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Premier League Weekend Betting Preview

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Manchester United take centre stage for the second successive week as they entertain rivals City in the Manchester derby. bwin.com assesses the defending champions’ chances of keeping their noisy neighbours quiet and runs through the 3Way odds for all of the remaining Premier League games this weekend. All odds quoted are correct as of 11:00 on Friday, 21st October but are subject to change.

All odds are from bwin, where you can also enjoy a free £25 bet.


This week’s pick of the Premier League action sees Manchester United take on bitter rivals for the second time in eight days, with Manchester City their latest opponents after last Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield. While United boss Sir Alex Ferguson continues to view his side’s games against Liverpool as the stand-out fixtures of the season, the Citizens’ newfound status as genuine title challengers means the Manchester derby is growing in significance by the season. Sunday’s game in particular has assumed epic proportions, with the two teams going into the match unbeaten in the league and occupying the top two positions in the table.

United are evens favourites to win in bwin’s 3Way football betting market, with their home advantage proving telling. Meanwhile, a draw is priced at 9/4 and a City victory is available at 11/4, with this latter price looking the most tempting as United have not been at their best of late. Fortunate to have seen off Norwich 2-0 in their last home league game and in salvaging a draw at Anfield last week, United also found it difficult against Otelul Galati in their midweek Champions League fixture. Their defence has looked particularly vulnerable, and with City in good form in front of goal they could be good bets to edge a high-scoring fixture – an attractive prospect at those odds of 11/4, with a £25 free bet set to return £93.75.

Chelsea, the Manchester clubs’ main rivals for the title, are also in action on Sunday although their game against QPR at Loftus Road is much easier to call. The Blues are in a purple patch of form – they have won all four of their league games since a 3-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford in September – and are unlikely to be challenged by a Rangers side yet to win at home. Chelsea are short 7/20 favourites to take all three points, with a draw at 7/2 and a QPR victory at 8/1.

At nearby Craven Cottage, Fulham (13/10) are hosting an Everton team on a run of three defeats in a row. The Toffees are underdogs at 21/10 although they will fancy their chances far more than they have in their last three games, with Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea making up their most recent opposition. David Moyes will be desperate to stop the rot and ensure his team get something out of the game, making the draw a good option at 11/5. This would echo last season’s result at the Cottage, when the two teams played out a 0-0 stalemate.

In north London, Arsenal (11/20) will be looking for a tenth home win against Stoke in a row. The Gunners have been quietly playing their way out of their early-season slump although they still look short of confidence, making a Stoke win tempting at 21/4. Nevertheless, five home wins on the bounce suggest Arsenal can do the business. A draw (11/4) should certainly be discounted given none of the last ten meetings between the pair have ended this way.

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London’s remaining team are also in action on Sunday, with Tottenham away to Blackburn. Rovers beat Arsenal at Ewood Park last month but a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City last week is a more accurate depiction of their abilities, meaning Spurs should be backed to take all three points at 9/10. A draw is available at 5/2 and a home win at 57/20.

On Saturday, Wolves face Swansea in the lunchtime kick-off and will be looking to end a run of five straight league defeats. They appear to have a good chance of ending this sequence with a win (19/20) as the Swans look vulnerable away from home, with a 3-1 defeat to Norwich last week providing ample evidence of this. Swansea are 57/20 to upset the form book and claim all three points, with a draw at 47/20.

Bolton are another team hoping their opponents’ poor away record will help them to victory. Sunderland are yet to win on their travels and are 49/20 to do so at the Reebok Stadium, with a draw at 9/4. This makes Bolton 11/10 favourites despite a run of four successive home defeats, although given Owen Coyle’s side go into the match on the back of an away win over Wigan this looks to be an attractive price.

A home win for Newcastle is far more assured against Wigan, as odds of 57/100 indicate. The Magpies are still unbeaten in the league and, given the Latics’ recent struggles, three points look assured. A draw is priced at 11/4 and underdogs Wigan are available at 5/1 to hand Newcastle a first defeat of the season.

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Liverpool odds for victory (29/100) against Norwich at Anfield also point to a home win, although the Canaries could spring the surprise result of the weekend and grab a draw at 4/1. Paul Lambert’s side acquitted themselves well against Manchester United at Old Trafford recently and on another day could have come away with something to show for their efforts. While Liverpool were unlucky not to beat United at home last week, an opening weekend draw against Sunderland and a narrow 2-1 victory over Wolves shows they have yet to fire on all cylinders at Anfield this season, and Norwich could take advantage. Nevertheless, a win for Norwich appears to be beyond their grasp at 19/2.

To finish, another game where a draw could be the best bet, with this looking the likely result when Aston Villa take on West Brom at Villa Park. The resilience installed by Roy Hodgson in West Brom towards the end of last season is starting to return and the Baggies have put together a three-game unbeaten sequence. With five of Villa’s eight Premier League games ending without a winner another draw appears to be the best call at 12/5, with a home win available at 9/10 and an away victory at 3/1.

All odds are from bwin, where you can also enjoy a free £25 bet.

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