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Sat May 26 19:23:24 SAST 2012

Top-flight hitmen out to rack up the score in England

Thje Gift Horse | 04 September, 2011 01:14

Liverpool's Luis Suarez is already some way behind on the Premier League leading goalscorer's chart, but the cheeky Uruguayan could still come up trumps for those who take 7-1 on him heading the list when the English season ends in May.

Suarez has already bagged a respectable two goals from three matches but has fallen to joint fifth behind the Manchester City pair of Bosnian Edin Dzeko and Argentinean Kun Aguero, Manchester United's Wayne Rooney and Bolton Wanderers' Croatian striker Ivan Klasnic.

Dzeko, who heads the list with six goals after his four against Tottenham Hotspur in his team's 5-1 hammering of the London side, is an attractive bet at 4-1 second favourite.

The 25-year-old is coming nicely into his peak years and scored 66 goals in 111 appearances for his previous club, Germany's Wolfsburg.

Despite a surprisingly slow start at City in January, he has convinced the doubters and says he has benefited from preseason training with his new club. He has scored in every match this season, taking his record to eight from 18 games.

Rooney, also 25, is the 7-2 favourite and his 107 goals for United from 220 matches is arguably even more impressive than Dzeko's, given that they were all scored in the tough English league. After his hat trick against Arsenal in the historic 8-2 drubbing of the Gunners, he already has five goals.

Aquero is just 22 and the son-in-law of the legendary Diego Maradona is a natural predator who seldom drifts wide or anywhere far from the scoring zone. Given his relative youth, his 74 goals in 175 appearances for Atletico Madrid is a good return and he seems to have all the attributes. He scored two for City on debut and has since added another.

Those are the only four in single figures in the betting.

United's Mexican poacher Javier Hernandez is 12-1. He amazed all last season with a good debut haul and seems likely to be reinstalled for the Red Devils in place of the injured Danny Wellbeck.

If Chelsea's expensive Fernando Torres comes out on top, those who took the 16-1 on him will be lauded as inspired. But he has been disappointing.

Goals follow Aston Villa's Darren Bent wherever he goes - he has a sparkling 42 in 77 appearances for Sunderland and his current club - without the big clubs ever being interested in him. He might be a very good bet at 20-1.

It is a sign of football's fluctuating fortunes that last season's joint top scorers are at long prices. Argentinian Carlos Tevez of City is 33-1 and United's Bulgarian Dimitar Berbatov is 66-1.

Neither has been able to get a game this season.

Go figure.

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