The time has come once again where soccer fans all over the globe are ready to kick off another season – Welcome to the beginning of a new English Premier League campaign. On Saturday August 24th as the third Matchday of the EPL will kick off as Pickswise, the home of free EPL Expert Best Bets Matchday 3 will dive into each game on Saturday and double your earnings quickly.
Brighton vs. Southampton
Final Score Bet – Brighton 2-1 +900
Chris Hughton’s sacking at the end of last season came after he managed to keep the low-budget Brighton in the Premier League for a second successive season as well as making the FA Cup semi finals, and understandably many thought it was something of an unjust dismissal.
However, 2 games into the Graham Potter regime and it’s looking like it could well have been the correct decision. The previously defensive Seagulls opened the campaign with a stunning 3-0 win away to Watford, and followed that by taking a point against a talented West Ham outfit last weekend.
Not only that, but their worrying over reliance on veteran striker Glenn Murray seems to have subsided. Their 4 goals have come via 3 different players and an own goal, with 2 of those scored by Potter’s summer signings Lenadro Trossard and Neal Maupay.
For Southampton, things are looking decidedly less bright. The Saints had high hopes for this campaign after their marked improvement under Ralph Hasenhuttl in the second half of last season, but so far that promise hasn’t come to fruition.
The visitors were hammered 3-0 at Burnley on the opening weekend of the season, and followed that with a much more understandable 2-1 defeat against Liverpool last weekend.
Southampton’s performance was better against Liverpool, but that 3-0 away defeat is a worry for a team that doesn’t exactly have the best away record. They have won just 3 of their 13 Premier League away games since Hasenhuttl took charge, losing 7 times in the process.
Brighton didn’t exactly show much promise at the tail end of last season, but the system that Potter has introduced at the Amex Stadium really seems to be paying off at the moment. They look threatening going forward and a tight outfit at the back, and considering The Saints have shipped 10 goals in their last 4 league away games we think the hosts have a great chance here.
Southampton’s torrid away record makes backing Brighton the right choice, and we’re going for a 2-1 correct score prediction thanks to Southampton’s improved attacking record since the Austrian took charge. They have scored in 8 of the 13 away games since he arrived at St Mary’s Stadium.
Manchester United vs. Crystal Palace
Best Bet – Anthony Martial To Score Anytime +130
Final Score Bet – Manchester United 2-0 +600
Manchester United may have failed to pick up all 3 points against Wolves on Monday, but there aren’t too many complaints coming from the red half of Manchester right now. For the first time in years, The Red Devils seem to be playing with the attacking verve that is expected of them, and it’s paid dividends so far.
They hammered Chelsea 4-0 in their opening game of the season, and while it was a rather flattering scoreline it did show just how lethal they can be on the counter attack. They had less success against the organized Wolves attack, but the first half showed a lot of promise and they were only denied a win by a stunning Ruben Neves goal and a missed penalty from Paul Pogba.
At the moment, the summer sale of Romelu Lukaku looks to have been an inspired decision too. It’s left Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial available to switch things up at the spearhead of their attack, and that movement has helped the duo net 4 goals between them in just 3 games. Martial has tended to stick to the number 9 role though, and has been rewarded with a goal in both games so far.
The Frenchman is undeniably thriving in this position, netting twice in preseason in the lone striker role and scoring in both competitive games so far. Backing him to get on the scoresheet again here looks a good choice for our anytime goalscorer predictions.
Of course, Saturday will see Aaron Wan-Bissaka face off against his former teammates, and for the traveling fans it will be a painful reminder of their failures in the summer transfer market. Despite pocketing a cool £50m from Wan-Bissaka’s sale, they reinvested just £7m of that into new players.
Their biggest purchase was the uninspiring signing of James McCarthy for just shy of £3m, and the only silver lining of the transfer window was them holding on to Wilfried Zaha.
Things are not looking great at Selhurst Park. The Eagles lost to Sheffield United last weekend to make it 1 point and zero goals from their opening 2 matches, and their record against Manchester United doesn’t bode well for Saturday’s game.
Palace haven’t won any of their last 22 league games against Manchester United, losing 18 of those. They have lost 11 of their last 12 league trips to Old Trafford too, failing to score in 11 of them. In fact, they have never beaten The Red Devils in the Premier League, so a home win looks the order of the day here.
Despite Manchester United’s torrid defensive record last season, we’re also expecting the hosts to keep a clean sheet. The introduction of Harry Maguire and Wan-Bissaka have completely transformed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s back line, and despite their draw on Monday they only allowed Wolves to generate 0.31 xG.
With this new look defense and Crystal Palace’s failure to score so far we’re backing that along with a comfortable 2-0 correct score prediction.
Sheffield United vs. Leicester City
Best Bet – Both Teams To Score +100
Final Score Bet – 1-1 Draw +550
Sheffield United’s rapid rise through the ranks was the story of last season in the Championship, and their promotion to the top flight saw them travel from League One to the Premier League in just 3 seasons.
With this promotion came something of an ominous feeling. The Blades’ boss Chris Wilder employs a progressive style of football and made it clear that he wouldn’t be deviating from this path in the top flight. The expectation? Regular batterings at the hands of the country’s elite clubs.
Admittedly, they are yet to face off against a truly elite club, but so far Sheffield United have proven to be a breath of fresh air. They earned a well deserved point at Bournemouth in their opener and followed that with an equally deserved victory against Crystal Palace last weekend. On Saturday they face their biggest test yet though, coming up against a Leicester side gunning to challenge the top 6 hierarchy.
However, The Foxes haven’t enjoyed a particularly exciting start to their campaign, although it has been mildly promising. A hosting of Wolves and a trip to Chelsea certainly hasn’t made for the easiest of starts, but they have picked up a point in both matches and look like a very difficult side to beat under Brendan Rodgers.
Leicester haven’t exactly hit the heights of attacking prowess so far, but against a comparatively weaker Sheffield United defense we could see them trouble the back line. They have scored in 18 of their 20 away matches since the start of last season, although they only found the net more than once in 6 of those games.
The other end of the pitch has seen them concede in 16 of these 20 matches though, and they’re facing a Blades team that looks very well equipped going forward. Leicester’s away record in the Premier League pushes us towards a bet of Both Teams to Score on Saturday, and we’re expecting both teams to continue their unbeaten start to the season with a 1-1 draw as well.
Watford vs. West Ham
Best Bet – West Ham United 2-1 +1200
Fans at Vicarage Road rejoiced back in May as they managed to get through an entire season without sacking their manager, but a couple of games into the new season and The Hornets’ revolving managerial door doesn’t look like such a bad idea.
Watford kicked off the new season by getting thrashed 3-0 at home to Brighton before slumping to a 1-0 loss at Goodison Park last weekend. This dismal start to the campaign has raised concerns at both ends of the pitch, with no goals scored and 4 conceded in just 2 matches.
The Hornets didn’t exactly end last season on a high either. Apart from getting completely destroyed in the FA Cup Final, they lost their final 3 league games of the season and have now won just 2 of their last 11 outings in the Premier League. During this time they have conceded 22 goals and failed to keep a single clean sheet. In fact, they haven’t kept a league clean sheet since February.
To make matters worse, 4 of these goals conceded came at the hands of West Ham at Vicarage Road on the final day of last season. The Hammers might not have enjoyed the best start to their own campaign, but they can at least draw confidence from their last trip to the Hornets’ nest.
West Ham had the unenviable task of kicking off the new season by hosting reigning champions Manchester City, and it went the way many expected it to. They were thrashed 5-0 by Pep Guardiola’s men, although results like that can hardly be used as benchmarks for the season ahead.
Last weekend brought about a 1-1 draw with Brighton, but there are signs of promise in this West Ham team. They ended last term with a run of 3 consecutive victories, and they have a fantastic recent record against Watford.
The Hammers have lost just 2 of their last 15 league away games against the hosts and can draw confidence from that 4-1 demolition back in May. Watford are winless in their last 5 league matches at Vicarage Road too, losing 4 of them. We’re backing a 2-1 win for the visitors.
