Ed Chamberlin: Reds eye revenge

[sake]

Ed Chamberlin looks ahead to the return of the Premier League this weekend, including Crystal Palace v Liverpool.


Another brilliant weekend of sport to look forward to with the return of the Premier League, Formula One's finale plus more autumn internationals with England facing a must-win game against Samoa on Saturday.

What a shame Stuart Lancaster's side don't get the chance to right the wrongs and prove a point to their critics with another crack at either the All Blacks or South Africa in a three-match series.

The game at Twickenham kicks off at 7pm on Sky Sports 2. Before that, Arsenal against Manchester United is some way to get things going on Saturday Night Football.

Ed Chamberlin "We'll be at Selhurst Park for Super Sunday, which is a ground I love going to as win, lose or draw, the noise from the home fans is relentless. The place was rocking the last time these two met."
Ed Chamberlin

Both have big questions to answer and it's a brave punter that goes wading in on either Arsenal at 23/20 or Man Utd at 11/5. The safest option of late has been to simply back Alexis Sanchez to score! He's 5/4 to find the net again on Saturday evening.

With the way they are both playing, and defending, it's hard to see this game being anything other than a thriller and it will be fascinating to see who comes out on top as both their seasons teeter on the brink right now.
All of Sky Bet's latest Premier League odds!

We'll be at Selhurst Park for Super Sunday, which is a ground I love going to as win, lose or draw, the noise from the home fans is relentless. The place was rocking the last time these two met. Monday Night Football on May 5 2014 and that famous Martin Tyler line "Liverpool have caved in" as they squandered a three-goal lead in the final 11 minutes to see their Premier League title hopes suffer a fatal blow. Liverpool will be out for revenge.

Part two of Super Sunday sees Tottenham go to Hull, desperately in need of a win after only two wins from their last nine games (D2, L5). Hull have problems of their own, hovering just 2pts above the relegation places having lost their last two games without scoring and without a win in their last four.

Monday Night Football chance to see Ronald Koeman's Southampton first hand away at Aston Villa. I was with Koeman at the National Football Museum in Manchester on Thursday night and his feet remain firmly on the ground.

However, 25 points from their opening 11 games is Southampton’s best start to a top division season in their history. Just 32 teams have started this well in previous Premier League seasons and only five have failed to go on to finish in the top four. Southampton are down to 2/1 with Sky Bet to achieve a top-four finish, having begun this season as 100/1 outsiders to finish in the Champions League places. I wonder if Jamie Carragher may change his mind...

Barclays Prem

1 Chelsea 29
2 So'ton 25
3 Man City 21
4 West Ham 18
5 Swansea 18
6 Arsenal 17
7 Man Utd 16
8 Newcastle 16
9 Stoke 15
10 Everton 14
11 Liverpool 14
12 Tottenham 14
13 W Brom 13
14 S'land 12
15 Hull City 11
16 A Villa 11
17 C Palace 9
18 Leicester 9
19 QPR 8
20 Burnley 7

last updated 17/11 09:53

This is such an important game for the Saints as they try to keep their momentum going in to the crucial ten days with matches against Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United.

Monday night sees the worst attack and best defence in all four English League divisions taking each other on. Aston Villa have scored only five goals, Southampton have only conceded five. It's Villains against Saints.
Horse racing

This weekend is all about quality rather than quantity in the Champion Hurdle trials. A chance to enjoy watching The New One and Faugheen strut their stuff at Haydock and Ascot. The betting opportunities lie elsewhere.

The Betfair Chase looks very difficult to call. I sense a changing of the guard in the chasing division. A new wave of staying chasers - the likes of Holywell, Boston Bob, Shutthefrontdoor and Champagne Fever - look primed to take over at the top. However, Saturday looks a great opportunity for Dynaste, Silviniaco Conti and Cue Card to land another prestigious contest. I have no idea which one it will be.

Last weekend's three terrific days at Cheltenham were a lesson in how to stage a big sporting event on a building site. The place may be rapidly changing and the new stand mid-way to completion yet on last weekend's evidence suggests the Festival in March will be largely unaffected.

Philip Hobbs and Richard Johnson dominated the meeting and rightly hogged the headlines but it was two beaten Nicky Henderson horses who are my stars to follow. His charges all seemed to run well but plenty looked as though they just weren't finishing their races and will be well worth following next time.

I wrote four weeks ago: "you will hear a lot more about a horse called Hargam over the next few weeks". Hargam made his debut at Cheltenham on Saturday and ran a cracking race behind Golden Doyen. He shaped like the best horse in the race and will improve massively for the experience and on better ground. Skybet promoted Hargam to favouritism at 12/1 for the Triumph Hurdle.

Vaniteux ran a big race with a big weight in the Greatwood Hurdle. He travelled like a class act and could well develop in to a Champion Hurdle contender. The 2014 Skybet Supreme Novices' Hurdle looks more and more like a vintage renewal. The Greatwood winner, Garde La Victoire, was only 14th in March.

Vaniteux was third behind Vautour, who is clearly special, and Josses Hill who is getting rave reviews at home despite being a few weeks off a return to the track. Valseur Lido, Gilgamboa, Sergeant Reckless amongst others from the down the Supreme field could also be useful over fences.

Another horse to follow is Bitofapuzzle, who was our nap of the meeting in the column last week and bolted up at 4/1. She should be very good over hurdles and even better over fences. Her trainer, Harry Fry, continues to climb the ranks and the return of Vukovar is eagerly anticipated.
Bet on all the weekend's big horse racing meetings

The weekend was also a reminder of what a brutal sport National Hunt racing is and how it is full of great people. Andrew Brooks is one of those good guys and it was heartbreaking to see him, and the Venetia Williams team, lose Kapga de Cerisy in Saturday's big race. Brooks gives so much to the sport and I would love to see a different story being told back at Cheltenham in March.

Jonjo O'Neill oozes class. I will never forget hearing from AP McCoy about the time he was inconsolable in the weighing room after Clan Royal had been carried out by a loose horse at Bechers Brook when tanking along in the 2005 Grand National and Jonjo told him that it was just a horse race and far from devastating. Having cancer is devastating. On Saturday, following the agonising defeat with John's Spirit, Jonjo merely remarked "That's Cheltenham". Class.