Super Cup and Week-end preview.

A couple of hours before the Super Cup between Chelsea and Athletico Madrid gets under way and I really fancy the Spaniards here. Gauging by their La Liga start, they look to be in great form. Much of their goal scoring  lays at the feet of their awesome striker Radamel Falcao, who has a knack of scoring on the big occasions and finals. At current odds, Athletico Madrid at +1.0 Handicap looks a steal as I see them either winning this or drawing in 90 minutes.

Some preview of some of the upcoming week-end games.

Tottenham v/s Norwich. The Canaries won this fixture last year but Spurs will be particularly keen to get their first win of the season here. Villa-Boas will be under big pressure should they fail to lose this. I fancy both teams to do worse than last year, and Tottenham should ride the home advantage here. They are a good draw-no-bet selection.

Man City v/s QPR. Straight win for the home side here although they are not in full flow yet, and did get a huge scare in this game last year.

Liverpool v/s Arsenal. Liverpool are riding the good and the bad and this shouldn't be surprising as new manager Rogers experiments with what his squad has to offer. Their 2 sub-par games against Hearts in Europe sandwiched a really good performance against Man City where they should have bagged 3 points. Arsenal need a goal and win quick to dispel any notion of post-RVP crisis. It might be adventurous to see Arsenal win this but it won't be surprising and I see great value in their odds as draw-no-bet.

Newcastle v/s Aston Villa. It will be rewarding to go against Villa this season and Newcastle will see them as easy fodder. Draw-no-bet should be safe with the hosts here.

Southampton v/s Man Utd. On paper, this should be a straight win for the Red Devils. However, they will be without Rooney and with a suspect defence. Traditionally, they don't have a great record when visiting Southampton of old, but these are different times. Provided they are effective on goal, Alex Ferguson's men should come away with 3 important points.

Real Madrid v/s Granada. Buoyed by their Spanish Super Cup win and their need to catch up in the league, this should be the start of a winning sequence for the Los Blancos.


Win: Man City, Man Utd, Real Madrid.
Handicap: Athletico Madrid +1.
Draw-no-bet: Tottenham, Arsenal, Newcastle.