Saturday 28th Premiership preview!

These are heady times for Spurs and they are going to get headier still if they can beat Chelsea in the lunchtime kick-off tomorrow and take over from Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.

Things are so tight at the top that they might not be there for long – only for a few hours if Arsenal win their tea-time game at Swansea – but however it pans out this weekend, Spurs fans still have much to crow about if they can get one over on their London neighbours.

Coral make Spurs 6/4 (19/10 Chelsea, 21/10 the draw) and that looks a decent call, given that the home side have won eight of their nine competitive matches this season, scoring 20 goals and conceding only one. Even with a few changes in personnel, they still proved far too strong for Aston Villa in midweek and come into this big fixture full of confidence, unlike their opponents, still finding their way since Jose Mourinho’s return and yet to find the net away from Stamford Bridge in two League games.

Villa made plenty of changes of their own in the Capital One Cup tie, but even so a 4-0 home defeat was demoralising and you fear for them against Manchester City.

City crushed Wigan 5-0 after hammering United 4-1 last Sunday and shouldn’t have too much trouble disposing of a Villa side still awaiting their first point on home soil. Coral go 8/15 an away win, but 27/20 City to be in front at half time and full time makes even more appeal.

Arsenal’s away form has been nothing short of sensational and Coral’s 5/4 they beat Swansea will be tempting for Gunners’ fans. But Michael Laudrup’s team are just hitting their stride now (their Capital One Cup blip at Birmingham apart) and this could be a fixture Arsene Wenger is happy to come away from with a draw (23/10). This game has all the makings of a thriller with a few goals in it. 2-2 (12/1) has a good ring to it.

Man United are now settling into a series of winnable games, starting with West Brom at home. It should be a routine win, say 2-0 (6/1) and if it isn’t, the pressure will be back on again at Old Trafford. That’s just the way it is.

Most are agreed that the Premiership is, at most, a six-horse race this time, but Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino is one man who might challenge that assumption. The upwardly mobile Saints will finish around eighth, judging by the odds list, but Pochettino has serious ambitions to get in amongst the big boys and certainly seems to be going the right way about it.

So far Southampton have done better away from St Mary’s than they have in front of their home crowd, but they should put that right tomorrow (Coral go 1/2) against relegation favourites Crystal Palace and edge further up the table.

Written by Jon Freeman