Derby look primed to give Birmingham a shock in the FA Cup on Saturday and the Rams have seen their odds shorten. They may not be backed as far as the FA Cup Final Betting odds, but they certainly have chance against the Blues.

Nigel Clough’s Championship side have been clipped into 2/1 to bundle Alex McLeish’s Birmingham out at the fifth-round stage. The Rams are bang in form after toppling high-flying Nottingham Forest and Newcastle in their last two home games.

And Clough’s charges were only denied victory at Sheffield United by a last-gasp equaliser from Lee Williamson. Those run of results have lifted the gloom at Pride Park and they will be in confident mood and with a full house behind them at the weekend they are more than capable of defeating Birmingham.

In frontman Rob Hulse and winger Kris Commons the Rams have two players who are more than capable of causing Birmingham problems and Clough will not have to build his men up after recent confidence-building results.

Birmingham meanwhile have seen their recent fine run come to and end in the Premier League. Blues had lost just one of their last 15 games in the top flight ahead of Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat at West Ham. McLeish’s men are sitting pretty in eighth spot, however odds of 11/10 on Blues triumphing in the East Midlands looks short.

And looking at the statistics from a different angle – they have won just once in their last five games. It all points to a tricky away day for the Premier League side and FA Cup Betting Odds could well back Derby to be the team with their name in the hat for the quarter-finals.

Ever since Portsmouth won the 2008 FA Cup, the club has been slipping further and further into a state of disarray. They have been forced to sell numerous key players over the past few years to keep the club financially afloat, while at the same time it seems like they have a managerial or ownership change every other month.

And now, during this 2009-2010 campaign, things have reached a stage of extreme crisis. They simply just have no money. Just in the past month they’ve eliminated the club website, which really shows the dire financial situation plaguing the club. Soon, the club known by many simply as ‘Pompey’ may soon cease to exist. Tomorrow a judge will decide the fate of Portsmouth FC and it appears that the BEST CASE scenario would be administration and a nine point deduction, virtually eliminating any chance of surviving relegation this season. Worst case scenario…Portsmouth Football Club will exist no more.

Things have gotten bad at Fratton Park. Real bad. I feel bad for the fans there. Despite their small, old, rodeo-like stadium, Portsmouth support is some of the loudest and most loyal of any across the nation and it would be a tragedy if the club would just disappear. A life without football is difficult to fathom for any football fan. This cinderella club sure has provided their fans some spectacular things to cheer about over the past couple seasons…one can only hope they have the chance to do the same in coming seasons.

If the judge decides Portsmouth shall cease to exist, it will have a HUGE effect on many other teams in the Premier League. Much debate will take place over how this year’s Pompey fixtures should be viewed in the League…should they just all not count? or should every remaining Portsmouth match be considered a victory for the opposition? For example, if the Premier League would decide to just void all matches involving Pompey, teams like Liverpool, who lost at Fratton Park, would greatly benefit. Manchester United and City would lose 6 points, while Chelsea, Arsenal, Villa, Spurs would all lose 3. Liverpool would lose none. I just don’t think it would be fair to reward Liverpool for losing to Portsmouth, but there are not many possible solutions to a team just disappearing from the world’s biggest league.

All we can do is hope that Portsmouth FC don’t receive the death penalty tomorrow…

By RJ Sepich, Villa4Life11

It is a huge weekend in football with there some massive matches in the Premier League. The biggest game would be the tussle between Chelsea and Arsenal. Both are under pressure. Arsenal were hammered and embarrassed by Manchester United last weekend and will be looking for redemption.

Chelsea were held by Hull in a 1-1 draw and are drawing from the fallout from the John Terry scandal. Currently Arsenal are six points behind Chelsea and should they lose here you would think that is it for their title aspirations.

Everton travel to Anfield for the Merseyside derby. Last time they met, Everton were a mess and were no match for Liverpool. Since then they have got most of their injured players back and are a lot more confident and bookmakers have more faith in them. They have risen to ninth place and it seems ridiculous now that only two months ago they were just above the relegation zone. Now soccer betting has them as an outside chance for qualifying for Europe.
Speaking of the relegation zone, things are tight with Hull in 18th spot on 21 points and three other teams also on 21 points. Then you have Wigan in 14th spot on 22 points. Things are very tight at the bottom of the ladder.

Manchester United should have an easy time of it against Portsmouth at Old Trafford. Portsmouth are struggling in last spot and are just about assure of being relegated.

What should be a much tighter contest is fourth placed Tottenham against seventh placed Aston Villa. Only two point separate them and the winner of this could find themselves in the Champions League next year.

Hull now face the blue half of Manchester in a game which could be quite even. Games with relegation implications are Sunderland against Wigan, Stoke and Blackburn, Bolton and Fulham.
On Sunday, Wolves travel to Birmingham to take on the inform side.

Now two-thirds of the way through the season this is the time when you want to make your mark. The worst of winter has gone and European action is about to get back under way. A couple of wins here and you can make your season.

Darren Albert writes for this blog. He also covers online betting.

Well, the January transfer window has closed, all cup competitions are heating up, and things are sorting themselves out in the league tables of all tiers of English Football. It’s finally getting to the time of year when you learn what your team is made of and all of the trophies are dished out, as well as the promotion and relegation spots. So let’s take a look at the key battles that we have to look forward to in the closing months of the season…

Carling Cup – I’ll start with easily the least important trophy, but it is still a trophy. After two thrilling, high-scoring Semifinals, it will be Manchester United and Aston Villa meeting in the Final at the hallowed Wembley Stadium on the last day of February. United will go into the match as pretty heavy favorites, but Villa have already proved they can beat the defending league champions this season (0-1 win at Old Trafford). Prediction: I definitely see a tight match with both teams playing conservatively throughout, but in the end I got to go with my Villa boys in the PK Shootout!

FA Cup – The number one club competition in England is still in its early stages, but there has been plenty of action and upsets so far. Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal are all out already, leaving Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham, and Villa as the favorites going into the upcoming Round of 16. Chelsea look a good bet to defend their title, but you never know what’s going to happen on any given Saturday in the FA Cup. Prediction: Repeating in any tournament is extremely hard so I’m going to stay away from the safe pick of Chelsea. I’ll go out on a limb and say Manchester City bring home the silverware over Chelsea in the Final this season. Who says money can’t buy trophies? haha

Race for Fourth – Possibly the most interesting race of them all this year doesn’t even involve a trophy. Four clubs have legitimate chances of finishing the 2010 campaign in the coveted four place in the league that means Champions League Qualification. Manchester City, Tottenham, Liverpool, and Villa will slug it out for the one available spot in Europe’s premier club competition. Prediction: I really think the Big Four’s reign will end this season. Liverpool just can’t rely on two players for an entire season, especially when both of those players are often injured. I’m not going to pick Villa either. I simply think that we are just not good enough at this point to finish in fourth. So that leaves City and Spurs. I’ll say I’m leaning towards City at the moment just based on pure talent, but this could be an exciting battle that comes down to the last day…

Premier League Title – I was hoping this would be a heavily contested three horse race that would come down to the wire, but after Manchester United’s 3-1 domination of Arsenal at the Emirates last weekend, I think it’s safe to say there are only two teams with a shot to bring home the league. United are in search of their fourth consecutive title, while Chelsea are looking to win their third title in the past six years. Chelsea have had a slight edge all season long, and were fortunate to survive January without some of their key players who were at the African Cup of Nations. Prediction: Ever since the beginning of the season I’ve thought it was Chelsea’s year, so I’m going to stick with them. I just can’t see United winning some of the key games at the end without Ronaldo and Chelsea will come away with the title, but it will be close, close, close.

Well that’s about it. Football is always full of surprises and I’ll be absolutely shocked if all of my picks pan out. I’m just gonna enjoy watching everything shake out! Finally, I’ll leave you with my promotion and relegation picks…

RELEGATION – Portsmouth, Burnley, Wigan Athletic
PROMOTION – Newcastle, West Brom, Nottingham Forest

By RJ Sepich, Villa4Life11

Wigan have moved to boost their battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League by snapping up Victor Moses on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

The Latics are struggling in 14th place in the Premier League. They are just two points ahead of the bottom three and succumbed to a home defeat to Everton at the weekend.

Wigan’s Premier League odds suggest they are in something of a relegation scrap.

However, boss Roberto Martinez has bolstered his attacking options at the DW Stadium by signing the England Under-19 forward Moses from Crystal Palace.

The Eagles were forced to sell their prize asset after falling into administration and the striker said he was “sad” to leave the club he made his debut for aged 16.

Martinez is happy to have beaten off other clubs to sign the promising player and declared Moses as a “special talent” who can now “grow in the Premier League” and hopefully help Wigan pull away from the relegation dogfight.

The Spaniard said: “Victor is a real player in the making, and he now needs to show the right character and dedication to match his undoubted talent and I think he can make a terrific impact at Wigan Athletic over the coming months and years.”

Wigan fans were also boosted last week with the news that Maynor Figueroa had signed an extended contract at the DW Stadium despite being linked with a move to Premier League rivals Sunderland during the transfer window.

The football odds suggest Sunderland could also struggle to remain in the top flight this season, and a 0-0 draw against Stoke last night did the side no favours.

Tottenham fans should be delighted with the news that Harry Redknapp has managed to secure the services of Eidur Gudjohnsen for the rest of the season. The 31-year-old will arrive at White Hart Lane on loan from Monaco, with Redknapp fighting off intense competition from West Ham.

Tottenham’s hopes of doing a deal for the striker were dealt a blow earlier in the week when reports emerged that Gudjohnsen was due at West Ham for a medical but it would seem that officials at the north London club convinced him to move to a club in a far better league position than the relegation-threatened Hammers. David Sullivan has revealed his disappointment at the deal falling through, stating that he believes firmly “in karma and what goes around, comes around”.

It seems likely that Harry Redknapp and the Spurs set-up won’t be too concerned by this threat from the new Hammers co-owner, since there is no doubt that Gudjohnsen is a player of real quality. He was an instrumental part of Chelsea’s Premier League title-winning team under Jose Mourinho after making a name for himself in England at Bolton and quickly became a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge. He has since had invaluable experience at Barcelona, where he made over 70 appearances, scoring a total of 10 goals.

Critics have questioned whether he will be able to fit back into the league with any level of success but the striker’s ball control, versatility across the football pitch, and creativity can only provide benefits to the club.

Online sports betting experts think Spurs could achieve a top four finish this season and Gudjohnsen could give the side a much needed boost.

Spurs will also have one eye on a trophy this season and the FA Cup match betting suggests they should win their fourth round replay with Leeds.

Stephen Gerrard reckons all Liverpool players need to accept responsibility for the club’s failures this season.

The Anfield captain has seen his side knocked out of the Champions League, while seven defeats already have ended the club’s Premier League title aspirations.

Liverpool currently sit in seventh in the table and manager Rafa Benitez is reported to be under pressure to guide the team into the top four so they qualify for the Champions League next season.

It is a far cry from the start of the season, when Liverpool were among the Premier League betting favourites.

Gerrard told Zoo magazine that Liverpool are sitting in this position because they have “not been good enough” and he called for all the players to take responsibility for that fact.

“All us Liverpool players have got to look at our league position, roll our sleeves up and get this football club back where it belongs, as far up the table as possible,” he said.

“There was a big belief we could go all the way. But now is not the time for hiding. We have to look at ourselves and put it right.”

Benitez was recently dealt a blow as it was revealed that defender Glen Johnson will miss at least a month due to injury.

The England right-back suffered a medial ligament tear in his right knee during Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa and should miss vital upcoming Premier League games. It remains to be seen if Liverpool can defy the football odds and drag themselves back into the top four.

Phil Brown has moved to aid Hull’s fight against relegation from the Premier League with the signing of a new international striker.

The club has confirmed on its official website that Amir Zaki has agreed to join on loan for the rest of the Premier League season.

Egyptian international Zaki arrives from Zamalek in his home country and returns to the Premier League after completing a similar loan deal with Wigan Athletic last season.

His time at the DW Stadium was hit and miss, he scored 11 goals but then incurred the wrath of his manager Steve Bruce as he was late returning from international duty on a number of occasions.

This led Bruce to brand Zaki the most “unprofessional” footballer he had ever worked with. However, the striker will be looking to impress at the KC Stadium and help Hull defy their Premier League relegation odds.

“We are pleased to confirm the loan signing of Amir Zaki from Zamalek FC. The player has signed a loan agreement until the end of the season to join Hull City AFC,” the club stated.

Hull managed a 0-0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend but still sit in the Premier League relegation places and face a daunting trip to Old Trafford in their next game where the football odds will be stacked against them.

This is the time of year when the title is won and lost. You have just come out of the busy Christmas/New Year period but the amount of games isn’t diminishing – there are FA Cup and European ties to contend with in addition to the Premiership games.

At this point in time Chelsea look like the time to beat. They didn’t have the best run in late December and early January but the thing is that they they didn’t drop as many points as they could have They are still top and have the springboard to go higher.

Manchester United haven’t had it any easier. They lost in the third round of the FA Cup under Sir Alex Ferguson for the first time and also dropped points. They are second and just ahead of Arsenal. Arsenal have made ground on Chelsea – following their loss to them, Arsenal fell to being eight points behind Chelsea but this is down to three.

There is a fierce battle for fourth spot with Manchester City, Tottenham and Aston Villa all contending for it. You could include Liverpool but they just aren’t playing good football. They are out of the Champions League but still in the Europa League but out of the FA Cup. Who knows what is happening at Anfield apart from the fact that things have to change.

Everton are in good form and have climbed from relegation danger to mid-table safety. They are slowly receiving all of their injured players back and should finish in the top half of the ladder after a disastrous start to the season.

Relegation wise, Portsmouth look absolute certainties to go down. Most soccer betting isn’t even accepting any more bets on this. That is if they aren’t kicked out for bankruptcy. The truth of the matter is they will be lucky if they can compete in the Championship. Bolton and Hull are also in high-danger. Hull only escaped relegation on the final day of the season last year and two years in a row could be too much.

You could also include Burnley, West Ham and Wolves in the mix. It is going to come down to the matches involving these six teams and who gets the points.

David Wiseman writes for this blog. He also writes about the Australian Open.

Who can forget that day in May 1989, when Arsenal won the league with the last kick of the season. Liverpool would go on to win the league the following year but it has the been the last time they have done so. They’ve won three FAC ups and the Champions League since then but it is the lack of a league title which really drives them on.

It is not going to happen this year with Liverpool struggling in 7th spot. Time has caught up to them. They could cover over the cracks while they were still going deep into the Champions League but now they are out of that it’s a different story. True they are still in the Europa League and knowing Rafa Benitez’s luck they will probably win that and in the process grant him a stay of execution. Soccer betting is taking bets as to when he will be sacked. Most people think it will be sooner rather than later.

Arsenal has won the league four times and the FA Cup four times since then. They also were  runners-up in the Champions League in 2006. They have gone close a number of times to winning trophies but for a club of their size, close is no consolation. They haven’t won anything since the 2005 FA Cup and in modern parlance that is an eternity.

Arsenal have a game in hand of Chelsea but are still 8 points behind them. The fact is that Tottenham, Aston Villa and Manchester City have put on a concerted push on the top four which is really making an impact.

Villa travel to Old Trafford on Saturday in what is a huge game. This is a repeat of the Macheda Game when Federico Macheda scored a stunning injury-time goal to hand United a thrilling 3-2 win over Villa. The motivation will be there for Villa to try and exact some sort of revenge.

Elsewhere Spur host Wolves and Man City travel to Bolton. Top of the table Everton host injury-ravaged Everton. If Everton were already stretch thinly enough they will have to make do with the absence of talisman and inspirational leader Tim Cahill. He is suspended for one match but John Heitinga returns after serving his one game suspension. The Toffees are clearly a better side than what the ladder suggests and should improve once some of the players return from the sick bay. This is balanced by the absence of Michael Essien but still Chelsea should be too strong.

David Wiseman writes for this blog. He also writes about tennis betting.