City can bounce back after their first defeat
IT has been a tough couple of weeks for Manchester City after being dumped out of the Champions League by Napoli and then tasting defeat for the first time in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Monday night. They didn’t perform badly in either game, though, and Roberto Mancini will be desperate for his men to pick up three points against Arsenal on Sunday.
City have won all seven home league matches this campaign and although they haven’t come up against anyone as strong as Arsenal at the Etihad yet, they should still take all the beating at around 1.73 on Betdaq. The Gunners won here 3-0 last season, but this is a much stronger City side and the Chelsea defeat should have galvanised the league leaders. Arsenal have won their past two league games, but this will be a big test for Arsene Wenger’s men. They have lost three of their seven away games in the league this season and I fancy it to be four from eight after Sunday’s game.
These two sides have been involved in some of the most high scoring games in recent Premier League history. There have been four or more goals scored in 11 of City’s last 15 league contests and the same is true in 12 of Arsenal’s last 19 away matches. The Gunners have failed to score in just two of those fixtures, so buying goals at 3.2 with Sporting Index looks the most sensible option.
Andre Villas-Boas has answered his critics in style over the past few weeks and he will be hoping for a fourth straight win across all competitions at Wigan tomorrow evening. The Latics have taken a solitary point from their last five home matches and their four defeats have been by the HT/FT double result. Chelsea have registered HT/FT victories in six of their last 10 visits to bottom-six finishers and Blue Square offer an attractive looking evens for a repeat.
Manchester United registered a much-needed victory against Wolves last weekend and they travel down to QPR for Sunday’s lunchtime kick-off. There have been two or fewer goals in five of Rangers’ seven home games this season and the same is true in United’s last five on the road.
The Red Devils have won their last three away fixtures 1-0 and it would be no surprise to see another repeat of that scoreline which can be backed at 6/1 with Ladbrokes. I would also advise spread bettors to sell goals at 2.8 with Sporting Index.
If you’re heading out Christmas shopping this weekend, make sure you ditch the missus and drop into one of the Samvo gaming cafes in Hammersmith or Camden which are being turned into ‘Man Creches’. Sexy Santas will be handing out free mince pies, yuletide logs and hot chocolate, while punters will also receive a £5 free bet on the weekend football. What better way to avoid traipsing around the shops?