Football betting tips

 Premiership Betting - Matchday 26 Preview

It has been a busy week on the international scene with a full midweek schedule of friendly fixtures, while the African Cup of Nations is reaching a climax with the final on Sunday. Premiership bettors should check to see whether players return safely from national duty, then got to PinnacleSports.com for up to 60% better Premiership betting odds.

Sunday Grand Slam Part One – Manchester Derby

Manchester United were this week fined £25,000 by the Football Association after picking up seven bookings in their 1-1 draw with Spurs last Saturday at White Hart Lane. They got out of jail in the 90th minute of a bad tempered game, and there could be plenty more cautions at Old Trafford this Sunday as they face their City rivals, in the first part of a Premiership Grand Slam. The Laser Blues shocked the Red Devils with a 1-0 win at Eastlands earlier in the season, so victory at the Theatre of Dreams would give Sven Goran Eriksson an unlikely double, in his first season in charge.

The odds are stacked against that as United are in much the better form, having won twelve successive Premiership home games, conceding just three times. City have settled into a familiar pattern of struggling on the road, winning just two away games so far this term. Key playmaker Elano – the one individual who could hurt United - has gone off the boil, Of course this isn’t just any game, and both sides will raise their performance levels, but United are at virtually full strength, and last at home in Manchester Derby back in 1974. There is the added intensity of Wednesday’s 50th anniversary of the Munich Air crash which killed eight Man Utd players, which will fire up the home crowd. On the last two meetings Alex Ferguson’s side have run out 3-1 winners, and PinnacleSports.com make them favourites 1.826 (-1.5)* with Man City 2.110 (+1.5)*.

Sunday Grand Slam Part Two – Chelsea v Liverpool

Chelsea and Liverpool have become closely acquainted over recent seasons playing each other 17 times over the last four campaigns, thanks to regular meetings in the Champions League. All games between these sides are hard fought affairs, but Liverpool must overcome Chelsea’s 78 game unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge, stretching back to 2004. The Pool’s recent form at the Bridge doesn’t suggest they are capable of that, failing to score in their last seven visits, starting at the beginning of the Jose Mourinho era. The Reds have been distracted by friction between club owners and manager, Rafa Benitez, which has unsettled players, and seen them win just one league game in 2008, dropping right off the title race.

Chelsea remain in the hunt, but have been struggling under the burden of injuries to John Terry, Frank Lampard, Ricardo Carvalho and Andriy Shevchenko, while Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Salamon Kalou and Obi Mikel have been playing at the African Cup of Nations. All except Mikel will still be in Ghana over the weekend, so this is a good time for Liverpool to break their bad run away to Chelsea. The Scousers spirits will have been lifted by last weekend’s 2-0 win over Sunderland, but they still seem like a side low on confidence, whereas Chelsea have rediscovered the siege mentality, grinding out results with a second XI. The return of Michael Ballack has been a huge boost while Brazilian defender, Alex, looks like a quality player. PinnacleSports.com make Chelsea marginal favourites 2.110 (-0.5)* with Liverpool 1.826 (+0.5)* – a market priced to less than 102%.

*All odds subject to change

 Wayne drops keep falling on my head

 By Gerry McDonnell