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THE BEAN PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW 26-8-06
Christopher Bean
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.
Blackburn v Chelsea
After a great season last year which ended up with an automatic qualification spot for the UEFA Cup, Blackburn have struggled to get into gear this season. They have only accumulated one point after the draw against Everton in midweek. They were defeated last Saturday by Portsmouth in a controversial game. They have a very tough match on Sunday as they take on the champions Chelsea.
Jose Mourinho was furious on Wednesday night after they were sensationally beat 2-1 by Middlesbrough. It was the first time under the Portuguese managers' reign that his team took the lead and went on to lose the game. And according to fellow ComeOnBoro.com writer James Bassett, it officially makes Chelsea our bitch.
Chelsea will want to make amends for Wednesday night, so Blackburn could be in for a torrid time; however Blackburn will battle right to the end as they need some points to give their fans some hope. I think the champions will be too strong for Mark Hughes' team. 2-1 to the blues.
Prediction - Chelsea to win 2-1
Best odds for a 2-1 Chelsea win - 13/2 with William Hill
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