Articles

Newcastle v Arsenal
Premier League – 2.00 pm
Sky Sports

There is going to be pressure on both sides heading into this Sunday afternoon clash in the top flight. Newcastle have seen Rafa Benitez head off to China and their replacement option has been Steve Bruce. That wasn’t a move which kept the locals particularly happy. Newcastle are one of the favourites to suffer relegation from the top flight this season because of their struggles.

They have broken the club record to sign striker Joelinton and another chunk went on winger Allan Saint-Maximin. But their squad overall looks a little bit short and unless the pragmatic Bruce can get some early-season steel and confidence into them, it could be a long season ahead. There were easier games which they could have opened with and the Magpies are 7/2 underdogs with leading bookmakers to win the match outright.

Arsenal’s defence was a shambles last season and nothing much has been done to fix it. The Gunners couldn’t get a top-four finish under their belt either and boss Unai Emery has to find a way to get them moving in the right direction. Speaking of moving forward, instead of bolstering their defence, they have shelled out a club record for forward Nicolas Pepe and Arsenal do look prolific up front. Will that be enough to see them past Newcastle? Arsenal are 8/11 odds-on favourites with leading bookmakers for three points.

Manchester United v Chelsea
Premier League – 4.30 pm
Sky Sports

This is the jewel in the crown of the opening weekend of the Premier League. A huge clash at Old Trafford between two of the top six in the country. Both clubs are in rebuild mode with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer trying to get youth and energy into his Red Devils set up. He is immediately going to be under pressure because United finished last season so poorly and could only secure sixth place in the table.

That’s not good enough by their high standards. The home record wasn’t all that bad though at W10 D6 L3. But they struggled against the other finishers inside the top seven. United’s record against top-seven teams last season was W1 D5 L6. They just weren’t competitive in the big games. They played out two draws against Chelsea last season, a 1-1 being produced at Old Trafford and a repeat drawn outcome is at 23/10 with top bookmakers.

United are the 11/10 favourites with Chelsea at 5/2 underdogs. Which makes it as one of the best bets of the day? Chelsea have a transfer ban on their head and a new, untested manager in the form of Frank Lampard. They too are probably going to be looking to their youth and getting their young stars like Callum Hudson Odoi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham plenty of playing time. It may take some time to come together for the Blues and this is such a tough road trip to kick off with. How will Lampard handle it?

England v Wales
Rugby International – 2.00 pm
Sky Sports

What better way to light up a Sunday afternoon than some top international rugby action from Twickenham? Alright, it’s only a friendly that the two are taking on as a preparation match ahead of the World Cup. But this is a great rivalry in the game and there’s no love lost between the two nations. England are the 4/9 odds on favourites because of home soil advantage. The Red Rose are W4 L2 in their last six at Twickenham against the Welsh.

There have been a lot of tense nail biters like England’s 12-6 win over the Dragons there in the 2018 Six Nations. It was Wales on top when they met in Cardiff for this year’s edition of the Six Nations. The Welsh banked the win and they went on to win the Championship. So that was a massive lift for them in this World Cup year.

There’s perhaps no team who knows how to get under the skin of the English better than Warren Gatland’s Wales.  Again it is only a friendly and both head coaches will use the chance to utilise plenty of squad players. World Cup squads still have to be finalised and options assessed to that end. Still, expect this to be competitive with World Cup places on the line. Wales will kick off with 15/8 underdog tag on their backs.

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Leeds v Nottingham Forest
Championship – 12.30 pm
Sky Sports

Leeds are one of the front runners to earn promotion to the top flight from the Championship this season. They got their campaign off to a solid start last weekend with a 3-1 away win at Bristol City. The top bookmakers have Leeds as 1/2 odds-on favourites to collect a win in their first home game of the season. Given how rampant they were at Ashton Gate last weekend, they’ll be one of the best bets of the day for plenty of punters.

Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in their last three games against Leeds though (W1 D2) and have taken a point away from each to their last two visits to Elland Road. They are going as the 15/2 underdogs for the fixture, after suffering a loss in their opening game of the season last weekend. The Tricky Trees suffered a 1-2 reverse on home soil against West Brom. Will they be able to get something on the board once again against the Whites though?

Australia v New Zealand
Rugby Championship – 10.45 am
Sky Sports

This is the first of two Bledisloe Cup meetings between the two great rugby rivals. New Zealand generally romps away with the Rugby Championship title, but that hasn’t been the case this season. They had to fight off a huge challenge from Argentina in their opening match, and then they were denied a win late on by South Africa in their second game. The Boks secured a last-minute converted try to tie the game 16-16. That likely means that this year’s title is going to the Springboks and not New Zealand.

New Zealand are 10/11 odds at leading bookmakers for a -11 handicap against Australia, and the All Blacks are on a three-match winning streak over them. The Wallabies have just one win in their last eleven against the All Blacks. With such a turgid 2018, Australia are badly in need of a lift. They have actually looked much brighter in this summer’s Rugby Championship. Australia did open though with a heavy defeat against South Africa and then only closed out a six-point win over Argentina. They are on the right track but with plenty of work still to do. Neither are at their best, and the Wallabies are 15/4 underdogs.

West Ham v Manchester City
Premier league – 12.30 pm
BT Sport 

It’s an action-packed Saturday with the first weekend of the new Premier League season here. Manchester City, who are the two-time reigning champions will be kicking off their campaign with a trip to London. The bookmakers are fully expecting nothing less than an away win here with the Citizens at 2/9 odds-on. Last season they did win 14 of their 19 away games (D2 L3) and they powered their way to a seven-match away winning streak at the end of the season. City conceded just 11 away goals all season.

So a tricky opener for West Ham who are 11/1 in the match outright with top bookmakers. however, they have something to build upon. They were steady under the experienced and watchful eye of Manuel Pellegrini last season. They have broken their club record to get striker Sebastian Haller and they actually look to be in decent shape. The Irons only lost one of their last nine home games last season, winning four of their last five (D1). Can they spring a surprise on the Citizens?

Tottenham v Aston Villa
Premier League – 5.30 pm
Sky Sports

It feels like a long time since we saw Aston Villa in Premier League action. It was only back in 2016 that they got relegated though. With their strong resources and a brilliant manager in Dean Smith at the helm, the Villains are back among England’s elite. The big question is, can they survive there? They have been spending a lot of money over the summer bolstering their squad. Money doesn’t always solve all the problems though.

Villa took their place back in the top flight after beating Derby in the Championship play-off final back in May. At one point near the end of the season, the Villains strung together a tremendous ten-match winning streak in the league. Will they be able to quickly adjust to life in the Premier League? Getting an away game against one of the top four sides in the country isn’t the easiest of beginnings and the Villains are 9/1 underdogs.

Spurs had another solid season under Mauricio Pochettino, but it’s been a little bit of a strange summer with the boss complaining that he doesn’t have control over transfers. Discontent? They have broken the club transfer record to get midfielder Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon. It’s that midfield area in which Spurs look so good. The Lilywhites did have a poor end to the season, winning just three of their last nine league games, their efforts in reaching the Champions League final getting in their way. They only lost on their last nine at home though and the leading bookies have them as short as 21/20 to win to nil.

Keep up to date with the latest live bets across the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.

Liverpool v Norwich
Premier League – 8.00 pm
Sky Sports

Here it is then. The curtain-raiser to the new Premier League season. It’s all eyes on Anfield on Friday night, as last season’s runners up Liverpool take on newly-promoted Norwich. The Reds were so powerful at home last season in the top flight, remaining undefeated for the entire campaign. They are overwhelming favourites to win this fixture and leading bookmakers have them at 8/11 odds-on even to win to nil, which punters will probably be jumping all over as one of the best bets of the day.

There are certainly enough stats to suggest a home win is going to crop up. The Reds have won ten of the last twelve meetings with Norwich (D2). So there’s that. Liverpool have scored at least three goals in six of their last eight against the Canaries too. Four times in the last six clashes, Liverpool have put five goals past the Carrow Road crew. So this on paper looks as it going to be a tough evening for Norwich back in the top flight.

Norwich played a slick, open game on their way to winning the Championship last season. Daniel Farke’s side looked so good in the second tier, but how will they adapt to life in the top flight? They are the second favourites to take the drop back down to the Championship at the end of the season. They will know that their survival will be based on the points they pick up at home. Any kind of scraps out of a game like this, against a side who went W17 D2 at home last season, would be a massive bonus.

Monaco v Lyon
Ligue 1 – 7.45 pm
BT Sport

The start of the new Ligue 1 season in France is here and there is a bit of a heavyweight clash on Friday to get things going. Lyon were third in last year’s final standings after another very solid season from them. They will be one of the front runners to land a top-four finish in this season’s campaign as well. They are going as favourites at 11/8 with leading bookmakers to win this opener.

That is despite them heading to the Principality to take on Monaco. Whether that favouritism says more about Monaco’s decline than Lyon’s strengths, we aren’t sure. Lyon produced a W9 D5 L5 record on their travels last season in league action but one of those defeats happened in Monaco. Lyon have lost two of their last three against them. At the very least this should be an entertaining game with five of the last six meetings (all competitions) sailing over 2.5 goals.

Monaco were a mess last season. A big one. They were fighting off relegation all season long. The managerial experiment with Thierry Henry didn’t work. So they called back Leonardo Jardim, who Henry had replaced, to save them. Surprisingly the Portuguese went back and did the job of getting them safe just three months after getting sacked. The decline of Monaco started a couple of summers ago with major sales. It caught up with them last season. They avoided the drop by two points only. But the chance of a fresh start is here. A 2/1 underdog home win would lift their spirits.

Leeds v Catalans Dragons
Super League – 7.45 pm
Sky Sports

The end of the regular season in the Super League is on the near horizon. There is plenty of work to do by the Catalans Dragons to ensure that they lock down a top-five finish to get through to the knockout stage of the season. They are currently holding down fifth heading into the weekend, but have Salford and Castleford breathing down their necks. So the French side need to keep the pressure on as they head to Leeds.

The Dragons took a hammering last time out, going down 40-14 at the Salford Red Devils. They had won their two league games before that though over Huddersfield and Wakefield. Just back at the end of June the Catalans Dragons faced the Rhinos and lost 31 -12 at Headingley. In the first meeting between them this season in March, the Dragons posted a 26-22 home win over Leeds.

At this stage of the season, it is the Dragons who have a lot more to play for. The two teams have similar records in terms of points scored/conceded. However, Leeds are six points adrift of the playoff spots, which is probably too much to make up. It was only back in their win over the Dragons at the end of June that the Rhinos climbed off the bottom of the Super League table. Leeds are the odds-on favourites in the match outright to win though, with the Dragons at 10/11 in a +16 handicap.

See Bobby’s Big Weekend Bets for more insights into more of the top weekend action!

The start of the new Premier League season is here, with the big kick-off from Anfield on Friday night. To celebrate the beginning of the 2019/20 top flight, we take a quick preview of all the games coming up over the action-packed weekend.

Liverpool v Norwich – Friday, August 9th
Live on Sky Sports at 8.00 pm

After their second-place finish in the table last year, collecting the most points ever for a runner up, the Premier League title still eluded Liverpool. The Reds only lost once during the campaign, so will they have the ability to go just that little bit further to better Man City? Liverpool are 1/7 odds on favourites with leading bookmakers to win this opener. They have won 10 of the last 12 meetings with Norwich. The Canaries won the Championship last year, but are second-favourites to suffer relegation and are 14/1 to pull off a shock Anfield success.

West Ham v Man City Saturday, August 10th
Live on BT Sport at 12.30 pm

West Ham are the first to face the two-time reigning champions Man City this season. The Irons finished last season with some great home form, only losing one of their last nine. It will be interesting to see if former City boss Manuel Pellegrini can do a number on his old club on the opening weekend. The Citizens won their final seven away games last season as they powered to the title. Man City have scored at least four goals in each of their last four visits to West Ham (all competitions). City are 2/9 odds on with the Hammers at 11/1.

Bournemouth v Sheffield United
Saturday, August 10th – 3.00 pm kick-off

The Cherries started last season well and then it all fell apart, even flirting with relegation at one point. There doesn’t seem to have been much movement at the Vitality throughout the summer. Sheffield United will roll into the south coast after their automatic promotion from the Championship. The Blades are the 13/5 underdogs but the leading bookmakers remain unconvinced about the inconsistent Bournemouth with them at even money.

Burnley v Southampton
Saturday, August 10th – 3.00 pm kick-off

Burnley gave up too much at Turf Moor last season. They need to rediscover some home form to escape the troubles that they had last season. Fortunately, they have Sean Dyche still in charge and he’ll have them up for a fight. Southampton had their struggles last season as well until they were rescued by Ralph Hassenhuttl. There’s pressure on the Austrian now as the Saints will expect so much more after he’s had a summer to shape the squad to his liking. This looks like it will be a tight game, with Burnley at 13/8 and the Saints march into Turf Moor at 7/4.

Palace v Everton
Saturday, August 10th – 3.00 pm kick-off

Palace did a good job at the end of last season to get themselves safe from relegation with a degree of comfort. But still, they put in a stinker of a season at Selhurst Park, winning just five games there. As long as Wilfried Zaha sticks around they’ll have a chance. But Everton looks to be an exciting project this season with Marco Silva fully embedded at Goodison Park. Young striker Moise Kean has arrived to bolster the Toffees’ attack. Get some wind in their sails and they should be pushing for European action. A positive start away from home would give them a massive early boost as they were suspect on their travels in the last campaign. Everton are 11/8 to win this with the Eagles out at 2/1 despite home advantage.

Watford v Brighton
Saturday, August 10th – 3.00 pm kick-off

A strong start and then mediocrity for the rest of the season was what Watford produced. They were too good for pretty much anyone they faced from the bottom half of the table, but not good enough to contend with the stronger teams in the league. Will it be a season of stagnation for Javi Gracia’s men? Brighton survived relegation by the skin of their teeth last season. They were toothless in attack and vulnerable in defence. What will change for them? The Hornets are 10/11 for a home win with the Seagulls a 3/1 chance at Vicarage Road.

Spurs v Aston Villa – Saturday, August 10th
Live on Sky Sports at 5.30 pm

Tottenham, despite no signings last season, stuck in there for a top-four finish in the EPL and made the Champions League final. But still, it was another trophy-less season for Mauricio Pochettino’s men. When does it end? Do Spurs have the capacity to go even better? Their form in the final third of the season was poor, winning three of their last twelve league fixtures. Aston Villa make their Premier League return after relegation in 2016. They have been throwing around the cash to try and secure survival. Will it pay off? They are 9/1 underdogs in a massively difficult opener.

Leicester v Wolves
Sunday, August 11th – 2.00 pm kick-off

The Foxes have cash in their pocket after some smart business on their end in somehow getting Man Utd to cough up £80 million for Harry Maguire. Leicester have one of the most exciting young squads in the Premier League including Youri Tielemens who they have secured long term. Can boss Brendan Rodgers get them off to a flying start? Wolves were the success story last season, showing how to thrive and not survive after promotion to the top flight. They have the advantage of coming in a bit more match-ready after Europa League qualifiers having been played. Wolves are 12/5 underdogs at the King Power with Leicester at 6/5.

Newcastle v Arsenal – Sunday, August 11th
Live on Sky Sports at 2.00 pm

The Magpies haven’t had a good summer. Rafa Benitez bailed on them and in came Steve Bruce to take over at his boyhood club. Newcastle are the outright favourites to suffer relegation from the Premier League in the forthcoming season. That’s how much of a mess the top bookmakers think that they are in. Arsenal have doubled down on being an attacking side and not worrying so much about their flimsy defence. They have broken the club record to get Nicolas Pepe for an extra attacking option. Arsenal’s potent attack sees them go as 8/11 favourites at St James’ Park with Newcastle at 7/2.

Man Utd v Chelsea
Live on Sky Sports at 4.30 pm

The battle of fallen giants. Both clubs have managers who are starting their first full Premier League managerial season. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a clear intention of making Manchester United a youthful, vibrant and energetic side. Basically the opposite of what they have been for the last few seasons. United won just one game against other top seven sides last season. Chelsea have Frank Lampard in charge, as they take on a new direction because of a transfer ban. It’s hard to gauge what is in store for either of these former Premier League champions this season. The Red Devils are 11/10 only at home to win this, with the visiting Blues at 5/2.

Bristol City v Leeds
Championship – 4.30 pm
Sky Sports

The Championship continues on Sunday with Leeds making the trip to the West Country to face Bristol City. Leeds were one of the front-runners to earn automatic promotion from the Championship last season and they were looking good value for that at one point. On Boxing Day last year, they won their seventh straight game and they were looking like a lock for a top-two finish. But then they collapsed and won only two of their next seven games (D1 L4) and they started to struggle. They ended up in third place as their form again deserted them right at the end of the season, taking one point from their final four games.

Leeds were them dumped out of the playoff semi-finals by Derby. It was another big missed opportunity for the Whites to climb up to the top tier. The top bookmakers have Leeds as the 7/5 favourites to win at Ashton Gate on Sunday. Leeds won both games against Bristol City last season to nil. It has been that way in three of the last four meetings (D1).

The Robins are 2/1 underdogs for the game and they almost found themselves the playoffs last season. They had managed to put a hot run of form together between the end of November and mid-February, a massive thirteen match undefeated streak of form. But they couldn’t sustain the pace and missed the playoffs by two points. They posted a W8 D8 L7 record at home last season, earning three wins fewer than they managed out on the road. But will they be backed as one of the best bets of the day to earn three points against Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites?

Manchester City v Liverpool
Community Shield – 3.00 pm
BT Sport

Although it is only a friendly match at the end of the day, Manchester City and Liverpool will be playing for big bragging rights. The outcome of the Community Shield has no bearing of course on what is going to happen in the following Premier League title race. But getting a bit of confidence under the belt early in the season can be a good thing. Manchester City won the Premier League by a point over Liverpool last season in one of the greatest title races the league has seen. Man City won their final fourteen league games to clinch the title.

They also added the League Cup and the FA Cup last season as well. Because they won both league and FA Cup it means that Liverpool, because of their second-place finish in the Premier League, get to turn up at Wembley and face them. Manchester City claimed four points against Liverpool in the league last season, the only team to beat the Reds. The Citizens are now 10/11 odds-on favourites to get another victory over the Merseysiders when they meet in the capital on Sunday.

Liverpool though have only lost one of their last five against the Citizens in all competitions. The way that the Reds went toe to toe with City last season was so impressive. They barely put a foot wrong and still couldn’t get that elusive Premier League title. Winning the Champions League title was more than a small consolation for them, however. Liverpool didn’t have the greatest of pre-seasons, plans disrupted because of international duty for their main front line of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. Will they gel together to land the Community Shield title? Liverpool are 14/5 to win in 90 minutes with top bookmakers.

Hungarian Grand Prix
F1 – 2.10 pm
Sky Sports

Lewis Hamilton has won the Hungarian Grand Prix six times before in his career. He is the most successful driver in the history of the race. Will he be adding number seven to the list on the weekend? This action at the Hungaroring comes straight after the thrills and spills of Germany last Sunday. It was chaotic at Hockenheim with Mercedes blowing a huge advantage with Hamilton running at the front. Their tactics went awry. Both Hamilton and teammate Valterri Bottas started making mistakes and both left the track.

Hamilton managed to finish 9th, while Bottas wiped out. It was a fine drive by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to get the win in the wet conditions, his second victory of the season. Verstappen is the 9/4 second-favourite with leading bookmakers to win in Hungary. That’s how much his stock has risen that he only has the Drivers’ Championship leader Hamilton ahead of him in the market. Will the Red Bull driver, with a much-improved car, be able to heap on a bit more pressure at the top?

Lewis Hamilton is at even money to win on the weekend. He is still a massive 41 points clear at the head of the Drivers’ Championship. That is over his teammate Valtteri Botts. But there have been a few difficulties creeping into the season of the Mercedes. However, the Silver Arrows have to be confident in the British driver because of his wonderful track record at the Hungaroring. He won by 17 seconds in last year’s edition. Will Ferrari be able to get their first win of the season? Sebastian Vettel was 2nd last weekend after starting 20th on the grid, while Charles Leclerc threw away a great position as he was another major casualty of the slick conditions.

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