English Premier
2011-12-17 - Wigan Athletic vs Chelsea
A Sports Betting Pick by Lamps
Football : England : Premiership
Saturday 17th December - Kickoff 5:30pm
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic have finally moved off the bottom of the table following their away win at West Brom (1-2) last time out. The win has put Wigan in 18th place but they still remain in the bottom 3 and trail 17th place Wolves by 2 points.
This weekend Wigan face 3rd placed Chelsea in what looks a tough game and any points obtained this weekend will be bonus in their quest for Premiership survival.
Following Wigan's brutal 8 game losing run earlier in the season many feared the worst but credit must go to Martinez who has slowly started getting results with his limited squad.
Wigan finally stopped the rot with a solid point against Blackburn (3-3) at the DW. They followed this result with an impressive win at Sunderland (1-2), a result that ultimately got Bruce the sack at the Stadium of Light.
Athletic were then comprehensively beaten by Arsenal at the DW (0-4) in a one sided contest but credit must go to Martinez as the next week they won at West Brom. That result was the first time in 4 years that the side has won back to back away games and confidence must be at its highest in a long time at Wigan.
The initial problem of not scoring has been rectified in the short term at least for Wigan. In their first 10 games , Athletic were shut out in half their games but since then have scored at least once in 4 of their next 5.
Martinez's side has scored 1,3,2,2 against Wolves, Rovers, Sunderland and West Brom but against the top quality sides in the league they have struggled. Against Arsenal and Man City they were shut out which doesn't bode well but they did score against Spurs and with Chelsea's poor defensive record they could be good for a goal on Saturday.
Wigan Athletic Team News
Martinez will be without Kirkland, McManaman and Van Aanholt this weekend against Chelsea.
Still this is a settled lineup that has performed very well over the past few weeks with Sammon supported either side by Gomez and Moses. In midfield Diame, McCarthey and Jones will all have to step up if they are going to compete with Chelsea's strong 3 man midfield.
At the back Al-Habsi starts in goal with a back 4 of Stam, Caldwell, Alcaraz and Figueroa of whom will be looking for their first clean sheet since August. Up against Chelsea's front 3 it's going to be a tall ask but following 2 wins in the last 3, confidence is high and anything is possible.
Chelsea
On Monday night Chelsea secured a massive win against at the time unbeaten league leaders Man City to move into 3rd place and close the gap at the top to 7 points. This weekend Chelsea visit the DW against Wigan knowing a win before United and City play on Sunday will really put the pressure back on the Manchester duo.
The Blues have really struggled in recent months to match United and City and lost their way in October losing to QPR (1-0) and Arsenal (3-5). They recovered with a solid win at Blackburn (0-1) but then lost at home to Liverpool (1-2) to leave them a long way behind the Manchester clubs.
However, since that defeat the Blues have won 3 straight times in the league as well as a really important Champions League group game to secure their passage into the last 16.
Two 3-0 wins, one at Newcastle and the other at home to Wolves were very solid but the Monday night win over City after trailing in the second minute should have really boosted the confidence at the club.
Visiting the DW shouldn't intimidate Chelsea, the Londoners have an excellent record there winning 5 of the last 6 encounters. Also the away Chelsea form has been decent this season, currently ranked 4th overall.
Chelsea has recorded wins at Sunderland (1-2), Bolton (1-5), Blackburn (0-1) and Newcastle (0-3) whilst suffering defeats at QPR (1-0)and Man United (3-1). Scoring goals is not a problem with 12 away goals in 7 games at an average of nearly 2 a game.
The Chelsea defence remains shaky but with 3 clean sheets in their last 5 games it's a sign of improvement and thankfully against a weak Wigan lineup they should be able to compete well this Saturday evening.
Chelsea Team News
Essien and McEachran are out whilst Hilario is a doubt but it's basically the same side that won on Monday that should start this one on Saturday night.
Drogba has been excellent in recent weeks and wills start up front with Mata and Sturridge supporting him either side. The midfield may see Lampard return but I expect the same trio of Mereiles, Romeu and Ramires to start this one leaving the England man once again on the bench.
At the back Luiz returns from suspension and should replace Bosingwa with Ivanovic moving into the right back slot accommodating Luiz in the middle to partner Terry. In goal as ever will be Cech looking to add to the 4 clean sheets he's collected this season.
The Betting Verdict
Whilst winning 2 of their last 3 overall, Wigan's wins both were on the road and these are the only wins in their last 10 overall. Martinez's side has not won at home since beating QPR back in August some 6 games ago.
The Blues have been up and down as documented above but do have 4 wins in their last 5 overall and 3 away wins in their last 4 away games. Of the two, Chelsea's form is better but taking them at odds of 1.40 is lunacy and I won't be on them nor the handicap.
The Asian market is set at -1.50 which is an awful line to cover on the road. In Chelsea's last 10 away games they have only covered this line 3 times and I think all the value is with Wigan to avoid a big defeat, especially given they have had a few good weeks recently.
I also don't like this bet because I think Chelsea could easily concede and therefore covering a 2 goal win is much harder to achieve. I have found one bet that I like and that is Drogba to score anytime at odds against.
The Ivorian has played superbly in the last few games and looks Chelsea best bet for a goal. I fear Chelsea may go flat after their big win last time out and as a result I will only play a small bet on this one.
Drogba has 5 goals this season with 3 coming this month in December. Against Wigan I feel he will get a few glorious chances and I fully expect a confident Drogba to take one. Unibet's excellent offer of if he doesn't start is void adding even more value encase Torres starts and at odds against this is a must bet for me.
Good Luck
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Wigan 1-2 Chelsea
