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[u]Chelsea v Norwich[/u] Chelsea will be looking to maintain their position at the top of the Premier League when they take on a winless Norwich side this Saturday. The Canaries were torn apart by Liverpool at Carrow Road last week and unless there has been some dramatic improvements we should expect a similar outcome at Stamford Bridge this time. Norwich have won just one and lost six of their last nine Premier League away games, while Chelsea have won nine and lost just one of their last 12 Premier League games on home soil. Odds of 1.25 on a home win are more than justifiable. Opta also tell us that Norwich have the worst chance conversion rate in the Premier League so far, scoring with just six % of their attempts on goal, and that the away side has failed to score in seven...

[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 ...

[b]Robin van Persie's scoring record over the past year has been nothing short of exceptional but despite being all the rage in 'first goalscorer' and 'to score' markets, he's still available at value prices. Not to mention as Premier League top goalscorer, according to Andrew Atherley.[/b] Robin van Persie is the hottest striker in the Premier League right now and that's good news for Arsenal fans, Arsenal backers and those who have been putting their money on the flying Dutchman in the goalscorer markets. There is every reason to expect his great scoring run to continue when Arsenal host Fulham on Saturday and the stats indicate he is excellent value as first goalscorer. Since his return from injury late last year, van Persie has been first goalscorer in eight of his 29 Premier...

[b]Not everybody is looking forward to spring... Andrew Clarke assesses the relegation markets and explains why a close look at the fixtures lists should inform your betting on battle to avoid the drop. [/b] One of the most interesting markets in this most unpredictable of Premier League seasons has to be that of relegation. Traditionally the number of points needed to avoid the drop has been set at 40 but no club has needed that many since 2002/3 when West Ham went down with 42. But the signs are that this term the tally will be on the up again, mainly because no side is already doomed. No side in the bottom half of the table is safe yet, but at this time of year momentum is key so recent form needs to be looked at. By that rationale Fulham and Aston Villa in 12th and 15th respectively...

[b]Not everybody is looking forward to spring... Andrew Clarke assesses the relegation markets and explains why a close look at the fixtures lists should inform your betting on battle to avoid the drop.[/b] One of the most interesting markets in this most unpredictable of Premier League seasons has to be that of relegation. Traditionally the number of points needed to avoid the drop has been set at 40 but no club has needed that many since 2002/3 when West Ham went down with 42. But the signs are that this term the tally will be on the up again, mainly because no side is already doomed. No side in the bottom half of the table is safe yet, but at this time of year momentum is key so recent form needs to be looked at. By that rationale Fulham and Aston Villa in 12th and 15th respectively...

At the start of a premier league season the publicly stated aim of all newly promoted sides is [b]survival[/b]; were they to be offered 17th place come May they would all gladly take it. But the early signs are that Newcastle, West Bromwich Albion and Blackpool may have grander designs given their current positions of fifth, 11th and 14th respectively. Ian Holloway's [b]Blackpool[/b] are still favourites for the drop at 1.79 having come up via the play offs and have drawn comparisons with Burnley, who last season took the same route to the top flight and also started well before disappearing through the relegation trap door. But there are differences. For one Holloway is sure to remain at the helm at Bloomfield road barring an extraordinary turn of events. Also, it's often said that...