Both Ali and Khan hit centuries in their side’s second innings to put them in a commanding position with a lead of 287 runs and will be confident of securing the win against an England side who have struggled throughout the three games in the Emirates and continued their poor form with the bat, scoring just 141 in their first innings.

However, they have started their reply solidly, ending the day on 36-0 and with captain Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook at the crease, will be looking to continue their starts and not collapse as they have done in previous innings (England 11/2 T20 World Cup outright).

The world’s number one side went into the Pakistan series looking for a comfortable victory before heading to Sri Lanka but have come unstuck and have struggled on the wickets in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This included only making 72 in their second innings in the second Test and many people have been calling for a shake-up in the batting line-up ahead of the 2013 Ashes (England 1/5 to retain the Ashes).

Off-spinner Graeme Swann has already said that the batsmen have a point to prove and, having only made more than 300 in one innings in the series, they will undoubtedly be looking for a big performance to help justify their place in the side.

However, Pakistan will be hopeful of bowling them out on the fourth day and the spin duo of Abdur Rehman and Saeed Ajmal will surely be looking to trouble Andy Flower’s men once again.

The two men have undoubtedly been the stars of the series so far and seem to have mastered the new Middle Eastern wickets. Both are relative newcomers to the Test scene, having only played 33 matches between them but look as if they could go on to forge a successful partnership for years to come and are sure to be a threat in the Twenty20 World Cup (Pakistan 8/1 outright) to be staged later in the year.

These two could make the difference for their side once again and will be looking to go out on a high. England’s confidence will be at rock bottom as well and, despite their determination to prove themselves, their lack of form cannot be ignored and it’s more than likely they’ll once again be caught out by the deceptive Dubai wicket.

Spurs still retain hopes of winning the Premier League title after bouncing back from the unlucky and controversial 3-2 defeat at Manchester City with a 3-1 home win over strugglers Wigan.

City of course had slipped up against Everton in midweek but pulled eight points clear of Spurs with the 3-0 win over Fulham on Saturday night.

Harry Redknapp knows that his side can ill-afford too many slip-ups but a draw may not be considered good enough when trying to claw back the deficit, even though Liverpool remain unbeaten at home.

A top-four finish was perhaps the expectation at the start of the season for the Lilywhites but, having performed so well in the league to date, barring the opening defeats against United and City, there is still enough time to land the ultimate prize in domestic football.

That used to be expected in Liverpool but their star has fallen somewhat and the Reds now face a battle to even qualify for the Champions League after making a slow start to a campaign, which began with hopes of a title tilt after a summer spending spree – added to the outlay made last January.

Inconsistency has been a problem for Dalglish’s men while a lack of goals has not helped the cause, and they could go into Monday’s fixture seven points behind fourth-placed Chelsea (depending on the Blues’ result against United on Sunday).

The Reds are unbeaten at home and consequently have been installed as 11/10 favourites in the match betting, with Spurs on offer at a tempting 13/5 and the draw at 12/5 in the match betting.

Liverpool’s unbeaten home record does mask the fact that they have been held seven times at Anfield with just four wins in the 11 matches played there, scoring just 14 goals in the process.

Spurs have scored 20 on their travels and lost just three games, none of which would necessarily be considered surprising – at United, City and Stoke – while they were the last team to win at Anfield, winning 2-0 in May last season.

The north Londoners’ record is hardly great though as that win was their only one in their last 17 visits to Anfield, but this a different Spurs team and there is plenty of value about them taking something from the game.

Tottenham of course put Liverpool’s early-season pretensions into perspective with a 4-0 drubbing at White Hart Lane, and have lost only one of the last five Premier League games againstthe Reds and are looking to complete the double over them for the second consecutive season.

A lot could depend on the team news as Spurs are sweating on Aaron Lennon, Jermain Defoe, Emmanuel Adebayor and Rafael van der Vaart, while William Gallas and Tom Huddlestone are definitely ruled out.

Louis Saha was a deadline-day capture from Everton and could make his debut, and he is an 8/1 shot in the First/Last Goalscorer betting and 5/2 to score Anytime.

However, much of the pre-match hype is bound to surround the return of Luis Suarez (5/1 First/Last, 11/8 Anytime Goalscorer) from his lengthy ban, although whether he is thrust straight back into the team is open to question.

The Uruguayan is regarded as a key player for Liverpool but goals have been a problem this season, even for him, as he has managed just five in the top-flight this term.

There are huge differences with regards to successful betting from sport to sport. All professional sports bettors fundamentally understand the sports that they bet on from a betting sense. It is a myth to assume or to think that you need to have almost encyclopaedic knowledge of a certain sport to be able to make money at it. Quite often some of the worst sports bettors are the types who know loads of facts and data.

There are certain sports where consistent results are very hard to achieve simply because there is far more variance in the game and skill does not dominate as often. Sports like Tennis for example exhibit this and the best performers like Nadal, Djokovic, Murray and Federer have a very high percentage of games won to games lost.

However lower down the pecking order then life isn’t so straight forward and many players lack the consistency to string results together. Golf is another sport where winning back to back tournaments is very tough. So you can often use this almost "see-saw" like effect to your advantage. Golfers only have four days and 72 holes to play well but whatever they do may not be enough as in golf then you simply cannot control what other players are doing and so much of what you do is geared around playing as well as you can but almost everything else that happens in the event is out of your control.

Over the next 24 hours or so then Tottenham have a chance to at least get a foot hold back into the title race again. With their manager Harry Redknapp still in court then things are not easy for them and they face a daunting trip to Anfield on Monday evening. Liverpool have had two very impressive results in the two cup competitions after their defeat away at Bolton.

Boss Kenny Dalglish asked for a response and he got it against City in the Carling Cup and against United in the FA Cup. But Liverpool themselves are still chasing fourth place and a Champions League spot and if Chelsea lose at home to United today and they beat Spurs on Monday evening then Liverpool will be within touching distance of that.

Newcastle United have done fantastic this season under Alan Pardew and they take on Aston Villa at St James Park today in a game that should they win it would take them to 5th spot and only goal difference seperating them from Chelsea should Chelsea lose against United. It is becoming a very exciting time in the Premier League with battles taking place for the title, Europe and relegation.

Chelsea

Torres’ troubles date back three and a half months, with his last Premier League strike coming against Swansea in September, and the Spaniard was subsequently sent off in that match (Torres 11/2 First Goalscorer).

That red card came at a bad time for the 27-year-old striker who had scored in Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford the previous weekend, although the overriding memory from that match will be his shocking open-goal miss after rounding stricken United keeper David de Gea (80/1 Torres and Chelsea win 3-1 in Scorecast).

He is another Spaniard under pressure after another meek display against Liverpool in the FA Cup last week, but Sir Alex Ferguson is expected to recall the ex-Atletico Madrid starlet because recent first-choice Anders Lindegaard is out.

Torres does possess a good record against United, having bagged four times in seven previous Premier League games against Sir Alex Ferguson’s men .

And United’s recent record at Stamford Bridge is poor, losing six and drawing only three of their last nine visits while only managing four goals in their last ten visits in all competitions (9/2 Chelsea -1 in Handicap).

Chelsea are without Ashley Cole after the left-back was sent off for two bookable offences in the Londoners’ 1-1 draw at Swansea in midweek.

Ryan Bertrand is expected to come in for the England defender and mark in-form United winger Antonio Valencia, who has either scored or assisted each of the Red Devils last three open play goals, while he also won their second penalty at Old Trafford in midweek.

Wayne Rooney could return after a two-game absence and he has scored four goals in his last seven Premier League appearances against Chelsea and also netted on his last two visits to Stamford bridge, one in the league and one in the Champions League (Rooney 11/8 Anytime Goalscorer).

The return of Demba Ba (6/1 2 or More goals) will no doubt boost Newcastle United ahead of the lunchtime clash with Aston Villa at the Sports Direct Arena, but they will again be without suspended midfielder Yohan Cabaye.

Cabaye’s absence, and that of Cheik Tiote, was certainly felt against Blackburn in midweek when the Magpies were badly outgunned in the centre of the park and needed a half-time reshuffle to deny Rovers a deserved point.

Newcastle have lost just two of their last 15 Premier League home matches, winning eight and drawing five but Villa’s away form has been good this season.

Villa have lost just two of their last 12 Premier League away games and none of the last five, a period in which they have won three and drawn two on their travels.

During that spell they have twice come from behind to win, against Chelsea and Wolves (16/1 Aston Villa Win from Behind), and twice kept a clean sheet (3/1 Villa to keep a Clean Sheet).

Boss Alex McLeish will be keen to end a dismal record against Newcastle as a Premier League manager – having won none and lost three of his five matches in charge of Birmingham and Villa.

His ace in the pack is striker Darren Bent who has scored in four of his last five Premier League appearances and now has 100 Premier League goals.

Villa’s weakness from set pieces could be exploited by Newcastle, who are dangerous in the air at corners with Mike Williamson (14/1 to Score Anytime), Fabricio Coloccini (10/1) and Shola Ameobi (7/4).

Aston Villa have conceded more goals from corners than any other team in the top-flight this season (10) while they are the only team in the Premier League yet to score from a corner.

Hull FC v Warrington

For much of last season Warrington looked the team to beat and many were expecting their first Grand Final success, but another play-off nightmare saw the Wolves frustrated again.

Tony Smith has a big challenge on his hands to banish the memory of last season and mount another bid this term.

Warrington didn’t enjoy the best of starts in 2011, with a surprise defeat to Huddersfield in Cardiff and a trip to the KC Stadium is not the ideal campaign opener for the Wolves, who will be without some key players in the off season.

Full-back Brett Hodgson, stand-off Lee Briers and winger Joel Monaghan are all set to miss the trip to East Yorkshire, while forward David Solomona could miss the first half of the season after breaking his leg in pre-season.

The home side will be keen to impress on the opening day, with not only an expectant crowd but also the desire to please their new coach, Peter Gentle.

The Black and Whites have strengthened during the winter and hopes are high that they will pose a threat to the big four this term.

Newcomers Brett Seymour, Wade McKinnon, Tony Martin, Andy Lynch, Eamon O’Carroll and Martin Aspinwall are likely to feature, but hooker Aaron Heremaia is out injured.

Suggested Bet: Hull Handicap (+6) @ 10/11

Wigan v Huddersfield

After play-off heartache last year, many feel 2012 could be Wigan’s year to lift the Super League title under a new coach.

In his own words, Shaun Wane says he has put “lots of pressure” on his players in pre-season and believes they have shown they are ready to respond.

Wane stated: “I felt last year our skill level was poor, so we’ve done more skill work this summer than they’ve ever done.”

Despite missing props Paul Prescott and Stuart Fielden, winger Amos Roberts and the Code-switcher Joel Tomkins, the Warriors should be too strong for their opening game opponents.

Huddersfield impressed many in the regular season last year, but could make little impact in the play-offs and could be a similar story this year.

The Giants have problems at prop ahead of the trip to the DW Stadium, with Larne Patrick facing a fitness test after he recently suffered a broken wrist in training.

Suggested Bet: First Scoring Play – Wigan Try @ 4/6

Bradford v Catalans

The Bulls endured an awful season in 2011, finishing tenth and outside of the play-offs and their have been plenty of changes to personel in the off-season.

No fewer than five new signings, Adrian Purtell, Elliot Kear, Jarrod Sammut, Luke Gale and Phil Joseph, are set to start the season opener for Bradford and it will take time for them to make the progress they hope for.

Former Bradford favourite Leon Pryce returns to Odsal in a Catalans jersey and with Louis Anderson another impressive new capture, the French side could surprise a few people this season.

Suggested Bet: Catalans – Handicap Betting (-2) @ 10/11.

Ireland

That last-eight victory over the men in green looked like it might propel the Welsh to super stardom and a possible tilt at World Cup glory, but the painful semi-final loss to France has been followed by two defeats to Australia and the momentum appears to have been lost.

Sam Warburton will lead the side and he will be looking for a strong start to the campaign to atone for his sending off against Les Bleus – the incident, it could be argued, that changed the course of Welsh rugby – at least in the short term.

Warren Gatland’s preparation has been badly affected by the loss of four of the pack who performed so well last year, with loose-head Gethin Jenkins, locks Luke Charteris and Alun Wyn Jones and flanker Dan Lydiate all ruled out through injury.

Rhys Priestland and Jamie Roberts are back in the starting XV but the loss of the key quartet, plus hooker Matthew Rees, will hamper Wales’ chances of beginning the year with a victory.

And the match will mark the first game of the post-Shane Williams era after the great man bowed out in perfect fashion by scoring a last-minute try in the defeat to Australia back in December.

The Irish will also be without their talisman, as Brian O’Driscoll has been ruled out of the entire Six Nations, while his replacement, Keith Earls, has also withdrawn and so Fergus McFadden gets a run-out.

It is the first time in 12 years that the former Lions skipper has missed a match against the Dragons and his absence will have given Gatland’s charges a shot in the arm as O’Driscoll remains a world-class operator.

A glance at domestic results also gives a pointer as to the relative strengths of the two nations at present, as the Ospreys and Scarlets failed to get out of their groups in the Heineken Cup, while the Irish trio of Leinster, Munster and Ulster swept into the last eight (Leinster 2/1 – Heineken Cup Outright).

Only Cardiff are still flying the flag for the Principality as the Welsh regions have struggled to compete this term.

Momentum is key in any sport and the wind is clearly in the Irish sails at present and, roared on by a vociferous crown in Dublin, they are rightly the favourites going into the match (Ireland 3/1 – Triple Crown Winner).

Wales have only beaten Ireland twice since the tournament was expanded to six teams and the men in green have won seven of their past ten encounters with Wales.

But Wales have won the last two meetings between these two sides, albeit with a stronger starting XV to the one that will take the field on Sunday.

The Welsh back line performed with credit at the World Cup and the hope for the visitors is that they will be able to win enough ball to let the backs do their stuff.

They were a breath of fresh air in New Zealand and do have enough talent in the ranks to cause Ireland some problems but the hosts will, as ever, tackle anything in red all day long.

Declan Kidney’s squad have played down the revenge factor of the match but the motivation will be there to prove that they are much better that the World Cup scoreline suggested and key to their chances will be the performance of Jonathan Sexton at fly-half.

He has kept Ronan O’Gara out of the side and must stamp his own authority on the game early on, with O’Gara waiting on the bench to replace him later in the match.

This has all the makings of a tight match, with neither side wanting to give anything away to their Celtic cousins, but home advantage is massive and it should propel the Irish to an opening victory in the northern hemisphere showpiece.

It is at this stage of the season that you can start to build a picture of how various teams play based on simple goals scored and goals conceded. It is not always easy to do this during the first half of the season for numerous reasons. New players take time to bed in, teams may be adjusting to a new division and tactics can be affected by players coming back from the close season. If a team has made numerous changes to its playing personnel then that too can have a huge impact of tactics.

When the tactics change then so does the ability to be able to score goals and to defend against other teams scoring them. So if you see a teams stats after say 20 games and they have scored 21 goals and conceded 17 then this is a sure sign that a team is set up to keep things tight. This reduction in offensive capability is more than likely the direct result of deliberate tactics on behalf of the manager.

Likewise if a team that is involved in a large number of high scoring games may be doing so because they either cannot defend of this may be a deliberate tactic by the manager if he felt that this was the best way to get a result. The way that points are distributed in a football match means that more weighting is given to winning than drawing. Clearly this is seen by a team who could in theory go the entire league season unbeaten but could be relegated if they drew every single game.

Andre Villas-Boas has been rather fortunate to still be in a job at Chelsea based on the history of recent managers and how each of them performed. Avram Grant came runner up in the league and made a Champions League final and that still wasn’t enough to please owner Roman Abramovich. Clearly though the owner feels the need for continuity and with Chelsea laying in 4th position in the league in February then it may be a bad time to get rid of the manager.

Chelsea couldn’t have a much tougher game on Sunday as they host Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in a game that will go some way towards deciding the title. Once upon a time and these two teams would have been fighting it out for the title but with Chelsea 12pts behind with only 15 games to go then they are surely out of it and have too much to do.

This is the time of the season when United step up a gear but Chelsea will not have welcomed the fact that John Terry was stripped of the England captaincy yesterday and that will have hardly helped the harmony within the squad. Chelsea are in a real battle now to claim Champions League football next season with Newcastle, Arsenal and Liverpool all pushing them hard for a top four finish.