Premiership Accumulator

Saturday is a big day in the battle to stay in the Premiership with three tussles in which threatened sides go head-to-head. It’s a time of the season when home fans can really act as a ‘12th man’ and I think that this could be crucial in this particular set of matches.

First up we have Birmingham entertaining a Sunderland side who are in freefall. Even three weeks ago the notion of this being a ‘six-pointer’ would have been questioned given the Black Cats’ omnipresence in the top half of the table. However, a chronic loss of form has brought about a winless streak of eight games and a slide down to 13th in the table. Still six points above the dreaded dotted line, they should be ok, but a team suddenly thrust into an unexpected relegation battle can often struggle to cope. Birmingham were in similarly poor form until recently but a win over Bolton and a hard-fought draw at Ewood Park has steadied the ship and makes them deserving favourites here. A first of three home wins makes up an 11/1 tempter with VictorChandler.

Next up we have Blackpool v Wigan at Bloomfield Road, which has even more riding on it given that 17th entertain 20th in the league. Ian Holloway’s side are five games without a win but they have a resolute spirit that was evident from day one of the campaign when the Latics were demolished 0-4 on their own pitch by the Premiership newcomers. Blackpool went on to spring a number of shocks but now they have one of the few fixtures of the season their fans might actually expect them to win. Wigan are no pushovers but with only two wins on their travels all season, the likes of Charlie Adam and DJ Campbell may prosper.

Our final home pick sees West Ham host Aston Villa. Following the logic that a win is more likely at this stage for the team who need it most, we can back the Hammers. The Villans got their crucial home win against Newcastle last Sunday, but I’m not convinced they yet have the mental toughness to take three points from a London bear pit. They haven’t won away for three months while West Ham were starting to look strong in East London before their understandable setback against title chasing Man United. Before that, the previous two games at Upton park yielded convincing 3-0 and 3-1 triumphs over Stoke and Liverpool respectively. I’m tipping them to get back to winning ways here; back the set of home wins as an 11//1 shot with VictorChandler.