Premier League Predictions > Aug 13th - 15th

[StevieDay1983]

The second round of Premier League games are here with their odds available to view above. It was a bizarre opening round of matches and it's now even harder to see past Manchester City retaining their league title. A lot of unanswered questions regarding the other teams though! Let us know your bets for this week's games below! 

[ALEXXXXXXXX]

Southampton vs Leeds United

O/U Pick: Under 2.75

[StevieDay1983]

Aston Villa vs Everton

The Premier League games kick-off this weekend with the 12:30pm BST start on Saturday afternoon between two teams that lost their opening weekend matches in the shape of Aston Villa and Everton from Villa Park. Both teams are managed by relatively young managers who played a key role in the 2000s and 2010s era of the top flight but are now looking to earn their own accolades from dugout. They could inflict early season pressure on each other here though.

Aston Villa suffered a disappointing 2-0 loss away to Bournemouth on the opening weekend of action and it's led to several memes flying round stating that head coach Steve Gerrard now boasts the same managerial record at Villa as Gary Neville during his doomed tenure at Valencia after 28 games in charge. The Lions did lose their opening game of last season to newly promoted Watford by a 3-2 score away but did go on to lose just 1 of their next 6 league games but that was under former gaffer Dean Smith. Some fans are already calling for Gerrard to go but they appear to be in the minority with the majority having faith in the decision-making of the owners who appear keen to back Gerrard for the time being. Villa ended last season without a win in their final 3 league home games. If Villa are going to win this then it's worth noting that they won by 2 goals or more in 11 of their 13 wins last season. Ollie Watkins could be involved which would be a huge boost for Gerrard.

Everton put up a brave effort against Chelsea at home in their opening league game last week but still fell to a 1-0 loss with no points taken. Head coach Frank Lampard is another man who divides opinion at the club he manages. The Toffees continue to make changes to their playing squad with the loan signing of Connor Coady bolstering the defensive line, midfielder Amadou Onana adding strength to midfield, and rumours that the club could be set to re-sign Idrissa Gueye back from PSG. I'm not sure if Lampard will start Salomon Rondon in the absence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin but clearly the front-line needs a focal point. There have been suggestions that Dele Alli could play as a false nine but we'll see. Everton definitely still need more quality and a striker signed in this window. The club's away record was also appalling last season with 13 losses from their 19 away league games. It's a good job Lampard made the decision to sign James Tarkowski and Coady because both Ben Godfrey and Yerry Mina could be ruled out for a while.

This is officially the most-played fixture in the top flight of English football and there is a lot of pressure on both managers already. The murmurings are clear to see from the fans on both forums online and a loss for either side would put their manager up against the naysayers. Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last 6 meetings with Everton and I wouldn't be surprised to see that run improve here. Both teams clearly have their issues but I am more concerned for Everton this season than I am Villa.

Aston Villa to Win @ 1.87 with SpreadEx

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.80 with SBK

[Couch Potato]

If you have a William Hill account, they are offering 'EPIC ODDS' of evens on a goal being scored in the Villa/Everton game tomorrow. According to Hills, the original/true odds were 1/16 (not convinced about that myself, but no matter).

Maximum stake is £10.

If you stick said tenner on it, then bet £2.50 on 'no goalscorer' @7-1, you are guaranteed a return of £20 for your £12.50 outlay. 

Also, there is of course an outside chance of getting a £40 return, if the game finishes 1-0 via an own goal.

[StevieDay1983]

Arsenal vs Leicester

We are treated to five 3pm BST kick-offs in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon and with temperatures set to soar once again it's going to be a hot one! Here, I'm taking a look at Arsenal versus Leicester at the Emirates Stadium. The home team will be looking to continue living up to the pre-season hype surrounding them against an away side that are on the brink of seeing their team torn apart at the seams by vultures.

Arsenal have been tipped by many to "do bits" this season (as the kids say!) and their opening day display against Crystal Palace showed exactly why. The 2-0 victory was never really in doubt and Mikel Arteta has been further boosted by the return to training of Emile Smith Rowe, Fabio Vieira, and Takehiro Tomiyasu. Gabriel Jesus looked lively in the opening game and even though he didn't score he has bagged 5 goals in his last 7 league appearances against Leicester so is a fair shout for anytime scorer again this weekend. Gabriel Martinelli is another consideration for that bet having scored in back-to-back Premier League games. Arsenal did also only manage to keep one clean sheet in their last 8 home league games of last season and that came against Leicester. The Gunners did possess the 3rd best home record in the top flight last season behind only Manchester City and Liverpool. 

Leicester continue to sleepwalk towards a season of under-achievement under Brendan Rodgers. I did hold hope that after a summer of rebuilding and strengthening that if they had to sell a couple of their big names early on in the window then they could survive. It's now mid-August and the transfer speculation surrounding the likes of James Maddison, Wesley Fofana, and Youri Tielemans is still there but none have left. The fact the club are replacing former number one Kasper Schmeichel with ex-Cardiff keeper Alex Smithies maybe suggests that the board are tightening the purse strings a bit. It's a concern with the Foxes not bringing anyone in this summer so far either. At the very least, it's poor squad management. Leicester have only managed one clean sheet in their last 26 away league games. In addition to losing Schmeichel, full back Ricardo Pereira is also unavailable due to injury. Striker Jamie Vardy could be their main hope of getting something here having scored 11 goals in his previous 14 league games versus Arsenal.

It's worrying for Leicester that Arsenal are looking so good coming into this game but the London club have also won the last three league meetings between the two teams. Leicester also possess a terrible away record against Arsenal having managed just 1 win in their last 25 away league games against the Gunners. I'm struggling to see Leicester getting anything in this match. Something isn't right with the Foxes and this could be a long season if they don't start waking up a bit.

Arsenal HT/FT @ 2.40 with SpreadEx

Anytime Scorer: Gabriel Martinelli @ 3.40 with SportNation

[u1905068]

1 hour ago, Couch Potato said:

If you have a William Hill account, they are offering 'EPIC ODDS' of evens on a goal being scored in the Villa/Everton game tomorrow. According to Hills, the original/true odds were 1/16 (not convinced about that myself, but no matter).

Maximum stake is £10.

If you stick said tenner on it, then bet £2.50 on 'no goalscorer' @7-1, you are guaranteed a return of £20 for your £12.50 outlay. 

Also, there is of course an outside chance of getting a £40 return, if the game finishes 1-0 via an own goal.

Bit silly from William Hill to do this, I guess it might be a way to attract people to subscribe to their PLUS membership.

Anyone knows if it's worth getting a PLUS account? I guess the only way to do it is on any of their onsite shops?

[Couch Potato]

4 minutes ago, u1905068 said:

Bit silly from William Hill to do this, I guess it might be a way to attract people to subscribe to their PLUS membership.

Anyone knows if it's worth getting a PLUS account? I guess the only way to do it is on any of their onsite shops?

Would you believe that they even gave me a £5 free bet via their free 'Scratch Of The Day' promotion if I bet £10 on football today!

So I end up with a minimum £7.50 profit plus another £5 to bet with.

Small potatoes I know, but every little helps!

[StevieDay1983]

Brighton vs Newcastle

The second 3pm BST start on Saturday afternoon that I'm previewing in the Premier League is a clash between two sides from opposite ends of the country that impressed in their opening weekend matches. The home side could really make a statement of intent with a win here against a visiting team that are expected to rise further up the table due to their massive financial war chest.

Brighton could not have wished for a much better start to their league campaign as they humbled Manchester United by a 2-1 score in the Red Devils' own backyard. If we're being honest, 2-1 severely flattered United too. Graham Potter's side showed that despite losing Yves Bissouma and Marc Cucurella over the summer, his team remain a very dangerous opponent for any team in the top flight. Pascal Gross scored both of the goals for the Seagulls and he's now scored 4 goals in his last 4 games for Albion. Brighton are on an epic run in the league at the moment of just 1 loss from their last 10 league games and they have already won against Arsenal, Tottenham, and Manchester United during that stint. Unfortunately, only four teams in the top flight had a worse home record than Brighton last season.

Newcastle are being expected to push on up from their 11th placed finish last season and Eddie Howe's men started their season off by meeting expectations with a business-like 2-0 win at home to newly promoted Nottingham Forest last weekend. A goal each from Fabian Schar and Callum Wilson helped the Magpies to get off to the perfect start but can they win on the road against a very tricky opponent here? Just the 350 miles to travel for the game. Newcastle are one of the in-form teams this calendar year so far with only Liverpool, Manchester City, and Tottenham earning more league points in 2022. They are hoping to win their first two league games of a Premier League season for the first time since 1997/98. However, they have only managed to win 1 of their last 10 first away league games of the season. 

There is no doubt that Howe will be looking forward to this game having recorded 5 wins over Brighton as a manager which is his joint best record against any team. That said, Brighton haven't lost any of their 5 home league games played against Brighton in the Premier League. Both teams have every reason to be confident of getting a win in this one but I don't think I can separate them. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see this end in a 1-1 or 2-2 draw.

Draw @ 3.40 with SpreadEx

BTTS @ 1.92 with SBK

[harry_rag]

1 hour ago, Couch Potato said:

If you have a William Hill account, they are offering 'EPIC ODDS' of evens on a goal being scored in the Villa/Everton game tomorrow. According to Hills, the original/true odds were 1/16 (not convinced about that myself, but no matter).

Maximum stake is £10.

Thanks for that, was about to post along similar lines. >0.5 goals is 1.11 on BF so 1/16 would be fairly skinny!

1 hour ago, Couch Potato said:

If you stick said tenner on it, then bet £2.50 on 'no goalscorer' @7-1, you are guaranteed a return of £20 for your £12.50 outlay. 

I'll just let it run at evens I think, in the long run I suspect you'd make more just taking this sort of value rather than hedging it, but can't argue with the notion of locking in a profit!

1 hour ago, Couch Potato said:

Also, there is of course an outside chance of getting a £40 return, if the game finishes 1-0 via an own goal.

 Quite right. I can only think of one occasion in all of my years of betting where that happened when I wanted it to but it resulted in one of my top 5 biggest wins. Around an hour of hoping no further goal was scored to bugger it up.

25 minutes ago, u1905068 said:

Bit silly from William Hill to do this, I guess it might be a way to attract people to subscribe to their PLUS membership.

They got away with it last week when the (slightly less generous) offer was Liverpool at evens to beat Fulham. Maybe that funded the offer of a juicer carrot this weekend! 

[StevieDay1983]

Manchester City vs Bournemouth

If one thing was certain from the opening weekend of games in the Premier League it's that Manchester City have a very dangerous squad spearheaded by the duo of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland. The reigning champions take on newly promoted Bournemouth in their second league game of the campaign in a 3pm BST kick-off on Saturday afternoon from the Etihad Stadium. Is this ending in any other way than a home team demolition job on their visitors?

Manchester City looked every bit the reigning league champions in their opening game 2-0 victory away to West Ham. It's probably fair to say that with Haaland bagging both goals the Citizens didn't even step out of second gear for the majority of the game. A stark warning to the rest of the league. Pep Guardiola's side now move onto their next opponents and with it being against a newly promoted side and at home you'd think this would be a more welcoming proposition but we know Guardiola won't let his players get complacent. The team will still be without the duo of Kalvin Phillips and Aymeric Laporte but this is not a City team short in depth. City boast the impressive statistic of only losing 1 of their last 22 opening home league games of the season. The last four such games have produced an average of 5.8 goals per game. The club have scored at least two goals in each of their last 10 league matches. 

Bournemouth will have been pleased to pull off an encouraging 2-0 win against Aston Villa at home in their first league game back in the top flight but this is a challenge on a whole new level. The Cherries saw a goal each from Jefferson Lerma and Kieffer Moore do the business last weekend with the clean sheet also being a bonus. Scott Parker will want his team to give it their best shot of being just the fourth newly promoted team in the Premier League to win their first two league games of a season with Bolton in 2001/02, Hull in 2016/17, and Huddersfield in 2017/18 being the only previous teams to have managed such a feat. Parker also has the opportunity to become the first top flight manager to beat the reigning champions with two different clubs away from home. Unfortunately, he has lost all 4 of his previous meetings with City as a manager.

OK, so the most glaring statistic for this fixture is the fact that Manchester City have 10 wins from their 10 Premier League matches against Bournemouth which is the best 100% record in the history of the Premier League era. In fact, Bournemouth haven't won any of their 16 meetings with City. In those 16 encounters, Bournemouth have only ever led for a total of 8 minutes. That's a damning bit of form right there. My advice is to back City to the hilt and you might as well triple captain Haaland in your fantasy team this week because based on what we saw last weekend there aren't many teams that are going to stop him this season!

Manchester City -2 @ 1.65 with Betway

To Score 2 Goals Or More: Erling Haaland @ 2.75 with Live Score Bet

[malabgd]

Brentford FC vs Manchester United

2022-08-13T18:30+02:00

 

Brentford FC

Doubtful: -

Out (injuries/other): Kristoffer Ajer (0/0 d), Sergi Canos (0/0 m), Ethan Pinnock (0/0 d)

Suspended: -

 

Manchester United

Doubtful: -

Out (injuries/other): Brandon Williams (0/0 d), Victor Lindelof (0/0 d), Facundo Pellistri (0/0 m), Anthony Martial (0/0 f), Mason Greenwood (0/0 f)

Suspended: -

 

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

[StevieDay1983]

Southampton vs Leeds

The penultimate preview for the 3pm BST kick-offs on Saturday afternoon in the Premier League is a fascinating encounter between two teams anticipated to endure tough seasons this year but who experienced contrasting emotions on the opening weekend of action. It's Southampton versus Leeds at St Mary's Stadium and the home team need a win after taking a battering last week as they go up against a visiting side looking to build on a pleasantly surprising start to their campaign.

Southampton fans and football pundits in general have stated that this could be the toughest season yet for Ralph Hasenhuttl at the Saints. If the 4-1 loss away to Tottenham is anything to go by then they might not be far wrong. It's worth noting that it was an impressive display from an improving Spurs side but the same old defensive issues appear to be haunting Southampton this season. It had briefly looked so positive for Southampton last week when James Ward-Prowse gave his team a 1-0 lead after 12 minutes but the fightback came leaving Southampton stunned. It's now 10 opening home league games without a win for Southampton now. Southampton have also failed to win either of their opening two league games in 7 of the previous 8 seasons. The club is also on the brink of equalling a club record 6 straight league defeats. It's all very grim reading for the south coast side.

Leeds were a team I thought might struggle under the big overhaul by head coach Jesse Marsch but the 2-1 win at home to Wolves on the opening weekend showed that this Whites team might have more to them. It was particularly commendable how they battled back from going 1-0 down after just 6 minutes to get the win thanks to a goal from Rodrigo and an own goal from Rayan Ait-Nouri. Leeds have only managed to win both of their first two league games of a season on one occasion in the last 12 years and that came back in the Championship in 2018/19. Striker Patrick Bamford could be a shout for anytime scorer having bagged a goal in each of his last three league appearances against Southampton. There is also a chance that Marsch could give a debut to winger Luis Sinisterra.

There's a reason that Southampton fans should actually be optimistic about this game despite the historical statistics linked to their opening home game results and that is that they have won 4 of their last 5 home encounters with Leeds. Leeds have also lost 6 of their last 8 league trips to Southampton. Is this the game where it all changes? I'm not sure. Once again, I'm not convinced I can call a winner here. I wouldn't be surprised if they played out a draw.

Draw @ 3.60 with Betfred

Total Goals Scored Over 2.5 @ 1.75 with SBK

[freddie01]

Stevie.Thanks for the effort you put in with the previews. Just wanted you to know it's very much appreciated.

[StevieDay1983]

52 minutes ago, freddie01 said:

Stevie.Thanks for the effort you put in with the previews. Just wanted you to know it's very much appreciated.

Not a problem, @freddie01. Glad you enjoy them. Hopefully get some winners in this week! 

[StevieDay1983]

Wolves vs Fulham

Two teams that experienced contrasting opening game results last weekend will go toe-to-toe in the final 3pm BST kick-off on Saturday afternoon when Wolves host Fulham at Molineux. The home side will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing loss away last week as they face an away team that took a shock point at home against one of the pre-season title contenders in their first game back in the top flight after promotion last season.

Wolves come into this game with the pressure already cranked right up. The double whammy of losing 2-1 away to Leeds last weekend and the loan exit of former club captain Connor Coady has left the fans reeling. The signing of Valencia forward Goncalo Guedes will hopefully calm the tension but make no mistake this is a game the fans will be expecting their team to win. Bruno Lage is fast losing the backing of the supporters and it's not hard to see why. It's now 8 league games without a win for Wanderers in a run stretching back to last season. To make matters worse, Wolves are without a Premier League win in August in 11 games now. Disconcertingly, Wolves earned more points on their travels than at home last season. The team have also lost their opening home league game of a season for two years running.

Fulham pulled off one of the results of the weekend last week as the Premier League newcomers held on for a 2-2 draw with Liverpool at home. A brace from striker Aleksandar Mitrovic suggested that the Serbian front man might well have altered his game to adapt to play and perform at this highest level after a record-breaking campaign last year. The Cottagers could still yet feel disappointed this week because if they fail to win they will equal a club Premier League record of 12 league games without a win in a row. The last time Fulham were in the Premier League they picked up more points on the road than they did at home. The club have only managed to win their opening away league game in the Premier League in 2 of their last 15 attempts.

The historical statistics heavily favour Wolves over Fulham with the Black Country club winning 9 of the last 12 meetings with the last three matches being a win by a 1-0 score. In fact, Fulham haven't managed to pick up a win in any of their last 13 visits to Wolves in the league. To add further misery to the stats, Wolves have won 5 of the last 6 encounters in the Premier League played at Molineux. It's all pointing towards a Wolves win... except current form... but I think we could see Wolves give Fulham a dose of Premier League away day reality. An opening day home game against a massive club is a different world to a gritty away game at perennial mid-tablers.

Wolves to Win @ 2.38 with Betfred

BTTS @ 1.87 with Betfair

[StevieDay1983]

Brentford vs Manchester United

The evening kick-off in the Premier League on Saturday is a 5:30pm BST start between Brentford and Manchester United from the Brentford Community Stadium. Both of these teams failed to pick up a win in their opening league game of the season. The home team will undoubtedly be delighted with their away comeback against Leicester but the away side will be holding an inquisition about how they lost at home to Brighton.

Brentford were a team many felt might have issues this season. The term "second season syndrome" has been bounced around a fair bit in pre-season. After the first 46 minutes of their opening league game last weekend you'd have been forgiven for thinking that expectation was holding true. However, a goal each from Ivan Toney and Josh Dasilva helped the London club hit back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against Leicester. Head coach Thomas Frank will be smelling blood in this game. The addition of Danish international Mikkel Damsgaard has boosted the quality in the Brentford ranks. The Bees do still have a defensive headache with both Kristoffer Ajer and Ethan Pinnock ruled out. Brentford haven't lost any of their opening home league games for the last six seasons. The team did also keep a clean sheet in 5 of their last 7 home league games of last season.

Manchester United are a team in crisis right now. I believe the unprofessional phrase would be that it's a sh*t show! Head coach Erik ten Hag started his reign with a 2-1 loss at home to Brighton but it was the manner of the defeat that was the most worrying. The Red Devils looked defensively fragile. New signing Lisandro Martinez looked out of his depth. Captain Harry Maguire continued his woeful form and still looks like an appalling leader on the pitch. The central midfield combination of Fred and Scott McTominay failed to deliver a performance. Then there's the impotency up front. If United lose this game it'll be the first time since 1979 that they have lost four league games in a row. The team have also lost 6 league games away from home in a row. They haven't lost 7 away league matches in a row since 1936. That is the scale of disaster United are staring at right now.

Somehow, Manchester United come into this game as firm favourites but I just cannot muster the courage to back them. It's clear that the issues lie deep within the United hierarchy and the fact ten Hag has been told to temper his expectations in the transfer market says everything about the ambition levels being fed down from the top. The quality that United boast they should be coming away from this game with a solid win but I can't find it in myself to back them. The price on a Brentford win looks too good to turn down. Brentford are more cohesive, work harder, more fluid, more organised, and more settled than United. The Dutchman may well prove to be a decent appointment but it's not going to happen overnight.

Brentford to Win @ 3.90 with SpreadEx

Anytime Scorer: Ivan Toney @ 3.30 with SportNation

[StefanBB]

Arsenal vs Leicester City

Arsenal will look to build on a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace when they host Leicester City at their Emirates Stadium on Saturday. The Gunners impressed in the season opener, but they do not want to stop now. Despite failing to find the net on his official Arsenal debut, Gabriel Jesus will continue to lead the line for the capital club while there are no fresh injury worries in Mikel Arteta’s team. Arsenal’s defense has been pretty tight lately, as they conceded in only one of the last four games. On the other hand, their offense bagged eight goals in the previous two games. The Gunners are full of confidence, and they want to pick up where they left off.

On the other hand, the Foxes played out a 2-2 draw with Brentford in the season's opening match. That draw broke their four-game winning streak during the pre-season. Although Leicester City enjoyed a 2-0 lead, they didn’t manage to convert it into three points. Brendan Rodgers continues to rely on Jamie Vardy up front, and he is likely to stick to the 3-5-1-1 formation. The likes of Harvey Barnes, Ryan Bertrand, and Ricardo Pereira are sidelined with injuries for the away team. The away side wants to bounce back and put a good display against a tough opponent.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction                                                                            

Although Leicester City is a tricky team, Arsenal has been excellent this summer. Therefore, we think the Gunners will continue in the same fashion and record another home victory.

Goals Market Prediction

Six of their last seven encounters stayed under a 2.5 margin, but we don’t believe we’ll see another low-scoring game. Both teams have been pretty productive lately, and they should produce at least three goals in total.

Arsenal to Win @ 1.53

Over 2.5 FT @ 1.70

Correct score 3:1 @ 13.00

[slipkid]

15 hours ago, freddie01 said:

Stevie.Thanks for the effort you put in with the previews. Just wanted you to know it's very much appreciated.

Very much this. I don't post much but I appreciate those that do! Thanks.

[andypandy23]

19 hours ago, Couch Potato said:

If you have a William Hill account, they are offering 'EPIC ODDS' of evens on a goal being scored in the Villa/Everton game tomorrow. According to Hills, the original/true odds were 1/16 (not convinced about that myself, but no matter).

Maximum stake is £10.

If you stick said tenner on it, then bet £2.50 on 'no goalscorer' @7-1, you are guaranteed a return of £20 for your £12.50 outlay. 

Also, there is of course an outside chance of getting a £40 return, if the game finishes 1-0 via an own goal.

No goalscorer 7-1, but 0-0 score is 8-1 boys.

[alexcaruso808]

it was looking good for under 2.5 goals in the Aston Villa vs Everton match.  I left the room for a few minutes, came back and the score was 2-1 ?

[allthethings]

Wasn't sure I was going to take this, but as the odds have risen Brentford-Man U are now a play on the draw @ 3.85. Premier League matches featuring a home dog at this range of odds in my database draw about 27% of the time, but against Man Utd these dogs have drawn 36% of the times, through bad and good years.

[allthethings]

I swear to god, posting here is the kiss of death. Nice call, Stevie.

Edited August 13, 2022 by allthethings

[StefanBB]

Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur

There will be fireworks when Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur face each other in a highly-anticipated London derby. Chelsea kicked off the new Premier League campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Everton, where Jorginho scored the only goal of the match. Thomas Tuchel's men continue to rely on their rock-solid defense, which seems to be even stronger with the new signing Kalidou Koulibaly in the back line. The German manager should have a full squad to choose from for the local derby. The Blues look forward to keeping their backline tight and snatching a victory in front of their fans.

On the other hand, Spurs came from behind to crush Southampton 4-1 in their opener. Despite failing to open his goal-scoring account at the weekend, Harry Kane will continue to lead the line for the visitors. The Spurs have improved their squad, and they aim high this season. They want a top-four finish again while hoping to be involved in the title race. Nevertheless, they need to show a good display against a direct contender for the Champions League ticket at the end of the season. Owing to a completely injury-free group ready to go, the Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte does not have any fitness concerns to report coming into this clash.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction                                                                            

It is going to be an exciting match that can easily go either way. Therefore, we won't be surprised if these two teams split points, and the Spurs might be happier with that outcome.

Goals Market Prediction

Four of their last six clashes at Stamford Bridge stayed under a 2.5 margin. Chelsea has been pretty solid in the back, but we don't think the Blues will keep the clean sheet. Therefore, the crowd should enjoy goals in both nets.

Draw @ 3.45

BTTS Yes @ 1.80

Correct score 1:1 @ 7.00

[StevieDay1983]

Nottingham Forest vs West Ham

The Premier League offers two matches on Sunday afternoon with the first game up being the 2pm BST kick-off between newly promoted Nottingham Forest and West Ham from the City Ground. Both teams came away from their respective opening weekend matches with defeats and failing to even score a goal last week so they'll be hoping to change that in this game.

Nottingham Forest have spent big this summer to prepare for their first season in the top flight since 1999. Those additions clearly weren't enough against Newcastle away in their opening league game as the Magpies took a comfortable 2-0 win. Steve Cooper has moved swiftly to further strengthen his team with the shrewd signings of Watford striker Emmanuel Dennis and former West Ham and Crystal Palace central midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate. The Tricky Trees will feel this is a game where they can potentially get their first 3 points of the season. The opposition may be tough but Forest managed to pull off some big scalps at home in the FA Cup over recent against the likes of Arsenal and Leicester. Defence is a concern for Cooper with centre backs Scott McKenna and Steve Cook both unlikely to be involved. Cooper will also want to address the fact his team failed to even have a shot on goal last week. Is it worth backing Jesse Lingard to score any time against the team he bagged 9 goals in 16 matches for when on loan?

West Ham come into this game wanting to kick start their season after the unsurprising 2-0 loss at home to reigning champions Manchester City last weekend. David Moyes saw his team experience the devastating ability of striker Erling Haaland but this will feel like a game they can win. The Hammers are likely to have new signing duo of Gianluca Scamacca and Maxwel Cornet available for this game. The bad news is that West Ham have lost 6 of their last 8 matches across all competitions. Have the wheels come off the Moyes express? However, each of the 7 away victories West Ham picked up last season came against teams that finished in the bottom half of the table. The East Londoners have also won 10 of their last 14 top flight league games against newly promoted teams. There could be another any time scorer pick in the form of Michail Antonio who scored 16 goals in 50 appearances for Forest before he moved to West Ham.

Funnily enough, this is the first time that these two teams have met since an encounter in the FA Cup back in 2014. Who won that? Well, surprisingly, it was a resounding 5-0 victory for Nottingham Forest. It's perhaps more appropriate to read that Forest have managed just 2 wins in their last 21 league meetings with West Ham. I wouldn't be surprised to see Nottingham Forest squeeze a point out of this one. A first Premier League home game since 1999 will be a massive occasion on the banks of the River Trent. It's going to be a cracker so I'm going to back a draw at least for the home team.

Nottingham Forest Double Chance @ 2.06 with SBK

Anytime Scorer: Jesse Lingard @ 5.50 with Betfair

[StevieDay1983]

Chelsea vs Tottenham

The big game of the weekend comes our way at 4:30pm BST on Sunday afternoon when two potential title chasers in Chelsea and Tottenham meet at Stamford Bridge. It's probably fair to say that these two teams are considered to be amongst the favourites for qualifying for next season's Champions League but will either side strike a psychological blow with a victory here?

Chelsea have experienced a summer of transition with the new owners of the Todd Boehly consortium coming in and taking us all by surprise by not holding back with the chequebook. Head coach Thomas Tuchel will have been gutted to lose a few of his big names in Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, and Romelu Lukaku... OK, maybe not Lukaku, but he's added quality in Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Marc Cucurella. More signings are reportedly on the way. The Blues started their season with a nervy 1-0 win over Everton away thanks to a Jorginho penalty. It was far from a convincing display but it was 3 points and a clean sheet. Classic Tuchel! It's alleged that Chelsea will be without Mateo Kovacic and Marcos Alonso as the latter of those finalises his exit to Barcelona. Chelsea boast an impressive away record in the league under Tuchel but their home record is not so good. The team have dropped points in their opening home league game of the season in 4 of the last 7 seasons.

Tottenham are looking like the real deal under Antonio Conte. Who'd have thought that if Daniel Levy actually backed his manager then the manager would deliver. Spurs won their opening game of the season in emphatic fashion with a 4-1 win over Southampton. It wasn't surprising to see striker Harry Kane drawing a blank but that didn't take away from the dangerous attacking threat Tottenham showed. It's now 4 straight league wins for Spurs stretching back to last season. Unfortunately, Tottenham only managed to earn 1 point from their 5 London derby away games last season. The pair of Oliver Skipp and Clement Lenglet are both set to be ruled out but Richarlison could be in line for his first start for the club since his summer move from Everton.

OK, Tottenham fans, you might want to look away. Tuchel has picked up 5 wins in 5 matches against Tottenham since taking over as Chelsea manager. Tottenham have only actually been able to pick up 7 wins from their 60 Premier League encounters with Chelsea. I do think the times are a-changing at Spurs though and they'll be a tough opponent for any team this season. I can see them grinding out a draw in this one.

Draw @ 3.53 with VBet

Total Goals Scored Under 2.5 @ 1.96 with SBK

Click here if you want to enjoy enhanced odds for this game with 888Sport 

[allthethings]

23 hours ago, allthethings said:

I swear to god, posting here is the kiss of death. Nice call, Stevie.

As if to prove my point, I had Nottingham to win today at 3/1, but did not post it. Draw your own conclusions.

[DarrenTse]

Anfield is the ideal venue for Liverpool to bounce back from a slight loss, especially when playing a team they have won 10 straight games against. Vieira's team shouldn't pull any surprises here. We can only see the Reds returning to winning ways on Monday.

Pick: Liverpool (-1.5/-2) 

[alexcaruso808]

I'm also going for Liverpool, I think this should be a relatively easy game.

Liverpool @ 1.22

Anytime goalscorer Mohamed Salah @ 2.00

 

 

[StevieDay1983]

17 hours ago, allthethings said:

As if to prove my point, I had Nottingham to win today at 3/1, but did not post it. Draw your own conclusions.

That's the thing, @allthethings. You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain!  Just post all the time and then you'll cover all bases. Guaranteed you'll break the hoodoo at some point!

[StevieDay1983]

Liverpool vs Crystal Palace

The Monday night game in the Premier League will see Liverpool and Crystal Palace go head-to-head in an 8pm BST kick-off from Anfield. Both teams failed to win their opening league game of the season last weekend so that adds further pressure on them to get 3 points in this one. The odds are stacked in favour of the home team here but can the visitors spring a shock result?

Liverpool were taken by surprise by Fulham's pressing display last week in the 2-2 draw away to the newly promoted London club but Jurgen Klopp's men will be keen to get back to winning ways here and avoid dropping further off the fast pace set by Manchester City and Arsenal after two games. The Reds came from behind twice to snatch a point at Craven Cottage and despite the disappointment of dropping 2 points the fans will be delighted to have seen Mohamed Salah and new signing Darwin Nunez both get on the score sheet. The bad news is that central midfielder Thiago Alcantara has been ruled out with injury and that is a big blow. The statistics are in favour of the Merseysiders though with the club remaining unbeaten during 2022. The team have also won their opening home league game for the last 9 seasons. 

Crystal Palace suffered the new wrath of a rejuvenated Arsenal on the opening day of action with the Eagles going down to a 2-0 loss. Patrick Vieira won plaudits last season for the way he evolved the team after the Roy Hodgson tenure. Unfortunately, a big player from last season in Conor Gallagher is no longer with the club after returning to his parent club Chelsea. Palace did end up having a very decent record on Monday nights in the league last season having gone unbeaten in all 5 of their Premier League matches played on that day. Vieira will likely be without James Tomkins and James McArthur for this game but there is a chance that attacking midfielder Michael Olise could return to the match day squad having been back in training this week.

The name of Crystal Palace may well be etched in the nightmares of Liverpool fans after the notorious 3-3 draw at Selhurst Park back in 2014 that effectively ended Liverpool's title hopes that season but Palace are currently on a 10 game losing run against the Reds in the league. However, it's worth noting that Klopp's first competitive defeat as Liverpool manager was a 2-1 loss at home to Crystal Palace back in 2015. I can't see that score happening here. Liverpool are a wounded animal and they could wreak havoc here against a Palace team who didn't look up to their standards of last season in their opening game.

Liverpool HT/FT @ 1.75 with Coral

Liverpool -1 @ 1.65 with Betway