average booking points total of 33.3, across 35 Premier League matches last season. With that in mind, I would recommend a maximum of 50+ booking points for this fixture.

Liverpool are in fine fettle and it’s tough to see them losing a game right now. Burnley, though are a tough nut to crack so this won’t be easy. Therefore, I’m going to edge towards a narrow away win.

Burnley vs Liverpool will be televised live in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League with kick-off at 17:30 BST.

Prediction: Burnley 1-2 Liverpool

Suggested Tips – Burnley vs Liverpool – (BET365)

  • Correct Score – Liverpool to win 2-1 – (link no longer available).
  • First Goalscorer – Sadio Mane – (link no longer available).

Suggested Tips – Burnley vs Liverpool – (SKYBET)

  • Both Players to Score – Mohamed Salah and Ashley Barnes – 6/1.
  • Winning Margin – Liverpool by Exactly 1 Goal – 11/4.
  • Popular Player Stats RequestABets – Liverpool to win, Mane 2+ shots on target, 3+ corners each team and 40+ match booking pts – 10/1.
  • Previous RequestABet Winners – Burnley to score 1+ goals and 5+ Burnley corners – 5/1.

Markets Updated at 10:45 BST on Saturday 31st August 2019.