Bolton - Chelsea

Really amazing stats, here. Coyle has been trying to make a fortress from home ground as he did in Burnley and he’s doing pretty well as Bolton have suffered just one home defeat of 11 Premier games (Liverpool 0-1), stopped Man Utd and defeated Spurs scoring four. On the other hand, Chelsea have been a bogy team for the Trotters. Both at home and away, Bolton have only one win out of 20 games and that came after Terry’s own goal in the last minute.  Even more, they lost last seven at home to nil.

Chelsea have only three wins on the road of eleven games which is quite shocking and they’re winless away from home in six games (four defeats). I’m not sure am I closer to believe Chelsea will bounce back trashing someone with 4/5-0, or they’ll simply sink with Ancelotti and stars which time has passed.

Definitely I can’t make a case for a serious bet. But with these odds, backing home side is more tempting. Will try with a small gamble, Bolton/Bolton ht/ft at 11 (various bookies) looks interesting.

Bet: Bolton/Bolton
Odd: 11.00 Betfred
Stake: 0.5/10

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Chelsea – Wolverhampton

Nothing much to say about Chelsea. They look like a mean machine, especially at home. All four wins with 14 goals scored and not a single conceded (691 minutes in total). They also have won 14 and lost one of their last 15 Premier League matches at Stamford, 8 wins in a row. Chelsea have big squad for rotation and European trips (played CL game at Moscow) don’t make any worries for Ancelotti. After a virus Drogba should be fit, while Lampard is still out.

Wolves look like they suffer from the second season syndrome. They’ve noticed just one win, at the opening day (at home, against Stoke 2-1). Three consecutive defeats on the road, Fulham, Spurs and Wigan. Mick McCarthy has a habit, sometimes to rest his best players against top sides. Now, he’ll be forced to give a chance to some youngsters and fringe players. Midfielder Guedioura is out with a broken leg, another midfielder Stephen Hunt and defender Jody Craddock are also injured. Mancienne is ineligible to face his parent club and skipper Henry is suspended. Five players. For this game, 19 years old David Davise has been recalled from his loan at Walsall!

Ancelotti doesn’t calculate during the game and his players look like they’re really enjoying in the game and scoring goals. Also Chelsea haven’t had much problems with defensive sides (usually at home lose the points against top league teams), as they won nine competitive games this season and in all of those had a lead at the half time. Wolves, with all missing players, don’t look like a team that can stop them.

Bet: Chelsea -2
Odd: 1.69 10Bet
Stake: 8/10

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dark saturday

Chelsea 2-4 Man City

Manchester City inflicted Chelsea's first home Premier League defeat this season in a game which began with Wayne Bridge refusing John Terry's handshake.
Frank Lampard's low strike put Chelsea ahead but Carlos Tevez equalised after a long ball was not dealt with, before Craig Bellamy shot beyond Hilario. 
Tevez scored a penalty after Juliano Belletti saw red for a trip on Gareth Barry before a Bellamy tap-in. 
Michael Ballack also saw red and Lampard scored a consolation penalty. 
City had failed to score in their previous seven visits to Stamford Bridge, while Chelsea had only conceded eight at home in the Premier League all season. 
But those statistics were rendered meaningless on an afternoon of triumph for City coach and former Inter Milan boss Roberto Mancini, who pitted his wits in the Premier League for the first time against ex-AC Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti. 
City saw their hopes of silverware this season ended by their FA Cup defeat at Stoke in midweek but they boosted their prospects of a top-four finish by completing the double over Chelsea for the first time since 1957.
With Manchester United not in league action this weekend, victory would have taken Chelsea four points clear at the top of the Premier League. 
But it was a disastrous afternoon for Ancelotti, whose side had only dropped points in one previous home game this season, a 3-3 draw with Everton. 
What's more, his team lacked discipline after the break and were vulnerable in defence, with Hilario looking particularly suspect.
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Swansea 1 - 0 Peterborough

David Cotterill extended promotion-chasing Swansea City's unbeaten run to 12 games and pushed bottom club Peterborough closer to relegation.
Cotterill struck from the spot after Charlie Lee brought him down. 
Nathan Dyer had an effort cleared off the line while keeper Joe Lewis denied Ferrie Bodde and Lee Trundle. 
Lee Frecklington put a header wide for the Posh but Swansea's biggest worry was the injuries to midfielder duo Bodde and Darren Pratley. 
Bodde was making his return from five months out with a knee problem and the Dutchman's exit after just 28 minutes raised question marks as to whether he was ready to play. 
It was the third time in 15 months Bodde has suffered an injury to his left knee. In November 2008 he suffered cruiciate ligament damage and then broke down after eight minutes of his starting return against Sheffield United last September. 606: DEBATE 
Give your thoughts on Swansea v Peterborough 
The double-blow will add to manager Paulo Sousa's midfield woes with Joe Allen, Andrea Orlandi and Jordi Lopez already sidelined. 
But the fourth-placed Swans kept their focus on the job in hand and are seven points off an automatic promotion spot and eight ahead of Sheffield United in seventh. 
Peterborough remain 10 points adrift of safety and winless on the road.
www.bbc.co.uk

Arsenal - Chelsea

This London derby will be the clash of best attack (Arsenal scored 36) and best defense (Chelsea conceded 8). The Gunners have been performing surprisingly (for me) good so far and it seems they’ll once again finish in top 4 (third I think). They play probably the prettiest football in the world, but cruel true is they won’t win any competition with that style of play. They can run the riot against Portsmouth, Wigan, Blackburn, Birmingham, even against Spurs (their five home wins), but against the top teams like Man.Utd., or Man.City (their defeats) that are capable to stop their attack, Arsenal look clueless. And despite their enormous attacking potential, missing of Van Persie is bigger hit than it was expected. Also second best attacker, Arshavin, is still in depression for not qualifying for South Africa, while Rosicky doesn’t seem fully recovered. Arsenal will be without left-back Kieran Gibbs, who broke a metatarsal in win over Standard in midweek and his place will take Armand Traore. But, big blow could be missing of William Gallas who is doubtful with a swollen eye suffered in the same match, so Mikael Silvestre could start.

Chelsea look stronger than ever and they look like the most serious contender for the titles, in England and Europe as well. Ancelotti has huge number of top quality players in the squad and playing competitive games too often doesn’t look as a problem. The Blues hold the top of the table, already defeated Man.Utd. and with today’s win would make five points margin. Big boost for them is returning of Franck Lampard as the midfielder recovered from a torn thigh muscle. Michael Essien has overcome a knee problem, while Deco and Michael Ballack returned from injury in midweek. Ancelotti has all players fit and available.

Despite they’re collecting the points, it obvious Arsenal have been noticing a decrease in performance. Missing of Van Persie and melancholic Arshavin are the main problems when they face a tough defenses. Even Sunderland, without two of three best players (Cattermole and Jones) managed to stop them and win (0-1). So, beside the bigger quality (my opinion, again), Chelsea gain the style of play that least suits to Arsenal. Anyway, for Chelsea this is derby game on the road, they should be satisfied even with a draw and my bet is dnb 2 instead away win. Odds are around 1.85-1.95. Also,  Chelsea like (three times in last four games) to win by a goal in the second half. So gamble is x-2 (ht/ft). 

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Tuesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP 

Inter Milan are interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Jon Obi Mikel. (The Sun) 
Manchester United will move for Wigan's Antonio Valencia if winger Cristiano Ronaldo leaves Old Trafford. (Daily Mail) 
Liverpool will make a £12m bid for Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing at the end of the season. (Daily Mail) 
Liverpool have been in contact with Carlos Tevez's agent as the forward's future at Manchester United hangs in the balance. (The Sun) 
Everton are close to sealing the signing of 16-year-old Hamburg defender Shkodran Mustafi, who played in the Germany Under-16 side who beat their English counterparts 4-0 last week. (The Guardian) 
Bolton have slapped a £20m price tag on defender Gary Cahill to put off interest from Arsenal. (Daily Mail) 
Sheffield Wednesday are interested in signing Cardiff's Darren Purse on a free transfer. (Daily Mirror) 
Former Ipswich and Sunderland striker Marcus Stewart will extend his career into a 19th season after signing a one-year deal with Exeter. (Daily Star) 

OTHER GOSSIP 

Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre has hit out at former Manchester United team-mate Patrice Evra for saying the Red Devils' Champions League win over Arsenal was "11 men against 11 babies". (Daily Telegraph) 
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill says next season's Europa League - the new name for the Uefa Cup - has too many games in the schedule. (The Sun) 
AC Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti will need reassurances about his status before he would consider taking the Chelsea job, having spoken to the Blues last summer before they appointed Luis Felipe Scolari instead. (The Times) 
The Premier League could force clubs to sell players to balance their books and avoid overspending. (The Times) 
Crystal Palace are to add Craig Short and his brother Christian to the coaching staff next season. The pair played under Eagles boss Neil Warnock at Scarborough. (Daily Mirror) 
Norwich goalkeeper David Marshall says he has struggled to sleep since the club's relegation from the Championship. (Daily Record) 

AND FINALLY 

St Johnstone's former boyband member Chris Millar was made to sing a Robbie Williams medley as a training-ground forfeit. (Daily Record)
www.bbc.co.uk

Thursday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP 

Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o claims he has turned down a £35m move to Manchester City. Inter Milan also want the Cameroon star but he says he wants a new deal at the Nou Camp. (Daily Mirror) 
Tottenham are keen on signing Lokomotiv Moscow goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic, who is currently on loan at Grasshoppers Zurich, as back-up for Heurelho Gomes. (The Sun) 
Arsenal, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are tracking CSKA Moscow's Czech Republic international striker Tomas Necid, 19, who is available for £3m. (Daily Mirror) 
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is set to swoop for teenage Brazilian centre-back Jose Rodolfo Pires Ribeiro Dodo from Corinthians. The 17-year-old could end up costing United £5m. (Daily Mirror) 
Ferguson is also watching 16-year-old Real Valladolid centre-back Victor Mongil, after being told the defender is one for the future. (Daily Mirror) 
Derby County defender Claude Davis hopes to turn his loan spell at Crystal Palace into a permanent move. (Daily Express) 
Hearts midfielder Bruno Aguiar, who is wanted by Rangers and Celtic, says he has not decided where he will be playing next season. (Daily Record) 
Hibernian boss Mixu Paatelainen fears striker Steven Fletcher and defender Rob Jones could both leave Easter Road in the summer. Nottingham Forest have been linked with a £1m move for Jones and Celtic are long-term admirers of Fletcher. (Daily Record) 
Aberdeen duo Scott Severin and Lee Mair are set to leave Pittodrie at the end of the season because the Dons cannot afford to offer them new contracts. Burnley want midfielder Severin and St Mirren have approached defender Mair. (Daily Record) 

OTHER GOSSIP 

Roy Keane wants the vacant Ipswich Town job and could be in charge of the Tractor Boys in time for their trip to Cardiff City on Saturday. (The Sun) 
Ipswich representatives made an approach to Keane last week - when Jim Magilton was still in charge at Portman Road - and held further talks with the former Sunderland boss on Monday. (The Sun) 
Magilton, who had been in charge of Ipswich for almost three years, was sacked over the phone on Wednesday. (Daily Mail) 
Keane could be unveiled as Ipswich boss on Thursday. (The Guardian) 
Part of the terms of Keane's appointment will see the former Manchester United midfielder relocate from Cheshire to East Anglia. Keane did not move house when he was in charge at Sunderland. (Various) 
Aston Villa defender Martin Laursen is expected to announce his retirement by the end of the week. The Dane has been warned that attempting to play on through his persistent knee problems could cause him problems in later life. (Daily Express) 
Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz fears his knee injury will cost him a big-money move away from Ewood Park this summer. (Daily Mirror) 
Newcastle United manager Alan Shearer will not drop Michael Owen despite the striker having failed to score in his last eight appearances for the Magpies. (The Sun) 
Shearer is using a therapist to give his players one-to-one talks in an attempt to boost their confidence ahead of Monday's crucial clash with fellow strugglers Portsmouth. (Daily Mirror) 
Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins has postponed groin surgery until the summer so he can help the Magpies in their battle against the drop. (The Guardian) 
Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin says he wants to stay with the Gunners for the rest of his career. (The Sun) 
Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia will recover from his ankle injury in time to face Manchester United in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday. (Daily Mirror) 
Liverpool's American owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr, have pledged to work together to raise the funds they need to refinance the club's loans and retain control of the Reds. (The Times) 
Former Chelsea boss Avram Grant has been offered the chance of taking over as manager of the Czech Republic. (Daily Star) 
AC Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti, who is Chelsea's top target to be their next boss, has been learning English all season. England midfielder David Beckham, on loan at the San Siro from LA Galaxy, said: "Every time I try to fix his English, he insists on making errors and we end up laughing". (The Sun) 
Inter Milan could terminate Adriano's contract on Thursday. The Brazil striker said earlier this month that he is taking a leave of absence because he has "lost the joy of playing". (The Independent) 
Wigan Athletic boss Steve Bruce will hand a new one-year deal to veteran goalkeeper Mike Pollitt, 37, but will allow Antoine Sibierski to leave the JJB Stadium this summer. (Daily Mirror) 
Watford boss Brendan Rogers says club-record signing Nathan Ellington, who cost the Hornets £3.25m from Wigan in August 2007, has no future at Vicarage Road. (Daily Star) 
Derby County boss Nigel Clough is set to release more than 10 players at the end of the season as he looks to overhaul his squad at Pride Park. (Daily Mirror) 
Hearts hope to upgrade Tynecastle so it is suitable to host European ties if they qualify for next season's Europa League. The Jambos have been forced to play at Murrayfield since 2003 because their own stadium and pitch does not currently meet Uefa requirements. (Daily Record) 

AND FINALLY 

Former England international midfielder Paul Gascoigne has signed up for a celebrity version of BBC1 comedy obstacle course gameshow 'Total Wipeout'. (The Sun)
www.bbc.co.uk

Sunday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP 

Man City have targeted Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta and will bid £35m for the playmaker. (News of the World) 
City are also planning to splash the cash on Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch, while Liverpool will try to sign right-back Glen Johnson from the cash-strapped south-coast club. (Sunday Express) 
City will face competition for Crouch from Blackburn, who are keen on taking the England international to Ewood Park. (NOTW) 
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill will have to trim his squad if the club fail to earn a Champions League spot. (NOTW)  
Liverpool centre-back Daniel Agger says he does not know if he will be at the club next year as talks continue about a new deal. (NOTW) 

OTHER GOSSIP 

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson says none of his squad are "immune" from criticism and he has spoken to star player Cristiano Ronaldo over the winger's attitude. (Various) 
United face problems off the pitch. They must pay £1.1bn in debt over the next nine years and may have to sell Ronaldo and other players to ease the financial strain. (NOTW) 
Liverpool co-owner George Gillett is set to sell his Montreal Canadiens hockey side for £272m to put the pressure on Reds counterpart Tom Hicks as their refinancing deal of the club approaches. (NOTW) 
Chelsea have been warned off trying to lure AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti to Stamford Bridge. (Mail on Sunday) 
Ancelotti blamed a shoulder injury for leaving David Beckham on the bench for AC Milan's win over Chievo on Saturday. (Mail on Sunday) 
Chelsea captain John Terry says he wants Guus Hiddink to stay as manager beyond the end of the season and calms stories that the Blues players want Jose Mourinho back as manager. (Various) 
Queens Park Rangers will again try to persuade Malaga boss Antonia Tapia to take over as their manager following the exit of Paulo Sousa. (Sunday Express) 
But QPR are ready to offer ex-Blackburn boss Paul Ince a route back into the game by giving him the job. (NOTW) 
Alternatively, Dennis Wise could take over. (Mail on Sunday) 
 
AND FINALLY 

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has told Sir Alex Ferguson to forget playing mind games because he does not understand the Scot's accent. (Various) 
Chelsea defender Ashley Cole says Liverpool would have been happy "even if it was five" following his side's rampant 3-1 win at Anfield in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final. (Mail on Sunday)
www.bbc.co.uk

Thursday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP 

AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti has told Chelsea he is ready to take over from interim manager Guus Hiddink at Stamford Bridge this summer. (The Sun) 
However, Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has insisted that neither Ancelotti nor their Brazilian playmaker Kaka will be leaving the Italian club. (The Times) 
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is planning a £5m swoop for highly rated Porto left-back Aly Cissokho, who impressed in the Portuguese side's 2-2 draw with Manchester United on Tuesday. (The Sun)  
Another Porto playing who could be heading to Tottenham is striker Wason Renteria, who says that the London club have contacted him about a possible summer transfer. (Setanta) 
Manchester City have set their sights on cash-strapped Atletico Madrid's Argentine striker Sergio Aguero. (The Sun) 
Everton right-back Lars Jacobsen could be leaving the club in the summer to join Bayern Munich after making only one appearance for the Blues in last month's 2-1 defeat to Portsmouth. (The Sun) 
Zenit St Peterburg striker Pavel Pogrebnyak is keen on a move to England, so long as it is to "one of the strongest teams". (Daily Mail) 
West Brom midfielder James Morrison says he would have to weight up his options should an offer from another Premier League team should West Brom be relegated. (Guardian) 
 
OTHER GOSSIP 

Former Tottenham manager and current Hamburg boss Martin Jol has put Premier League clubs on alert by stating he would like to return to England. (Various) 
Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor says the spectacular overhead kick he executed against Villarreal on Tuesday night is the best goal he has scored. (Various) 
Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock says he has no intention of quitting this summer, despite the club's poor season. (The Sun) 
QPR boss Paulo Sousa is on the verge of being sacked after his position at the club was weakened by the termination of assistant manager Bruno Oliveira's contract on Monday. (Various) 
Former England manager Steve McClaren, who is currently at the helm of FC Twente, has backed his former club Middlesbrough to escape relegation this season. (Daily Express) 
West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola has insisted he was right to splash out £5.5m on winger Savio and has backed the 19-year-old to come good. (The Sun) 
Former Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe has refused to rule out a return to the Saints if it would help the club. (Guardian)  
 
AND FINALLY 

Sheffield United manager Kevin Blackwell has revealed that his players have transferred their desire to win go-karting races during the team's trip to Malta last month into a drive to succeed in their chase for an automatic promotion spot. (The Sun) 
Manchester City's £10m striker Craig Bellamy says he is ready to get back in touch with his trainee roots and in order to prove his worth to the club he would gladly clean the boots of any big-name signings who force him out of the team. (Various) 
Rangers manager Walter Smith will let Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor save their careers if they apologise for their part in the 'Boozegate' incident. (Daily Record) 
Celtic striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink says he would like to go back to Holland and rejoin his old club PSV Eindhoven, but he's not in a hurry to do so. (Daily Record) 
Clyde will be unable to switch grounds unless the Scottish Football League give them permission to do so as the Broadwood club face eviction from their current home. (Daily Record) 
Celtic manager Gordon Strachan has blasted the SFA over a rule which sees midfielder Scott Brown banned for two matches, one of which has yet to be scheduled. (Daily Mail) 
Hearts winger Deividas Cesnauskis has instructed his agent to find him a new club outside of the UK for next season. (Daily Express)
www.bbc.co.uk