A look at this weekend’s Premier League matches as Manchester fights for the league title and London teams play for their Champions League futures.

Arsenal v Norwich

The chase for third place remains in Arsenal’s hands, but with Tottenham and Newcastle in close pursuit there is no room for error. Arsene Wenger’s team, without a win in three games, have laboured since Mikel Arteta’s injury removed the metronome which keeps everything ticking, and the responsibility to drag them over the line rests with a tired Robin van Persie. With Norwich having relaxed since securing a second season in the EPL, this is a good opportunity for the Gunners to grab a much needed victory.

Norwich have conceded 11 goals in their last three matches, including hat-tricks for Carlos Tevez and Luis Suarez. Van Persie will be hoping the Canaries defence continues to be accommodating. The Gunners are fortunate to close out the season with two imminently winnable games against teams without anything tangible to play for, but the spoiler factor should never be underestimated.

Prediction: Arsenal win

Newcastle v Man City

The sums are simple for Manchester City now: win their last two games and the title is all but guaranteed. It is a difficult assignment though, as Newcastle confirmed with their midweek victory at Chelsea. Of all the important games being played this weekend, this one might have the widest-reaching effects. Newcastle will need to pick up the points if they hope to lay claim to a Champions League place.

Manchester City did what they needed to do against their crosstown rivals on Monday, but with United facing a slightly less daunting end of the season schedule they’ll be able to take nothing for granted. On top of this, these are two very good teams that are generally quite enjoyable to watch. Both have incredible attacking talent with the likes of Papiss Cisse, Sergio Aguero, Demba Ba and Carlos Tevez. This is arguably the weekend’s biggest game, in any league.

Prediction: Draw

Aston Villa v Tottenham

This is a huge match for both clubs. An Aston Villa win in this match would all but guarantee their Premier League survival. However, Tottenham are well in the race for the Champions League places, Redknapp will be anxious to take third from their London rivals Arsenal, just in case Chelsea are successful in the Champions League final. Tottenham travel to Villa Park after back-to-back victories, while Mcleish’s side have failed to take 3 points from a Premier League game since November. Scott Parker’s return to fitness is a huge boost for Tottenham, having recovered from an ankle injury. He is expected to return to the starting line up in this fixture.

Prediction: Tottenham win

Bolton v West Brom

Roy Hodgson’s West Brom now have very little left to play for this season. However, this can’t be said for their opponents, Bolton. It’s been a very emotional season for Owen Coyle’s team, both on and off the pitch. For quite some time now, Bolton fans have been clinging to their side’s games in hand to give them hope for another season in the Premier League. The Wanderers caught up to the rest of the league in terms of games played on Wednesday, but faced a heavy 4-1 defeat to Tottenham. Bolton are even on points with 17^th place QPR, but they’ve got a serious mountain to climb in terms of goal difference. Hodgson’s appointment as the new England boss may prove a blessing in disguise for Bolton. A distracted West Brom side could prove ideal opposition.

Prediction: Bolton win

Fulham v Sunderland

Both Fulham and Sunderland will be looking for the three points that would virtually guarantee a top-10 finish but the form of these teams could not be more different. The hosts have taken 13 points from their last six Premier League games, including a first ever win at Anfield in midweek. By contrast, Martin O’Neill’s side have not had a victory since 24 March and are playing very much like a side with one eye on their summer holidays.

Prediction: Fulham win

QPR v Stoke

QPR’s fortunes took a turn for the worst last season as they suffered a 6-1 loss to London rivals Chelsea. However, luckily for Mark Hughes’ side, other results at the bottom of the table ensured they sit one place above the relegation zone with just two games left. With a very tough last game against current leaders Manchester City, QPR really need 3 points from this home match to achieve survival, beating a tired Stoke on Sunday could be sufficient to keep them up.

Prediction: QPR win

Wolves v Everton

These teams will be playing for different types of pride this weekend. Everton can open up a six-point gap over local rivals Liverpool, while Wolves – who are already relegated – can secure their first win under Terry Connor’s leadership. Connor will make a late decision on whether Matt Jarvis (groin) and Kevin Foley (hamstring) are fit to play. Moyes is hopeful Leighton Baines will return for the final game of 2011-12 but he will sit out this weekend’s match, along with Victor Anichebe, while Jack Rodwell is out until next season.

Prediction: Everton win

Manchester United v Swansea

United’s hope this season now heavily rely with Newcastle and QPR. A Newcastle victory against the current league leaders would put United back into the driving seat assuming Ferguson’s team can take 3 points from this fixture. Failing that, United need a huge number of goals in their remaining two games if they hope to win the title. Expect a high scoring match, as the hosts attempt to close the goal difference gap with City. Although Swansea have had an excellent season, their form has faded of late, with just a single victory for Brendan Rodger’s side.

Prediction: Manchester United win

Blackburn v Wigan

This is, undeniably, the last chance for Blackburn to save themselves from the drop. The Monday night shift has not generally proved popular with clubs or supporters this season, but neither Blackburn nor Wigan will be complaining this week. By kick-off at Ewood Park they will know the fortunes of Bolton, QPR and Aston Villa, and Wigan could need only a point to ensure they stay up. Whatever their rivals muster, Rovers – who are away at Chelsea on the final day – realistically must win this one, and hope that Wigan return to their meek early-season form rather than continue their recent heroics.

Prediction: Wigan win

Liverpool v Chelsea

Liverpool-Chelsea, twice in the space of three days. There’s no doubt the importance of this match is negligible compared to Saturday’s FA Cup Final. Liverpool have already secured a European place through their Carling Cup victory earlier in the season and of late their league form has been extremely poor, now they only have their own pride to play for. Chelsea, on the other hand, are still chasing Champions League football next season. If they fail to beat Bayern Munich in May’s final, then they have to ensure a fourth place league finish to ensure playing in the elite continental competition next season. Clearly, Di Matteo’s side still need as many league points as possible.

Prediction: Chelsea win

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From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Building on our previous post about the most efficient football clubs across Europe’s top four leagues this season, here we do an historical analysis of the Premier league and the best performing clubs in the last three years (2009/2010 to 2011/2012).

The chart below shows some fascinating visual data about Premier League teams in the last three years – from succintly pointing out Arsenal’s #1 issue to highlighting the massive statistical improvements United have made this season to why Liverpool and Wigan are at the wrong end of the tables.

Make sure you click on the image below to enlarge and view the full data, then share your thoughts in the comments below.

The most efficient Premier League clubs in the last three years

Talking Points:

• Wigan’s continued Premiership survival has been nothing short of miraculous given their tendency for wayward shooting and calamitous defending.
• Arsenal are below the average defensive efficiency line for all three years. Their 2012 team has the fifth worst defense overall in the last three years and the second worst this season, ahead of only Blackburn. Someone should show Wenger this chart before he buys any other players (if he buys them, that is).
• United’s ridiculous position at the top left for 2012 shows how they have made the most of their attacking chances and held their ground (despite that 1-6 scoreline) defensively as well. The only comparison – defensively – is City from 2011 and Villa from 2010.
• From the chart it would seem that United were the better team than Chelsea in 2010 – but that’s the nature of football, where it’s not just your overall numbers but your ability to win key games, which United failed to do that season.
• Liverpool have the second-worst attack this season behind Wigan, and the fourth-worst attack in the last three years. Only Wigan (twice) and Portsmouth have done worse. One of them was relegated and the other might join them this season. How soon before Liverpool sue Evra for costing them a Champions League place / financial losses?

Research done by Matthew Wood. You can find more of Matthew’s statistical work at Balanced Sports.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Wolves have quite literally taken the ‘Mick’ out of their own club following the sacking of Mick McCarthy after just over five and a half years in charge. A difficult season for McCarthy culminated in a crushing 5-1 home defeat to fierce Black Country rivals West Brom. It is a long established fact that in times of strife all road’s for accountability lead to the manager’s door and more often not results in his head swiftly rolling off the chopping block. It is quite simply the nature of the beast and McCarthy was well aware of that fact. Equally as true is the actuality that other stakeholders must also accept their portion of the blame. Noticeably the players of course, accompanied in their portioning of the blame for Wolves’ predicament by the Molineux board from whom there has been a significant element of mismanagement.

Wolves only preserved their Premiership status on a frantic final day of the season and by the absolute finest of margins to boot, a solitary goal. Evidence then, that despite being good enough to stay in top flight much investment was required in the following summer in order to firmly plant the club in the Premiership’s financially fertile ground.

Investment was exactly what followed, but rather than significantly improving a playing staff only just capable of 17^th place in the previous season, money was invested into increasing the capacity of the stadium from 29,195 to 31,700 initially, with an outlay of £18million, and an eventual cost of approximately £40million on completion increasing the capacity to 36,000. The development plans were initiated despite a declining average attendance, in a region heavily affected by the financial crisis, to a current Premiership low for Molineux of 25,636.

The Wolves board have decided to increase supply at significant financial cost when demand is declining, a demand that will surely wane even further if the club are relegated. Bigger is not always better, especially without a match going fan base to equal expansion. Ask fans of fellow midlands club Coventry City if they preferred Premiership days at Highfield Road or drab Championship (probably soon to be League One) encounters at the desolate quarter-full Ricoh Arena?

The answer would most likely be the former and would be coupled with a further question which Wolves as a club must also ask themselves; “where would that level of investment in the team rather than the stadium now see their club placed?” Furthermore, “How can we justify financial outlay on a stadium re-development if we are not assured of Premiership status?”

It seems ridiculous to think that anyone within the Wolves hierarchy would have surmised that the transfer window additions of a reserve Goalkeeper in Jason De Vries and a £4million centre-half from relegated Birmingham City in Roger Johnson would ensure Premiership status. Surely, Wolves missed a golden opportunity to invest significantly in the playing squad in order to manufacture a move up into the middle echelons of the Premiership? Indisputably Premiership consolidation is much more attractive to fans than a few extra (regularly empty) seats.

The postponement of the second phase of re-development in January perhaps suggests that the Wolves board now realise that fact too. The priority must lie in producing a capable and quality team before worrying about the stadium in which they play, especially when the stadium is not in need of immediate refurbishment or redevelopment. Molineux is a fine looking stadium with an ample capacity.

Had the money been put towards extensive team improvements in the summer Wolves may be in a wholly different situation now and an extended revenue boosting period in the Premiership may have lay before them. Whether McCarthy was the man to build a quality Wolves outfit capable of Premiership stability is far from certain. Wolves’ performances this season have been considerably below par on a regular basis suggesting possibly that McCarthy had taken the role as far as he could. Perhaps even more worrying is that McCarthy’s players often showed admirable endeavour but lacked the required quality for this level.

Nonetheless, Wolves’ owner Steve Morgan will now be hopeful his club can follow the example of rivals West Brom who last season benefited immensely from a change of manager at the exact same stage of the season. Alternatively, if the outcomes of the next 13 games conspire against Wolves, condemning them to relegation, then the Wolves’ board may regret their investment priorities.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

You’ll find the latest Premier League Transfers (January 2012) listed here. Archives for older transfer seasons are at the end of this page. For the latest transfer rumours and confirmed transfers for other leagues, see our football transfer lists page.

If you find a transfer not listed here let us know and we’ll add it.

Last Updated: 1 February 2012

Arsenal

In: Thierry Henry (loan, New York Red Bulls); Thomas Eisfeld (£600,000, Borussia Dortmund)

Out: Luke Freeman (undisclosed, Stevenage); Vito Mannone (loan, Hull City); Daniel Boateng (loan, Swindon Town); Gavin Hoyte (loan, AFC Wimbledon); Paulo Botelho (loan, Levante); Emmanuel Frimpong (loan, Wolverhampton Wanderers); Sanchez Watt (loan, Crawley Town); Wellington (loan, CD Alcoyano); Sead Hajrovic (loan, Barnet); Rhys Murphy (loan, Preston North End); Ryo Miyachi (loan, Bolton Wanderers)

Aston Villa

In: Enda Stevens (undisclosed, Shamrock Rovers); Robbie Keane (loan, Los Angeles Galaxy)

Out: Nathan Delfouneso (loan, Leicester City); Shane Lowry (undisclosed, Millwall); Fabian Delph (loan, Leeds United); Elliot Parish (undisclosed, Cardiff City)

Blackburn Rovers

In: Anthony Modeste (Bordeaux, loan), Bruno Ribeiro (Grêmio Barueri, free); Marcus Olsson (free, Halmstads BK); Bradley Orr (undisclosed, Queens Park Rangers)

Out: Jason Roberts (undisclosed, Reading); Keith Andrews (free, West Bromwich Albion); Ryan Nelsen (free, Tottenham)

Bolton Wanderers

In: Tim Ream (£2.5m, New York Red Bulls); Ryo Miyachi (Arsenal, loan); Marvin Sordell (£3m, Watford)

Out: Gary Cahill (£7m, Chelsea); Jack Sampson (loan, Southend United)

Chelsea

In: Gary Cahill (£7m, Bolton Wanderers); Kevin de Bruyne (£6.7m, Genk), Patrick Bamford (£1.5m, Nottingham Forest)

Out: Nicolas Anelka (undisclosed, Shanghai Shenhua); Alex (£4.5m, Paris Saint-Germain); Rhys Taylor (loan, Rotherham); Sam Walker (loan, Yeovil); Ben Gordon (loan, Kilmarnock); Patrick van Aanholt (loan, Vitesse Arnhem); Josh McEachran (loan, Swansea City); Gaël Kakuta (loan, Dijon)

Everton

In: Darron Gibson (£500,000, Manchester United); Landon Donovan (loan, Los Angeles Galaxy); Nikica Jelavic (£6m, Rangers); Steven Pienaar (loan, Tottenham)

Out: Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (£5m, Spartak Moscow); Aristote Nsiala (loan, Accrington Stanley); James Wallace (loan, Tranmere Rovers); Louis Saha (free, Tottenham)

Fulham

In: Jack Grimmer (£200,000, Aberdeen); Pavel Pogrebnyak (£3m, VfB Stuttgart); Ryan Williams (undisclosed, Portsmouth)

Out: Alex Kacaniklic (loan, Watford); Bobby Zamora (£6m, Queens Park Rangers)

Liverpool

In: Jordan Ibe (£500,000, Wycombe Wanderers); Danny Ward (undisclosed, Wrexham)

Out: Danny Wilson (loan, Blackpool); Martin Hansen (undisclosed, Viborg FF)

Manchester City

In: David Pizarro (loan, AS Roma)

Out: Nedum Onuoha (£3m, Queens Park Rangers); Ben Mee (undisclosed, Burnley); Kieran Trippier (undisclosed, Burnley); Harry Bunn (loan, Preston North End); Alex Nimely (loan, Coventry City); Chris Chantler (loan, Carlisle United); Wayne Bridge (loan, Sunderland), Frederic Veseli (undisclosed, Manchester United)

Manchester United

In: Frederic Veseli (undisclosed, Manchester City)

Out: Darron Gibson (£500,000, Everton); Daniel Drinkwater (undisclosed, Leicester City); Mame Biram Diouf (£1.5m, Hannover 96); Joshua King (loan, Hull City); Féderico Macheda (loan, Queens Park Rangers); Ravel Morrison (£650,000, West Ham United); Oliver Norwood (loan, Coventry City); Scott Wootton (loan, Nottingham Forest)

Newcastle United

In: Papiss Demba Cissé (£10m, SC Freiburg)

Out: Alan Smith (loan, MK Dons); Philip Airey (loan, Gateshead); James Tavernier (loan, MK Dons)

Norwich City

In: Jonny Howson (£2m, Leeds United); Ryan Bennett (undisclosed, Peterborough United)

Out: George Francomb (loan, Hibernian); Oli Johnson (loan, Oxford); Korey Smith (loan, Barnsley); Chris Martin (loan, Crystal Palace)

Queens Park Rangers

In: Nedum Onuoha (£3m, Manchester City); Taye Taiwo (loan, AC Milan); Féderico Macheda (loan, Manchester United); Samba Diakité (loan, AS Nancy Lorraine); Djibril Cisse (£4m, Lazio); Bobby Zamora (£6m, Fulham)

Out: Matt Connolly (loan, Reading), Bradley Orr (undisclosed, Blackburn Rovers)

Stoke City

In:

Out: Danny Pugh (undisclosed, Leeds United); Florent Cuvelier (loan, Walsall); Ben Marshall (loan, Sheffield Wednesday); Tom Soares (loan, Hibernian); Ryan Brunt (loan, Tranmere Rovers); Matthew Lund (loan, Bristol Rovers); Michael Tonge (loan, Barnsley); Danny Higginbotham (loan, Nottingham Forest); Ben Marshall (undisclosed, Leicester City)

Sunderland

In: Wayne Bridge (loan, Manchester City); Sotiris Kyrgiakos (loan, VfL Wolfsburg)

Out: Trevor Carson (loan, Hull City); Louis Laing (loan, Wycombe Wanderers); Blair Adams (loan, Northampton Town); John Egan (loan, Crystal Palace); Billy Knott (loan, AFC Wimbledon); Jordan Cook (loan, Carlisle United); Ryan Noble (loan, Derby County); Nyron Nosworthy (loan, Watford)

Swansea City

In: Darnel Situ (£250,000, Lens); Josh McEachran (loan, Chelsea); Gylfi Sigurdsson (loan, Hoffenheim); Curtis Obeng (undisclosed, Wrexham)

Out: Vangelis Moras (loan, Cesena); Lee Lucas (loan, Burton Albion)

Tottenham

In: Iago Falqué (undisclosed, Juventus); Ryan Nelsen (free, Blackburn Rovers); Louis Saha (free, Everton)

Out: David Button (loan, Doncaster Rovers); Dean Parrett (loan, Yeovil Town); Andros Townsend (loan, Leeds United); Iago Falqué (loan, Southampton); Harry Kane (loan, Millwall); John Bostock (loan, Sheffield Wednesday); Tom Carroll (loan, Derby County): Sebastien Bassong (loan, Wolverhampton Wanderers); Vedran Corluka (loan, Bayer Leverkusen); Roman Pavlyuchenko (£8m, Lokomotiv Moscow); Steven Pienaar (loan, Everton); Adam Smith (loan, Leeds United)

West Bromwich Albion

In: Scott Allan (£300,000, Dundee United); Keith Andrews (free, Blackburn Rovers); Liam Ridgewell (undisclosed, Birmingham City)

Out: Roman Bednar (free, Blackpool); James Hurst (loan, Chesterfield); Romaine Sawyers (loan, Shrewsbury Town); Lateef Elford-Alliyu (loan, Tranmere Rovers); Chris Wood (loan, Bristol City); Gonzalo Jara (loan, Brighton & Hove Albion); Joe Mattock (loan, Brighton & Hove Albion)

Wigan Athletic

In: Jean Beausejour (undisclosed, Birmingham City)

Out: Daniel Redmond (loan, Hamilton Academical); Nouha Dicko (loan, Blackpool); Jordan Mustoe (loan, Barnet)

Wolverhampton Wanderers

In: Eggert Jonsson (£250,000, Hearts); Emmanuel Frimpong (loan, Arsenal); Sebastien Bassong (loan, Tottenham)

Out: David Davis (loan, Chesterfield); Sam Winnall (loan, Inverness Caledonian Thistle); Jamie Reckord (loan, Scunthorpe United); Sam Vokes (loan, Brighton & Hove Albion); Adlène Guedioura (loan, Nottingham Forest); Matt Doherty (loan, Hibernian); Andy Keogh (undisclosed, Millwall)

Premier League Transfer Archives:

Summer 2006
January 2007
Summer 2007
January 2008
Summer 2008
January 2009
Summer 2009
January 2010
Summer 2010
January 2011
Summer 2011

For the latest transfer rumours and transfer lists for other leagues, see our transfer news section.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

This weekend, the big teams have a chance to catch up with the Premier League leaders Manchester City, and you can get great betting odds for United, Arsenal and co. to cut down on the lead and make the title race more interesting.

Manchester United v Wolves

Manchester United have endured a horrendous week, crashing out of the Champions League and then losing Vidic for the rest of the season due a knee injury. They need to bounce back, and the visit of Wolves to Old Trafford this weekend gives them a glorious opportunity of doing just that.

Bookmakers make than a best priced 1.25 to beat Mick McCarthy’s men, and they cannot be opposed. United have not lost at home to Wolves for 31 years. They have won the last five and are unbeaten in the last six on their own patch.

Wolves have also scored just one goal in those last six visits, and although some will argue that now is the best time for them to be taking on a United side not playing at their best they are forgetting about on sir Alex Ferguson.

The United boss has proved time and time again that he is capable of lifting his players when things haven’t gone right, and I think Wolves will suffer the backlash this weekend.

What the Red Devils have lost in recent weeks is their killer instinct in front of goal. Wayne Rooney hasn’t looked the same player since his England sending off and has now not found the back of the next in the league since September.

I’m convinced that he will bounce back, and a top priced 4.33 with bet365 to net the opener in this, he makes plenty of appeal.

United to win 3-0 or 4-0 is my idea of the outcome, and those scorelines can be backed at 8 with Boylesports and 12 with bet365.

Liverpool v QPR

Liverpool are a top priced 1.36 to beat QPR at Anfield this weekend and and the stats suggest that they will do just that.

The visitors have won just one of their last 20 league visits to Merseyside, and the Reds are unbeaten in their last seven home games.

Kenny Dalglish’s men once again saw red in their shock 1-0 defeat away at Fulham last weekend, but if they keep their heads in this then there should only be one outcome.

They have the joint-best defensive record this season having conceded just 13 goals so far, and I think that they should be able to win this with a bit to spare and keep a clean sheet to boot.

They are 2.1 chances with Paddy Power to win to nil, and that has to be a fair punt given their cramped odds in the outright market.

Charlie Adams celebrates his 26th birthday in this game, and at 9 with bet365 to bag the opener looks value to kick-off his big day in style.

Arsenal v Everton

Arsenal are a a top priced 1.57 to beat Everton at the Emirates this weekend, and look bankers at those odds to bag all three points.

The Gunners have won six and lost none of the last eight Premier League games against the Toffees and have taken 19 points from their last seven games.

That’s the same number of points that they took from the previous 18 games, and clearly shows what terrific form they have been in of late

Arsene Wenger took the decision to rest virtually all of his first choice XI for the midweek Champions League trip to Olympiakos, and it was a shrewd move given that they had already qualified and had everything to lose but nothing to gain by risking their key men.

It means that he will be able to field his first choice team for this, and you have to think that they will comfortably prove to strong for a struggling Everton side and land the odds of 1.57 available with Betfred and Paddy Power.

Having said that it would be no surprise to see the visitors net a goal as they have have scored 11 goals in the last 11 meetings between the two sides. They have failed to score just once, but have only netted more than one goal on one occasion.

Therefore the 1.83 on offer with bet365 and Betfred about both sides netting makes plenty of appeal from a punting perspective .

Stoke v Tottenham

Stoke take on to in-form Spurs in front of Sky cameras at the Britannia (4.30pm KO) and Harry Redknapp’s side look worth a punt at 2.1 with Paddy Power.

Three Premier League meetings between the two sides at the Britannia have ended 2-1 with Spurs winning the last two visits.

The London outfit come into the game having won their last three on the road, and although they have never won four on the bounce I strongly fancy them to do so.

They have a side full of quality who play slick attacking football and I can see the Stoke back line having real problems against the lies of Peter Crouch and the in-form Gareth Bale.

Crouch, who netted twice against his former club when they met at White Hart lane in April is a a general 8 shot to grab the opener, and that looks decent value.

However Bale, who has scored four and assisted four goals in his last five Premier League appearances, will be carrying my money in the same market at 9.5 with bet365.

For those that like to play the correct score market it has to be a 2-1 win for Spurs at 9 with Betfred.

Chelsea v Manchester City

Chelsea play host to league leaders Manchester City on Monday night, and the in-form Blues have to be worth a punt at 2.5 with Betfred and Boylesports to beat Roberto Mancini’s City slickers.

The Blues triumphed 2-0 in this fixture back in March and come into the game on back of arguably their best performance of the season.

They looked back to their clinical and organised best when trouncing Valencia 3-0 to secure their place in the last 16 of the Champions League, and had previously proved far too strong for Newcastle when registering a 3-0 victory over the Magpies at St James’ when last seen in Premiership action.

Andre Villas-Boas seems to have turned things round, and this promises to be a great game filled with goals – despite the fact that in recent years City have struggled to score at Stamford Bridge.

They have actually have failed find the back of the net in  eight of their last nine league visits to London, but they are a different proposition now and come into this unbeaten in their last eight PL away games (won six).

So given that Chelsea have only managed to keep one clean sheet in their last 8 games at the Bridge but have also not found it difficult to find the target at the other end of the pitch, backing both sides to score looks a standout bet at 1.62 with bet365 and Betfred.

*bet365 are offering a £50 free In-play bet on this game.

To qualify simply place a bet before kick-off, then once the game starts place another bet on any In-Play market. If your FIRST In-Play bet loses we will refund this stake, up to the same value as your largest pre-match bet (max £50).

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Liverpool once again take centre stage this weekend when they play host to Premiership leaders Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday (4pm KO, Live on Sky Sports 1), and they look decent value at 2.63 with bet365 to emerge victorious.

Liverpool v Manchester City

Kenny Dalglish’s side continued their unbeaten run with a good solid performance to beat Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge last weekend and ran out easy 3-0 winners over the Citizens when the two sides met in this fixture back in April.

It was a tactical triumph for Dalglish at The Bridge, and Craig Bellamy, Maxi Rodriguez and Luis Suarez linked together well and always looked capable of scoring.

There must be a chance however that he will change things around a bit for this one and give Andy Carroll a start given that he netted two in the aforementioned 3-0 win over City. He is an 8.5 shot with Boylesports and Paddy Power to open the scoring and that looks a bit of value as does the 3.5 on offer with Boylesports for him to score anytime in the 90 minutes.

This does look like a game that has goals written all over it, and City are sure to be keen to bounce back from their 2-1 midweek defeat at Napoli in the Champions League where Roberto Mancini admitted they let in “two stupid goals”.

However for the first time this season they looked to run out of ideas when things didn’t go according to plan, and if Liverpool can keep it tight early doors and frustrate them a similar scenario could be on the cards.

Betfred go a standout 1.67 about both teams scoring and that looks a really solid bet for those that like to play odds-on.

Manchester United v Newcastle United

Manchester United have an unbelievable record against Newcastle, so it’s no surprise to see then chalked up at a top priced a top priced 1.4 to beat the magpies and bag another three points to keep the pressure on league leaders City.

The visitors have never won at Old Trafford in the English Premier League, losing 11 of their 17 visits.

It’s a similar story overall, with United having won 13 and lost none of their last 17 matches against Alan Pardew’s side.

Those are ominous stats indeed and makes Sir Alex’s side look a solid bet at the odds on offer despite the fact that the visitors have lost just on of their last 15 matches in the PL.

However for those that don’t like to play odds-on, Wayne Rooney makes plenty of appeal in the goals scorer markets.

He is due a goal and has scored 9 goals in 12 games against the Magpies. Paddy Power go a standout 4.5 about him netting first looks a massive price as does the 1.83 with the same firm about him scoring anytime.

Also, given the fact that Newcastle have scored just two goals and failed to score on five of their last seven visits to Old Trafford backing United to win to nil seems a logical punt.

bet365 and Paddy Power both offer 2.2 about that outcome and that looks a fair in my eyes.

Chelsea v Wolves

Chelsea desperately need a win to get their season back on track, and face the perfect opponents this weekend in the shape of woeful Wolves to do just that and land odds of 1.25.

The Blues may have lost their last two at the Bridge, but Mick McCarthy’s men are in total disarray and look cherry ripe for a thrashing by Andre Villas-Boas’ side.

Wolves 2-1 defeat against Everton last weekend was their fourth loss in six away games and they have scored less on their travels than either Bolton or Blackburn who currently sit in the bottom three.

They have also won just one of their last 10 Premier League matches and face a Chelsea side who will be desperate to give their under pressure manager a much needed boost and three vital points.

Bookmakers understandably make Chelsea worthy long-odds favs but rather than back them at 1.25 I would much rather play them at the 1.67 on offer with Paddy Power in the HT/FT market.

Wolves have only managed to keep one clean sheet in the opening 45 minutes in their last 8 league games, and Chelsea are sure to be quick out of the blocks and piling relentless pressure on the McCarthy’s men.

They also have a whole host of players capable of getting on the score sheet – most notably Drogba, Sturridge and Lampard to name but three.

Drogba looked much more like his old sharp, terrorising self when scoring in their midweek Champions League defeat at Bayer Leverkusen and makes plenty of appeal at the 5 on offer with bet365 to score first and fire his side to a comfortable wide margin win.

I am expecting plenty of goals in this encounter, so AVB’s men to win 3-0 or 4-0 is my idea of the outcome and split stakes on both score lines should hopefully net some decent profit.

The former can be backed at a top priced 8 with Boylesports and Paddy Power, while the latter is a juicy looking 12 shot with Paddy Power.

Arsenal v Fulham

Arsenal are long odds-on at 1.44 to maintain their fantastic run of form by beating Fulham at the Emirates this weekend, and the stats suggest that they will have little difficulty in disposing of their London rivals.

Fulham have never won away against Arsenal in any competition in 25 attempts, losing on 22 occasions, and the have won just one of their last nine PL games against the Gunners.

The Cottagers have also won just three out of 45 Premier League London derbies away from home and none of the last 34 since they beat Tottenham in August 2003.

No surprise then that Arsenal are considered bankers by the bookies to secure another 3 points and continue their ascent up the table.

It really is impossible to envisage anything other than a comfortable victory for Arsene Wenger’s men – particularly given the unbelievable form of Robin van Persie.

The Dutchman has done Arsenal plenty of favours in recent weeks thanks to his goal scoring exploits and has now scored 31 goals in 29 Premier League games in 2011 and seven in his last four appearances at the Emirates.

He has also scored in five of his seven Premier League starts against Fulham, and backing him to score anytime at 1.67 with bet365, Boylesports, Betfred and Paddy Power is arguably better value than backing the Gunners in the outright market.

I certainly wouldn’t want to desert a winning formula by not backing him to net, and also fancy a small punt on him to score first as well at a rather large looking 4 with bet365 and Paddy Power.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Halloween may have come and gone, but Wigan Athletic’s form remains scary. After the Latics’ 3-1 away loss to fellow strugglers Wolverhampton Wanderers, the losing streak has stretched to eight Premier League games. With a potentially brutal Christmas period (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United), Wigan will certainly be hoping for early gifts against Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland this November.

Roberto Martinez’s men didn’t fail to perform against Wolves. As a matter of fact, they produced some gilt-edged opportunities. However, the inability to convert them was nothing short of embarrassing. Enter Mr. Hugo Rodallega. Continuously, and somewhat inexplicably, linked with a move to Arsenal, the Colombian fluffed two great chances. The first chance resulted in a rather languid strike straight at Wolves ‘keeper Wayne Hennessey. However, it was Rodallega’s second miss that had Wigan fans resembling The Scream. After perfecting ball control, Rodallega only had the goalkeeper to beat. Nevertheless, he also succeeded in beating the post. Quite rightly, Roberto Martinez was left to rue his side’s missed chances.

It is widely perceived, when a team is withering in the dark depths of the Premier League standings, fortune is not in favour. Having said that, it took Wolves little time to punish Rodallega’s inaccuracy. A combination of Hennessey’s big boot and Kevin Doyle’s dexterous wing-play concluded in an emphatic finish from Jamie O’Hara. Most certainly, a what-could-have-been story if only Rodallega had scored 30-40 seconds before Wigan conceded.

Credit must be given where credit is due. Wigan Athletic earned it, rallying after going a goal behind. Stephen Hunt illegally halted a buccaneering run from Emmerson Boyce, which, consequently, resulted in a penalty being awarded to the Latics. Nevertheless, Ben Watson wasn’t one to ease the Wigan fans’ blood pressure. It was rather more to relief than joy that the midfielder was able to dispatch an easy rebound after his initial poor penalty was saved. Half-time and the teams could not be separated.

By full-time, Wolves were the victors. Wigan produced as many chances as their relegation-battling counterparts, but too many efforts were spurned. David Edwards and Stephen Ward took the plaudits and, more importantly, gave Wolves an unassailable 3-1 lead. A fantastic win for Wolves and Mick McCarthy, especially after some recent public unrest.

Clearly, Wigan’s problems don’t all lie in attack. So far this season, the Latics’ defence has looked susceptible to any threat posed. Arguably, Wigan succumbed to three soft goals. Yet, without the brilliance of Ali Al-Habsi, Wolves may have scored more. Shockingly, it may have been a scoreline, which Wigan Warriors fans are more familiar with.

Unfortunately, another defeat comes with a question mark over Roberto Martinez’s head. The manager has shown loyalty to Wigan, but, obviously, there is no room for sentiment. A string of successive losses has left some Wigan fans joking about relegation already. Nervous laughter ensues.

You can follow the author on Twitter: OliverRhodes1

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

It’s been a strange summer. Given that last season saw the Premier League’s top teams treat first place like a hot potato, and given that Manchester United’s relatively turgid trudge over the finishing line ahead of a resurgent but technically limited Chelsea, a cautious-bordering-on-paranoid Manchester City and Arsenal’s theatre de l’absurd, one might have expected the world’s richest league to have buzzed with transfer activity.

Alas, the great yawn that is Barcelona’s yearly pursuit of Cesc Fabregas began in earnest way back in May and is still far from over. Like a besotted celebrity mistress, the Catalan club’s desperate overtures – to a player who would certainly count amongst their best subsitutes were he to finally nod a cheeky Hispanic acquiescience – have been systematic, repetitive and very, very public. It has made for excrutiatingly dull reading for neutrals but there simply hasn’t been much else to supplant it.

We could discuss the finer points of FIFA’s new financial fair play regulations and their effect on the spending habits of England’s richest clubs but that’d all be a bit boring for a Premier League season preview, so, in an effort to cut straight to the chase, here is my prediction for the Premier League table with a special focus on The Top Six:

1. Chelsea – No new playmaker to light up last year’s dull-as-dishwater midfield, but a return to the grinding, mechanical victories under Mourinho allied to the subtle and full integration of stars like David Luiz and Ramires.

2. Manchester United – A very close second, but David de Gea cannot be expected to replace Edwin van der Sar, nor can Tom Cleverley replace the vision of Paul Scholes. Ashley Young doesn’t seem to add much to an already strong front line.

3. Manchester City – The squad could compete for the title were Mancini to allow them just a little more freedom going forward. As it stands, they are now consistent enough to displace Arsenal, as they proved last season.

4. Liverpool – I’m basing this on the assumption that Kenny Dalglish is smart enough to know that Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing are great options for Fulham at home, less so for Chelsea away, where they’ll need their Lucases and Meireleses.

5. Arsenal – Didn’t sign any of the players they needed. Even if they keep Cesc, it’s hard to see them mounting a serious title challenge once those frosty December nights in Stoke kick in. A good bet to win one of the cups, though.

6. Tottenham - Fantastic team, not such a great squad. Little was done in the transfer window to boost the depth of the squad. Expect them either to fall away late on or have an inconsistent start.

7. Fulham - Martin Jol has a solid record of turning OK sides into decent ones. Expect the same this time around, though it’ll be a bumpy ride.

8. Stoke - Their consistency, physicality and inhospitable home ground are unchanged under Tony Pulis. They have the right ingredients to finish near the top of the mediocrity once again.

9. Everton – Expect the usual ‘David Moyes has taken them as far as he can’ comments around December, before the usual resurgence before the end of the season hoists them within touching distance of Europe before one or two other teams get their act together and they have to settle for top-half respect.

10. West Brom – Peter Odemwingie not leaving the club is already fantastic news and should ensure a full season (mostly) free of the stress which accompanied Roberto di Matteo’s reign.

11. Bolton – The usual dourness. Fabrice Muamba finally breaking into the England squad and the occasional superman performance from Kevin Davies will be about the most exciting things to happen here.

12. Sunderland – Expect the freebies from United to blend inconspicuously into an infuriatingly inconsistent side. Never a worry for relegation, but will never quite mount a challenge for Europe either.

13. QPR – The three promoted sides all play open, attractive football. QPR look the most likely to adapt to a more robust attitude when the situation requires it and should do quite well.

14. Newcastle – The usual ups and downs. The Alan Pardew era should be one of relative financial restraint, meaning less broken dreams, but perhaps less fun along the way too.

15. Blackburn – Just about strong enough to avoid a last-day battle like last season, but they will teeter.

16. Aston Villa - The loss of their star player, Young, and their star performer, Downing, has not ben offset by investment in a mediocre squad. They could really struggle, with the quality of youngsters like Marc Albrighton being enough to keep them up.

17. Wigan – They’ve lost Charles N’Zogbia and Tom Cleverly, but with Ali Al-Habsi and Hugo Rodallega remaining at either end of the field, they should have just enough to carry on in the Premiership for another year.

18. Wolves – Lucky to have stayed up last year, this time around they will probably be just edged out.

19. Swansea - It’s a fantastic achievement for them to even be here – there will be some great highs but ultimately we can expect another Blackpool here.

20. Norwich – As above, although relegation for a club which has the taste of Premier League football still relatively fresh on its lips might hurt more than for their Welsh companions from the Championship.

Analyzing The Top Six

• 1. Can Arsenal Survive In The Top Four?
• 2. Can Chelsea Topple Manchester United?
• 3. Liverpool Plot Return To Champions League
• 4. Manchester City can’t stop Manchester United or Chelsea
• 5. Are Manchester United Good Enough For The 20th League Title?
• 6. Another Disappointing Season For Tottenham?

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Last week we analysed the first half the 2011/2012 Premier League fixtures list, looking at the key clashes through August to December.

Here we look at the second half of the season and try to pick where the best action is likely to be.

Remember, you can watch the best of the 2011/2012 Premier League season with Sky Sports HD. Click here to find out more.

January 2012

Monday, 2nd January sees the final act of the holiday season fixtures, 10 matches scheduled a mere two days after the 10 for Saturday 31st. Villa’s pain lets up with a home game to Swansea but there’s no respite for Liverpool or Manchester United, who visit Manchester City and Newcastle United respectively. Arsenal and Chelsea are away from home as well.

With a weekend break devoted to FA Cup action, Premier League football returns mid-month with the headline fixture being Aston Villa v Everton and Chelsea v Sunderland (odds on a repeat from last season are astronomical, to say the least).

The third week sees Arsenal host Manchester United – it was a similar game two years ago that more or less decided (ended) Arsenal’s title challenge, and it could be a similarly decisive match this time around as well. Manchester City and Tottenham square off at the Etihad stadium as well.

FA Cup (and rescheduled fixtures) will decidedly take precedence this month, with the final set of fixtures on the 31st, the highlight being Chelsea’s trip to Swansea and United hosting Stoke.

Six To Watch: Manchester City v Liverpool (2nd), Newcastle United v Manchester United (2nd), Aston Villa v Everton (14th), Chelsea v Sunderland (14th), Arsenal v Manchester United (21st), Manchester City v Tottenham (21st).

February 2012

1st February sees Everton and Manchester City square off but all eyes will be firmly on Saturday, 4th February, when the two teams who have shared the last seven Premier League titles square off at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea and United are joined by Liverpool hosting Tottenham in making this a entertaining weekend, which is the second is a series of crucial games for Liverpool. After playing away to Wolves on 31st January, Liverpool host Tottenham on the 4th, play away to Manchester United on the 11th before playing hosts in the Merseyside derby on the 25th. Incidentally, that match is then followed by Arsenal’s visit to Anfield on 3rd March, before Liverpool are on the road to Sunderland the week after.

But while Liverpool at Old Trafford on the 11th of February, Chelsea are away to Everton, Manchester City away to Aston Villa and Arsenal away to Sunderland, while Tottenham host Newcastle. And on the same weekend as the Merseyside derby, we also see the North London derby as Arsenal host Tottenham.

Eight To Watch: Everton v Manchester City (1st), Chelsea v Manchester United (4th), Liverpool v Tottenham (4th), Manchester United v Liverpool (11th), Everton v Chelsea (11th), Aston Villa v Manchester City (11th), Liverpool v Everton (25th), Arsenal v Tottenham (25th).

March 2012

European commitments will start to take their toll on the top sides by March and April. With Liverpool hosting Arsenal on the 3rd, we also have Tottenham hosting Manchester United on the same date. The next weekend sees Everton v Tottenham and Norwich v Wigan as standout matches, while Everton host Arsenal and Manchester City host Chelsea on the 17th. The next two weeks have no ‘massive’ games but several tricky fixtures, with Arsenal v Aston Villa, Chelsea v Tottenham and Aston Villa v Chelsea the standouts.

Eight To Watch: Liverpool v Arsenal (3rd), Tottenham v Manchester United (3rd), Everton v Tottenham (10th), Everton v Arsenal (17th), Manchester City v Chelsea (17th), Arsenal v Aston Villa (24th), Chelsea v Tottenham (24th), Aston Villa v Chelsea (31st).

April 2012

As the jostling for league positions cranks up several gears, April kicks off with a few crackers. Arsenal host Manchester City, there’s a potential relegation 6-pointer between QPR and Swansea, United have an away trip to traditional whipping boys Wigan, Fulham host Chelsea, Chelsea and Manchester United host Newcastle and Aston Villa respectively.

The second half of April sees some crucial title-deciding matches – Arsenal v Chelsea and Manchester City v Manchester United, while Liverpool enjoy a relatively easy month with matches against Aston Villa (home), Blackburn (away), Fulham (home), West Brom (home) and Norwich (away). If Liverpool are going to serious contenders this season, for the champions league or for the title, these are 15 points they should be getting.

Five To Watch: Arsenal v Manchester City (7th), Liverpool v Aston Villa (7th), Manchester United v Aston Villa (14th), Arsenal v Chelsea (21st), Manchester City v Manchester United (28th).

May 2012

The last two gameweeks of the season (plus any rescheduled games thanks to domestic and continental cup commitments) could see the title decided if the contenders keep dropping points as they did last season. Aston Villa host Tottenham on the first weekend but that’s only a precursor to the big one, Liverpool v Chelsea at Anfield. On the same weekend Manchester City are also away to Newcastle United, while Arsenal and Manchester United enjoy home games against Norwich and Swansea respectively.

The final week sees some tough games, with Norwich hosting Aston Villa, Manchester United Reserves Sunderland hosting Manchester United and Swansea hosting Liverpool, while QPR are away to Manchester City and West Brom host the Arsenal.

Five To Watch: Aston Villa v Tottenham (5th), Liverpool v Chelsea (5th), Newcastle United v Manchester City (5th), Everton v Newcastle United (12th), Sunderland v Manchester United (12th).

Disclaimer: Please note that the fixtures are subject to change and Soccerlens is not responsible for any changes that may be made.

Watch Live Premier League Matches On Sky

This season Sky Sports will show 115 live Premier League fixtures with every match available in HD and selected matches in 3D. The confirmed TV listings are till end of November, with a guaranteed 39 live games.

ALL THE CLUBS: Every Barclays Premier League team will be shown live in the first set of Sky Sports HD fixtures with all three newly-promoted clubs shown live at least three times by the end of November.

BIG HEAD-TO-HEADS: Sky Sports will show 11 matches between last year’s top six teams, including Manchester United v Arsenal on August 28 and Manchester United v Chelsea on September 18.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SPECIAL: Sky Sports will offer more than 129 live matches from the UEFA Champions League on Sky Sports HD2, Sky Sports HD4 and via the red button, including live coverage of the final qualifying round in August. Throughout the tournament Sky Sports will show up to 15 live matches per week across the Group Stage including every match on Tuesday nights.

SKY GO: Sky Sports is also available to view via Sky Go, a service that allows Sky TV customers with Sky Sports access across a range of devices at no extra cost. Sky customers will be able to watch live streaming of every Sky Sports channel on laptops, computers, tablet and mobile devices with Sky Go (watch the Sky Go ad).

Get started with Sky Sports Football and watch the best of the 2011/2012 Premier League season in HD.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Watch the best of the 2011/2012 Premier League season with Sky Sports HD.

The 2011/2012 Premier League season kicks off with a bang – a Manchester derby in the FA Community Shield as the curtain raiser for a fast start to the season that sees Arsenal host Liverpool and United host Tottenham and Arsenal – and all of this just in August.

With Manchester United spending upwards of 50m to replace retiring players and to strengthen the squad for a 20th league title, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City are also strengthening their squads to catch up with the Premier League champions. And then you have Arsenal and Tottenham, both teams that are one or two signings (and some luck with injuries) away from a proper title challenge.

Here’s a look at the big league fixtures for the first half of the season and the matches that should be on your must-watch list. Part Two, looking at the second half of the season, can be found here.

August 2011

As teams wrap up their pre-season commitments (as much for commercial reasons as for preparing the players for consistently peak performance across 10 months), the season kicks off with the Premier League champions and the FA Cup winners in the Community Shield clash on 8th August. City have a sedate start to the season after that, with their toughest fixture coming at the end of the month away to Tottenham. City rivals United on the other hand start off with a tricky away trip to West Brom before back to back home games against Tottenham and Arsenal.

Chelsea have a relatively easy start to the season but the same can’t be said for Tottenham, who host Everton and Man City either side of the aforementioned trip to Old Trafford. Arsenal will be cursing the luck of the draw as they kick off with a trip to Newcastle (the scene of THAT 4-4 draw), host Liverpool and then go back up north to play Manchester United.

Six To Watch: Manchester City v Manchester United (8th), Stoke v Chelsea (14th), West Brom v Manchester United (14th), Arsenal v Liverpool (20th), Manchester United v Tottenham (22nd), Manchester United v Arsenal (28th).

September 2011

After a 10 day international break the Premier League is back with Swansea playing away at the Emirates and Chelsea against United’s Sunderland’s defence, but the pick of the first week’s matches is Everton v Aston Villa. The second week sees Manchester United host Chelsea and Tottenham host Liverpool, giving United 3 home games against top-6 opposition in the first 5 matches (the other two are away games).

Five To Watch: QPR v Newcastle (12th), Blackburn v Arsenal (17th), Tottenham v Liverpool (18th), Manchester United v Chelsea (18th), Manchester City v Liverpool (24th)

October 2011

October sees another international break but not before derby fever hits the league, with Everton v Liverpool and Tottenham v Arsenal the headliners of the first weekend.

Arsenal and United continue with their tough starts, United away to Liverpool right after the international break and hosting City the next weekend, while Arsenal, after hosting Sunderland and Stoke are at Stamford Bridge at the end of the month to play Chelsea. United are also away to Everton on the 29th, while QPR play city rivals Fulham, Tottenham and Chelsea all in October.

Seven To Watch: Everton v Liverpool (1st), Tottenham v Arsenal (2nd), Liverpool v Manchester United (15th), Manchester City v Aston Villa (16th), Newcastle v Tottenham (16th), Manchester United v Manchester City (23rd), Chelsea v Arsenal (29th).

November 2011

At this stage of the season, international breaks, early season blues, injuries and European football has started to show its’ effects and you can generally see which teams are NOT going to win the title. Given the number of heavyweight clashes at the start of the season it’s likely that one or more of the top six will be out of the running as early as November, but it doesn’t mean that they can’t recover in time.

Another international break can’t hide the tricky fixtures at the start of November, the highlights being Newcastle v Everton and Fulham v Tottenham, as well a homecoming party for Sunderland’s ex-United players as they visit Old Trafford.

Once the players are back though, club football takes all the focus for the next four months as teams navigate through domestic cup competitions, European competitions and tricky winter ties. Mid November sees Arsenal away to Norwich and United away to Swansea, before Chelsea host Liverpool on the 20th and Tottenham host Aston Villa the day after. The next weekend sees United host Newcastle and Liverpool host Man City.

Five To Watch: Newcastle v Everton (5th), Fulham v Tottenham (6th), Chelsea v Liverpool (20th), Tottenham v Aston Villa (21st), Liverpool v Manchester City (27th).

December 2011

December is heavy on fixtures (a potential 6 per team) and in separating the pretenders from the real title contenders. It’s around this time that Chelsea fell away last year.

The first matchweek sees United, Chelsea and Liverpool away to Villa, Newcastle and Fulham respectively, tough matches that the home teams will go in believing that they can win. It’s London v North again the next weekend as Arsenal host Everton and Chelsea host Man City, alongside QPR’s first trip of the season to Anfield and Stoke v Tottenham.

The second half of December sees Villa v Liverpool, City v Arsenal, Tottenham v Chelsea, Villa v Arsenal (not a good month for Villa) and for the final day of the year, Liverpool v Newcastle, Arsenal v QPR and Chelsea v Aston Villa (amongst others).

Aston Villa, in December, are scheduled to play: Man Utd (home), Bolton (away), Liverpool (home), Arsenal (home), Stoke (away) and Chelsea (away). Two tough away games plus four games against the old top 4. Their season may be decided by the transfer window and the replacements (or lack thereof) for Young and Downing), but if they are to succeed in their targets this season, December will be their sternest test.

Ten To Watch: Aston Villa v Manchester United (3rd), Newcastle v Chelsea (3rd), Arsenal v Everton (10th), Chelsea v Manchester City (10th), Aston Villa v Liverpool (17th), Manchester City v Arsenal (17th), Tottenham v Chelsea (20th), Aston Villa v Arsenal (21st), Liverpool v Newcastle (31st), Chelsea v Aston Villa (31st).

Disclaimer: Please note that the fixtures are subject to change based on domestic and continental cup commitments.

Watch Live Premier League Matches On Sky

This season Sky Sports will show 115 live Premier League fixtures with every match available in HD and selected matches in 3D. The confirmed TV listings are till end of November, with a guaranteed 39 live games.

ALL THE CLUBS: Every Barclays Premier League team will be shown live in the first set of Sky Sports HD fixtures with all three newly-promoted clubs shown live at least three times by the end of November.

BIG HEAD-TO-HEADS: Sky Sports will show 11 matches between last year’s top six teams, including Manchester United v Arsenal on August 28 and Manchester United v Chelsea on September 18.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SPECIAL: Sky Sports will offer more than 129 live matches from the UEFA Champions League on Sky Sports HD2, Sky Sports HD4 and via the red button, including live coverage of the final qualifying round in August. Throughout the tournament Sky Sports will show up to 15 live matches per week across the Group Stage including every match on Tuesday nights.

SKY GO: Sky Sports is also available to view via Sky Go, a service that allows Sky TV customers with Sky Sports access across a range of devices at no extra cost. Sky customers will be able to watch live streaming of every Sky Sports channel on laptops, computers, tablet and mobile devices with Sky Go (watch the Sky Go ad).

Get started with Sky Sports Football and watch the best of the 2011/2012 Premier League season in HD.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News