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The Cheeky Punt's Weekend Preview

Sunderland v Arsenal
After seemingly letting the whole country down accumulator wise last weekend against Hull at home can punters seriously trust the Gooners at 8/13 here? I'm saying no.

Fair enough they battered Porto in the Champions League in midweek but still looked a bit iffy at the back in that one and Sunderland away is not the Premiership cakewalk it once was for the big boys. No result would surprise me but I fancy that there will be goals in the match and like the look of the 10/11 about their being either 2 or three in total, meaning punters get the 1-1 draw and 2-1 win either way.
Betting: 2 or 3 Total Goals in Sunderland v Arsenal match at 10/11 (Blue Square).

West Brom v Fulham
So far this season I've been backing the Baggies to lose most weekends and it's starting to hit me in the wallet. As a result I have been forced to reconsider my initial verdict of Tony Mowbray's men being top-flight charlatans. Whether they have enough about them to stay up is another matter but they are more than capable of winning this after their heroic display on Teesside last time out.

I'm personally going to swerve 'em though and instead I might have a speculative dabble on this one finishing 2-2.
Betting: West Brom and Fulham to draw 2-2 at 16/1 (Blue Square).

Wigan v Middlesbrough
Boro's inability to beat West Brom last week cost me a pound note or two and I've been in a huff with Gareth Southgate's men ever since.

They have some real quality going forward but are leaking goals at the minute so the percentage bet here is to back Boro to score first but fail to hold onto their lead. Simple really.
Betting: Middlesbrough to score first but not to win at 4/1 (Blue Square).

Blackburn v Manchester United
Just when he was starting to look like a 2008 incarnation of Gary Birtles (minus the shambolic beard) Dimitar Berbatov turned it on for the Red Devils in Europe on Tuesday night. His brace against Aalborg did much to silence the critics and now the chilled out Bulgarian is in the groove get ready for a goal blitz.

He's 7/1 to bag two or more at Ewood Park on Saturday evening and such an occurrence is hardly beyond the realms of possibility given despite Blackburn's impressive defence record at Ewood Park.
Betting: Berbatov to score twice at 7/1.

SUNDAY:

West Ham v Bolton
West Ham have a 100% winning record at Upton Park in the league this season and Bolton are played three, lost three away from the Reebok so look out for punters who have lost a bundle on Saturday's games trying to chase back desperately on the East London "good things" at short odds.

Not me though. I've always prided myself on being aloof from the maddening crowd ever since I became the only kid in my class to sport a wedged fringe and Paul Calf style mullet circa 1991. So I'll be smashing into Bolton here at a frankly ludicrous 9/2.
Betting: Bolton to beat West Ham at 9/2 (Boylesports).

Chelsea v Aston Villa
As you'd expect there are a plethora of bets for punters to get their teeth into ahead of this one and while I had a dream Michael Ballack found the net with an outrageous scissor kick the other night the standout bet for me here is the Chelsea clean sheet. The Blues have kept it clean in four of their last five matches and I have a feeling that Villa will set their stall out and try to nick a point at the Bridge. If they do go down that road it'll be meat and drink to John Terry and the boys so the 11/10 about Villa not breaching Petr Cech simply has to be smashed into.
Betting: Chelsea to keep a clean sheet at 11/10 (Coral).

Man City v Liverpool
Goals have been in very short supply between these two in recent seasons (you have to go back as far as 2004 for a game in which more than one goal was scored) but I have a feeling in my water there'll be goals at Eastlands on Sunday. And the man I fancy to nab one is Dirk Kuyt.

Despite the Dutchman being dismissed by a mate of mine as being nothing more than "a fat Paris Hilton" lookalike I actually rate Kuyt and reckon he looks over-priced at 11s to score first here. He's yet to get off the mark in the Premiership this season but has looked razor sharp in recent weeks and should fancy his chances against a City defence struggling for consistency.
Betting: Kuyt to score first at 11/1 (Skybet).

Portsmouth v Stoke
It's been a rough old week for Pompey's Sol Campbell after some OTT chanting from a section of not big and not clever Spurs fans at Fratton Park last weekend. However I'm a sucker for a happy ending and reckon he might just end a forgettable seven days on a high here.

The former England man is not known for his goalscoring prowess but is still a threat from set plays and it wouldn't surprise me if he stuck it up the Stoke rearguard early here.
Betting: Campbell to score first at 33/1.

Tottenham v HullBR>I told a (Tottenham fan) mate of mine I'd be steaming into Spurs this weekend at 4/5 and his verbatim riposte was "You need sectioning, saaaan". This may or may not be true but I am convinced Randy Whamos and the boys are going to click shortly and Hull could be on the receiving end.

Yes, Hull beat Arsenal at the Emirates but they were also spanked 5-0 at home by Wigan not so long ago and so the Spuds' price looks about right.
Betting: Tottenham to beat Hull at 4/5 (General).

Everton v Newcastle
Mike Ashley and his 'Cockney Mafia' have long since replaced Sid the Sexist and Biffa Bacon as Tyneside's biggest cartoon rogues and the bad news for Geordie fans everywhere is it looks as though it's going to get worse before it gets better. Punters who have backed against the Toon in recent weeks will probably be reading this on a yacht somewhere in the south of France through a solid gold monocle and I wouldn't put anyone off filling their boots on Everton here.

I personally am going to have a large slice of Yakubu to score anytime. 'The Yak' has been sh*t hot round the old onion bag all season long and given he is odds on in places to score Hills' 13/8 looks too good to be true.
Betting: Yakubu to score anytime at 13/8 (Hills).

Degsy Bilton