Chelsea v Reading > August 22

[Sir Puntalot]

[TABLE=class: couponTable, width: 617] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=class: firstColumn]Chelsea v Reading (19:45 BST)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.26[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]5.5[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]13[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]104.82 % [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[Jenspm]

Re: Chelsea v Reading > August 22 I've had a dig through some stats, and though I have little to go by for Reading (stats-wise), I think laying the 'Any Unquoted' might be the bet I'd go for in this match. When Chelea have been 1.3 favourites or better at home, the Any Unquoted result was only achieved once in nine games last season, and twice in thirteen the season before. In 09/10 they notched up an impressive 6 AUs in 12 games, but in 08/09 they were down to 2 from 10 again. If we broaden the scope to 1.4 or better, we get the following: 2011-12: 2/13 2010-11: 2/14 2009-10: 7/14 2008-09: 3/12 at 1.25 or better, there aren't a lot of matches, but the stats anyway are like so: 2011-12: 1/3 2010-11: 2/11 2009-10: 6/12 2008-09: 1/7 So the 09/10 season is both an anamoly in our stats and, after all, three season ago. Key stat: When Chelsea have been priced at 1.3 or better at home, the Any Unquoted scoreline has appeared just three times in the last 22 games. Bet: Lay Any Unquoted @ 4.6

[ThusPrider]

Re: Chelsea v Reading > August 22 Chelsea vs Reading It was a great start for Chelsea getting the 3 points with all the big names dropping points except Manchester City, who only got the win at home after a struggle. Chelsea's performance against Wigan was somewhat dodgy. Though they went 2 - 0 up very quickly in the game with two clinical finishes, some described the rest of the game as parking the bus or a Munichesque performance then on. Chelsea felt happy to let Wigan attack and just defend, often threatening on the counter attack where Wigan committed so many men forward. Ultimately they kept a clean sheet, but with all those chances Wigan had, on another day Chelsea could have easily conceded to put the result in doubt at the very least. The two goals Chelsea did manage to score also came from two defensive mistakes from Ramis making his Premier league debut for Wigan and though Torres had a weak shot cleared off the line by the same player, the dynamics of the game had already changed then and Wigan were left vulnerable to concede more. As a Chelsea fan you might even be disappointed the game finished at 0 - 2 when it looked certain the heavens were about to open up against poor Wigan, with no doubt the defeats of 6 - 0 and 8 - 0 against Chelsea on their minds. But again, it was Wigan who dictated the majority of the game and had the best chances. So Chelsea playing at home to Reading, you'd have to think Chelsea must dominate the game to entertain their fans in a game they are expected to win. Though they have plenty of quality, I have not seen real fluid attacking potency from Chelsea. There were flashes of good play including the earlier game they lost against Man City, but it wasn't convincing. Perhaps their new signings needs more time for the team to gel together. Lets go back further to the end of last season. Villas Boas was dismissed with Chelsea in 5th spot and Di Matteo finishing the season in 6th due to an even patchier Premier league record. Though they had won two major trophies, it had elements of luck to say the least and their league form wasn't convincing from Di Matteo either. Looking at their later home games they managed to only beat Stoke City 1 - 0 by a second half goal by Drogba who has now left the club. Not to mention Stoke had Fuller sent off early in the game for a silly stamp on Ivanovic. Though Chelsea were unlucky at times hitting the crossbar on more than one occasion, it wasn't a convincing home performance against 10 man Stoke. They also beat Wigan 2 - 1 in a game they should have lost after scoring two offside goals and another 2 - 1 win against already relegated Blackburn Rovers. They did manage to thump QPR 6 - 1, but they failed to keep a clean sheet on all 3 of those wins. Finally they were beaten by Newcastle in a key clash 0 - 2 by 2 superb Cisse goals and also a 0 - 0 draw against Spurs in a game that Spurs probably edged even playing away from home. Reading's late equaliser against Stoke will not only be a great point for them but also a huge confidence booster. They were rather unlucky in that game after Federici, who was excellent in their championship campaign made a mistake to give Stoke the lead. I said before in my preview of the game between Manchester City and Southampton that Southampton can come with low expectations and play bravely to give Manchester City a real game.. and they did, threatening not only to get a point out of the game but also to take all 3. Though they lost in the end it was a brilliant performance and they threatened. I'd expect a similar attitude from Reading, especially having got their first point and also from what happened between Man City and Southampton. Again, I don't think they will go crazy even if they manage to concede, and I don't feel scoring against Chelsea is going to seem hard at all, because of Chelsea's recent display and record, especially against the smaller clubs. Being able to cover Reading by at least a 1 goal cushion is a real luxury. To top it all off, Reading even had an extra day's rest than Chelsea, who has a busy upcoming set of fixtures including a difficult clash again during the weekend against Newcastle, and then the Supercup against Porto the following Friday, which resulted in this game being moved forward. 22/8/12 EPL Chelsea vs Reading Reading +1.75 1.900 Pinnacle 10/10 OPEN

[Jase82]

I'd be interested to back under 2.5 goals here as I think reading will be pretty tight this season, and I can't see them offering much offensively against Chelsea, other than a determined organised defensive performance. As has been mentioned above Chelsea don't look that fluid yet, have made quite a few signings and are clearly a work in progress. I would be cautious about thinking Chelsea will win this at a canter as promoted sides often spring surprises, and reading aren't likely to be the worst side to ever participate in the premier league.

[Jase82]

Under 2.5 goals @ 2.35 - BET365. Reasons above. Chelsea - 4.5 Asian Corner Handicap @ 1.85 - BET365. Reasoning is mainly above, but to Summarise. I just feel reading will look to dig in here, and Chelsea will probably dominate possession. Off the top of my head, Chelsea tend to do well on corners against lesser sides, so I don't think beating this sort of corner handicap is outside the realms of possibility.

[Jase82]

To add as well, Chelsea have struggled against reading in all four of their last head to heads home and away. The last time they met was in 2008 though, so it remains to be seen how much importance anyone puts on that sort of statistic.

[TheHumph]

Re: Chelsea v Reading > August 22 I agree with the above that Reading will try and restrict Chelsea. However, there were over 2.5 goals in 70% of Chelsea home games last year and I feel that this won't be any different this year especially with the signings they have made. Smoething like a 3-0 or 3-1 home win is on the cards.

[wisey10]

Re: Chelsea v Reading > August 22 Chelsea -1.5 v Reading @ 1.9 Bet365 ( 5 points) Chelsea to win to Nil @ 1.90 Bet365 (5 points) I strongly fancy Chelsea to win this one and I think it will be a comfortable win too. A few people have said that Chelsea haven't really clicked so far and I agree. However, against Reading at home I think we will start to see a bit of confidence developing. Its early days for Reading but I don't hold any hope for them in this match. I watched their game against Stoke on Saturday and I wasn't particularly impressed. It's not very often Stoke get nearly 50% possession away from home but they did here which suggests that Chelsea will really dominate the possession tonight. In attack they were really lacking pace. Progbeynak didn't have many opportunities at all and though he scored a lot for Fulham last year, I don't think he will get as many chances at Reading. I don't mean to be harsh on Adam le finder, but I would be surprised if he makes it as a premier league striker. These two should be bread and butter for Terry and Luiz. There is still time for Reading to improve and they should have a couple of players returning but I expect them to be dominated tonight. Chelsea weren't massively impressive in their 2-0 win over Wigan. But they were 2 goals up early on which is likely to see them continue the match in a lower gear. They were also against a Wigan side who finished last season very well and who enjoy far more posession than Reading are likely to tonight. First home game of the season I expect Chelsea to be attacking with some of the new boys aiming to impress the home crowd. Maybe I'm doing Reading a dis-service but from what I have seen from them, I don't see them coming even close tonight. There is a big gulf in ability and with the home advantage and new attacking players, I expect a comfortable Chelsea win. I can't see Reading creating much at all to trouble the Chelsea defence and also expect them to keep a clean sheet.

[Kiddo112]

Wisey10, can you tell me if Reading offered any threat on the flanks on Saturday?? The reason I ask is that I see this as being a vulnerable area of Chelsea. Wigan managed a staggering 29 crosses against Chelsea on Sunday, and seemed to be getting in on the wings at will. Wondering if Reading have the tools to exploit this, based on what u saw of them.

[wisey10]

Re: Chelsea v Reading > August 22

Wisey10' date=' can you tell me if Reading offered any threat on the flanks on Saturday?? The reason I ask is that I see this as being a vulnerable area of Chelsea. Wigan managed a staggering 29 crosses against Chelsea on Sunday, and seemed to be getting in on the wings at will. Wondering if Reading have the tools to exploit this, based on what u saw of them.[/quote'] Not on the whole no. But when Mcleary came on as sub he did have a big impact. Kebe is injured I think and he was the key winger for them last season as he has bags of pace. Mcleary should get a start tonight which will improve them on the flanks but I don't think they will get anything like the amount of possession Wigan had on Saturday.

[blackcrow]

Re: Chelsea v Reading > August 22 Under 2.5 @ 2.48 pinnacle You would expect that Chelsea would go into this game with alot of confidence and belief that they will win this game given their good win over Wigan, with the performance of Hazard in particular being a highlight. Chelsea scored a couple of early goals and were then content to sit back and allow Wigan to attack, which nearly got them undone, but doubt that they will allow this to happen at home. But also doubt that Reading will allow themselves to be that open at the back as Wigan were, and given that they had a very good defence last year in the Championship. Reading will likely go to Stanford Bridge and park the bus for as long as possible, and expect them to load up the midfield to dent the space and service to players like Torres to get in behind the back four. Also with a tough game against Newcastle coming up in the weekend, then maybe a couple of Chelsea players who played in the European Championships over the summer, may be given a rest, even this early in the season, to keep them fresh later on. So like Reading to frustrate Chelsea here and keep this to a low scoring game, as they themselves did not really show much when going forward against Stoke, and doubt that they will trouble this Chelsea defence 2-5 (-2.00)

[SALVO7ITALY]

Re: Chelsea v Reading > August 22 Reading didn't offer much against Stoke on the weekend and didn't really seem to have anything in the final third. Pogrebnyak looked sharp last year at Fulham and surprised they didn't sign him. So think most goals this year will come from him. But tonight I think it will be a backs to the wall job and Chelsea will be happy with 1 goal and not waste to much energy Tie - Chelsea (-1 goal) vs Reading (+1) @ 3.80

[staffy]

Re: Chelsea v Reading > August 22 Tipster: staffy Sport: Football Event: Premier League Match Chelsea v Reading Selection Chelsea Strength 10/10 Date 22/08/2012 Bookmaker/Price BetVictor @ 1.30 Reasoning Simply one of the best sides in the league at home against a side who will do really well to avoid relegation. Chelsea should be top of the league after tonight and their class will be to much for Reading.

[guybrushthreepwood]

Re: Chelsea v Reading > August 22 Usually this would be a bit early in the season for me, but I have had a huge bet on Chelsea -1.5 @ 1.95. I hammered the price on Chelsea away at Wigan, which I avg'd at 1.75. A while ago the price on Chelsea to beat Wigan away was 1.4. The bookmakers seem to be opposing Chelsea at the moment, so I am filling my boots while it lasts. Again, odds of 1.95 to win my 2 or more is crazy IMO. Reading have not made enough signings to compete against the big teams. Their defence includes a left back who had 3 seasons in league one a while ago, and is 34 years old. He will be up against Mata and Hazard, who gave Figueroa and Ramis a torrid time against Wigan. Gorkss and Pearce are Championship standard and Gunter was deemed not good enough to make Spurs' first team, despite numerous attempts to integrate him. The danger will come from the wings, where the aim will no doubt be to put crosses into Pogrebnyak. However, Chelsea's defensive weakness in pre-season was more down to balls in behind the back 4, rather than aerial threats, so I don't see too many problems being caused. Terry has talked today of it being tantamount to Chelsea's league chances that they get off to a solid start. An obvious thing to say, I know, but it shows that they wilol not take these games against the promoted teams lightly. I can honestly see a 3-0 or 4-0 scoreline, and I am more than happy to stick my nose out and I say I have gone in VERY heavy on -1.5.

[Jase82]

I'd love to hear from anyone that backed reading to be winning here at HT, AND to have three corners to nil!

[HeresTheKey]

The only thing i think is that there s no league like english premiership(for the bookies among others).

[guybrushthreepwood]

Re: Chelsea v Reading > August 22

Usually this would be a bit early in the season for me, but I have had a huge bet on Chelsea -1.5 @ 1.95. I hammered the price on Chelsea away at Wigan, which I avg'd at 1.75. A while ago the price on Chelsea to beat Wigan away was 1.4. The bookmakers seem to be opposing Chelsea at the moment, so I am filling my boots while it lasts. Again, odds of 1.95 to win my 2 or more is crazy IMO. Reading have not made enough signings to compete against the big teams. Their defence includes a left back who had 3 seasons in league one a while ago, and is 34 years old. He will be up against Mata and Hazard, who gave Figueroa and Ramis a torrid time against Wigan. Gorkss and Pearce are Championship standard and Gunter was deemed not good enough to make Spurs' first team, despite numerous attempts to integrate him. The danger will come from the wings, where the aim will no doubt be to put crosses into Pogrebnyak. However, Chelsea's defensive weakness in pre-season was more down to balls in behind the back 4, rather than aerial threats, so I don't see too many problems being caused. Terry has talked today of it being tantamount to Chelsea's league chances that they get off to a solid start. An obvious thing to say, I know, but it shows that they wilol not take these games against the promoted teams lightly. I can honestly see a 3-0 or 4-0 scoreline, and I am more than happy to stick my nose out and I say I have gone in VERY heavy on -1.5.

Ok, I will admit that that was one of the luckiest wins I've had in a while. Having said that, my last three bets prior to this one involved the team I had backed missing penalties, so I think I was due a bit of luck! :nana

[Pay Day]

Re: Chelsea v Reading > August 22 Di Matteo must have done a deal with the devil, I'm sure of it! :loon Well done all winners

[Sue]

Re: Chelsea v Reading > August 22 I know I haven't posted my prediction, but I went for Chelsea -1,5, and I honestly switched the channel at 1-2 and watched a movie. I knew they needed atleast 4-2 and when I switched back a few mins ago I was at loss of words.

[ThusPrider]

Re: Chelsea v Reading > August 22

Chelsea vs Reading 22/8/12 EPL Chelsea vs Reading Reading +1.75 1.900 Pinnacle 10/10 OPEN

The way to lose this bet did hurt, but as a punter all you can do is continue to find value and ride the deviation.

[Mindfulness]

Re: Chelsea v Reading > August 22

The way to lose this bet did hurt' date=' but as a punter all you can do is continue to find value and ride the deviation.[/quote'] I sympathise mate but don't worry you'll bounce back.

[Aidymac]

Re: Chelsea v Reading > August 22

The way to lose this bet did hurt' date=' but as a punter all you can do is continue to find value and ride the deviation.[/quote'] You didn't deserve that kick in the backside. Torres was a mile offside, and they only scored the 4th because Reading had to commit their goalkeeper in the dying minute... Scoreline should have been 2-2 really, and Reading fully deserved a point. At least you know it was a linesman that messed your bet up, and that your criteria was spot on.

[ThusPrider]

Re: Chelsea v Reading > August 22 :P thanks guys

[IAmGooner]

Re: Chelsea v Reading > August 22 How much bloody luck can Di Matteo get, non stop for about 6 months now.

[blackcrow]

Re: Chelsea v Reading > August 22

Under 2.5 @ 2.48 :eyes

2-6 (-3.00)