This weekend the Premiership has a number of mouth-watering clashes, including the first Tyne-Wear derby of the season on Saturday, while on Sunday the top two clash when Liverpool make the trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea. There is a London derby at Upton Park on Sunday when West Ham face Arsenal, and on Saturday evening Blackburn take on Middlesbrough at Ewood Park. There is also some great weekend racing action, with the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster, and the Breeders Cup from Santa Anita in the US.

Weekend Football

Sunderland v Newcastle, Saturday, Sky Sports 1, 12:45pm

One of the most passionate and keenly fought derby's in the world of football takes place again on Saturday lunch time when Newcastle visit the Stadium of Light to face arch rivals Sunderland. Newcastle will be looking to continue their mini-revival under Joe Kinnear, as they have halted their recent slide with two consecutive draws. The 2-2 draw against Manchester City on Monday was nearly the win they have been searching for since August, with only a Stephen Ireland goal four minutes from time denying them victory. Sunderland have also had two draws in their last two games, although their start to the season has been more assured than their Northern neighbours. They can also feel aggrieved that they did not win their last game, as Keiran Richardson's free kick was ruled out. The decision seemed harsh, as the jostling in the wall seemed no different to that seen at any other set piece. Newcastle will be confident of taking something from this game, as they are unbeaten in Tyne-Wear derbies in many years, and won the final derby of last season at St. James Park Park 2-0. However, Sunderland will be looking to continue their good start to the season, and will want to take advantage of the upheaval at St. James to record their first home victory over their rivals since their switch to the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland are 6/5 with VCBet to claim early season bragging rights in the North East, while Newcastle United are 49/20 also with VCBet to continue their impressive record in this fixture.

If Kieran Richardson scores at anytime during Sunderland v Newcastle, BGbet will refund all losing first goalscorer stakes on the match.¹

Blackburn Rovers v Middlesbrough, Saturday, Setanta Sports 1, 5:30pm

Two sides who have had a mixed start to the season meet at Ewood Park when Blackburn take on Middlesbrough. Blackburn have been impressive in victories against Everton, Newcastle and Fulham, but in between have suffered heavy defeats to West Ham and Arsenal. Boss Paul Ince will want a bit more consistency from his side, and will be looking to striker Roque Santa Cruz to add to the two goals he has scored so far this year. The big Paraguayan was injured for last weekends 0-0 draw with Bolton, and was replaced by former Liverpool hit man Robbie Fowler. Fowler failed to make an impact though, and Rovers will be hoping Santa Cruz is fit for this weekend. Boro have also had an indifferent start to the season, and one that hit rock bottom last week against Chelsea. The 5-0 thrashing they endured at the Riverside would have shaken Gareth Southgate's young side, although their youth could be an advantage in shaking off that result. They will also be expecting more from their front man Afonso Alves, who has scored just one goal so far this year, and the onus will be on the creative players such as Stewart Downing to provide the service for the Brazilian.

Blackburn are Evens favourites with BGbet, while Middlesbrough are 5/2 outsiders with Centrebet.

If Stewart Downing scores at anytime during Blackburn v Middlesbrough, BGbet will refund all losing first goalscorer stakes on the match.¹

Chelsea v Liverpool, Sunday, Sky Sports 1, 1:30pm

The Premiership's top two meet on Sunday, with both eager to get a good result as Arsenal and Manchester United begin to hit top gear. Phil Scolari's influence on the Chelsea side was evident last week in their 5-0 stroll over Middlesbrough, and the contrast in style with former coach Jose Mourinho was striking. They had the game sewn up shortly after half time when Juliano Belletti's awesome 30 yard strike, added to Salomon Kalou's 14th minute goal, made it 2-0 to the Blues. However at that point, rather than sitting back as they often did under Mourinho, they continued to put pressure on Boro. Kalou added a third shortly after Belletti's strike, and two goals in four minutes from Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda sealed the win that took the Blues to the top of the league. Liverpool have been the specialists in sealing late victories this year, having sealed four of their eight Premiership victories in the last five minutes. Their last Premiership game against Wigan was typical of their league performances so far this season, as they twice came from behind to seal the win in the 85th minute when Dirk Kuyt struck the winner. They will be without star striker Fernando Torres this weekend, however, as he continues to recover from a knock picked up while on international duty with Spain.

Chelsea are 10/11 with BGbet to secure top spot with a win on Sunday, with Liverpool 4/1 at Ladbrokes to gain revenge for last seasons Champions League semi-final.

If Salomon Kalou scores at anytime during Chelsea v Liverpool, BGbet will refund all losing first goalscorer stakes on the match.¹

If Chelsea v Liverpool finishes 0-0 BGbet will refund all losing correct score bets on that game.¹

West Ham United v Arsenal, Sunday, Sky Sports 1, 4:00pm

Arsenal travel across London to face West Ham as they look to close the gap on the top two. Confidence will be high in the Gunners camp following Tuesday's 5-2 romp against Fenerbache in Istanbul. Cesc Fabregas was in outstanding form, as he laid on the first two goals for Emmanuel Adebayor and Theo Walcott, and there were further impressive attacking performances from some unlikely sources. Midfielder Abou Diaby had made it three before defender Alex Song thundered home a volley from another Fabregas free kick. Welsh youngster Aaron Ramsey then rounded off the rout in the last minute with a great strike from outside the box, as Arsenal put on another brilliant attacking performance. West Ham became the latest victims to Hull City's brilliant start to Premiership life when they were beaten 1-0 by the Tigers at the KC stadium on Sunday. That result came on the back of a 3-1 home defeat to Bolton, and these results have seen the pressure mount already on new boss Gianfranco Zola, whose Chelsea connections mean he hasn't received the warmest of welcomes from the Upton Park faithful. The off-field problems surrounding the clubs Icelandic owners have not helped the mood around Upton Park, although a victory over Arsenal would lift some of the gloom in East London.

West Ham are the 11/2 outsiders with VCBet, while William Hill make Arsenal favourites at 4/7.

If Samir Nasri scores at anytime during West Ham United v Arsenal, BGbet will refund all losing first goalscorer stakes on the match.¹

Place a correct score bet on any of the above matches this week, and if it gets beat by an injury time goal BGbet will refund all losing correct score stakes on that match.