Weekend Premiership

Two from two here for Tom, with Reading drawing 0-0 and Arsenal coming back from 2-0 down to win 2-3 at Bolton.

The results on ‘Grand Slam Sunday‘ established Manchester United as firm favourites to retain their Premier League crown and I expect them and Chelsea, now their nearest rivals, both to triumph this weekend. The leaders should have no trouble getting the better of an out of sorts Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Saturday while Avram Grant’s side should be too good for Middlesbrough at home 24 hours later.

The value this weekend appears to lie away from those clashes at the top however and the best bet on Saturday looks to be a lay of Reading at home to Blackburn. The general consensus is that Rovers have little left to play and I think that it evident in their price. For me the hosts should be closer to the 2.70 mark and therefore must be a lay at the general 2.40 on offer.

Steve Coppell’s side looked to be in real trouble a few weeks back but a run of fine results has seen them pull clear of danger and they are now odds on to survive. Their wins have come against out of form teams however and Mark Hughes’ men represent a different test altogether. There is no way ‘Sparky’ will let his players coast towards the end of the season and they were impressive last time out when disposing of Derby. Admittedly the Rams are wretched, but a big positive was the return to goal scoring form of Roque Santa Cruz and surely he’ll fancy it again at the Madejski on Saturday.

Reading’s recent run could, in fact, lead to a more relaxed approach and a quick look at Rovers away record reveals they are a tough nut to crack. Its just four defeats on their travels all season long and I don’t expect that to rise to five on Saturday. They still have faint hopes of claiming a European place and look good for at least a point.

Value looks thin on the ground this weekend but I can’t resist the 1.80 available about Arsenal resuming winning ways at The Reebok. The bookmakers once again appear to have priced Bolton Wanderers up on their desperate situation but I am great believer that sides needing a result are always over bet. If anything, the pressure on them to deliver hinders their chances even further and the gulf in class between the hosts and Arsene Wenger’s side is enormous.

While it is true that the Gunners held a three point advantage at the top just a few weeks back, and have not won in five league games, there has still been enough encouragement in those displays to suggest they are capable of picking up three points on Saturday and Wenger will be keen to resume winning ways before their Champions League quarter final against Liverpool.

Arsenal are also, of course, still not totally out of the title race and I take them to put another nail in Bolton’s coffin. With Wanderers pitiful attack, one goal might well be enough for the away side and it is hard to envisage the likes of Fabregas and Adebayor not carving out plenty of opportunities. Some firms go just 1.57 about an away win and that makes the 1.80 on offer at Ladbrokes look huge.