A Football Theory

This is the final weekend for English Premier League play. I have a theory about picking winners in this kind of situation. You pick good teams who still have something to play for over unsuccessful teams who have nothing to play for. For instance,

* Arsenal 1.27 (home) over Wigan. Arsenal still has a shot at fourth place and qualifying for next season's Champions League even if they lose to Barcelona in this year's Champions League final.

* Manchester United 1.24 (home) over Charlton. Man U. can secure second place and obtain an automatic berth in the group stage of next season's Champions League.

* Liverpool 1.66 (away) over Portsmouth. Liverpool still has a shot at finishing second and securing a Champions League group stage berth.

* Tottenham 1.75 (away) over West Ham. A win secures a Champions League spot for Tottenham by virtue of finishing in fourth place.

I hope I'm right about this since that is how I'm betting.