Saturday
Fixture: Sunderland 2-0 Middlesbrough
Venue: Stadium of Light (Sunderland home)
Kick-off: 12.45pm BST
Verdict: The natural reaction is to assume a home win for Sunderland, who have an excellent record at home in the Premier League (it's the only thing that's kept them up so far). But their home form has been poor so far this season, and with Roy Keane having a tenuous hold on the dressing room, this could be another loss. Boro look a good bet for a Uefa Cup place this season and can bounce back from losing at Portsmouth.
Betting Advice: 1pt Middlesbrough win at 11/5 (3.2 at Bet365, Boylesports, William Hill)
Fixture: Blackburn 1-0 Fulham
Venue: Ewood Park (Blackburn home)
Kick-off: 3pm BST
Verdict: With Blackburn yet to find their feet and Fulham looking good, I am not going to touch this one. It could go either way.
Betting Advice: no bet
Fixture: Liverpool 0-0 Stoke
Venue: Anfield (Liverpool home)
Kick-off: 3pm BST
Verdict: There's always one team that flatters to deceive in the Premier League every season, and Liverpool are most certainly the case this year. They just haven't been firing and are not top on merit. However, I did tip them to win the league this year and you don't have to be on form all season to win it. You just have to be winning all year to win it. I get the feeling, after a good win in Marseille midweek, they be about to find their feet.
Betting Advice: 2pts L'pool -1.75 in Asian H'cap at 83/100 (1.83 at Bet Direct, Stan James)
Fixture: West Ham 3-1 Newcastle
Venue: The Boleyn Ground (West Ham home)
Kick-off: 3pm BST
Verdict: It's the battle of the hopeless cases one which West Ham are tipped on the back of being at home. Newcastle have a lot of issues to deal with, and they are way off finishing washing their dirty linen in public. Avoid Newcastle like the plague for the next few weeks.
Betting Advice: 4pts West Ham win at 11/10 (2.1 generally)
Fixture: Bolton 1-3 Arsenal
Venue: Reebok Stadium (Bolton home)
Kick-off: 5.30pm BST
Verdict: You would be a fool to back against Arsenal at the moment even if they are visiting a ground that has held little joy for them in the Premiership over the years. That said Bolton are poor at the moment and since they won at Stoke at the start of the season, they have failed to register much on the scoresheet. I feel a 1-0 coming on…
Betting Advice: 2pts Arsenal to win to nil at 8/5 (2.6 at Paddy Power)
Sunday
Fixture: West Brom 1-2 Aston Villa
Venue: Hawthorns (West Brom home)
Kick-off: 12pm BST
Verdict: Despite current form, I am urging Villa backers to steer clear of this one because Villa have been notoriously bad against newly promoted Midlands sides. Birmingham and Wolves have done them West Brom might do too.
Betting Advice: no bet
Fixture: Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United
Venue: Stamford Bridge (Chelsea home)
Kick-off: 2pm BST
Verdict: Usually these battles are so difficult to predict, but I think this one is a no-brainer and we benefit from the amount of people worldwide who back Man Utd regardless, pushing up the price. Chelsea are streets ahead of United at the moment and will take advantage of that fact at home to stay on top of the Premier League. Get on.
Betting Advice: 4pts Chelsea win at 5/4 (2.25 generally)
Fixture: Hull 2-2 Everton
Venue: KC Stadium (Hull home)
Kick-off: 3pm BST
Verdict: No, no, no, no, no. Everton are too skitty and Hull are still having a new-boy renaissance. Wait until next week and we'll back heavy against Hull. Just not now.
Betting Advice: no bet
Fixture: Man City 6-0 Portsmouth
Venue: Eastlands (Man City home)
Kick-off: 3pm BST
Verdict: Another battle of the middle ground, but I expect Man City to win this one in light of the fact that they have momentum and Portsmouth are not the greatest of travelers.
Betting Advice: 1pt Man City win at 11/10 (2.1 at Ladbrokes)
Fixture: Tottenham 0-0 Wigan
Venue: White Hart Lane (Spurs home)
Kick-off: 3pm BST
Verdict: Darren Bent thinks the gloom has lifted at White Hart Lane I'm not so sure. However, I do know that the statisticians are labouring under the false pretence that there is always goals at the Lane. Not without Berbatov and not with an efficient Wigan defence holding sway.
Betting Advice: 3pts under 2.5 goals at Evens (2.0 generally)
