sajtion

Manchester City vs Manchester United
It's the Manchester Derby this weekend when league leaders Manchester City have the chance to seal the Premier League title against their local rivals Manchester United in a 5:30pm kick-off at the Etihad Stadium this Saturday night. It's going to be a very tough one to call after the midweek action!
Pep Guardiola's side have been a joy to watch this season. Whether they do it this weekend or next weekend or whenever, they will be crowned Premier League champions barring some kind of miracle. Deservedly so. Victory would seal the title with the most games to spare by any Premier League team so far. In fact, it would be the earliest date a team has sealed the top flight trophy since Matt Busby's Manchester United won it on the same day back in 1956.
Jose Mourinho's team have faced criticism after their recent premature elimination from the Champions League. The Red Devils are 2nd in the Premier League but a staggering 16 points behind their opponents in this game. A top four finish seems likely with 5th placed Chelsea 12 points behind. This is all about pride. United will not want to see City crowned champions at their expense.
Recent head-to-head meetings show little separating the two clubs. Each team has two wins and there have also been two draws to their names in the past six league meetings. United have kept clean sheets on their last two visits to the Etihad Stadium suggesting Mourinho knows how to shut this City side down when he wants to.
City come into this game as a wounded lion. I don't expect them to suffer like they did at Anfield again. United simply don't have as much pace or creativity in their attack as Liverpool do. I can see a more progressive game that will be played out like a game of chess. That will suit both managers down to the ground. My gut instinct is backing a bore draw. However, a single goal either way could sneak it. It's a hard one to call. It might seem a cop out backing an Asian Handicap for United at such a short price but I honestly can't see them losing by more than one goal.
Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 2.05 with Betfair
Manchester United AH +1 @ 1.52 with Unibet

Boro vs N’gham Forest 
Taking a home side to win here. Highly motivated Boro, fighting for play off spot against Forest which is not playing for anything really except the pride and failed to score in last 4 matches. Not sure about missing players for this fixture on both sides, maybe someone can update it later but taking a risk and going AH (-1) Boro @2,1 bet365 

bournemouth is pissing me off lately. i expect them to lose some games but they have never say die attitude and it's causing me grief. i hate to get involved in their games as they tend to scrap a draw in dying moments of the match.
leicester will be too good for newcastle and should take these odds early before they drop further
man utd are really good shout to turn over man city. man city will be absolutely knackered after their midweek champions league game. i just feel they will put everything into it and lose their heads and focus for this match

treble on
middlesbrough, sunderland, qpr
£50     returns  £500

Chelsea vs Tottenham
The big game in the Premier League this weekend is at Stamford Bridge where Chelsea will entertain Tottenham. It's undoubtedly one of the toughest matches to call this season. Antonio Conte's side are in 5th place on 56 points but struggling to find any real consistency all season. Mauricio Pochettino's travelling Spurs team are in 4th place on 61 points but prone to dropping points in the games that matter.
There had been concerns for Tottenham fans when Harry Kane was ruled out through injury but his team mates have done the business in his absence. The premature exit from the Champions League has seemingly motivated the players to compensate in the league. It's now four wins on the bounce for Tottenham in the league. However, Chelsea are a tough team to beat at home.
One of the main causes of concern for Chelsea is their inability to put together a run of wins in 2018. The Blues have only managed to secure wins in 3 of their 9 league matches since the turn of the year. When you also consider that Tottenham are unbeaten in their last six away matches in league football, it's looking like the stats are slightly favouring the away side to take something here.
Conte has had the better of Pochettino since he became Chelsea manager. He has notched up three wins against his counterpart in their last 4 meetings. It's also been a while since Tottenham took all three points at Stamford Bridge in a Premier League game. You have to go all the way back to 10th February, 1990 to find such a result. Past head-to-head meetings are rarely seriously considered by most punters but that stat will certainly play on the minds of the players and fans.
My feeling is that the smart money is on a score draw. Chelsea will take the game to Tottenham but the away side should have enough to give as good as they get. I'm anticipating a very intriguing match-up. If I was pushed on a correct score I would say 1-1 or 2-2. My tip would have to be backing both teams to score in a drawn game.
Draw @ 3.40 with Betfred
BTTS @ 1.80 with Bet365

Genoa vs SPAL
It's back to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris this weekend for Genoa versus SPAL. Hopefully, Genoa offer us a better fight than Sampdoria delivered last weekend. I am backing this match because it's a battle between two sides where the home team has a terrible home record but the away team has just as an abysmal away record. The lure was in the home team price.
I used to love watching Genoa back in the 1990s in Serie A. Before we could afford Sky Sports, our family had to rely on a Welsh football programme called Sgorio. They would show local Welsh football but, randomly, also profile all the Serie A matches. They would even show live Serie A games every now and then. It was quality because Serie A was the best domestic league in the world back then. Genoa had players such as Dan Petrescu, Branco, Tomas Skuhravy, and Gennaro Ruotolo playing for them during that period. The glory days.
Genoa are sitting in 13th place and are only 6 points above the relegation zone with 10 games to go. It's far from a comfortable position to be in but a win here would make life a little less stressful for Davide Ballardini's side going into the final run-in. SPAL are in an even more dire position. Leonardo Semplici's team are filling 17th spot just 1 point above the bottom three. They need points desperately.
In terms of form, Genoa have lost three league games on the trot. At home, they have only managed 3 wins in their 13 home games. It's not the sort of form that builds confidence in punters backing them to win. Fear not, SPAL are just as appalling. They may be undefeated in their last four league games but they have only won 1 of their last 6 away games. They have also only scored 5 goals in their last 7 games... including when they bagged 3 in one game against Crotone. Genoa have failed to score in their last three league games too. Thrilling stuff!
If they were available at a lower price I would probably steer clear of Genoa. However, their value makes them worth a punt. They have struggled at home but not as much as SPAL have toiled away. I think Genoa will know they need to win matches like this to stay up and they should have too much for SPAL in what could be a very boring game.
Genoa to win @ 2.00 with William Hill
Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.56 with SunBets
@Pep004, @Magic0024, @malabgd, @betcatalog, @sajtion, @the bastardian, @chris666, @thegeneral55, @Mindfulness, @stephen m, @teddybear3011, @jamiedavies02, and @scommetix, what do you think of this preview? Will I recover after the debacle that was Inter Milan shafting Sampdoria 5-0 on their own turf?

my acca tip
wigan, rotherham, fleetwood, mansfield, coventry, wycombe, newport, luton, mk dons, shrewsbury
stake £20    returns £17.000
good luck 

2nd acca
stoke, bournemouth, wolves, birmingham, accrington, oldham, plymouth, cambridge, middlesbrough,
oldham -  have a really good chance to stay above relegation zone. they are unbeaten in 5 consecutive games winning three of them. portsmouth are middle of table and going nowhere. they only managed 2 wins in 11 and are one of the worst away teams this season
plymouth - will fancy this game. they are climbing up and could be in play off places with a home victory here. they've only been beaten once in 16 matches and won 8 out of 9 home matches.
middlesbrough - pulis is doing terrific job and they seem to being strenght to strenght and just when they need because they are looking likely to be in play off places come the end of season. middlesbrough have scored 3 goals in four of their last 5 games. it's easy to see another win here
 
stake £20    returns £22.000
good luck

trying 2 accumulators this weekend. the first one is a bit experimental
stoke -  lambert has made stoke defensively sound and this is the game they have to make it count. the motivation will be in no doubt. everton are so bad away and they don't create much either. i call a narrow stoke win, maybe 1-0
bournemouth - they have scored in last eleven games with a sum of 20 goals. i'd still expect bournemouth to concede here but they got enough edge a win
wolverhampton - at home they are force to be reckoned with and should put away burton who offer nothing going forward
birmingham - i feel this is the match monk finally makes his impact. birmingham scored 2 against cardiff and are not too far off from getting a victory and it's likely to come here
bristol city - i know 2 wins in 13 games is not great stats but the home factor should really help them. they still got potential to play nice attractive and attacking football and i would love to see some of their earlier season form here. fingers crossed
northampton - it's probably the least team i'd pick in accumulator but i see this as an upset. it's basically a must win for northampton otherwise they could be in relegation . rotherham have lost last two matches and their excellent earlier season form has taken a big dip
mk dons - i loved how mk dons have finally clicked  at home. they beat rotherham even though they conceded twice but they still hang in there. that will give them confidence and i expect they will have momentum to string another victory at home
cambridge - i hated how swindon lost their home match last weekend. it was frustrating but then i noted they picked up some notable away victories this season. it slightly worries me how they come into this game. they could bounce back strong or maybe not but either way their stats show their lost last three game on the road.
cambridge are decent at home. they won 2 and drawn 2 recently and i give them the benefit of doubt to claim a home victory
accrington - they seem a banker to me. they won their last 7 home matches in a row and forest green  though showing some fighting spirit can't keep the goals out
 
stake £20     returns £20.000
good luck

it's so difficult to predict right at this stage of the season. the bottom teams are fighting for survival and pulling off surprise victories. there is possibility some bottom teams will spring up surprises this weekend and gotta watch out for those

it would be massive win for stoke if they get it. they competed alright against man city. they may still have some belief they can stay up. everton have been bad on their travels. i'd hate to see them suddenly spring a surprise and get something here.

this looks pretty straightforward to me. selections as follows
ipswich, fulham, cardiff, brentford, aston villa, norwich, including league 2 newport, mansfield, accrington
stake £15    returns   £20.000
easy

this looks pretty straightforward to me. selections as follows
ipswich, fulham, cardiff, brentford, aston villa, norwich, including league 2 newport, mansfield, accrington
stake £15    returns   £20.000
easy

3 new injury doubts for wednesday -pudil, venancio, joao-ipswich look big at 5/2
i have sold 1st ipswich goal at 58 and second at 81

for this weekend fixtures i've narrowed it down to these selections. my picks for an accumulator are
aston villa, bristol city, millwall, plymouth, shrewsbury, blackpool, swindon, exeter, southend, doncaster
bet £15     returns £15.000
good luck

my personal fav acca for this weekend folks is
 
brentford, cardiff, wolves, newport, scnuthorpe, accrington, swindon, wycombe
stake £20    returns is £10.000
 
2nd acca
cardiff, scnuthorpe, accrington, swindon, wimbledon, oxford, wycombe, exeter, southend
stake £15    returns £20.000
 
good luck to all

A lot of the eastern European teams come into this round of games with no competitive football under their belt as the new season hasn't started yet. Anyone have any data as to how they perform under these circumstances? 

i was close with my acca last week folks. i had one wrong but never mind. my personal acca for this weekend is 
stoke, everton, wolves, derby, bristol city, wigan, blackburn, crewe, exeter
stake   £20    returns    £10.000
good luck

a draw makes sense but the way i see it tottenham has got huge game in champions league on tuesday. they are already 4 points ahead of arsenal so pochettino he will be thinking let's just not lose but i know arsenal will want it more. you could say arsenal have been shambles in some of their games but when their squad was fully fit they played excellent. they have a good record at wembley too and they aubameyang is pacey player. i think they arsenal will ace their performance and get back in contention for champions league

It was looking so good... Dyche and his bloody worms coming back to haunt me again!

my accumulator tip
accrington, notts county, wycombe, wigan, west brom, brighton, aston villa, walsall, man utd
£20   returns  £6.000
 
2nd  acca tip
portsmouth, peterborough, sheff wednesday, derby, colchester, lincoln, accrington, wycombe, shrewsbury
stake £10    returns £10.000
 
good luck

ok folks my acca tip for this round is....
stoke, west ham, leeds, scnuthorpe, charlton, shrewsbury, peterborough, blackburn, luton, accrington
stake £15  returns  £15.000
good luck
 

It's a Man Utd, Tottenham double this week for me, pays 2.69.
Burnley on a poor run of form and look to be slipping down the table after their early season heroics, Man Utd look improved with the return of Pogba and will be looking to make up for the 2-2 draw on boxing day. 
Harry Kane is on fire at the moment and that means one thing, Tottenham win. The double looks too easy 
@StevieDay1983 I'm liking your Man City win to nil bet, Newcastle are in for a torrid time I think.
@sajtion I understand Everton and West Ham in your treble but I would never put my money on Stoke to beat anyone.

arsenal are currently very low quality and best to avoid them. crystal palace could be problematic for them and i just do not see arsenal having the edge to win. i think double chance on away team is decent bet
burnley are not in great shape at the moment. the sense of their earlier season form has worn off and could be vulnerable. i know they led 2-0 against man utd few weeks ago but this time i don't see it happening again. man utd should win this 0-3 especially since poga returned they are having a bit more creativity in midfield
leicester vs watford should produce btts as both love to push forward a lot. i don't think either side will try hold back
i am thinking everton, stoke, west ham on treble. £50 could return roughly £500. they all have home advantage and time to make it count

ok folks my acca tip for this round is....
stoke, west ham, leeds, scnuthorpe, charlton, shrewsbury, peterborough, blackburn, luton, accrington
stake £15  returns  £15.000
good luck