The English Premier League was full of surprises last weekend, so much so that it scared away our regular EPL tipster Commodore Vegas. Manchester City’s 3-0 drubbing of Chelsea was the highlight of an eventful weekend of football. Swansea and Leicester City impressed once more while Liverpool and Manchester United continue to grind out results. At the moment Manchester City look favourites for the title with Sunderland destined for the drop but it’s still early days and it’s only a matter of time until Chelsea and Arsenal find their way.
Saturday 22 August
Crystal Palace 8/10 | Draw 5/2 | Aston Villa 7/2
Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace will be hoping to get back to winning ways when they take on Aston Villa at Selhurst Park on Saturday. The Eagles gave a good account of themselves against Arsenal and were unfortunate to lose 2-1 with Damien Delaney’s own goal proving to be the decisive factor. Palace will turn their attentions to Aston Villa hoping to find the same kind of form that saw them outclass Norwich 3-1 on the opening day of the season. Tim Sherwood’s Villa side were also unlucky not to have come away with a point in their 1-0 home defeat against Manchester United and will need to be more prolific in front of goal if they are to get anything from this match. This has been a low scoring affair in recent times and while I do think Palace should do enough to secure the win, both teams not to score looks a safer bet at 15/20.
Leicester City 15/10 | Draw 23/10 | Tottenham 17/10
Leicester City will be looking to make it three wins on the bounce when they welcome a Tottenham side struggling to find their rhythm. The Foxes were worthy winners against Sunderland in their opening game of the campaign, winning 4-2 at the King Power Stadium and did remarkably well to bring West Ham down to earth who were still celebrating their win over Arsenal. Claudio Ranieri’s side are on high and with the in-form Riyad Mahrez who already has three goals, Spurs will need to be at their best. Mauricio Pochettino will be relying on the likes Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane to produce the goods but the duo have both looked out of sorts. Spurs have won the last three meetings but the Foxes are no pushovers and this time they could get something out of it. The draw is tipped at 23/10.
Manchester United 4/10 | Draw 36/10 | Newcastle 13/2
Louis van Gaal’s galacticos have been far from convincing but regardless have six points to show for it. Memphis Depay was outstanding in United’s 3-1 play-off win against Club Brugge in midweek, scoring twice and assisting Marouane Fellaini to put the final nail in the coffin. Depay will be looking to take that form into this match and hassle Newcastle’s fullbacks with his pace, dribbling and quick feet. Steve McClaren’s side are still awaiting their first win of the new season having drawn their opener 2-2 against Southampton and losing 2-0 to Swansea in their last meeting. Newcastle will be without the services of Daryl Janmaat following his suspension against the Swans last weekend which will only make matters worse. United have won the last three encounters with Newcastle and are tipped to extend that record. Include that bet in all multiples.
Norwich City 13/10 | Draw 22/10 | Stoke City 21/10
Norwich come into this match off a resounding 3-1 win away at Sunderland and will be hoping to defy the odds of upsetting Mark Hughes’ highly-talented Stoke City side. The Potters are still in search of their first win of the season having lost their opener 1-0 to Liverpool followed by a 2-2 draw at Spurs in their last outing. Stoke have a plethora of weapons in their attack with the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Ibrahim Afellay and Mame Biram Diouf a daunting sight for any defence. Stack your money on Stoke, they’re great value at 21/10.
Sunderland 26/10 | Draw 9/4 | Swansea City 21/20
Garry Monk’s enchanting Swansea team will travel to the Stadium of Light to take on a Sunderland side in discomfort. The Black Cats suffered two heavy defeats against Leicester City and Norwich, losing 4-2 and 3-1 with their defence a major concern for Dick Advocaat. The Swans have been a joy to watch with their brand of exciting and free-flowing attacking football. Swansea did extremely well to earn a draw at Chelsea and were comfortable winners against Newcastle last weekend with Andre Ayew and Bafetimbi Gomis scoring in successive matches. Swansea are undefeated against Sunderland in their last six meetings and this should be another walk in the park. Back the Swans and let’s move on.
West Ham 5/4 | Draw 23/10 | Bournemouth 2/1
West Ham play host to Bournemouth on Saturday at the Boleyn Ground in what should be an entertaining matchup. Slaven Bilic pulled off an astonishing 2-0 victory over London rivals Arsenal in their opening game of the season but were humbled by Leicester City at home in their second match, losing 2-1. The Hammers will be eager to get back to winning ways but it won’t be easy against Eddie Howe’s spirited side. Bournemouth are coming off two 1-0 defeats against Aston Villa and Liverpool, but will be encouraged by their never-say-die performance in both those games. These sides have only met once before with the Hammers winning 2-0 in a club friendly match in 2013. It should be a close affair but the home win is tipped at 5/4.
Sunday 23 August
Everton 36/10 | Draw 3/1 | Manchester City 13/20
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Watford 17/10 | Draw 22/10 | Southampton 16/10
Newly-promoted Watford have managed two points from two games following draws against Everton and West Brom and will fancy their chances of springing an upset against a Southampton side in disarray. The Saints are coming off a shocking 3-0 home defeat to Everton and Ronald Koeman will be hoping for a positive reaction from the side that finished 7th last season. There are many dangerous players and huge scoring threats in this Southampton side with the likes of Dusan Tadic, Shane Long, Graziano Pelle and Manchester United target Sadio Mane, who could cause all sorts of problems for Watford’s defence. The Saints have won their last two encounters against Watford by 3-0 and 4-0 scorelines. The away win is tipped at 16/10. Get on.
West Bromwich 42/10 | Draw 26/10 | Chelsea 13/20
Chelsea will be looking to get their season back on track when they travel to the Hawthorns to take on West Brom. The Baggies are also targeting their first victory of the campaign having suffered a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City followed by a goalless draw away to Watford. Jose Mourinho’s side haven’t got off to their perfect start and while it’s two games too soon to call it a crisis, Chelsea have got to improve or face the risk of playing catch-up the whole season. Their defensive errors which were on show against Manchester City have resulted in the Blues acting quickly in the transfer market by signing Baba Rahman while still trying to prise away highly-rated Everton defender John Stones despite seeing a third bid of £30m rejected. The Blues have also beaten Manchester United in the chase to sign Pedro from Barcelona and the Spaniard could be in line to make his debut in this match. Pedro will add cutting edge and goals to Chelsea’s attack and will prove a great addition. With the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard, Oscar, Diego Costa and now Pedro in attack, the champions should prove too strong for the Baggies.
Monday 24 August
Arsenal 7/10 | Draw 28/10 | Liverpool 36/10
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EPL Picks
Crystal Palace BTTS (NO) 15/20
Leicester DRAW 23/10
Man United WIN 4/10
Stoke WIN 21/10
Swansea WIN 21/20
West Ham WIN 5/4
Man City WIN 13/20
Southampton WIN16/10
Chelsea WIN 13/20
Written by Chadley Nagel for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
