Betting Recommendations for Barclays Premier League Matches (20 August 2011)

ARSENAL vs LIVERPOOL

Arsenal are suffering from player crisis with Gervinho and Alex Song both suspended and Johan Djourou, Kieran Gibbs (both hamstring) and Armand Traore (groin) are out through injury, while Jack Wilshere and Abou Diaby (ankle) are still out. This would mean that the Gunners may field young defender Carl Jenkinson and Emmanuel Frimpong and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in midfield. Samir Nasri has also been included in Arsenal's squad for Saturday's Barclays Premier League match despite reportedly being on the verge of a move to Manchester City.

Liverpool could name an unchanged side against Arsenal but we may see Martin Kelly and Dirk Kuyt in the starting line-up should Kenny Dalglish wants to change things around. Liverpool are still without Glen Johnson, Steven Gerrard and Martin Skrtel but Jose Enrique, Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing all made on their debuts will give Reds fans confidence.

It will be the 211th time the two sides have met in their history, with the visitors edging it with 81 victories to Arsenal's 74. Last season both fixtures between these two sides ended 1-1. Liverpool have never won at the Emirates Stadium, and have not won at Arsenal since 2000 when a Titi Camara goal gave them a 1-0 victory. With problems arising in the Arsenal team, with injuries and suspensions as well as the uncertainty of Samir Nasri leaving the club or not, I would bet on Liverpool to finally beat Arsenal at the Emirates tonight.

EVERTON vs QPR

Defender Seamus Coleman is Everton's only absentee as they belatedly start their Barclays Premier League campaign at home to newcomers QPR. The right-back is sidelined with torn ankle ligaments and is likely to be out for several weeks. With no summer signings to freshen up the squad manager David Moyes is fortunate to have no other players sidelined.

QPR manager Neil Warnock will be without summer signing Kieron Dyer for Saturday. The 31-year-old was carried off in last week's season opener and, while his foot injury is not as serious as first thought, he will miss the Goodison Park match. Warnock still awaiting international clearance for recent signing Bruno Perone, while both striker Rob Hulse (knee) and Jamie Mackie (broken leg) remain out.

QPR had a game to forget in its first Barclays Premier League match last weekend losing at home to Bolton by 4-0 scoreline. QPR will look to toughening their defence if they want to get anything from this game. It will look as though this game will end as a low scoring game. Prediction will be Everton to win 1-0 or 2-0. Under 2.5 goals will be a better bet for this one.

CHELSEA vs WEST BROM

Hilario is set to start in goal for Chelsea after Petr Cech was ruled out for up to four weeks with a knee injury. Meanwhile, new boy Romelu Lukaku could be set to feature on the bench, but otherwise Andre Villas-Boas is likely to field a more or less identical squad to the one who recorded a stalemate with Stoke.

Roy Hodgson will be buoyed by the return to fitness of Jerome Thomas and Peter Odemwingie – with the latter having put to bed talk of unrest at the club after signing a new long-term deal at The Hawthorns. Though, whether or not both feature remains to be seen, particularly given Shane Long’s goalscoring debut and the nuisance Somen Tchoyi made of himself against Manchester United

Chelsea have never lost to West Brom in the Premier League. On top of that, West Brom have not won at Stamford Bridge for six games now, with last season score was 6-0 to Chelsea. Chelsea to win this game.

Ligue 1 Weekend Preview

Olympique Marseille midfielder Mathieu Valbuena will not move to Premier League club Arsenal after reports of a possible transfer, OM coach Didier Deschamps and sporting director Jose Anigo said ahead of Sunday's clash with Saint-Etienne.

"Arsenal won't get Mathieu, that's clear," Deschamps said on the club's website on Friday.

"We're not selling but, as he's been here six years, if an offer came in we would listen to it a little more," said Anigo, before adding that Andre Ayew and Lucho Gonzalez would be staying at the south-coast club.

Transfer speculation surrounding champions Lille's forward Eden Hazard has been settled, according to manager Rudi Garcia.

"We must leave him be so that he can express himself to the best of his ability on the pitch."

Lille are without a win in the league so far this season after two matches and visit high-flying Caen, who have two wins from two, on Saturday.

Girondins Bordeaux will be without defenders Marc Planus (adductor injury) and Henrique (knee), midfielder Gregory Sertic (suspended) and forward David Bellion (ankle) for the home game with Auxerre on Saturday. Fahid Ben Khalfallah and Cheick Diabate return.

Bordeaux president Jean-Louis Triaud says the club has no money as the transfer window closes at the end of August.

"We know we're lacking a forward but any player costing six million euros or more is out of our reach," Triaud said on www.sudouest.fr.

Bordeaux, along with Stade Rennes, are pursuing Paris Saint-Germain's Turkish international Mevlut Erding, out of favour in the French capital.

Bundesliga Weekend Preview

Borussia Dortmund defenders Neven Subotic and Marcel Schmelzer have recovered from their injuries and could play against Nuremberg on Saturday, coach Jurgen Klopp told reporters.

Klopp said while both players had completed training sessions this week it was still unclear whether they would be in the squad.

"Let's wait and see how they handle the last training sessions," he said.

Nuremberg will travel to Dortmund for Saturday's game without their goalkeeper Raphael Schaefer who underwent surgery on Friday to repair a loose tendon in his shin.

The Nuremberg captain was expected to be out for six weeks, the club said. "Unfortunately the operation was unavoidable," club official Martin Bader told reporters.

Schalke 04 central defenders Benedikt Howedes and Kyriakos Papadopoulos, who featured in Thursday's 2-0 defeat to Helsinki in their Europa League play-off first leg, missed training on Friday but are expected to be fit for their league game against Mainz 05 on Sunday.

Coach Ralf Rangnick said Hoewedes had some pain in his neck while his Greek defensive partner had picked up a knock in his thigh.

"We assume both will be ready to play in Mainz on Sunday," Rangnick said.

Liverpool And Chelsea Line Up Intriguing Swap Deal

Liverpool and Chelsea could be about to embark on a quite remarkable swap deal, according to CaughtOffside.com.

Chelsea are currently pulling out all the stops trying to bolster what has been perceived as a predictable and unimaginative midfield and have been linked to big-money bids for Tottenham's Luka Modric and Valencia's Juan Mata. They are also keen on acquiring Raul Meireles from Liverpool to add some drive and extra goal threat with manager Andre Villas-Boas an admirer of his fellow Portuguese despite having only worked together briefly at FC Porto prior to the player's move to Anfield last summer.

With Liverpool's midfield full to bursting point with the summer arrivals of Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing competing with Meireles, Steven Gerrard, Lucas Leiva, Christian Poulsen, Jay Spearing, Jay Spearing, Alberto Aquilani, Jonjo Shelvey and Maxi Rodriguez for a place in the first team, the club is receptive to slimming down that part of the squad. However, they will attempt to exploit Chelsea's interest by demanding Daniel Sturridge in return.

The England Under 21 international was in sparkling form during the second half of last season which he spent on loan at Bolton Wanderers. He struck eight times in just 12 matches though blotted his copybook with a red card at the end of the campaign that has ruled him out of Chelsea's opening three fixtures this time round. Liverpool are looking for another top level striker to provide added options to the Andy Carrol / Luis Suarez axis although whether the former Manchester City youngster would trade swapping the Stamford Bridge substitutes' bench for its counterpart at Anfield remains to be seen.

Blackburn Blow As PSG Enter Race For Raul

Mega-rich PSG is trying to sign Raul from Schalke, dashing the hopes of Blackburn and other Premier League teams hoping to lure the legend to England.

talkSPORT this week revealed how Raul rejected the chance to move to Blackburn but Steve Kean is still trying to persuade him to move to England.

Meanwhile, Kean's interest in the Spaniard has sparked interest among several parties in the Premier League who is monitoring the situation.

But French side PSG are now also in the running as Schalke has indicated they are willing to sell.

Raul was left at home for Schalke's Europa League clash with Helsinki this week and he is open to a move away from Germany, but PSG's interest - and their considerable financial clout - could scupper Rovers' hopes of salvaging a deal.

Aston Villa Leading The Race For French Strike Star

Aston Villa is leading the chase to sign FC Sion striker Giovanni Sio.

The 22-year-old is rated one of the best young forwards in France and has also been attracting interest from several clubs in Italy.

Villa boss Alex McLeish is looking to strengthen his forward line after seeing Ashley Young and Stewart Downing leave the club during the summer.

Sio will get the chance to impress McLeish when he lines up against Celtic in the Europa League on Thursday night.

FC Sion is looking for around £3m for his signature and Villa will look to finalize a deal before the end of the transfer window.

Arsenal Plot Bid For Everton Star As Cesc Fabregas Replacement

Arsene Wenger is reportedly set to make an offer for Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta as the Arsenal boss looks to effectively fill the whole left by the departure of Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona. The Gunners boss sees the Toffees star as the perfect stop gap purchase who can fill the void in the short to medium term with the likes of youngster Aaron Ramsey and long term target Eden Hazard seen as possible alternatives in the future.

Wenger is determined to bring in experienced players this summer but as yet has managed to purchase two teenagers, Carl Jenkinson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Lille striker Gervinho and the Emirates Stadium manager knows that he needs to add balance to his side to prevent it being too top heavy with youthful talent.

Arteta is a player that Arsenal have been linked with in the past and now the 29 year old is a target Wenger feels will help add experience and creativity to the club’s midfield. Everton chariman Bill Kenwright has revealed this week that the club is unable to bring in new additions because of a brittle relationship between the Merseyside club and the bank that runs their finances.

Arsenal have already registered unsuccessful bids for defender Phil Jagielka but may feel they could tempt Arteta into making a move to the North London club where he can compete at Champions League level for the first time since his spell at Rangers, aside from an unsuccessful qualifier with Everton back in 2005/06.

The former Barcelona youth team player may also feel that a high profile move could lead to his first senior international cap having somehow failed to garner a single appearance for the full Spanish national team.

Arteta has spent six and a half years at Everton and notched up almost 200 appearances for the club and David Moyes will be loathed to lose such an influential player but may find it hard to prevent the Spaniard from being tempted by such a move.

Fulham Poised To End Striker Hunt By Landing Ajax Hitman

Fulham boss Martin Jol is closing in on the signing of Ajax hitman Mounir El Hamdaoui, as first revealed on talkSPORT.co.uk back in June.

Jol said he wanted to sign a striker after drawing a blank in Fulham's opening-day goalless draw with Aston Villa.

And now he has confirmed his interest in signing the Moroccan forward for the third time as a manager.

Speaking to a Dutch magazine, Jol said: "It is not an unthinkable we could sign Mounir."

Liverpool Enter Transfer Race For Reported Arsenal Target

Liverpool is believed to be contending with Arsenal to sign Lazio striker Mauro Zarate.

The Serie A club is ready to listen to offers for their Argentine forward, having signed Djibril Cisse and Miroslav Klose earlier this summer.

However, their asking price of 20m Euros - approximately £17.4m - is putting off many of the clubs interested in the player.

Arsenal is understandably reluctant to pay that kind of money, while Liverpool has paid out big fees this summer.

Zarate's ability either to lead the line or as a wide player could stand him in good stead at Anfield, with Kenny Dalglish short of options up front when Andy Carroll or Luis Suarez is unavailable.

Whether Liverpool will pay that kind of money for a striker who will likely be no more than backup remains to be seen.

Marotta Promises More Signings

Juventus general director Giuseppe Marotta says the club will sign "at least two new players" before the close of the transfer window.

After finishing seventh in Serie A last season, Juventus have had a busy summer in the transfer market, bringing in the likes of Mirko Vucinic, Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal, but Marotta has revealed their business is far from finished.

"At least two new players will arrive before the transfer window closes, but we could even sign a third," he said.

Cesena forward Emanuele Giaccherini is said to be a target and Marotta, speaking at a Lega Calcio meeting, said: "I'm not here today to specifically talk to Cesena, but there is always an opportunity to discuss things with colleagues."

On Sevilla winger Diego Perotti, he said: "He is not the only opportunity that we are evaluating. We know that we have a few holes to plug."

Atlético Madrid Sign Striker Radamel Falcao

Atlético Madrid has bought the Colombia striker Radamel Falcao from Porto, in a Portuguese record transfer deal worth €40m (£34.7m). The Portuguese club said in a statement to the Lisbon stock exchange that the price tag could rise to €47m, depending on unspecified factors.

Atlético said on their website that Falcao had agreed a five-year contract and was scheduled to arrive in the Spanish capital for standard medical tests later on Friday.

Falcao was a key player for Porto last season, scoring 34 goals to help them win four trophies, including the Portuguese title and the Europa League. He will fill the role vacated by the Argentina striker Sergio Agüero, who has joined Manchester City in a £38m deal.

The 25-year-old Falcao scored the only goal in the Europa League final in Dublin, against Sporting Braga, to set a record of 17 goals in the second-tier competition. Chelsea were reportedly interested in Falcao. The Premier League club's new manager, André Villas-Boas, was in charge of Porto last season.

Espanyol Set Sights On Spurs Outcast

Tottenham outcast Giovani Dos Santos is a target for Espanyol, who hope to pair the Mexican with his younger brother Jonathan.

Giovani is set to leave Spurs this summer with manager Harry Redknapp keen to streamline his squad in time for the new season.

It was thought that the attacker, who spent time on loan at Racing Santander last season, was edging towards a move to Sevilla but now their La Liga rivals Espanyol are ready to make an offer.

According to reports in Spain, Espanyol are currently closing in on a £1m move for Barcelona's Jonathan Dos Santos.

And once that deal is complete, they are set to turn their attentions to Giovani, who is desperate to return to Spain after a miserable three-year spell in England.

Spurs are similarly desperate to get rid of the playmaker but are believed to be demanding around £8.5m for him, ruling many clubs out of the race.

Espanyol, however, are convinced the Premier League club will do business for a lot less than that amount and are preparing a bid.

Messi Double Lifts Barca

A Lionel Messi double inspired European and Spanish champions Barcelona to a 3-2 victory over bitter rivals Real Madrid in their Super Cup second leg clash on Wednesday and a 5-4 aggregate win.

The bad feeling between the two sides boiled over at the end of the match which saw three players sent off - Marcelo and Mesut Ozil of Real Madrid and Barcelona's David Villa.

Barcelona were far from their best with their players looking rusty and they lacked their usual slick passing, while Real took the game to their illustrious hosts.

However, Andres Iniesta put Barca ahead with a deft finish before Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th goal in a Real Madrid shirt to equalise.

Messi, though, was the key player as he scored at the end of the first half and again three minutes from the end with French striker Karim Benzema finding the back of the net in between.

Former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas made his debut for Barca coming on towards the end of the game that ended in a brawl after Marcelo was dismissed for a late challenge on the new signing.

Villa and Ozil were also sent off in the subsequent angry exchanges.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola had opted for the side that won the UEFA Champions League last season against Manchester United.

Surprise

The main surprise was in the Real side where Fabio Coentrao started the game ahead of Marcelo at left-back after an impressive debut in the first leg playing in midfield where he gave extra zest to Jose Mourinho's side.

As in the first game, Real had more possession and posed a greater threat in the opening stages.

Ronaldo had a shot turned behind for a corner as early as the first minute but Barcelona even when not playing well as a team have the players with the individual skills to change the course of the game.

Shortly after Messi just failed to get onto a Pedro cross, the Argentine sliced open the Madrid defence for Iniesta who clipped the ball over the outrushing keeper Iker Casillas.

Real refused to let their heads drop and Angel Di Maria was posing the main danger down the right wing with Ronaldo getting little change from Dani Alves on the other side.

It was the Portuguese who brought Real level though as a deflected Benzema shot appeared to take a final touch off Ronaldo as it wrong footed keeper Victor Valdes.

Real continued to have more of the ball and Ronaldo was inches away from putting them ahead when his drive from the edge of the area was parried by Valdes onto the crossbar.

Ozil then should have done better when his weak strike was comfortably blocked by the Barca keeper.

At the same time whenever Barca got the ball in attack they looked dangerous and Messi restored their lead a minute before the break. Pique back-heeled the ball into his path and Messi dinked the ball over Casillas.

Marcelo who came on for the second half appeared to kick out at Messi and there were angry exchanges between several of the players.

Messi, having only just returned to training after a belated break following the Copa America, was Barca's main danger as he forced Casillas into a low save.

Finally Fabregas was given his bow in front of the home fans with Pedro making way.

Defender Sergio Ramos had a golden opportunity to head Real level before Benzema finally scrambled the ball home in the area.

The game looked to be heading for extra-time when Messi pounced to fire home an Adriano cross.

Portugal To Meet Brazil In Under-20 World Cup Final

Portugal will meet Brazil in an Under-20 World Cup final which will feature the tournament's best defensive team against its most potent attacking combination.

Portugal defeated France 2-0 on Wednesday in Medellin with its stout defense and goalkeeper Mika registering their sixth straight clean sheet in the tournament.

In the other semifinal, Henrique scored twice in the last 10 minutes to lift Brazil to a 2-0 victory over Mexico in Pereira. Henrique has five goals and shares the tournament scoring lead with Alvaro Vazquez of Spain.

Brazil has scored a tournament-best 15 goals so far. Philippe Coutinho and Dudu have three each.

Henrique scored with a header in the 80th minute and then slotted home an 8-yard shot from a cross for an insurance goal.

Brazil will be chasing its fifth U-20 title and Portugal will be after its third when the teams clash in Colombia's capital of Bogota. Brazil lost the final two years ago to Ghana in Egypt

Saturday's game will come 20 years after the previous Under-20 final between former colony and colonizer, which Portugal won on penalties with a team that boasted Luis Figo, Rui Costa and Joao Pinto.

In the first semifinal, Danilo gave Portugal a 1-0 lead with a leaping header in the 9th minute, and Nelson Oliveira made it 2-0 with a penalty in the 40th. France was in the U-20 semifinals for the first time.

Inter To Go To War With Man United Over Wesley Sneijder

Wesley Sneijder’s bid to push through a move to Manchester United has suffered another setback after he was described as “untouchable” by Inter Milan.

Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti claims Wesley Sneijder is going nowhere, despite appearing keen to join Premier League champions Manchester United in a £35m deal.

Moratti’s resolve has been strengthened further by the imminent departure of striker Samuel Eto’o, who is set to join big-spending Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala.

“Sneijder was untouchable before the situation with Eto’o and he has become even more so now Eto’o could leave,” said Moratti. “There has never been any kind of talks about Wes.”

Inter To Offer £6 Million Plus Goran Pandev For Chelsea Striker

Inter Milan are seemingly on the verge of losing star player Samuel Eto’o to Russia’s Anzhi Makhachkala this week, and are desperate to identify a replacement immediately.

With contract talks for Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez remaining stagnant, the Nerazzurri have set their sights on Chelsea’s Didier Drogba to fill the void, should the inevitable take place.

According to the Daily Mail, the Italians would prefer a 12-month loan move for the Ivorian, with the option to purchase his services outright at the completion of the season.

However, they are also willing to offer £6 million in addition to the services of Goran Pandev, a player that the Blues have shown an interest in earlier in the summer.

Inter have also been linked with Atletico Madrid’s Diego Forlan, however the Uruguayan’s agent has ruled out any possibility of that move going through.

AC Milan Prepare Bid For Man City Striker

AC Milan will hope to end Mario Baloteli's nightmare spell at Manchester City by lodging a bid for the young striker.

The 21-year-old Italy international has endured a turbulent time since his £25m move to City from Inter Milan last summer and has been at the centre of a number of invidious moments.

Balotelli appears to have fallen even further down the pecking order following the summer arrival of Sergio Aguero, while Roberto Mancini favours Edin Dzeko in the centre-forward role.

Aguero made a stunning debut against Swansea on Monday night with a brace of goals and an assist and is expected to cement a regular first-team place this season.

Italian newspaper Corriere Dello Sport has reported this morning that Milan have made Balotelli one of their major targets as they have concerns over the fitness of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani is hoping a deal can be finalised before the end of next week for Balotelli, but whether City will sell is another matter.

Mancini believes the temperamental Balotelli has been misunderstood by the English press and that there is plenty more to come from the precocious talent on the field.

Spurs Move For Diarra In Doubt As Roma Launch £15m Bid

Tottenham will have to act fast if they want to sign Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra after Roma entered the race to clinch his signature.

Diarra has been strongly linked with a move to White Hart Lane and the chance to join up with his former Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp once again.

The French midfielder has struggled to make any impact under Jose Mourinho at the Bernabeu and is keen to get his career back on track.

But reports in Italy this morning are now suggesting that Roma are making moves to sign Diarra and are negotiating a £15m fee to bring him to the club.

With uncertainty surrounding the future of Luka Modric, Redknapp knows he will need to move fast in the transfer market if he is to win the race to sign Diarra before the end of August.

PSG Out To Scupper Bolton's Bid To Sign Manchester City Winger

Paris St Germain could be set to scupper Bolton's hopes of signing long-term target Shaun Wright-Phillips.

The mega-rich club, backed by the Qatar Investment Authority, is reportedly lining up a £2.5million bid for the Manchester City winger this week and is willing to offer a massive salary to convince him to quit the Premier League for France.

According to The Bolton News, the 29-year-old's representatives have confirmed PSG's interest and that could seriously damage Owen Coyle's chances of landing the England international before the transfer deadline at the end of the month.

The Trotters are unwilling to break the bank to land the winger, whose current salary far exceeds the highest earner at the Reebok, and it is understood that existing offers from Wigan Athletic and Stoke City both carry with them higher basic wages.

But there is hope for Bolton after the player's agent Wayne Lindsay confirmed that Wanderers' offer does appeal to the player because it would mean he could stay in the North West.

City boss Roberto Mancini said last week that the winger's departure from Eastlands was not a certainty, but his exclusion from the squad to face Swansea City on Monday night has all but pushed Wright-Phillips to the Etihad Stadium exit door three years after he returned from Chelsea for £8m.

Eto'o Switch On Ice

Discussions regarding Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto'o's proposed switch to ambitious Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala have stalled.

It is unclear at present whether the breakdown in talks is down to a disagreement between the two clubs or issues regarding personal terms.

A deal was expected to be pushed through in the next few days, with Eto'o's representatives having held further meetings with Anzhi officials on Thursday.

It is claimed that a €25million (£21.8m) package has been put to Inter, with Eto'o offered a three-year contract worth around €15million (£13m) a season.

Reports, however, claim that Inter are holding out for €30million (£26.1m), as they consider their 30-year-old frontman to still be in his prime.

Talks remain ongoing, but there are a number of stumbling blocks that will need to be overcome in order for an agreement to be reached.

"I'm not optimistic at this moment in time," said intermediary and Fifa agent Peppino Tirri.

"There are a few things that need to be sorted out. Nothing has been resolved. The deal is on ice for now.

"Negotiations have come to an end for today; we'll talk again on Friday."