Andy Murray 4.6 to beat Jurgen Melzer in four sets

Click here to claim a free £10 bet on the Australian Open

Andy Murray has barely broken sweat so far but that will change against Jurgen Melzer. chickendinner fancy the Austrian to take a set but if you disagree, Betfair generously offer 1.52 on Murray winning in straight sets:

» Murray won all three of his meetings against Melzer last year but has yet to conquer him in straight sets.

» Even when the Brit enjoyed his best ever Grand Slam at last year’s US Open, he had to work hard to overcome Melzer in the third round. The Austrian went two sets up before Murray came back to win.

» Murray has only once got through the first three rounds of a Grand Slam without dropping a set.

Are you an early bird? Murray is due on court at 8.30am on Saturday and you can watch him free of charge live on Betfair just by opening an account. Click here to do that and claim a free £10 bet.

Posted: January 23rd, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Crystal Palace and Hull both have poor FA Cup records

Past performances bode well for Leicester and Newcastle fans

Crystal Palace vs. Leicester City
League One leaders Leicester have recorded nine wins in their last eleven games, and are unbeaten since October. Palace, meanwhile, have avoided defeat in nine of their last ten games so something has to give. Neil Warnock’s side have won their last three at home but have been knocked out at the third round stage in 17 of the last 24 seasons.

Newcastle vs. Hull City
Hull have lost their opening round tie in five of the last six years and have only won one of their last thirteen games whilst Newcastle have failed to reach the fourth round in only one of the last five years. This is the sixth time these clubs have been drawn together in the FA Cup. Newcastle lead 4-1 and Hull will be hoping they can improve on that record by reaching the fourth round for the first time since 1989.

Research for this article was provided by Danny Harris

Posted: January 14th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Six reasons why Southend could stun Chelsea tonight

Southend/Chelsea, 8.10pm, ITV1, Free Bets, Best Odds

Rather than boring you with obvious reasons why Chelsea stand a decent chance of beating League One opposition, chickendinner sometimes likes to go against the grain and argue what others may consider a lost cause. Southend are available at 15/1 on Betfair to win at home to Luiz Felipe Scolari’s out-of-form side and here are six reasons why they stand a decent chance:

1. Southend masterminded a win over a Manchester United team including Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney in the Carling Cup two seasons ago and were robbed by an offside Jermain Defoe extra-time goal against Spurs in the next round.

2. Chelsea have won just one of their last six games and were knocked out the League Cup by Burnley in November.

3. The Blues aren’t used to playing away in the FA Cup and have won just two of their six games on the road in the competition, losing three.

Posted: January 14th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Stats for all of tonight’s FA Cup games (Part Two)

The games at Histon, Leyton Orient, Norwich and Peterborough

Photo Credit: Chris Radburn/PA Wire

chickendinner have already told you why we think that Bristol City will eliminate Portsmouth but here are a few stats to help you bet on the other eight games taking place tonight:

Histon v Swansea
The Welsh side will feel like proving a point after the Histon players reacted underwhelming to being drawn against them in the third round. Histon haven’t lost at home in the league or FA Cup since August while Swansea are unbeaten in nine. However, at this stage last year Swansea were eliminated by non-league side, Havant and Waterlooville.

Leyton Orient v Sheffield United
Leyton Orient are winless in six while Sheffield United are unbeaten over the same number of games so an away win appears the most likely outcome. Another impressive statistic in the Yorkshire side’s favour is that they are unbeaten in seven away games since losing to their rivals Sheffield Wednesday while Orient have won just one of their last ten at home.

Norwich v Charlton (replay)

Posted: January 13th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Stats for all of tonight’s FA Cup games (Part One)

Info on games at Birmingham, Burnley, Cheltenham and Crewe

chickendinner have already told you why we think that Bristol City will eliminate Portsmouth but here are a few stats to help you bet on the other eight games taking place tonight:

Birmingham v Wolves
For the first time this season Wolves are on a run of three games without a win. The league leaders last beat Birmingham in 2001 and five of their last six encounters have finished level, which could mean a replay that would be unwelcome for both teams could be on the cards.

Burnley v QPR (replay)
The home side are winless in their last five games but have won seven of their last eleven meetings with QPR, while two have been drawn. However, the billionaires were 2-0 winners at Turf Moor last season and are unbeaten in six, although the fact that five of those have been draws suggests that penalties is a possibility.

Cheltenham v Doncaster

Posted: January 13th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment