Premier League 
/ Mike Norman / 04 February 2011 / Leave a Comment 
David Moyes looks like a man under pressure at Everton
"I was very surprised that Yakubu and Steven Pienaar were allowed/wanted to leave the club, and it has to be said that David Moyes has looked like a man on the brink in recent weeks."
Arsenal and Man City aim to keep their title hopes alive, and should do so says Mike Norman as he previews all Saturday's non-TV action. Best Bet: Back Man City HT/Man City FT at [2.24] v West Brom.
Aston Villa [2.0] v Fulham [4.3]; The Draw [3.6]
Both these clubs have been in decent form lately, though the key to this game is Villa having home advantage as Fulham have been pretty poor on the road for the best part of two years now. The Cottagers have won just one away game all season and it's easy to see why - they simply don't score enough goals (nine scored in 12 league games).
Because of the pace in Villa's side I fancy Darren Bent to be a real success at his new club. Two goals in his first three games is a more than adequate start and I wouldn't be surprised at all if he netted against Fulham. He will be available to back at around [5.5] and [2.3] respectively once the First Goalscorer and To Score markets materialise.
Everton [1.48] v Blackpool [8.0]; The Draw [4.8]
I get the feeling that all is not well at Everton. I was very surprised that Yakubu and Steven Pienaar were allowed/wanted to leave the club, and it has to be said that David Moyes has looked like a man on the brink in recent weeks. The Toffees should be too strong for an out-of-form Blackpool side, but the Goodison Park outfit have let home supporters down many times this season and I fancy that will be the case again.
We all know how entertaining games involving Blackpool have been this season so there'll be plenty of punters wanting to back Over 2.5 Goals at [1.66]. However I fancy this to be a cagey affair that could end up being low-scoring. Under 1.5 Goals is rather appealing at [5.5] then, but I'm more than happy to just lay Everton in the Match Odds market at [1.49].
Man City [1.46] v West Brom [9.4]; The Draw [4.7]
Just when you build Manchester City up as one of the best away teams in the country they go on a run of four games without a win on the road (league and FA Cup). They have won their last four - and scored 13 goals in the process - on home soil however so the balance may well have changed. Albion have lost five straight away games (the last four without scoring), and they could be in for a heavy loss in this encounter.
A total of 21 goals have been scored during Man City's last five home games, of which 12 of them came in the first half. Although not all of those goals went City's way, if there are to be any first half goals here (I'm sure there will be) then I fancy them to go to the home side. My best bet of this game then, and of the weekend, is Man City/Man City at [2.24] in the Half Time/Full Time market.
Newcastle [5.8] v Arsenal [1.69]; The Draw [4.1]
Despite the massive price tag I have a few Geordie friends who are extremely indignant at the sale of Andy Carroll. Not only do they think that owner Mike Ashley will pocket the cash, but they are now worried as to who will score goals. It didn't help then that Shola Ameobi broke his cheekbone in midweek, leaving Newcastle boss Alan Pardew with very few options in attack. Arsenal have a few injury worries of their own but they should still be good enough to come away from St James Park with all three points.
The Gunners' goals scored column for their last eight away games reads 3-3-2-0-4-2-2-3, the zero coming at Old Trafford where no team has triumphed this season. It's a bit of a toss-of-the-coin job then as to whether you back Under 2.5 Goals at [2.08] or Over 2.5 Goals at [1.92], but given that I don't think Newcastle will score then I prefer to back both the 0-2 ([9.0]) and 0-3 ([16.0]) options in the Correct Score market.
Tottenham [1.65] v Bolton [6.6]; The Draw [4.0]
Bolton needed a horrendous last minute mistake from Wolves in midweek to break their sequence of games without scoring, but it doesn't bode well that they've stopped creating chances on their own accord. Spurs haven't been at their brilliant best of late either, scoring no more than one goal in each of their last five league games and winning just two of them. Tottenham should win, but it could be a closely run affair containing few goals.
Just like in midweek when I couldn't believe the Under 2.5 Goals price in Bolton's game with Wolves, I'm similarly surprised to see that option available to back at [2.06] here. True, Tottenham can score at least three themselves if they are on form, but given their recent goalscoring record, and Bolton's, then I'm more than happy to back Unders.
Wigan [2.62] v Blackburn [3.0]; The Draw [3.4]
I'm not too sure about this game and prefer to stay well clear of it. Wigan are a poor side but they keep pinching points when you least expect them to (six draw in last 10 league games), whereas Blackburn are at about the same level as they were under Sam Allardyce and don't win on the road that often.
There really isn't a wager I'm confident in recommending, so going purely on head-to-head records between these two then the one possible bet has to be Over 2.5 Goals at [2.22]. The last nine meetings between Wigan and Rovers have averaged over three goals per game, with seven of those games resulting in three or more goals being scored. In fact there has never been a game between these two in their history (15 in all) that hasn't contained at least two goals.
Recommended Bets
Best Bet: Back Man City HT/Man City FT at [2.24] v West Brom
Back Darren Bent at [5.5] (First Goalscorer) and at [2.3] (To Score) v Fulham
Lay Everton at [1.49] v Blackpool
Back 0-2 at [9.0] and 0-3 at [16.0] Correct Scores in Newcastle v Arsenal
Back Under 2.5 Goals at [2.06] in Tottenham v Bolton
Back Over 2.5 Goals at [2.22] in Wigan v Blackburn
*Mike's record on his Best Bets this season is 19 wins from 42 selections resulting in a profit/loss of +£16.40 (£10 stake/liability per selection)
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