English Premier
2012-08-22 - Chelsea vs Reading
A Sports Betting Pick by Lamps
Football : England : Premier League
Wednesday 22nd August - Kickoff 7:45pm
Chelsea
Di Matteo's Chelsea opened their season with a 2-0 win at Wigan which is a very decent result given the form of the Latics at the back end of last season. Up next is a home game against newly promoted Reading and given the odds on offer there is only one winner.
Chelsea are priced around 1.30 and it's hard to tell if that's a good price or not. The Blues are usually very reliable at home especially to newly promoted sides or lower half of the table opposition so anything other than a Chelsea win would be a surprise.
On Sunday we saw the huge potential of Hazard, the Belgium created both goals and was a menace throughout the game. His turn before playing Ivanovic in for the first goal was exquisite and I expect more of the same on Wednesday.
Torres also looked relatively sharp and hopefully we see the best of him this year. So long as Mata, Oscar, Hazard etc provide him with chances it's hard to see how he won't score goals this year and against Reading he should get a few chances.
Reading
Premiership new boys Reading needed a late penalty to take a point at home to 10 men Stoke on Saturday. Le Fondre calmed stepped up from 12 yards to secure a point and it's decent start for Reading. Up next is a tough away game at Chelsea and any points here is a bonus in their quest for Premiership survival.
Brian McDermott has done a fantastic job at Reading and I feel has a side that can be like last year's Norwich. The Royals have plenty of attacking options with Le Fondre, Pogrebniak and Hunt decent when in front of goal whilst Kebe is a good provider from midfield. The side won't get much possession on Wednesday but I feel they could cause damage against Chelsea's defence.
Unfortunately I worry about the keeper Federici who despite being superb last year made a howler at the weekend. A very tame shot by Knightly was muffed into the net and as a result gave Stoke the lead at the Madejski Stadium. Whilst the manager has backed his keeper to bounce back, playing away to Chelsea where he should be under heavy pressure doesn't inspire me with confidence.
Betting Verdict
With Chelsea 1/3 on there is no point getting involved in the fixed market here. The Asian alternative isn't great either, Chelsea are given a -1.75 handicap and that's tough to get a full payout on. If Reading score all of a sudden Chelsea need 3 and 4 goals and that's not ideal.
I'm not a massive fan of these markets but I will go with Chelsea HT/FT in this one. The Blues should start fast and given it's their first home game of the season under the lights the atmosphere should be electirc. Newcastle visit the Bridge at the weekend and Di Matteo will surely want to rotate his squad ahead of that game.
With Ramires, Oscar, Cahill, Malouda and Sturridge pushing for starts, there is a real strength in depth at Chelsea. All of these players will be hungry looking to cement a first team place and are a level above what Reading have to offer.
SJ are giving a huge price compared to other bookies who are 20 clicks lower! I will jump on this now before the layers adjust and given the performances of both sides at the weekend I think Chelsea are good enough to get ahead at the break and see the game through.
Good Luck
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Chelsea 3-1 Reading
