Wayne Rooney has been sleeping for much of the season but if he wakes up then Wigan are in big trouble this weekend
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Due to Arsenal's Carling Cup final commitments and the vagaries of the fixture list, Manchester United are the only one of the title contenders to be in action this weekend and that means they will be out to take full advantage by winning at Wigan Athletic to extend their lead to four points.
I was half thinking that Wigan, for all their inconsistency, could be a good bet this weekend to cause the big upset, for they are capable of playing some nice stuff when they are in the mood. But then I checked out the stats and I can't do it - United have won every single one of the 12 meetings between the two in the Premier League.
Last season, United won both encounters 5-0 and to state the proverbial obvious, they clearly like playing Wigan. Somewhere along the line, sooner rather than later, United are going to hammer someone and this could the weekend. They sit top of the league with Wayne Rooney having hardly scored all season so if he fires, then who knows what will happen.
United have a massive game against Chelsea to think about on Tuesday but that game won't mean as much to them if they don't win at Wigan. I expect them to ease away to the win, and at 10/1 to win 3-0 with bet365, that's the weekend punt.
Cambers' Calls
- Bet of the weekend: Stoke City to beat West Bromwich Albion - 10/11 bet365
- Weekend punt: Man Utd to beat Wigan 3-0 - 10/1 bet365
- Weekend treble: Aston Villa, Everton and Wolves to win - 9/2 bet365
Stoke City have a similarly strong record over their opponents this weekend - West Bromwich Albion - beating them at home in each of the past three years. With West Brom struggling just one place above the relegation zone, they are in real trouble this season and face a tough task if they are to get anything at Stoke.
Stoke have won seven of their home games while West Brom have won just twice away and while they could force a draw, the home side are tough to beat on their home patch and in fine form, so I fancy them to get another victory. At 10/11 with bet365 they are the bet of the weekend
For once there are a number of obvious looking candidates for the weekend treble but I am going for Aston Villa, Everton and Wolves. Villa should be able to get the win at 8/11 over Blackburn at Villa Park while Everton should be good enough to get past Sunderland at the same price, at Goodison. The tough one is Wolves, but at 5/6 to beat a Blackpool team who may experience a low after their win over Tottenham, they have to be worth taking, especially as the bottom team have to win their home games if they want to stay up.
Put the three together and you get a treble that would bring in a profit of more than four points so that's not too bad at all.
Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.
Simon Cambers is ESPN.co.uk's betting correspondent
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Simon Cambers
Simon Cambers is ESPN.co.uk's betting correspondant Simon Cambers is ESPN.co.uk's betting correspondant
