So, on the back of last night’s winners, six more games from England’s premier club competition to get our teeth into.
Chelsea v Middlesbrough
Those of you over ten years old may remember Chelsea’s old club logo. It was the one they used for decades, before Chief Executive Peter Kenyon came in and decided he wanted something that looked substantially more like the logo at his previous club, Manchester United. Anyway, the old logo featured a rather angry, snarling lion and “Big Phil” Scolari will be wanting to see some roar from his underachieving side tonight. It has been an increasingly disappointing start for the Brazilian as he looks to establish his style and philosophy at Stamford Bridge but the quality of personnel at his disposal cannot be disputed. After an extraordinary last gasp win over a Stoke side that threatened to snatch all three points, somebody is in for a mauling. Enter Boro. The last time these two sides met in the league, Chelsea scored five times inside 53 minutes, and Boro were unable to conjour a goal on home ground. Gareth Southgate’s team are slipping further into a relegation dogfight and the likelihood of them taking anything from this game seems almost zero. Despite their uninspiring price, Chelsea are taken here to record a comprehensive victory. For the more confident punter, consider backing Chelsea on the Asian Handicap to win by 2 clear goals.
Chelsea win @ 2/7 PaddyPower
Chelsea -1.5 @ 7/10 Bet365
Manchester City v Newcastle
This is a clash between two teams that are usually worrying picks for punters. Manchester City have not lived up to any of their moneybags promise and Newcastle have been consistently inconsistent. However, a trend for both of these teams is starting to occur. Joe Kinnear surprised everyone with his early strong performance as Newcastle manager but he may now be ruing the number of drawn games during his first eight matches. A bright spot for Magpies fans will be their side’s 3-0 drubbing of Portsmouth at Fratton Park in December, but, on recent form this surely counts for little. Manchester City supporters have had to endure the taunts of the rest of the footballing world after the botched bid for Kaka and harmony in the squad appears to be considerably low, with Robinho the latest player to breach club discipline. The arrival of Craig Bellamy and his golf clubs is unlikely to improve this situation, but, the Welshman is a proven goalscorer at Premiership level and has enjoyed two previous spells with Mark Hughes at Blackburn and Wales. In a matchup between two poor sides, one with quality players and one without, the team with the quality is narrowly preferred. Once you factor in home advantage and Newcastle’s run of six league games without a win, it’s impossible to see past Manchester City here. Home win.
Manchester City win @ 8/11 PaddyPower
West Ham v Hull (Live on Sky Sports 2)
How kind of Sky Sports to warm our winter blues with a second consecutive night of live Premier League football. Or so I thought until I saw which game they had chosen to televise. This is one for the die hard neutrals but fans of both sides will be hoping to secure a big three points tonight at Upton Park. Manchester United aside, West Ham are the form side in the division with four wins from their past five league games and five wins in their last six games in all competitions. The situation over at Hull couldn’t be more different. This game was a scrappy affair the last time these two sides met, with Hull sneaking the win on that occasion 1-0. But things aren’t what they once were at the KC Stadium and even the capture of free-spirited Jimmy Bullard is unlikely to lift the gloom sufficiently for this one. Hull are commended for their ambition but are taken to have more success next time out at home to West Brom on Saturday. In the meantime, this one has to go down as a home win.
West Ham win @ 4/5 Stan James
Outright Treble on 3 results (Chelsea on handicap): Approx 5/1
SB
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