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Bet on the Tyne-Wear derby between English Premier League neighbours Sunderland and Newcastle at the Stadium of Light blowing up big time and experienced referee Martin Atkinson having to show more than five cards of any colour.

It is possible to bet on a total cards line of five and a half cards at odds of around 5-6 and that looks like the best play in one of English football`s grudge matches.

The last Tyne-Wear derby saw Black Cats boss Martin O`Neill and Magpies manager Alan Pardew at each other`s throats on the touchline and Mike Dean brandish a total of 10 cards, including a red for Sunderland skipper Lee Cattermole following the final whistle. It was an ugly affair.

Three of the last four Tyne-Wear derbies have featured at least one red card, with the card totals being 10 (twice), seven and two for an average of 7.25. There is no love lost between the teams. It is one of those fixtures in which everyone leaves their brains at the door and it is not going to calm down anytime soon with O`Neill coaching the Black Cats from his technical area in his own inimitable style.

No referee sent off more players in English Premier League games last term than Atkinson, who showed 11 red cards and 146 yellow cards in 40 matches. The Leeds-based official is yet to dismiss someone in a top-flight game this season but he has handed out 30 yellow cards in his eight matches.

While there is a good chance of fireworks in terms of cards, the probability of fireworks in terms of goals is a fair bit lower. Sunderland has conceded only seven times in its six English Premier League games this term and scored only five goals of its own, all netted by Stephen Fletcher. So stop the former Wolverhampton striker and the Black Cats have got problems. Newcastle has bagged eight goals and leaked 11 goals in its seven top-flight matches so the statistics point towards a low-scoring scrap in the north east.

Six of the last Tyne-Wear derbies have produced fewer than three goals, including each of the last three arguments, so backing the under 2.5 goals option at around 4-5 holds a fair degree of appeal given everything noted above.

Queens Park Rangers entertains Everton at Loftus Road in Sunday`s other English Premier League game. The Super Hoops are as big as 5-2 to beat the Toffees and, at that price, they are going to attract support and deservedly so.

Mark Hughes is under pressure but he is right to think that his side is in a false position at the foot of the English Premier League ladder. The Super Hoops have not been playing all that poorly on the whole. It is just that they have been committing too many stupid individual errors. They have too many talented players not to start winning soon. And they are not going to be 5-2 to beat teams such as Everton at home once they do turn the corner. They are the value.

The Toffees do not win sufficient English Premier League matches away from Goodison Park - four of their last 15, with the vanquished hosts being Swansea (twice), Aston Villa and West Bromwich - to be around 5-4 to win at Loftus Road.

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24/10/2012     © Frixo 2024