by ·Comments Off on Leicester City vs Man United – Match Preview
Leicester City vs Man United - Match Preview

Leicester City vs Man United – Match Preview – With Christmas just around the corner, Leicester City will host Manchester United in Premier League action this Saturday evening.

The hosts will face a tough test ahead of them as they are looking to accumulate more points and climb up the Premier League standings. The visitors will continue their very hopeful bid to close the gap between them and league leaders Manchester City, who are eleven points adrift at the top of the Premier League.

Mahrez and Vardy will be Leicester’s main threat Photo Credit: skysports.com

Leicester City are currently eighth in the Premier League. Their most recent outing in the league was a disappointing one, suffering a 3-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace in an afternoon to forget for Claude Puel’s men. Their defensive issues have been their main issue at times this season. The Foxes have conceded 26 goals in their 18 Premier League matches so far; entering the second half of the season, they are really going to want to tighten up at the back. Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy have been promising in recent times and could be the ones to cause Manchester United big problems. Can the Foxes cause an upset?

Skybet Match Result – Leicester to Win – 16/5

Manchester United are currently second in the Premier League standings. Jose Mourinho’s men have become a real force both domestically and internationally this season, with many of last year’s key signings finally beginning to find form. Their most recent Premier League outing was a 2-1 victory over West Brom away from home; with Romelu Lukaku bagging another goal. The big Belgian has now scored 10 Premier League goals so far and has also been a helping hand with 4 assists to his name. Often a team to grind a result if they aren’t on their best day, Leicester will find it hard t break down this United side. Record signing, Paul Pogba, returns after a three game suspension.

Skybet Correct Score Group Betting – Man Utd to Win 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 – 15/8

 

Pogba returns after a three game suspension Photo Credit: skysports.com

Despite their dominance this season, Manchester United have only scored two or more goals in 55% of their Premier League matches this year. Don’t expect them to run away with the result, it’s a Mourinho team.

Leicester have only been awarded an average of 4.3 corners per home fixture this season. On the road, United have been awarded an average of 5.3 corners.

Jonathan Moss will take charge of this fixture. The referee has awarded an average of 33.8 booking points in his 12 Premier League matches.

 

Suggested Tips

  • Skybet Penalty Specials – A Penalty Awarded – 9/4
  • Skybet Both Players to Score – Jamie Vardy and Romelu Lukaku – 11/2
  • Skybet Total Goals, Corners Taken and Booking Points – Over 1.5 Goals, Over 8.5 Corners, Over 25 Booking Points – 11/8
  • Bet365 Total Goals/Both Teams to Score – Over 2.5 & Yes – (link no longer available)
  • Bet365 To Score at Any Time – Shinji Okazaki – (link no longer available)
  • Bet365 Half Time/Full Time – Draw/ Leicester – (link no longer available)
  • Bet365 Match Result – (link no longer available)

by ·Comments Off on Arsenal vs Liverpool – Match Preview

Arsenal vs Liverpool – Match Preview – Arsenal will be looking to jump above their visitors in the Premier League table when they face Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners have lost just one of their last seven games in all competitions and sit one point behind Liverpool ahead of their meeting. Last time out the Gunners secured a 1-0 win against Newcastle thanks to a wonder strike from Mesut Ozil. The German playmaker has come into his own in recent weeks and is showing glimpses of the ability that saw him regarded as one of the best number tens in the world.

Ozil and Sanchez could be heading out of the Emirates at the end of the season Photo Credit: skysports.com

With both Alexis Sanchez and Ozil’s futures still in doubt, it will be a tough month for Arsenal as they look to keep hold of their main assets. Both players will be free to negotiate a move away from the club with foreign teams in January, which could leave Arsenal questioning their decision to not cash in on the pair in January. The speculation over the pair could raise issues in the Arsenal camp and potentially de-rail their campaign. With Arsene Wenger’s side heading into a run of favourable fixtures, a win in this game could really help them build some momentum.

Liverpool come into the game unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions. Jurgen Klopp’s men are in fine form, having won three of their last five games. Last time out the Reds demolished Bournemouth and left the Vitality Stadium with a 4-0 victory. Mohamad Salah grabbed himself his 21st goal of the season and his 11th goal in 11 games. The Egyptian has been a revelation since making his move from Roma in the summer with many pundits labelling him as the signing of the season.

Salah, Firmino and Coutinho have become a world class attacking trio Photo Credit: skysports.com

With Phillipe Coutinho, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino also in the goals, there are very few teams who can keep the ‘fab four’ at bay. With the amount of pace and skill in the Liverpool attack goals are almost a formality, but keeping the back door shut is a different story. It has been the case for Liverpool for so long. With such a potent attack, I have no doubt if Liverpool invest in some world-class defenders, they could be genuine title contenders. As is often the case, they haven’t done so and therefore they will never be able to end their 27-year wait for a league title.

Liverpool are unbeaten in five meetings with the Gunners and have won their last three. Arsenal haven’t won against Liverpool since 2015 when they came away 4-1 winners. The last four meetings between the team has served up 21 goals which average out at over five goals a game. Given both sides’ inability to defend, I expect goals in this game, with over 3.5 a good bet if you’re feeling confident. I’m going to go for a Liverpool win in this one, in what could be another classic encounter between the pair.

 

Prediction: Arsenal 2-3 Liverpool

 

SKYBET: CORRECT SCORE LIVERPOOL 3-2- 20/1

SKYBET: SALAH TO SCORE AND LIVERPOOL TO WIN- 3/1

SKYBET: SALAH AND SANCHEZ BOTH TO SCORE- 11/2

SKYBET: LACAZETTE TO SCORE FIRST AND ARSENAL TO WIN 3-1- 40/1

SKYBET: BTTS IN BOTH HALVES- 17/2

SKYBET: BTTS AND OVER 3.5 GOALS- 11/8

SKYBET: TO SCORE AND WIN- MANE TO SCORE AND LIVERPOOL TO WIN- 9/2

by ·Comments Off on Carabao Cup Quarter Final – Bristol City vs Man Utd – Match Preview
Bristol City vs Man Utd - Match Preview

Bristol City vs Man Utd – Match Preview – Manchester United take a trip to high-flying Bristol City as they look to secure their place in the last four of the Carabao Cup.

Consecutive league wins have helped United bounce back from their disappointing derby defeat. Wins against Bournemouth and West Brom will have helped restore confidence in the United camp which will hopefully spur them on to close the gap to their noisy neighbours.

Another huge bonus for Jose Mourinho is the return of Paul Pogba. The Frenchman is now available again after completing his three-match suspension. With a place in the last four now within reach, I think Mourinho will play a strong side against his Championship counterparts. The United boss will want to avoid any complacency as he looks to claim his second consecutive League Cup in charge of the Red Devils.

Could Ibrahimovic start tonight in the Carabao Cup? Photo Credit: skysports.com

After beating Burton Albion and Swansea City to reach this stage, this will probably be their toughest game so far. Whilst Swansea might be Premier League opposition, they are in dire form which is quite the opposite to the Robins. Whilst there’s no doubt that United are massive favourites for the game I think Lee Johnson’s side will try and attack them from the off to get the crowd behind them.

Reid has the ability to cause Utd’s defence problems Photo Credit: skysports.com

Bristol City have performed well above expectations in the league and sit in third place, seven points clear of seventh-placed Leeds. The Robins are now just four points behind Cardiff who occupy the second automatic promotion spot, meaning they have a realistic chance of promotion this season. The main challenge for Johnson will be trying to keep his players fit and firing. Compared to other sides at the top of the table they have quite a small squad, so it will be interesting to see if they can maintain this fine form through the festive period. City have also knocked out three Premier League sides on their way to the quarter-final, with Stoke and Crystal Palace both losing out at Ashton Gate.

These two teams have not met since 1980. The last time they did a Joe Jordan brace gave Manchester United a comfortable 4-0 victory. Whilst Manchester United are favourites for the game, I think BTTS and United to win is a good bet. Bristol City have managed 14 goals in the cup in just four games and I think they’ll get on the scoresheet again on Wednesday night. I still think United will go through, although team selection could be vital if Mourinho’s men want to avoid an upset.

 

Prediction: Bristol City 1-3 Manchester United

 

SKYBET: CORRECT SCORE UNITED 3-1- 10/1

SKYBET: BTTS AND UNITED TO WIN- 7/4

SKYBET: MARTIAL TO SCORE A BRACE- 7/2

SKYBET: POGBA TO SCORE OUTSIDE THE PENALTY AREA- 8/1

SKYBET: BRISTOL CITY TO QUALITY- 10/3

SKYBET: IBRAHIMOVIC TO SCORE A HEADER- 12/1

SKYBET: REID TO SCORE FIRST- 8/1

by ·Comments Off on Carabao Cup Quarter Final – Leicester vs Man City – Match Preview
Leicester vs Man City - Match Preview

Leicester vs Man City – Match Preview – The quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup sees unbeaten Manchester City face Leicester at the King Power Stadium this Tuesday evening.

After another impressive win at the weekend, City remain 11 points clear of second-placed Manchester United. Two wins against title rivals in the last two weeks has only strengthened City’s grasp on the league, with the Citizens now 1/33 on to claim their third Premier League crown.

In their 4-1 demolition of Spurs, Raheem Sterling grabbed himself another brace. The Englishman is enjoying his best season to date and now has 15 goals in all competitions. With Sterling and Leroy Sane providing pace and width to City’s attack, it has allowed David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne more space to operate centrally. With this in mind, it can be no surprise that both have sparkled this season and will be at the top of the ballot poll when the player of the year award comes around.

de Bruyne will be a favourite for the Player of the Year with his stunning performances so far Photo Credit: skysports.com

For me, De Bruyne will pip Silva to the award. Although it is only December and this may seem a premature statement, I just can’t see anyone catching City, or matching the efforts that these two have put in during the first half of the campaign. Whilst Mohamad Salah has been phenomenal for Liverpool since joining from Roma, I think he will just miss out on the award, should he continue his fine form for the rest of the season.

Leicester have been fantastic since the appointment of Claude Puel. The Frenchman has given the Foxes a new lease of life since taking over, which has seen them shoot up the Premier League table. At the weekend they suffered their worst result in his reign as they went down 3-0 to Crystal Palace. I feel as though this was just a minor blip and I expect them to be right back at it as they face the champions-elect.

Okazaki has scored some vital goals for Leicester Photo Credit: skysports.com

Leicester have lost their last two games against Manchester City after losing 2-0 earlier in the campaign. Before then they had gone three games unbeaten as they surged past their then title rivals to the Premier League trophy. Those last five meetings have racked up 15 goals and I expect there to be more again when they meet on Tuesday.

In the league this season, City have scored two or more goals in eight of their nine away games. Leicester have managed the same feat in four of their nine home games, which is the eighth best record in the division. With these stats in mind, I think BTTS and over 2.5 goals would be a safe bet. Whilst I think this will be a tough game for City, and team selection could play a deciding factor, I still think they’ll come away with the win to cement their place in the semi-finals of the competition.

 

Prediction: Leicester 1-3 Manchester City

 

SKYBET: CITY TO WIN 3-1- 10/1

SKBET: BTTS AND CITY TO WIN- 7/4

SKYBET: VARDY TO SCORE FIRST AND LEICESTER TO WIN 2-1- 95/1

SKYBET: JESUS TO SCORE AND CITY TO WIN- 11/8

SKYBET: LEICESTER TO WIN IN EXTRA TIME- 33/1

SKYBET: BTTS AND OVER 2.5 GOALS- 11/10

by ·Comments Off on Everton vs Swansea City – Match Preview
Everton vs Swansea City - Match Preview

Everton vs Swansea City – Match Preview – Sam Allardyce will look to continue leading Everton’s resurgence against the Premier League’s bottom side Swansea City in Monday night’s fixture.

Under Ronald Koeman Everton were in the thick of a relegation battle but since ex-England manager Allardyce’s arrival, The Toffees have risen straight up the table into the top half with three wins and a draw from their previous four.

The draw came in the Merseyside derby at Anfield too, in a very pleasing 1-1 draw for Everton fans. That result, and the performances in wins over Huddersfield Town (2-0), Newcastle United (1-0) and in the Europa League against Apollon (3-0) have brought optimism back to Goodison Park.

Rooney has been in good form since Allardyce took over at Goodison Photo Credit: skysports.com

Swansea City, however, seem to be having any residual positivity drained from them game by game; The South Welsh club are rooted to the foot of the table after an awful run of form that has seen them lose 10 of their last 13 games, picking up just two wins and a draw in the meantime.

After a similarly poor first half of the season in 2016/17, Swansea brought in Paul Clement to save the season and by successfully avoiding relegation, that was achieved. This term has been equally challenging, and Clement faces an uphill struggle to keep both his job, and his team in the Premier League.

A trip to back-in-form Everton will be daunting for Swansea, who are searching for just their second away victory in the league this year. The Toffees defensive solidity matched with Swansea’s difficulties in creating chances and taking them should prove decisive.

Team News

Yannick Bolasie could feature for Everton for the first time in over a year, whilst Leighton Baines, James McCarthy, Ross Barkley, Ramiro Funes Mori and Seamus Coleman are all unavailable through injury.

Kyle Bartley is the only omission from the Swansea squad, as Ivorian striker Wilfried Bony has been ruled fit to play despite coming off against Manchester City with muscle tightness on Wednesday.

Bony is likely to start after coming off in the loss to Manchester City Photo Credit: skysports.com

Stats

Under Sam Allardyce, typically, Everton have been strong at the back and only conceded one goal under the experienced boss’ stewardship. The Toffees have picked up three Premier League clean sheets in their last four attempts but due to the disastrous defending beforehand, are still 16th in our club clean sheet table with a lowly figure of just four clean sheets.

The problem for Swansea City has not been with keeping clean sheets, but with scoring at the other end. The Swans have kept six shutouts so far this campaign, with only the top seven in the division faring better.

If remaining true to form, this game will present few corners. As a team who have struggled to attack consistently, Swansea have an unsurprising presence as low down as 14th in our club corner stats table.
However, the true shock comes with Everton’s league-low total of just 55 corners all season, especially interesting given Allardyce’s penchant for set-pieces and ex-Swansea man Gylfi Sigurdsson’s quality from such scenarios.

For cards and booking points there is only one way to bet if this season’s stats are anything to go by, with only Leicester, Stoke and Southampton accumulating a lower average booking points per game than Swansea’s 13.1.
Additionally, Everton rank 4th in our club card stats table, with 28 yellow cards and two red cards so far, coming in with 1.9 bookings per match on average.

 

Suggested Tips

  • Skybet Price Boost – Gylfi Sigurdsson to score from outside the penalty area – 10/1
  • Skybet Price Boost – Wilfried Bony to Score First – 9/1
  • Skybet Pundits RequestAbet – Le Tissier’s RAB: Calvert-Lewin to score and Everton 2-0 – 14/1
  • Skybet RequestAbet Up to 10/1 – Everton to win, Under 11 match corners and Under 50 match booking points – 9/4
  • Skybet RequestAbet Up to 10/1 – Abraham to score and Swansea to win – 15/2
  • Skybet RequestAbet 11/1 to 28/1 – Calvert-Lewin, Rooney & Sigurdsson to score – 28/1
  • Skybet RequestAbet 33/1 to 66/1 – Sigurdsson to score from outside the area and Everton to score a penalty – 50/1
  • Skybet Featured RequestAbets – Bony to Score and Kenny and Schneiderlin to be carded – 50/1
  • Skybet To Assist a Goal in 90mins – Wayne Rooney – 5/2

by ·Comments Off on Bournemouth vs Liverpool – Match Preview
Bournemouth vs Liverpool - Match Preview

Bournemouth vs Liverpool – Match Preview – Bournemouth will host Liverpool this Sunday afternoon in Premier League action at the Vitality Stadium.

The hosts enter this fixture following a valiant effort against Manchester United midweek that ultimately ended up in a 1-0 defeat.

Liverpool will be hoping to turn their fortunes around this Sunday following two draws in a row against Everton and more recently, West Brom.

Bournemouth are currently 14th in the Premier League with 16 points from 17 matches. Eddie Howe’s side have begun to find their feet this campaign following a very rocky beginning.

Defoe bagged a brace against Crystal Palace, can he grab a goal against the Reds Photo Credit: skysports.com

Jermain Defoe has also started to find his shooting boots with a contender for goal of the season recently as the Englishman came to save his side against Crystal Palace with an impressive brace. Bournemouth will be hoping to salvage something from this as they face an out of form Liverpool side; as their next two fixtures are Chelsea and Manchester City away.

Skybet Match Result – Bournemouth to Win – 5/1

Salah is the deadliest player in front of goal in the Premier League so far this season Photo Credit: skysports.com

Jurgen Klopp will be drilling into his players that anything less than three points is unacceptable this weekend. Not capitalising on their chances has cost them in their previous outings, as they have totalled 37 attempts in their two last games with one goal to show for it. Summer signing Mo Salah has set the Premier League alight from the right wing at Anfield, currently the top scorer in the Premier League with 13 goals and three assists. Currently 5th in the Premier League, Liverpool will hope a result against Bournemouth will see them leapfrog Spurs into a Champions League spot, who face Manchester City this weekend.

Skybet Correct Score Group Betting – Liverpool to Win 3-0, 3-1 or 3-2 – 7/2

Liverpool have been kind to their travelling fans this year, having scored two or more goals in 62% of their away Premier League matches so far.

Bournemouth have struggled to keep opposition attacks away so far this season, only keeping a clean sheet in 25% of their matches this season.

Bournemouth have been awarded an average of 5.6 corners in their home fixtures so far this season whilst Liverpool have been awarded an average of 4.5 on the road.

Paul Tierney will take charge of this fixture, who has awarded an average of 36 booking points in his 5 Premier League matches so far.

 

Suggested Tips

  • Skybet Penalty Specials – Liverpool to be Awarded a Penalty – 3/1
  • Skybet Both Players to Score – Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino – 3/1
  • Skybet 1st Half Goals – (3+) – 9/2
  • Bet365 – Half Time/Full Time – Liverpool/Draw – (link no longer available)
  • Bet365 – Anytime Goalscorer – Jermain Defoe – (link no longer available)

by ·Comments Off on West Brom vs Man United – Match Preview
West Brom vs Man United - Match Preview

West Brom vs Man United – Match Preview – Manchester United will be hoping to bounce back from last week’s derby defeat as they take on West Brom at the Hawthorns.

 

Since appointing Alan Pardew as Tony Pulis’ successor, West Brom haven’t won. After picking up only one point from crucial games against relegation rivals Swansea and Crystal Palace, the Baggies now find themselves in the bottom three. With goals a struggle for West Brom, Pardew is going to have to find some way of getting them out of this mess. With the January transfer window fast approaching, it’s key that he can access his squad and bolster it in the right areas to keep them up.

Evans returns to his former club as he hopes for a win for new manager, Alan Pardew Phot Credit: skysports.com

Jose Mourinho’s men relinquished their 40 game unbeaten run at home last weekend with City running out 2-1 winners. That defeat has left United 11 points behind the league leaders with a number of pundits saying City have now secured the title. If United are to have any hopes of catching their noisy neighbours, they need to start with three points on Sunday.

Romelu Lukaku has come under a lot of criticism for his performance in the derby. The Belgian striker has struggled for form after initially making a fantastic start at his new club. Lukaku  missed a crucial chance to draw United level last week. Scoring the winner in the home win over Bournemouth will do the Belgian good but he has begun to draw criticism from his own fans, it’s vital that Mourinho re-energises his striker and gets him back to his form from the start of the season.

Can Lukaku get back to form as he was at the beginning of the season? Photo Credit: skysports.com

In the derby, it was apparent that United missed Paul Pogba. Since returning from injury the Frenchman has shown how much they have missed him. Without him, they lack creativity in midfield and someone who can run with the ball, breaking past defenders and setting up chances. Whilst Herrera and Matic are good players, they don’t possess the same qualities of Pogba. With this the last of his three-match suspension, Mourinho will be relieved to get his star man back.

West Brom have conceded two or more goals in four of their eight home matches this season. That is the second highest in the league, with only Stoke and Palace ahead of them on five apiece. Similarly, United have scored two or more goals in half of their away matches this campaign. A percentage that leaves them sixth in the table.

West Brom’s recent form against United is quite good, having only lost three of their last eight meetings. Their last win came at the Hawthorns in 2016 as they ran out 1-0 victors. With their current form and lack of threat up top, I can only really see an away win in this one.

 

Prediction: West Brom 0-2 Manchester United

 

SKYBET: CORRECT SCORE UNITED 2-0- 11/2

SKYBET: LUKAKU TO SCORE A BRACE- 9/2   

SKYBET: BTTS AND UNITED TO WIN- 5/2

SKYBET: RASHFORD AND MARTIAL TO BOTH SCORE- 5/1

SKYBET: DRAW 1-1, 2-2 OR 3-3- 4/1

SKYBET: LINGARD TO SCORE FIRST AND UNITED TO WIN 3-1- 60/1

BET365 : ANYTIME GOALSCORER- JONNY EVANS- (link no longer available)

BET365 : HALF TIME/FULL TIME- WEST BROM/DRAW- (link no longer available)

by ·Comments Off on Sheffield Wednesday vs Wolves – Match Preview
Sheffield Wednesday vs Wolves - Match Preview

Sheffield Wednesday vs Wolves – Match Preview – Sheffield Wednesday host league leaders Wolves at Hillsborough in a bid to end their winless run.

The Owls are without a victory in five matches after losing their seven-game unbeaten run last weekend at Norwich. With Wednesday marooned in mid-table, ten points adrift of the play-off places, pressure has further mounted on manager Carlos Carvalhal. A number of reports have speculated that if Wednesday don’t produce a good performance on Friday night, it could be the end of Carvalhal’s tenure at S6.

After leading 1-0 at half-time last week, Wednesday disappointingly threw their advantage away and came away from Norwich with a 3-1 defeat. After being the better team for the first 45, the Owls looked like a team short on confidence as they collapsed in the second interval. Even there most consistent players looked out of sort. At home, Wednesday have drawn three of their last four games, with their last win back in October. If they are to try and recapture the form of the last two campaigns, they need to make Hillsborough a fortress again. This needs to start on Friday.

A must win game for Sheff Wed manager Carlos Carvalhal who could be on his way out if unable to turn things around Photo Credit: skysports.com

Wolves lost their six-game winning run last weekend as they drew a blank with Sunderland. After such an impressive run, Nuno Santo’s men struggled to break the Black Cats down and were left frustrated with just a point. With Wolves last defeat coming in October, it will no doubt be Wednesday’s toughest task of the season yet. The division’s top scorers have lost only twice on the road this season and have won their last three away games without conceding a goal. Not only are Wolves clinical in attack but defensively they are sound as well. Wolves have conceded just two goals in their last seven games, collecting five clean sheets.

Bonatini has 12 league goals this season for Wolves Photo Credit: skysports.com

Last season Wednesday defeated Wolves 2-0 at Molineux before drawing 0-0 at home. This season they will come into the tie as massive underdogs. Wolves have only lost one of their last seven visits to Hillsborough, which came back in 2015. Wolves have scored 2+goals in six of their ten away games this season, which is the second highest in the division. Similarly, Wednesday have scored twice or more in six of their ten home games, which is the fifth highest in the league.

Whilst form would point towards three points for Wolves, I think this will end in a draw. Wednesday don’t lose many games at home, and with the pressure now firmly on the players to perform it might spark them into life. With the Owls underperforming so drastically this season, we are bound to soon see a performance more in keeping with their two top-six finishes in the last two seasons.

 

Prediction: Sheffield Wednesday 2-2 Wolves

 

SKYBET: CORRECT SCORE 2-2 DRAW- 14/1

SKYBET: HOOPER TO SCORE FIRST AND WEDNESDAY TO WIN 2-1- 35/1

SKYBET: BONATINI AND RHODES TO BOTH SCORE- 7/1

SKYBET: JOTA TO SCORE AND WOLVES TO WIN- 5/2

SKYBET: CAVALEIRO TO SCORE A BRACE- 12/1

SKYBET: WINNING MARGIN WOLVES BY EXACTLY ONE GOAL- 11/4

BET365 : OVER 2.5 GOALS AND BTTS-(link no longer available)

BET365: WOLVES TO SCORE IN BOTH HALVES- (link no longer available)

BET365 : TOTAL ALTERNATIVE GOALS – OVER 3.5- (link no longer available)

 

by ·Comments Off on PDC World Championships 2017/2018 – Betting Preview
PDC World Championships

PDC World Championships – On Thursday 14th December, the ‘Ally Pally’ will open its doors and the seasons biggest tournament will kick off.

The PDC’s best players will all be confident they can end their 2017 on a high; with Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor hoping to end his whole career on a high after announcing his retirement after his World Championship campaign.

Here are some of the outright odds that SkyBet are offering for the PDC World Championships:

Michael Van Gerwen – 8/11

van Gerwen is the heavy favourite to retain the championship Photo Credit: skysports.com

The bookmakers clear favourite is ‘MVG’, very unsurprisingly. The Dutch darting dynamo is everyone’s favourite to sweep the competition just as he did last season in an enthralling 11-7 victory over Gary Anderson in the final. Van Gerwen heads into the competition in fine form, having won four consecutive televised finals; the most recent being the Players Championships in Minehead on 26th November.

His robot-esc accuracy entwined with his throwing pace can sometimes feel like it’s unfair on his opponents. He is sure to be pumped up for the tournament, as he will want to ruin Phil Taylor’s retirement party.

Previous World Championship titles (2) – (2014, 2017)

Gary Anderson – 7/1

Betting W/O Gerwen – 9/4

Anderson will need to step up from his performances in the year to win this Photo Credit: skysports.com

The Scotsman hasn’t enjoyed his finest calendar year, with his last tournament title coming back in June at the Players Championship in Wigan. Whilst he has been progressing far in many tournaments, lifting the trophy has often seemed just one step too far for Anderson. He will be hoping to bounce back from his agonising 16-15 loss to Peter Wright in the semi-finals of the Grand Slam last month.

He always seems to fair well in recent years at this tournament, maybe it’s that Ally Pally crowd.

Previous World Championship titles (2) – (2015, 2016)

Peter Wright – 12/1

Betting W/O Gerwen – 4/1

Last year’s runner up will want to go all the way this year Photo Credit: skysports.com

Peter Wright seemed to capture the hearts of every darting fan back in the 2017 Premier League finals at the O2 arena. The pressure became too much for the Scotsman as he was one dart away from beating ‘MVG’ in the final however missed six darts at double and seemed to curl into a ball of despair. Since then, the Scotsman didn’t let it ruin his year as he continued to impress on the PDC circuit and most recently just lost out in the Grand Slam final 16-12 to guess who?…

The world ranked number two has suffered a tough couple of weeks, however, as he was rushed to hospital only a matter of weeks ago and has had to pull out of all events ahead of this one. Could this see him suffer in form?

Previous World Championship titles (0)

Phil Taylor – 14/1

Betting W/O Gerwen – 11/2

Phil Taylor will want to end on a high at his last ever tournament Photo Credit: skysports.com

Darts biggest legend will hang up his shirt after this tournament. It is sure to be a sad day for all fans of the sport. To end his career at the tournament and building he has seen so much success in seems to have a ‘written in the stars’ feeling to it. Taylor will have the crowd in the ally pally and at home on his side as he will look to create one of darts greatest moments.

He enters the tournament in decent form, however he seems to have been suffering the same issues as Gary Anderson. His entire year has been building up to this however, he will be mentally and physically ready to face anyone.

Previous World Championship titles (14) – (1995–2002, 2004–06, 2009–10, 2013)

Rob Cross – 16/1

Betting W/O Gerwen – 14/1

Rob Cross could be the dark horse in the tournament Photo Credit: skysports.com

Rob Cross has enjoyed a meteoric rise this year, really cementing his place on the PDC circuit as an established player. He began the season relatively unknown; better known to fans as Joe Cullen’s roommate. Both his treble hitting and his percentages on the doubles have made him a nuisance to be drawn against even against the best.

He has recently dispatched of Raymond van Barneveld, Adrian Lewis and James Wade in different competitions in November. Currently ranked 20th in the PDC Rankings, Cross must be the one to watch.

Previous World Championship titles (0)

 

Additional Player Odds – Tournament Winner

  • Adrian Lewis – 33/1
  • Daryl Gurney – 40/1
  • Mensur Suljovic – 50/1
  • Raymond van Barneveld – 66/1
  • Dave Chisnall – 125/1
  • Simon Whitlock – 125/1
  • James Wade – 150/1
  • Kim Huybrechts – 200/1
  • Jelle Klassen – 250/1
  • Joe Cullen – 300/1

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by ·Comments Off on Huddersfield vs Chelsea – Match Preview
Huddersfield vs Chelsea - Match Preview

Huddersfield vs Chelsea – Match Preview – Chelsea will be raring to get back to winning ways against Huddersfield Town on Tuesday night after suffering a surprising 1-0 loss to West Ham on the weekend.

Antonio Conte admitted his side’s title defence is over after the defeat, with The Blues now a huge 14 points adrift of Manchester City after the 2-1 derby day victory against Manchester United on Sunday for Pep Guardiola’s team.

David Moyes’ first win as West Ham manager was Chelsea’s first league defeat in nine games, which was also to a relegation-battling side in Crystal Palace. Since then, Chelsea had beaten Manchester United and won their Champions League qualifying group, only not winning four of the 12 fixtures since.

However, it is the general inconsistency that separates this Chelsea team from last year’s all-conquering force, and whilst Eden Hazard has been sublime at times there seems to be a slight spark of creativity missing.

Fabregas needs to become the creative force he has been in previous seasons Photo Credit: skysports.com

The Blues are still ahead of every other team in the league bar the two Manchester clubs though, and will be hoping to solidify a minimum of a third-place finish to guarantee Champions League football for next season. No trophies would likely see the end of Conte’s reign at Stamford Bridge, however.

Saturday truly was a matchday of contrasting emotions for the two sides, as Huddersfield bounced back from losing four consecutive matches to beat Brighton 2-0 on Saturday.

After an excellent start to the season by winning their maiden three games in the Premier League, David Wagner’s side had gradually crept towards the wrong end of the table with just one win in their next 12 afterwards.

The much-needed win over Brighton meant they leapfrogged not only their beaten opponents, but Stoke City and Bournemouth too – and the 2017 Championship play-off winners currently sit in a very respectable 12th position.

Mounie bagged a brace on the weekend and will hope to continue to find the back of the net Photo Credit: skysports.com

An even more encouraging aspect for Huddersfield is that record £11.5m singing Steve Mounie was back amongst the goals; his double on Saturday was the first time the Beninese striker had found the net since his brace on the opening day of the season against Crystal Palace.

Stats

Conte always likes his team to be structurally sound, and only Manchester United can boast a better clean sheet record than his Chelsea team in the league so far this season. The Blues have kept seven clean sheets in total and will be confident of adding to that total against Huddersfield.

Huddersfield are the obvious bet for card-related issues, no team in the division has been awarded more than The Terriers two red cards and only West Brom and West Ham (32) have received more than the 29 given to Wagner’s team. This puts Huddersfield third in our club card stats table, receiving an average of 2.1 cards per game for an average booking points figure of 22.7 per match.

One would expect Chelsea to be the dominant side and pushing forward as often as possible, and as a result earn a large number of corners. This would be in line with their joint-third place standing in our club corner stats this season, with only Spurs (101) and Man City (103) being awarded more than The Blues’ 96 this term.

 

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