England vs Pakistan - Test Series

Next Tuesday sees the start of a three match Test series between England & Pakistan in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It's the first time the sides have met since a plot by ex-captain Salman Butt & fast bowlers Mohammad Asif & Mohammad Amir to bowl deliberate no balls for financial rewards nearly 18 months ago.

(Test matches to be played in beautiful surroundings, but how full will the stadiums be?) 

The 1st & 3rd Tests are played in Dubai at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium with the 2nd hosted in the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi. Both grounds have held only two Test matches each; one in 2010 (Pakistan vs South Africa) & the other in 2011 (Pakistan vs Sri Lanka). Three of the Test matches ended in draws & only one result was possible when Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by nine wickets in Dubai. A total of 4,868 runs were scored with 110 wickets taken (at an average of 44 runs per wicket) so both sides are going to have to work extremely hard to take 20 wickets & force a result.

England are the number one ranked side in the Test ranking after comprehensively beating India last summer 4-0. But away from home in the southern hemisphere will prove a sterner task for the side. The touring squad was as expected but they have lost Tim Bresnan to injury, therefore the debate for Andy Flower is whether they stick with the tried & tested attack of three seamers & one spinner or play the 2nd spinner in Monty Panesar.

Pakistan have regrouped as a team after all the scandals & are a highly competitive side under the leadership of Misah-ul-Haq. Pakistan easily won their test series in Bangladash 2-0 with openers Mohammad Hafeez & Taufeeq Umar hitting hundreds & Younis Kahn 200 not out in the first Test. And in their last home series (well new home) they came out on top against Sri Lanka 1-0 in the three match series.

(Who will come out on top in the head-to-head battle between Graeme Swann & Saeed Ajmal?)

All in all we are anticipating a tight affair with the bat dominating the ball. The fact that 20 wickets will need to be taken to win a match means an intriguing duel, between the two outstanding spinners, Graeme Swann & Saeed Ajmal with the winner likely to give his side the edge. We expect Swann to win the contest & with the steer weigh of runs tabled by a strong English batting line-up...England will win the series but not without a drawn match or two.

(The outstanding Alastair Cook is likely to be raising his bat in celebration throughout the series)

In terms of individual players markets we can't ignore the 7/2 available on Alastair Cook being Top England batsman. He had an outstanding 2011 starting with the end of the Ashes tour & continuing throughout the English summer where he scored 927 runs in 11 innings at an average of 84.27. He has carried his form into the warm up matches with scores of 133 & 76. The fact he opens the batting means he'll have the maximum time to compile his runs as the batsmen down the order can only sit & wait as he undoubtedly cashes in.

Selections:
England to win the series at 6/5 (Blue Square/Stan James)
England to win the series 1-0 at 9/2 (Bet365 & Skybet)
Alastair Cook being Top England Batsman at 7/2 (various)

Ravens to suffer clipped wings at hands of Texans

Last night's NFL playoff games saw some good tipping for us with 4 out of 5 bets up including Wes Welker scoring the first touchdown in the Broncos v Patriots game at a big price of 15/2, we're trying to follow up in tonight's games that include reigning champions the Green Bay Packers taking on the New York Giants.

(The defenses will be key & the Ravens' D is as strong as it gets)

In Sunday's first game the Houston Texans travel to face off against the Baltimore Ravens in a game where both sides have very similar strengths as they are both best in the running game & their excellent defenses. The Texans defense improved from being statistically th 2nd worst in the league last year to 2nd best this year & their signed this season defensive co-ordinator Wade Phillips deserves enormous credit as well as the new talent they brought in, we mentioned J.J. Watts last week as a favourite of ours & the rookie defensive end came up with a great performance as they beat Cincinnati in a hugely professional display. Watts will look to get after Ravens passer Joe Flacco at every opportunity & rightly so, as far as we're concerned the Ravens succeed in spite of the man under centre rather than because of him. Flacco is distinctly average & it's hard to see Baltimore wining Super Bowls with him, it's a pity as they have a top running back in Ray Rice & legendary defenders in Ray Lewis, Ed Reed & Terrell Suggs. Flacco isn't helped by the lack of depth they have in receivers as they look primarily to Anquan Boldin & Torrey Smith, that will help the Texans as they'll go to man coverage to crowd those two out of the game. The key to the Ravens offense will as usual be their 5"8 rusher Ray Rice, he's quick & extremely elusive, getting big plays to the outside & right through the middle, Rice is great but maybe not quite so great as the Texans' main man.

(Power, pace & plenty of moves - Arian Foster is the complete back)

The Texans' running back Arian Foster seems to get better & better, he had a few injury problems at the start of the season but once he got into his stride was unstoppable, ending up with 10 TDs on the ground & 2 receiving scores. Foster's a lot bigger than Rice at 6"1 but he's still elusive as he has some great moves & excellent vision, he is thriving as he knows their success rests largely on his shoulders now they havea 3rd choice quarterback thanks to unfortunate luck with injuries. It is almost inevitable that Foster will score at  some point & Ladbrokes offer of 4/6 is generous - take it. Having T.J. Yates at centre isn't ideal but he coped very well last week & their playbook tends not to rely on him pasing to much anyway, they ran the ball more than anyone apart from the Broncos in the regular season. Not passing means that th Ravens will struggle to creae the turnovers that they are so good at usually & when the Texans do go to th air they have one of the premier receivers around in Andre Johnson, if he has the ball he won't be coughing it up with fumbles. An extra bonus for Houston has been the emergence of secondary running back Ben Tate & his good performances ensure that Foster doesn't get worn out from aways running the ball, he's better than the Ravens backup Ricky Williams & could be a factor. The Ravens cearly hold an advantage, they are at home & rested last week & the colder conditions should suit them slightly better but these are closely matched teams. Although Baltimore won 29-14 in their regular season meeting that game was very close until the 4th quarter & Arian Foster's season hdn't quite got going at that point, the ods available mean that we're happy to take the Ravens on & instead back Houston for the upset at odds of 3/1.

(Eli Manning is still in the hunt for his 2nd Super Bowl)

The New York Giants hae to go to Lambeau Field & face the formidable Green Bay Packers after their demolition of the Atlanta Falcons last week, this won't be so easy & we can't imagine the Packers scoring will be limited to just a safety. If the Giants could continue to run the ball like last week it would bode well but that was an anomaly as they ranked dead last in the rushing game in the regular season, they'll continue to go to Eli Manning who has been deadly down the back stretch with powerful & accurate throws to his receivers. Manning will need to be accurate as this Green Bay defense is built for interceptions & takeaways, they ranked last in passing yards conceded but had 8 more interceptions than anyone else, averaging near enough two picks a game. The stats ranking them last are slightly miseading as teams were having to go to the air as they were left trailing by the scary Packer offense, clearly the Packers secondary is not elite but it isn't dreadful either.

(We're hoping to see Jermichael Finley (no.88) making the Lambeau Leap)

When they met earlier in the year, at New York, there were only 3 points to separate them as Green Bay prevailed, that implies another close game but overall the Packers are more convincing having lost just once all year & quarterback Aaron Rodgers has now had 3 weeks rest after they played backup Matt Flynn in the last regular season game. Rodgers choice of receivers to pass to is amazing & he will almost certainly be able to burn the rubbish Giants secondary by going to any of Donald Driver, James Jones, Jermichael Finley, Jordy Nelson & the returning Greg Jennings. Finley looks likely to be able to exploit the Giants in the short to medium game & will look to create mismatches aginst linebackers, he's an awesome 6/5 to score at anytime with SkyBet, he can also be backed at 10/1 to score the 1st touchdown. The Giants do have weapons & receivers Hakeem Nicks & Victor Cruz can have good games, they'll need their defense to be firing on all cylinders to stand a chance & Jason Pierre-Paul will be doing his best, he's a star but it will likely be a long day for him & the rest of the defense unless the running game gets going for the Giants & they can manage the clock. At 30/100 the Packers are probably a little too short but backing them to be winning at half time & full time at 4/6 is reasonable & looks the way to go.

Selections:
Houston Texans to beat Baltimore Ravens at 3/1 (Ladbrokes & Victor Chandler)
Arian Foster to score a touchdown at anytime at 4/6 (Ladbrokes)

Green Bay Packers to be winning at half time & full time at 4/6 (Boylesports)
Jermichael Finley to score a touchdown at anytime at 6/5 (SkyBet) & to score 1st TD at 10/1 (various)

Super Saints can crush 49ers Super Bowl dream

Last Sunday was horrible for us betting wise as both the Atlanta Falcons & Pittsburgh Steelers woefully underperformed to lose to the Giants & Broncos respectively, as contests though they were exciting games & this weekend should see some quality contests between the 8 teams left with a chance of a Super Bowl ring. We're kicking off with Saturday's games at New England & San Francisco as we try to find an edge to help turn a nice profit.

(Workhorse Frank Gore will have been glad of last week's bye - his running has carried the 49ers offense in 2011)

The day's first game sees a classic offense versus defense matchup as the hugely exciting New Orleans Saints travel to take on the resilient San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park. We're normally big fans of great defenses coming out on top of great offenses but we're pretty sweet on the Saints in this one especially now that the season seems to be being dominated by great quarterbacks & you could argue that Drew Brees is the best of the lot with the most yards & touchdown passes this year. The Saints were less than perfect against the Lions last week & trailed at the half but came through with a dominant 2nd half display to win 45-28, the 49ers don't have the offensive weapons of Detroit & it would be surprising if they could get anyway near their total.

 (Jimmy Graham just keeps getting it done & he can score again against San Francisco)

Led by Alex Smith at quarterback the 49ers ranked just 26th in total offense but 4th on defense & lost just  3 times, of course it did help that the were in the awful NFC West meaning 6 of their games were against the lowest of low grade opposition. To be blunt Smith really isn't a very good quarterback but the 49ers realised this & attempted to pass the ball less than anyone apart from the Broncos, that seemed to help Smith who threw just 5 interceptions & 17 touchdowns, instead the bulk of the work has been left to power running back Frank Gore. Gore was handed the ball over 280 times in the year & gained 1,211 yards with 8 TDs, he's an all-action back & willl cause New Orleans defense trouble who concede a very high average of 5 yards a rushing attempt. When they do pass it will be to Michael Crabtree & Vernon Davis, tight end Davis had 6 touchdowns on the year & looks the man to get another in this one at odds of 6/5 to score a TD at anytime he looks a good bet. Their defense is the real star & are particularly good at stopping the run, NaVorro Bowman has been freakishly effective with 143 combined tackles & the rookie Aldon Smith had 14 sacks. They'll have to be at their best to stop the Saints as they've been unstoppable, they have a pretty good run game but will happily abandon it if it's ineffective & relying on Brees is no bad thing, he'll connect on most passes as usual & will unlikely give up too many chances of an interception. Tight end Jimmy Graham came up good for us last week & can score again at odds of 4/6 to add to the 12 TDs he has for the season. The Saints defense could have some fun too as they blitz the second most in the league, it's the right thing to do here as Alex Smith is a weak link & we think even though they are away they can win this big & should be backed to win with -3.5 points on the handicap at 10/11.

(The Broncos v Patriots - otherwise known as the Tim Tebow show)

In Foxborough the New England Patriots host the Denver Broncos & Tebowmania is running wild with everybody talking & writing about him after the Broncos surprise win against the highly fancied Steelers. We'll have our say about Tim Tebow's performnce straight away, he ran the option well as usual but wasn't spectaclar in the running game & we feel that some of his throwing in terms of distance acuracy was particularly poor, throwing passes over heads or into the ground. He was fortunate to come up against a Steelers secondary that didn't appear even remotely capable against the deep threat meaning when he did throw reasonable deep pases the were made & drew big rewards. Tim may as well stick to the same plan here as the Patriots secondary sucks & Demaryius Thomas will be hoping so as he came up with a monstrous 204 receiving yards from just 4 receptions. The Broncos real strength is in their running game which is helpful as Tebow really isn't accurate enough to be relied on, but New England aren't bad against the run & give up a reasonable 4.6 yards per rushing attempt. Willis McGahee & Tim Tebow will need to find ways to keep the running game going to keep the ball on their offense & away from the Patriots & top passer Tom Brady.

(Wes Welker is the league's leading receiver yet available at 15/2 to score 1st - get on!)

Brady was awesome as usual during the season, completing nearly 66% of passes & hitting receivers for 39 touchdowns, when he's in the zone it looks impossible for him to throw a bad pass & he has great chemistry with his receivers. The tight ends Aaron Hernandez & particularly Rob Gronkowski along with wide receiver Wes Welker are Brady's favourite targets & the league leading Welker looks a great price to score first at 15/2, he had the most receiving yards in the league & caught 22 more passes than his nearest challenger - he's a lethal weapon & will be looked to here. The Patriots can run the ball too & although BenJarvus Green-Ellis will get most carries we love to see tiny Danny Woodhead running the ball against guys twice his size, he makes the most of being small to get through gaps & even gets his share of passes. New England hve developed a bad habit of falling behind (by sizeable margins) but then coming back supremely strongly, with the number one seed giving them a bye last week coach Bill Belichick will have tried to solve that problem, the Broncos may not have the offensive capability to take advantage anyway. Last week will have been physically & emotionally draining for the Broncos & we expect New England to dominate from start to finish, back the Patriots to be winning at half time & full time at odds of 30/100 for a real 'like buying money' bet.

Selections:
New Orleans Saints to beat San Francisco 49ers with -3.5 points at 10/11 (general)
Vernon Davis to score a Touchdown at anytime at 6/5 (Skybet)
Jimmy Graham to score a Touchdown at anytime  at 4/6 (general)

New England to beat Denver Broncos half time/full at 3/10 (Boylesports, Coral & William Hill)
Wes Welker to score first touchdown at 15/2 (Paddy Power)

Rampant Robins can shoot Shots to pieces

The English season is now getting into the back straight & the leagues are taking form with those few teams right at the top looking to battle it out for the title & late charges out of the pack looking increasingly unlikely, the teams in the middle are all jostling for position whilst those in the relegation places try to hang onto the tails of the rest of the pack. It makes for an interesting run in & there's plenty to play for in every game, cup action last week meant that some teams were able to give breathers to players after a heavy Christmas workload so we should see some good games between full-strength sides. As ever we've searched through the divisions for the weekend's best bets & think we've found an especially storming one down in League Two.

(Paul Scharner & West Brom can win the battle against Norwich)

West Bromwich Albion have hadd a bit of a stop-start season so far with injuries & form problems with some key players but they do have an underlying quality & one of the very best managers in the land in Roy Hodgson, they'll be looking to impove on just two home league wins when taking on Norwich City at the Hawthorns. Both sides have had similar form this year with 6 wins each but Norwich have 3 more draws & even though they only have 3 points more than West Brom they sit 6 places higher in 9th compared to 15th, it goes to show how tight it is away from the 3 teams that have pulled away at the top. In the meeting at Carrow Road the Baggies prevailed thanks to an early Peter Odemwingie goal & some tight defending, it's one of only 3 league games the Canaries have failed to score in so was a decent achievement. Norwich's strength has been in going forwards with Grant Holt & Steve Morison netting 7 times apiece in the league but they aren't so great at the back & West Brom will look to exploit that. Simon Cox has been promised game time & managed a hattrick against Cardiff in the FA Cup, Odemwingie is showing more of the form he had last season & our favourite Paul Scharner is always a danger, he's a big priced 18/1 to score first. 6 is the magic number for West Brom as they look to welcome back 6 first teamers from injury & this is the first game in a run of 6 against teams in the bottom dozen - they can get that run off to a nice start with a home win here at odds of 11/10 & improve on their 6 wins so far.

(Gaffer John Coleman is making winning a habit for his Accrington side lately)

In League Two, Accrington Stanley host Barnet at the Crown Ground. Accrington are currently flying up the league towards the play-off places whilst Barnet are in 20th position & only two points off the relegation spots. Accrington haven't suffered a defeat since October & have taken 24 points from their last ten league games with seven wins & three draws. In front of their own fans they have won their last four league games scoring an impressive 12 goals in the process. Visitors Barnet are on a poor run of form with three defeats, one draw & one win in their last five league games. All season they have struggled on the road & they have the worst record in the league with 8 defeats & only 8 points gained in 12 matches. We expect Accrington to continue their fine form at the expense of a struggling Barnet side at a price of 3/4.

(Scottish striker Darryl Duffy we be looking to add another goal to his collection against Aldershot)

Also in the same division, the other form side Cheltenham Town entertain Aldershot at Abbey Business Stadium, the Robins are one point behind leaders Crawley & sit in the final automatic place whilst Aldershot sit in 16th place. Cheltenham had a glamour tie against Premiership side Spurs in the FA Cup last weekend & it was the first time they've been defeated since late October (a 1-0 defeat to Crewe). They have won 11 of their last 14 league games & their last two against Rotherham & Port Vale. Their summer signing Darryl Duffy has 11 goals in all competitions so far & with confidence riding high goals are flowing regularly throughout the side. Opposition Aldershot are on a terrible run of form currently with six defeats in their last eight league games & in these matches they have managed only 2 goals & none in their last four. You can't see where Aldershot's next goal is coming from let alone victory so we feel Cheltenham are a home banker this weekend & should form part of any accumulators as well as warranting a hefty individual bet at an outstanding price of 4/5 .

Selections:

West Bromwich Albion to beat Norwich City at 11/10 (Blue Square & Coral)

Paul Scharner to score first at 18/1 (Skybet & Ladbrokes) in West Brom v Norwich game

Accrington Stanley to beat Barnet at 3/4 (Victor Chandler & SportingBet)

Cheltenham Town to beat Aldershot at 4/5 (Victor Chandler & Coral) Like Buying Money's Star Bet

@likebuyingmoney Twitter followers’ tips week 11

After week 9 our followers were making a £21.12 loss after a few winning picks, could they improve in week 10? Here's a reminder of what was tipped up last week and a roundup of the results:

Follower	Selection	Result
@profitbet	Charlton to beat Fulham	Heart over head bet maybe for our Charlton fan as Fulham ran out 4-0 winners LOSER
@rigger60	Bolton, Aston Villa & Stoke	Bolton failed to beat L2 Macclesfield (2-2) ending this Premiership treble LOSER
@toddycounago	Hull and Bolton double	Again Bolton ruin another bet as Hull beat Ipswich LOSER
@Ricabii	Oldham +2 on the handicap	After a shock lead, Liverpool run out easy winners 5-1 LOSER
@Jugador1984	WBA to beat Cardiff City	WBA beat a much changed Cardiff side @ 4/5 WINNER
@josephbrown39	MK Dons to beat QPR	A late Heidar Helguson equaliser earns QPR a replay LOSER
@allywhyte1	Wolves to beat Birmingham	A dull encounter ends 0-0 LOSER
@gray67lufc	Oxford, Northampton & Bournemouth (Singles & Treble)	Oxford (13/8) & Northampton (3/1) won but Bournemouth drew 2-2 TWO WINNERS TWO LOSERS
@gray67lufc	Wigan, Swansea & Bristol City	Only Swansea won with Swindon (beating Wigan) & Crawley (beating Bristol C) providing upsets LOSER
@gray67lufc	Wrexham or Stevenage	Wrexham earnt a replay at Brighton & Stevenage beat Reading 1-0 @ 6/1 ONE WINNER ONE LOSER

After only a few winners this week our followers’ current loss improved to -£19.70 after some good price winners, from £1 stakes.

Detailed below are the selections for the weekend of the 14^th / 15^th January:

@plankorama selects Charlton 1.91, 0.5+ 2nd half goals, longer shots - 5 for 1.5+ or 10 to win from behind, a pessimistic owl...

@rigger60 fancies a treble of Liverpool, Hull & Port Vale. Liverpool (4/9) host Stoke, Hull (4/5) entertain Peterborough & Port Vale (10/11) are up against AFC Wimbledon. The treble pays just under 4/1.

@CTGBreathnach tips Everton to win away at Aston Villa at a tasty 11/5. Cracking bet.

@Jugador1984 fancies goals at the Liberty stadium on Sunday. Arsenal and Swansea both teams to score #likebuyingmoney should be a decent game with a few goals. Odds for both sides to find the back of the net is 5/6 with William Hill.

@bookiebasher1 goes for a specualtive multiple. Has to be the bookie killer five fold West Ham / Shuffield U / Huddersfield / Cardiff / Stevenage / @25/1 dare you join him?

@GHorsfall Coventry fan Gavin reckons Rotherham 2/1 to beat Swindon has some legs.

@mattsafc sumbitted a couple of picks, I like Blackburn, QPR and Aston Villa/Everton Draw. Also fancy a punt on Liverpool-Stoke to finish 1-1. Matt's treble has odds of 40/1 and the Anfield 1-1 is best priced at 8/1.

Thanks again to all those who submitted their suggestions, we'll round up the results at the beginning of next week’s post.

To enter next week please send a tweet and include #likebuyingmoney with your best bet.

Midweek football - Spurs to up title charge

Wednesday night sees action from both the Premier League between Tottenham Hotspur & Everton & a rather glamorous Carling Cup semi final tie as Manchester City host Liverpool, both games see all 4 teams missing key players & that could make things interesting. We're picking our best bets as usual, trying to follow up a relatively successful weekend of FA Cup football but not so great NFL action, as ever you can follow us on Twitter by clicking the Follow button above.

(PFA player of the year Gareth Bale can show why he's the Premier League's number one)

Harry Redknapp has assembled a team & squad of real strength at Spurs & they do now deserve to be talked about as potential league winners with current leaders Man City having similar questions to them to answer with regards to mental fortitude on the run in & Man United having problems with consistency & a distinctly underwhelming midfield. This game against Everton sees them play the game in hand that they've held right from the start of the season & they will be desperate to win this & their next home game against Wolves before facing City at the Etihad. Spurs injury problems come at arguably already the weakest part of the team with Ledley King & William Gallas missing from defence with hamstring & calf strains respectively, Everton probably aren't the team to take advantage after not scoring more than once in their last 7 league games & their top scorers in the league having a 'massive' 3 goals apiece. More of a worry for Spurs is that the excellent Scott Parker is doubtful for the game as he is so influential in nearly every game he plays, Jake Livermore could come in to replace him & although he isn't top quality yet should have enough experience around him to perform creditably. With most of the first team rested for the cup tie against Cheltenham they'll be primed for this one & can make the most of an Everton side missing Tim Cahill, Leon Osman, Jack Rodwell, Tony Hibbert, Ross Barkley & key man Phil Jagielka. Everton barely have enough squad depth to cope with one injury let alone 6 & couldn't afford to rest players against Tamworth.

After some good results the Toffees run came to an abrupt end with a home loss to struggling Bolton & they really huffed & puffed there albeit in very windy conditions. David Moyes' men will come & try to make life difficult for Spurs but it is hard to see them offering much themselves apart from when Leighton Baines can get on dead ball situations. Spurs have the requisite quality in van der Vaart, Bale & Modric to open the door & either Adebayor or the weaker Jermaine Defoe can profit. We like Spurs to win to nil at good odds of 6/4 with Coral, backing them to win the game at 4/7 is perfectly reasonable too - they are up with the elite teams in England now & should be priced accordingly, Chelsea would be shorter than that to beat Everton at home but Spurs are at the moment a superior side.

(Kenny Dalglish & his star 'ahem' strikers - one unavailable & the other unwatchable)

Manchester City played Liverpool just a week ago in the league & came out of that game, again here at the Etihad Stadium, with a 3-0 victory, they will be without the Toure brothers this time & also their best defender Vincent Kompany but can still gain a victory, although maybe not such a convincing one. Liverpool have been unable to find the net with regularity all season & with their best attacking player out through his own foolish actions the situation is unlikely to be improved upon in the next month, they had a nice win against Newcastle 3 games back but that was their only win in the last 4 league games. The big plus in this game for the Reds is that they played their FA Cup game on Friday against low calibre opposition whereas City played only on Sunday against both clubs' biggest rivals Man United. On paper that game should have taken something out of City but even though they lot the performed with such credit in the 2nd half with 10 men they will hve taken heart from their display & it showed Mancini in his best light as a tactician & motivator.

(The exciting Adam Johnson is on his game of late & can grab a goal against Liverpool)

With the 2nd leg being at Anfield, City will be keen to take an advantage & should try to attack Liverpool although not in a reckless manner, Mario Balotelli looks to be out of contention but Dzeko could be back otherwise they'll start with the outstanding Sergio 'Kun' Aguero as their focal point. Other than Suarez out Liverpool will have their strongest side to choose from & we think they'll have a chance if Bellamy plays & is on his game but otherwise we're unimpressed by new signings Adam, Henderson & Downing - Gerrard could start but his fitness isn't proven for a high tempo game like this & certainly not for 90 minutes. Dalglish will likely want to contain City & keep it tight for the return leg & will set his team out to be solid, City can still breach their mean defence but maybe just the once, Adam Johnson is looking lively & could be the man to do it, we'll take a 1-0 Man City win at 13/2, Johnson to score 1st at 12/1 & the scorecast at 50/1.

Selections:
Tottenham Hotspur to beat Everton at 4/7 (various) & to win to nil at 6/4 (Coral)
Manchester City to beat Liverpool 1-0 at 13/2 (various)
Adam Johnson to score 1st at 12/1 (Stan James)
Johnson to score 1st & City win 1-0 scorecast at 50/1 (various)