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THE BEAN PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW 25-8-06
Christopher Bean
Hello one and all, and welcome to yet another edition of The Bean Preview, with me Chris Bean, still nursing a hangover from a brilliant performance from the Boro on Wednesday night.
Now I know I said we would get stuffed 4-0, but I also stated that last time I said Chelsea would hammer us, we comprehensively beat them. Lightning struck twice and I am happy with that.
It has been a good week for me in the prediction stakes. On Tuesday night I predicted both outcomes right, and I got a spot-on for the 1-1 draw between Watford and West Ham. On Wednesday evening I correctly predicted four results out of six with another spot-on thanks to Aston Villa coming back from behind to beat newly promoted Reading. Now on to this weekend's games.
Liverpool v West Ham
Liverpool successfully qualified for the group stages of the Champions League this week after an unconvincing draw with Maccabi Haifa. They will be staging their first home game of the season as they welcome West Ham to Anfield.
The Hammers have had a good start to the season. They are currently unbeaten after a victory over Charlton and a draw with Premiership newcomers Watford on Tuesday evening.
The Scousers have been notorious in recent seasons for having slow starts to the Premiership, and I think it will be no different this season as I do not believe they will attain all three points. It is bound to be an entertaining game and I am going for a 2-2 draw.
Prediction - 2-2
Best odds for a 2-2 draw - 20/1 with  Ladbrokes
Charlton v Bolton
Charlton goes into this match as one of three teams who have yet to register a point in the Premier League so far this season due to defeats to West Ham and Manchester United. Iain Dowie will be hoping to get his team off the mark as The Valley welcomes Lancashire club Bolton.
The Wanderers come to South East London with an unbeaten record after beating Spurs 2-0 on the opening day of the season and drawing with Fulham on Wednesday evening. Nicolas Anelka has arrived but it is not yet confirmed that he was signed up in time to play in this fixture.
This is going to be an old-school type of football match with hard challenges flying everywhere and should be a good battle for supremacy. But I think this match will end honours even at 1-1.
Prediction - 1-1
Best odds for a 1-1 draw - 11/2 with Ladbrokes
Fulham v Sheffield United
After a crushing defeat in the opening day of the season at the hands of Manchester United, Fulham responded in mid-week by drawing with Bolton thanks to a last minute Jimmy Bullard penalty. The Cottagers welcome The Blades to Craven Cottage this afternoon for the first time in five years.
After an impressive draw against title contenders Liverpool last Saturday, Neil Warnock's men crashed back down to Earth on Tuesday night as Spurs comfortably beat the Yorkshire side 2-0. United will be wanting to win this match so they can fully settle in the Premier League environment after missing out for twelve years.
This will be a tense affair as both teams could well be battling for survival come May and an early three points would do both teams a world of good. Having said that I think the Blades will claim their first win of the season with a 1-0 victory, as I feel the Fulham team have not quite gelled together yet this season.
Prediction - 1-0 to Sheffield United
Best odds for a 1-0 Sheffield United win - 10/1 with  Betfred
Tottenham v Everton
After a shocking display at the Reebok stadium last Saturday, Spurs got back into the groove on Tuesday night as they comfortably disembowelled Sheffield United at White Hart Lane for the full three points.
The Toffees travel to North London with an unbeaten record after beating Watford on the opening day and drawing with their North West rivals Blackburn on Wednesday evening.
This has the makings of a thrilling encounter as both teams like to keep the ball on the deck and play a free-flowing style of football. White Hart Lane has been a fortress in recent seasons for Spurs, and that will give the Spuds enough of an advantage to win the game 2-1.
Prediction - 2-1 to Tottenham
Best odds for a 2-1 Spurs win - 7/1 with Betfred
Watford v Manchester United
Watford gained their first point of the season this week after drawing with West Ham, but they have a tough task ahead of them this weekend as they face the only team with a 100% record after two matches, Manchester United.
The Red Devils are still without the suspended Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes, but may not be missed after their performance at Charlton a few evenings ago. Michael Carrick may make his full league debut after a cameo appearance late in the game at the Valley.
This will be a very tough test for the Glory Hornet Boys, but Aidy Boothroyd has got his team playing good physical football and could provide a tricky encounter for Sir Alex Ferguson's men. But Manchester United have been very strong in this past week and I can only see a victory for Team Glazer.
Prediction - 3-1 to Manchester United
Best odds for a 3-1 United win - 10/1 with Paddy Power
Manchester City v Arsenal
It will be an interesting atmosphere at the City of Manchester stadium at tea time on Saturday night, as the crowd could be booing one of their own. The man in question is Ben Thatcher who nearly obliterated Pedro Mendes' skull after a forearm smash that Mark 'Rollerball' Rocco would have been proud of.
Due to European commitments, Arsenal have only played one fixture so far in the league this season, which was a 1-1 draw with Villa last Saturday. Arsenal looked really comfortable in the Champions League qualifiers as they dispatched Dinamo Zagreb 5-1 on aggregate.
I think this will be a comfortable victory for the Gunners, as the blue side of Manchester have not performed well as of late. Also I think Arsenal need to accumulate as many points as they can away from home, as it will take a while for them to bed in to their new surroundings.
My prediction - 2-0 to Arsenal
Best odds for a 2-0 Arsenal win - 7/1 with Betfred
Aston Villa v Newcastle
It is a battle of the 'sleeping giants' as the Geordies travel to the Midlands to face Aston Villa. Despite the purse strings being very tight and triple knotted, Martin O'Neill has made an impressive start to his reign. A draw at the Emirates and a win in midweek sees The Villains in the top six in this early stage of the season.
Newcastle have only played the one match so far this season due to their European exploits. They grounded out a 0-0 draw against Latvian team Ventspils; which sounds like a STD. It results in the fact that Newcastle have no decent strikers at the present moment in time. Although the arrival of Inter Milan Striker Obafemi Martins will come as a welcome relief to the Toon nation, whether he is 21 or 29 years old.
With Martin O'Neill's traditional defensive tactics, and Newcastle's lack of potency up front there is not going to be a lot of goals in this game. I really do believe it will be a 1-1 draw.
Prediction - 1-1
Best odds for a 1-1 draw - 11/2 with BetDirect.
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