Betting.Betfair

[b]Everton v Manchester United, Monday 20:00, Sky Sports 1.[/b] [b]Match Odds: Everton 4.5, Manchester United 1.93, The Draw 3.75.[/b] Rarely have Manchester United made such a landmark signing as Robin van Persie, yet rarely have there been so many question marks about how Sir Alex Ferguson will incorporate a new signing. With Shinji Kagawa also arriving and stating his intention to play behind the man striker, in the role played by Wayne Rooney last season, the main tactical interest from this match will be the positioning of Manchester United's attackers. Van Persie starting United's opening game would be something of a surprise, considering he's only had a couple of days training with his new teammates. Ferguson might take the opportunity to save Wayne Rooney for future matches,...

[b]The Three Lions will face a hostile crowd at the Donbass Arena, but the on-field opposition is not nearly as intimidating and Tobias Gourlay believes Roy Hodgson will notch a second consecutive victory.[/b] Kick-off: 19:45 BST Live On: ITV [b]Match Odds[/b] This is a must-win game for Ukraine if they are not to emulate the ignominy of Austria and Switzerland four years ago and join Poland on the sidelines of their own tournament. The market doesn't think they can do it and makes England the favourites to take three points and give themselves the best possible chance of finishing above France and thus - probably - avoiding tournament favourites Spain in the quarter-finals. Wayne Rooney is available for the Three Lions after serving a two-match suspension and ready to...

[b]After Mario Balotelli's red card yesterday, and Wayne Rooney's extended run without a yellow card, Ralph Ellis makes a case for discipline being a vital factor in this season's title race.[/b] To buy one brilliant but truculent striker might be considered bad luck; To get two borders on carelessness; To have signed three in the space of as many years means somebody at Manchester City simply doesn't learn his lessons. Blame [b]Mario Balotelli[/b], as some have done this morning, for losing the Premier League title if you like. His red card in the final moments of the 1-0 defeat at Arsenal yesterday that left Manchester United with an eight point advantage at the top of the table was after all pretty damn stupid. But has mad Mario really been any worse an influence on City's...

[b]Mike Norman takes a look at three Boxing Day fixtures and predicts easy wins for Liverpool and Manchester United, but he believes Bolton v Newcastle is much harder to call.[/b] [b]Bolton v Newcastle, KO: Boxing Day 15:00, Match Odds: Bolton 2.7, Newcastle 2.9, The Draw 3.5[/b] Bolton recorded a much needed win against relegation rivals Blackburn in midweek and they'll fancy their chances of another victory when an out-of-form Newcastle visit the Reebok Stadium on Boxing Day. Having said that, the Trotters have lost nine of their last 10 league games at the Reebok Stadium so confidence is unlikely to be too high. After a quite brilliant start to the season Newcastle find themselves without a win in six, injuries mounting up, and - not surprisingly in my opinion - having one...

The Dragons welcome back James Collins, though will be without the suspended Craig Bellamy and David Vaughan, while doubts remain over Jack Collison. Darren Bent and Micah Richards are the only absentees for the Three Lions, having withdrawn from the squad over the weekend. [u]Match Odds [/u] England appeared invigorated against Bulgaria with a youthful line-up and balance to the formation. Scott Parker and Gareth Barry holding in midfield offered greater confidence for the front four - headed by the vivacious Wayne Rooney - and the performance spoke volumes, albeit against poor opposition. The only points dropped by Capello's men during European Championship qualification came at home, with draws against Montenegro and Switzerland. Indeed, England have not won any fixture at Wembley...

The most encouraging aspect of England's defeat of Bulgaria on Friday night was not so much the result, or indeed the winning margin, but the nature of the victory. It was fitting that England were kitted out in untraditional blue because the way they played was such a departure from their customary pedestrian offerings that for a moment you could have been forgiven for mistaking Fabio Capello's two-toned charges for a visiting Argentina side. At this point it would be prudent to point out that England were playing a particularly bad Bulgaria outfit shorn of their only guiding light, Dimitar Berbatov, who has decided to walk away from international football in order to concentrate on sitting on the bench at Old Trafford. The Manchester United striker might have been on the end of any...

[b]Given his talent, most clubs should want to sign Joey Barton on a free transfer, but Dan 'The Betting Man' Fitch thinks they might be put off by his outspoken Tweeting and unruly temperament.[/b] If you were asked to name the player whose name would be on the lips of every football supporter as the Premier League kicked off this week, then you'd probably go for a superstar such as [b]Wayne Rooney[/b] or Fernando Torres. Instead, everyone must accept second billing behind a player who turns out for a mid-table club, is available on a free transfer and has a solitary international cap. [b]Joey Barton[/b] is the most talked about footballer in the country right now. On and off the pitch, his antics are impossible to ignore. With Newcastle apparently willing to let him go this...

[i]Lampard and Gerrard still don't play well together [/i] It's become a clichéd argument, but it's backed up by the stats. In the past 12 months, England have started six games with the Lampard-Gerrard partnership, and six games with only one of them. The difference in performance is stark - when only one has started, England have won 66% of matches, and the goals scored per game figure is at an impressive 2.16. When they're paired together, however, the win ratio falls to 33%, and the goals scored per game figure drops to 1.16. And that doesn't even take into account that one of the wins (and two of the goals) when both started were in England's 2-1 win over Hungary - when Lampard was taken off midway through the game, and Gerrard stormed forward to turn the game around with two superb...

[b]Only Arsenal have managed an unbeaten Premier League season - in 2003/04 - but the Betfair Contrarian believes that Sir Alex Ferguson's men can emulate that feat in 2010/11.[/b] The Contrarian collected on a long-term investment over the weekend when Kara Tointon justified his call that a woman would win Strictly Come Dancing and he's prepared to play the waiting game once again with a flutter on Manchester United becoming only the second ever Premier League team to go through a whole season unbeaten. Tempting odds of 11.0 are offered - here's why the Contrarian is confident he'll be ten times better off come May... [b]They're halfway there[/b] Well, give or take a few games. Manchester United are only the second team in the 19-year history of the Premier League to have...