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[u]Chelsea v Stoke[/u] Four games in - is that too early to think of Chelsea as top-six finishers? Probably not. And that's bad news for the visitors: the Potters have lost 18/23 on the road to such exalted sides. Roberto Di Matteo's lot have won their first two at Stamford Bridge by a couple of goals and lead Stoke 12-1 in meetings there over the last four seasons. This weekend's ride should be as smooth as Patrick Swayze in that scene from Ghost, so it's all about crafting ways to turn a short price on the home win into something a little longer. Well, Stoke have been behind at half-time in 15 of those 18 losses we mentioned earlier. The Chelsea/Chelsea double-result is on offer at 2.12. The final margin in 12 of the 18 was a couple of goals or more, so Chelsea -1.5 ...

[u]Arsenal v Southampton[/u] The Gunners go into this weekend's game on the back three clean sheets and a total of seven points from three games played. Southampton, on the other hand, are pointless and have allowed their opponents more shots on target (19) than any other team this season. At odds of 1.4 in the Match Odds market Arsenal look slightly over-priced and are worth a back. While the 2.6 available on Under 2.5 goals also looks a solid punt if Arsene Wenger's main can maintain their defensive frugality. [u]Aston Villa v Swansea[/u] Aston Villa host Swansea this Saturday looking to end a run of 13 Premier League games without a win. Despite Paul Lambert's appointment in the summer The Villans have picked up where they left off last season under Alex McLeish and they ...

Sunderland, like neighbours Newcastle last season, could be surprise high achievers this season and they look capable of proving the point at home to Liverpool on Saturday. There are interesting parallels between Sunderland's form under Martin O'Neill and how Newcastle stood at this time last season. Like O'Neill now, Alan Pardew was starting his first full season as Newcastle boss having taken charge early the previous December and stabilised their results. Both managers had achieved flashes of even better form with good results against top-six sides, pointing to further improvement with a summer of preparation and squad-building behind them. O'Neill did even better than Pardew in his first part-season, with an average of 1.42 points per game (Pardew's was 1.23). Without any improvement...

[u]Aston Villa v Swansea[/u] [i]Back Aston Villa @ 2.37 (137/100)[/i] Aston Villa picked up their first point of the season against Newcastle last time out and I'm taking them to pick up their first win on Saturday. Paul Lambert has endured a tough start to life in the Midlands; a shoestring budget, key injuries and poor results weren't exactly what he was hoping for, but there are causes for optimism. Firstly, the fans aren't on his back yet as they were with his predecessor. Secondly, the performance at the Sports Direct Arena against Newcastle was a vast improvement, and finally, Gabby Agbonlahor has regained fitness. Points one and two are important, but it's point three that could prove the most vital. Star striker, Darren Bent, has been far too isolated, however with Agbonlahor...

[u]Aston Villa v Tranmere[/u] You can't be confident about anything in the early rounds of the League Cup, especially team selections, and as a general rule you'd imagine that Premier League clubs would rest some of their better players and give the 'second string' a chance. That could well be the case when Villa host Tranmere but such is the need for Paul Lambert to get his first win I have a hunch that his starting XI will be a pretty strong one and they'll be fully fired up to get the win. Two league defeats on the bounce has put the new boss under some early pressure; a defeat tonight will be a huge blow. Tranmere have started the season very strongly, recording two wins out of three (in which they scored three goals both times) and gaining an excellent draw at Shrewsbury at...

[b]The brightest stars in the Premier League were shining this weekend as the leading three found a way to win tricky fixtures, says Ralph Ellis.[/b] Okay, so we all know it's a squad game these days, there's no 'I' in team, and all that sort of stuff. But one thing that doesn't change is that in every football side there is one key player. It's true of your Sunday pub team. Be honest. There's one bloke you hope will be there every week, come rain, shine, or mother-in-law's Christmas get together. And whatever the manager might try to claim it's true of every club in the Premier League too. If you can identify that player, then checking the team news to discover he's missing can give your betting a real edge. For instance Darren Bent was out injured from Aston Villa's dismal ...

[u]Aston Villa v Newcastle[/u] Both clubs have made an unbeaten start to the season and Newcastle currently occupy fourth spot with Villa sitting two points behind in eighth. However, whilst the Magpies have recorded two wins, Villa have drawn three of their four games. Opta stats show that Alex McLeish's side have suffered just one league defeat at home in the last ten, winning five and drawing four. Over that period, they have failed to score just twice and seen only seven goals put past them. Newcastle have averaged a point per game in their last ten on the road, finding the net six times whilst conceding 11. Yet, Alan Pardew's team have given up just one strike so far this season and a solid defence has been their foundation. Villa have won five of the last six fixtures at...

[u]Arsenal v Swansea[/u] Two weeks is a long time in football when the last result your club recorded was an 8-2 thrashing by a team you were hoping to match, but for Arsenal the day has come to put that nightmare firmly behind them. A home game against 1.66 relegation favourites Swansea - who have yet to score a Premier League goal in 270 minutes of football - is a perfect opportunity for Arsene Wenger and his team to kick start their season, and the Gunners should be backed to win in a canter. With four deadline day signings (Park Chu-Young, Andre Santos, Per Mertesaker and Mikel Arteta) added to their ranks Wenger appears to have plugged some of the gaps left by their high-profile summer departures, so expect a steady climb up the table in the coming weeks. Swansea look destined...

Aston Villa are being linked with moves for three different players as new boss Alex McLeish tries to calm doubts over his ability to successfully manage the club with some shrewd transfer business. The top-half regulars - who are 1.98 to finish above the halfway mark again in Big Eck's first season in charge - have money to spend after pocketing a rumoured £20 million for England winger Ashley Young from Manchester United, and are thought to have made plans to reinvest £14 million of it. The most pressing concern is to find a new goalkeeper following Brad Friedel's decision to join Tottenham after his contract expired and luckily signing shot-stoppers is McLeish's area of expertise having guided first Joe Hart and then Ben Foster to Birmingham in his time there. His solution...