David Beckham is now free and clear after the Galaxy won the MLS Cup and he will be heading overseas any day now along with his teammates, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane to name just a few players who will test their mettle in the English Premier League.

The Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United Magpies, Chelsea Blues, Liverpool Reds and the Arsenal Gunners are all within three points of each other just behind the leaders from Manchester. Tottenham is a team that can improve fast with an influx of available talent from the MLS.

The Newcastle United Magpies need to pick up the pace to move into the upper echelon of teams in the league. Newcastle United is tied with Tottenham with 25 points but they are in a precarious position just out of second place by four points and just out of sixth place by a mere three points.

Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal are in a three-way tie with 22 points each and all three teams have the stars to muster a drive to the head of the standings with a few short-time additions. MLS players will play through March when the MLS season begins.

Manchester United is a +140 favorite and Chelsea a +200 underdog in Soccer Betting Odds.

Chelsea has won their last five EPL matches to get back in contention. They have looked scary lately, with goalie Petr Cech regaining his edge. He has allowed just 28 goals in his 35 starts. Offensively, Chelsea has found rhythm as well. Florent Malouda, Didier Drogba, and Salomon Kalou have carried the offense. In addition, Fernando Torres has adjusted to the team. With the way they are playing in all phases, Chelsea looks unbeatable.

Manchester United has played consistently well all season. Edwin van der Sar has been solid in goal all season for the team, so goals will be at a premium. Dimitar Berbatov has been the big star, leading the team in goals. In addition, Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney have also made large contributions on offense. The team is among the most explosive in the soccer world.

This is a huge showdown, and it will say a lot about who wins the championship. Manchester United has the advantage, with the lead in the standings. However, Chelsea won the first match between the two in league play. Manchester United defeated them twice since then, winning both legs of their Champions League quarterfinal. This game is all about the EPL title, and both teams will be playing hard for it. According to online sports handicappers, Manchester United is a favorite to win this match.

In English Premier League Odds, Arsenal is a +150 favorite, Manchester United is at +188, and a Draw is +225.

By yielding just 28 goals in his 30 starts, Edwin van der Sar has been strong in goal for Manchester. A major reason why the team is threatening to claim another EPL title is because of Edwin. The club relies on Dimitar Berbatov on offence, who has a remarkable 21 goals. For the most prolific offense in the league, Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez are also double digit scorers.

The goaltending has not been a strong for Arsenal. By allowing a total of 36 goals, four different goalies have started EPL games for them this season. Robin Van Persie has emerged as the top goal scorer on offence and he has 15 to lead the club. Theo Walcott and Samir Nasri are also potent scorers. Although Arsenal can score goals the offense isn’t as strong as that of Manchester United.

In their last three EPL matches Arsenal is winless. They also lost their EPL match to Manchester this season as they have a recent loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup. Arsenal will be hungry playing at home and a win would ease the pain of their recent slide. To take the win here, expect whichever side scores first.

Manchester United is a -138 moneyline favorite in Soccer Betting, while Newcastle is at +375.

Manchester got a strong performance from Edwin van der Sar in goal against Chelsea in a Champions League game. He has missed the last few starts in EPL action, but it shouldn’t matter. Van der Sar and Tomasz Kuszczak are both capable goalies. Offensively, Manchester can score without problem. Dimitar Berbatov has an amazing 21 goals this season. Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez, and Nani can also score. Manchester has 70 goals through 32 games so far this season.

For Newcastle, the offense will have to come through. Tim Krul and Steve Harper have both struggled in goal. As a team, Newcastle has allowed 47 goals. The offense is capable, but not as dynamic as that of Manchester. Kevin Nolan and Andrew Carroll lead the team in goals, and both are elite players. The rest of the roster is going to have to step up if they want to win this game.

Manchester defeated Newcastle in the first EPL game this season. They won that game 3-0 and have looked great ever since. They are the superior team, but Newcastle is capable of scoring. They have beaten Arsenal this season and forced a draw with Chelsea. They shouldn’t be overlooked.

Soccer Betting Odds are available at online sportsbooks.

Edwin van der Sar has been strong in goal for Manchester. He has allowed 23 goals in 24 starts for the team. His stellar play keeps the team in every game they play. Offensively, Manchester has relied on Dimitar Berbatov. He has scored a remarkable 19 goals so far this season. Nani also provides a big offensive boost with over a hundred shots on goal.

For Chelsea, Peter Cech has been reliable goal. He has made every start for the team, yielding only 22 goals on the season. Offensively, Chelsea has a lot of big names. Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda lead the team with nine goals each. They also have Fernando Torres, who has appeared in two games since coming over from Liverpool.

These are two teams that are used to winning championships. Despite their struggles, Chelsea can never be counted out. This is the first meeting of the season between the rivals. Chelsea won both meetings last year. Of course, this is a different Manchester team. They have looked like one of the most dominant teams in the world for a while now. This should be a game that lives up to the hype.

Check out online sportsbooks for Soccer odds closer to game time.

For Arsenal, Wojciech Szczesny figures to be in goal again. He has been the regular starter for about a month. He has played well since taking over, playing just one poor game. Offensively, Arsenal has been a force. They have 56 goals on the EPL season, giving them one of the strongest offenses around. Samir Nasri and Robin Van Persie have been the strongest performers.

For Stoke City, Asmire Begovic has been the starting goalie since October. He has been solid, allowing 19 goals in 17 matches. His strength will be needed because Stoke City isn’t as dominant offensively as Arsenal. Robert Huth is the only player with more than 5 goals on the roster. Kenwyne Jones leads the team with 62 shots on goal.

Stoke City has been up and down for most of the season. They have lost three of their last four matches, being shut out in each game. The struggles on offense have been obvious. That will need to change if they have any hopes of beating Arsenal. Arsenal can score, so it is up to Stoke City to respond. This is the first meeting between the two teams this season. Arsenal swept both matches last season.

Soccer Betting Odds will be available closer to match time.

Ben Foster is the goalie for Birmingham. He has allowed 33 goals in his 23 starts. While that’s not great, Foster has hardly been the problem. Offensively, Birmingham has struggled. Craig Gardner leads the team with just five goals. As a team, Birmingham has scored an EPL low 24 goals. That could be a serious problem in this match.

Newcastle has been solid since switching to Steve Harper in goal. He has allowed 13 goals in 11 games. That is a marked improvement over Tim Krul. Offensively, Newcastle is led by Kevin Nolan and Andrew Carroll. They each have at least ten goals on the season. The scoring threats on Newcastle give them a major offensive edge.

Newcastle is the better team on paper. They now have better goaltending and more offense. However, they can’t overlook Birmingham. Birmingham has played well in some big games. They have managed draws against Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester City. They also have a win against Chelsea. If Birmingham can play like they did in those games against Newcastle, they will have a shot to get the win. Playing at home should also work to their advantage.

Goalie Peter Cech has had a spectacular season in goal for Chelsea. In seventeen starts he has yielded a mere twelve goals. With Cech in goal Chelsea will be in every game. Offensively Chelsea has scored 31 goals. That is the second highest total after Manchester. Didier Drogba and Florent Malouda lead the Chelsea offense with a combined fifteen goals. Drogba also leads the club in shots on goal and is the leader on the Chelsea attack.

Edwin van der Sar has given up sixteen goals for the Manchester United on the season. He isn’t quite as solid as Cech but he has been strong all season. Offensively Manchester leads the EPL with 36 goals. Dimitar Berbatov leads the clubs with eleven goals. Nine players on the team are in the double digits when it comes to shots on goal.

Manchester United has yet to lose a game this season. Chelsea got off to a hot start but has cooled lately. They have two losses and three draws in their last five EPL games. That is not the usual standard for this team. Chelsea swept both meetings last season on their way to edging Manchester by one point for the title. This contest should go to the team who manages to gain any offensive advantage. With the strong goalies on both sides one goal might be enough to secure a victory.

Arsenal has played well lately. They are on a two game winning streak heading in to this game. Goalie Lukasz Fabianski has been strong since taking over goaltending duties. He has given up eleven goals in ten starts. The potent Arsenal offense is led by Samir Nasri with eight goals. Arsenal has five players with at least twenty shots on goal.

Manchester relies on the strong work of goalie Edwin van der Sar. He has given up sixteen goals in his fifteen starts. Offensively the squad has more goals than any other team in the EPL. Dimitar Berbatov has a remarkable eleven goals on the season. Nani leads the team with 61 shots on goal. Their last match against Blackpool was postponed but this is still a hot team.

This is a big rivalry in the EPL. These two teams can score with the best of them. They also feature strong goaltending. Getting an edge will be tough for either team and one goal might be enough. This is the first meeting between these two teams in league play this year. Manchester swept both meetings last year. They scored five goals between the games. Arsenal is much better this year. It will be tough playing on the road but they are fully capable of pulling out a win.

Manchester has been on a hot streak. They have not lost a match yet this season. A recent 7-1 victory over Blackburn propelled Manchester in to first place in the EPL standings.

Meanwhile, the first season for Blackpool has seen some struggles along with some bright spots. Blackpool has a win and two draws in their past three games. An early season win over Liverpool is the highlight of their season so far. A home win against the United would change that.

For Blackpool, Richard Kingston made the last start in goal. It was his third start. Matthew Gilks has the other twelve starts but struggled in many games. Kingston has allowed six goals in his three starts. Offensively, Luke Varney and Marlon Harewood lead the club with five goals apiece. Blackpool has been capable of scoring in spurts while other times the offense has been shut down.

The United have had no such issues. Edwin van der Sar has made all fifteen starts in goal and has been strong. He has allowed just sixteen goals on the season. Offensively, Dimitar Berbatov leads the club with eleven goals. The rest of the team can attack as well as anyone else in the league. Nani has 61 shots on goal to lead the team.

Manchester United has been on a roll. Recent struggles by Chelsea have opened the window for Manchester to take the EPL crown. Blackpool is in their first year in the league but has shown signs they are here to stay. If they want to keep up with Manchester they will need their offense to shine.