1st November 2008 Picks

LOST -16

Tournament: English Premier League
Date: 1st November 2008

Pick: Draw/Chelsea (Half Time/Full Time)
Odds: 5 (William Hill)
Stake: 4 units

Chelsea have Carvalho out, and possibly Joe Cole as well. They will be lacking creativity up front, and Sunderland are quite well organized defensively. I think Chelsea will be able to find a way through, but Sunderland will be frustrating them in the first half by getting men behind the ball and not allowing Chelsea to play free-flowing football. Therefore I expect a draw at HT, but Chelsea to win it eventually.

Pick: Under 2.5 goals in WBA vs Blackburn
Odds: 1.85 (Bet365)
Stake: 4 units

Both sides have trouble scoring goals, and Blackburn will be sorely missing Santa Cruz and Warnock. WBA had some major concentration lapses in the midweek game, but I expect their manager to have worked on it during the last few days and I believe they should be more than capable to contain Blackburn.

Pick: Liverpool to beat Tottenham
Odds: 2.14 (Betfair)
Stake: 8 units

We get to the most exciting match of all! I really can't understand the pricing by the bookies. I watched Spurs' midweek miraculous draw against Arsenal, but it was just that... miraculous. They are still the same frail defense, and it has been shown that any team with a coherent organized defense is able to contain their weak strikers. Liverpool should win this, especially with their wingers causing havoc down the flanks and crossing balls in left and right.