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Everton to test out City

Author: Sir David Smith
Date: 16/01/2010
Football betting

Everton's recent revival faces a tough test on Saturday evening when fourth-placed Manchester City make the short trip to Goodison Park.

Since Roberto Mancini replaced Mark Hughes in the Eastlands hot-seat, City have won four successive games, although victories against Stoke City, Wolves, Middlesbrough and Blackburn have not come as too much of a surprise.

However, Monday's 4-1 victory against Rovers did lift City back into the top four with the in-form Carlos Tevez grabbing a hat-trick to bring his goal tally in his last seven Premier League games to ten.

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Everton's season has also been blighted by a lengthy injury list but their squad is slowly starting to look stronger and they could take lots of positives from last weekend's 2-2 draw at Arsenal.

Elsewhere, Molineux hosts a relegation six-pointer when Roberto Martinez brings his poor travelling Wigan Athletic team to Wolverhampton.

Mick McCarthy's side have shown better form than the Latics in recent weeks, moving clear of the bottom three while Martinez's outfit have been going in the opposite direction.

Both teams have 19 points and are one point clear of the drop-zone so a victory this weekend for either team is absolutely crucial.

Chelsea, online betting favourites to finish top this term, have the chance to take a stranglehold on the title race when a Sunderland side that has struggled away from home this season visits Stamford Bridge.

Manchester United have the perfect opportunity to return to winning ways when Burnley, now managed by Brian Laws, visit Old Trafford.

United have tasted victory in only three of their last six league matches and missed the chance to return to the summit of the table last weekend when they could only draw 1-1 at Birmingham City.

Tottenham should beat Phil Brown's struggling Hull City side at White Hart Lane. They have not conceded a goal in five matches in all competitions and have scored 26 times in their ten league games at White Hart Lane.

They have won seven of those ten matches while Hull have failed to win on the road this term, securing only three points in their ten encounters away from the KC Stadium.

It is likely to be a much closer affair at the Britannia Stadium when Stoke City, back in the top half of the table after beating Fulham, entertain a Liverpool side that is only three places above them in the table.

Finally, rock-bottom Portsmouth face the Premier League's current form team when Birmingham City travel to the south coast.

Alex McLeish's side's midweek FA Cup third round replay victory against Nottingham Forest extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 14 matches.

During that sequence they have only scored 16 goals but have been extremely sound defensively, conceding just eight times and keeping eight clean sheets.

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