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Man City closing in on fourth

Author: Sir David Smith
Date: 24/03/2010
Football betting

Manchester City have the chance to build on their impressive 2-1 victory at Europa League quarter-finalists Fulham when Everton make the short journey to Eastlands.

However, they will be aware that David Moyes' team have the upper hand over them in recent meetings, winning four of their last five matches against City while none of the 12 Premier League clashes between the sides in Manchester have ended in a draw.

However, City are unbeaten at home in the league for almost 12 months and are now the online betting favourites to clinch the coveted fourth place and Champions League football.

Who will claim the fourth and final Champions League spot? - Latest Football Betting

Everton's form has been superb since the turn of the year and they would be third in the table if the season had started on New Year's Day.

Most of the Toffees' recent points have come at Goodison Park though as they have won all seven of their league matches since Boxing Day while taking only one point from a possible nine since beating Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium in January.

However, as Liverpool continue to falter, Moyes' men have the incentive of possibly finishing above the Reds this season. A win on Wednesday would leave them only three points behind Rafa Benitez's team with seven matches of the season remaining.

Aston Villa aim to extend their unbeaten Premier League run to ten matches when they play a Sunderland side that have only won once on their travels so far this season.

Villa are the only team not to have lost a league game in 2010, but their push for a top-four place has stalled as they have drawn six of the games in their unbeaten sequence, including Saturday's 2-2 draw with Wolves when their own fans booed them off at half-time.

Despite the Black Cats' dreadful away form, they have picked up several good results recently, ending a 14-match winless streak by thrashing Bolton Wanderers 4-0 earlier this month and beating Birmingham City at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

In between these two games, they were only denied a 1-0 victory against Manchester City by Adam Johnson's stoppage-time equaliser.

Chelsea have the perfect opportunity to lift themselves out of their current malaise when they play rock-bottom Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Carlo Ancelotti's team still appeared to be suffering a hangover from their Champions League exit at the hands of Internazionale when they played out a 1-1 draw at Blackburn Rovers on Sunday.

That result left them third in the Premier League table and handed the initiative in the title race to Manchester United who had beaten Liverpool 2-1 earlier in the day.

Even victory for Chelsea on the south coast would leave them one point behind Sir Alex Ferguson's team with only seven matches of the campaign remaining and they still have to visit Old Trafford.

Finally, little more than pride will be at stake at Ewood Park when 12th-placed Blackburn Rovers face a Birmingham City team that are three places and nine points above them in the table with eight games of the season remaining.

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