Everton v Liverpool
Saturday 27th September - 12:45 BST

Having lived a ridiculously charmed life through the first four Premiership fixtures of the season, Liverpool were given a taste of their own medicine when Stoke parked the bus and ensured that they were going to leave Anfield with a point. Liverpool dominated from the outset and suffered frustration when Steven Gerrard's free kick effort was incorrectly ruled out by referee Andre Mariner for a phantom infringement. Perhaps that is a slice of karma.

Everton have had a very mixed start to the season I think it is fair to say. Having lost both are their previous home matches yet remained unbeaten away from home there is something a little bizarre going on in the early going of the season. I wouldn't read a massive amount into their first couple of matches at Goodison because come derby day when they have a full house screaming for them, those matches will count for very little.

Liverpool will be a constant threat in what will be a potentially blood and thunder contest with the attacking threat of Fernando Torres, and be sure that Gerrard will have one eye on a Merseyside derby goal.

Funnily enough though I see Everton as being an almost equal goalscoring threat when you consider the dangerous Yakubu causing hassle for the Liverpool defence. Tim Cahill and the returning Mikel Arteta are always huge goalscoring threats from the middle of the park for the Toffees.

One more potential problem that Liverpool could encounter I fear is that Everton may set up in a 4-5-1 formation which has been known in the past and served them well. It has very negative connotations and a packed midfield can really stifle the productivity of the creative forces of the Liverpool middle.

My gut feeling is that having looked at all of the possibilities, Everton will tough it out and avoid defeat. The 3.75 about Everton is tempting enough in the outright market but if you check out Everton +0.5 in the alternative asian handicap market offered by Bet365 you get are covering the draw.

RECOMMENDATION - 3 Points on Everton +0.5 Alternative asian handicap @ 1.8 (Bet365)
 
Charlton Athletic v Sheffield Wednesday
Saturday 27th September - 15:00 BST

Having had a really tough first seven fixtures of the season, Charlton have came out with a creditable ten points and are situated just outside the play offs. If key players are kept injury free for a large part of the season, they should make a genuine promotion challenge.
 
Sheffield Wednesday are a bit of an oddity really. Having just survived the drop last season on the last day they were labelled relegation candidates again and have made a pretty decent start on the whole having taken nine points, but their success has been at home. The Owls are unbeaten at home having won two and drawn two, but have not matched this away from home having taken just one point from three games.
 
It is very difficult to make a case for Wednesday really because they lost 6-0 on their previous away outing against Reading and their defence looked all at see. Charlton are likely to carve out numerous chances if they manage to get an enterprising brand of football going in the match and if this is the case, I would be very surprised if the Steel City side could hold them off.
 
For me all of the evidence points to a probably home victory. In terms of price, I would personally have seen Charlton being around the 1.8 to notch up a victory in South London. At 1.95, that is value enough for me to make a recommendation.
 
RECOMMENDATION - 3 Points on Charlton Athletic @ 1.95 (Extrabet )
 
Leicester City v Hartlepool United
Saturday 27th September - 15:00 BST

Leicester City were my antepost selection for as you will be able to see from my season preview, written before the start of the season and I have seen nothing to say that my opinion will change. Having lost just one game so far this season and being four points from the top of the table with a game in hand, the Foxes are looking every bit the Promotion contenders that they are touted to be.
 
The one surprise so far perhaps is that the man doing the scoring for the Foxes is ex-Walsall striker Matty Fryatt. Fryatt has netted six times in the league so far and has been a real threat to defences and is the perfect foil for target man Steve Howard. With a rock solid defence that has only conceded three league goals this season to date it is easy to see why they now such a short price for promotion.
 
Hartlepool are a team that I fancy will not have any relegation battle to fight because they will get cheap points at home against the weaker sides in the division, however it is tough to see them having the quality to trouble the top sides in the division at all, let alone away from home.
 
Although it perhaps is not the best way to compare the sides, they have already met this season in the Johnstone Paint Trophy and it was Hartlepool who were the home side on that occasion. Leicester ran out 3-0 winners in a competition that they were not meant to care about!
 
In front of a large partisan crowd, I think that Leicester will win this match comfortably. If they don't, the typically hard to please chairmen Milan Mandaric will not be pleased! Banker bet for me.
 
RECOMMENDATION - 5 Points on Leicester City @ 1.62 (Totesport, Bluesq, Skybet, Extrabet )