The Premier League continued to bring joy and excitement, while managing to keep us at the edge of our seats with some nervy moments throughout the weekend. It was a gameweek of upsets with Manchester United and Tottenham both losing at home to Crystal Palace and Newcastle respectively, while many would also consider Aston Villa’s win over Everton to be an upset as well. There are more interesting ties on the menu this weekend, so without any further ado, let’s get straight into it.
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Saturday 31 August
Southampton 11/4
Draw 49/20
Manchester United 1/1
(13:30)
Southampton picked up their first win of the season, capitalizing on Brighton’s first half dismissal of Florin Andone, securing a 2-0 win away at the Seagulls. Manchester United, on the other hand, fell to their first defeat of the campaign, losing 2-1 at home to Crystal Palace.
It was the second consecutive time United had missed a penalty and dropped points, after Paul Pogba missed against Wolves, and then Marcus Rashford missed against Palace. In their last home game, Southampton produced a decent showing against Liverpool, despite losing 2-1. This certainly won’t be a walk in the park for Manchester United as they seek a return to winning ways. At 8/10, Both Teams to Score seems the safest bet.
West Ham 19/20
Draw 29/10
Norwich 26/10
(16:00)
West Ham and Norwich do battle in what is expected to be one of the more fascinating ties to look forward to this weekend. West Ham come off the back of a resounding win away at Watford, claiming a 3-1 victory, while Norwich gave Chelsea a game and a half at Carrow Road, losing 3-2. Sebastien Haller finally found his scoring boots after sealing a record move from Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring a brace, while Teemu Pukki bagged his fifth goal in three games when the Finnish striker slotted home against Chelsea. Just like last weekend, I’m expecting these sides to be involved in another high-scoring affair. Take Over 2.5 Goals here at 5/10.
Chelsea 7/20
Draw 4/1
Sheffield United 15/2
(16:00)
Frank Lampard claimed his first win as Chelsea boss after the Blues walked out of Carrow Road with a 3-2 victory over Norwich. It was the perfect win for Lampard with two of Chelsea’s academy graduates, Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham, both finding the back of the net.
Sheffield United have been decent since their return to the top flight, drawing against Bournemouth before beating Crystal Palace, losing their first game of the campaign at home to Leicester City – a team Chelsea had drawn against not so long ago. The way Chelsea have been playing, creating the amount of chances per game that they do, Sheffield shouldn’t be able to withstand. Put your money on the (-1) Handicap on the Blues here at 19/20.
Crystal Palace 5/4
Draw 47/20
Aston Villa 23/10
(16:00)
Crystal Palace produced one of the shocks of the season when they went to Old Trafford and picked up maximum points against Manchester United. The Eagles showed great fight and determination to bounce back after letting their lead slip, with Patrick van Aanholt stunning the Red Devils with a last-gasp winner, becoming the first Dutchman to score a 90th-minute winner against Manchester United.
Aston Villa registered their first points of the campaign, beating Everton 2-0 in last Friday night’s fixture at Villa Park. The Villans were impressive and took their chances in a game in which they had very little ball possession. Usually, I’m not one to place my money on a draw, but in this matchup, I can’t see any other outcome.
Leicester City 13/20
Draw 31/10
Bournemouth 15/4
(16:00)
Leicester City remain one of four teams unbeaten this campaign, and despite winning just once, they did manage to earn draws against Wolves and Chelsea. The Foxes have been entertaining in attack, while Brendan Rodgers’ men look solid in defence as well, despite losing Harry Maguire to Manchester United at the start of the season.
Bournemouth have shown glimpses of brilliance this season and perhaps their defeat against Manchester City can be forgiven, considering the opposition. Before that defeat, the Cherries had beaten Aston Villa and drew against Sheffield United. It will be a fun watch for the neutrals but Leicester City should triumph at the King Power Stadium.
Manchester City 13/20
Draw 10/1
Brighton 30/1
(16:00)
Brighton face the unwanted task of travelling to the Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City. The champions have scored 10 goals this term – more than any other team in the division. Man City didn’t play their best football at the Vitality Stadium and still eased past Bournemouth, winning 3-1.
Brighton have come away from their usual way of playing and look a lot more attacking under Graham Potter. They do come into this encounter off the back of their first loss, while Florin Andone will miss the tie due to suspension after receiving his marching orders against Southampton. Get on the MultiGoals market here and back 4-6 in the game at a profitable 11/10.
Newcastle 15/10
Draw 9/4
Watford 19/10
(16:00)
Newcastle come off the back of, what I think, is the shock of the season thus far. Steve Bruce’s men managed an impressive 1-0 win away at last season’s UEFA Champions League finalists, Spurs, keeping a clean sheet and nullifying every attack from the Lilywhites, who were high on confidence after claiming a point away to Man City.
Watford have been disappointing so far, being the only team to lose all of their opening three matches played. There has also been some talk of Javi Gracia facing an early boot as the situation seems impossible to turn around at this early stage of the season. Put your money on Newcastle to make it back-to-back wins in the league.
Burnley 17/2
Draw 9/2
Liverpool 3/10
(18:30)
Burnley and Liverpool lock horns in Saturday’s late kick-off. The Clarets have been impressive this season, smashing Southampton 3-0, while they suffered a narrow defeat at Arsenal before being thwarted with a last-gasp equaliser from Wolves to earn a 1-1 draw at the Molineux Stadium. Liverpool are the only team with a 100% record this campaign, winning all three of their games.
Their most impressive win came last weekend when they pegged Arsenal back to claim a 3-1 victory at Anfield. Physically, Burnley will give the Reds a completely different game and will be a threat during set plays. Still, by no means can a goal fest be expected. For the extra bit of value, take Under 3.5 Goals at 5/10, which is safer than a Liverpool victory at 3/10.
Sunday 1 September
Everton 12/10
Draw 9/4
Wolves 49/20
(15:00)
Super Sunday begins with the ‘best of the rest’ derby when Everton host Wolves at Goodison Park. The Toffees conceded their first goals of the season when they slipped to a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa. Moise Kean and Alex Iwobi featured off the bench and perhaps the big-money duo could make their first starts for the club in what is considered by many to be Everton’s toughest game of the campaign thus far. Wolves are one of the four unbeaten teams, although, with three draws, they are also one of two winless sides in the division. With home advantage, put your money on Everton at 12/10.
Arsenal 29/20
Draw 26/10
Tottenham 7/4
(17:30)
TREBLE @ 6/1
Chelsea (-1) Handicap 19/20
Leicester City Win 13/20
Everton Win 12/10
