After a long and torrid summer break, the Premiership is finally back and fans will be
desperate to see their clubs’ new signings in action. Anticipation has reached a fever
pitch and with just a few days left until the big kickoff the betting action is ramping
up. Here we examine the first round of Premier League fixtures, analysing who has it
easy, who might struggle and where the value lies.
Who Has It Easy?
On paper that would have to be Man City. They travel to the south coast to play new
boys Brighton & Hove Albion in the season’s first David vs. Goliath contest. City have
broken the world record for the biggest spend in a transfer window by snapping up
five stars for more than £200 million, while Brighton’s biggest outlay this summer
has been the £6 million they spent on Dutch midfielder Davy Propper. These two are
worlds apart in terms of financial muscle and ambition. But that does not mean Man
City will annihilate them. Newly promoted teams often start the season well as they
carry over the winning mentality from last season, while City’s new stars will need
time to gel into a formidable unit. You can get 1.35 on City to win at Sportingbet, so
they are not the lowest-priced team this weekend, and that looks a decent one to stick
in an accumulator. The lowest priced team are Chelsea, who are 1.25 to beat Burnley
at Stamford Bridge. Burnley had the league’s worst away record last season, so it is a
great game for Chelsea to begin their title defence. The Blues have looked a mess in
preseason so it is as gentle a start as they could have wished for, but at those low odds
it is far too risky.
Who Has It Tough?
Obviously Brighton and Burnley, who are tipped for relegation and playing the two
favourites for the title. But also West Ham, who are all the way out at 12/1 for their
trip to Old Trafford. That is a remarkable price. You could understand such long odds
if a small team lacking in ambition were playing away at Man Utd, but West Ham
were mid-table last season and should be challenging for a top eight place this time
around. They have just spent £40 million on a new strike force, with Marko
Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez coming in to supplement Andy Carroll, and
recruited England No. 1 Joe Hart. They are better than the odds suggest. While
it may be churlish to back them outright, you can get 1.60 on 188Bet on West Ham
+2 Asian handicap, which looks an amazing bet. Man Utd are a defensive minded
team and are unlikely to blow West Ham away, so if they win it is likely to be by just
a goal or at most two.
Where Is The Value?
All the action is going on newly promoted Huddersfield to beat Crystal Palace, which
is pushing out the price on the home team. Huddersfield finished the Championship
season in poor form, finishing back in fifth, and only won the playoffs courtesy of two
penalty shootouts. They may enjoy a honeymoon period, but they may become the
Premiership’s whipping boys. Crystal Palace could go either way under new boss
Frank De Boer, but at odds of 1.83 at Sportingbet it has to be worth a punt on the
home side as they have far more quality in every department. Everton meet Stoke at
Goodison Park and that is a case of two teams going in opposite directions. The
Toffees have made some great signings this summer, while Stoke have been
weakened by selling key players like Arnautovic, and Everton should also be sharper
as they have been playing in the Europa League. Everton to win at 1.75 with William
Hill looks good.
Calculators
