It’s the moment so many of you have you been waiting for, the return of the Premier League. To get the season underway, there is a Friday evening kick-off that sees Arsenal take on Leicester. Two former champions of the Premier League fell below expectations last year and they’ll be looking to put things right this campaign. Next up are Watford and Liverpool for the Saturday lunchtime game. It’s the first competitive test for Marco Silva as Watford manager and he’ll be eager to impress the home fans with a strong opening display.
This is an especially big weekend for Brighton fans who get to see their side play their first ever Premier League match. They’ve been dealt a very tough first test as they welcome Pep Guardiola’s big spending Manchester City to the south coast. West Ham have also been dealt a tricky opening clash, a trip to Old Trafford awaiting them. Both United and the Hammers have made some good looking signings in the transfer market and there will be plenty of faces making their debuts on Sunday.
Friday 11th June 2017
Arsenal v Leicester (19:45) – Arsenal to win (9/20 with Bet365)
We’ve already had a taste of what Arsenal might produce for us this season as we saw them beat Chelsea on penalties in the Community Shield. Although described as a glamorous friendly by some, there’s no denying Arsenal took this game seriously and the victory will have done nothing to damage morale. Arsene Wenger could be without any combination of Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Alexis Sanchez for this game but he does have plenty of other attacking players at his disposal including record signing Alexander Lacazette. With confidence a lot higher than it was a few months ago, Arsenal look capable of making a strong start to the season.
Leicester ended what has been an uninspired pre-season period on a high note as they edged past Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1. Craig Shakespeare will know that he can get more out of his players when the occasion calls for it but getting them to perform on the road has proven difficult for him. Had the league table only counted away games last season then Leicester would’ve survived the drop only on goal difference. Last term is in the past of course but it’s hard to see what Shakespeare can do differently to transform his side’s fortunes outside of the King Power Stadium.
Saturday 12th August 2017
Watford v Liverpool (12:30) – Under 2.5 goals (21/20 with BetVictor)
Although Marco Silva was relegated with Hull last season, he was largely praised for what he managed to do with the players at his disposal. Away from home, he was unable to improve the Tigers but he helped turn the KC Stadium into a fortress. The Watford faithful will be hoping he can work such magic at Vicarage Road and given that they’ve bolstered their midfield with some useful signings, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility. For this game though, goals look like being a real problem. Troy Deeney and Mauro Zarate are both out which leaves Stefano Okaka as the only senior striking option.
It took a stunning strike from Emre Can to decide the match the last time Jurgen Klopp’s side visited Watford. There’s no questioning what his men can do against the big sides but against the smaller teams, the Reds found themselves unstuck far too often. One of their worst defeats was to Marco Silva’s Hull so the Portuguese boss does know how to successfully counter Klopp’s tactics. The Reds will have been working hard to try and improve their strategy for these sorts of matches but until we see evidence that they’ve cracked it, back this being a low scoring, scrappy affair.
Brighton v Man City (17:30) – Manchester City to win with a -1 handicap (11/10 with Ladbrokes)
Brighton fought tirelessly to reach the top tier of English football and now they are here, they’ll be desperate to seize the moment. Chris Hughton’s side impressed for much of last season and ended up with the joint best defensive record in the league. Trying to stay strong against the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling is a whole new challenge but they are set to keep faith in the backline that served them so well last season. One notable change has occurred in goal however as record signing Matthew Ryan replaces David Stockdale.
As much as Brighton will be relishing this moment, they could well be crashing back down to earth by the end of the game. Guardiola has well and truly splashed the cash this summer and now boasts the most expensive defence in world football. His side looks much improved on the one we saw last year and the new boys have contributed to some good results pre-season. The Citizens beat Real Madrid, Spurs and West Ham by three goal margins and they can use this momentum for another comfortable win against a team they should be beating with little difficulty.
Sunday 13th August 2017
Man United v West Ham (16:00) – Man United to win and under 3.5 goals (evens with Coral)
West Ham finished in the bottom half last season but fans and pundits alike are predicting better things this year. Key summer signings have been brought in such as proven Premier League goalscorer, Javier Hernandez, the mercurial Marko Arnautovic and England shot-stopper Joe Hart. With improvements made in areas which were previously weak, Slaven Bilic’s squad look capable of a better year. Don’t expect them to hit top form immediately though as pre-season form suggests they will need some time before getting things right.
Jose Mourinho will have been pleased to see that Romelu Lukaku has made a positive start to his Red Devils career. Converting chances was a big issue for United last season that resulted in far too many draws but with the clinical Belgian leading the line, this should become a thing of the past. That said, don’t think that Old Trafford will turn into a hub for high scoring matches. Mourinho’s main focus will still be on not conceding and his defence should be as tight as ever, especially with Nemanja Matic now shielding the back line. It will be a tough afternoon for his players but they should have enough to edge past an improved looking West Ham side.