English Premiership: Weekend Betting Preview and Picks
By Shawn Young
SATURDAY
CHELSEA (-1.5, -140) vs. BLACKBURN ROVERS
Chelsea beat Atletico Madrid 4-0 Wednesday; Blackburn beat Burnley 3-2 Sunday.
Our Champions’ League tips were something of a disaster this week. The call we got totally wrong was picking Atlety to keep it close against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea ripped the Spanish team apart as the game wore on. If Atlety can’t play Chelsea tight, Blackburn has no shot over 90 minutes.
We’re not claiming that Blackburn are doomed to relegation; they’ll likely be safe. But they’ve been unable to punch above their weight against the league’s big sides so far. Man City beat them 2-0. On Blackburn’s last trip to London, Arsenal hit them for six goals. There’s no reason to think it’ll be all that close here, especially with Chelsea suddenly in form.
Blackburn had the midweek off and we’re not quite sure what the team will look like. Franco di Santo is ineligible as part of his loan agreement. Vince Grella (thigh) is out while Pascal Chimbonda (calf) is a game-time decision. A flu virus swept through the club Thursday and several players are day-to-day.
Chelsea miss Bosingwa and Zhirkov with knee injuries. Obi and Alex will each play another match with the reserves before returning to the squad. Didier Drogba was suspended for Wednesday’s game but his European penalty doesn’t affect this weekend’s EPL match.
If you can go over 2.5 laying less juice than the juice that’s associated with -1.5, do that instead.
Prediction: Chelsea 3, Blackburn 0
SUNDAY
LIVERPOOL vs. MANCHESTER UNITED (pick -125)
Liverpool lost 2-1 at home to Lyon Tuesday; Man United defeated CSKA Moscow 1-0 away Wednesday.
I can’t remember the last time Liverpool were a home dog. Anfield’s a fortress. Liverpool have lost four competitive matches in a row. The talking head on Sky Sports Tuesday said that that hasn’t happened since 1987. To be fair, the goal conceded away to Sunderland should not have counted. If that match had been at Anfield, the ref does not get out alive.
But enough excuses—Liverpool are not playing well and they’re running into a Man United team that has won nine of its last 10 competitive matches. (The other? A draw with Sunderland. We’ve got to find a way to get Sunderland into Europe.) Liverpool do not look like winning here, and Man United certainly do not look like losing.
Rooney (calf) and Fletcher (groin) remain doubts for Man United and Park (knee) is out, but Giggs and Evra are good to go. Liverpool manager Benitez faces crucial game-time decisions on the groins of Gerrard (doubtful), Torres (questionable) and Johnson (probable) - even if they go, they’ll be nowhere near 100 percent. Also unavailable, Riera (hamstring), Kelly (ankle) and Kyrgiakos (knee).
If you’re stuck betting into three way prices, you need +150 on Man United to make your bet worthwhile. This game is really built for pk-125 or similar, in case Liverpool get inspired by their supporters in the Kop and scrounge up a draw.
Prediction: Liverpool 1, Man United 2