Dobber's EPL Predictions - Week 19

Week 18 proved to be a rough week of predictions for the Dobber, but I'm back at it again and determined to have my legacy be more than "when betting, look at Dobber's picks and do the exact opposite. You can't go wrong!" You may not know me very well, or at all in all honesty, but trust when I tell you that the Dobber is better than that. Without further ado, on to Dobber's predictions of the Trio's 5 selections from EPL action from the other half of the globe.


Arsenal 2 Bolton 1
Arsenal's defense suffered a setback this week as Arsene Wenger confirming once captain and locker room vocalist William Gallas will join Mickael Silvestre on the sidelines for three weeks. The good news for the Gunners is that Denilson and Kolo Toure will return to action as the Gunners host Bolton. They will need the reinforcements as Bolton is a side that typically causes problems for Arsenal. Why is that? Well according to Marc Illes of the Bolton Evening News, "the two teams are like chalk and cheese." What the hell does that mean? I have absolutely no idea. What I do know is that this match will be tighter for Arsenal than any Gunner fan can hope for. But I still see Arsenal coming out on top with a home goal somewhere in the 80th minute mark to break what will otherwise be an uninspiring performance by Wenger's squad.

Fulham 3 Blackburn 0
Only 8 points separate Fulham and Blackburn in the league table, but Fulham sits comfortably at no. 9, while Blackburn is desperately trying to avoid regelation, currently sitting at no. 19. If Blackburn is to indeed avoid regelation, they need to secure points on the road. The problem is, its just not going to happen at Craven Cottage. Fulham plays pretty well at home and will be sitting even prettier after scoring goals at will against the hapless Blackburn back line. In fact, Blackburn's defense is so poor, the only team which give up more goals...

Everton 2 Hull City 0
...is Hull City. Did he really just combine the analysis of two picks by an ellipsis? You bet your ass he did. That's how Dobber roles. And why is he still talking about it? Because reading a post about ellipsis is cause for more excitement than a matchup of Everton and Hull City. To Hull City's credit, they do tend to show up against the top sqauds. Unfortunately for Hull City, Everton doesn't fall into this category. (Note: from now on, the Dobber will pick a "toilet stinker match of the week" from one of the five matches The Trio choses to predict.) This match has stinker written all over it. Congratulations Everton v. Hull City, who've just been awarded the Dobber's inaugural "toilet stinker match of the week." Everton wins easier than what the score might suggest.

Portsmouth 2 Manchester City 2
Manchester City is desparetly trying to buy the big names in the January transfer window to translate into victories. Too bad none of their rumored targets have slipped on a City jersey and stepped onto the pitch. While Robinho has put together a nice first half of the season, the fact of the matter is Manchester City is just not that good. But hey, neither is Portsmouth. This match offers City with the opportunity to steal three points from an inferior opponent. Problem is, they'll figure out a way to screw it up. Possibly even by handing Portsmouth a point with an own goal. I can't be sure on how City will screw it up, but I can be certain that this match ends in a draw.

Manchester United 1 Chelsea 1
Fresh off of smashing his sports car into a tunnel guard rail, Cristiano Ronaldo and the boys at ManU look to make up ground in the league table by hosting Chelsea. This match is clearly the top bill of the week and with good reason. The two powerhouses will battle it out to stay within striking distance of Liverpool, who should take three points at Stoke City on Saturday, and should provide EPL fans with a treat of strong to quite strong footy. While ManU have the home pitch advantage in this one, something just tells me that Chelsea is going to snatch a late equaliser in this match and exit Old Trafford with a point to show, leaving ManU fans feeling like they were riding shotgun with Ronaldo.