Betting Picks

Aston Villa @ Chelsea

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Spring is a wonderful time for sports betting and offers all sorts of excitement for fans. The sportbook is full of pro hockey and basketball games as the respective leagues move towards the playoffs.  Also on the agenda is the Sweet Sixteen and plenty of March Madness betting.  There is more yet, as English League soccer has but a couple months of games remaining as races for the top positions heat up.

The Premiership features a slate of compelling games this weekend, one of which showcases powerhouse Chelsea hosting Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.  Both teams are looking for points to move ahead in the table, but they are playing for very different goals.

Chelseas sits at the top of the table and will advance to the Champions League along with Manchester United and Arsenal—it is just a matter of decided what team will finish in first, second, or third. Chelsea currently has 68 points, one behind Man U, and one ahead of arsenal.  In the second tier of the league, Aston Villa sits at seventh with 51 points.  Liverpool with the same points but more wins sits at sixth, while Manchester City has 53 and Tottenham Hotspur retains fourth with 54.  Both teams are looking to keep pace with the teams around them, but Villa comes in more desperate.

The Villains has missed opportunities to gain important points of late, drawing against Sutherland late in the game on the leg of John Carew. While the Villa star saved a point for the club, they squandered two more in a game they should have prevailed. The Norwegian netted his fifth goal in the last sixth, and the home goal was his 14^th on the season.

Meanwhile Chelsea comes in riding high after a 5-0 trouncing of Portsmouth.  However, they have lost two of their past six league games in a span that saw them knocked out of the UEFA Cup as well. They have struggled with consistency with a league draw prior to the Portsmouth match, and a loss in Champions play before that.

In their only previous match up this season, the Villains edged the Blues at Villa Stadium by a 2-1 score.  This game, however, is hosted by Chelsea in a stadium where they have only lost one league game all season.

Bet:  Chelsea comes in as the favorite and with good reason. They have sat atop the league all season, and are nearly dominate at home.  However, Villa has proven they can beat Chelsea, and they come in desperate for points as they are currently positioned outside the qualifying spots.  Despite dropping points in their last game, they Villains have momentum and will draw Chelsea on the road and earn an important point.