Blues can get jump on rivals

Chelsea poised to increase lead over Gunners in Premiership table to eight points when they take on Norwich Jose Mourinho says he prefers to be setting the pace in the title race, and his Chelsea team have the opportunity to put more pressure on the chasers tonight when they play host to Premiership strugglers Norwich. Chelsea are the first of the big three in action and that gives them the chance to stretch their lead to eight points over Arsenal and 12 points over Manchester United, before their two biggest rivals have kicked a ball. United host Crystal Palace in tonight's late live match, while Arsenal must wait until tomorrow night for their tricky trip to Portsmouth, again live on TV. Everton, of course, can no longer be ignored and they are sure to remain in second place for 24 hours at least, whatever happens in their game at Blackburn. With three of the top four involved in games against teams from the bottom five, there is sure to be plenty of interest in a favourites all-up. Chelsea and United should have no trouble obliging tonight, given their strong home records against lower-class opposition, and Everton could well add to the pre-Christmas celebrations with victory at Blackburn. David Moyes' team have played seven of the bottom eight so far and have a perfect haul of 21 points, with four of those wins coming on the road. Victory at Blackburn would complete the set and there seems little reason to oppose them, given Blackburn's dismal home record of just three wins from 19 games in all competitions during 2004. The handicap is the safer way to go for a single bet. There is a bigger question mark over Arsenal, though their recent return to form suggests they should be too strong for Portsmouth. Only three teams this season were in the sort of form that suggested they could hold Arsenal at home and the champions have beaten all bar that trio - Manchester United, Crystal Palace and Liverpool. Portsmouth are unbeaten in four since Harry Redknapp jumped ship down on the south coast, but that form is still not good enough to go against Arsenal. Nearly, but not quite. Portsmouth have a good home record, even against the best teams, but last season's 1-1 home result against Arsenal could be misleading as the visitors had already wrapped up the championship and the only prize left to play for was the honour of going through the season undefeated. When they were in their pomp in mid-season, Arsenal were unstoppable and won 5-1 at Portsmouth in the FA Cup. It is questionable whether Arsenal are in quite that sort of form now, but the ratings still make them the most likely winners. Either they would have to show worse form than usual, or Portsmouth would have to improve, even for the match to end all-square. Even so, the Chelsea-Manchester United-Arsenal all-up works out at only around 2.2, which is no value at all considering that all three have won on the same weekend only four times out of a possible 13 this season. For a single bet on the Premiership, look no further than Tottenham at home to Southampton. Jermain Defoe is back after suspension for Spurs, who are unbeaten in their last four under new coach Martin Jol, including a home 1-1 in the Carling Cup against Liverpool. They were helped to victory in their last home league match when Middlesbrough were reduced to 10 men, but even a full complement of Southampton players should not worry them too much. Harry Redknapp is regarded as a miracle worker after doing such a good job at Portsmouth, but he is unlikely to turn around Southampton's dismal away form. His teams tend to perform much better at home than away - look at his record with Portsmouth, and West Ham before that - and Southampton already fit that mould perfectly. They pick up the odd good result on the road, such as this season's 2-2 at Arsenal, but mostly they take advantage of struggling teams. Last season they gained away points against all of the bottom seven, but picked up something on only two of their other 12 trips - a typical return for them in recent seasons. Spurs are better than a bottom-seven side this season, while Southampton's form has taken a step back, so a home win looks on the cards. The only plus point for Southampton is the likely return of James Beattie, whose power up front makes him a key player, but even that is unlikely to be enough. Liverpool are the other appealing home bet in tomorrow's early live match against Newcastle. The hosts were criticised after the midweek 1-1 at home to Portsmouth, which came hot on the heels of their derby defeat at Everton, but a sense of perspective is necessary. Liverpool have a poor record on the road but have improved considerably at home this season, with nine wins out of 13 in games against Premiership or European opposition, and that entitles them to considerable respect for tomorrow night's match. Liverpool would be considerably shorter odds against an ordinary mid-table side, but Newcastle's big name cannot disguise the fact that they are an ordinary mid-table side at the moment. The Magpies have failed to beat a top-half team in eight attempts, home or away, and their win rate on the road has been poor for the past 21/2 seasons. Even in their normal top-five form, they tend to fall short against other members of the English elite and they have won only once at Anfield in 11 Premiership visits. Liverpool would be fancied against a normal Newcastle side but look an even better bet against this season's under-performing model. Germany's Bundesliga has started its six-week winter break, and the rest of continental Europe is also getting ready for a Christmas rest, but first there are some important scores to be settled. The league leaders host the reigning champions in the live clashes from Spain and Italy tonight - Barcelona v Valencia and Juventus v AC Milan - and both games could have a huge influence on the outcome of the championships. Those games are previewed inside, but the bet choices are Juventus on the handicap in the big Italian showdown and high goals between Barcelona and Valencia. Sevilla v Betis is tomorrow night's big live match from Spain. A home win could be fancied in a normal game, but this is no normal game. It might not get the media coverage that Barcelona v Real Madrid attracts, but the Seville derby is one of the most intense rivalries in European football and is always worth watching. One of the chief points of interest this time will be Joaquin, Betis's star winger, who is a reported January target for Chelsea. For astute punters, it has also been a profitable fixture in recent years. In common with many derby matches, it has produced plenty of draws (five out of six since both teams rejoined the Primera Liga) and a high proportion of low-scoring games (five out of six again). The longer-term stats point the same way. Whatever the result tomorrow night, it is a trend that will continue to pay dividends. The other team that catches the eye in Italy is Lecce, who host Sampdoria tomorrow night. Lecce have become a genuine top-six side, are second only to Inter in goals scored this season and have suffered only four defeats in 15 games. Their only dropped points at home have come against sides above them in the table, and they must rate a sound handicap bet at least. Best homes: Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, Lecce. Best aways: Everton, Espanyol (v Numancia). High goals: Barcelona v Valencia, Liverpool v Newcastle. Low goals: Sevilla v Betis, Charlton v Fulham. THOUSAND-DOLLAR WAGER Each week our expert tipster Nick Pulford suggests his pick of the fixtures to offer the best return-to-risk ratio for a $1,000 bet. This week: $200 win Tottenham. $200 handicap Everton, Juventus, Lecce. $200 low goals Sevilla v Betis.