After a thrilling first weekend of Premier League action, we’ve got another tasty round of matches to whet your appetite this weekend. Swansea City and Manchester United kick things off on Saturday afternoon, with Sunday’s blockbuster affair at Wembley between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea ending the round.
The Sky Bet Championship also continues, as all 24 teams play in midweek and at the weekend. On Friday night, Burton Albion host Birmingham City at the Pirelli Stadium, while Sunderland and Leeds United square off at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
The leagues in Germany and Italy kick off this weekend, too. We’ll be looking at the pick of the matches from the German Bundesliga and the Italian Serie A.
- Swansea City v Manchester United – Manchester United to Win 2-0 (11/2 at Bet365)
- Stoke City v Arsenal – Arsenal to Win and Both Teams to Score (23/10 at Betferd)
- Huddersfield Town v Newcastle United – Draw (9/4 at BetVictor)
- Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea – Tottenham Hotspur to Win (Evens at Betfair)
- Burton Albion v Birmingham City – Birmingham City to Win -1 (9/2 at Betfred)
- Sunderland v Leeds United – 1-1 Draw (11/2 at Bet365)
- Bayern Munich v Bayer Leverkusen – Bayern Munich to Win 4-0 (14/1 at Betfair)
- Inter Milan v Fiorentina – Draw and Over 3.5 Goals (12/1 at Sky Bet)
Premier League
Arsenal and Leicester City kicked off the new Premier League season with a memorable encounter at the Emirates Stadium last Friday night. In a topsy-turvy game, in which the Foxes led twice, the Gunners went onto win 4-3 in London.
Elsewhere, Liverpool were held by Watford in a pulsating 3-3 draw, Chelsea were beaten 3-2 at home by Burnley in what was a massive shock to the champions, whilst Tottenham Hotspur and the two Manchester clubs all began their campaigns with comfortable victories. What do we have in store in the Premier League this weekend?
Swansea City v Manchester United – 19th August
Saturday’s early kick off comes from the Liberty Stadium, as Paul Clement’s Swansea City welcome Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United to South Wales.
The Swans earned a solid point at Southampton last week, which was a decent start to their season. As for United, they dominated against West Ham United, with new signing Romelu Lukaku off the mark with two goals in the 4-0 win.
The Red Devils will be hoping to follow up their big win over the Hammers with another three points in this one. We like the look of Bet365’s 11/2 for a 2-0 away triumph.
Manchester United to Win 2-0 – 11/2 at Bet365
Stoke City v Arsenal – 19th August
Stoke City and Arsenal have had several ding-dong battles in Stoke-on-Trent in recent years, will we be treated to another one on Saturday? The Gunners head to Stoke as the bookies’ favourites.
Arsenal will still be recovering from their battling 4-3 win over Leicester in the Premier League’s opening game on Friday, but they will back themselves to get the job done in this one. The Potters, meanwhile, were beaten 1-0 at Everton, with Wayne Rooney scoring the only goal of the game in Merseyisde.
Arsene Wenger’s men showed plenty of fighting spirit against the Foxes, which will stand them in good stead as the season progresses. As superb as they were in attack, Arsenal had notable problems at the back. Therefore, have a punt on the away win and both teams to score (23/10 at Betfred) on Saturday.
Arsenal to Win and Both Teams to Score – 23/10 at Betfred
Huddersfield Town v Newcastle United – 20th August
Huddersfield Town began their first ever season in the Premier League in unforgettable fashion, as they won 3-0 at Crystal Palace. This weekend, they entertain Newcastle United at the John Smith’s Stadium.
It was a debut to remember for the Terriers, as David Wagner’s men thumped the Eagles at Selhurst Park. As for the Magpies, Jonjo Shelvey’s red card was their downfall against Tottenham, as Rafa Benitez’s boys went onto lose 2-0 at St James’ Park.
Although Huddersfield will be riding on the crest of a wave, they must be careful in this one. We fancy this to end all square in Yorkshire. BetVictor have the draw priced at 9/4.
Draw– 9/4 at BetVictor
Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea – 20th August
The standout match in the Premier League comes from Wembley on Sunday, as last year’s top two go head-to-head. Tottenham Hotspur welcome Chelsea to their temporary home as the favourites to take maximum points.
It was a disastrous start for Antonio Conte last week, as Burnley rocked up and shocked them at Stamford Bridge. Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas were sent off for the Blues, and will both miss the trip to the national stadium. Spurs, meanwhile, cruised to a 2-0 win at Newcastle.
There’s problems already at Chelsea. Despite making a number of strong signings over the summer, they still need one or two quality players to come in before the window slams shut. We can see them losing again, so have a look at Betfair’s solid price of evens for a Tottenham win.
Tottenham Hotspur to Win – Evens at Betfair
Championship
Only four teams have a 100% record after two games in the Sky Bet Championship, as Cardiff City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town have made perfect starts. All 24 clubs are in action in midweek, before playing at the weekend. We’ll be focussing on Friday night’s match between Burton Albion and Birmingham City, and Saturday’s tasty match between Sunderland and Leeds United.
Burton Albion v Birmingham City – 18th August
Nigel Clough’s Burton Albion host Birmingham City at the Pirelli Stadium on Friday evening. The Brewers may be on home soil, but it’s Harry Redknapp’s Birmingham who are the favourites.
It’s been a testing start for Burton, who have lost their opening two Championship fixtures, scoring just once along the way. As for the Blues, they hit back with a 2-1 win over Bristol City last Saturday, after losing their opener to Ipswich.
We can see Redknapp’s boys kicking on in this one. It could turn out to be a comfortable evening for the away team, so check out Betfred’s price of 9/2 for Birmingham to win with a -1 goal handicap.
Birmingham City to Win -1 – 9/2 at Betfred
Sunderland v Leeds United – 19th August
Simon Grayson goes up against his former club on Saturday evening, as Sunderland host Thomas Christiansen’s Leeds United at the Stadium of Light.
These two promotion hopefuls have both taken four points from their opening two league games. Sunderland drew with Derby County before winning 3-1 at Norwich City. As for Leeds, they beat Bolton Wanderers 3-2 away from home, but were held to a goalless home draw by Preston North End on Saturday.
We’re having a hard time splitting these two, so we suggest backing the draw. Have a punt on the 1-1 stalemate, with Bet365’s 11/2 being your best price.
1-1 Draw – 11/2 at Bet365
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich are once again expect to be the top dogs in Germany, as Carlo Ancelotti’s troops are the 1/5 favourites to win the Bundesliga title. However, the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Red Bull Leipzig will have other ideas. The Bavarians kick off the new season on Friday night, as they welcome Bayer Leverkusen to the Allianz Arena.
Bayern Munich v Bayer Leverkusen – 18th August
Carlo Ancelotti’s men will be looking to start their campaign with three points against Bayer Leverkusen on Friday night. As expected, FC Hollywood are the strong favourites to claim a routine win.
Despite a decent challenge from Leipzig in the early months of last season, Bayern were once again unstoppable in Germany’s top flight. This summer, they have added the likes of James Rodriguez and Serge Gnabry to their side, which makes them even stronger this time around.
Leverkusen – who recently sold their main man Javier Hernandez to West Ham United for £12m – could be in for a long night in Munich. We feel there’s good value in Betfair’s tempting odds of 14/1 for a 4-0 home triumph in this one.
Bayern Munich to Win 4-0 – 14/1 at Betfair
Serie A
With several of the big clubs in Italy spending big money over the summer, we’re all set for what should be an enthralling battle for the title in Serie A this season. Juventus are once again favourites, and rightly so. However, the likes of Napoli, AC Milan, Roma and Inter Milan won’t be too far behind this time around. We’ll be turning our attention to Inter’s home match with Fiorentina this Sunday.
Inter Milan v Fiorentina – 20th August
Inter Milan have been busy in recent months, with former Roma boss Luciano Spalletti taking over the managerial reigns in the summer. They host Fiorentina at the San Siro in their season opener.
It was a disappointing campaign for Inter last year, who finished in a lowly seventh place. As for Fiorentina, they ended their season a place behind in eighth. Both teams will be aiming higher this term.
In the two Serie A games between the two last season, there were a staggering 15 goals. We’re predicting goals in this one, with Sky Bet’s 12/1 for the draw and over 3.5 goals standing out.
Draw and Over 3.5 Goals – 12/1 at Sky Bet