One of the many issues which grips fans of Premier League football – and those who bet on it – is which team will grab the much sought after fourth position at the end of the season. Finishing fourth means qualifying for the Champions League, which has come to represent the promised land of money and ambition for most teams these days, and this season there are a number of clubs competing for it.

One of the sides seriously in contention for fourth place is Tottenham who have recovered well from a shaky start under new manager Andre Villas Boas, and although the odds at the various sports betting sites vary slightly – in general they are low with many sites rating them around 6/5 to secure this place. The fact that they have previous experience of grabbing the fourth spot is probably one reason why they are considered amongst the favourites.

Of course their rivals in North London – Arsenal – will also expect to have some say in the matter, and they have the most Champions League experience of any of the sides jostling for this spot. Realistically the Gunners seem to be a side heading in the wrong direction just now, but failing to even qualify for the Champions League is still unthinkable – which is reflected in the odds on them doing so – that are around the 11/10, 10/11 area.

Back in 2005 Everton broke into the Champions League places, for one season at least, and this year the men from Merseyside are making a real push to do so again. They represent a little more of an outside bet, with odds in the region of 7/2 and 9/2 at most sports bet sites, which reflects the fact that they have a smaller squad and less experience of Champions League qualification.

So how do you pick correctly? Well like any type of sports betting it is best to learn about the sport, through researching the teams, form and odds – something which is very easy to do with the online bookmakers. If you aren’t confident then you have similar resources available at the online casinos – research on how to win on the slots or the roulette tables found at sites such as http://www.gamingclub.com/mobile-casino is very easy to do, as is researching techniques for games that require a little more thinking like poker. Being a sports fan you may not be a fan of leaving your cash completely in the hands of Lady Luck and so you should probably perfect your poker or blackjack techniques, two of the most popular skill-based games. If you are after a bit of a ride with luck though, a slots game like ‘Game On’ would be a good choice for a football fan, but if you are confident with your football knowledge then do be aware that you can place a bet any time during the game. Could be useful considering the ups and downs of the Premier League!