Premier League is back!

After the international break that saw England lose in the Ukraine, but victorious at home to Belarus, we return back to the Premier League, with the top four expected to win their respective games.

Leaders Chelsea have possibly the difficult game as they travel to Aston Villa, who currently occupy 7th place in the League, and will have Gabi Agbonlahor in their side following his outing in the England team last week. One stat of note to betting fans, is that Frank Lampard hasn't scored in the last six Premier league games, and nine matches in all competitions, so he is surely set for a goal.

Two points behind the leaders are Man Utd, and they have a home tie against Bolton, with the Old Trafford side expected to take points, although Bolton have proved a menace in United's back yard in the past. United could see the return of Edwin Van der Sar & Michael Owen, after the pair are now fit after recent injuries, although Wayne Rooney will miss out.

An interesting game will be at Fratton Park, where Harry Redknapp returns to Portsmouth, with his Tottenham side. Avram Grant has been brought in as Director of Football, and I think we all know what that means for manager Paul Hart very soon - the sack! It's also a return to Pompey for striker Peter Crouch, who notched two goals in the England win over Belarus, another ex-Pompey player Jermaine Defoe is still expected to miss out through injury.

Man City are away to Wigan on Sunday, in what could be a tricky game, but I would still expect Mark Hughes' men to have too much in the bank for Roberto Martinez's side.

Arsenal have the chance to net more points as they take on Birmingham at the Emirates, with the Blues of course now under new ownership after Carson Yeung purchased the club from David Sullivan. The Gunners meanwhile will be looking to extend their excellent run of late.

Liverpool make the trip up to the Stadium of Light, where they face a Sunderland side big on confidence, following their recent results that have pleased Steve Bruce. The scousers could even face an ex-red in the Black Cats line up, as Bobo Zenden signed for the rest of the season, but is currently awaiting international clearance before he gets to make his bow.

One of the big local matches at the weekend is Blackburn v Burnley, where the two lock horns in the Lancashire derby, the first for 30-odd years, and this Ewood Park battle is a sell out, and Owen Coyle will be hoping this is where his Burnley side grab their first away points of the season.

Everton face Wolves at Goodison Park, and they'll be hoping to get back to winning ways following their last outing at home where they missed the chance to make it six successive wins, against Stoke. Marouane Fellaini is expected to play for the Toffees, after FIFA turned down the Belgian FA's request to apply the "five day rule" that can be invoked after a player misses an international match through injury but then declares themselves fit for their next club match.

Stoke meanwhile, have a home tie against West Ham, and the Hammer currently occupy one of the relegation spots at present, so a win in the Potteries is vital for Gianfranco Zola's men. Stoke Manager Tony Pulis, will be hoping his side can bounce back after home defeats to Chelsea & Man Utd.

The final match of the weekend takes place at the Craven Cottage, where Fulham take on Phil Brown's Hull City in the Monday evening match. Jimmy Bullard could make his long awaited return at his former employers after a couple of successful outings in reserve games for the Tigers.

So, to the betting then:

The top 6 all look to have potential wins in their sights, and if the odds on them all winning are 14/1, could be worth a fiver that!

For the one spoiler amongst that lot, maybe Wigan are good value at 4/1 to beat Man City, with Birmingham an unlikely 14/1 to win at Arsenal. Portsmouth are worth a look as they are 7/2 to win at home to Tottenham.

Elsewhere, Wolves are 6/1 to win at Everton, whilst there are odds of 5/2 for Burnley to secure a draw in the Lancashire Derby.

Here's a threesome for you:

Everton
Stoke
Fulham

Combined odds of 5/1 for all three to win.

TV Games this weekend:
Saturday
12.45pm: Aston Villa v Chelsea (Sky Sports 1)
Sunday:
1.00pm: Blackburn v Burnley (Sky Sports 1)
4.00pm: Wigan v Man City (Sky Sports 1)
Monday:
8.00pm: Fulham v Hull (ESPN)


That's it for this weekend, enjoy the football!