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EPL Wrap – Week 29

Manchester United vs. FulhamWe’ve witnessed the bulk of Week 29 in the Premier League, but there are still two games to be played over Monday and Tuesday. With both matches of the utmost importance to Europa League spots, Sportsbook.com has placed odds on each game.

Liverpool: -400
Draw: +425
Portsmouth: +1000

Wigan Athletic: +230
Draw: +230
Aston Villa: +110

For now, let’s recap the weekend’s best action.

Tottenham (3) vs. Blackburn (1): Spurs took another step closer to a Champions League qualifying berth on Saturday, after they beat Rovers comfortably at home.

Despite having a decent amount of possession, it took quite a while for Tottenham to get their game going. With Roman Pavlyuchenko in such stellar form, you would have put money on him taking goals in both the 15th and 19th minutes. As it was, Spurs fans had to wait until the minute before halftime to celebrate their side going into the lead – Jermain Defoe slotting one past substitute keeper Jason Brown from a corner.

The Russian striker did manage to convert some of his chances in the second session, however; first on 55 minutes, and then again shortly after Christopher Samba’s effort saw Blackburn pull to within one. Despite getting Rovers on the scoreboard, it was obvious that it was always going to be Tottenham’s day.

Bolton (4) vs. Wigan Athletic (0): In an incredible display, Owen Coyle’s men produced their best result of the season as they blasted themselves clear of the relegation zone.

Wanderers were really the only team that turned up to the Reebok Stadium on Saturday. When Johan Elmander put Bolton into the lead after 10 minutes, Wigan never looked like they’d be able to catch them. Even though the score remained unchanged until the second half, a resurgence from the visitors seemed extremely unlikely.

That notion was made all the more certain when Kevin Davies converted a penalty just two minutes into the second period. More followed soon after with Fabrice Muamba scoring his first goal for Bolton before Matty Taylor grabbed his team’s fourth with his first touch of the ball.

Chelsea (4) vs. West Ham (1): Chelsea stay in close contention for the Premiership after a big win over West Ham. However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Pensioners.

Possession was the name of the game at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea started off extremely well. After a few half-chances went begging, the Pensioners struck, with Alex latching on to a tantalizing cross. It was all one-way traffic after that, with the Hammers hardly getting a touch of the ball. That said, against the run of play they managed to equalize after Scott Parker pulled out one of the goals of the season.

Chelsea fans were getting impatient with their team in the opening minutes of the second half, but Didier Drogba appeased the crowd with a clinical finish in the 56th minute. Florent Malouda rounded off his man of the match performance with Chelsea’s third, and even though it was already over, Drogba managed to grab just one more to round out the day.

Manchester United (3) vs. Fulham (0): Another week, another Wayne Rooney-inspired performance for Manchester United.

With their last meeting ending in a 3-0 scoreline in favor of Fulham, Sir Alex Ferguson couldn’t afford to rely simply on his star striker. As with most matches United are involved in, the home side used the first half to wear down their opponents; with the majority of their goals coming in the last third of their matches, United’s failure to score in the opening exchange wasn’t cause for concern.

After the break however, they were immediately on the front foot. Wayne Rooney opened proceeding with a cracker inside the first 30 seconds of the restart. Over the next half an hour it was incredible that United’s lead didn’t double, but they weren’t going to sit back and protect a one-goal buffer. With just six minutes to go, Rooney snatched his 32nd goal of the season, while Dimitar Berbatov wrapped it all up just before the final whistle.

Don’t forget that there are two more Premier League games to be played this week, as well as some exciting Champions League action, and you can make a wager on all of them at Sportsbook.com.

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  • EPL Preview – Week 29

    Burnley's David NugentOnly ten matches remain for Premier League clubs. That means only ten more chances to win the title, and only ten more chances to evade the relegation zone. For some, it’s going to be an uphill battle; while for others, certain results will be expected.

    Sportsbook.com has placed odds on every match over the weekend, so head on over and make a tip on your favorite club.

    Birmingham City: +175
    Draw: +225
    Everton: +145

    Birmingham City vs. Everton: Birmingham City have shown English football that they intend to stay in the Premier League for some time to come. With one of the best first season’s back in the EPL, Alex McLeish’s men are within striking distance of a Europa League spot. Their home form has been good all season – having only lost twice – and they are coming off the back of two consecutive victories, so expect the boys in blue to be playing for a win.

    The Toffees are flying high at the moment, and while their away form hasn’t been as flawless and their recent matches at Goodison, they will still feel that they can come away with a win at St. Andrews. With Landon Donovan set to depart England on Monday, this will be the last chance for the American to make an impact on the Premier League this season. Expect a close affair.

    Burnley: +120
    Draw: +220
    Wolves: +220

    Burnley vs. Wolves: Burnley will make up one half of this relegation battle, and they will feel that they should be the team to come away with the points. Having only picked up a single point on the road, their matches at home are the only thing that can keep them in the top tier of English football. Brian Laws hasn’t had an easy time since taking over the Clarets, but he’ll certainly be looking for a strong victory come Saturday.

    Wolves are currently safe from relegation, but only on goal difference. Defeat at Turf Moor would send them right back into the bottom three, with the possibility of 19th position if Hull manage to take points against Arsenal. With some of the lowest scoring in the league coming from both clubs, we shouldn’t expect too much in the way of goals.

    Chelsea: -500
    Draw: +500
    West Ham: +1100

    Chelsea vs. West Ham: The Pensioners can go right back to the top of the table – for a day, at the very least – with a win over struggling West Ham. In anticipation of a second leg meeting with Inter, Carlos Ancelotti may choose to rest some of his key players. However, it’s doubtful that Chelsea fans will have forgotten their most recent loss against Manchester City. The home side are strong favorites to take this one out, and it’s hard to see any other outcome.

    West Ham may be three points clear of the bottom three, but they are by no means safe from relegation. With no points from their last two matches, and some horrific away form, Gianfranco Zola will surely be happy with a single point; anything to draw themselves away from the bottom of the table.

    Manchester United: -400
    Draw: +425
    Fulham: +1000

    Manchester United vs. Fulham: After a stunning 4-0 win over AC Milan in the Champions League, it’s hard to see any team stopping Manchester United – especially at home. They have won their last six matches at Old Trafford, and with Wayne Rooney fresh from injury and scoring even more goals with his head, Fulham have a very tough task ahead of them.

    Roy Hodgson certainly knows that. The Fulham manager has kept his team lingering around the middle of the table all season, but they have produced their fair share of upsets already. In their last meeting, Fulham pulled off a miraculous 3-0 victory over United, and I’m sure that Hodgson will be ecstatic if his men can pull off a similar beating. They may be stark underdogs, but don’t write off the Cottagers just yet.

    Be sure to keep an eye on Sportsbook.com over the coming days as Premier League odds are updated.

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  • Filed under: Football, Soccer, Sports
  • EPL Wrap – Week 28

    Everton vs. Hull CityWith games spread out over the next few days, we’ve only been witness to four matches over the weekend. With four more on the way, including tonight’s Wigan Athletic vs. Liverpool fixture, there is plenty to get excited about.

    Sportsbook.com has odds on every upcoming game, so head on over to make a wager on your favorite club. For now, here are the odds for tonight’s game:

    Wigan Athletic: +475
    Draw: +250
    Liverpool: -166

    There is plenty of action to talk about, including some interesting movement at the top of the leaderboard, so let’s get stuck into recapping the best of Week 28 so far.

    Arsenal (3) vs. Burnley (1): The scoreline may tell a different story, but it was certainly not a thrashing at the hands of Arsenal.

    With Aaron Ramsey out for the season with a broken leg, more than a few Gunners personnel made declarations about winning the title for him. Despite this, however, Arsenal failed to get into the game during the opening half hour. While they managed to keep the majority of possession, Nicklas Bendtner simply couldn’t find the finishing touch on a number of opportunities. So it was left up to the captain to make the breakthrough, and Cesc Fabregas willingly obliged on 34 minutes with a nice one-two goal.

    1-0 at the break, Burnley fans wouldn’t have been too upset by the deficit, and they even had something to cheer about 5 minutes into the second half when David Nugent grabbed the equalizer. It was clear that Wenger’s men weren’t going to sit back and watch two points go begging, though, and on the 60th minute Theo Walcott showed the England naysayers just how clinical he can be when within firing range; after a poor showing against Egypt, this was just what Walcott needed. A worrisome half hour followed, with plenty of chances to seal the game going begging, but just before the final whistle it was all wrapped up when Andrei Arshavin belted in the Gunners’ third.

    Wolves (0) vs. Manchester United (1): In a match where several big names were sitting out, it was a classy finish from an old pro that sealed United’s victory.

    With Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen both sidelined through injury – Owen out for the remainder of the season – it was up to lone striker Dimitar Berbatov to spearhead United’s attack. The absence of Rooney was obvious from kickoff, and Berbatov had a hard time breaking down Wolves defence, with Antonio Valencia failing to find an unmarked attacker on more than one occasion.

    With no goals at half time, it was clear that Alex Ferguson wasn’t enjoying his trip to Molyneux. Two early changes allowed for a shift in formation, with Mame Biram Diouf backing up Berbatov, but it was Paul Scholes that grabbed the winner after 72 minutes, taking his Premier League tally to 100.

    Everton (5) vs. Hull City (1): It was another bad day for Hull City as the Toffees moved into 8th position with a four-goal thrashing.

    Mikel Arteta continued his return to form after several months injured by grabbing a first half brace. His initial goal was cut out by a magnificent Tom Cairney strike; the youngster earning his first ever Premier League goal.

    2-1 down after 45 minutes, Phil Brown would have been confident that his side could grind out a draw if they managed to convert more chances. Instead, an embarrassing own goal sealed Hull’s fate, and two more goals from Landon Donovan and Jack Rodwell only served to increase the scoreline.

    Be sure to keep an eye on Sportsbook.com all week as there are several Premier League, Champions League, and Europa League fixtures on offer.

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  • Filed under: Football, Soccer, Sports