Tag: Cesc Fabregas

Chelsea face Man City without Diego Costa

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Chelsea’s prospects of inflicting a defeat on champions Man City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday were dealt a hefty blow with the news that Diego Costa has received a three-match ban.

The striker was charged with violent conduct for stamping on Emre Can during Chelsea’s midweek victory over Liverpool. Claims that the incident was accidental were presumably brushed aside in view of the fact that Costa had produced a very similar challenge on Martin Skrtel later in the match, although the Liverpool player was also guilty of retaliation.

The ban will provide further for conspiracy theorists, Jose Mourinho among them, who believe that there is a campaign against the Premiership leaders. The loss of Costa is a big blow for Saturday’s late kick-off but it could be even worse if Cesc Fabregas also fails to recover from his hamstring injury. The Spaniard is on course to break all records for assists in Premiership football this season and the Blues would undoubtedly miss his creativity in midfield.

Chelsea currently hold a five-point advantage over the champions and there must be an increasing likelihood that they would view a point as a good result. The Blues have won all ten home games so far this season and were only pegged back in the 85th minute in the reverse fixture by a certain Frank Lampard. Allowing Lampard to play in a City shirt this season via New York must go down as a case of neglect by Chelsea. It has already cost them dearly with Lampard rescuing City on several occasions, not just in that 1-1 draw at the Etihad.

City are not exactly on fire at the moment having been beaten by Arsenal in Middlesbrough in their last two games. They will take the FA Cup loss on the chin but they were below par against Arsenal and still do not have Yaya Toure back from the Africa Cup of Nations. The more I look at this match, the more I fear a dour stalemate. If the name of Mikel features in the Blues line-up it seems to safe to assume that Chelsea would settle for a point. It is more a match that neither side can afford to lose than one that they have to win.

Chelsea v Man City DRAW @5-2 Bet365

Chelsea 1 Man City 1 @6-1 Bet365*

*Bet365 will refund correct score bets if the game ends in a 0-0 Bore draw

Premier League Preview Nov 29th – 30th

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

If Chelsea could replay one match from last season it would be the home game against Sunderland in April. They suffered their first loss at Stamford Bridge under Jose Mourinho after an incredible run of 77 games.

They had taken the lead early on but failed to convert several chances before allowing Sunderland back into the game. In desperately chasing a winner, they were caught out on the break and a slip from Azpilicueta resulted in a penalty that gave Sunderland all three points. The game ended with angry scenes as Mourinho’s assistant Rui Faria was sent to the stands after confronting referee Mike Dean.

After Chelsea’s brilliant performance in beating Schalke 5-0 away on Tuesday, they will be looking to continue their dominance in the Premier League with a win at the Stadium of Light. Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas continue to impress and it may be worth taking a chance on the latter scoring first on Saturday. He has scored more goals against Sunderland than he has against any other Premiership side.

The early kick-off is at the Hawthorns where Arsenal will be anxious to return to winning form in the League. They have lost their last two matches against Swansea and Manchester United but steadied the ship by securing their place in the knockout phase of the Champions League on Wednesday.

Alexis Sanchez is in unstoppable form at the moment but the man to support here could be Olivier Giroud. He missed the game against Dortmund as he omitted from the Champions League squad through injury. He looked very sharp when coming on and scoring against United last week.

Man United have crept quietly into the top four after a poor start. Their last-gasp equaliser against Chelsea and win at Arsenal have suddenly given the team renewed confidence. They should brush aside a dour Hull City side without too much difficulty with Rooney and Di Maria likely goal scorers.

Liverpool are something of a mystery at the moment and did not exactly shine with a 2-2 draw against Ludogorets in midweek. They are at home to Stoke and would gladly take three points in any way, shape or form right now. They should just manage it but possibly by just a single goal.

Sunday’s action features high-flying Southampton against Man City. The Saints dropped points at Villa Park on Monday and most pundits will be waiting for them to start their inevitable slide down the table over Christmas. They have some tough games ahead of them but at least they catch City on the rebound from their epic clash with Bayern Munich. Take Southampton to hold out for another draw despite the presence of Sergio Aguero.

Olivier Giroud to score and Arsenal win @9-4 Paddy Power

Cesc Fabregas to score first v Sunderland @9-1 Ladbrokes

Diego Costa to score and Chelsea win @6-5 Ladbrokes

Man United to win by 3 or more goals @31-10 Boylesports

Wayne Rooney to score and United win @7-5 Bwin

Angel Di Maria to score first v Hull @6-1 Bet365

Liverpool to win by a single goal @11-4 Skybet

Southampton and Man City DRAW @23-10 Skybet

Premiership 2014/15 Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The leading Premiership sides are busily concluding their summer transfers but Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho believes that his work is already completed.

The signature of Brazilian International Felipe Luis alongside that of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas has given the Blues a significantly stronger squad than last season as they bid to improve on their third place.

Mourinho had always insisted that last season was very much part of a learning curve for his young side but there was a deep-rooted feeling of disappointment among the fans as they ended the season without a trophy. The Blues had completed a double over Manchester City and Liverpool yet somehow contrived to drop points against inferior opposition over the closing weeks.

The progress of sweeping out the old guard is all but complete with Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard both departing in the summer. John Terry did enough to convince Mourinho that he had another season left in him at the top flight while Petr Cech is fighting to keep his number one spot.

Champions Man City have added Fernando to their squad but will be largely unchanged while Arsenal’s signing of Alexis Sanchez has done little to convince punters that a title bid is on the cards. The arrival of Van Gaal at Manchester United comes with the promise of further signings after Luke Shaw’s capture from Southampton. United were so far off the pace last season that they will have to pull something out of the hat if they are to challenge this year.

Liverpool fans must have mixed feelings about the departure of Luis Suarez. It was he and Sturridge that carried the Reds to the brink of the Premiership title last season but his World Cup antics were swiftly followed by a move to Barcelona. Southampton old boys Lallana and Lambert will not be sending any shockwaves through Stamford Bridge or the Etihad Stadium.

It is difficult to see the likes of Everton and Tottenham managing to muscle in on the act, although they will have their usual moments of optimism in a long season.

The bookmakers have probably got it about right with Mourinho’s Chelsea just rated favourites ahead of Man City. The best price is just shy of 2-1 at the moment with City at 9-4 and Man United at 5-1. There are already markets up for top goalscorer, relegation and the next manager to leave their post.

Chelsea to win Premiership @15-8 Bet365