Premier League Predictions > Aug 13th - 15th

[StevieDay1983]

The 2021/22 Premier League season kicks off in August and the first round of fixtures have been released. You can check them out above. Feel free to make some early calls on bets and share them with us below! 

[ALEXXXXXXXX]

Brentford

They are the newly-promoted this season. But they can not be ignored. They are the best offensive team in English Championship, with 1.72 scoring goals in average of last season. They do well in fast attack. They are full of potential and quality.

 

Arsenal

What they performed in last season disappoints people. They were the eighth in last season. To improve themselves, they bring in three players such as Benjamin William White, Albert-Mboyo Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares. They are not in form, suffering a two-match losing streak.

 

Verdict:

There is a gap between Brentford and Arsenal. It is the first time for Brentford to play for the League. It takes them for them to adapt to the League. Arsenal only concentrate on the League at present. So Arsenal will possibly win in upcoming game.

 

Prediction: 1-2, 1-3

[malabgd]

Players stats are from the last season.

 

Brentford FC vs Arsenal

2021-08-13T21:00+02:00

Brentford FC

Doubtful: -

Out (injuries/other): Joshua Dasilva (30/5 f), Mathias Jensen (48/2 m)

Suspended: -

 

Arsenal

Doubtful: -

Out (injuries/other): Edward Nketiah (17/2 f), Thomas Partey (24/0 m), Gabriel Magalhães (23/2 d)

Suspended: -

 

Daily updated injuries and suspensions information from more then 100 football leagues and competitions worldwide at: www.injuriesandsuspensions.com

[CocoPopsDad]

Leicester look very short at 1.57 against a Wolves side with a new manager. The form towards the back end of last season also tailed off.

[StevieDay1983]

Brentford vs Arsenal

The Premier League is back and we kick off with a barnstormer of a game between newly promoted Brentford and their close rivals Arsenal in an 8pm BST kick-off from the Brentford Community Stadium on Friday night. Is there any chance we could see an opening day upset or is this the first game on the road to recovery for a Gunners team that has been loitering in the wilderness for too long now?

Brentford finally reached the promised land of the top flight of English football for the first time since 1947 after their play-off final victory over Swansea last season. Thomas Frank's men already boasted an exciting side before this summer transfer window but the arrivals of Kristoffer Ajer from Celtic, Frank Onyeka from FC Midtjylland, and Yoane Wissa have added depth to this squad. The departures of Henrik Dalsgaard and Emiliano Marcondes are a blow but the team should be able to handle their exits. It'll be interesting to see if Frank is as brave with his attacking philosophy in the Premier League as he was in the Championship. He will want to bring out the best in the likes of Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo, and Mathias Jensen but he won't want to make the same mistake Norwich made in their doomed 2019/20 campaign.

Arsenal continue to float around the upper mid-table area of the Premier League under Mikel Arteta. The FA Cup success of 2019/20 now seems a lifetime ago with the club now without European football for the first time since 1995/96. The Gunners haven't gone all out to buy players to try and resolve this period of mediocrity. I'm not saying that's what they need to do but there is certainly a feeling that £50 million for centre back Ben White from Brighton is the minimum amount they needed to spend to address certain defensive issues. The shining light of this current Arsenal squad is the array of young talent coming through. Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, and Folarin Balogun have got the fans talking and could play a huge part in getting the club back to where it feels it should be. Provided they can blend well with the experience of Granit Xhaka, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Thomas Partey then maybe there is reason for Arsenal fans to be optimistic this season.

Wow, what a game this is to start the new season. Brentford will be buzzing to have their first Premier League game of the season at home. If there is one team they could spring a surprise on then it's this Arsenal side. I'm still not convinced that Arteta is the man to bring the glory back to the Emirates Stadium. I think it makes total sense to back Brentford to get something from this game. That said, I am wary that they will repeat the mistakes of Norwich a couple of years ago. I can see Brentford going all out and getting caught on the counter. Still, I'm a football romantic and I have to back the upset here.

Brentford Draw No Bet @ 3.20 with Betfred

Anytime Scorer: Ivan Toney @ 3.65 with SBK

[Fader]

PP are offering evens on Toney just to have a shot on target tonight, which seems too good to be true. I think it will be a tight match tonight and I can see the unders coming in but main reason for the post is the evens on Toney to have a shot on target

5pts Toney 1 SOT evens paddypower

[dylanphan]

Early weeks of the season are always a bit tricky, but I'm going to tell you all right now, this one is a banker.

I'm a United supporter, and this team is the best they've put together in years.  However, they are missing a number of integral parts here for the first few weeks.  Varane should be a great partner for Maguire at CB but he's out.  Sancho is the class you've been looking for on the wing, but again, will not be there. Rashford is a terrific attacking option, but he'll be out for weeks. That said, United will be fielding a terrific attacking lineup here.  Fernandes, Pogba, Cavani, Greenwood will be absolutely hungry for goals, Martial hasn't been on the pitch for months, James is coming off a terrific Euro2020 performance, Donny VanDeBeek is an excellent player, Diallo is an up and coming attacking option, not to mention a number of their kids had a great pre-season, United are going to get some goals here.  The issue is, and has been for a while, is they are going to concede as well.  Leeds plays a very high pressure game, and they are not going to catch anyone by surprise this year, but this will be a find spot for them to start the season. Perhaps Phillips is not available for them, but either way, United has not shown they have been good enough to keep clean sheets,  This is a cracker of an opener and I'm very much looking forward to this year.  City looks like they should have the best of it on paper, and Liverpool and Chelsea have very good sides as well, but United really has a strong side here this year, and I'm certainly looking forward to the season.

For this match I'm definitely backing goals and have a big stake on o2.75 at -120.    First game of the season doesn't warrant a big bet, but this is as big as I'll place this weekend.  This game will get 3 goals almost certainly.  g'luck

[StevieDay1983]

Manchester United vs Leeds

The early kick-off on Saturday at 12:30pm BST in the Premier League is a big one that comes from Old Trafford where old rivals Manchester United and Leeds go head-to-head in their first league games. As @dylanphan states, this fixture is looking likely to have goals in it but who will come out on top? Is it a banker for the home team or will the visitors spring a surprise victory?

Manchester United have done decent business in this summer transfer window with the signing of Jadon Sancho and imminent arrival of Rafael Varane. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been quick to play up his team's chances of being involved in the title race which I must say is a rather odd approach to have when all the others managers around him are playing down their title aspirations. Anyway, United were exemplary away from home last season becoming just the third club in top flight history to go the season undefeated on the road after Preston in 1888/89 and Arsenal in 2001/02. However, they lost 6 of their 19 home league games last season. Conceding goals at home was a problem for the Red Devils last season too letting in 28 goals in their 19 home league games. No additions to the defence yet suggests this is a problem that might not be remedied yet. If United are going to win this game then they need Bruno Fernandes to continue his prolific form of 26 goals and 19 assists since he joined the club in February, 2020.

Leeds begin their second season back in the Premier League with a lot of people questioning if last season's 9th placed finish was a one-off or if we can expect the same again. Their tally of 58 points last season was the second highest achieved by a newly promoted team in a 38-game English top flight season after Ipswich's 66 points in 2000/01. The Whites come into this campaign off the back of a very positive end to last season that saw them win their last 4 league games. Manager Marcelo Bielsa will be pleased to have made the Jack Harrison transfer from Manchester City permanent and the arrival of Junior Firpo from Barcelona is an exciting one. If Leeds can maintain the high tempo pressing game they have played so well under Bielsa then there's no reason they can't finish in the top 10 again and even flirt with a potential push for European qualification this season.

The two fixtures between these two teams offered contrasting outcomes with Manchester United winning their home game 6-2 and the game at Leeds ending in a 0-0 draw. Leeds have improved a lot defensively as their time in the Premier League has gone on but against a side as rich in attacking talents as Manchester United they'll have a hard time keeping a clean sheet again. I can see a chaotic opening game with both teams not quite 100% and I'm sure we'll see a high-scoring game with United likely coming away with the win.

Manchester United to Win & BTTS @ 3.10 with Boylesports

Anytime Scorer: Mason Greenwood @ 2.92 with SBK

[StevieDay1983]

Burnley vs Brighton

One of the least attractive games in the Premier League this weekend, no disrespect intended to either side, is Burnley versus Brighton in a 3pm BST kick-off on Saturday afternoon from Turf Moor. Both sides experienced underwhelming league campaigns last season with relegation a potential threat at different stages of the campaign but safety eventually secured. Has enough changed to see either club anticipate better seasons this time around?

Burnley are fast becoming one of those teams where you wonder why on earth they bother being in the top flight of English football. It seems the board are reluctant to spend big. Yes, I admire the sensible financial approach but with the hundreds of millions of pounds flying around in the top division every year you have to wonder where all that money goes when they're spending just £12 million in a transfer window. Centre back Nathan Collins from Stoke is the man Sean Dyche has chosen to blow his limited transfer budget on so far and he is seen as a replacement for squad player Ben Gibson who has departed for Norwich over the summer. The Clarets are currently on a club record top flight run of 10 games without a win at home. The team has managed to score just 19 goals in their last 24 games at Turf Moor in the league. There is good news though for Burnley fans. Goalkeeper Nick Pope is expected to start after recovering from a knee operation over the summer. Chris Wood is also set to start after competing in the 2020 Olympic Games for New Zealand. He has scored 8 goals against Brighton down the years so could be worth a cheeky anytime scorer bet.

Brighton have long flirted with the prospect of evolving into a solid mid-table Premier League team but Graham Potter's men just can't find the clinical striker to help them achieve that goal. If you followed our predictions last season then you'll know I admired the way the Seagulls played but they just couldn't get the points to match their performances due to a lack of goals. Not only have Brighton failed to bolster their attacking threats but they have also sold influential centre back Ben White to Arsenal for £50 million. You'd have thought the board would have been happy to invest the majority of that money back into the squad but arrivals on the south coast remain elusive. Well, season-changing arrivals anyway. It's just 2 wins from the last 9 opening league games for Brighton. A worrying statistic for Albion is that they only managed 18 goals on the road in the league last season with just Wolves and Sheffield United scoring less on their travels.

I think the scoring impotency of both these teams is offering a clear picture that unless they have changed their playing philosophies drastically over the summer then we're set to see a rather dull affair here. I don't think either team would begrudge a point. If one team is going to win it then I'd say Burnley because of Wood's prolific scoring record against Brighton but I just think if any game has a 0-0 written all over it then it could be this one.

Draw @ 3.20 with Betfred

Total Goals Scored Under 1.5 @ 3.00 with Bet365

[StevieDay1983]

Chelsea vs Crystal Palace

One of the Premier League title favourites Chelsea begin their league campaign against fellow London club Crystal Palace at 3pm BST on Saturday afternoon at Stamford Bridge. The home team have a number of injury concerns ahead of this opening clash but will they face a testing opponent who come into this game at the dawn of a new era for the club?

Chelsea finished last season in the best way possible by winning the Champions League and their league form also showed that they have the potential to step up to being title challengers this season. Thomas Tuchel has done a superb job since coming in as head coach of the Blues. It had looked like a quiet summer for Chelsea in the transfer market after last season's lucrative spending but the club splashed out £97.5 million on Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku last week to see the Belgian front man return to the club. Lukaku is still quarantining so is unavailable for this game. The team could also be without the duo of Hakim Ziyech and N'Golo Kante for this game. Chelsea generally start their league seasons well having only lost on 4 of the last 27 opening game days. Christian Pulisic could be a pick for anytime scorer having bagged 4 goals in 4 games against Palace.

Crystal Palace start life under new manager Patrick Vieira here and it's set to beckon in a new look Eagles squad. A fresh-looking defensive partnership made up of new signings Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen is set to start but the on-loan Conor Gallagher is ineligible to face his parent club, new signing Michael Olise has a back injury, and Luka Miliojevic is absent for personal reasons. The highly-rated Eberechi Eze is also ruled out for a while. Palace ended last season quite poorly with 6 defeats from their last 8 league games. However, in Vieira, they possess a manager who was undefeated against Chelsea as a player winning 6 and drawing 4 of his encounters against them.

I'm cautiously optimistic that Vieira can be a decent appointment for Crystal Palace if he's given time but he has a lot of key players missing for this game. That is particularly the case in the creative department. A lot of emphasis will be on Wilfried Zaha today and if Chelsea can keep him quiet then it should be a business-like display for the home team who I fully expect to win this clash having won 18 of the past 24 metings.

Chelsea HT/FT @ 2.15 with Mansion Bet

Chelsea -1 @ 2.20 with RedZone

[harry_rag]

2 hours ago, StevieDay1983 said:

Manchester United to Win & BTTS @ 3.10 with Boylesports

Strong fancy for that scenario myself and have been hooked in by the Hills double odds special.

10 points on Man U win/btts/Fernades >1 shot on target at 6/1

[andypandy23]

@StevieDay1983Your hit rate on Premier League tips last season was 42%. Any given week would lurch from 30% to 80%. I will let you know when you're looking to be tipping hot, or not!

[harry_rag]

2 hours ago, StevieDay1983 said:

Anytime Scorer: Mason Greenwood @ 2.92 with SBK

Decent price but I've gone for 12 points on James to score at 6 on BF. Someone willing to lay the standout price being offered by SBK but it's pretty much double what's on offer elsewhere. A "truth is somewhere in the middle" scenario. I'd want more than 3s but wouldn't have expected that big a price.

[StevieDay1983]

Everton vs Southampton

The next 3pm BST kick-off on Saturday afternoon in the Premier League that I'll be covering is the match between Everton and Southampton at Goodison Park. I did have small hopes that both of these teams could crack on and have positive seasons after last year's underwhelming campaigns but recent events in both camps have now led me to think they could both be in for difficult journeys this year.

Everton somehow didn't manage to progress to the next level despite bringing in Carlo Ancelotti as manager and signing the array of big names that they did last season. Ancelotti has now moved on to Real Madrid and it's a former Real head coach who now takes the reigns in the form of former Liverpool gaffer Rafa Benitez. I thought it was an excellent, albeit controversial, appointment but as time is going on it seems that Evertonians can't get past the fact their manager is an ex-Red and some of his decisions are looking bewildering including forcing James Rodriguez and Moise Kean to train away from the first team squad. This was blamed on covid but rumours suggest that's not the case and both players are set for moves away. Benitez doesn't have a great first game record at Premier League teams he's managed having failed to win his first game in charge at Liverpool, Chelsea, and Newcastle. Although Everton haven't lost their opening league game of the season for the past 9 years. Scoring goals at home has been a problem for Everton having only managed 12 goals in their last 15 home league games. Also, there is an interesting stat that Benitez has succeeded Ancelotti once before when he took over as Real Madrid manager in 2015. He was sacked halfway through the season that time.

Southampton were looking set to build an improved squad on the last couple of seasons. A lack of consistency has let the Saints down and the stand out stat has been the club conceding 9 goals in two separate games over the past two seasons. The transfer window had started well for Southampton with Theo Walcott making his loan move from Everton permanent. However, the baffling decisions to let Mario Lemina join Nice, Danny Ings go to Aston Villa, and Jannik Vestergaard to join Leicester has left Southampton severely weakened compared to last season. The arrival of Blackburn's Adam Armstrong is a gamble given the fact the striker has no experience of Premier League football but he has repeatedly scored frequently at Championship level. Southampton have only won 1 of their last 14 opening day league games. The club has failed to even score in their last four opening game days. Away form was also crippling for the team at the end of last season having lost 10 of their last 11 fixtures on the road in the league.

I think if there was one game Benitez would be hoping for as a game to try and get him off to a positive note as Everton manager it would be this one against Southampton. I was quietly optimistic that Ralph Hasenhuttl's men could enjoy a more solid campaign this year around but losing Ings and Vestergaard in particular is a huge blow so close to the season starting. It's mystifying that both have been let go. It's crucial they sign worthy replacements otherwise it's going to be a long and hard season for the south coast club starting today.

Everton to Win @ 2.20 with SBK

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.77 with VBet

[StevieDay1983]

49 minutes ago, andypandy23 said:

@StevieDay1983Your hit rate on Premier League tips last season was 42%. Any given week would lurch from 30% to 80%. I will let you know when you're looking to be tipping hot, or not!

 Yeah, as a Cardiff fan, the Premier League has never been my strongest but will continue to preview the games. If my tips don't get better then hopefully I'll provide enough info about the teams in my previews to help you guys make your own informed decisions. I can feel the pressure from the fans growing already!

[StevieDay1983]

Leicester vs Wolves

The penultimate Premier League game I'm previewing from the 3pm BST kick-offs on Saturday afternoon is Leicester versus Wolves at the King Power Stadium. Can the home team finally build on their fine work of the past couple of seasons and push on to the Champions League qualification spots this season or will they suffer an opening day loss to an away team beginning a new era under a new manager?

Leicester have been one of the success stories in the top flight over the past few years. The appointment of Brendan Rodgers has helped the club evolve into one of the biggest challengers to the reputed top four. The reigning FA Cup winners added the FA Community Shield to their trophy cabinet last week thanks to a 1-0 win over last season's Premier League champions Manchester City. It's been a summer of steady improvement again for the Foxes with the club bringing in Patson Daka from RB Salzburg, Boubakary Soumare from Lille, and Ryan Bertrand and Jannik Vestergaard from Southampton. The team suffered a blow with centre back Wesley Fofana ruled out for some time with a broken leg but this remains a very solid and exciting squad. Leicester have been in the top four league positions in 69 of the 76 rounds of matches in the top flight over the past two seasons but have finished just outside in both campaigns. Home form was questionable last season with the club losing 9 matches at the King Power Stadium in the league conceding 30 goals in the process. If you want an anytime scorer bet then Jamie Vardy has bagged 6 goals in his last 6 games on the opening day of the season.

Wolves come into this season as one of those teams where you just can't predict where they will finish. Nuno Espirito Santo has departed the club and has been replaced by former Benfica manager Bruno Lage. The Portuguese gaffer has experienced in English football as assistant manager to Carlos Carvalhal at Swansea and Sheffield Wednesday. The second big departure from Molineux this summer has been keeper Rui Patricio. Lage has kept the incoming transfers limited with the loan of Rayan Ait-Nouri being made permanent and the other arrivals being Yerson Mosquera from Atletico Nacional, Jose Sa from Olympiakos, and Bendeguz Bolla from Fehervar. Francisco Trincao has also come in on loan from Barcelona. Undoubtedly, the biggest boost for Wanderers is the return of star striker Raul Jimenez who is back fit after fracturing his skull in November last year. Wolves boast a decent opening day record having lost just 1 of their last 11 opening league games. Scoring away from home was an issue last season with just 15 goals in the league coming on their travels. The absence of Jimenez was key to that. 

I have to back Leicester for this one. It feels now that they are hitting that sweet spot under Rodgers where everyone knows their role, the squad has enough depth that they can cope with absentees, and the system in place is working effectively. It'll be interesting to see who Rodgers picks for this first game with rumours that Kelechi Iheanacho could be tempted by a move to Roma in Serie A. Wolves may need time to adapt to Lage's methods and even then it's a big risk appointing someone with such little experience. It could end in tears.

Leicester to Win @ 1.80 with SportNation

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.84 with SBK

[StevieDay1983]

Watford vs Aston Villa

The final preview from the 3pm BST kick-offs on Saturday afternoon in the Premier League is the game taking place at Vicarage Road between newly promoted Watford and an Aston Villa side that will need to adapt to life without talisman Jack Grealish quickly. This is set to be one of the tougher games to predict so let's take a look and see how both sides are set up for the coming game.

Watford are back in the Premier League. It's hardly a surprise given the squad that head coach Xisco had at his disposal last season. The Hornets haven't spent much money on strengthening their squad but it looks like they might be repeating the mistakes of the past by bringing in quantity over quality. Xisco won't hesitate in getting a number of those new signings involved in the match-day squad with Danny Rose, Emmanuel Dennis, Juraj Kucka, and Imran Louza all expected to be involved. It's a big risk to try and blend so many new faces into a promoted squad. Essentially flipping the middle finger to the players that got the team up in the first place. Joao Pedro, Joshua King, and Nathaniel Chalobah are all set to miss out through injury. Watford do come into this season in fine form having won a club record 9 home league games in a row. Unfortunately, they have won just 1 of their last 7 opening league games in the Premier League. They will be hoping for a better start than their last top flight campaign where they failed to win any of their first 11 league games.

Aston Villa face a huge challenge in trying to progress on the back of Grealish's departure. Credit where it's due, Dean Smith and his recruitment team appear to have carried out some smart business with the signings of Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey, Danny Ings, Axel Tuanzebe, and Ashley Young. All five summer signings are fit and available for selection. However, last season's star striker Ollie Watkins is a doubt with a bruised knee. Douglas Luiz is also set to miss out due to his involvement in the Copa America and 2020 Olympic Games. Smith will be keen to see his team turn around their fortunes in the league. The club were 5th in the table heading into 2021 but have only won 8 of their 24 league games since with the majority of those games being without Grealish. In fact, the club took just 13 points from their 14 league games without Grealish last season. Villa have started their recent campaigns well winning 4 of their last 5 opening league games.

I hold the opinion that the way Watford is run as a club is simply not sustainable if they are looking to achieve consistent and prolonged success. The board have ensured there is a high turnover in staff and players making it impossible for methods or playing philosophies to stick. I can almost guarantee that Xisco will not be Watford manager come the spring time. Aston Villa, on the other hand, seem keen to use the sale of Grealish to strengthen the playing squad across the board. It'll depend how well the new lads can hit the ground but there is a lot of experience at the top division compared to Watford and that could be enough to seal a win.

Aston Villa to Win @ 2.38 with VBet

BTTS @ 1.87 with Mansion Bet

 

[andypandy23]

1 hour ago, StevieDay1983 said:

 Yeah, as a Cardiff fan, the Premier League has never been my strongest but will continue to preview the games. If my tips don't get better then hopefully I'll provide enough info about the teams in my previews to help you guys make your own informed decisions. I can feel the pressure from the fans growing already!

I bet against you just as much as for you lol

[StevieDay1983]

Norwich vs Liverpool

The evening kick-off at 5:30pm BST on Saturday in the Premier League is newly promoted Norwich against one of the favourites for the title Liverpool at Carrow Road. This was the opening fixture when the home team were last in the top flight and on that occasion it ended in a 4-1 defeat for the Norfolk side. Will this clash produce a different outcome or more of the same?

Norwich are back in the top flight of English football and they did it in convincing fashion by winning the Championship title last season. Daniel Farke has claimed that his team has learned from their last outing in the Premier League but the proof will be in the pudding. A number of players have been brought in to strengthen this Canaries squad including Billy Gilmour, Ben Gibson, and Milot Rashica. Josh Sargent is an interesting addition from Werder Bremen because he offers genuine competition for Teemu Pukki up front and you feel that was desperately needed by Norwich. Midfielder Przemyslaw Placheta and defender Andrew Omobamidele are both ruled out. It's just 1 win in 9 attempts for Norwich in Premier League opening league games. A worrying stat is that the club haven't won at home on the opening day of a league season since 2002 when they beat Grimsby 4-0. It's also now 10 Premier League games lost in a row for Norwich stretching back to their last time in the top flight.

Liverpool will be pleased to have put their injury woes of last season behind them. One player that epitomised those problems was centre back Virgil Van DIjk who missed the majority of last season through injury. He returns here but the Reds will still be without left back Andrew Robertson who has an ankle injury. Curtis Jones is likely to also miss out through concussion and the fitness of both Thiago and Jordan Henderson will be tested before kick-off. It's just 1 loss from the last 11 opening day league games for Liverpool. Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool have scored 19 goals in their 5 opening games of the season. Mohamed Salah could be a player to back as an anytime scorer today having scored on each of the last 4 Premier League seasons.

The head-to-head meetings doesn't make for pleasant reading for Norwich fans with Liverpool unbeaten in the last 14 Premier League encounters. This is added to by the fact Liverpool have won each of their last 7 visits to Carrow Road. The 18 times these two sides have met in the Premier League have produced an average of 3.83 goals per game. I'm going to have to back a solid Liverpool win with plenty of goals flying around.

Liverpool -1 @ 2.15 with Mansion Bet

Liverpool HT/FT @ 2.14 with SBK

[StefanBB]

Tottenham Hotspur vs Manchester City

It was a disappointing season for the Spurs last time, as they finished 7^th. Jose Mourinho couldn’t do better than qualifying for the Europa Conference League, and therefore, Nuno Espirito Santo replaced him on the bench. There are many rumors about Harry Kane and his potential transfer to Tottenham’s upcoming opponent. Reports say that he missed a couple of training sessions to put pressure on the club to allow him the move to Manchester. However, he should be in the lineup for Sunday’s clash, and we’ll see how he will perform against the potential new club. Tottenham should avoid inconsistencies in their form if they want to challenge for the top four this season.

Manchester City had a slow start last season, but they managed to dominate the Premier League. However, they suffered a narrow 1:0 defeat against Leicester City in the Community Shield. The Foxes managed to keep the clean sheet and celebrate a victory that brought them the first trophy in the season. Pep Guardiola’s side should avoid complacency in this match if they want to get back home with all three points. The Citizens are stronger for the signing of Jack Grealish, while we might see Harry Kane in their jersey soon. Manchester City is one of the major contenders for winning the Premier League title, and we’ll see how well prepared for the upcoming campaign they are.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction

Although Manchester City lost the previous three encounters against Tottenham in London, they are favorites in this clash. We believe they will meet the expectations and open the new campaign with a victory.

Goals Market Prediction

The visitors had been excellent in the back last season, and they want to continue in the same fashion. On the other hand, Nuno Espirito Santo will look for a disciplined performance of his team. Therefore, we shouldn’t expect to see more than two goals in this clash.

Manchester City to Win @ 1.65 

Under 2.5 FT @ 1.95 

Correct score 0:1 @ 8.00 

[Middle East Leagues Expert]

I dont know but I have this feeling today That Man City wont win this game 

[StevieDay1983]

Newcastle vs West Ham

It feels odd that there are only two Premier League games taking place on Sunday afternoon with the first of those being the 2pm BST kick-off between Newcastle and West Ham at St James' Park. The home side will be looking to push on from last season's higher than anticipated mid-table finish after a positive end to their campaign against a visiting team who are buzzing for the new campaign after such a superb season last year.

Newcastle finished last season with a flourish losing just 2 of their last 9 league games and winning 3 of their final 4 fixtures. The loan signing of Arsenal's Joe Willock was credited for the upturn in form and the club has moved heaven and hell to secure the youngster on a permanent deal for a reported £25 million. It's speculated that Willock's transfer missed the deadline for him to make the squad for this game but his arrival is a huge boost to the team. Freddie Woodman is likely to start in goal with Martin Dubravka and Karl Darlow both ruled out. Paul Dummett is another player expected to be absent with a calf injury. One area of concern for the Magpies is their defensive frailties at home. Last season they kept just two clean sheets at home in the league. History also offers a warning with Newcastle having only managed to take 1 point from their last 5 season-opening games at St James' Park.

West Ham had an incredible campaign last season and it'll be interesting to see if David Moyes can lead his team to a similar finish this season. The club ended up in 6th place with the loan signing of Jesse Lingard being particularly inspired. Unfortunately, Lingard has returned to his parent club Manchester United. The Hammers have been restricted with their transfer activity this summer with centre back Craig Dawson and goalkeeper Alphonse Areola being the only noteworthy arrivals. West Ham's form against teams that finished in the bottom half of the table last season was superb with just two losses coming against those teams. However, both of those defeats came against Newcastle. Scoring goals wasn't a problem with the team scoring 3 or more goals in 11 different league games. West Ham are notorious slow starters though having lost their last 5 opening league fixtures in the Premier League.

I think a lot of the stats point to a Newcastle win but I think about their absentees such as Willock, Dubrakva, Darlow, and Dummett and I fear they might leave them slightly weakened against a West Ham team that looks a lot better under Moyes than it has done for a number of years. I'm still not sure West Ham have enough to get the win but I can certainly see them snatching a draw.

Draw @ 3.64 with VBet

BTTS @ 1.77 with Mansion Bet

[StevieDay1983]

Tottenham vs Manchester City

The final game of the weekend in the Premier League is the 4:30pm BST clash on Sunday afternoon between Tottenham and Manchester City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. There is no doubt that the elephant in the room ahead of this game is the transfer speculation surrounding England striker Harry Kane. Will he play any part in this match? Is he Manchester bound?

Tottenham find themselves in a state of disarray heading into this season opener. Not only have the club had to deal with the discontent surrounding the Kane transfer rumours after the striker handed in a transfer request earlier in the summer but the embarrassing manager search meant that their pre-season plans were late and disrupted. Daniel Levy eventually decided on former Wolves head coach Nuno Espirito Santo as the man he wanted to take the hot seat but it's been far from smooth going. History shows that managers start well at Spurs with Andre Villas-Boas being the only one of the last six managers not to win his first league game in charge. Tottenham fans will be hoping Kane does play today because the club have only won 5 of their 17 Premier League games when the striker has been absent. An anytime scorer tip for this game is Heung-min Son who has bagged 6 goals against Manchester City in all competitions including scoring in every fixture at this stadium.

Manchester City come into this season being touted as the majority of people's favourites to win the league title. Pep Guardiola has kept his summer transfer spending clinical with the £100 million signing of attacking midfielder Jack Grealish. There is the opportunity for City to set a new top flight record. If they win here then it will be 11 consecutive top flight seasons that they have won their opening league game of the season. This would beat the current record of 10 games in a row set by Aston Villa way back in 1891/92 to 1900/01. However, the last time City failed to win an opening league game of the season was against Tottenham in a 0-0 draw back in 2010/11. Guardiola should consider Tottenham a bogey team as well with the Spaniard having lost 4 away matches against Spurs. He also often struggled against Santo's Wolves side in recent seasons.

I think a lot of this game and how it will go depends on if Kane is available and what sort of mental state he is in. I've got no idea what's been happening behind closed doors but there is clearly something toxic going on between Kane and Levy. I'd be surprised if Kane starts given how things have been and therefore I think we'll see City earn a convincing win to open their title defence.

Manchester City to Win @ 1.73 with Betfred

Anytime Scorer: Heung-min Son @ 4.10 with SBK

 

[Offramp]

On Twitter a Geordie guy who suggests accas wanted opinions about Brentford v Arsenal, and my 2 cents was 4 words: "I wouldn't touch it". Or is it 5 words?

My wife is a gooner but I don't like 'em, and I've always found Arsenal weirdly unreliable. Wenger had results that were just good enough to avoid the sack, and he did that for 20 years.

Brentford is two bus stops in Ealing, It is near Gunnersbury (no relation). Brentford beat Arsenal 2-0 and I reckon that is the upset of the season so far.