In the Premier League this weekend, Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion get the action up and running on Friday night. On Saturday, Crystal Palace welcome Southampton to Selhurst Park, while Swansea City make the trip to Wembley Stadium to take on Tottenham Hotspur.
Those clashes may not be the most exciting for neutrals but they should still be interesting matches nonetheless. Two mouth-watering top-flight fixtures take place on Sunday though, as Chelsea host Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in the early kick off. Later in the day, Manchester United and Everton square off at Old Trafford with the hosts looking to maintain their fine start and the visitors in need of a result.
We’ll also be looking at the pick of the action from the Sky Bet Championship, French Ligue 1 and Spanish La Liga. We have a game from each of those three leagues to round out the football action very nicely indeed.
- Bournemouth v Brighton & Hove Albion – Bournemouth to Win (6/5 at Betfair)
- Crystal Palace v Southampton – Southampton to Win to Nil (16/5 at BetVictor)
- Tottenham Hotspur v Swansea City – Tottenham Hotspur to Win -2 (15/8 at Betfair)
- Chelsea v Arsenal – Chelsea to Win and Both Teams to Score (23/10 at Betfred)
- Manchester United v Everton – 1-1 Draw (10/1 at Bet365)
- Barnsley v Aston Villa – Draw (12/5 at Bet365)
- Paris Saint-Germain v Lyon – Paris Saint-Germain to Win 4-0 (11/1 at Betfair)
- Real Sociedad v Real Madrid – Real Madrid to Win and Over 3.5 Goals (12/5 at Coral)
Premier League
After Manchester United’s 2-2 draw at Stoke City on Saturday evening, no side in the Premier League has a 100% record to their name after four games. Manchester City – who thumped Liverpool 5-0 – and United lead the way on 10 points apiece. Last weekend, Arsenal got back to winning ways with a comfortable 3-0 win over pointless Bournemouth. Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, won 3-0 at Everton and were hugely impressive as the Toffees were blown away.
Bournemouth v Brighton & Hove Albion – 15th September
Bournemouth will be looking for their first win of the season when they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to the Vitality Stadium on Friday night. Four defeats and just one goal scored will have Eddie Howe seriously concerned.
Chris Hughton’s men announced themselves in the Premier League last weekend, beating West Bromwich Albion 3-1 at the Amex Stadium. The Cherries, meanwhile, fell to a fourth straight defeat, losing 3-0 at Arsenal.
Howe pulled off some shrewd business over the summer and it’s only a matter of time until his team click together. We fancy Bournemouth to seal their first points on Friday, with Betfair’s 6/5 for the home win standing out. A home game against one of the promoted sides is just what they need right now and we fancy them to get their campaign up and running at last.
Bournemouth to Win – 6/5 at Betfair
Crystal Palace v Southampton – 16th September
Crystal Palace, who sacked Ronald de Boer on Monday, entertain Southampton in a Premier League fixture on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles have lost all four of their league fixtures thus far and are yet to score a goal.
Whoever takes charge of the London club has their work cut out, as Palace have looked very poor during the season so far. As for Southampton, they have five points to their name under new boss Mauricio Pellegrino.
We fancy the Saints to pile even more misery on the Eagles at the weekend. BetVictor are offering 16/5 for the away team to win to nil at Selhurst Park.
Southampton to Win to Nil – 16/5 at BetVictor
Tottenham Hotspur v Swansea City – 16th September
Tottenham Hotspur will be hoping to finally break their Wembley Stadium hoodoo when they host Paul Clement’s Swansea City on Saturday evening.
It’s been the same old story for Tottenham at Wembley, as the Lilywhites have taken one point from a possible six at their temporary home so far. Away from home, though, Spurs have been scintillating, beating Newcastle United 2-0 and Everton 3-0. That latter scoreline flattered the Merseyside outfit too, so Spurs will be full of confidence for this one.
As for the Swans, they will have been disappointed to have lost at home to Newcastle on Sunday, and we believe they will lose again this weekend. Have a punt on Tottenham to win -2, which you can get at 15/8 with Betfair.
Tottenham Hotspur to Win -2 – 15/8 at Betfair
Chelsea v Arsenal – 17th September
We’ve got a mouth-watering London derby from Stamford Bridge to look forward to this Sunday, as Antonio Conte’s Chelsea and Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal lock horns.
Chelsea have recovered like champions after their opening weekend humiliation by Burnley. The Blues have won the following three, with two of those wins coming away from home. The Gunners have also responded well after their heavy 4-0 defeat at Liverpool before the international break, as they beat Bournemouth 3-0 on Saturday.
With Chelsea being at home, they will fancy their chances of picking up another three points this weekend. Although we can see Arsenal scoring, we like the look of Betfred’s 23/10 for Conte’s troops to win and both teams to score at the Bridge. The Gunners really struggle in these big games and we can see this one ending 3-1.
Chelsea to Win and Both Teams to Score – 23/10 at Betfred
Manchester United v Everton – 17th September
On Sunday afternoon, Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United welcome Ronald Koeman’s Everton to Old Trafford. The Red Devils sit at the top of the table, despite dropping points last time out away at Stoke.
As for the Toffees, even though they made a bright start to their Premier League season, they sit in a lowly 16th place in the table after two damaging defeats in a row. After drawing 1-1 at Manchester City last month, can Koeman’s men take home another positive result from Manchester this time around?
Judging by recent form, everything is pointing towards an easy home triumph. However, both PL fixtures ended in 1-1 draws last term, and we’re backing the same 1-1 scoreline on Sunday given the very generous odds of 10/1 at Bet365.
1-1 Draw – 10/1 at Bet365
Championship
There are 10 games from the Sky Bet Championship in midweek, with five of the top six all in action on Tuesday. Leeds United host Birmingham City at Elland Road, while leaders Cardiff City make the trip to Preston North End. On Wednesday, Fulham host Hull City. However, we’ll be focussing on the weekend’s action, as Barnsley welcome Aston Villa to Oakwell on Saturday.
Barnsley v Aston Villa – 16th September
Aston Villa, who were the pre-season Championship title favourites, have made an average start to their campaign. After hosting Middlesbrough on Tuesday, Steve Bruce’s men make the trip to Oakwell to play Barnsley on Saturday.
Villa have taken a mere six points from six matches before Tuesday’s game with Boro. As for the Paul Heckingbottom’s boys, they have accumulated one point more. The Tykes face Derby County in EFL Cup action in midweek.
With neither side in great form, we can see the pair cancelling each other out on Saturday. Take advantage of Bet365’s 12/5 for the stalemate at Oakwell.
Draw – 12/5 at Bet365
Ligue 1
To nobody’s real surprise, Unai Emery’s huge spending Paris Saint-Germain have a perfect record after five matches in Ligue 1. PSG have taken 15 points from a possible 15 so far, leading the way in France’s top tier as a result. This weekend, they face a Lyon side who have taken a respectable 11 points from their opening fixtures. Can Bruno Genesio’s side become the first team to take anything away from the Parisians this season?
Paris Saint-Germain v Lyon – 17th September
Paris Saint-Germain will make it 18 points out of 18 if they can beat Lyon at the Parc des Princes this Saturday. After losing their Ligue 1 title last year, PSG will be eager to win it back this time around. They’ve invested huge sums to bring in two of the hottest names in world football and so far things have gone to plan.
The likes of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani were outstanding in last week’s 5-1 win at Metz. So far, Neymar has scored in all bar one match for his new side, whilst Cavani has netted seven in five league matches.
PSG should have no problems whatsoever in this one. We like the look of Betfair’s 11/1 for the hosts to stroll to a 4-0 home triumph on Sunday. PSG/PSG also looks a good – and safer – option at shorter odds.
Paris Saint-Germain to Win 4-0 – 11/1 at Betfair
La Liga
Ernesto Valverde has made the perfect start to his Barcelona career in La Liga, as his side sit top of the table on nine points out of nine despite the loss of Neymar. As for Real Madrid, after two home draws on the spin, they have just five points from their opening three games. Zinedine Zidane’s Los Blancos will be looking to get back to winning ways on Sunday when they travel to Real Sociedad.
Real Sociedad v Real Madrid – 17th September
Real Madrid have struggled to get going in La Liga this term, winning just one of their opening three matches. This weekend, French legend Zidane takes his team to Real Sociedad, who have taken maximum points from their three games.
Los Blancos need to get their act together after consecutive home draws. Sociedad, meanwhile, have made a faultless start to their campaign. Although this looks like a tricky game, Real (Madrid that is!) should be looking for all three points from their trip to Anoeta.
Los Merengues have netted 13 goals in six league and cup matches so far this term, and we can see them finding the net on more than one occasion on Sunday. Have a punt on Coral’s 12/5 for Real to win and over 3.5 goals.
Real Madrid to Win and Over 3.5 Goals – 12/5 at Coral