Stats on this weekend’s four major Premier League games

Click here for the latest odds on the relegation battle

The deck seems to be stacked against Newcastle as they enter the final day in the relegation zone with Hull facing Manchester United Reserves but we still find it difficult to imagine them playing in the Championship. Here are three stats for each of Sunday’s four biggest games:

Aston Villa v Newcastle
The hosts have won just one of their last 15 games in all competitions.
Villa have only triumphed in three of their last 13 home league matches.
However, Newcastle have lost on three of their last four visits to Villa Park.

Hull v Manchester United
Manchester United have won their final match in five of the last six seasons.
The Tigers shipped three goals at home to Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Posted: May 22nd, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Everything you need to know about Aston Villa/Everton

Aston Villa/Everton, Sunday 2pm, Sky Sports 1, £25 Free Bet

Aston Villa will be out for revenge because their nine-match winless run began with a 3-1 loss at Goodison Park in the FA Cup but Everton will be just as hungry for three points that would see them leapfrog Martin O’Neill’s side. chickendinner have teamed up with Betfair to produce another Big Match Wizard, with stats on every player who is likely to start the match as well as some superfacts. Click here to check it out now!

Posted: April 10th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

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

Spread betting prices show Aston Villa are closing the gap

IG Sport preview the battle for third between Villa and Chelsea

Every week our friends at spread betting firm IG Sport kindly preview a major sporting event. This week they explain the markets for Aston Villa and Chelsea and how the prices emphasise the progress Martin O’Neill’s side have made this season:

“Sir Alex Ferguson has been stirring things again this week, playing the kind of mind games which have kept him at the top of the tree for so long, dismissing Chelsea’s Premier League challenge, while saying he’ll keep a ‘wary eye’ on Aston Villa. It may be rhetoric coming from big SAF but look no further that IG Sport’s supremacy quote to see how much the gap between the two has close. The firm make Chelsea just 0.1-0.3 goal favourites for the match, the lowest supremacy quote they have put up on Premier League matches between these two in six years.  At this rate the next time Martin O’Neill’s side face Chelsea at Villa Park they will start as favourites!”

Click here for a detailed description of how spread betting works

Posted: February 19th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Seven reasons why Chelsea won’t beat Aston Villa

Aston Villa/Chelsea, 12.45pm, Sky Sports 1, Free Bets, Best Odds

Guus Hiddink starts his stint as Chelsea manager on Saturday knowing that they can’t afford to lose, but the stats suggest there is no way that they can win either. Despite the form guide handing a clear advantage to Aston Villa, Chelsea have been installed as favourites. Ladbrokes offer 11/8 on Hiddink starting with a win but here are seven reasons why he will fail:

1. Since achieving a record eleven straight away league wins, Chelsea have failed to win any of their last four on the road.

2. The Blues have won just four of their last twelve league matches and three of those triumphs came at Stamford Bridge.

3. Chelsea haven’t won any of their last ten away games against Aston Villa, with their last triumph coming way back in 1999.

Posted: February 19th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | 1 Comment

Aston Villa meet the form side of this season’s UEFA Cup

Stats on three interesting European matches taking place tonight

Photo Credit: Misha Japaridze, AP Photo

Aston Villa v CSKA Moscow
Consider how much they have acheived this season, it is surprising just how poor Aston Villa’s home record is. Over the last six months they have won just six of their seventeen games at Villa Park, which is a 35% success rate. However, over that period they have only lost three times, while they have drawn at home on a massive eight occasions. Their opponents CSKA are the only team to have won all of their games to date in this year’s competition and are strong away, having lost just two of fifteen league games on the road last season. Villa’s defence will have their hands full against Vagner Love, who has scored seven goals in CSKA’s three away games in the competition.

Dynamo Kiev v Valencia

Posted: February 18th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment