Betting Picks

Saturday, April 17, 2010; 10:30 EST

This month, with the onset of baseball, the sports book is full of games every day for every fan to enjoy. There are MLB odds available as two other leagues, the NBA and NHL head towards the playoffs. The first games are just about in the books, and Stanley Cup odds are on the Washington Capitals and the San Jose Sharks to meet in the finals. 

Meanwhile, also available in sports betting is soccer, as another league heads toward the end of the regular season, as the English Premiership enters the final weeks.  Two top teams in Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea take the field this weekend for a key Premiere League match up.

After an embarrassing loss to last place Portsmouth, Hotspur bounced back against one of the best teams in the Premiership. Tottenham downed the Gunners 2-1 at White Hart Lane to position the club only one point back of fourth place Manchester City. The fight between the two teams will come down to the wire as they play each other the second last game of the season with the Champions League Qualifying position possibly on the line.  While Tottenham goes for fourth, they are comfortably ahead of 7^th place Aston Villa and should be ensured a spot in the Europa Cup.

Chelsea meanwhile has been play at an elite level all year, and following a victory over Manchester United for first place in the table, they had a near let down against Bolton, winning 1-0. The win gave the Blues 77 points, four points ahead of Manchester United, and six ahead of Arsenal. All teams have four games left.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Arsene Wenger, following the victory against Arsenal challenged his club to beat Chelsea in order to truly deserve a spot in the Champions League. “If Tottenham want to fight for the Champions League, they can show they have the quality to do it,” he said after Wednesday’s game.

The two clubs faced off way back in September under much different circumstances with the Blues prevailing at home 3-0. Hotspur, however, has momentum and a great deal of motivation to play their best and try to take down the top team in the League.

Harry Redknapp  emphasized the team’s positive attitude after beating the Gunners. “I said to the players if we could beat Arsenal we could still get fourth place,” he said. “It’s still going to be hard but we’re right in there and this will give us a big lift now for Chelsea on Saturday.”

Betting lines: As the best Premiership club, Chelsea is favoured and rightly so.  But Tottenham is at home and coming off a very inspired win against another juggernaut, Arsenal.  Chelsea is not safe at first, but does have a four point lead and two more home games left this season. They nearly suffered a major disappointment against Bolton on the road, and may be come in with enough energy to combat a confident and focused Tottenham club. Look for Hotspur to play exceptionally well and get some luck as they will prevail over the Blues on Saturday at White Hart Lane.