There were some shock results in the Premier League last week and LB was on the money with most of his Premier League betting tips and predictions. This weekend he expects Rice and Tonali to provide some home comforts and there to be fewer upsets on the cards
Chelsea v Luton
Fri 25 Aug 8:00 pm
Chelsea were utterly shown up by West Ham last week, as I suggested, and Pochettino will be looking to pick up his first win of the season at home to Luton. It’s hard to know what to make of The Hatters as they have only played one game, but it would take a miracle for them to get something from this one. If I had to bet I would take Carlton Morris one shot on target at 11/10. He managed three shots (one on target, one goal) against Brighton and Chelsea have looked vulnerable so far.
Bournemouth v Tottenham
Sat 26 Aug 12:30 pm
Spurs have adapted to Ange-ball an awful lot faster than I expected. That’s disappointing to me as an Arsenal fan but also frustrating as a bettor. If Tottenham struggled for a while their odds might start to adjust and there would be value in backing them. No such luck. They are probably going to win here but I’m not interested in them yet at odds-on. Maddison is only 5/2 for an assist which I was hoping to get better odds for too. Tottenham to win and BTTS looks the best value 9/4 but I’ll pass.
Arsenal v Fulham
Sat 26 Aug 3:00 pm
Arsenal continue their easy-on-paper start to the campaign when Fulham visit the Emirates on Saturday afternoon. Arsenal have a tendency to not put teams to the sword so the win market offers little interest. Arteta’s side dominated Nottingham Forest and Palace for the most part but ultimately escaped both games with the slimmest of victories. Again the value here is limited but Declan Rice looks overpriced at 13/8 for one shot on target. He demonstrated precisely why Arsenal signed him in a defensive role against Palace on MNF as The Gunners played with 10 men for the last half an hour. Oddly enough, however, he was challenged in his post-match interview on Sky about his lack of goal contributions and I suspect he might be out to answer some questions this week. Fulham were quite fortunate to win their opener and were then ravaged by Brentford last week. I expect plenty of opportunities for the Arsenal midfielders to shoot at a penned-in Fulham defense and Rice is worth a punt.
Brentford v Crystal Palace
Sat 26 Aug 3:00 pm
This game is impossible to call. Palace played competently against Arsenal but their lack of attacking options was clear for all to see. At the other end, it took a penalty for Arsenal to eventually break them down and Roy Hodgson’s side should be steady enough once again this term. Brentford’s win over ten-man Fulham tells us little about their level yet so no bet for me here either.
Everton v Wolves
Sat 26 Aug 3:00 pm
This already looks like a relegation scrap with both teams winless after two games. Wolves were very hard done by at Old Trafford and I expected them to bounce back last week. Instead, they were hammered by Brighton and any optimism they could take from their performance against United went up in smoke. Everton were similarly unlucky in the opener and were also obliterated last week. On paper, neither of these sides warrant backing but I’m going to go on a hunch here. Sean Dyche is a hugely underrated coach and I expect he will wrangle something out of his squad. A home win at 13/10 looks more than fair.
Man Utd v Nottm Forest
Sat 26 Aug 3:00 pm
United have looked well off it so far and if they were playing tougher opposition here I could be tempted to back against them. Nottingham Forest, however, looked overawed in their opener against Arsenal and I expect a routine win for United, even if they are not at their best.
Brighton v West Ham
Sat 26 Aug 5:30 pm
West Ham are definitely better than I expected and the arrival of Ward-Prowse could make a mockery of my preseason bet for The Hammers to go down. Their spirits will be high after a fantastic win over London rivals Chelsea and what looked to be a disappointing transfer window could soon be forgotten.
Brighton are enjoying a blistering start to this campaign despite a host of big-name departures and on paper the even-money home win looks decent. However, I am a firm believer that if something looks too good to be true then it probably is – and I am starting to expect a Brighton drop-off. It is hard to criticise their two wins so far, both 4-1 scorelines, but it is worth remembering these results came against Wolves and Luton. Brighton have not lost to West Ham since their return to the top flight (W6 D6 L0) so picking an upset here might seem foolish. Looking foolish has never stopped me before so West Ham at a hefty 17/4 is my pick here. I will also back the more conservative double chance market with West Ham To Win or Draw looking generous at 11/8.
Burnley v Aston Villa
Sun 27 Aug 2:00 pm
Burnley have not played since their opening day shellacking at the hands of Manchester City and it is hard to know what to expect of them against a resurgent Villa. I am very optimistic about Aston Villa this season and see a comfortable win for them on Sunday. Only once have Villa lost to a team below them in the table since Emery arrived and it is hard to see Burnley change that. I was torn between a Villa win here (11/10) and over 2.5 goals (evens) so I will take a chance on the combined market.
Sheff Utd v Man City
Sun 27 Aug 2:00 pm
I cannot find any value in this game. Handicap bettors might be tempted by City -2 at 7/5 but that is not my kind of bet.
Newcastle v Liverpool
Sun 27 Aug 4:30 pm
This is undoubtedly the game of the weekend and could go a long way towards dictating both of these teams’ seasons. I expect neither Newcastle or Liverpool to get involved in whatever title race emerges this season but both will be well in the hunt for a Champions League spot.
Jurgen Klopp will be delighted and not at all surprised to see Mac Alistar’s red card overturned after a soft dismissal last week. Liverpool were not all that impressive despite dismantling Bournemouth last week and I have not seen enough to have a read on them either way.
Newcastle’s worst performance of the Eddie Howe era came last weekend when they were totally nullified by City. That game might have been nothing more than a blip but it was a worrying performance nonetheless. Sandro Tonali cut a frustrated figure and without his impetus, Newcastle looked flat. The St. James Park crowd will surely give them something extra here but I’ll pass at 6/5.
Big games are often decided by big players and I like the look of Tonali to score anytime at 6/1. The Italian is not exactly a prolific scorer but he seemed the thrive under the attention of the home support in his debut and I have an inkling he will bounce back this weekend. Considering there are defenders priced lower to score this looks like good value.
Premier League Betting Tips
Arsenal v Fulham – Declan Rice 1+ SOT @ 13/8
Everton v Wolves – Everton To Win @ 13/10
Brighton v West Ham – West Ham Double Chance To Win or Draw @ 11/8
Burnley v Aston Villa – Aston Villa To Win & Over 2.5 Goals at 9/4
Newcastle v Liverpool – Sandro Tonali To Score Anytime 6/1
