Weekend Football Focus

Ken Dyer|Matt Hughes|Paul Fielder|Evening Standard

14 April 2012

Birmingham v Leicester
3pm Saturday, St Andrew's
Referee: Matt Messias (York)
Facts: Birmingham, who have 13 clean sheets in the league this season, haven't beaten Leicester at St Andrew's since 1985. Mikael Forssell has scored in each of his past four Premiership games
Standout bet: Birmingham (half-time), Birmingham (full-time): 7-5 (Bet365)
Question: What's the difference between Leicester and Manchester United? Answer: Leicester's players lasted longer in Europe. I'm afraid the jokes have already begun following events in La Manga but it's certainly no giggle, either for the tarnished reputation of English football or Leicester and their bewildered manager Micky Adams. Somehow Adams must get his beleaguered side back on track, but that will be difficult against a buoyant Birmingham.
Verdict: HOUNDS CLOSE IN ON FOXES

Blackburn v Arsenal
3pm Saturday, Ewood Park
Away ticket info: Sold out
Last season: 2 (Duff, Tugay) 0.
Referee: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire)
Facts: Arsenal have failed to score in just one away Premiership game since their defeat at Ewood Park last season - September's now infamous 0-0 draw at Old Trafford
Standout bet: Arsenal minus one on handicap: 11-8 (Stan James)
Graeme Souness reckons that someone has to beat Arsenal some time, so why not Blackburn? It's a nice thought but he really should have prefaced his comments with "Once upon a time". Arsene Wenger and his team really are a different class at the moment and look like remaining that way as long as they all stay fit.
Verdict: BLACKBURN TO WIN? JACKANORY, JACKANORY

Bolton v Chelsea
12.30pm Saturday, Reebok Stadium - live on Sky Sports 2
Away ticket info: Sold out
Last season: 1 (Pedersen) 1 (Hasselbaink).
Referee: Dermot Gallagher (Banbury)
Facts: Chelsea have kept 15 clean sheets in their 27 Premiership games this season but have failed to win away against Bolton since 1983
Standout bet: Scott Parker to score the first goal: 14-1 (Bet365, Hills, Power, Stan James)
Chelsea's midweek Champions League win over Stuttgart was certainly not memorable, but who will care a jot about that should they reach the final in May? At least they are still in the competition, which is more than can be said for the club currently just behind the Blues, in third. A win over Bolton, who seem to have lost their sparkle following their Carling Cup Final defeat, would keep it that way.
Verdict: BUBBLING BLUES

Charlton v Middlesbrough
3pm Saturday, The Valley
Tickets: £20 (£10-£15 concs). Tel. 020 8333 4010
Last season: 1 (Euell) 0.
Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)
Facts: Paolo Di Canio scored nine goals in 18 Premiership appearances for West Ham last season, but has netted just three times in 21 league outings for Charlton
Standout bet: No goalscorer: 17-2 (Bet365, Hills, Paddy Power)
This has been the time of the season when Charlton have began to sink inexorably down the table, but manager Alan Curbishley is determined it won't happen this time. A weekend off should have recharged the batteries, but Middlesbrough won't be easy opponents. Their triumph in Cardiff has given them plenty of self-belief as their midweek win over Tottenham confirmed.
Verdict: HAPPY VALLEY

Everton v Portsmouth
3pm Saturday, Goodison Park
Referee: Neale Barry (Scunthorpe)
Facts: Portsmouth won 3-2 on their last visit to Goodison, in a League Cup game in 1994
Standout bet: Everton to win 3-1: 11-1 (Bet365, Coral, Hills, Ladbrokes)
Portsmouth were blown away by Arsenal in the Cup last weekend but, fortunately for Harry Redknapp's side, they won't come up against a side like the Gunners every week. Everton have certainly been nothing to write home about this season and if Pompey win they will be two points behind David Moyes's stuttering side.
Verdict: EVERTON SNEAK HOME

Fulham v Leeds
3pm Saturday, Loftus Road
Tickets: £26-£33 (£12-£26 concs). Tel: 0870 442 1234
Last season: 1 (Djetou) 0.
Referee: Steve Dunn (Gloucestershire)
Facts: Fulham have gone four Premiership games without a win. Leeds haven't won away against Fulham since 1985
Standout bet: Score draw: 7-2 (Bet365)
Fulham put up a decent show in the FA Cup at Old Trafford last weekend and it is hoped that Chris Coleman will be back in situ for tomorrow's match against bottom-club Leeds who have yet to put their considerable financial problems behind them. Despite all their troubles, though, Leeds still have some fine players and could still manage to climb out of the deep hole which the men in suits have previously dug.
Verdict: POINT EACH

Tottenham v Newcastle
3pm Sunday, White Hart Lane
Tickets: £35-£55 (£18-£20 concs). Few left. Tel: 0870 420 5000
Last season: 0-1 (Jenas).
Referee: Howard Webb (Rotherham)
Facts: Only Leeds and Blackburn have kept fewer clean sheets than Tottenham. Newcastle have gone six away games without a win
Standout bet: Away win for Newcastle: 15-8 (Totalbet, Ukbet)
If you want entertainment in London these days, forget about Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or the Playboy Club, just go to White Hart Lane. The last few games have been so manic that, if you're caught short during the action, you could miss at least a couple of goals. Sadly, the goal fest dried up at Middlesbrough in midweek but it could well be up and running again on Sunday against Newcastle.
Verdict: MULTI-SCORE DRAW

Southampton v Liverpool
4.05pm Sunday, St Mary's - live on Sky Sports 1
Last season: 0-1 (Heskey).
Referee: Paul Durkin (Dorset)
Facts: Southampton have drawn three of their past four games. Liverpool have drawn three of their past five away league matches
Standout bet: Liverpool to win 2-1: 17-2 (Sportingbet.com)
All eyes will be on Paul Sturrock at St Mary's on Sunday, something of a relief to his opposite number Gerard Houllier, who has spent most of the season under the spotlight. Sturrock's move along the south coast has been portrayed as a triumph for that most endangered of species, the young British manager, and Liverpool may take note of the precedent. Southampton have already beaten Houllier's underachievers once this season and can provide Sturrock with his first win.
Verdict: STURROCK'S A HAPPY SAINT

Wolves v Aston Villa
12.30pm Sunday, Molineux
Referee: Graham Poll (Tring)
Facts: Villa are unbeaten at Molineux since 1978. Steffen Iversen has gone eight games without a goal for Wolves
Stand out bet: Away win for Villa: 13-8 (Premierbet, UKbet)
Football has many constants - Arsenal winning, Spurs conceding, players misbehaving - but one thing missing from the usual menu recently is the sniping and griping at Doug Ellis. The Aston Villa chairman has been vilified over many seasons but at the moment the fans are obviously pretty happy with things and with just cause. Sunday's opponents Wolves, meanwhile, remain desperate to edge out of that bottom three.
Verdict: EVEN STEVEN

Manchester City v Manchester Utd
2pm Sunday, City of Manchester Stadium - live, pay-per-view game
Last season: 3 (Anelka, Goater 2) 1 (Solskjaer).
Referee: Steve Bennett (Orpington)
Facts: City haven't won a home game since their 6-2 victory over Bolton, which was also the last occasion on which Shaun Wright-Phillips scored a league goal and ended up on the winning side
Standout bet: Derby win for City: 7-2 (Bet Direct)
Sir Alex Ferguson's empire is crumbling before his very eyes, so what better than a little local encounter to restore his side's flagging confidence? United may no longer rule the roost in Europe, and Gary Neville believes it will take his "shambolic" team-mates four years to get over their Champions League defeat to Porto. Neville, though, will not be able to help his team-mates at City's new stadium because he is suspended, piling even more pressure on young defender John O'Shea.
Verdict: UNITED BOUNCE BACK

Nationwide League

Ipswich v Millwall
3pm Saturday, Portman Road
Away ticket info: £23 (£8-£16 concs). Tel: 020 7231 9999
Last season: 4 (T Miller 2, Wright, M Bent) 1 (Reid)
Referee: Mike Riley (West Yorkshire)
Facts: Ipswich have won five of their 18 matches against opposition from the top half of the table. Millwall last won at Portman Road in 1991
Standout bet: Ipswich home win: 6-5 (Stan James)
The prospect of Millwall's more enthusiastic supporters crossing Europe next season is almost enough to get the Channel Tunnel closed, but they have to make do with a trip to Ipswich tomorrow. It should be a game to savour, with both sides needing points to maintain a play-off push. Ipswich have wobbled in recent weeks, with three defeats in four games, and Millwall should secure at least a point.
Verdict: MILLWALL MARCH ON

Nott'm Forest v C Palace
3pm Saturday, City Ground
Away ticket info: £22 (£1-£15 concs). Tel: 08712 0000 71
Last season: 2 (Dawson, Harewood) 1 (Johnson)
Referee: Iain Williamson (Berkshire)
Facts: Palace have won four of their past five away league matches. Forest have gone three home games without defeat
Standout bet: Palace (h-t), Palace (f-t): 4-1 (Ladbrokes, S James)
Iain Dowie says he cannot understand Crystal Palace fans booing Julian Gray, but the fact he refused to sign a new contract at the club and had trials with half-a-dozen rivals before returning to Selhurst Park with his tail between his legs last year may have something to do with it. Gray may have no shame but he has a considerable amount of ability and has played his part in Palace's revival. Dowie's side have lost just one of their past nine games and have enough to beat struggling Forest.
Verdict: GRAY DAY FOR FOREST

Sunderland v West Ham
3pm Saturday, Stadium of Light
Away ticket info: £23 (£17 concs). Tel: 0870 112 2700
Last season: 0-1 (Sinclair)
Referee: Richard Beeby (Northamptonshire)
Facts: David Connolly hasn't scored in the league from open play since West Ham's Boxing Day defeat against Preston
Standout bet: Match to finish in a draw: 9-4 (generally available)
Confidence is all very well, but Matthew Etherington's boast that West Ham won't drop another point all season could come back to haunt him. After putting the ball in Wimbledon's net three times on Tuesday night in a 5-0 victory, the former Tottenham midfielder appears to have put his foot in it. Sunderland are buoyant after reaching the FA Cup semi-final and will be out for revenge after throwing away a two-goal lead at Upton Park earlier in the season.
Verdict: HAMMERS GAIN A POINT

Watford v Sheffield Utd
3pm Saturday, Vicarage Road
Tickets: £20-£25 (£5-£10 concs). Tel: 01923 496 010
Last season: 2 (Cox, Fitzgerald) 0
Referee: Paul Armstrong (Berkshire)
Facts: Sheffield United have lost just three of 16 games against teams from the bottom half of Division One
Standout bet: Sheffield United to win 2-0: 10-1 (Coral)
Watford's mini-revival was halted by two straight defeats so they could do without a visit from a bruised Sheffield United. Having crashed out of the FA Cup, Neil Warnock's side will be more determined to secure promotion.
Verdict: MORE WOE FOR WATFORD

Brentford v Stockport
3pm Saturday, Griffin Park
Tickets: £5 (£1 kids). Tel: 0870 900 9229
Last season: 1 (Antoine-Curier) 2 (Beckett 2)
Referee: Mark Cooper (West Midlands)
Facts: Brentford have gone six games without a win. Stockport haven't won an away match since October
Standout bet: Jim Goodwin to score first goal: 20-1 (Bet365)
Brentford Ladies avoided relegation this week with a convincing win over Bushey Rangers, but the men's team may not be so fortunate. Wally Downes's side have won just one of their past 18 games and must beat fellow strugglers Stockport.
Verdict: CRUNCH TIME FOR BRENTFORD

Hartlepool v QPR
3pm Saturday, Victoria Road
Away ticket info: All ticket. Sold out
Referee: Ray Olivier (West Midlands)
Facts: Hartlepool striker Efion Williams has scored five goals in seven games. Rangers have gone five games without defeat. QPR won 2-0 on their only previous visit to Hartlepool in 1938
Standout bet: Away win for Rangers: 7-4 (Ladbrokes)
Ian Holloway is an expert at recruiting short-term signings so should restyle himself as the loan Ranger. The QPR boss must act quickly as he is without a fit keeper and playing with 10 at Hartlepool won't help his promotion hopes.
Verdict: VICTORY FOR THE LOAN RANGER

L Orient v Kidderminster
3pm Saturday, Brisbane Road
Tickets: £12-£16 (£7-£10 concs). Tel: 020 8926 1010
Last season: 0-0.
Referee: Steve Tanner (Gloucestershire)
Facts: Orient are unbeaten in their past 10 home matches. Kidderminster have won three of their past four games
Standout bet: Orient home win: 10-11 (generally available)
Orient fans are dreaming of the cricket season when they can watch Darren Gough turn out with Essex while drinking a bellyful of beer, and, from the looks of things, so are the players. Martin Ling's side have not won for four games and need to return to winning ways.
Verdict: ORIENT BACK ON TRACK

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