Total Title Test
Spread bettors have had a week of unparalleled sport to get stuck into and the hangover of the Cheltenham Festival isn't going to last long with Man United v Liverpool on Saturday afternoon. Both teams have progressed into the last eight of the Champions League and if Liverpool don't pick up any points here, their title hopes will have evaporated. There will be plenty of followers of Benitez's side on the spreads after they managed to pick up their first league win against bitter rivals United since 2004 at Anfield in September. However, there are also plenty of pointers which will make spread bettors feel United are good things in this one. Firstly, they have won 77% of their home games against the Big Four since 2004/05 (W10-D1-L2) and spread supremacy buyers will be encouraged that eight of those wins have come to nil.
Sporting Index have installed United as the 0.6-0.8 spread favourites and sellers won't be pleased to hear about Liverpool's record directly after a European game. Since Benitez took the reigns his side have won only once away to the Big Four immediately after a Champions League match and have lost six times. That stat doesn't get any better for the Merseyside spread followers when you see that they have only managed four wins from 16 away matches directly after a European game in the past three campaigns, including their most recent defeat at Middlesbrough.
It's been a funny season so far for Arsenal and those who have followed them on the spreads will be hoping their penalty victory against Roma acts as a catalyst for the remainder of the campaign. Many spread punters will be siding with the Gunners against Blackburn on Saturday and buyers of their supremacy will be encouraged that they have won nine of the 11 league matches between these two over the last five years. Blackburn have improved under Allardyce and picked up a vital win at Fulham in midweek, but spread goal buyers have the added bonus that Rovers have conceded 30 goals in their last 11 league trips to the Big Four. Interestingly, their record is also very poor in London, losing 63% of league games in the capital compared to 36% in the rest of the country.
Chelsea are now seen as the biggest threat to Man United's title by the Sporting Index traders and they have a chance to pick up another three points at home to Man City on Sunday. They have won all of the last seven meetings between the sides and spread followers of the Stamford Bridge outfit will be hoping for a repeat of last season's 6-0 demolition here. City's poor away record is well documented and it is even worse at the Bridge, having failed to score in the last six games there. Buyers of the time of the first City goal with Sporting Index will obviously be pleased with this and the fact that the Manchester side have only managed two goals in 13 games against Chelsea since their last promotion.
Bill Esdaile of Square in the Air Communications, a former sports trader, spread betting specialist and self confessed stats addict, casts his eye over this weekend's sport and shares his views on some of the trades available. Please note these are his views and are not the views of Sporting Index.
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