Betting Recommendations for Barclays Premier League Matches (22 August 2011)

MANCHESTER UNITED vs TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS

Patrice Evra returns to the Manchester United line-up for Monday's Barclays Premier League match with Spurs after missing the season-opening win at West Bromwich Albion with an ankle injury. With Rio Ferdinand unlikely to return until next weekend due to a hamstring injury, and with captain Nemanja Vidic out for up to five weeks with a calf problem, youngsters Phil Jones and Jonny Evans will form the centre-back pairing. Darren Fletcher (virus), Antonio Valencia (ankle) and Javier Hernandez (concussion) are all closing in on a return, but are not yet ready.

Luka Modric is likely to return to Tottenham's starting line-up after missing the 5-0 win over Hearts with a minor groin injury. Tom Huddlestone (ankle) could also return after starting on the bench at Tynecastle, but fellow midfielders Sandro, Wilson Palacios (both knee) Steven Pienaar (groin), and Jermaine Jenas (Achilles) are all out.

This is the game of the week and is a fixture which rarely goes without controversy. In 2005, Pedro Mendes half-way line effort beat then Manchester United goalkeeper Roy Carroll and crossed the line, only for the goal to be notoriously not given while last season, Spurs stopper Heurelho Gomes was on the receiving end of further controversy, when Portuguese winger Nani capitalised upon a mix-up between the Brazilian and referee Mark Clattenburg. However, with Man Utd having some sort of back line problem, I expect Man Utd to be extra cautious in their approach towards this game. Tottenham last tasted victory at Old Trafford in 1989 and last beat Man Utd in 2001. Expect Man Utd to continue its record against Tottenham, but my bet will be Under 2.50.

Juan Mata Set for Chelsea as Valencia Accept £23.5m Offer

The Spain winger was a target for Arsenal, but Arsene Wenger pulled out of the race to sign him last week, leaving Chelsea free to snap up the 23-year-old.

Lawyers for Valencia and Chelsea are still finalising a few details, but reports in the Spanish press suggest the La Liga club have accepted the offer and Mata has told coach Unai Emery that he wants to move to Stamford Bridge.

Mata is likely to sign a five-year contract with the Blues.

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has spoken of his desire to add a number of creative players to his squad and, despite the deal for Mata, still wants to sign Modric.

Spurs have said the Croatian playmaker is not for sale at any price, but the Blues will try to tempt them with a cash-plus-player offer involving Yossi Benayoun and Salomon Kalou.

Manchester United in Last Attempt to Land £35m Dutch Star

Sir Alex Ferguson will make one last attempt to sign long-term target Wesley Sneijder, after the unsettled midfielder pulled out of training in a desperate attempt to secure a move to the Premier League champions.

According to the Daily Mail, the Manchester United manager has been encouraged by Inter Milan's unusual statement on their official website that Sneijder had not trained due to 'personal reasons' and that he would not be available for Sundays home friendly against Olympiakos.

The 27-year-old has been heavily linked with a £35m move to United for much of the summer as Ferguson tries to replace the retired Paul Scholes.

But it has been reported that the Dutchman's high salary demands had been proving to be somewhat of a stumbling block and the Red Devils informed Sneijjder that he would have to lower his £250,000-a-week wages to secure a move to the Premier League champions.

And any move seemed dead when Sir Alex said he felt a big midfield signing might impede the development of Tom Cleverley and the highly promising Paul Pogba.

He said: 'There's an emphasis on young players in the squad and there always has been.'

And on Pogba he said: 'We have to give him the opportunity to see how he can do in the first team, and hes got great ability, plus hes got the physique and athleticism.'

However, there might be a rethink after Inter's statement yesterday as well as talk from those close to Sneijder that he would be willing to drop his pay needs to closer to United's wage ceiling.

He has also been touted as an alternative target for Manchester City and Chelsea should their respective approaches for Samir Nasri and Luka Modric prove fruitless.

Man City Boss Keen On Sebastian Coates

Roberto Mancini is desperate to sign Uruguay centre-half Sebastian Coates, according to The People.

The City boss is a huge admirer of the Nacional defender and the Italian has urged his board to hand him another £6m to sign the youngster.

If the proposed £25m deal for Arsenals Samir Nasri does go through, Coates acquisition would take the Blues summer spending to £76m.

But Mancini is hoping to offload fringe players like Wayne Bridge, Nedum Onuoha and Shaun Wright-Phillips to free up space for Coates.

The 20-year-old was voted Young Player of the Tournament last month when he helped Uruguay win the Copa America and reported suitors include Arsenal, Liverpool, Porto and Sao Paulo.

If a deal can’t be done by the end of this month, Mancini is certain to resurrect his interest in the young South American when the transfer window re-opens in January.

Coates is an elegant and quick defender, comfortable with possession and capable of bringing the ball out from defence.

He missed out on his country's World Cup squad in South Africa last summer and his inexperience at senior international level could provide an obstacle in obtaining a work permit, although he does have Spanish and British ancestry.

Kaka Cut for Arsenal Switch

Real Madrid striker Kaka has been cut to 10/1 (from 14/1) to join Arsenal with Sky Bet after reports of a move to the Premier League club materialised on Sunday.

The online betting company saw a steady stream of bets for the Brazilian star to move to the Emirates, with Arsene Wenger under pressure to re-invest some of Cesc Fabregas' transfer fee after a lacklustre start to the campaign.

Following the 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool, Wenger moved to 6/1 to be the next Premier League manager to leave his post, with his reluctance to spend money on players annoying some quarters of the Gunners faithful.

Arsenal have been linked to a number of central defenders with Gary Cahill 13/8 to make the switch to north London, Blackburn skipper Chris Samba 4/9 to join and Scott Dann 1/8 to bolster the Gunners backline.

Elsewhere, Didier Drogba is 5/4 to join Tottenham after Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas admitted he is uncertain of the Ivory Coast striker's future.

AVB said last week he is hopeful of securing Drogba on a new one-year deal, but conceded on Saturday that no agreement has been reached.

Turkish Super Lig outfit Galatasaray are 5/1 to sign Drogba, with his former club Marseille (12/1) also in the picture.

Tottenham Targets 10 Deals in 10 Days Before Transfer Window Closes

With 10 days left until the close of the transfer window, Tottenham are seeking to do as many as 10 deals in and out of the club.

Spurs are closing in on the signing of Lassana Diarra from Real Madrid while Emmanuel Adebayor is expected on loan from Manchester City as the club finally come to life in the transfer market.

The hold-up in both deals has been wages. Tottenham have a strict salary structure and if they matched what either player was on it would break it.

Adebayor is reportedly on £170,000 per week while Diarra is on £85,000 per week after tax in Spain. One way of resolving the dispute is by paying the players a fee up front or even paying the clubs an added fee that can be used to subsidise their salary.

Spurs are refusing to negotiate on Luka Modric however. One source claimed Chelsea bid £30 million for the player last week but Spurs insist they have received no bid and would reject it in any case.

The player is understood to be growing increasingly frustrated by chairman Daniel Levy’s intransigence, but remains committed to playing for Spurs and is expected to be named in the team to play Manchester United tomorrow.

While Harry Redknapp has made it clear he is open to a deal at the right price, Levy is holding his line.

With 27 players over 21 in their squad and only 25 eligible under Premier League rules, the pressure is on to sell players.

Stoke still hope they might be able to do a deal for Wilson Palacios and would also go for Peter Crouch or Jermaine Jenas at the right price.

Spurs want to sell Alan Hutton, Sébastien Bassong and David Bentley but need to reduce their asking price if they are to generate interest.

Niko Kranjcar, a target for Sunderland, is another who could go, even with the current problems with injury in midfield.

Arsenal Ready to Make Yann M'Vila Transfer Bid

The Gunners boss is keen to sign a holding midfielder to provide competition for Alex Song and has now set his sights on the Rennes star.

M'Vila, who has established himself as a regular in the French national team over the past 12 months, would cost around £10 million, reports the Sunday Mirror.

Bringing in Scott Parker from West Ham United would be a cheaper option and provide Arsenal's youthful midfield with some much needed experience.

However, the frugal Wenger has doubts about whether paying £8 million for a 30-year-old with no resale value represents a good financial decision.

Instead he will test the water with a bid for M'Vila, 21, although Rennes are known to be reluctant to sell the rising star.

Wenger again faced calls from fans to spend some money during Arsenal's 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool on Saturday.

It is thought he will move for Blackburn centre-back Chris Samba or Bolton defender Gary Cahill in the next few days, while Marseille have confirmed the Gunners are keen to sign Argentina midfielder Lucho Gonzalez.

Any further spending may depend on whether Samir Nasri's proposed £22 million move to Manchester City goes through.

A French television station reported on Saturday that the transfer had collapsed, but City officials remain confident of landing Nasri.

PSG Fight Inter Milan for Diego Forlan

Diego Forlan may have said he’s waiting for Inter, but Paris Saint-Germain and Leonardo are preparing a surprise swoop.

The Uruguayan hitman has been pinpointed as the ideal replacement for Samuel Eto’o, who is heading to Anzhi for €27m.

Forlan’s father told newspapers that talks were already in place and they were only waiting for Eto’o to complete his sale.

However, French newspapers suggest PSG have dived in to anticipate Inter with a €10m offer to Atletico Madrid.

It would be a snub on the transfer market from Paris Saint-Germain director Leonardo, who left the Inter bench to take that job.

Juventus Offer Storari - Alex swap to Chelsea

Juventus could use Marco Storari as part of the deal to coax Chelsea into releasing defender Alex.

This weekend Alex stated he would “gladly accept” a transfer to Turin, but only if it was a permanent move rather than a loan.

His price-tag is thought to be around €7m and director Beppe Marotta is expected to fly out to London for negotiations.

According to Tuttosport, the Bianconeri have an ace up their sleeve, namely goalkeeper Storari.

Chelsea sent scouts to view Storari during Thursday’s Trofeo TIM tournament and need a reliable pair of hands after Petr Cech was ruled out for a month with knee ligament damage.

Storari already proved himself in this role when replacing Gigi Buffon at Juve during his injury lay-off.

However, Tuttosport claims it will be a last-minute scramble, as the talks could only reach a turning point from Thursday.

Meanwhile, Juventus continue to track a left-sided midfielder for Antonio Conte’s system.

Diego Perotti and Eljero Elia are proving difficult, so Cesena revelation Emanuele Giaccherini is looking the more likely candidate right now.

Juventus Consider Arshavin Swoop

There are reports Juventus could make a swoop for Arsenal midfielder Andrey Arshavin.

The Russian will be out of contract at the end of the season, so the Gunners must sell now before losing him on a free transfer.

According to The People newspaper, Juve are prepared to make an offer worth below €5m.

Arshavin would be the latest Arsenal player to leave the Emirates in a summer exodus that has included Cesc Fabregas and Gael Clichy.

The Bianconeri face competition from Turkish club Galatasaray for Arshavin’s signature.

Getafe Signs Dani Guiza

Spanish first-division club Getafe has confirmed the return of Dani Guiza after the striker left Turkish club Fenerbahce earlier this week.

The Madrid-based team announced Saturday that the former Spanish international has agreed to a three-year contract. He will be presented on Monday.

The 31-year-old Guiza played for Getafe from 2005-2007. He then signed for Mallorca, becoming the Spanish league's top scorer in 2007-2008 with 27 goals.

Guiza helped Spain win the 2008 European championship before moving to Fenerbahce for the past three seasons.