No Oliver twist for big clash
SUNDAY MIRROR STOKE CITY 1 CHELSEA 2
ALEX HANKIN BET that the fairplay flower will bravely poke it’s way up through the sod at the Etihad.
It’s been another bleak winter for fans of the Corinthian spirit, but Man City and Liverpool can play nice when the mood grabs.
And ref Michael Oliver is the man to nurture that vibe. Ignore the headline dramas, he’s broadly card-lite, and so is this fixture – the last 10 league meetings average just over 30 bookings points.
Take the Evens (Skybet) about ‘UNDER 45 bookings points’. You’d have won on 45 of Oliver’s last 79 games.
Lean cuisine on the menu at lunchtime. No Ibra for Man Utd. And no evidence at all for the hype that a banquet of Boro goals has been ignored all along by a boss addicted to bread and scrape. I’ll take a slice of the ‘United clean sheet’ at 11/10 (Hills).
Harry Kane’s last major injury spell saw some thinner times for Tottenham, but they still have the ingredients to frighten Southampton’s enigmatic backline.
Slim stakes for this murky one – ‘Spurs win to nil’ at 19/10 (Coral) is worth a nibble.
Last week: Winner at 6/5 1 .............. Shots on Target .......... 7 2 ............. Shots off Target .......... 5 2 ............... Blocked Shots ............ 8 5 ..................... Corners ..................11 16 ...................... Fouls.....................11 3 .................... Offsides .................. 2 4 ................ Yellow Cards ............. 2 1 .................... Red Cards ................ 0 66.3 ...... Passing Success ..... 84.1 21 .................... Tackles.................20 66.7......... Tackles Won % ........ 80 36.4 ........... Possession ......... 63.6 55.2.... Territorial Advantage 44.8 294............ Total Passes ......... 523 13 .............. Total Crosses .............11 38.1............ 1st Half Poss. ........ 61.9 34.8 ......... 2nd Half Poss. ...... 65.2