Sports Blog 09/01/2015: Match Preview – Premier League, Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th January 2015

There is a busy weekend for the Premier League as a flurry of matches should see changes in the make-up of the top 6.

First up on Saturday sees Liverpool visit the Stadium of Light to play a struggling Sunderland side at 12.45pm on BT Sport 1. Sunderland have only managed one home win all season, but have managed to scrape draws against teams like Man United and Chelsea, so might be able to get something against Brendan Rodgers’ men.



However, Liverpool will be desperate for a win to keep pushing for a top 4 finish. Yet only Burnley and QPR have conceded more away goals than Liverpool, and the Reds have lost more away games then they have won. After Gerrard’s cup brace he is at 11/2 to score first, with Raheem Sterling favourite at 5/1 fixed odds betting with 6 goals; for the Black Cats, Steven Fletcher is 8/1 with 4 goals, and Adam Johnson and Jordi Gomez are both at 10/1. Despite Liverpool’s poor away form our Spreadex clients still fancy the Reds at a Liverpool/Sunderland Goal Supremacy spread betting quote of 0.5-0.7; and considering their sloppy away defence, we have a Total Goals spread betting quote 2.55-2.75.

Saturday’s afternoon game is a London derby, as 18th-placed Crystal Palace host Tottenham at 17.30pm on Sky Sports 1. This will be Alan Pardew’s first league game in charge of Palace following a 4-0 win over Dover in the cup, and he will be hoping to overturn a 6 game winless run in the league. Tottenham, on the other hand, are second behind Manchester City in a 6 game form table, with Harry Kane scoring left, right and centre.



Kane is joined by healthy goal-scoring form from Nacer Chadli on 9 goals and Christian Eriksen on 7. Palace have had a slightly tougher time with only Dwight Gayle scoring more than 5 goals this season on 7, with Mile Jedinak on 5 goals and Frazier Campbell on 3. With Tottenham unbeaten in 4 away games against bottom-half sides, we have a Tottenham/ Crystal Palace (h) Goal Supremacy spread betting quote 0.25-0.45, and a Total Goals spread betting quote of 2.4-2.6.

On Sunday the early afternoon sees Arsenal try to keep up their chase on the top 4 as they host Stoke at 13.30pm on Sky Sports 1. Arsenal have only seen 1 home loss all season, to Manchester United, however Stoke are the Gunners’ bogey side, having lost 3-2 to the Potters in December. After earning a tie against Brighton in the next round of the FA Cup, Wenger will be keen to maintain his top 4 push and attempt to silence his critics for the time-being.



Stoke are in 11th despite a decent run of form that has seen 3 wins, 2 draws and a loss, and will be buoyed by their constant ability to spook Arsenal. Yet with top scorer Mame Biram Diouf off to the African Cup of Nations, they may struggle to find the goals they need. Stoke will be looking to Jonahtan Waters on 6 goals and Peter Crouch on 5 goals (and both 10/1 fixed odds betting to score first) to find the back of the net. Arsenal, on the other hand, have their impressive selection of attacking options available, with Alexis Sanchez on 16 goals at 11/4, Danny Welbeck on 7 goals at 5/1 and Olivier Giroud on 6 goals at 17/4. Due to their firepower, Spreadex are betting on an Arsenal win, at a Goal Supremacy spread betting quote of 1.15-1.35, with a Total Goals spread betting quote 2.75-2.05.

Finally, Sunday’s late-afternoon game could see changes in the top 4, as 3rd place Manchester United host 4th place Southampton at 16.00pm on Sky Sports 1. United will be looking to van Persie, as the Dutchman has scored 6 goals in the last 5 games between the two sides, and with only 8 goals this season he will want to increase his tally. He will have able support from Rooney, on 8 goals, and Juan Mata, on 5, as van Gaal puts the weak start to the season behind him.



However, Southampton have managed to maintain their unlikely push for a place in Europe, and have scored 34 league goals this season, the same amount as United. With striker Sadio Mane included in Senegal’s ACoN squad, the pressure will be on Granziano Pelle (11 goals) and Morgan Schneiderlin (4 goals) to bag the goals. This is likely to be a tight match, and Spreadex are providing a Man United/Southampton Goal Supremacy spread betting quote 0.6-0.8, and a Total Goals spread betting quote 2.5-2.7.