Saturday
Fixture: Everton 0-0 Tottenham
Venue: Goodison Park (Everton home)
Kick-off: 3pm BST
Verdict: There is a school of thought that Everton are guarding themselves for the FA Cup fearful of injuries and concerned about over-exerting themselves. I don't hold much trunk with that. There is still something to play for in the league with the battle for fifth place hotting up. And there is the small matter of fighting for their place in that FA Cup final line-up, which has kept professional footballers on their toes for generations. That said, Tottenham are finishing the season off like a train, with only two defeats since being knocked out of the FA Cup at the beginning of March. They do have an affliction for playing in Lancashire, though. They can be forgiven losing at Old Trafford, but a defeat at Blackburn is a blot on their copy book. Still this will be a tight affair, that much is certain.
Betting Advice: 1pt draw at 12/5 (3.4 at Skybet)
Sunday
Fixture: Arsenal 1-4 Chelsea
Venue: Emirates Stadium (Arsenal home)
Kick-off: 4pm BST
Verdict: The two Champions League semi-final losers face off in the league on Sunday and when Sky picked this one to be on the box, I bet they thought it was much more likely to have something to do with the title than it actually does. However, the key to this game may be in this midweek's shenanigans. While Arsenal were nodding quietly to themselves and candidly admitting that they were beaten by the better team, Chelsea were ranting at referees, swearing into cameras, allegedly assaulting referees in the tunnel after the game, while their oh so pleasant fans threw death threats like they used to throw their season tickets onto the pitch at Stamford Bridge in the Bates era (the ticket office was always busiest on Monday as the hot heads phoned up for replacement books!). It can't be healthy and the repercussions look likely to be long and far-reaching. Didier Drogba may have started his last game for the club, John Terry is in danger of losing the England captaincy (not before time) and the club could face a heavy sanctions for the fans criminality (remember, they have form. Remember Anders Frisk?). Which all kind of plays into Arsenal's hands. They will be motivated, looking forward to next season where their young side can carry on their progression. At Chelsea, it is all starting to look like the end of an era.
Let's hope so.
Betting Advice: 3pts Arsenal to win at 13/8 (2.63 at Bet365 and Stan James)
Monday
Fixture: Newcastle 3-1 Middlesbrough
Venue: St James Park (Newcastle home)
Kick-off: 8pm BST
Verdict: The choice is pretty stark for Newcastle now: win this game and have a chance of maintaining their status as a Premier League club, or lose it and go down with all the financial oblivion that entails. And I must be absolutely clear about this: if Newcastle go down they will die. Because all the talk of The Toon being the greatest fans in the world is bunk and nonsense. Last time they languished in the second tier attendances dropped at home to a paltry 9,000 hardy souls before Kevin Keegan turned up and orchestrated their dramatic return to the top flight. That's 9,000, which is the average attendance of Bradford City in League Two this season and they finished seventh. I digress.
Current manager Alan Shearer had just begun his burgeoning playing career at Southampton and as a Geordie would have been a stay-away but with a good excuse. I shall probably bump into Mr Shearer as he convalesces in close season in a little spot on the Algarve I frequent and I wonder whether he will look back on Monday night with a sense of quiet satisfaction, or pain.
One thing in his favour (and it is a huge thing) is that Boro have given up not that they ever really tried in the first place. Gareth Southgate bought the wrong foreign talent and subsequently got tangled in knots with the details surely nothing to do with the fact that he has yet to train for a Uefa licence, a requirement from the end of next season.
Betting Advice: 4pts Newcastle to win at 11/10 (2.1 generally)
THE NO BETS
Saturday
Portsmouth can pretty much call themselves safe from, as can Blackburn, which makes this battle at Ewood Park a wholly unpredictable end-of-season affair
Bolton are horrible and should not be playing in the top flight. But they are because teams like Sunderland flourish in mediocrity. Avoid betting (and watching)
Fulham could pull out all the stops and beat a top five side again (Man United) at home. Or they can capitulate against a top five, like Chelsea last week. Against Villa, who are erratic themselves, who knows?
I cannot see Hull winning another game this season, but a safe-enough Stoke side with an appalling away record might just end up doing them a favour
West Brom are still clinging to the impossible, but Wigan are a tough side that won't lie down
Liverpool are scoring goals for fun, but West Ham have been known to spoil the odd party
Sunday
A Manchester derby is worth avoiding at the best of times but when United are 1/3, it is not worthy anything other than a punt on City
Wednesday
The games come thing and fast for Man Utd, and a trip to Wigan has got to be the toughest of the lot three days after a derby which was four days after a European semi-final
