Premier League football returns with a bang as the first fixture back sees Arsenal host reigning champions Manchester City, whilst two teams with 100% records, Chelsea and Swansea City, also come head to head this weekend. All 20 teams are in action and we will aim to guide you through the four biggest games this weekend providing some value betting tips.
Eight teams are still looking for their first win of the campaign, whilst the pressure is also mounting on managers despite only being three games in to the league. This promises to be yet another exhilarating round of Premier League fixtures.
Saturday 13th September 2014
Arsenal v Manchester City (12:45) – Over 2.5 Goals (8/11 with Coral)
After losing in their last Premier League game at home to Stoke City, Manuel Pellegrini will be looking for a reaction from his side whilst Arsenal will also be looking for their first win since the opening game of the season after back to back draws. The two sides have already met this season in the Community Shield in a 3-0 win for Arsenal, but we expect a much closer game this time. A draw is best priced at 7/5 with Coral which is our tip for this game, whilst another win for Arsenal is 2/1 with BetVictor. For City to gain revenge and win this game you can get a best price of 7/5 with Coral.
A positive for City fans is that Sergio Aguero came through 83 minutes of football for Argentina last Wednesday against Germany and won’t play again until the game against Arsenal. We expect him to make his second start of the season here and he is our tip to score – 6/4 anytime and 11/2 to score first with Coral. Arsenal meanwhile are without their first choice striker Olivier Giroud but they certainly still have goals in their side, not least with England’s two-goal hero Danny Welbeck now in the fold. After the last two games between these side saw 11 goals it would come as no surprise if we see another goal fest here. Over 2.5 goals is 8/11 in this game with Bet365 and is one to add to the accumulator of those who can’t call this game between two evenly matched sides.
Chelsea v Swansea (15:00) – Chelsea to Win by One Goal Margin (14/5 with Ladbrokes)
Two sides with 100% records come up against each other at Stamford Bridge after the international break. Garry Monk’s men are playing some great football at the minute whilst Chelsea look as strong as ever. The Blues will likely be without Diego Costa for this one with Loic Remy or Didier Drogba set to deputise – not bad options to have. We expect a Chelsea win in this game which is 2/7 with Betfred due to the squad depth which will mean they aren’t likely to miss the Spanish forward to much. A draw is at 5/1 with Bet365 and an unlikely away win is 10/1 with Ladbrokes – but a surprise could potentially be in the offing in what has already been an unpredictable Premier League season.
The most common winning margin for Chelsea in each of the last previous three seasons has been one goal and Ladbrokes are offering customers 14/5 for another narrow win. We expect this to be a tight game due to the way in which Swansea have started the season, playing fearless football which has seen them win away at Old Trafford already this year. We don’t expect them to win but they will certainly make it hard for Chelsea. A 1-0 home win is 13/2 with BetVictor whilst a 2-1 win is 9/1 with the same bookie, the latter seeming a good choice for potential scorecasts or just correct score betting.
Liverpool v Aston Villa (19:45) – Liverpool to win (1/4 with Totesport)
Having failed to win in each of the last three games against Aston Villa at home, Liverpool will be looking to overcome this recent poor record in their fourth game of the season. They will be without Daniel Sturridge who suffered a thigh injury in England training so it will be looking likely that Mario Balotelli will make his first start at Anfield for the Reds – he is 15/4 with Bet365 to score first. Our tip for this game is a home win, best priced at 1/4 with Totesport. For Villa to continue their good recent record at Anfield and win is 12/1 with BetVictor, whilst a draw is 11/2 with Bet365.
Although we expect a home victory in this game, Villa have started the season well – they are currently unbeaten in the league – and we expect them to trouble Liverpool’s defence. For a home win and both teams to score, Coral give the best odds of 2/1 but we think the plain and simple home win is the way to go here.
Sunday 14th September 2014
Manchester United v QPR (19:45) – Manchester United to by Two or More Goals (3/4 with BetVictor)
Louis van Gaal is still looking for his first competitive win as Manchester United manager and we expect this to finally come against newly promoted QPR – that outcome priced at 2/7 with Ladbrokes. After signing Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria in the last week of the transfer window we expect them to be too strong for a QPR side priced at 14/1 to win with BetVictor, who also have the best price for the draw at 5/1.
With a surplus of attacking talent, United will hope they click in this game and are 3/4 to win by two or more goals (-1.5 Asian handicap) with BetVictor, representing better value than the 2/7 previously mentioned. We can’t see this being a close game, mainly due to the money spent on attacking talent in the last two windows – including the coup of Falcao from Monaco on loan. For Falcao to mark his debut with a goal is 4/6 whilst the Colombian forward is 7/2 to score twice, which seems good value for a player so prolific.