Premier League Game Previews - 27-28 October 2007
| English Premier League Matches - 27-28 October 2007 | ||
|---|---|---|
Birmingham v Wigan | ||
| History | ||
| Referee Steve Tanner has never refereed Birmingham in the Premier League before.
He has taken charge of Wigan twice before and given them just two yellow cards These sides have met just twice before in the Premier League and Birmingham ran out two nil winners last time the sides met at St Andrews Emile Heskey has played both previous matches for Birmingham against Wigan in the Premier League Wigan skipper Mario Melchiot is one of three previous Birmingham goal scorers in the fixture |
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| Trends | ||
| Wigan have fallen behind in each of their last six matches
Birmingham have won just once at home this season Wigan have yet to win away this season – losing four and drawing one at West Ham Birmingham have gone behind on six occasions this season and have never won – losing their last 5 in this situation Wigan have also gone behind six times this season and have never won, also losing five and drawing one of these matches | ||
| Betting | ||
| City have scored two of their seven goals this season in the opening fifteen minutes of matches
Wigan have not scored in any of their last three matches Wigan have conceded 14 goals this season, only three of these have come in the first half of matches Wigan have conceded six times in the last 10 minutes of matches this season | ||
Chelsea v Man City | ||
| History | ||
| Mike Riley has refereed this fixture once previously in the Premier League – giving out six yellow cards
He has taken charge of Chelsea 21 times previously, giving 29 yellow cards and four red cards. In 13 matches for City he has given them 17 yellows and one red card John Terry leads the Chelsea appearance list for this fixture with 11 Richard Dunne has played for City eight times in this fixture and can get to within one appearance of the leader Sylvain Distin City’s only win in this fixture was a one nil success in October 2004 | ||
| Trends | ||
| Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard have both scored three times for Chelsea in this fixture. Both are two goals behind Chelsea’s all-time leader in the Premiership for this fixture, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Five of City’s 14 goals this season have come from outside the 18 yard box City go into this match with both a better attacking and better defensive record than Chelsea Chelsea have won their last four matches against City in the Premier League and have won their last two matches this season City have not scored in 458 mins at Stamford Bridge in the league – since Paul Dickov in December 2000 Only current City player to have played in that match is Richard Dunne Chelsea have not conceded in 271 minutes since the late Louis Saha penalty at Old Trafford | ||
| Betting | ||
| City players have seen red on three separate occasions in recent encounters between the two in the Premier League
Chelsea have won 10 of the last 12 meetings between the two in the Premier League and five of the last six at Stamford Bridge City have yet to score in the opening 15 minutes of a Premier League match this season Chelsea have yet to score in the last 10 minutes of a Premier League match this season The last two times City have fallen behind this season, they have not lost, drawing one and winning one Each time Chelsea have scored first this season they have won and have not conceded a goal The last three times Chelsea have gone behind this season they have failed to win and have lost the last two City has scored first five times this season and each time has gone on to win the match and have also yet to concede a goal. Four of these games finished one-nil | ||
Man Utd v Middlesbrough | ||
| History | ||
| Referee Alan Wiley has taken charge of this fixture twice before – giving a total of six yellow cards over the two games
In 17 matches for United, Wiley has given 21 yellow cards and has yet to give a red. In 14 matches for Boro he has given 17 yellow cards and 1 red Mark Schwarzer has played this fixture a record 16 times for Boro – seven more than anybody else | ||
| Trends | ||
| Cristiano Ronaldo has only scored once against Boro in the Premier League – a 90th minute consolation and October 2005
Boro have not lost in their last four league visits to Old Trafford, drawing their last three and winning 3-2 in February 2004 However United have won three of the last four at the Riverside United have fallen behind twice this season, losing to Man City and beating Aston Villa last week United have also scored first in seven matches this season and have won six of them straight since drawing at Fratton Park in August Boro will be looking to avoid a fourth straight Premier League defeat and have also not won in their last five matches Boro have only scored three of 10 goals away from home this season Middlesbrough have conceded five goals from long range shots outside the penalty area this season | ||
| Betting | ||
| George Boateng has been booked three times for Boro in this fixture and two of these have been at Old Trafford
United have yet to concede a goal in 450 minutes of league football at Old Trafford this season United also looking for their fifth straight league success at home since drawing on the opening day against Reading Boro have not kept a clean sheet on their last five league games Both sides have scored three goals in the last 10 minutes of matches this season United have yet to concede in the last 10 minutes of a match this season | ||
Portsmouth v West Ham | ||
| History | ||
| Referee Dean will be taking charge of his first Pompey West Ham fixture
Mike Dean has taken charge of Portsmouth 7 times and has given 17 yellow cards. In 11 matches for West Ham he has given 28 yellow and 1 red card The sides have met four times in the Premier League with Linvoy Primus, Matthew Taylor, Bobby Zamora and Anton Ferdinand the ever-presents from both sides West Ham have yet to win in these four meetings and Pompey have never failed to score against West Ham Linvoy Primus and Teddy Sheringham lead the Premier League scoring count for both sides in this fixture with two goals each | ||
| Trends | ||
| Both Lucas Neill and Nolberto Solana have seen red previously at Fratton Park
Pompey have won their last four in the Premier League since their goalless draw with Liverpool in mid September Portsmouth are also looking for a fourth straight win over West Ham in the Premier League Pompey have scored 13 of 19 goals this season in the second half of matches West Ham have won both their away league matches this season The hammers ended a three match losing streak with their 3-1 win over Sunderland last week Pompey’s tough start to the season has meant they have faced all of the ‘big four’ sides – taking two points from these matches Portsmouth have had nine different scorers this season including three Englishmen | ||
| Betting | ||
| Craig Bellamy has scored three times at Fratton Park in the Premier League
Portsmouth have scored six goals in the last 10 minutes of matches this season and West Ham three Pompey have also conceded four in the opening 15 minutes of matches Both West Ham and Portsmouth have scored first in four matches this season and have gone on to win each of them West Ham have gone behind on five separate occasions this season, losing four times and drawing the other | ||
Reading v Newcastle | ||
| History | ||
| Referee Phil Dowd has taken charge of Newcastle seven times and Reading just the once. He is yet to book a Reading player
James Harper scored twice for Reading against Newcastle last season The sides have only ever met twice in the Premier League Last season it was honours even with home advantage counting each time, and Dave Kitson grabbing the goal in a one nil home win for the Royals in the equivalent | ||
| Trends | ||
| Joey Barton is the only member of the Newcastle squad to have been booked at the Madjkesji
Newcastle are looking to avoid a third straight away defeat since drawing 2-2 with Middlesbrough at the Riverside Reading are looking to make it three wins in a row at home since their heavy defeat to West Ham in early September The Geordies have only fallen behind once this season – their 1-0 defeat away to Derby In each of their last three wins, Newcastle have scored three times and have managed 11 goals in their last four matches in total Newcastle have scored more goals in the first half of matches this season – with nine coming in the opening 45 minutes versus seven in the second 45 | ||
| Betting | ||
| Reading have won their last three matches in which they have scored first, since losing to Chelsea 2-1 in August
Reading have conceded first five times this season and have lost each time. They have also conceded three or more goals in four of these games Although Reading have conceded 22 goals this season, only six of these have been at home Newcastle have yet to score a goal in the opening 15 minutes of a match this season Reading have scored five times in the last 10 minutes of matches this season | ||
Sunderland v Fulham | ||
| History | ||
| Referee Andre Marriner has only refereed these sides three times in total and given just four yellow cards to the two sides
No player has played in all four previous Premier League meetings Louis Saha is Fulham’s top scorer in this fixture with two goals Last season it was honours even with home advantage counting in both matches Overall they have met six times in the Premier League with Fulham having a great record in the fixture with four wins and a draw At the Stadium of Light Sunderland picked up their only win in this fixture when the sides last met in May 2006 - the Black Cats were 2-1 winners | ||
| Trends | ||
| Paul Konchesky has been booked twice in previous games at the Stadium of Light
Fulham have scored in all six matches between the two sides Sunderland are looking to end a three match losing run since getting a 2-2 draw at Middlesbrough Referee Andre Mariner has given out just nine yellow cards in four matches this season and has yet to issue a red card Fulham have not scored in their last three matches since drawing 3-3 at home to Manchester City After losing their first two on the road this season Fulham have picked up draws at Wigan and Chelsea In those first two away matches Fulham took the lead both times before going on to lose | ||
| Betting | ||
| Sunderland have fallen behind in six matches this season and lost them all
Sunderland have scored first four times this season and have yet to lose Fulham are pretty quick out of the blocks with four goals in the opening 15 minutes whilst Sunderland have done well in the final 10 minutes of matches with four of their 13 goals coming in this period Fulham have drawn five of their last six matches Fulham have now gone eight matches without a win, losing three and drawing five | ||
Bolton v Aston Villa | ||
| History | ||
| Martin Atkinson has never taken charge of this fixture
He has refereed Bolton just twice before and has given six yellow cards In six matches for Villa he has given just 4 yellows Kevin Nolan has appeared in this fixture a record 11 times – one more than Gareth Barry and Olaf Mellberg Gary Speed and Juan Pablo Angel lead the scoring charts for each side in this fixture with three and four goals respectively Villa’s last win at the Reebok was a 2-1 success back in November 2004 with a last minute winner from the ‘hammer’ Hitzlberger Bolton’s last win against Villa at the Reebok was back in September 2002 with Michael Ricketts getting the only goal | ||
| Trends | ||
| Ricardo Gardner has been booked four times for Bolton in this fixture
Bolton have not won in their last six matches Bolton have fallen behind seven times this season and have yet to win – losing five and drawing two Villa have yet to win away from home this season and prior to their eight goal draw at Spurs, they failed to score Villa’s Gabriele Agbonlahor is Villa’s leading scorer with four goals this season and is the only Englishman in the top ten in the Premier League Bolton are looking to avoid their third straight defeat | ||
| Betting | ||
| Six of the last eight matches between the sides have ended in draws with the equivalent match last season finishing two goals each
Bolton have conceded 12 of their 16 goals this season in the first half of matches Villa have conceded three of their 11 goals this season in the last 10 minutes of matches | ||
Derby v Everton | ||
| History | ||
| Referee Steve Bennett has taken charge of Derby three times and Everton 10 in the Premier League. In this time he has given two Derby yellow cards and 21 Everton ones. He has also given three red cards to Everton players
There have been eight meetings between the sides in the Premier League David Weir has most appearances with six Deon Burton and Branko Strupar both scored three goals in previous matches between the sides. Everton’s leading scorer is Joe-Max Moore The last meeting between the sides in the Premier League was a 4-3 win for Everton back in March 2002. Both current players Tony Hibbert and Alan Stubbs netted for the toffees There have been eight meetings between the sides in the Premier League with honours even at three wins apiece and two draws Derby’s last win against Everton in the Premier League was a 1-0 success on New Years Day 2001 Last goalless draw between the sides was back in December 1998 | ||
| Trends | ||
| Derby are four matches without a win since beating Newcastle back in mid September
Everton lead the fair play league so far this season with just 10 yellow cards received plus their two red cards from last weeks controversial Merseyside Derby Everton have not won in their last three matches but will be looking for their third away win of the season Jolean Lescott is Everton’s top scorer this season with three goals Derby have not lost at home since August (versus Birmingham) – their only home defeat of the season Everton have beaten the other two ‘bottom 3’ sides this season – Spurs and Bolton | ||
| Betting | ||
| Lee Carsley has been booked three times at Pride Park
Everton have been first goal scorers in a match on four separate occasions this season and have gone on to win all four, including two away games Derby have also scored first in three of these home matches but have yet to score first away from home Kenny Miller has been first goal scorer in his last two home matches Derby have only conceded two of their goals in the last ten minutes of matches this season whereas Everton have conceded five times in this period Everton have only conceded five times in the first half of matches however | ||
Liverpool v Arsenal | ||
| History | ||
| Howard Webb will be taking charge of his first Liverpool Arsenal match
He has taken charge of both sides on eight separate occasions, giving 8 Liverpool yellows and 15 Arsenal yellows in this time Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher have made 32 appearances between them in this fixture Gilberto Silva and Kola Toure lead the current Arsenal players list with eight appearances Thierry Henry leads the all-time scorers list in this fixture with eight goals Arsenal have the edge in this fixture over the last four seasons with five wins to Liverpool’s three Last season both matches went convincingly with home advantage, Liverpool 4-1 winners at Anfield and Arsenal 3-0 winners at the Emirates Stadium Liverpool have won the last three at Anfield out scoring Arsenal seven goals to two in the process Arsenal’s last win at Anfield was 2-1 in October 2003 after falling behind to a Harry Kewell goal on 14 minutes | ||
| Trends | ||
| Peter Crouch scored a hat-trick in this fixture last season
Steven Gerrard has two goals in matches against Arsenal For the last draw in the fixture you have to go back to the 2002/03 season when both matches ended all square. The game at Anfield finished 2-2 with Emile Heskey grabbing a last minute equalizer Liverpool have fallen off the pace in recent weeks with three wins and three draws in their last six matches, which included goalless draws against Portsmouth and Birmingham City, games they would expect to be winning if their title challenge is to be taken seriously This is their second match of the season against one of the other ‘Big Four’ sides - the other ended as a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Anfield Arsenal are looking for an 8th straight win in the Premier League this season The Gunners have only played three times on the road this season and after drawing at Blackburn have won at London rivals West Ham and Spurs Both sides have had 12 yellow cards this season and no reds | ||
| Betting | ||
| Only five of Arsenal’s 21 goals this season have come on the road
Arsenal have notched five goals in the opening 15 minutes of matches whilst Liverpool have managed just one In the last 10 minutes of matches Arsenal lead the league with a third of their goals coming in this period – seven in total Whilst scoring seven goals in the last 10 minutes of matches they have yet to concede in the last 10 minutes of a match Referee Howard Webb has taken charge of six matches this season in the Premier League and given out 20 yellow cards but not has yet to issue a red All four of Fernando Torres’s goals have come at Anfield this season, one in the first half and three in the second | ||
Tottenham v Blackburn | ||
| History | ||
| Referee Rob Styles has taken charge of this fixture once before – giving 3 yellow cards and a red in the match
In 11 matches in charge of Spurs, he has given 17 yellow and 2 red cards. In the 12 matches in charge of Blackburn, Styles has brandished 27 yellows and 1 red Brad Friedel and Tugay have played in this fixture 20 times between them (11 and nine respectively) Blackburn players have seen red 3 times in recent season in this fixture with Tugay, Jason Roberts and Lucas Neill all receiving their marching orders Spurs last win in this fixture was a 3-2 win in March 2006 with Hossam Mido netting the winner Rovers’ last win at White Hart Lane was in May 2003 when they ran out comfortable 4-0 winners. Robbie Keane the only Spurs player eligible on Sunday who featured in that match | ||
| Trends | ||
| Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane both have three goals in previous Spurs matches against Blackburn
Four of the last five matches between the two sides have ended in a draw Spurs have not won in their last seven matches since beating Derby 4-0 at the Lane back in August. Since then they have lost three and drawn four Although they are at the wrong end of the table Spurs are the third highest scorers in the Premier League this season with 17 goals, four more than Rovers Rovers go into the game looking for a fourth straight win since losing to Portsmouth at Ewood Park a month ago Eight of Blackburn’s 13 goals this season, 62%, have come from their new strike force Benni McCarthy and Roque Santa Cruz, with both players netting four goals each All four of McCarthy’s goals have come at Ewood Park whilst Santa Cruz has managed just one at home and three on his travels Robbie Keane is Spurs leading scorer with five goals although four of them have come away form home | ||
| Betting | ||
| Spurs have fallen behind five times this season in the Premier League and have yet to comeback and win - they have lost four and drawn one of these matches
Even when scoring first, Spurs have only managed to pick up one win in five matches Both sides have been quick off the mark with Spurs scoring five times in the opening 15 minutes of matches and Rovers three times this season Spurs have scored more goals than any other side in the Premier league in the first half of matches this season with 10. This is also more than they have managed in the second half Rovers defence averages less than a goal a game conceded with just eight let in, whereas Spurs have leaked 21 which is the third worst in the PL Rovers have not lost yet this season when scoring first, they drew when going ahead at Goodison in late August but since then have won four in a row when getting on the scoreboard first Rovers have picked up 20 yellow cards this season compared to 15 for Spurs, whilst having two players sent off and Spurs none Referee Rob Styles has given out 26 yellow cards in seven matches and dismissed four players so far this season | ||
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