Despite waiting for it all summer, it does feel as though the new football season has snuck up on us. It’s hard to believe that it all starts again this weekend, nine more months of highs and lows on the pitch (and with the bookies). After a long summer with no World Cup or European Championship to savour, it’s fair to say most fans are recharged ahead of the new campaign.
While this week doesn’t mark the start of the new Premier League season, that’s a further week away, we’ve still got plenty of action to look forward to. The Scottish Premiership gets under way on Saturday, while we have plenty of other games on around Europe. This is the big weekend for Super Cup action, the annual curtain raisers to the league seasons. Here we’re previewing two of those games – the Community Shield from England and the Trophée des Champions from France… well, Canada actually! Plus we’ve got details of two games from Scotland, with betting tips included for all the games mentioned.
Saturday 1st August 2015
Celtic v Ross County (12:45) – Celtic -2 handicap (13/10 with BetVictor)
The first game of the new Scottish Premiership season sees Celtic beginning the defence of their title, with Ross County the visitors to Celtic Park. A late winning run kept County out of relegation trouble last season, but will they be able to stay out of the mire this year? Their squad has been seriously depleted over the summer, so it’s hard to see them causing the champions much difficulty on the opening day. They look set for a fight for survival again, so don’t expect them to show too much here.
Celtic come into this season having made some smart additions, and it’s tough to see anyone challenging them for the title this season. With Rangers still struggling in the Championship, the Bhoys lack any legitimate rival in the top flight. Given how much talent they now have going forward, they should be able to easily sweep aside Ross County this weekend. We’re backing them to take the three points in impressive style, backing them on the -2 handicap, which seems like good value at 13/10.
PSG v Lyon (20:00) – PSG to win to nil (6/4 with Coral)
Late on Saturday night sees the French Super Cup (the Trophée des Champions), which is branching out overseas this season. The game takes place in Quebec, giving the Canadians a taste of French football. They’ll be getting the very best, with the defending Ligue 1 champions facing their nearest challengers. Lyon haven’t spent big this summer, but they have a great togetherness in their squad, and they’ll be hoping they can get one over the Parisians on their day. It does look like that will be a tall order here though.
PSG have already added a few impressive signings this summer, bringing Benjamin Stambouli back to the league were he first stood out. They’ve added Serge Aurier, and look poised to bring in Angel Di Maria from Manchester United. Once again they are far and away the team to beat in France, with the bookies making them the 1/6 favourites for the title. They’re slightly better priced in this game, but they’re still well backed to win some more silverware. We see them having too much for Lyon in this one, and those summer signings should help them to win to nil, which is our tip here.
Sunday 2nd August 2015
Hearts v St Johnstone (13:30) – Draw (5/2 with Bet365)
Hearts fans will be in full voice as they welcome their side back into the Premiership at Tynecastle on Sunday. The Championship winners will host St Johnstone in BT Sport’s opening game before the Community Shield which kicks off later, making for a great double header of action. St Johnstone were impressive in the league last season, recording a fifth placed finish, and they should prove to be tough opposition for the Edinburgh side this weekend.
As for Hearts, they’ve had a far from impressive pre-season. They’ve lost a few key players over the summer, including a few who dropped down a league to play for Rangers. Robbie Neilson’s side haven’t won any of their last five club friendlies, and they’ve offered very little other than wins against a couple of Irish sides. With a strong St Johnstone side first up, Hearts may not get the dream return to the top flight they had hoped for. We’re backing a draw here, which would be a great start for the Saints.
Chelsea v Arsenal (15:00) – Draw (5/2 with BetVictor)
The big game of the weekend comes from Wembley Stadium, with the FA Cup winners Arsenal facing league champions Chelsea. The Blues come into the game as favourites, but this game looks like it’s very evenly matched. Jose Mourinho’s side have had far from the most impressive pre-season, so they may struggle early on here. With both teams returning from big globe-trotting adventures, it’s hard to imagine they’ll both be 100% going into this game.
The big talking point going in to this game is Petr Cech going up against his former club. If you don’t count the pre-season tournaments (and who really does?) this will be Cech’s debut, and it comes against his former club. The jury is still out on what he can do for the Gunners’ league fortunes, but he’ll certainly have an effect here. A draw between these two is our tip. Remember, the Community Shield goes straight to penalties after 90 minutes, so a draw would see Cech take on Thibaut Courtois in a shootout. Wouldn’t that be a great way to settle the first silverware of the season?
Together these four bets make up a 62/1 accumulator with Coral, which sounds like the perfect way to kick off the new campaign. While we suggest you take a look at each of the singles, the fourfold is surely worth a low stake, which could still give you an incredibly profitable start to the new football season.