Back to basics

After backing Phoenix against the Lakers earlier in the (brief) NBA season, I was fooled again into thinking that Kobe wouldn’t show up to work with the right attitude. He did, and the Jazz felt it.

With that disappointment fresh in my mind, tonight is a night for going back to basics.Manchester City host Sunderland this evening, with the 6-0 drubbing by the newly rejunivated Chelsea galacticos still fresh in their minds.

Sven’s men want nothing more than to erase this blip in form from the minds of the football public, and what better way than to reassert their authority at home to a Sunderland team who have failed to win in 9 of their last 10 outings?

City will also be boosted by the return of Martin Petrov (the Fantasy Football enthusiast’s favourite pick), which should see them extend their home record to a perfect 7-0-0.

How to play tonight’s match? Try this bet:

Asian handicap, Manchester City -1.0 @ 2.22. This means…

If Man City win by 2 or more – £6.10
If Man City win by 1 – £0
If Man City do not win – -£5.00

Bouncebackability

Last night’s pick (and the first official pick of the 2007/08 season) turned bad when Phoenix conspired to be blown out by the Lakers’ bench. There were quite a few ‘odd’ results last night…so I’m not going to get too hung up on them. What’s more important is today’s Premiership action.One of the biggest, if not the biggest, Premiership fixture takes place today at 12.45GMT – Arsenal at home to Manchester United.

This game is cLose Weight Exercise/”>Lose Weight Exercise, and the form guide for both teams reads like a Tiger Woods scorecard – Arsenal have won 8 and drawn 2 in their last 10 games, and United have gone one better with 9 wins and one draw. It’s this parity which makes it very hard to pick a winner…however…

United have scored a club record 12 goals in the last 3 games, and just one of Arsenal’s last 10 games at home has ended with fewer than 2 goals being scored (their 1-0 win over Manchester City). It will be an upbeat match with everyone trying to make their mark, and +2.5 goals is tempting at 2.3…but instead go for +1.5 goals in the game multiplied with no sendings off in the Middlesborough and Wigan games to take you up to 1.95.

For another pic, look no further than the big disappointment of this season so far (except Spurs) – Liverpool. They seem to have been surrounded by crisis after crisis since opening day, however this hysteria hasn’t completely translated itself to their Premiership form, especially on their travels where they are yet to Lose Weight Exercise/”>Lose Weight Exercise this season (in fact they have only dropped 2 points from a possible 15). A nice price of 2.56 is available for Liverpool to extend their run of away form, and with Blackburn’s talismanic midfielder David Bentley out injured, they should be able to get back on the comeback trail this afternoon.

Picks

Multiplier – Arsenal v Manchester United +1.5goals, no red cards in Middleborough and Wigan matches @ 1.95

Blackburn v Liverpool Liverpool to win @ 2.56