The Premier League makes a welcome return to our screens this weekend, with some eye-catching games to kick us off with, including the season opener between Premier League new boys Burnley and the reigning Champions Man City.
GG editor Tom Aldridge has studied the fixtures and picked out his best bets for this weekends action.
SkyBet have a fantastic offer ahead of the opening game of the season – get a HUGE 40/1 on there being a shot on target in the Burnley vs Man City game! Simply click HERE or on the image below to sign up.
Odds correct at time of posting – 4.55pm Thursday 10th August
Burnley vs Man City (8pm Friday)
The season kicks off with a cracker, as Vincent Kompany’s Burnley welcome his old team and reigning Champions Man City to Turf Moor. It’s likely that Man City will prove too strong for Burnley, but that might not be as straightforward as you would imagine, especially with Burnley only losing once at home in the Championship last season.
Granted, Man City are a different proposition to the teams they faced last season, and when they came up against them in the FA Cup, Man City cruised to a 6-0 victory. However, you can guarantee the Burnley fans will have Turf Moor rocking, and this should be a much tighter affair than the previous one.
I think City’s class with eventually prove too much for Burnley, but I think it will only be the odd goal that wins it. Man City conceded in the away games against all three newly promoted sides last season, so I fancy Burnley to get on the scoresheet.
Prediction – Burnley 1-2 Man City
Best Bet – Man City To Win + Both Teams To Score (2/1)
Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest (12.30pm Saturday)
After winning the Community Shield last weekend, confidence will be sky high in the Arsenal camp and they should get off to the perfect start in the league against Nottingham Forest. They couldn’t have asked for a much easier assignment to kick off their campaign, with Nottingham Forest’s abysmal away record last season, and Arsenal boasting an impressive home record against them.
Arsenal have made some solid signings in improving their squad, with Declan Rice a major coup for Mikel Arteta’s side, and they look primed for another bold bid to rival Man City for the title this season. Nottingham Forest have signed the likes of Anthony Elanga and Matt Turner, but I feel they need to make plenty more signings if they want to stay in the Premier League for the foreseeable. Steve Cooper’s side drastically need some more firepower, having failed to score in their last four friendlies, and unless they address that soon they could be in for a long and painful season.
I fancy Arsenal to win this comfortably and they’ll be determined to send out a statement with the scoreline here. Backing Arsenal to win doesn’t pay much but the 10/11 available on an Arsenal win to nil looks superb value to me.
Prediction – Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest
Best Bet – Arsenal To Win To Nil (10/11)
Bournemouth vs West Ham (3pm Saturday)
This one looks a tough game to call, with plenty of question marks surrounding both sides. How will Andoni Iraola adjust to the Premier League? How will West Ham cope without Declan Rice? Time will tell!
Bournemouth have made a couple of good signings, and it looks like they’re getting Alex Scott from Bristol City, which I think will be an excellent bit of business from them. I still feel they need one or two more signings to be safe this season though, or they could be in for a tough season. West Ham look to finally be spending some of their money, with Harry Maguire and James Ward-Prowse coming in, alongside the recent signing of Edson Alvarez from Ajax, but they’re still crying out for a striker. Once they get a striker in, I think they can have a solid enough season, without the worry of relegation like they had last season.
I can see this being a tight affair, and I’m struggling to separate them. With that in mind, I’m playing it safe and going for a draw. I do fancy both teams to score though, with neither sides defence covering themselves in glory last season or during pre season.
Prediction – Bournemouth 1-1 West Ham
Best Bet – Jarrod Bowen 1+ Shot On Target (8/13)
Brighton vs Luton (3pm Saturday)
Brighton come into this season with plenty of expectation resting on their shoulders after a superb showing last season, and it would be a shock if they didn’t start this season with a win at home to newly promoted Luton.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side played some of the best football in the league last season, and so far have managed to keep hold of most of their key players. They’ve sold Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool, but their astute scouting setup seems to always find a suitable replacement and I’ve no doubt they’ll have done so again here.
Luton look destined for a difficult season, and haven’t made any serious moves in the transfer market to help matters. I don’t see them troubling Brighton here, and a comfortable victory for the Seagulls looks one of the safest bets of the weekend.
Prediction – Brighton 2-0 Luton
Best Bet – Brighton To Win To Nil (11/10)
Everton vs Fulham (3pm Saturday)
This one could go either way, but I’ve just come down on the side of Everton, mainly thanks to Sean Dyche. His focus on a tight defence could prove key here, and I think they can just edge this.
Everton have hardly set the world alight with their signings this summer, but bringing in Ashley Young is a solid option, and the loan signing of Arnaut Danjuma looks a good bit of business. Fulham have bought in Raul Jimenez from Wolves and Calvin Bassey from Ajax, but with lingering doubts over the futures of key players Willian and Aleksandar Mitrovic, now could be the perfect time to face Marco Silva’s side.
Everton have kept clean sheets in their last four pre season friendlies and should prove much tougher to break down this season, with a full Sean Dyche pre-season under their belts, and with the uncertainty around Mitrovic and Willian, I think an Everton win to nil bet could prove a wise option.
Prediction – Everton 1-0 Fulham
Best Bet – Both Teams To Score NO (11/10)
Sheffield Utd vs Crystal Palace (3pm Saturday)
In a similar case to fellow newcomers Luton, I think Sheffield United are in for a tough season and don’t look to have done enough in the transfer market. They face a Crystal Palace side who still look a tough opposition even after losing Wilfried Zaha, and I fancy the Eagles to leave Brammall Lane with all three points on Saturday.
Sheffield United deserve their chance in the Premier League after an impressive season in the Championship, but anyone could tell you they needed to significantly strengthen if they wanted to stay in the Premier League, and they simply haven’t done that. In fact, they’ve lost two of their key players in Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge, so they’re arguably weaker than last season.
Crystal Palace have lost Zaha but they still possess plenty of quality, with the likes of Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze in their ranks. They should prove too strong for the Blades here, and I fancy Eze to get on the scoresheet too. He’s been on fire lately and looks a good price to nab a goal.
Prediction – Sheffield Utd 0-2 Crystal Palace
Best Bet – Eberechi Eze To Score Anytime (9/4)
Newcastle vs Aston Villa (5.30pm Saturday)
These were two of the most exciting teams from last season and expectations will be high at both clubs coming into this season. St James’ Park will be a fortress for Newcastle this season and I think the home crowd could prove crucial to the result here.
Newcastle have made some good signings this summer, with Harvey Barnes probably the pick of the bunch. I think he’s a fantastic signing, and fits into their system perfectly. Aston Villa have also made some good signings, but the loss of Emi Buendia to injury is a major blow to them.
With no Buendia, I think Newcastly will prove too strong for Villa and the Toon Army can start the season with a big three points. I do fancy Villa to score though (and it will probably be Ollie Watkins!), so a Newcastle win + BTTS could be a great bet here.
Prediction – Newcastle 2-1 Aston Villa
Best Bet – Newcastle To Win + BTTS (5/2)
The Premier League 2023/24 – Season Preview & Recommended Bets
The Premier League returns on Friday. With it comes fresh hope for fans of all 20 teams, as well as fantastic betting opportunities for punters. We’ve highlighted our best bets for the 2023/24 season, alongside SkyBet‘s exclusive sign-up offer where you can get 40/1 about a shot on target in Burnley vs Man City. Simply click…
Wed 09 Aug 2023Brentford vs Tottenham (2pm Sunday)
Goals, goals, goals. This game is screaming out both teams to score, I’m sure of it! With both sides playing attractive, attacking football, and both teams struggling defensively, the BTTS route has to be the play here.
Brentford may be without Ivan Toney until January, but they’re still finding the back of the net on a regular basis and they put three past Tottenham last season without Toney, so I’ve no doubt they will continue to score without their star striker. Spurs have a new manager this season who is all about attacking football, which will be a welcome boost for Spurs fans who have suffered through watching Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte in recent years. That being said, they still need to improve defensively, with their defence a shambles last season, and having only recently signed Micky Van De Ven to bolster their backline, it remains to be seen whether he will be ready for Sunday’s game.
It’s a difficult game to predict the result of, but I’m convinced there will be goals, and probably plenty of them! If Harry Kane plays, I can see Tottenham grabbing the three points, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be a Tottenham player by Sunday (as it stands when writing this at least). Both teams to score isn’t the best value at 8/15, but the 10/11 available for BTTS + over 2.5 goals looks a solid bet and I can certainly see it landing.
Prediction – Brentford 2-2 Tottenham
Best Bet – Both Teams To Score + Over 2.5 Goals (10/11)
Chelsea vs Liverpool (4.30pm Sunday)
This is one of the toughest games to call this weekend. Going on last season, it’s difficult to guess what sides we’ll see – Chelsea were all over the place last season and Liverpool were a shadow of the side they’ve been in recent years. Chelsea have bought in Mauricio Pochettino, which is a good move, but he needs to hit the ground running to get Chelsea back in the European picture this season.
Chelsea have spent heavily again this summer, bringing in Christopher Nkunku (who suffered an unfortunate injury and is out for some time), Nicholas Jackson and Axel Disasi, to name just a few of their signings. All will need to adjust to the Premier League, but Nicholas Jackson has looked dangerous in pre season and will be keen to impress here. Liverpool have completely changed their midfield options, with Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister bringing plenty of energy to the engine room, but they’re still missing a defensive midfielder to replace Fabinho.
The last four H2H’s between these sides have finished a draw, so I’d say that’s probably the safest option again here. If one team is going to win, I’d say it would be Liverpool, so for betting purposes I’d suggest the 4/6 on Liverpool draw no bet.
Prediction – Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool
Best Bet – Liverpool Draw No Bet (4/6)
Man Utd vs Wolves (8pm Monday)
Erik ten Hag will be determined to be in the title mix this season and they’ve got a good opening game to kick them off. Wolves have lost Ruben Neves and recently parted ways with manager Julen Lopetegui, and although they’ve quickly brought in Gary O’Neill to replace the latter, they look set to struggle this season.
Man Utd have been busy this summer, brining in Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund, who all look good signings and will improve the team. I still think they’re one or two signings away from troubling their City rivals though, but there’s still a few weeks of the transfer window for them to address that. Wolves have lost their key player in Ruben Neves and are yet to replace him, which must be a worry for their fans. Their only notable signing this summer has been the re-signing of Matt Doherty, which is nothing to shout about!
Man Utd’s home form was solid last season and will likely be a similar story this year. This should be a fairly comfortable victory for the Red Devil’s, and after winning both H2H’s to nil last season, I’ll be backing Man United to do so again here.
Prediction – Man Utd 2-0 Wolves
Best Bet – Man Utd To Win To Nil (11/10)
WEEK ONE PREDICTIONS
- Burnley 1-2 Man City
- Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest
- Bournemouth 1-1 West Ham
- Brighton 2-0 Luton
- Everton 1-0 Fulham
- Sheffield Utd 0-2 Crystal Palace
- Newcastle 2-1 Aston Villa
- Brentford 2-2 Tottenham
- Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool
- Man Utd 2-0 Wolves
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