The Hard Tackle presents to you the one-stop shop to scour all the best betting markets for the first weekend of the English Premier League.
It’s that time of the year again. The new season is upon us. Every team has strengthened themselves, either by buying players or keeping the ones they intended to keep. Still, as the first gameweek of the league dawns, there are many questions lingering on the minds of many.
With the return of the English Premier League though, our blog is back to help all budding and seasoned fans to look at some of the potentially profitable betting markets from the varied matches.
Arsenal FC vs Leicester City FC
Arsenal have strengthened formidably this season and look good on form, with a great pre-season and a Community Shield win under their belt. Alexandre Lacazette would be keen to hit the ground running while the absence of Alexis Sanchez could make it a bit difficult for the Gunners.
The Foxes, on the other hand, have strengthened their defence a bit, with the arrival of Harry Maguire, who could be essential in the season. All eyes will be on Riyad Mahrez, who has been linked with a move away from the club, and it will be interesting to see whether Craig Shakespeare fields the player against the Gunners on Friday.
All in all, given the fact that it will be the first match of the season, we should expect a cagey opening, with Leicester putting up defensively in order to foil Arsenal’s chances. The match, though, is expected to be a close one and the handicap for Leicester looks like the value bet for this match, if any.
Favourable Bets
1. Leicester City Asian Handicap +1 @ 2.030
2. Half With Most Goals – 2nd Half @ 2.00
Underdog Bets
1. Full Time Scoreline – Arsenal 2 – 1 Leicester City @ 17.00
Chelsea FC vs Burnley FC
Antonio Conte looks frustrated at the Chelsea board and the fans fear they could be in to see a repeat of Chelsea’s horrible defence of their title under Jose Mourinho in 2015/16. The squad is thin at various positions and the start of the season could really determine the shape their title defence will take.
Burnley’s away form was shambolic, to say the least, last season. Their equally surreal home form saw them survive. This season, Sean Dyche would hope to alleviate the horror of the away games and a good performance at the home of the champions could be vital to that.
Ideally, Chelsea should come out on top. But, with Eden Hazard nursing his injury and Diego Costa on his way out, the Blues may face several challenges on Saturday. Burnley, too, have just sold their star forward Andre Gray to Watford and could also face similar troubles going forward.
Expect this match to have a flurry of corners and a close scoreline.
Favourable Bets
1. Burnley Asian Handicap +1.5,2.0 @ 1.920
2. Over 10.5 Corners @ 1.72
Underdog Bets
1. Sam Vokes to score anytime @ 6.00
Watford vs Liverpool FC
A match that should be the most entertaining fixture of the weekend. Both the teams have strengthened quite a bit and it will be interesting to see how Watford fare under Marco Silva. The manager’s home record all throughout his managerial career is astounding and Liverpool are in for a fight on Saturday.
Favourable Bets
1. Both Teams to Score – YES @ 1.90
2. Over 2.5 Match Goals @ 1.80
3. Liverpool Clean Sheet – No @ 1.57
Underdog Bets
1. Over 3.5 Match Goals @ 3.00
2. Both Teams to Score in 1st Half – YES @ 5.00
3. Both Teams to Score in 2nd Half – YES @ 3.50
Newcastle United FC vs Tottenham Hotspur FC
A match that could have far reaching consequences. Both the teams feel short-staffed at the moment and a loss for either side could trigger some massive movement in the transfer market. All roads, though, point towards a scoring match and one where Pochettino could be shown that he indeed needs more signings to compete this season.
A potential upset on the cards, maybe?
Favourable Bets
1. Harry Kane to score anytime @ 1.72
2. Newcastle United Asian Handicap +0.5 @ 2.20
Underdog Bets
1. Ayoze Perez to score anytime @ 4.33
2. Newcastle United – Draw No Bet @ 3.75
Manchester United FC vs West Ham United FC
Another match that could also see a potential upset. Javier Hernandez’s arrival has strengthened the Hammers to a great extent, along with the signing of Pablo Zabaleta, who is sure to add some much needed leadership at the back.
Romelu Lukaku is expected to hit the ground running at his new club and we may see Mourinho try out the pairing of Marcus Rashford and Lukaku, which could prove to be disastrous for Slaven Bilic & co.
Favourable Bets
1. Romelu Lukaku to score anytime @ 1.72
2. Over 2.5 Match Goals @ 1.66
Underdog Bets
1. Romelu Lukaku to score 2 or more @ 4.00
Miscellaenous Bets
Manchester City open their account at Brighton, which could either be a bloodbath or a Matthew Ryan masterclass. Huddersfield might just surprise Frank De Boer and his Crystal Palace side while Everton vs Stoke is expected to be a high octane encounter.
Favourable Bets
1. Everton to beat Stoke City @ 1.70
2. Crystal Palace vs Huddersfield Both Teams to Score – YES @ 1.95
3. AFC Bournemouth Draw No Bet vs West Brom @ 2.10
4. Southampton vs Swansea – Over 10.5 Corners @ 2.00
Underdog Bets
1. Gylfi Sigurdsson to score anytime @ 4.50
2. Joshua King to score anytime @ 3.25
Value Bets of the Gameweek
This is a new section that we have started, which lists the value bets of the gameweek among the aforementioned suggestions.
West Brom vs Bournemouth – Bournemouth to Win @ 3.30
West Brom are struggling with injuries to defenders and with no real reinforcements coming in for Tony Pulis, Eddie Howe & co. could add salt to the Baggies’ wounds on Saturday.
Watford vs Liverpool – Over 2.5 Match Goals @ 1.80
This is one of those bets that has a more than certain chance of happening, given the nature of Marco Silva and Jurgen Klopp’s footballing philosophy.
