Three good reasons to have faith in Crystal Palace tonight

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Crystal Palace are 13/8 on Betfair to produce a minor upset in the FA Cup by beating Premier League Wolves a week after entering administration. Here’s why we’re backing them…

1. Wolves haven’t covered themselves in glory of late. They’ve won just one of their last seven matches and that was a slender 1-0 triumph away to League One strugglers Tranmere.
2. Mick McCarthy is likely to play a weakened team. His side were lucky

   Tags: Betfair, Crystal Palace, Free Bet, Mick McCarthy, Neil Warnock, Wolves

   Posted: February 2nd, 2010 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment
   

The opening day fixtures make good reading for Arsenal, Chelsea and Wolves

Six Premier League fixture-list related trends and statistics

1. The last five newly-promoted teams to kick their season off at home all avoided defeat, which is good news for Wolves who open against West Ham.

2. However, the last four to start away from home have all lost. That doesn’t bode well for Birmingham and Burnley, who start at Man United and Stoke.

3. Chelsea have won their opening game in each of the last seven seasons and this year they kick-off their campaign at home to Hull.

Posted: June 17th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Five stats about Sheffield Utd and Preston’s play-off clash

Sheff Utd/Preston NE, 7.45pm, Sky Sports 1, Free Bets, Best Odds

1. Preston haven’t won on any of their last 12 visits to Bramall Lane.

2. Neither Sheffield United’s home points tally or Preston’s away haul were worthy of the play-offs, therefore both sides should find this encounter harder than the first.

3. Alan Irvine’s side won just five of their 26 away games this season but significantly they won their most recent two.

4. Despite their struggles on the road this season, Preston won away to both automatically promoted sides - Wolves and Birmingham.

5. Ten of the last 13 clashes between the two sides finished with under 2.5 goals.

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

Sheff Utd are 3.1 on Betfair to maintain their great away run

Burnley/Sheff Utd, 7.45pm, Sky Sports 1, Free Bets, Best Odds

Since January 31, Sheffield United and Burnley have averaged more points per game than any other teams in the Championship, making this match a clash between the division’s two form sides. It’s a massively important one too as Burnley need three points to extend their advantage over Swansea and Preston while Sheffield United need at least a point to realistically maintain their chances of automatic promotion. Here are five stats about tonight’s huge Championship match:

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1. Sheffield United are unbeaten in fifteen away league games.

2. However, Burnley are yet to lose a home game against a fellow top six side, having held Birmingham and Cardiff and beaten Reading and Wolves.

3. The Blades have the best away defence in the league, having conceded just 16 goals in 21 games on the road. They have conceded two or more on just three occasions.

Posted: April 20th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Why James Beattie may prove to be the signing of the season

Five stats about this weekend’s football

1. Has any January signing made as big an impact as James Beattie? Over the last eight games only the Big Four have taken more points than Stoke. Beattie has scored six goals from ten starts which is a huge contribution considering relegation rivals Middlesbrough, spearheaded by £12.7 million striker Afonso Alves, have managed a combined four goals in their last ten.

2. The impact Beattie has made at Stoke makes Sheffield United’s performance without him even more remarkable. The Blades have been the best team in the Championship since January 12, the day they sold Beattie, and they could climb up to second with victory over Barnsley tomorrow if Birmingham lose to Wolves tonight.

3. The most impressive aspect of the Yorkshire club’s climb up the table has been their away form. Kevin Blackwell’s side haven’t been beaten on the road in fourteen league games.

4. Manchester United have conceded ten goals in five league games since their record-breaking run of fourteen consecutive clean sheets was ended.

5. After Aston Villa’s latest defeat they are only three points better off than they were at this stage last season.

Posted: April 6th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

A good omen for Everton, another Charlton collapse

Five stats about this weekend’s football

1. Everton have lost just one of their last seventeen games, with their only defeat over that period coming away to Manchester United. The last four teams to knock Middlesbrough out of the FA Cup have reached the final (and lost), meaning that Everton could be the team to end the Red Devils sextuple bid in the semis.

2. Arsenal have failed to score in their last three home league games but they have managed eight in their three cup games at the Emirates over the same period, winning each game to nil. The only team to have scored against the Gunners in their last eight games was West Brom.

3. Fulham’s 4-0 home loss to Manchester United was the first time since last April that they have been beaten by more than one goal at Craven Cottage.

4. Charlton’s 3-2 loss at home to Watford at the weekend marked the third time in seven games that they had led at half-time only to end up being beaten.

5. Now that they have rediscovered some form, Wolves look likely to become the sixth team in six seasons to win automatic promotion a year after finishing just outside the play-offs in either seventh or eighth.

Posted: March 9th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment