Aston Villa need to return to form against improving Spurs

Villa/Tottenham, Sunday 4pm, Sky Sports 1, Free Bets, Best Odds

For the majority of the season Aston Villa have been pushing forward at the same pace that Tottenham have been falling backwards but over the last month the two sides’ fortunes have reversed somewhat, with Villa on a six-match winless run and Spurs on a five-match unbeaten run. Here’s why a draw - offered at 5/2 by Boylesports - could be on the cards this weekend:

» Four of the last seven meetings between the two sides have finished level, including two of the last three at Villa Park.

» Aston Villa have drawn half of their fourteen home league games this season, which is the biggest percentage in the Premier League and only matched by Morecambe in the Football League.

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

Manchester City have an opportunity to out-do United

Manchester City/Aalborg, 7.45pm, ITV4, Free Bets, Best Odds

Manchester United may be on the verge of winning every trophy going and breaking records on the way but their rivals have a chance to achieve something that Sir Alex Ferguson couldn’t this season: a home win over Aalborg. The Red Devils were held 2-2 by the Danes in December and City will be looking to out-do them tonight:

Strong home team versus decent away side

» Manchester City have won five consecutive home games, conceding just two goals in the process.

» The Citizens have won three and drawn one of their four UEFA Cup games at Eastlands this season (excluding qualifiers). However the opposition scored and lost by just one goal in all three victories (2-1, 3-2, 2-1).

» Aalborg are unbeaten in seven away games and have won four of their last five on the road. They average just 1.00 points per league home game this season compared to 1.89 away.

Posted: March 12th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Why Manchester United can’t lose focus in the closing stages

Man Utd/Inter, 7.45pm, Sky Sports 2, Free Bets, Best Odds

Rather than concentrating on their gameplan to eliminate Manchester United, Inter Milan have been busy calculating what percentage chance they stand. Jose Mourinho says 50% while Mario Balotelli goes with 45% but both are wrong as the actual figure is 33%. Here we present the case for both teams, leaving you to assess whether the 8/15 on the holders breaking the curse is better value than the 7/4 Ladbrokes are offering on Inter progressing, while providing you with useful tips on other markets:

In the red corner…

» Manchester United have won eight and lost just one of their last ten home games against Italian opposition, triumphing in their last four.

» The Red Devils are unbeaten at home in over a year in all competitions and have gone more than four years without a Champions League loss at Old Trafford, a run stretching nineteen games.

Posted: March 11th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment