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Derby bonanza on Sunday

Author: Sir David Smith
Date: 29/11/2009
Football betting

Sunday is derby day in the Premier League, with three fixtures all throwing up a chance to secure local bragging rights.

First up is the meeting of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Birmingham City at Molineux, with the home side deep in trouble near the foot of the table.

Following promotion from the Championship last season, Wolves have struggled to adapt to their new surroundings and, with just two wins to their name from their opening 13 league games, they are set for a season-long struggle.

Molineux has hardly been a fortress, a meagre five points from a possible 18 have been picked up, with losses to West Ham United, rock-bottom Portsmouth and a classy Arsenal side leaving them in the precarious position they currently occupy.

Fellow Championship escapees Birmingham City have been buoyed by their 1-0 home success against Fulham and manager Alex McLeish will be positive going into this derby.

This win stretched the Blues' unbeaten run to four games and has included draws against Manchester City and Liverpool and another 1-0 win at St Andrew's against Sunderland.

The focus then switches to Goodison Park, where struggling Everton take on struggling Liverpool.

The Toffees suffered a stunning 3-2 defeat at Hull City in midweek, falling three goals behind within the opening half-hour at the KC Stadium.

A second-half improvement gave Moyes some hope, but he still said after the game: "The performance was shocking and we all take responsibility for it.

"I've seen a few poor performances since I've been here, but that will be up there with the worst of them."

Liverpool's week has been no better, as they crashed out of the Champions League despite a 1-0 win in Hungary over Debrecen, while Rafa Benitez's side are already a massive 13 points off the title pace in the league.

Benitez is left with only the Europa League and fourth place to play for, as he admitted: "The key now is to finish in the top four, to make sure we are in the Champions League group stages for next season.

"We must concentrate on the next game and that is the Premier League."

Sunday's programme ends with a London derby between league leaders and sportsbook favourites Chelsea and third-placed Arsenal.

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Carlo Ancelotti's Blues have won their last four league games without conceding a goal, while they clinched top spot in their Champions League group with a 1-0 win at FC Porto in midweek.

So all is rosy in the Stamford Bridge garden, with Ancelotti having become the man to finally forge Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka into a formidable attacking partnership.

The Gunners were unbeaten in 13 games before a limp display in a 1-0 reverse at Sunderland last weekend, a performance which drew uncharacteristic anger from manager Arsene Wenger.

However, his troops will need no firing up for this game, a fixture which they won last year by a 2-1 scoreline thanks to a Robin van Persie brace.

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