LeeDixon

I was a little surprised that Roberto Mancini didn't make a move for a central defender in the January transfer window. That's the one area where I feel they may be lacking an extra player. It was notable that the suspension of Vincent Kompany coincided with a spell of conceding four goals in two matches (two at home to Spurs, two away at Liverpool in the Carling Cup) with the inexperienced Stefan Savic thrown in at the deep end and showing that perhaps he's just not quite ready to be playing at this level yet.

But Mancini obviously feels that with Kompany, Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure, who returns from international duty at the end of the month, he has enough cover. And he should know. I'm not entirely sure where exactly on-loan David Pizarro fits into his plans for the remainder of the season but the former Inter Milan boss obviously feels that he brings qualities that the squad was lacking. We'll see.

Match Odds/Correct Score

That defeat at Everton came a little bit out of the blue, so to speak. I certainly thought City would go to Goodison and win the match but these things happen. Mancini's men have played the best football so far over the course of the season and if that was the criteria for winning the Premier League, then they would be the winners. But that's not how football works and the worrying thing for Mancini is that Manchester United haven't yet hit top gear, yet are level on points with them. It's all still up for grabs still but Manchester United were my tip at the start of the season and given they've been there and done it so often over the past few years, the Red Devils are now favourites in my book (if not the Betfair market's).

All that is food for thought for another day though because I can't see City dropping points at home to Fulham. They've had recent blips against the likes of Sunderland, West Brom and Everton but all of those were away from home and at the Etihad Stadium they've been irresistible. In fact, they've won their last 16 home games in the league, the Opta stats reveal.

A City win at 1.34 is one of the safer bets you'll see this weekend on any Betfair market but if that's not your sort of price then consider the 2-0 home win at 7.6. Perhaps the days of tearing teams apart with cricket scores are gone and Mancini will just want to win this one and, if possible, give some of his key players a breather with bigger challenges ahead. Only Arsenal managed to restrict City to just the one goal so far at the Etihad this season so, all in all, 2-0 looks like a pretty reasonable scoreline.

Manchester City clean sheet?

In fairness to Fulham, they've actually been better away from home this season than in previous ones. Martin Jol's men have also scored in each of their last three matches away from Craven Cottage. Statistically that might not bode so well for my recommended bet but it does mean that we're given a quote of odds-against that City keep a clean sheet here. With greater emphasis on not conceding at the moment than on scoring a load of goals at the other end, something I've alluded to already, this looks a good price on City keeping a clean sheet here.

Player To Score

Edin Dzeko hasn't been particularly prolific over the last few weeks and he's running out of chances to prove to Mancini that it should be him and not Mario Balotelli who deserves to start once the Italian returns from suspension. A home match against Fulham is a good chance to get on the scoresheet and I think he will.

2 pts Back Manchester City to win 2-0 @ 7.6
2 pts Back a Manchester City clean sheet @ 2.1
1 pt Back Edin Dzeko to score at anytime @ 2.0

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Martin O'Neill has been talked about as a future Manchester United manager for a while. He's been in charge of some pretty big clubs in Celtic and Aston Villa but with all due respect to those two, the United job is in a different league and would surely represent by far the biggest challenge of his career if he were to get it. Personally I don't think he will and the Betfair next Manchester United manager market (for a bit of trivia, it's the oldest market on Betfair by a huge distance) tends to agree, making him only fifth favourite. Goodness knows when that market will be settled by the way, Sir Alex could easily be in charge for another ten years! One thing is for sure: since arriving at Sunderland he's certainly done his chances of getting that job no harm at all.

Match Odds

A match between two good sides who are going through a good period right now.

I've spoken before about my admiration for Norwich City and the way Paul Lambert has got them playing good, positive football. Their reward for that is ninth place in the Premier League table, two points and one place ahead of...Sunderland.

Sunderland start this match as odds-on favourites and that's not something we would have seen if Steve Bruce was still in charge. Home advantage could make a big difference here but I actually think Norwich are good enough to get a draw. After all, according to Opta, it's just one defeat in eight for the Canaries. That's what I'll be backing at 3.7.

Sunderland clean sheet

Norwich's attacking intents have seen them score at least once in 15 of their last 17 matches. Sunderland do look a bit better at the back since O'Neill has been at the club but I think whatever happens, Norwich will keep up their scoring habit. It's worth backing "no" in the Sunderland clean sheet market at odds of 1.52.

Correct Score

Norwich may even get two. Given both sides are comfortably outside the relegation zone, despite pre-season predictions they'd struggle, I think we might get a really open devil-may-care sort of match here. It's adventurous but a bet on 2-2 at 18.0 may bear fruits.

To Score

Grant Holt was the subject of a bid by Rangers on transfer deadline day and I can't blame the Scottish giants for making a polite inquiry. I also can't blame Norwich for telling them what they thought of it. Holt is a real old-fashioned centre-forward but he's a handful and he's in good scoring form, having grabbed another at the weekend in the FA Cup. He's my top choice as a goalscorer in this match at 3.6.

2 pts Back the draw at 3.7
2 pts Back "No" in Sunderland clean sheet market @ 1.52
1 pt Back 2-2 in correct score market at 18.0
2 pts Back Grant Holt to score at anytime at 3.6

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Manchester City's win over Tottenham just over a week ago raised plenty of talking points, none more so than whether Mario Balotelli should have still been on the pitch to win and convert the penalty that won City the match.

I think I was one of the few who wasn't so sure whether his alleged stamp on Scott Parker was deliberate. It may well have been of course but I think there was enough uncertainty to give him the benefit of the doubt. Would that have been the case if it involved another player? I guess we'll never know but there's no doubt that City will miss Balotelli and his goals for the remainder of his ban. The former Inter Milan man is a huge talent; at times he seems to find the game of professional football effortless and appears to just stroll through matches and still be just about the best player on the pitch. But Balotelli needs to sort himself out because though he may still be a young man, he's been playing the game for a while now. It's easy to claim you're a victim and it's hard to shake off a bad-boy reputation but very often if trouble keeps finding you, you've probably occasionally gone looking for it. Solving these sort of problems is what Roberto Mancini is paid to do but at the moment he'll only be thinking of beating Everton and keeping the team's momentum.

Match Odds

There's been plenty of transfer speculation over the past few weeks but most of it has been just that, because there haven't been too many major signings. In fact, the big success stories have actually been about players on short-term loans. Robbie Keane has bagged a few goals at Aston Villa, Thierry Henry scored that fairytale winner against Leeds for Arsenal and then of course, there's Landon Donovan. It's his second spell at Goodison Park and he's yet to find the net for the Toffees this time around but the American is a great addition, albeit for a short period. He can play out wide, just behind the striker or even as a more conventional forward. He knows the club already and gives the manager options at a time when the games are coming thick and fast.

Everton will need a performance out of Donovan on Tuesday night if they're to get anything from this match because City are on a roll. They've had a serious setback in the form of Vincent Kompany's suspension and the absences of the Toure brothers but they've carried on winning, by hook or by crook. This should be no exception, despite Everton's good record against them and 1.86 on another win for the league leaders looks generous.

Over/Under 2.5 Goals/Correct Score

I fancy goals here. Since Kompany's 12th minute sending-off against Manchester United in the FA Cup, City have conceded seven goals. Kompany is back for this match of course but it may take some time for him to gel with his team-mates again. The absence of Yaya Toure has also been felt in that they've lacked his physical presence in the heart of the midfield and opponents have had more of the ball in those areas. I'd be surprised if City kept a clean sheet, even though Everton haven't exactly been prolific themselves recently. And given I fancy City to win, it's pretty obvious I'm very much in the 'overs' camp here at 2.06.

But if you're after a bigger price, go with 2-1 City on the correct score market at 9.6.

First Goalscorer

No prizes for originality here but I like the chances of Sergio Aguero. He's actually gone four matches without goal so you can either take the view that he's out of form or that he's due. It's the latter for me. I don't think it's the case that he's not playing well, just that the ball hasn't gone in. Show faith in the little man to break the deadlock at a crucial time in City's season.

2 pts Back Manchester City to win @ 1.86
3pts Back over 2.5 goals @ 2.06
2 pts Back City to win 2-1 @ 9.6
1pt Back Sergio Aguero to be first goalscorer @ 5.6

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I suspect both these teams will have wished this fixture was away from home. That's how disappointing they've been in front of their own fans. But it's Bolton who will be playing hosts on Saturday. Let's try and predict how things will pan out.

Match Odds

Right, some stats for you courtesy of Opta. Liverpool have won the last 10 Premier League games in a row against Bolton. Who have won just one of their last 12 Premier League matches at the Reebok Stadium (W1 D1 L10). In truth I didn't really need those stats to convince me Liverpool are going to win this match.

Not only are Bolton on a horrendous run but the inevitable happened this week and they lost their best defender, Gary Cahill, who moved to Chelsea after refusing to sign a new contract.

Liverpool are under-achieving at the moment but at least there's one really obvious problem to solve, they're not scoring enough goals. Luis Suarez is suspended, Andy Carroll is struggling, Steven Gerrard has only just come back from injury. These factors plus a bit of bad luck and some carelessness (they've missed three out of their four penalties in the Premier League) is why the goals aren't coming but at least they're creating the chances.

Putting one of them away may well be enough to win this match and Liverpool are well-fancied at 1.66.

Over/Under 2.5 Goals

If there's a fair bit wrong with their finishing, there's not much wrong with Liverpool's defending at the moment. They've conceded just once in their last four matches and may have found yet another solid defender in Sebastian Coates, who also seems to have something about him going forward.

A low-scoring affair should be on the cards here and both under 2.5 goals (2.0) and a Liverpool clean sheet (2.4) are worth a dabble.

First Goalscorer

We can rule out Andy Carroll because he's unlikely to start and Dirk Kuyt because the last goal he scored was for the Netherlands as far back as October. Steven Gerrard loves scoring goals and is always dangerous from set-pieces but last Saturday he played a lot deeper than I would have expected so there's a danger he may not get into too many forward areas again this Saturday. Craig Bellamy started on the bench last week, which in his case probably means he was being rested rather than dropped, given his knee problems, and that he's likely to start this one. He gets the nod to open the scoring at around 7.0.

3 pts Back Liverpool to win @ 1.68
2 pts Back Under 2.5 goals @ 2.0
2 pts Back a Liverpool clean sheet @ 2.4
1 pt Back Craig Bellamy to be first goalscorer @ 7.0

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Norwich have been one of the surprise packages of the Premier League this season. But I did think at the start of the campaign that they were the team from the three newly-promoted ones that had the best chance of survival. They've arrived in the Premier League and carried on doing what got them into this league in the first place. Playing as a team, working for each other and being positive. Believing they can score against anyone, even if they concede a few in the process.

Match Odds

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Norwich is that they haven't allowed themselves to be intimidated by anyone. They may have lost to the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea but in all those matches they created enough chances to get something from the game. They have the confidence to have a go at the big teams and that's something that comes from the manager, Paul Lambert.

Carrow Road is a unique little ground and Norfolk a very interesting part of the country. They love their football over there and the crowd gets really excited about these glamorous Premier League ties. And when they don't, at least Delia does!

Chelsea have looked a little better over the past few weeks. Or maybe they've just been that little bit luckier. That Fernando Torres shot that rebounded into Frank Lampard and then into the back of the net last weekend and a late, late winner by Lampard - who was lucky to be on the pitch - at Wolves a couple of weeks before that lends weight to that argument. People I speak to who watch Chelsea live every week are telling me that Torres is looking sharp and confident again and that the goals will come sooner rather than later for him. But then again we've said all that before as regards the former Liverpool man.

I think Norwich continue to be under-rated by fans and the Betfair markets. I think they're too big at 6.0 and they have a real chance of winning this match and by the same token I think that Chelsea are too short at 1.66. I'll be laying the Blues because the draw is very much in the equation.

Over/Under 2.5 goals

Chelsea don't score too many these days because they're not playing well enough to do so, simple as that. I've said Norwich really go for it but I can't see them scoring more than once against a Chelsea back-line that's started to look just that little bit more secure in recent weeks (and may be bolstered by new man Gary Cahill). It's not my most confident bet of the weekend but I'll side with 'unders' here at 2.46. 1-1 in the correct score market is also worth a small interest at 9.4.

To Score

If you saw Steve Morison warm up before kick-off without knowing him, you'd have a hard time working out what position he played in. For starters he wears a centre-back's shirt number (five) and his build doesn't really give any clues to his position either. But he's a real success story, a player who paid his dues in the lower leagues before enjoying life in the 'Big Time'. He's an awkward customer to mark and he's in form with two goals in his last two matches. Back him to score at anytime at 4.0.

2 pts lay Chelsea @ 1.66
1 pt Back under 2.5 goals @ 2.46
1 pt Back 1-1 @ 9.4
2 pts Back Steve Morison to score at anytime @ 4.0

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We have said for a long time that there was going to be a blip in Manchester City's season. Well, here it is. But is it major blip? I'm not so sure.

The goals have dried up, while a few defeats have interrupted what was previously serene progress and the injuries and suspensions are beginning to bite. Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany are going to be missed while the mercurial David Silva is carrying an ankle strain.

But there are many other big names at the club who arrived for big money and now is their chance to make an impact. That means players like Samir Nasri and Edin Dzeko waking up and showing why City paid for them in the first place. Both revelled in the early weeks of the season as City flew out the blocks but neither is showing their best at present.

City have enough attacking strength to get the better of most teams but the defence is a concern. Stefan Savic was all over the place against Liverpool and doesn't look ready for the league yet. A central pairing of Micah Richards and Joleon Lescott looks likely at Wigan. But even with a patched-up XI and players out of position City should be alright on Monday night. Wigan have been struggling all season long and their home form is poor. Worse still, as Opta point out, the Latics have failed to score in six of their last eight league games against City and the last four in a row.

I don't particularly want to back the away side at a tight 1.44 so I will play three correct score options in an attempt to get City on my side - 0-1, 0-2 and 1-2, which pays at combined odds of around 3.0. City are not playing the free-flowing football of the early weeks but they have enough to get past Wigan and I think this will be relatively tight.

First Goalscorer

Sergio Aguero was a winning bet a few weeks back and, given he scored a hat-trick against Wigan earlier this year and looks a highly likely starter, he's my selection again. If he gets a chance he hits the target, and he will definitely get chances at Wigan.

Sending Off

Martin Atkinson takes charge and this card happy ref - who has already shown six red cards - may just unleash his seventh! There are a few red card candidates on either side and this bet could cop at a handy price.

Recommended Bets
1pt Back 0-1 @ 8.4
1pt Back 0-2 @ 8.4
1pt Back 1-2 @ 9.0
2pts Back Sergio Aguero first goalscorer @ 5.0
1pt Back a sending off @ 5.0

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The dressing room must have been the last place in the world any of the Manchester United players involved in Saturday's match wanted to be at both at half-time and full-time. The dressing down Sir Alex must have given his players will have been amongst the most brutal the great man has ever delivered. Wayne Rooney will have been upset at sitting out the match - apparently due to an evening out with his wife - but at least he was safe sitting in the stands!

The worst defeat I was ever involved in was actually against Manchester United. We lost 6-2 at home in the Carling Cup. I was given the task of marking Lee Sharpe. He scored a hat-trick. Ugly stuff but not quite as ugly as United's away kit that day. That 3-2 defeat on Saturday will surely have been one the worst of Sir Alex's time at Old Trafford but let's give Blackburn some credit. They were written off before a ball was kicked in anger by pretty much everyone, myself included. On Betfair they were backed at odds of 48.0 before kick-off. Fair play to whoever saw that one coming but there can't have been many. But they went out and played well and believed in themselves. People can say what they like about Steve Kean but on Saturday the players showed that they're behind him and wanted to play for him.

Match Odds

There will have to be a reaction from the United players, just like there was after that defeat at home to Manchester City. That's all well and good but United are massively handicapped at the moment by injuries. They've obviously got plenty of options in forward positions but Michael Carrick may have to play in central defence yet again and they may have to field players who are essentially wingers (like Ji-Sung Park or Antonio Valencia) in the centre of midfield. I'm not entirely sure what all that Rooney business was about (I'm sure all or some of the truth will come out at some stage) but I do know that United missed him on Saturday. With all the strikers fit, they could have done with him in midfield once again.

The Newcastle fans will no doubt be reminding the United players about that last result and that will just add to the pressure. These two drew at Old Trafford a few weeks ago and I wouldn't rule out a repeat of that again. But I wouldn't be that amazed if Newcastle actually won the match either so I'm actually going to lay United at 1.84 rather than back the draw.

Half-time Score

There could be a few goals in this game and a couple could come in the first half so backing the 1-1 half-time draw looks a decent bet.

First Goalscorer

Demba Ba has been one of the players of the season for me. He's worked hard, led the line well and scored plenty of goals. Which is even more remarkable given he plays for a team who aren't exactly famous for creating too many chances. Newcastle will miss him badly when he reports for African Cup Of Nations duty. That's for Alan Pardew to worry about in a couple of weeks though. For the time being he's available to play and is a good bet to open the scoring.

2 pts Lay Manchester United @ 1.84
1 pt Back 1-1 half-time score @ 9.0
2 pts Back Demba to be first goalscorer @ 9.0

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It's been a disappointing few days for Roberto Mancini's Manchester City. Four points from two away matches would probably have been considered a decent return but instead they managed just a single point courtesy of that draw at West Brom. The defeat at Sunderland can be considered a bit of a freak occurrence; let's not forget the Black Cats were matched in-play on Betfair at odds of 420.0 given they scored with what was virtually the last kick of the game. But the worrying thing for Roberto Mancini is that they failed to score in both those games. Liverpool aren't exactly known for charitable defending so this may not be the best match for City to get back on track.

Match Odds

It was no coincidence that with Sergio Aguero and, in particular, David Silva on the bench, City didn't create too many chances at the Stadium of Light.

For all the superb finishing of Aguero, mercurial talents of Mario Balotelli and raw power of Yaya Toure, it's the diminutive Spaniard who really makes things tick for City. Without him, they lacked a cutting edge and someone to deliver that killer final ball. But the Christmas period is always the busiest of the year and no-one can play every match. Or if you do, that's going to catch up with you later on in the season. Arsene Wenger was the best I've ever seen at knowing when you were tired. He used to tell me a couple of weeks before I started to actually feel tired that I looked a little jaded. Amazing quality.

We'll have to wait and see whether Mancini has that same quality because knowing how best to rotate your squad is a key skill in a modern-day manager.

There's no doubt that all the big guns will be out for this match but I'm not sure that will be enough to get City back to winning ways. Liverpool went away to both Chelsea and Arsenal and won so they clearly relish playing the big teams and, if anything, actually perform to a better level when the stakes are high.

Opta reveal the quite remarkable statistic that City have won just one of their last 13 matches against Liverpool so three points here really would be a case of going against the grain. Four of the last six have ended as draws and all things considered, that's probably where this one is heading too.

Over/Under 2.5 Goals

I've spoken before in previews for Betting.Betfair that the key reason why Liverpool aren't higher up the table is that they simply don't score enough goals. On the other hand, they don't concede many either. Craig Bellamy was superb against Newcastle and he tends to perform in bursts where he's excellent for a few matches and then goes a bit quiet. The number of clubs he's been at throughout his career suggests he doesn't always deliver in line with the potential he has and I'll be interested to see if he starts against City, one of his former clubs. If he does, he could be a real handful.

City have found scoring a bit of a problem recently and given this ended 1-1 when they met a couple of months ago, I think we're going to get another low-scoring match so 'unders' is the call.

First Goalscorer

No prizes for originality but hey, we're trying to make money here! Sergio Aguero was left out of the starting line-up against Sunderland and brought on at half-time when Mancini didn't like the way things were going. At least he'll be fresh for tonight's match and he's my pick to open the scoring at around 6.2.

Bookings Odds

There were five bookings when these two met in late November, six if you include Mario Balotelli's second yellow which led to a red. It's not that I necessarily think there's bad blood between these two teams but this has all the makings of a fiercely contested match. I don't think the card count will go through the roof but we should get at least nine points.

2 pts Back the draw @ 3.6
3 pts Back Under 2.5 goals @ 1.88
1 pt Back Sergio Aguero to be first goalscorer @ 6.2
2 pts Back nine points or above in bookings odds market @ 1.8

For more exclusive Lee Dixon content, go to http://betting.betfair.com/football/leedixon/

I hope that all the talk ahead of the match doesn't revolve around Luis Suarez, who seems to be making headlines for all the wrong reasons at the minute. I'd rather that people are discussing the players who are going to take to the pitch rather than those who aren't. I suspect that won't be the case though.


Match Odds

Having just said the above, I can't help but mention Suarez's suspension myself! But only to make the point that Liverpool's odds have drifted from around 1.42 to their current price of 1.65 purely on the back of the news that the Uruguayan sits this one out as a result of that 'incident' at Fulham a few weeks ago. As things stand, he'll be spending far more time on the sidelines than on the pitch over the next couple of months.

That's bad news for Liverpool. They may be dropping far too many points at the moment and not scoring nearly enough goals but Suarez is at the heart of everything they're doing well in forward areas. Still, they do have Steven Gerrard almost back to full fitness and they need their skipper on the pitch at a time when things aren't going their way. Not just because of what he gives you in terms of passing, tackling and goals but also because of the spirit and leadership he brings to the side.

As for Newcastle, the collapse predicted by many simply hasn't come. They began the season with a team work ethic that saw them united, organised and playing good football. They built this on a back line that didn't change for the first nine or ten matches. Add to this some solid tackling from the likes of Cheick Tiote and Demba Ba`s goals and you have a successful team. The problems were going to come with injuries. That has happened but they're still doing well. Cynics may argue that beating Bolton doesn't exactly warrant a standing ovation but any away win in the Premier League is hard to come by. Just ask Manchester City after their goalless draw at West Brom.

Liverpool's price may have drifted but even at the bigger 1.65 I don't fancy backing them to win this match. Opta tell us Liverpool are unbeaten in their last nine Premier League games at Anfield, but have drawn five of the last six. My money is on that last stat quickly becoming six of the last seven.


Over/Under 2.5 Goals

Kenny Dalglish will be tearing his hair out at Liverpool's inability to score more than a goal a game. Let's not forget the Liverpool boss was one of the finest strikers ever to play on these shores and very rarely found goals hard to come by himself. Their task is made even harder by the absence of 'you-know-who'. Add to that the fact that Liverpool have actually defended very well in recent weeks and we simply must back under 2.5 goals at 1.92.


First Goalscorer

Assuming Dirk Kuyt isn't employed as a striker over the next month or so, Andy Carroll is about to get an extended run in the team. And that's exactly what he needs. It allows him to relax a little in the knowledge he will be playing the next game whatever happens. With strikers this normally relaxes the body and technique becomes second nature. Then a couple of goals later and all is forgotten. Loss of form? What loss of form?

Liverpool may have to employ slightly different tactics here because Carroll is such a different player to Suarez in terms of his strengths. But assuming he gets some decent service, especially if it's from wide areas, this could be the match that he gets back amongst the goals. I'm backing him to open the scoring at 6.5.


Recommended Bets

2 pts Back the draw @ 4.0
2 Back Under 2.5 goals @ 1.92
1 pt Back Andy Carroll to be first goalscorer @ 6.5


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Is Stoke's reputation as a formidable home team warranted? They've won four at the Britannia Stadium, drawn two and lost two in the Premier League this season so perhaps it's not the fortress that some make out. Mind you, I was correct to predict that Tottenham's winning run would end there a fortnight ago and it remains true that few teams relish a trip to the Potteries.

That certainly applies to Aston Villa, a team who, despite giving an improved performance against Arsenal, have little to cheer this Christmas. Stoke fans make the most noise and the Britannia's fearsome reputation will give the home side a psychological advantage. That can count for a lot, especially when things are going against you, as they are for Alex McLeish's men. Villa sit 12th in the table, at that crucial juncture where a couple of wins can catapult you into the top half and a couple of defeats can send you sliding towards trouble.


Match Odds

Tony Pulis watched his team surrender pretty meekly against Manchester City in midweek. But the Potters have done him proud in the Europa League this term, eighth is a comfortable position for them in the league and all is to play for in the second half of the season. Their aerial threat has been well-documented, from throw-ins, but also from corners, so the glaring stat for anyone betting on this match is that Villa have conceded more goals from set-pieces than any other team in the top flight. Gabriel Agbonlahor played 90 minutes on his return against Arsenal and he will be key for Villa as they bid to turn their form around. He's always a threat on the break but the way that Stoke play - with a flat back four, throwing few men forward - means they can nullify him. I'm backing the home victory.


Over 2.5 Goals

That's not to say I think Stoke will keep a clean sheet. They've conceded five in their last three home league fixtures, including three against Queens Park Rangers. Villa look blunt up front but even bottom club Blackburn managed a goal at the Britannia so the hosts are hardly impenetrable. They can do the business at the other end though, and with over 2.5 goals backers having collected in four of Stoke's last five in the league, I'm backing it.


To score

Jon Walters has scored notched more goals than Peter Crouch this season while building an effective partnership with the big man. Like Villa's Emile Heskey, strikers often say that they love playing alongside Crouch and Walters is no exception. He hasn't scored for over a month but he's worth backing to get back on the goal trail here.

Recommended Bets

2pts Back Stoke @ 1.98
2pts Back over 2.5 goals @ 2.06
1pt Back Jonathan Walters to score


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