Super Stoke can Lash Loser Latics

The weekend did not exactly do us at Like Buying Money proud with our football bets (Stoke v Man City draw & Charlton to beat Wednesday) looking good up to 80+ minutes & a trip to Cheltenham ruined betting wise when our punts on Imperial Commander (£30k matched in-running at 1/100) & The New One (£9k matched in-running at 1/50) also went down! We need a bit more than a minor rough patch to stop us though & the midweek fixtures seem to have thrown up a nice bet in a game between one of the league's toughest teams & one of the least resilient.

Stoke City vs Wigan Athletic

OK, so Stoke didn't quite last the full 90 minutes on Saturday against Premier League champions Manchester City but they have the chance to redeem themselves to us & followers by taking advantage of arguably the easiest fixture in the league season - a home fixture against Wigan.

(Wigan wil without Ivory Coast star Arouna Kone)

Wigan's claims for having a chance in this one must rest mainly on the fact that they are rested after fielding a weakened team in their FA Cup game against non-league Macclesfield but their league form has been poor & they have surely used up their unlikely relegation escapes in recent seasons. Wigan have conceded the second most goals so far, behind only Aston Villa who conceded 8 in one game & they've won just once in 10 with that coming against the aforementioned hapless Villa. Arouna Kone has been reasonable up front for Wigan but he's on Africa Cup of Nations duty & it's hard to see where their goals will come from against a Stoke outfit that have kept 9 clean sheets on the season.

(Jon Walters can trouble the Wigan defence instead of his own)

Asmir Begovic will return to goal for the Potters after sitting out Saturday's fixture & he will be tough to beat even if Wigan do manage to create many chances, that should mean the attacking players can play with freedom & confidence. Jon Walters remains a key player for Stoke even if he garnered unwanted attention for two own goals & a penalty miss against Chelsea & he could find success against the back three formation that Martinez likes his defence to play. Goalscoring has certainly been Stoke's problem with just 22 on the season but 14 have come at home suggesting away fixtures are more of a problem & even if Wigan put players behind the ball they'll remain vulnerable against what will likely be multiple set pieces for the home team.

It's tempting to take the odds on the under 2.5 goals scoreline but a Stoke win has to be the bet, they've only lost at home to Chelsea (league) & Man City (cup) on the season with the Brittania remaining formidable - back them at 21/20 with several firms.

Selection:
Stoke City to beat Wigan Athletic at 21/20 (Various)

Sky Blues & Arsenal to deliver a double volley to the bookies

There's plenty of sporting action over this Christmas period & we'll be trying to find the best bets right throughout - the football wasn't great for us last Saturday with two lower league losers but other than that it's been winners all the way for followers with Arsenal winning with ease on Monday preceded by our NFL picks coming up trumps too. We'll have the American football bets up as usual for Sunday's full schedule of games & with a bit of luck we may even get a King George blog up as well for Boxing Day's racing. Make sure to follow us on Twitter @LikeBuyingMoney if you aren't doing so already by finding us on there or clicking the Follow button up above.

Wigan Athletic vs Arsenal

Sometimes you can see bets that look too simple to be true but you can't let that put you off a great punting opportunity & Arsenal look overpriced again against Wigan just as they were when thrashing Reading on Monday night.

(Ho Ho Ho! What will Santi deliver this Christmas?)

Arsene Wenger has done a super bit of business with tying down a quintet of key young English players to long term deals in the week & there appears to be a bit of a feel good factor at the club after hearing nothing but grumbles by many fans & some super intelligent ex-players (cough Ian Wright cough). Arsenal are one of the top three sides in Europe in terms of possession along with Bayern Munich & Barcelona who sit way out in front, that passing style & superior players should ensure that they best Wigan who also try to play football the supposed 'right' way.

Wigan have lost the joint most games in the league, 10 along with Reading & too often seem to have a soft centre & that paired along with a lack of a consistent scorer has meant they've slipped into the relegation zone. Wigan's ex-Hamilton James's McCarthy & McArthur are decent players but Arsenal's central midfielders should be able to outmaneuver them especially now that Santi Cazorla looks to back to form with an almighty bang. Odds of 3/4 about an Arsenal win look too big - the Latics are 3rd worst on their home form with the Gunners 4th best in the league on the road.

Coventry City vs Preston North End

Down in League One, Coventry City entertain Preston North End at Ricoh Arena. There is only one point & two places between them with Coventry 13th & Preston 15th.

(Striker David McGoldrick (front) is the main man for Coventry & worth his weight in goals)

Coventry are in fine form & two weeks ago they brought home the money for us & you as they easily dispatched Walsall 5-1 with a brace from both David McGoldrick & Carl Baker. They followed it up with an excellent 4-1 away victory at 4th place Doncaster Rovers to make it six wins in their last eight league games. McGoldrick is League One top goalscorer now with 15 goals of which ten coming his last nine league games & manager Mark Robins will be desperate to extend his loan deal past the 1st January.

Preston have been inconsistent all season with seven wins, eight draws & seven defeats in their 22 league games so far, they have only won one of their last eight league games & a they earnt a point in a 0-0 draw last weekend against Portsmouth after two defeats to Leyton Orient & Crewe Alexander. They have failed to score in three of their last four & the side haven't been effective since the long term injuries to full backs Keith Keane & Scott Laird.

We expect a Coventry side brimming with confidence & goals to be too strong for an inconsistent Preston team at the best price of 6/5 with bet365 & BetVictor.

Selections:
Arsenal to beat Wigan Athletic at 3/4 (Various)
Coventry City to beat Preston North End at 6/5 (bet365/BetVictor)

Watch out Europe there's a Toon Army trying to get you!

Another thrilling Premier League season is coming to an end this Sunday & there's plenty to play for with the title still to be decided, any of three teams can finish 3rd, 4th & 5th plus Bolton & QPR try to avoid joining Wolves & Blackburn in being relegated. There's still plenty of football to look forward to this summer with the European Championships & we'll be finding the best bets in that competition too, for the time being though check out our final picks for this season below.

(Victor Moses has been in fine form along with his Wigan teammates in recent weeks)

In the Premiership, Wigan Athletic will look to end the season on a high against already relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers at the DW Stadium. Wigan looked doomed at the turn of 2012 but under the impressive leadership of Roberto Martinez they have gone on a fantastic run to guarantee Premiership survival for another year. They have won six of their last eight league games with victories over Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal & in their last home game dished out a 4-0 hammering of Newcastle. It would have been easy for Martinez to abandon his passing principles when results weren't going for his side but by sticking with them it's allowed attacking trio Victor Moses, Franco Di Santo & Shaun Maloney to reap the benefits & put the points on the board. With goals flowing they have also improved defensively with skipper Gary Caldwell & the underrated keeper Ali Al-Habsi putting in a number of strong performances. Visitors Wolves will be glad for the final whistle to finish a thoroughly miserable season as they embark on a summer of rebuilding under the new guidance of Stale Solbakken - current interim manager Terry O'Connor has a record of no wins & eight defeats in his twelve games & will revert back to his old role after his ill fated spell. Away from home Wolves haven't won in their last six & have conceded on average two goals per game, Wigan will look to put on a show for their fans in their final home fixture & bag the three points at the best price of 8/13 with William Hill.

(Newcastle need to win & get Champions League football to hold on to stars such as these)

At Goodison Everton host their final home game against Champions League chasing Newcastle United & it looks like any value to be had in this one lies with the Magpies. Everton have had their customary good finish to the season with the squad bolstered by the signings of Jelavic & Gibson plus Pienaar & you have to go back to the 21st March for their last league loss but they have only one of their last 5 in all competitions. That recent run includes the disappointing defeat to city rivals Liverpool in the FA Cup semi final & draws with Stoke & last week Wolves, it also includes the remarkable 4-4 at Old Trafford & demolishing Fulham here at Goodison. Newcastle went on a splendid run of 6 straight victories after a dodgy spell in February & the beginning of March, the freakishly good Papiss Cisse scored in all of those wins before the run came to an abrupt halt when taking a spanking from resurgent Wigan. It seemed that some Newcastle players had taken their foot off the gas in the Wigan game but they bounced straight back to beat Chelsea & simultaneously end the London club's chances of Champions League qualification in the league (& probably at all!). Losing to Man City last week was no disgrace & up until conceding late on they looked pretty solid with players committed to the cause throughout the team & they'll all be focused for this one. Cisse seems to be able to score every type of goal & will cause the Everton defence problems at all times & Ben Arfa has hit some fine form too, with his runs & Yohan Cabaye's pinpoint passing they should create chances. At the other end the defence seems good whoever plays & it helps that they are backed up by goalkeeping star Tim Krul, he's not missed a beat this season & will be desperate to showcase his skills in Europe's top comp. Everton have shown qualities going forward & in defence in recent weeks but have also had some more disappointing efforts allowing to argue for & against their chances but Newcastle present a stronger case in this one & at 12/5 must be backed.

Selections:
Wigan Athletic to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers at 8/13 (William Hill)
Newcastle United to beat Everton at 12/5 (BetVictor)