Sport

GUIDE TO THE NEXT £1,000,000 1X2 PICK15

GUIDE TO THE NEXT £1,000,000 1X2 PICK15

Brighton vs Middlesbrough

Head-to-Head: BRI 9-12-23 MID

Brighton extended their unbeaten run in the Championship to 21 games on Tuesday evening when drawing 2-2 with Queens Park Rangers. The Seagulls raced to a 0-2 lead at Loftus Park but fell victim to a rejuvenated R’s comeback. As a result, Albion dropped to second in the league – behind weekend opponents Middlesbrough. The visitors came through a scrappy encounter with Burnley in midweek which saw them prevail the 1-0 victors. Aitor Karanka’s side are playing with great solidarity and are proving difficult to break down. This is a match that can swing either way, forcing players to cover all bases.

Selection: HOME, DRAW & AWAY

Everton vs Leicester

Head-to-Head: EVE 38-32-21 LEI

Everton are enjoying a solid run of form which has seen them go unbeaten since October. Roberto Martinez’s men were held to a 1-1 draw with Norwich recently after Romelu Lukaku netted in his sixth successive Premier League game to give his side the lead. They host Leicester on Saturday who are quite simply on their greatest ever run. The Foxes are top of the league following victory over Chelsea on Monday which saw Vardy and Mahrez continue their fantastic form. It will take a fair effort to contain Leicester, but Everton’s recent solidarity should do just that.

Selection: HOME & DRAW

Manchester United vs Norwich

Head-to-Head: MUN 36-15-16 NOR

Pressure is mounting upon Louis van Gaal following back-to-back defeats to Wolfsburg and Bournemouth, respectively. As a result, the Red Devils have departed the Champions League and will compete in the Europa League for the remainder of the season. Their striking arsenal are lacking ammunition at present as Wayne Rooney continues his mediocre period of form. Norwich, on the other hand, have enjoyed respective draws with Everton and Arsenal in recent weeks and will be buoyed by United’s recent run of results. However, the Canaries have failed to topple the Red Devils in any of their last 10 trips to Old Trafford.

Selection: HOME

Southampton vs Tottenham

Head-to-Head: SOT 61-48-76

Southampton are in the midst of a poor run of results. The Saints are winless in their last five games in all competitions and have dropped to 12th in the Premier League. Ronald Koeman’s men host former manager Mauricio Pochettino and his new side Tottenham who will be hoping for an immediate response following their defeat to Newcastle last week. Spurs made a number of mistakes in the second half of that encounter and will need to improve to overcome Southampton here. Their form prior to the Newcastle defeat was rock solid – unbeaten in nine games – and a return to that level should see them through the challenge that the Saints hold this weekend.

Selection: DRAW & AWAY

Stoke vs Crystal Palace

Head-to-Head: STO 18-13-22 CPA

Stoke produced a scintillating display against Manchester City a fortnight ago to run out comfortable 2-0 winners. It was a performance that showcased Stoke’s exciting attacking line-up which saw new signing Xherdan Shaqiri put in a man-of-the-match shift. The Potters are a tough encounter for any Premier League this season when they have their forward line in such form. Crystal Palace, likewise, are enjoying a fantastic start to their campaign. Alan Pardew has his side playing with supreme confidence which was evident in their recent success against Southampton. The Eagles are now up to sixth in the table and could develop in to legitimate contenders for a European spot come May. I expect this to play out in to an exciting encounter between two sides who enjoy playing counter-attacking football.

Selection: DRAW

West Brom vs Bournemouth

Head-to-Head: WBA 7-3-5 BOU

West Brom have drawn their last three Premier League matches, and another could be on the cards here. Tony Pulis’ men responded from a losing position against Liverpool last week and should take great confidence from the performance. Their recent home form makes for good reading too; one defeat in their last four league games at the Hawthorns has helped Albion to a steady 13th position in the league. They host Bournemouth this weekend who will be brimming with confidence following their latest showing. The Premier League new-boys defeated Manchester United 2-1 last weekend and could be difficult to contain this weekend. Expect a closely fought encounter and very few goals.

Selection: HOME & DRAW

Bristol City vs QPR

Head-to-Head: BRC 26-23-31 QPR

Bristol City are in the midst of just one win in their last four Championship games and sit one point above the relegation zone. Their form is not looking great either; one victory from four at Ashton Gate makes City vulnerable to a team with QPR’s momentum. Ranger’s came back from a losing position to draw 2-2 with Brighton recently and will take great confidence from the performance. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s arrival has sparked a fresh lease of life into the Londoner’s and they travel to Bristol this weekend as a hard unit to overcome.

Selection: AWAY

Ipswich vs Derby

Head-to-Head: IPS 33-21-25 DER

Ipswich have won five of their last seven Championship games, a run that has seen them improve to sixth in the table. Their away victory at Fulham showed Mick McCarthy’s men at their brilliant best and they’ll await the arrival of Derby in good heart. Derby, likewise, are on a run of just one defeat in their last 16 games, in all competitions. They are proving to be comfortable away from home and should ensure an exciting encounter. Paul Clement’s side will have one eye on automatic promotion, which makes victory here somewhat crucial in their bid to return to the Premier League.

Selection: DRAW & AWAY

Newcastle vs Aston Villa

Head-to-Head: NEW 70-34-55 AVL

Newcastle are on a roll. Back-to-back victories in the Premier League during December has helped Steve McClaren’s men back on the right track after a rough start to their campaign. Respective wins over Liverpool and Tottenham has seen the Magpies leapfrog title holders Chelsea and move out of the relegation zone into 15th. Aston Villa, on the other hand, are winless in their last 11 games – dating back to September. As a result, they sit rock-bottom of the Premier League and eight points from safety. The pressure is mounting considerably on Remi Garde, though the Villa board have stated that they will back him during the January transfer window. I fancy Newcastle here to continue their fantastic run of form.

Selection: HOME

Real Betis vs Sevilla

Real Betis are without a home victory in La Liga in their last five games. They have relied quite heavily on their solid away form this season which has helped them to 11th in the table. Sevilla are unbeaten in their last six games, in all competitions, including five solid victories. Their away form, however, has been relatively poor in the league where they are without a win on the road this season. On that basis, I see this playing out in to a closely-fought draw.

Selection: DRAW

Walsall vs Port Vale

Head-to-Head: WAL 38-25-23 PVA

Walsall will be buoyed by their game in hand over their surrounding league rivals. The home side are in third place in League One, level on points with Coventry in second. Visitors Port Vale have lost four of their last five aways game in the league and may struggle to keep up with a Walsall side hungry to move in to an automatic play-off position. Back the home team here.

Selection: HOME

Watford vs Liverpool

Head-to-Head: WAT 4-3-17 LIV

Watford are in fantastic form at present. Three consecutive league victories has helped the newly-promoted side to seventh in the table, two points ahead of Saturday’s opponents Liverpool. Manager Quique Flores has the side playing with immense confidence and self-belief. Striker Odion Ighalo is proving to be one of the club’s best ever signings after he scored his 10th goal of the season against Sunderland last week. In their current form, they could be hard to beat. Liverpool, on the other hand, are yet to win a league game in December and looked close to defeat against West Brom recently. Back the home side to at least take a point from Jurgen Klopp’s men.

Selection: HOME & DRAW

Swansea vs West Ham

Head-to-Head: SWA 17-14-26 WHU

Swansea are without victory in their last five encounters with West Ham United and could struggle yet again this weekend. The Swans have not won a game since October which has led to the sacking of former manager Garry Monk. West Ham, likewise, have not won in the league since October and have drawn four of their last six games. I struggle to see this being an exciting game as the Welsh side will be happy with at least a point. Cover the draw here and let’s hope the Hammers continue their recent stalemate record.

Selection: DRAW

Inter Milan vs Lazio

Serie A leaders Inter Milan host Lazio in what is expected to be a lively encounter. Inter lead the Italian league by four points and have won seven of their last eight games, in all competitions. Lazio, on the other hand, have won just one of their last six. It makes for bleak reading for Lazio fans who will travel to Inter knowing that the table toppers are in the midst of a fantastic run.

Selection: HOME

Arsenal vs Manchester City

Head-to-Head: ARS 94-43-49 MCI

As I have stated before in this blog, Arsenal are a team that are lethal when momentum is behind them. The Gunners are on a run of three consecutive victories, in all competitions, which included a stylish 0-3 win at Olympiakos to sail through to the knockout stage of the Champions League. Wenger’s men are only two points behind league leaders Leicester and will certainly boost title claims come May. They host Manchester City on Monday evening who are showing no consistency thus far this season. Manuel Pellegrini’s men lost to Stoke a fortnight ago at the Britannia Stadium which showcased their vulnerability without key players. This should develop in to another exceptional game between two sides who boast the best attacking forces in the league.

Selection: HOME & DRAW